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Trainz Downloading Hintz - Content Correctors' Guide - Resolving Problems With Downloaded Assets

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These hints are mainly intended for users of Auran's Trainz Railway Simulator 2004 (TRS2004). Some sections may also apply to other versions of Trainz.

A very useful "Downloading Tutorial" is available at Gerard's Trainz Tutorials, in the form of an Adobe Acrobat PDF document (external link verified Oct-04). These notes are intended to be additional to that tutorial.

Some excellent advice regarding content correction for TRS2006, together with generous offers of assistance, can be found in the following thread on Auran's forums: Trainz > 3rd Party Creation Support > Send Me Your Broken KUID's.

A very useful tutorial on content correction for TRS2006 is available on this page of the World Of Trainz web site. (External link verified Jan-06.)

If you suspect that there is a problem with a Razorback Railway asset, or a third-party asset used in a Razorback Railway layout or scenario, then please do not be tempted to correct the error yourself. Instead, please search the Razorback Railway web site's FAQ and forum to see if the problem has already been documented. If not, then please post details of the problem with as much evidence as possible on the forum so that it can be investigated, with the hope that it can be fixed at source for the benefit of everyone. Other major content creation organisations may feel the same way.

If you make any unauthorised modifications to assets, then the content creator will in most cases quite reasonably be reluctant to provide assistance should you encounter problems. On the other hand, any content creator whose assets require modification in order to make them operative is probably unlikely to be able to offer much in the way of useful assistance anyway. Put another way, content from technically competent creators who offer a good level of user support is very unlikely to require fixing.

There might be some legal implications should you make unauthorised modifications to assets. I can't see there being any problems in practice if the modified copies are purely for your own use, but it would seem very wise not to distribute the modified versions on Auran's DLS, your own web site, or in any other public manner. In addition, content creators should be very wary of basing their own creations on clones of another author's assets that they have modified. Also beware of publishing creations which work with dependencies which have been modified, but which will not work with the unmodified original versions on Auran's DLS or elsewhere.

Errors Which Will Prevent An Asset From Operating Correctly:

Search for: behaviour Error: behaviour Restrictions: Correct this spelling error in "kind" tag parameters only. Do not change "script" tag parameters, where the spelling must agree with associated file or folder names. For example, do not change 46435:99998's script "behaviour" tag. Should be: behavior Required action: Correct the parameter by removing the spurious letter "u". Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: In Trainz, the asset is unlikely to be operative. In Trainz Objectz, the asset is unlikely to be displayed in the Rules category where it should belong. Comment: Use Australian/US spelling, not British spelling.

Search for: colour Error: colour Restrictions: This spelling error only needs to be corrected when the word is used as a keyword. Should be: color Required action: Correct the keyword by removing the spurious letter "u". Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: Some features of the asset are likely to work incorrectly. Comment: Use Australian/US spelling, not British spelling.

Search for: discription Error: discription Restrictions: This spelling error only needs to be corrected when the word is used as a keyword. Should be: description Required action: Correct the keyword by changing the first "i" to an "e". Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: Unknown. The asset might not load in TRS2004.

Search for: independent Error: independent Restrictions: Correct this error in any tag name, for example independentbrake_lever, independentbrakecylinder or independentbrakecylinder_start. Do not change this spelling if it occurs in a tag parameter which specifies a file or folder name, for example a mesh tag. For example, the following assets use the spelling "independent" for filenames and therefore the corresponding entries in the mesh tags in their config.txt files must not be changed: 38304:55010, 38304:55020, 38304:55022. Should be: independant Required action: Correct the tag name by changing the final "e" to an "a". Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: The relevant features of the asset are unlikely to work correctly. Comment: In British English, "independant" is a spelling error. However, examining a large number of config.txt files shows that the spelling "independant" is in the majority by far and appears to be used fairly consistently by Auran and content creators in tag names such as independantbrake_lever, independantbrakecylinder and independantbrakecylinder_start.

Search for: kuid { (with a space between kuid and the open curly bracket) Error: kuid { Should be: kuid-table { Required action: Correct the tag name by inserting -table (without a space on the end) Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: If the kuid table has any entries, then the asset is unlikely to work correctly.

