Program Synopsis
The 2D skies in Train Simulator Classic are only accurate for four days a year (one in each season) and for one location in the UK. This program allows them to be accurate for every day of the year, no matter where the route/scenario is in the world. You can drive with the correct sun/moon trajectories, sun/moon rise/set times, lighting, sky colours and adhesion based on the scenario date and location, whilst using the skies from the Armstrong Powerhouse Sky & Weather Enhancement Pack 2.0. Due to its complex nature, it is essential that you read the manual before attempting to use this program.
Please note that because Quick Drive scenarios do not show up in the scenario list like Career, Standard and Free Roam scenarios do, they are NOT SUPPORTED by this program. They are made by the simulator when you click to load into them, so it's not possible to select them beforehand.
Detailed Description
Train Simulator Classic has two systems for the sky/weather: a 2D Time of Day (TOD) system, and a 3D dynamic system using SilverLining.
The 2D system is from the original Train Simulator Classic release and comes with several limitations. Firstly, the lighting, sun/moon trajectories, and sunrise/set and moonrise/set times are all set on a per-season basis for one specific latitude, meaning any scenario set as summer will have the exact same sun/moon trajectories and timings. This particularly becomes an issue for scenarios set in winter months, where the sun should set between 4pm and 5pm (in the UK), but the season chosen in the scenario is spring to prevent there being snow on the ground, which gives a sunset time of 5:45pm. On the contrary, the 2D system is visually far more flexible and customisable, which is why Armstrong Powerhouse use it for their Sky & Weather Enhancement Pack 2.0.
The 3D system was introduced in Train Simulator 2015 under the Dynamic Clouds option. It improves upon the 2D system by dynamically setting the sun/moon trajectories and timings based on the scenario date and location, as well as having actual 3D clouds which move and cast shadows, compared to a static texture for the 2D system. However, it has less customisation and has other limitations, such as clouds not rendering in the distance.
This program gives you the best of both systems by combining the superior visuals and choice of sky/weather from the 2D system with the dynamic nature of the 3D system. This provides the most realistic sky/weather representation in Train Simulator Classic. Using the Sky & Weather Enhancement Pack 2.0 from Armstrong Powerhouse as a base (required for this program to function), it allows you to select which scenario you want to drive before you load it and updates the sun/moon trajectories and times to match the scenario date and location, just like the 3D system does by default. It will also set the lighting, sky colours and adhesion (on Armstrong Powerhouse rolling stock add-ons) to match the scenario date, rather than it being based on the season that is chosen in the scenario editor. For example, if you have a scenario with a date in January (northern hemisphere), but the season is set to spring so that there is no snow on the ground, the program will use lighting, sky colours and adhesion that is applicable to winter, rather than spring, to make it even more realistic.
The table below shows which lighting, sky colours and adhesion will be used for which months, based on the scenario date.
There are a number of factors which could cause a specific route or scenario to generate an error message when using the program. Whilst the program has been thoroughly tested on multiple systems, it is impossible for us to test every route and scenario combination, so if you encounter any issues whilst using the program, please fill out the Google Form here, providing as much detail as possible.
Requirements
Installation Instructions
- Unzip the .zip file you have downloaded.
- Run the .exe file called “AP Sky Accurate Time of Day Installer.exe”
- Follow the steps to install the program.
The program is installed to “RailWorks\plugins\AP Sky Accurate Time of Day” and is called “AP Sky Accurate Time of Day.exe”. The program will start automatically when Train Simulator Classic is launched (this can be disabled, details in the manual), and a shortcut is included in the Start menu for ease of access.
Additional Comments
This program has been released with the permission of Armstrong Powerhouse, however they do not endorse it and are not liable for any issues that you may have as a result of using it. We (On Track Simulation) cannot be held responsible for any damage that this program causes to your installation, nor is it in any way affiliated with Armstrong Powerhouse and must be considered as a wholly third-party creation. It is essential to read the manual before attempting to use this program.
