			READ ME FILE
	Microsoft Train Simulator Object Reference

			Route Editor 1.0x
			May/June/July 2001


		PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE DOCUMENT 
		BEFORE DOING ANYTHING WITH 
		THE ACCOMPANYING FILES.


	I want your route editing to be as much fun as
	possible, but if you don't read this document, 
	the editor will display error messages about
	missing Shape Descriptions and Textures!


Contents
========
This ZIP archive contains configuration files needed to incorporate about 80 percent 
of the complete object set available within Microsoft Train Simulator 1.x.

The items I omitted include many Main Line Stations and items having texture
file names that duplicated file names present in the Textures folder set.

I am testing a solution which relies on the "SD" files to select the proper 
texture file.

No file names were changed from the originals so you should be able to use the
text within these configuration files as is.



Instructions
============
Please read the rest of this file before you embark on copying files to a route
directory structure. The main reason is the combined route set involves copying
more than 3,300 files and you don't want to make any mistakes, do you ??

I recommend using the TEMPLATE folder for these items. When you create a new
route in the Route Editor, the system does a blind copy of everything it finds
in the "TEMPLATE" folder when building the new route.


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			I M P O R T A N T    A D V I S O R Y
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	***** IMPORTANT:   When you combine objects like this, your new
			   route directories WILL be much larger than in
			   the default mode!

			   This is why Microsoft/Kuju shipped the TEMPLATE
			   folder with very little in it.

			   Look at the ASCII text documents in this archive
			   with the names "SHAPES_DIR.TXT", "TEXTURES_DIR.TXT"
			   "TERRTEX_DIR.TXT" and "SOUND_DIR.TXT" to find out
			   how many files get added to a blank route.

			   For instance, if the file set needs 300 MB, then
			   a new route with only one tile will need at least
			   300 MB when created to hold shapes and textures.

			   I am looking into ways to extend the GLOBAL folder
			   but at this time, you cannot rely on copying things
			   to it because the ROUTE EDITOR does not read it.

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File Set:
=========
	ALL_OBJECTS.REF	Contains shape file references with new categories.
			Some of the descriptions still have their original
			names. These will also be corrected shortly. You can
			edit them yourself, if desired.

	_SIGCFG.DAT	Contains combined signal shapes.
	_SIGSCR.DAT	Contains combined signal scripts.

		*** NOTE: LEAVE THE UNDERLINE IN THOSE FILE NAMES AND
			  USE CUT-AND-PASTE TO MERGE THEM WITH YOUR
			  SYSTEMS.

			  SIGNAL FILES REQUIRE ROUTE-SPECIFIC CUSTOMIZATIONS
			  SO WE DON'T WANT TO DISTURB YOUR EXISTING FILES
			  BY OVERWRITING THEM


	TTYPE.DAT	Contains the complete set of track sounds available.
			These show up in the Route Editor as SOUND_REGIONS
			and affect the sound the wheels make as they roll on
			train rails.
			Place sound region objects ON TRACKS. They have direction
			arrows that indicate "from this point forward" and you can
			place them on a single track using the "move object" command.
			For instance, the sound a train makes as it enters a tunnel
			will differ from the sound it makes leaving the tunnel.
			Place the "tunnel" region on one rail set and a road bed 
			sound on the tracks in the opposite direction.

	SSOUNDS.DAT	Contains 120+ sound definitions for the external
			environment the train passes through. These show in
			the Route Editor as SOUND SOURCES. When placing a
			Sound Source, it's volume is determined by where it
			is relative to the tracks. Set the quality using the
			properties page. (Similar to image quality).
			Combine them to create complex sounds. For instance,
			a farm may have "cow moos" and "farm machinery" with
			the sound of wind and birds in trees. The three sources
			are placed somewhere on the farm property.
			You will hear the sounds immediately in the editor. They
			cannot be heard in the engineer's view, but will work in
			all other views.

	FORESTS.DAT	Defines trees as forest objects. These show up in the
			Route Editor in the "Track Objects" class. The idea of
			using Forests is the object is a single entity rather
			than many smaller pieces.

			As the game animates scenery, it is much faster to move
			the single center point of the forest than to calculate
			the positions of each tree in the object.

			A forest object has three GREEN squares and a red bounding
			box. The center most square sets the position of the object
			and is the only box that will allow you to display the tree
			density properties. The tree density tells how thick the
			forest occupies the red rectangle.

			Forests AUTOMATICALLY shape their horizontal alignment to meet
			the terrain they are on. That makes them perfect for mountains.

			Use the other two GREEN boxes to resize width and length of the
			forest object.

			Forest objects don't display a thumbnail.

	CARSPAWN.DAT	This file lists vehicles that travel your roads. The shapes I
			included here are ones that made sense, but any shape can be
			put in the file. (I've put cows and deer in mine for fun)

	SPEEDPOST.DAT	This file contains Speed limit and warning signs. Edit the top of
			this file when changing from "USA" to "EUROPE" or "JAPAN" but leave
			the rest of the file as is. The top area specifies the active
			set.