Search for: kuid{ (without a space) Error: kuid{ Should be: kuid-table { Required action: Correct the tag name by inserting -table (with a space on the end) Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: If the kuid table has any entries, then the asset is unlikely to work correctly.

Search for: kuid table (with a space between kuid and table) Error: kuid table Should be : kuid-table Required action: Correct the tag name by changing the space to a hyphen. Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: If the kuid table has any entries, then the asset is unlikely to work correctly.

Search for: kuidtable (without a space) Error: kuidtable Should be: kuid-table Required action: Correct the tag name by inserting the necessary hyphen between kuid and table. Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: If the kuid table has any entries, then the asset is unlikely to work correctly.

Error: obsolete { (with a space between obsolete and the open curly bracket) Should be: obsolete-table { Required action: Correct the tag name by inserting -table (without a space on the end). Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: If the obsolete table has any entries, then the asset may not work correctly.

Search for: obsolete{ (without a space) Error: obsolete{ Should be: obsolete-table { Required action: Correct the tag name by inserting -table (with a space on the end). Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: If the obsolete table has any entries, then the asset may not work correctly.

Search for: obsolete table (with a space between obsolete and table) Error: obsolete table Should be: obsolete-table Required action: Correct the tag name by changing the space to a hyphen. Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: If the obsolete table has any entries, then the asset may not work correctly.

Search for: obsoletetable (without a space) Error: obsoletetable Should be: obsolete-table Required action: Correct the tag name by inserting the necessary hyphen between obsolete and table. Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: If the obsolete table has any entries, then the asset may not work correctly.

Search for: table{ (without a space) Error: table{ Should be: table { Required action: Correct the tag name by inserting the necessary space between table{ and the open curly bracket. Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: If the relevant table has any entries, then the asset is unlikely to work correctly.

Search for: ?{ (any character other than a space, immediately followed by an open curly bracket) Error: ?{ Should be: ? { Required action: Correct the tag name by inserting the necessary space before the open curly bracket. Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: The asset is unlikely to work correctly. Comment: The ? character is used here as a wildcard to represent any character other than a space. Comment: It may be helpful to search for this error using "regular expressions" if your search program provides that facility, as does the Agent Ransack program.

Search for: ?<kuid (any character other than a space, immediately followed by an open angle bracket and kuid) Error: ?<kuid Restrictions: Do not change ?<, which is perfectly valid in HTML. Some config.txt files contain HTML coding which must not be changed. Should be: ? <kuid Required action: Correct the item by inserting the necessary space before the open angle bracket. Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: The asset is unlikely to work correctly. Comment: The ? character is used here as a wildcard to represent any character other than a space. Comment: It may be helpful to search for this error using "regular expressions" if your search program provides that facility, as does the Agent Ransack program.

Search for: "utc" Error: "utc" Restrictions: Only correct this error when it occurs as the parameter of a trainz-build tag. Should be: 1.5 Required action: Change the parameter from the string "utc" (or "UTC") to the literal number 1.5, without quotes. Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: The asset will not work correctly. Comment: Do not enclose the 1.5 with quotes of any type. If your search facility is case sensitive, then also search for "UTC" and change it in the same way.

Questionable Errors:

Search for: // (two forward slash characters) Error: // Restriction: Do not change this combination of characters in a web site URL (http://). It may not be safe to change this combination of characters in a driver-settings tag, for example: showhelp 0 // 0 for DCC control // 1 for Cabin Required action if you wish to correct this error: Remove the two forward slashes, any preceding spaces and tabs, and the following comment text. Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: Unknown. Probably ignored outside a tag but might cause problems within a tag. Comment: Using two forward slashes to introduce a comment is a mistaken attempt to use TrainzScript comment syntax in a config.txt file.

Search for: organization (with a "z") Error: organization Should be: organisation Required action if you wish to correct this error: Correct the tag name by changing the "z" to an "s". Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: Unlikely to have any effect. Apparently Trainz does not use this tag, and Trainz Objectz only uses if for cosmetic and sorting purposes. Comment: Use Australian/US spelling, not US spelling. Beware of a config.txt file containing two tags, one spelt "organisation" and the other spelt "organization". If this is the case, delete the "organization" tag, but retain whichever tag's wording has the more meaningful wording.