Changelog
v1.0.0 – Initial release.
v1.1.0 – Various fixes and improvements based on user feedback, including:
- Routes and scenarios without an English display name should now be listed
- Route and scenario names are now listed in the language the game is set to use in Steam (if the content has been translated to that language)
- Extra white lines in the route and scenario lists removed
- Attempts are now made to parse malformed XML files, reducing the number of errors when loading routes/scenarios
- XML files in the wrong folder location should now be ignored in most cases
- Added an option to have Lua scripts updated automatically when the program loads, so you don’t need to remember to press “Update Scripts” after installing/updating AP products
- Added an option to set your RailWorks install path in the Settings window, rather than it relying on the install path set in the registry
- Added an option to choose between light/dark mode, rather than it relying on the system setting
- Relaunching Train Simulator Classic shouldn’t open a second window of the program if you hadn’t closed the previous window
Tags: accurate ap armstrong-powerhouse enhancement sky swep time-of-day tod weather
Files
AP Sky Accurate Time of Day Manual.pdf 138 KB · Added 18 days ago · Downloaded 318× AP Sky Accurate Time of Day V1.1.0.zip 81 MB · Added 18 days ago · Downloaded 581×Previously uploaded files have been downloaded 879 times before being withdrawn.
Comments
I'm writing a second comment, I checked the program's operation. Now I can believe that it's autumn in the 1D66 scenario from HST (MTU), and at 19:00 it's already completely dark. Thanks again, I've been missing this for a long time!
Funnily enough I think that was one of the scenarios I tested an early version of this on a couple of months ago! It's amazing how many scenarios we drive in daylight when realistically it should be dark. On the other hand though, if you're driving a summer scenario in Scotland without this program, it gets dark up to an hour and a half too early, but that's all rectified with this. Glad you're finding it useful!
Also apologies if you got notified for my reply to Shamus just now. TSC doesn't allow you to reply to replies, so I had to add another reply under your original comment (like he did).
ChiefJack, It's okay, I don't get notifications anyway, thanks again! And do I understand correctly that this program is not suitable for German routes? The program gives me an early dawn at 12:00 with my IKB4 route (update of IKB3) in quick drive
It is suitable for any route. However it won't work in Quick Drive because Quick Drive scenarios do not show up in the scenario list like Career, Standard and Free Roam scenarios do. They are made by the simulator when you click to load into them, so it's not possible to select them beforehand. Are you also getting that issue when trying a Standard scenario on that route?
Ohh, sorry, I mean Free Room scenario, not quick drive, mistake
It should work fine for a Free Roam. Do you have a link to the route at all?
I'm sorry to mess with your head a little, I'm working on improving the IKB3 route, the route was copied a little crookedly, as it turned out, and the coordinates flew off. They were 0/100. I set the coordinates of the original route and everything worked perfectly.
Ah glad you got it sorted. Was gonna say it seemed like the coordinates for the route were set to something extreme that didn't match reality!
Hello possibly a stupid question can you still use the weather extensions from the AP weather ep 2.0?
Yes you can. This program won't affect the weather component of the AP EP in any way, it just edits the sky component for the selected scenario. Those are two separate components of the AP EP so weather and weather extensions will still work as normal.
this looks amazing. I will test it out sometime. This is much needed, it always used to annoy me towards an end of a season that the sunset/rise times were not realistic. thanks for making this.
Cheers Sam, hopefully you can get some good use out of it!
Not often does Train Sim Classic get items which revolutise the way we play, especially nowadays. However, this is certainly one of them, and is a must have item.
Cheers Ash!
WOW oh WOW ! What an incedible improvement. In the 15 years I have ben playing Railworks/TS20xx/TSC this is by far the best improvemnt ever created for the game. Station lighting at appropriate times, sun up/sun down as it should be. Thank you for this it is wonderful.
Cheers for the very kind words Mark, glad you're finding it useful!
This is awesome! Perfect weather timings just as it should be!
Thanks!