	GANTRY.DAT	This file specifies the electric power lines for a route. It will
			be replaced in the update with an example of using one gantry set
			that has varied widths, which is how you enable "Auto Place" to
			handle spanning different track widths properly.



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				F I N A L     W A R N I N G


		If you decide to use these files in your system, make sure you
		make backup copies of the existing files first, and make sure
		you're ready to copy all required files to the TEMPLATE folder
		or whatever route folder you choose to use.

		You understand that making these modifications to your existing
		directory structure will mean the disk space allocated for any
		new route will be significantly different from the default.

		Creating a new train route will also take longer than before and
		loading a train route in the Route Editor will take longer than
		before because the system must read more information or copy more
		files.

		You must use the accompanying file lists to determine the names
		of the files that must reside in the SHAPES, TEXTURES and subfolders
		of TEXTURES to make the configuration files work.

		Some of the Microsoft-supplied Shape files ("S" extensions) did not
		come with Shape Description files ("SD" extensions). YOU MUST MAKE
		YOUR OWN files. They are Unicode documents. You can copy another shape
		description file as a template, and change the shape name in the copy
		to the name you need.

		Please read the section "Handling Errors" at the end of this document.

		
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Handling Errors
---------------
There are four error messages that may display when you modify route object configuration
files. In all cases, the route editor displays the message with options OK / CANCEL. If
you click "CANCEL" the editor closes. If you see one of these errors, leave the error on
screen, take the corrective measure and click "OK" to continue. The message box is not
very clear, but it's asking you if you want to continue.


1) "An object in the "REF" document is not in the Shapes directory."

	PROBLEM: The route-specific "REF" file contains a shape file ("S" extension) that is
		not in the route-specific folder. Depending on your font size, the file name
		may be shown also.

	SOLUTION: Use the "Find files or folders" utility while the error is on screen.
		Locate the missing file and copy it to the SHAPES folder.
		Click OK to continue. The editor may report "Shape failed to load" but
		it probably has.

2) "No extended texture for shape file..."
	PROBLEM: The shape file listed in the REF document apparently has multiple
		textures. For instance, trees have one texture for each season.

	SOLUTION: Use the "Find files or folders" utility while the error is on screen.
		Search for "ACE" file types and make sure you copy textures to the proper
		subfolders of TEXTURES if there are multiples. Forgetting to do this will
		make the game display an error message when it needs a texture other than
		the default. For instance, at night, many buildings need files from the
		\textures\night folder.

3) "No extended shape description for file..."   may also include "continue?"
	PROBLEM: The route-specific "REF" document contains a shape file that has
		multiple textures. The program uses the "SD" file to create thumbnails
		of the objects. You may see this error while scrolling the Object List
		interface to find available objects.

	SOLUTION: First try using "Find files or folders..." and use the named option
		with the SHAPE name (but no "S" extension). If the "SD" file exists,
		copy it to the SHAPES folder.

		You will know if the SD file is missing because the object listbox
		will not have a thumbnail image for the shape.

		If you're placing an object on the route map to see what it looks like,
		allow the system to show the error "No extended shape data available
		for..." and place the shape.

		Locate another shape that is a similar size by placing it next to the
		one needing the SD file. When you find a similar shaped/sized object in
		the editor, copy that object's SD file, rename the copy to the name
		you need and edit it so it contains the proper shape name.





	Alplabetic Category Listing for July 2001 [ 1,062 items ]
	-----------------------------------------
	Items with [ ] brackets around names link with External files

	ALIENS			 1 item
	ANIMALS			 3 items
	BRIDGES, Road/Train	47 items
	BRIDGES, Foot		 5 items
	BRIDGES, Viaducts	 1 item
	BRIDGES, Road Pieces	 3 items [useful as side walks too]
	BUILDINGS	       154 items
	CLUTTER,		28 items
	DYNTRACK,		 1 item
	FARM,			 6 items [There are also 3 terrains]
	FENCE,			18 items
	FLAGS			 7 Items
	FORESTS,		 1 item
	HAZARDS			 4 items
	INTERACTIVE		 3 items
	LEVEL CROSSINGS		13 items
	LIGHTS			 7 items
	MAINLINE, Stations	50 items
	PEOPLE			 2 items
	PICKUP OBJECTS		 9 items
	POWER			13 items
	ROAD SECTIONS		84 items
	SIGNS			 7 items
	[SOUND REGIONS]		30 items
	[SOUND SOURCES]	       126 items
	[SPEED LIMITS]		16 items
	TERRAIN ITEMS		 3 items
	TRACK BUILDINGS		23 items
	[TRACK OBJECTS]		85 items
	[TRACK SECTIONS]       158 items
	TRANSFERS		18 items
	TRANFER_2		12 items
	TUNNELS			10 items
	[VEHICLES]		42 items
	VEGETATION		55 items
	WALLS			17 items


Jim Steven, MCSE
JMSteven_W98@msn.com