QD Menu question

[miata54]

When I select the QD option from the main menu and then click on the upper left box (Locomotive selection) all available locomotive pics appear on the right side of the menu. Two problems here.

1. The Big Boy and Challenger pics do not appear under the selections menu which in my case number 1 thru 7.
Sub menu' selection is "All". When I select sub menu "Steam" they still do not show. However, under the
Freeroam tab, both the Big Boy and Challenger pics show for a selected scenario in the Castle Rock route and
both loco's are present in selected scenarios.

2. Under the "Steam" sub menu, a Class 37 diesel is shown. It should not appear under the "Steam" sub menu.

Question: What folder contains the menu loco pics for the QD option? Short of doing a Verify Files procedure, is there a way to correct these problems?

Thanks

Later:

I decided to do a complete uninstall/deletion of all TS files and re-install rather just a verify of files, and TS loaded with the same results. No Big Boy or Challenger in the QD loco menu. Does anyone else have these 2 loco's in there QD loco menu? My Big Boy is from the original IHH developer and the Challenger is from Kuju.

[kris120]

The menu pics are located inside a folder "LocoInformation" below the loco's blueprint and always named "image.png" (for example Kuju\RailSimulator\RailVehicles\Diesel\Class37\BR Green\Engine\LocoInformation\image.png).

The files providing a consist of a single loco or a train are always located in the folder "PreLoad\" directly below Provider\Product\, but it may be any folder inside this folder PreLoad\, too.
There are 2 filetype, both with the extension .bin :
- ConsistBlueprints: show name of the loco or the group the consist belongs to by principle (e.g. "Class 37"), show the name of the specific consist (e.g. "Class 37 green light engine"), defines whether it is a steam, diesel or electric machine.
- MetadataBlueprint can assign a consist to another group, so you always have to check both. This MetadataBlueprint asigns other characteristics to a consist, to as the continent, time (modern, historic) which you can use to select the locos in the menu.
- Fragment Blueprints only collect locos and wagons. They have to be called by ConsistBlueprints and provide no information.

The problem is that such ConsistBluePrints may be in every Preload\ folder below any Product folder inside the TS, they do not need to be in the same Product folder like the model is located. Fortunately this is only rarely the case with bought stuff.

You can read these Consist- and MetadataBlueprints with any text editor after you have converted them with serz.exe.

I had now a look to the 4 consists inside Kuju\RailSimulator\PreLoad\BathTemp\
After conversion I saw this:

Code: Select all

<EngineType d:type="cDeltaString">Steam</EngineType>

Any questions ? Just replace that with Diesel.

[miata54]

kris120:

Thanks for your very detailed info and instructions. You gave me a lot to chew on! LOL!

As you suggested, I went looking for a Preload folder for the Class37. Found it in the Kuju/Railsimulator folder, opened it up to find Bath Temp, opened that up and found 4 BIN files associated with the Class37. I opened each folder to find each of the 4 folders had a Steam (word) entry in the Engine description line. I changed all 4 entries from Steam to Diesel, fired up TS and clicked on QD, then selected the Steam tab instead of the All tab, and the Class37 was now absent from the Steam page. Just what it should have been. Excellent. It now appears under the Diesel tab where it should be. Solved.

Keeping in mind your info, I went looking for Preload folders for the Big Boy and Challenger, and surprisingly, I could not find one for either loco. For the Big Boy, I looked in the IHH folder. For the Challenger, I looked in the Kuju/RailSimulatorUS/railvehicles/Preload, to find many consist fragment files, but nothing listed as Challenger. I went back and opened the Railvehicles folder and there was NO folder titled Steam. Perhaps this is why neither loco appears in the QD loco/steam sub menu. I don't really know what the reason is. Again, very strange as both loco's appear in the Standard and Freeroam menu's in there assigned routes and scenarios of Cajon Pass and Castlerock.

Please enlighten me.

[jlms48]

IHH Big Boy was released in 2010 before Quick drive scenarios were introduced to the game in TS2013.
So it is to be expected that IHH Big Boy will not appear in QD scenarios. It will not have a pre-load folder.

The same probably applies to the Challenger although I dont know what year that was first Released.

I have later RSC releases of both BigBoy and Challenger which do both have PreLoad folders and will run in QD scenarios and the Big Boy image but not the Challenger shows up in the QD menu.

Try using Steam locos released after 2013 and QD enabled.

[miata54]

Jims48

Thanks for the update. Your explanation explains why neither loco shows up in the QD menu but they do show up in game. I'm going to take a look at various Preload folders for steam loco's that do show in the QD menu.

[kris120]

I have done consists for each loco in IHH:

IHH-PreLoads-Locos-Bigboy-ChallengerGray-Conso.zip

They show up in the separate groups: UP Big Boy, UP Challenger and UP Consolidation.
Smokebox' consist show up like "UP Big Boy by Smokebox".

These consists should work as AI consists on Sherman Hill, Wasatch Grade and Donner Pass. But only if the quickdrive plays between 1930 and 1960 (you can cange this: look at the end of the xml files, serz after editing).

If you only want to have a consist which you can drive, which does not show the consist as AI in quickdrives, you can add some wagons to these locos in the quickdrive menu by "editing" my consists. This does not overwrite my files.
If you want a long train with some random wagons, tell me which wagons you want to have in the train and I will create that for you.
I do that by selfmade scripts, the third possibility with the blueprint editor is simply too complicated to that.

[miata54]

kris120

Thanks so much for your Preload for the Big Boy and Challenger. I now have both loco's in the QD Steam menu. Yes, I would love to have a 20-30 mixed freight consist for the loco's via QD. I've never been able to fully understand the need for or the function of Preload folders.

[jlms48]

My BigBoy from RSC was only enabled to appear as an AI loco in the Sherman Hill route and in the era 1930-60

If you want to edit the number of routes or the time period for any loco, which is in a pre-load folder, there is a handy editing tool for QD files in TS-Tools.
This is an alternative to editing the .xml files yourself with an editor.