Awesome MOD. We can finally have a proper day night cycle.
Cheers!
Bei mir werden nach Start des AP-sky-accurate-time-of-day-Packs bei weitem nicht alle Routen und in den Routen nicht alle Szenarien angezeigt. Ich habe nur deutsche Routen installiert und bei diesen üerall das AP-Wetter aktiviert und die ToD-Dateien eingefügt und entsprechend umbenannt. Wo kann der Fehler liegen?
Do any error messages appear when you open the program or select a route?
Es gibt keine Fehlermeldungen.
thank you lots my pc mess up over this weather like freeze wont go up load scenarios game please how delete files please
i cant find files delete
The program finds every file named RouteProperties.xml that's within your RailWorks/Content/Routes folder and lists them in the route section. Similarly, once you select a route, it finds every ScenarioProperties.xml file within that route folder and lists them. This includes files that are within ap files. I don't really own any German content but the filenames should be the same in English and German otherwise the game wouldn't work. Do all the routes/scenarios show up in other third party tools like TS Tools and LocoSwap?
Paul, I think that is quite an extreme comment. Given that hundreds of people have used this and not had it freeze their PC, it suggests you have done something wrong when using the program.
Anyhow, to remove the program, delete this folder: RailWorks/plugins/AP Sky Accurate Time of Day
Then, reinstall the AP SWEP 2.0
i did delete this folder: RailWorks/plugins/AP Sky Accurate Time of Day and reinshall ap weather still no work same scenario freeze all over restore and start up everything back make me sad
Paul, if you're still having it freeze after removing the program, it's clearly nothing to do with using this program because all files related to it have been deleted. If it's just one specific scenario, then it's an issue with the scenario (or perhaps some of the trains used in the scenario).
i got good news remove RailWorks/plugins/AP Sky Accurate Time of Day gone all scanarios work thank god i m sorry and not use download again thank you help about remove it
I think the program does not recognize if you have a clone of a route. In my case all cloned routes are missing. Perhaps you can fix this, so that this mod could be used with all routes. That might be perfect.
The program should work with all routes, including clones. It finds every file named RouteProperties.xml that's within your RailWorks/Content/Routes folder and lists them in the route section. This includes files that are within ap files. Do all the routes show up in other third party tools like TS Tools and LocoSwap?
How to uninstall it?
To remove the program, delete this folder: RailWorks/plugins/AP Sky Accurate Time of Day
Then, reinstall the AP SWEP 2.0
run this first time all run great. now keep getting this.Error
There was an error loading one or more routes. The files
causing errors are listed below. They may be corrupt or are
missing certain required attributes.
eantibamhseanos Connah Ranon enti
es 000034-102 -000
100002015Routepropertiesx
ml
not well-formed (invalid token): line 15, column 5
E'NSteamLibrary\steamapps\common\RailWorks\Content\Rout
es\4d6283fb-f29c-4d34_8cc2-831 b 1d6f3049\RouteProperties.x
ml
NoneType object has no attrib ute text
EX Steanubrayi steamapps common RalNarts1ContehtRout
es\52eb7537-7f33-48ac-bOf2-f8554e99ee4d\RouteProperties.x
ml
not well-formed (invalid token): line 145 column 39
That error means that the RouteProperties.xml files for those specific routes aren't valid xml files, usually because they're corrupt or have invalid xml characters. The program will still run fine if you dismiss the error, you just won't be able to use it on scenarios for those routes. If you want to clear the errors, you'll have to find those files and correct the issues in them.
first time eork ok no issues at all.
"Das Programm findet jede Datei mit dem Namen RouteProperties.xml, die sich in Ihrem Ordner RailWorks/Content/Routes befindet, und listet sie im Abschnitt Route auf. Sobald Sie eine Route ausgewählt haben, werden alle ScenarioProperties.xml Dateien in diesem Routenordner gesucht und aufgelistet. Dies schließt Dateien ein, die sich in ap-Dateien befinden"
Das ist leider Wunschdenken. Meine Routen und Szenarien werden in LocoSwap und TS-Tools angezeigt - aber leider nicht in Ihrem Programm.