Search for: "<kuid (a double-quote character, followed immediately by an open angle bracket, followed immediately by kuid) Error: "<kuid...>" Should be: <kuid...> Required action if you wish to correct this error: Remove the spurious double-quotes that enclose the kuid specification. Do not remove the angle brackets or the keyword kuid. Do not change the kuid number. Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: Probably no effect. This error is very widespread and does not appear to cause any problems in TRS2004, Trainz Objectz or Trainz Objectz Explorer. It is also reported as not causing problems in TRS2006. It is therefore probably not worth correcting. Comment: In the above, three full stops are used to represent any kuid or kuid2 number. Comment: Because this error is so widespread and apparently completely harmless, I suggest that users ignore it.

Optional Cosmetic Errors:

Search for: € (the Euro currency sign, which can be entered on a British keyboard by pressing AltGr/4) (warning: this symbol may not be correctly displayed on some computers) Error: Open-double-quote and close-double-quotes used inside normal double-quotes in name tag parameters. Should be: (see Required action section) Restriction: Do not change in string table or filenames. Do not change in the string table or in the textures tables of kuid2:51536:51112:2 Required action if you wish to correct this error: The visual appearance of this error may depend on a number of factors including your keyboard nationality, your Windows regional settings and your choice of text editor program. It may appear as an open-double-quote and/or close-double-quote, or as a set of accented foreign characters including the Euro currency symbol. On my computer, open-double-quote and close-double-quote appear as themselves in Notepad, but in Trainz they are displayed as a set of accented foreign characters and the Euro currency symbol. This may differ on other computers. Correct the item by removing the open-double-quote and/or the close-double-quote. Leave only the normal double-quotes and the normal text between them. If a single-quote is used as well as a normal double-quote at the end of the name, remove the single-quote. Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: Cosmetic. Trainz and Trainz Objectz will display the relevant asset's name with the Euro sign and accented characters, and therefore sort it out of the normal sequence in lists, so making it more difficult to find. The asset will probably still be fully operative. Comment: This error is fairly widespread.

Search for: ". (a double-quote character, immediately followed by a full stop) Error: ". Restriction: Only correct this error in name and username tags. Do not change 38793:2700050's attachment ".smoke" and attachment ".steam" tags. Should be: " Required action if you wish to correct this error: Correct the item by removing the spurious full stop which prefixes the name in name and username tags. Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: Purely cosmetic. Causes assets to be sorted out of the normal sequence in lists in Trainz and Trainz Objectz.

Search for: "" (two adjacent double-quote characters) Error: Two adjacent double-quote characters. Restrictions: Do not change if the two adjacent double-quotes are legitimately being used to specify the null string as a parameter. For example: Do not change: organisation Consider changing: name "wagon" Should be: One double-quote character. Required action if you wish to correct this error: Correct the item by removing either of the two double-quote characters. If the two adjacent double-quotes are being used legitimately to specify the null string as a parameter of an organisation or contact-website tag, etc., then if desired insert a hyphen between them. Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: Cosmetic. Trainz and Trainz Objectz might display the relevant asset's name incorrectly and therefore sort it out of the normal sequence in lists. The asset will probably still be fully operative.

Search for: "' (one double-quote character, immediately followed by one single-quote character) Error: Double-quote followed by single-quote. Restrictions: Tags such as organisation "'" can be safely ignored, or changed to organisation "-" if desired. Should be: One double-quote character. Required action if you wish to correct this error: Correct the item by removing the spurious single-quote character. Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: Cosmetic. Trainz and Trainz Objectz might display the relevant asset's name incorrectly and therefore sort it out of the normal sequence in lists. The asset will probably still be fully operative.

Search for: '" (one single-quote character, immediately followed by one double-quote character) Error: Single-quote followed by double-quote. Restrictions: Tags such as organisation "'" can be safely ignored, or changed to organisation "-" if desired. Should be: One double-quote character. Required action if you wish to correct this error: Correct the item by removing the spurious single-quote character. Likely impact on the relevant asset if the error is left uncorrected: Cosmetic. Trainz and Trainz Objectz might display the relevant asset's name incorrectly and therefore sort it out of the normal sequence in lists. The asset will probably still be fully operative.

All of the above only apply where they act as keywords. Spelling and punctuation is irrelevant within the text (string) parameters of free format tags such as description and license, where the text is enclosed in double-quote characters.

