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Train sim tools
This page is a summary and description of various MSTS tools, apart from those supplied with MSTS itself. To help us run MSTS to its full potential and overcome problems before they happen, web•TrainSim regards the following tools as essential:
And to add realistic weather, with sound in some cases, use Kosmos. Conbuilder
Carlos Gomes' consist builder, consist tester and activity tester is described in more detail on its own page. • Update 24-Dec-2006: The full version of ConBuilder is no longer free. To create consists, ConBuilder Lite, version 2.0.1, can be downloaded from the ConBuilder homepage or the Train-sim.com library in archive cblite.zip (3.5Mb, 24-Dec-2006). ConBuilder Lite is freeware and only creates consists but doesn't carry out the checking functions provided in ConBuilder Pro. Route RiterAs at 20-Jan-2008 , the following downloads of Route Riter are available from Mike Simpson's Route Riter page at Steam4Me:
While downloading from the link at the bottom of the page, scroll up a page or two to read through what's been updated. Note that Route Riter version 6 requires a Java run-time and Microsoft .NET Frameworks (see the readme in the zip file). Paul Gausden's Shape Viewer to view .S files is fully incorporated into the main program, there's an option on the Graphics tab to view a consist in full colour, and other improvements have been made. Mike Simpson's Route Riter helps out route developers by enabling them to compress their routes into a manageable size for downloading. Many route developers are now using Route Riter to our advantage (particularly in terms of the download size of the route across the Net) by having it check the files used from the default routes and writing a batch file which becomes part of the installation. This batch file, by default named installme.bat, knows which files are required and we run it to copy only what's required from the default routes on our hard drive. In the days when he had a feeble dialup connection, web•TrainSim decided whether or not to download a route in regard to its download file size (obviously) and checked if it's installation had been put together with the help of Route Riter so there's no wasted disk space. Route Riter has with newer versions provided more checking facilities for consists and activities. Use it to check an individual activity and be informed of any missing consists and/or loose consists, and traffic, path and service files. It's worth noting the difference between Route Control (the full version) and Route Riter. The former packs up a route and puts it away until you want to use it. On the other hand, Route Riter removes unnecessary files and the route is always available on which to run your trains. Shape ViewerAs at 15-Nov-2005 , Paul Gausden's excellent tool is at version 1.6. Shape Viewer version 1.6, SView1_6_187a.zip (2.54Mb, 15-Nov-05), can be downloaded from its page at Australian Add-ons for MSTS. Activity Changer
This free tool enables you to change the starting time and weather conditions of an activity. Changing from a clear summer day to winter snow can make quite a difference to driving a heavy freight across Marias Pass! Other features include viewing the player's timetable. You can change these times, but you have to do it manually - that may be a lot of work for some activities. You can also read through the activity's brief or working orders. The activity that's changed is backed up to a separate file so you can go back to the original at a later stage if you want. In V1.4a you can add some random AI traffic to an activity but web•TrainSim hasn't tried this feature. As of 21-Jun-02, Activity Changer is at version 1.4a and can be downloaded from the author's site at msts.juliane-und-torben.de. Activity Changer is a Java application so you need the Java Runtime installed. If you install Activity Changer and run it from Start/Programs but nothing happens, you'll have to download and install the JRE from http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/jre/download-windows.html. Route Control Lite
RC-Lite, rc-lite.zip (23-Dec-01, 5.8Mb), is the freeware version of Route Control by http://www.howintheworld.com. Whereas the full version has a range of features, particular as the title suggests, the means to manage MSTS routes, the free version is only capable of doing a thorough check that you have all the necessary rolling stock for the consists on your system. RC-Lite is a worthwhile tool to supplement ConBuilder and may help solve any consist problems you have, especially after installing an activity since it removes an offending consist to a separate folder until you install any necessary locos and rolling stock. Other free toolsThe following are available in the Train-Sim.com file library:
The following are available from their respective sites:
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