Would you be able to send me the RouteProperties.xml files for a couple of routes that aren't showing up? My Discord is chiefjack__ if you have Discord. If you don't, please could you fill out the contact form here: https://forms.gle/BCR6sTEeknYxfmJs8
And include an email I can contact you on, then we can share file via email. Thanks
@ChiefJack: I have the same problem. Many routes are missing in your programe, but in Locoswap and TS Tools they are listed up. If you find a solution for this problem, perhaps you can share this here. So that we all can use your fantastic mod with all our routes. Thank you for your help.
Johmathema, would you be able to do the same thing and send me some of the RouteProperties.xml files that aren't showing up for you please using one of the methods I mentioned above?
I know I've spoken to both of you directly about this, but for anyone else having this issue, an update has now been released to rectify it, along with a bunch of other fixes and improvements.
Hi there, this program is a lifesaver! Although I have no headlight illuminations at night, no clue what i've done wrong here so any help is much appriciated.
Hi Noah, did you run the update scripts option the first time you used the program?
Cracking stuff. Thanks for putting this together. One thing I notice is that the program keep TSC open in Steam unless you close it. Is it possible to add an option to automatically close it when TSC is exited?
Hi Stephen, if you'd have commented 12 hours earlier, I could have added that to the v1.1.0 release! Whilst it's a good suggestion that I'd also like to see, as it stands I'm not going to release a new version just for this one small feature so that people don't have to redownload again. Obviously if there are further features or fixes I need to make in the future, I can include this in such an update. Thanks for your feedback :)
No worries at all. Whenever the opportunity arises is absolutely fine with me. It's a very cool tool regardless. Thanks again.
Excellent! Back when I used to play TS a lot, I found my own way to change the time of day for the mod for accuracy but this makes it much easier! Thank you!
Thanks for the kind words!
It's a fantastic creation!
I love how easy it is to use.
Simply: THANK YOU
Denis (France)
Thanks Denis!
I've got a similar error to home1967, but just "There was an error selecting the scenario. NoneType object has no attribute 'time'." It's a scenario that came with the AP142 pack for the DTG Huddersfield Line. It only does it for that scenario. Is there a way to resolve it, or is it best to just ignore it?
Hi Stephen, that was a bug I fixed before release, but it appears that when I moved development from my desktop to my laptop I forgot to install an updated code library which is why the issue has resurfaced. It has been fixed for an update (along with your auto close suggestion) which will be released very soon once I have fixes in for a couple of support tickets. Apologies for this issue.
That's fabulous. Thanks very much.
Hi, I've submitted the error reporting form. None of my routes are loading. This was all working on the old version, but since downloading the latest version nothing is working.
Sorry that you're having an issue. I have sent you an email with the next steps.
is there a way to uninstall this. it seems to be breaking my AP cloud and weather EP and as a frequent QD user it has broken all AP weather and cloud ep stuff in those too!
As I said on Discord:
Delete this folder: RailWorks/plugins/AP Sky Accurate Time of Day
Then, reinstall the AP SWEP 2.0
The program doesn’t support Quick Drive (if you’re doing a Quick Drive, just make sure you have no scenario selected in the program), so that might be why you’re having issues?
hi, does this program install the AP weather files to ALL routes (as long as you own the AP weather pack) or only the routes specified in the AP weather manual. If the route is not listed in the AP weather manual does this pack still work on that route? Many thanks
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About this mod
- Created
- 23 days ago
- Updated
- 18 days ago
- Game
- Train Simulator Classic
- Type of content
- Enhancement pack
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This is the most complex and realistic thing, which I've seen over the last 5 years of TSC add-ons (except SWEP 2.0 itself). Thanks for this!
Thanks for the very kind comment, hope you enjoy it!
Fantastic, thank you!
Thanks Shamus!