Reminder: After editing any config.txt files, always use the option in Trainz Objectz to delete the dispatcher.chump file.

This is caused by a minor bug in Trainz Objectz, which takes the first "kind" tag it finds even if it is inside another tag. The asset does not need to be fixed in order to be fully operative in TRS2004, but if it desired to solve the problem in Trainz Objectz then in the asset's config.txt file move the real "kind" tag to near the start of the file, perhaps just below the kuid tag. Be careful not to corrupt the first line of the config.txt file. Shut down and restart Trainz Objectz to check that the spurious "nd" category has disappeared.

In practice with TRS2004 mismatches of this type only appear to have the potential to cause confusion, not to make an asset inoperative. They might adversely affect operation in TRS2006.

Provided the kuid2 suffix is zero, mismatches of the following form can be safely ignored as they definitely do not cause problems in TRS2004.

KUID folder name: kuid xxxx yyyy

KUID tag in config.txt file: kuid2:xxxx:yyyy:0

Most assets have this format: kuid <KUID:xxxx:yyyy>

A few assets have this format: kuid "<KUID:xxxx:yyyy>"

Both formats are acceptable in both TRS2004 and TRS2006.

A few assets have neither a name nor a username tag in their config.txt files. This doesn't seem to cause any problems in either TRS2004 or TRS2006. Trainz Objectz displays the asset's kuid in the name column.

For reasons which I do not understand, it is relatively common for kuid folders to contain copies of themselves. Besides the obvious waste of hard disk space, this might also cause problems with the asset. Occasionally a kuid folder contains one of more kuid folders for different assets, probably due to accidentally dragging and dropping them in error. Obviously these folders should be moved so as to make their assets operative. Therefore, every so often check for any kuid folders within kuid folders. Programmers will probably want to write a small utility to perform the check automatically.

It might help to keep a log of any non-standard modifications you make to downloaded assets (i.e. anything above and beyond the routine correction of syntax errors in config.txt files detected by Trainz Objectz).

Comment: The content contained in the EXE file was designed for use with very early versions of Trainz (pre-SP3), before CDP files were adopted. The EXE file can't find the folder structure it expects. As far as I know, there is no solution to this problem. In other words, there is no way to use such content with TRS2004.

Comment: Check the scenario's folder. If you can't find any GS or GSE files, then I suspect that this is a scenario written for an older version of Trainz and not compatible with TRS2004. As far as I know there is no solution to this problem. Unfortunately, some third-party web sites offering scenarios do not state that their offerings are incompatible with TRS2004. On Auran's Download Station, it helps to restrict the search to TRS2004 when looking for scenarios (remove the other ticks). However, at present (October 2004) there are not many TRS2004-compatible scenarios available on Download Station.

Suggestions: See this page.

Solution: Trainz Objectz Express has detected the word "mesh" in normal text in a description or licence tag, and wrongly treated it as a keyword. It has taken the text following the word "mesh" as the filename of a mesh file and then naturally failed to open the supposed file. This seems to be a bug with TOE. There is a work-around solution: edit the asset's config.txt file, look for the word "mesh" in normal text, and insert an underline character after it to make it "mesh_". This will prevent TOE treating it as a keyword. Do not change any legitimate occurrences of the word "mesh" in tag names.

Reminder: After editing any config.txt files, always use the option in Trainz Objectz to delete the dispatcher.chump file.

Reskin asset Downloads/kuid xxxxx xxxxxx does not match the original asset (<kuid:-10:199>)

(The kuid of the original asset may differ. So far, I have seen original kuid's of -10:198, -10:199 and -1:100929 but other kuid's may also be possible.)

Solution: This error seems to be associated with assets created with old versions of the Trainz PaintShed program. Note the name of the offending asset, the kuid of the offending asset, and the kuid of the original asset.

In Windows Explorer, navigate to C:\Program Files\Auran\Trainz Paint Shed\skins

Using Windows XP's own search facility or an alternative file search program such as Agent Ransack, search the contents of the config.txt files in this folder tree, looking for the kuid of the original asset. There should only be one match. If there is more than one match, compare the names and descriptions so as to find the appropriate config.txt file.

Using Notepad or an alternative text editor program such as EditPad, open the config.txt file of the original asset.

