"Trainz-build" tag

Trainz-build tag number

The Trainz-build tag number indicates the minimum Trainz Code Version required to use the asset. Trainz will not attempt to load an asset which has a trainz-build tag that is newer than it's own version number, but unfortunately ContentManager will continue to report there are updates, even when they are entirely inappropriate.

This tag is also an indication of the age of the asset, and the general technical configuration and standards to which it is built. The values will range up from the oldest Trainz 1.0 release (2001) with three Service Packs making the version commonly referred to as Trainz V-1.3, or Trainz 1.3. Assets with old Trainz-build numbers are not built to take advantage of new Trainz features that did not exist in the version of Trainz that the asset was built for, and the oldest used approaches which have been entirely abandoned. Newer Trainz releases do their best to translate these older technologies into the newer releases standards (data organization and graphical tech) but some small percentage of assets cannot be converted.  

Trainz User Tip: The word version is used in Trainz to refer to three different concepts. There is the Trainz Retail Version, the Trainz Version and the Trainz Build Number. The Trainz Retail Version is a text string for a product release, such as Trainz Simulator 2009. The Trainz version is a numeric code (e.g 2.4 or 3.6) which is incremented for each major release. This code is updated whenever a significant change to Trainz is made. Most service packs (which introduce significant functionality changes) will have a new Trainz Version, but hotfixes (which do not introduce significant functionality changes) do not see a Trainz version number change. Different language versions of the same product will also generally share the same Trainz Version. The Trainz Build Number is a unique number (e.g. 44653 or 58414) that identifies an individual Trainz release. All releases (including minor changes and language translations) have a different Trainz Build Number. The Trainz-build tag uses the Trainz Version numeric code.

 

TS10 SP2's Content Manager (V-3.2) happily imported TS12 version (V-3.4) texture cdp's for TransDEM.exe in November 2013. Other legacy versions of Trainz will also import 'Version unidentified' trainz content.
* For the new Trainz users:' the moral of this story is to examine trainz-build tags (versions) ASAP after importing new content into CM and provide human intelligence as to whether to delete, keep the asset, or set it aside; seek advice before trying to use, or risk breaking Trainz for while.
* Some content can be retrograded to work in earlier Trainz releases. More recently published Routes and Sessions cannot.

Trainz-Build version numbers and their mapping to official Trainz release versions are as follows:
'trainz-build'	Trainz product for which the asset was designed
1.3	Trainz SP3
1.5	Ultimate Trainz Collection
1.6	Ultimate Trainz Collection SP1
2.0	TRS2004
2.1	TRS2004 SP1
2.2	TRS2004 SP2 - Passenger Pack
2.3	TRS2004 SP3
2.4	TRS2004 SP4
2.5	TRS2006
2.6	TRS2006 SP1
2.7	Trainz Classics 1&2
2.8	Trainz Classics 3
2.9	TS2009
3.0	TS2009 SP1
3.1	TS2009 SP2 / TS2009 SP3
3.2	TS2010 / TS2010 SP1
3.3	TS2010 SP2 / TS2010 SP3 / TS2009 SP4
3.4	TS2010 SP4
3.5	TS12
3.6	TS12 and Trainz Simulator Mac
3.7	TS12 SP1
3.8	Trainz Simulator 2 (Mac)
3.9	Trainz A New Era: Comunity Edition
4.0	Trainz A New Era (TBA)

Asset compatibility

It is important for an asset to list the correct Trainz-build in the config.txt file. It specifies the version of Trainz the asset was intended to be used with. An earlier version of Trainz will refuse to load the asset. A later version of Trainz will enable appropriate backwards compatibility workarounds (e.g. using different validation requirements) as required.  

A correctly-constructed asset built for an older version will usually function in a newer version of Trainz. However, Trainz content validation is improved over time, and newer versions of Trainz detect errors that older versions did not pick up on. Some content may be detected as 'faulty' in a current Trainz version that was missed in the version it was originally created for.  

It should be noted that content that is uploaded to the Download Station is validated by the most recent version of Trainz, using the validation compatibility for the trainz-build specified by the asset.  

If Content Creator Plus is used to modify an asset, it will automatically update the trainz-build version in the config.txt file to the current Trainz version. If this version has changed significantly, other changes to the config.txt file will probably be required. Assets which are manually edited will need the appropriate version entered. If the line is omitted entirely, the lowest possible version is assumed. This is currently Trainz-build 1.3.  

Obsolete Versions

Trainz build numbers up to and including 3.4 are considered obsolete as of September 2014 and can no longer be uploaded to the Download Station. See the Trainz Life-Cycle Policy for additional details.