Content Management

Revision as of 18:34, 18 January 2018

Content Management for typical end-users

People use Trainz in a variety of ways and have many different skill levels, areas of interest and needs. Users tend to restrict themselves to one of the following modes:

• Use Driver with built-in routes only.
• Use Driver with downloaded routes/sessions/scenarios.
• Use Surveyor with built-in content only, and never upload.
• Use Surveyor with downloaded content, and never upload.
• Use Surveyor with downloaded content, and upload routes.

Most of these users do not want to deal with the make-up of individual items of content, faulty content, missing dependencies, and the like. Each of the above usages needs to be available as a one-click solution without unexpected hurdles.

Content Management for Content Creators

Once you move beyond downloading or uploading routes and into creating 3D objects , sessions or scenarios, you qualify as an advanced content creator. Content Creators need to understand a lot more about the inner workings of Trainz content, and computers in general. While there is a grey area where simple content can be manufactured following step-by-step instructions without the user really understanding why they are performing each step, there is a steep learning curve to move into full-blown content creation.

Users who choose to create and distribute content have some implicit responsibilities - that their content will work, that their content does not cause problems for other users, etc. Content creators also have certain reasonable expectations - that a Trainz update will not break compatibility with their content, that N3V will not impose unnecessary effort onto the content creator, and that given a base level of computer literacy, sufficient instruction and feedback will be available that any problems can be resolved.

Content Creation History

N3V's content creation workflow is designed to balance the above requirements on typical end-users, content creators, and N3V.

With the original Trainz versions, custom content was unmanaged, presenting a range of problems including incompatabilities between content supplied by different creators, incompatibility with newer Trainz versions, etc. This was addressed by the introduction of an official content-packaging mechanism (CDP) and the Content Creation Guide (CCG) which detailed the process of creating content of various types.

As the range of custom content and the number of supported Trainz versions increased, a new problem became evident- content broke in newer Trainz versions, and it became difficult to download content without numerous errors and missing content items being flagged. This impacts heavily on the user experience, especially for the typical end-users. In some cases this was due to specification changes (deliberate or otherwise) on N3V's part, but in the vast majority of cases this was the direct result of content creators failing to follow the CCG - because of human error, because of insufficient clarity or examples, and because creators wanted to stretch the game to capabilities beyond those detailed in the CCG.

It's fairly easy to see that the following workflow is ideal:

• N3V provides accurate and complete documentation.
• N3V provides content creation tools which both allow flexibility and reduce the chance of violations of the CCG.
• Content creator uses the tools and documentation and their own skills to create quality content.
• N3V provides tools for the content creator and other users to validate that content is not faulty.
• N3V provides easy-to-use mechanisms for end-users to locate and download content that will work with their Trainz version.

Additionally, errors are inevitable from all parties. There needs to be a way to rectify errors at every step:

• Documentation updates and communication of changes.
• Content Creation Tool updates.
• Mechanisms for the content creator to become aware of problems, and assistance given in fixing problems.
• Newly identified issues are added to the validation process.
• Mechanisms for end-users to become aware of content fixes, and to receive updates without causing additional problems or effort.

TRS2006 took the first serious steps towards the above workflow. The implementation was far from perfect - some areas are too lax and others too restrictive - and the required workflow was significantly different from that which existing content creators were accustomed.