There should be a section starting with the script tag, continuing with several other tags, and ending just above the description tag. The tags in this section could include:

• script
• class
• soundscript
• mesh-table
• queues
• smoke0
• smoke1
• smoke2

Copy this entire section, i.e. from the start of the script tag to just before the start of the description tag. I do not know whether all this material is needed; certainly some of it is.

Close the text editor program.

Using Windows Explorer, make a backup copy of the config.txt file of the offending asset.

Open the config.txt file of the offending asset in Notepad or another text editor program.

Paste the contents of the clipboard between the enginespec and the description tags. I do not know if the position matters, but this position works.

Close the text editor program.

Run Trainz Objectz. Select the option in Trainz Objectz to delete the Dispatcher.chump file. This precaution may not be necessary but it certainly does no harm. Close Trainz Objectz.

Test that the offending asset is now displayed in Railyard.

Check in log0.html or Trainz Objectz's "Items In Error Log" list that no errors are now listed for the offending asset.

• Unable to load library 'gondola.gsl'
• Unable to load library 'Hopper.gsl'

Comment: These errors are very common and can probably be ignored provided the asset appears to operate correctly. Presumably an expected animation of a rolling stock or scenery asset was not found.

Solution: Some layouts require an older version of an asset which has a newer version available. By default, Download Helper and the basket option will always download the newer version, which will not usually be what the layout wants. To prevent this happening, and explicitly download the old version of an asset, select the Download Page option and use the FTP option to download the CDP file. The CDP file can be saved to hard disk and opened later, or opened immediately. If the asset has any dependencies, they will not be downloaded automatically and will have to be downloaded separately.

Comment: I suspect that Trainz once had, and perhaps still has, a mechanism whereby assets could be obsoleted and replaced by new versions. Many config.txt files contain tags which seem to be related to this mechanism. Perhaps the new kuid2 format, with its version number suffix, was introduced in order to get round problems with the obsoletion mechanism. So far, I have been unable to find any documentation on the obsoletion mechanism.

• Content could not be read, as the file is not a valid CDP
• Unable to find required username tag in package

Solution: Check the filenames and corresponding config.txt file of the offending asset for use of any foreign language characters such as the German use of the Greek letter "beta" for "ss", and umlaut and accented characters. Replace all occurrences of such characters consistently. For example, replace beta with "ss" and replace accented characters with their non-accented equivalents. Make certain that all filenames and specifications of them in text files are changed consistently.

Reminder: After editing any config.txt files, always use the option in Trainz Objectz to delete the dispatcher.chump file.

Solution: This error is usually caused by a content creator wrongly specifying UTC as "UTC" in a trainz-build tag. UTC should be specified as 1.5 (without quotes). Edit the asset's config.txt and make the necessary correction.

Reminder: After editing any config.txt files, always use the option in Trainz Objectz to delete the dispatcher.chump file.

Solution: This error message usually indicates that a required asset cannot be found.

Solution: Shadow and default mesh loading errors are extremely common and can be safely ignored, provided the asset works ok.

If a rolling stock asset is not displayed in Railyard and this error is listed, then use Windows XP's built-in search facility or an alternative search program such as Agent Ransack to check the contents of all config.txt files for common errors, as listed in an earlier section of this page.

Reminder: After editing any config.txt files, always use the option in Trainz Objectz to delete the dispatcher.chump file.

Solution: In a config.txt file, a dependency asset has been wrongly specified by means of its title instead of its kuid. Using Windows XP's built-in search facility or an alternative search program such as Agent Ransack, search the contents of all the config.txt files looking for the relevant incorrectly specified asset by means of its title. Open its config.txt file and so discover its kuid. Back in the offending asset's config.txt file, enter the asset's kuid instead of its title. Be sure to use the standard format for kuid's in config.txt files.

Reminder: After editing any config.txt files, always use the option in Trainz Objectz to delete the dispatcher.chump file.

Solution: Examine the relevant tag in the config.txt file of the offending asset. The most likely causes are as follows:

• Wrongly using a comma instead of a full stop as a decimal separator, as is common usage in some European countries, but not permitted in Trainz config.txt files.

