Creating .AP files

[jalsina]

All downloads from DTG are being distributed in Assets and Content main folders as compressed .AP files.
Old DLC are not in .AP, but were distributed in several required blueprint sub-folders.

New third parties DLCs are still being distributed in several sub-folders (for example Machine Rail steam locomotives).
I ignore why is that. May be the .AP format is something that has copyrights by DTG?

The problem comes when you are start modding as you need to edit the distributed files. If you have .AP files all your mods will stay outside of the original files.

.AP compressed files are just .ZIP files that you can open with Winzip, .RAR or .7z.

So it is very simple to have a working .AP. The way I do, is compressing all the folders being distributed, using Windows right click (Compress to). Once I get the .ZIP file I rename .ZIP to .AP and then I delete all outside subfolders. It works with RAR and 7Z and probably all similar compressed files.

Once you have your own .AP all modding will be located outside the .AP.
I suggest to remember making your .AP with only the third parties distributed files (no older mods included).

I hope this helps someone.

[wacampbell]

Good comments ...

For making .ap files, I have always used the packager tool in the Utilities.exe program. This program can be found in your Railworks folder.

Wayne

PS - see the next post - my comments are incorrect.

[jalsina]

I have used Utilities.exe for packaging .RWP, but I didn´t know I can output directly to .AP.
A .RWP file could also be renamed as an .AP, because it is a sort of .ZIP.

But could you tell us how you do to get .AP, directly from Utilities (instead of .RWP)?

[wacampbell]

I have used Utilities.exe for packaging .RWP, but I didn´t know I can output directly to .AP.
A .RWP file could also be renamed as an .AP, because it is a sort of .ZIP.

But could you tell us how you do to get .AP, directly from Utilities (instead of .RWP)?

OOPS- my mistake. You are correct of course.

Wayne

[jalsina]

I have used Utilities.exe for packaging .RWP, but I didn´t know I can output directly to .AP.
A .RWP file could also be renamed as an .AP, because it is a sort of .ZIP.

But could you tell us how you do to get .AP, directly from Utilities (instead of .RWP)?

OOPS- my mistake. You are correct of course.

Wayne

Wayne, RWP is valid as another way of compressing that may be renamed as AP. Anyway, I believe that with the compressing right click tool in Windows, it´s a lot faster to implement. I worked with that a long time ago, but I forgot it. But recently with the Machine Rail locos, I have retaken it due to mods I am doing to the N-1 locomotive. You see, I don´t like modifying originally distributed files.

[kris120]

It is just simple:
AP-files are plain zip-files (no 7zip, nor rar).

Go into the product's folder.
This is the first folder below of Assets\Producer's folder. The product folder of the most routes is named after the route itself, locos by DTG are often with a product folder named like GP40-2Pack01.
Example: The product folder of Marias Pass is Assets\RSC\MariasPass\

Inside the product folder start zipping all files and folders within that folder. If you use compression TS will take longer to read it, so uncheck compression for packaging.

Place the resulting zip-file in the product's folder and rename it's extension from zip to ap.
Do not forget to move all the files you have zipped out of Railworks.

That's it.