• Using an incorrect format for a numeric parameter in scientific (exponential) format. Scientific format is sometimes used for very small numbers in air-drag-coefficient tags, and sometimes for very large numbers in fuel tags. Looking at numerous config.txt files, it seems that numeric parameters in scientific format must be enclosed in quotes, must have one digit before the decimal point, can have any number of digits after the decimal point, which must be followed by a plus or a minus sign, and must finish with exactly three digits. For example "7.0e-005" is valid, "6.55e+006" is valid, and "9.2156e+010" is valid (in all three cases, with the double-quotes). If in doubt, try converting the parameter to the normal format for numbers and removing the double-quotes, for example convert "7.0e-005" [7.0 * 10^(-5) ] to 0.00007

Reminder: After editing any config.txt files, always use the option in Trainz Objectz to delete the dispatcher.chump file.

Suggestions:

Check for inconsistencies between filenames specified in text files and actual filenames.

Check for incorrect alias entries, referencing an asset which does not exist.

Check for parameters specified by name instead of kuid or other number, for example a bogey referenced by its name instead of its kuid, or the trainz-build specified by its name instead of its version number.

In Trainz Objectz, right-click the asset and select the "List Texture Files" option. Check for any assets marked as having an illegal texture size. To discover which texture sizes are valid, refer to other assets. For example, 64 x 64 is a valid texture size but 64 x 65 is not. Use LView or a similar graphics utility program to crop images to valid sizes, as far as possible removing borders of images.

Suggestion: Open the session in Driver. When it has finished loading and the light blue screen appears, try pressing the "M" key to display the map. On the map, try to find a consist (a train) and click on it (it will change colour). Press the "M" key again so as to return to the normal screen and you should now see the layout. This doesn't always solve the problem, and you may well select an inappropriate train or rolling stock asset, but it is definitely worth trying. Presumably the problem is caused by the Driver session creator failing to properly specify the initial locomotive for the camera to point to.

Possible Solution: Examine the log files. If an error message appears in log0.html for the scenario, saying that it is for a later version of Trainz than you are using, then open the asset's config.txt file and check the trainz-build tag. If the parameter of this tag is 2.4 (which means TRS2004 SP4) and you are using TRS2004 SP2, try changing the parameter to 2.2. As ever after changing a config.txt file, use the option in Trainz Objectz to delete the dispatcher.chump file. This solution might not always work, and in some cases the scenario may not fully operate correctly, but it is definitely worth trying. As I understand it, there were no new features in TRS2004 SP3 or SP4, only bug fixes and speed optimisations.

Reminder: After editing any config.txt files, always use the option in Trainz Objectz to delete the dispatcher.chump file.

Explanation: Two bridges will only connect together at a spline point if the parameters of the trackoffsets tags in their config.txt files have precisely the same value. The gauge of the tracks on the two bridges is irrelevant.

The trackoffsets tag specifies the distance from the centreline of each track, and values can be positive or negative. Single track bridges have one parameter for the trackoffsets tag, normally a very small positive or negative value. Double track bridges only have one trackoffsets tag, but that one tag has two parameters, separated by commas, normally one of which is negative and the other positive. Similarly, bridges with three tracks have three parameters for this tag, and so on.

A value of zero results in the bridge (or its track) not being displayed, so various content creators use various small values such as -0.25, -0.1, -0.01, 0.001, 0.01, 0.02 and 0.05, each of which are mutually incompatible. There is not even compatibility in this respect within the set of built-in bridges.

I would not advise changing this parameter yourself unless you fully understand the implications. For example, anyone else wishing to use your layout would have to make the same change. In any case, it is impossible for the normal user to change the parameter of any of the built-in bridges.

The trackoffsets tag also applies to tunnels. However, it seems highly unlikely to me that there would ever be a need to join two tunnels together, or to directly join a tunnel and a bridge.

Normal track does not have the trackoffsets tag. As far as I know, all types of normal track can be connected to all types of bridges and tunnels.

Possible Solution: In the Trainz Configuration dialog box, make sure that the "Disable Environment Maps" option is not ticked. If you have edited the trainzoptions.txt file, make sure that the "-DisableEnvMap" command is not present. I think this option makes shiny metallic surfaces reflective in an intelligent fashion.

Rolling stock known to be affected by this problem includes Acela Express Business Coach (kuid 9:10000), Acela Express Business Coach (End) (kuid 9:10001), Acela Express First Class Coach (kuid 9:10002), Acela Express Power Car (front) (kuid 9:1) and Acela Express Power Car (rear) (kuid 9:2). Other rolling stock and possibly some scenery assets might also be similarly affected.

Possible Solution: Examine the scenario's config.txt file. Check that all the rolling stock assets ("vehicles") listed in the consists tag are also included in the kuid-table tag. If not, add those which are missing at the end of the list, following the same format and numerical sequence or rolling stock names so as to be consistent with the other entries. Then check that you have all the relevant rolling stock assets installed.

Reminder: After editing any config.txt files, always use the option in Trainz Objectz to delete the dispatcher.chump file.

I think it is very likely that there could be other causes of this error message.

Possible Solution: This problem seems to be caused by rolling stock parts which have a main kind tag and also one or more minor kind tags associated with animation items. Trainz Objectz seems to take the first kind tag it encounters as being the main one. If the actual main kind tag is physically later in the config.txt file than any of the minor ones, then Trainz Objectz becomes confused. The solution is therefore to move the main kind tag to the start of the config.txt file. Because Trainz Objectz is confused about the kind, it is necessary to click the "All" box so as to display all assets, rather than selecting the "RS Parts" (rolling stock parts) box.

Reminder: After editing any config.txt files, always use the option in Trainz Objectz to delete the dispatcher.chump file.

I have no idea whether Trainz itself would also be confused by this problem; probably not, but correcting it for the sake of Trainz Objectz does no harm in Trainz and might be useful.

There may well be other causes of this and similar error messages.

Solution: The most common cause of this problem is content creators including open-double-quote and close-double-quote characters inside the normal double-quote characters in name tags in config.txt files. In Trainz, open-double-quote and close-double-quote appear as accented characters. In text editors they may appear as accented characters or as open-double-quote and close-double-quote characters. To find them, search the contents of config.txt files for the Euro currency symbol, entered on a British keyboard by pressing AltGr/4. Delete the open-double-quote and close-double-quote characters. If a single quote appears instead of a close-double-quote, delete it. Making these changes should not cause any problems with the modified assets, provided only name tags are edited.

Reminder: After editing any config.txt files, always use the option in Trainz Objectz to delete the dispatcher.chump file.

Answer: It seems safe to remove it, provided only name tags are modified. To find the offending assets, search the contents of config.txt files for a double-quote followed by a full stop.

Reminder: After editing any config.txt files, always use the option in Trainz Objectz to delete the dispatcher.chump file.

Answer: No, I don't think so. Two forward slashes are used to introduce comments in some programming languages, including the TrainzScript programming language in which Trainz scenarios are written. But in config.txt files comments should be in a Comment tag.

My guess (and this is only a guess) is that a comment introduced by two forward slashes would not cause a problem if it lies outside a tag, but would probably cause trouble inside a tag. I suggest editing config.txt files are removing all such comments, especially those inside tags.

Reminder: After editing any config.txt files, always use the option in Trainz Objectz to delete the dispatcher.chump file.

Answer: From a purely technical point of view there seems to be no problem. Change the wording in the name and username tags. Be sure not to change any occurrences in string tables or filespecs.

However, since these changes are not required in order to make an asset operative, it seems even less likely that a content creator would be prepared to assist you should you encounter any problems with the asset.

Answer: Definitions of these and many other terms can be found on my Trainz Wordz glossary page.

Reply: Good question. Auran are presumably naturally reluctant to allocate any resources to this task. However, there would be no shortage of volunteers amongst the Trainz community who would be more than willing to help perform it. There may be legal problems, since I think the copyright of assets uploaded to Download Station is retained by their creators instead of passing to Auran as perhaps it should. Either way, the situation is unlikely to ever change and must be accepted as a fact of life with Trainz. Update: There has recently been a suggestion on Auran's forums that a system of "certified content" could perhaps be instigated, either by Auran themselves or by users. Only content known to work without modifications, and with all its dependencies available on Auran's DLS and also known to work without modifications, would be certified. On the face of it, this appears to be a good idea.

Answer: Yes. Try the Razorback Railway.

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Most recently modified 23-Apr-07