Hi folks,

as the title suggests, I'm having problems getting a custom startlist to work, so I thought I'd post details here to see if anyone can offer some advice.

I have created a custom database centered around mid-late 90's teams and riders. I have created a startlist as explained in a couple of posts here that lists the team IDs and respective player IDs, carefully cross-referencing in the editor. I'm treble checked this for errors and found none. I've even cut the start list down to just one team entry to test, with 9 riders selected and still no luck. I should point out I have the startlist file named as France_-_Grand_Tour.xml (but have tried a few variants, without the _'s, etc) and it's pasted into both the mydocs/pcm2008 import and export folders. At no point do I see any mention of the game finding this file, as I see some here mention. The file format is as follows:

<startlist>
<team id = "43">
<cyclist id = "922"/>
</team>
</startlist>

... where the team id represents Saeco (according to the default DB editor) and the cyclist id is Cippolini, according to the editor.

So, if I go into the game, pick Single Player and Stage Race, then Tour de France, select custom teams and pick my own team to control, once I load into the first stage's 3D engine, sure enough, the team or teams I'd set a startlist for isnt using that start list at all. In the given example, and my testing, I have Saeco with Cippolini, Poli and so on, carefully listed in the startlist file but they're never selected for the tour. Furthermore, Saeco will only select four riders for the entire team, despite having more than 14 on the team as a whole, whereas the other 19 teams will select a full squad, albeit without their obvious team leaders, sometimes, i.e. I find with other teams that the best suited riders for grand tours aren't selected (hence my wish to use a startlist at all). I'm not sure what's up but would hugely appreciate it if someone more knowledgable than I would walk me through the process incase I missed something simple, or point out an obvious flaw with what I'm trying to do, if there is one.

Many thanks, in advance, and hope.

9.

As I see it, the problem is that you choose Custom Mode. Did you try "Realistic"? This should make the game search for a startlist.

Hmmm, but if I choose Realistic Teams, wont it not let me choose the teams I want to ride in the TDF? Or, will I have to make a complete 20-team startlist and then choose Realistic and it'll use the file and my chosen teams/riders by the file?

Thanks for the reply!

Well, by making a startlist, you pretty much do what you would have done by choosing Custom Mode.

So yes, you will have to fill out the startlist with all the teams you want in. I don't think you need to fill in every rider spot (not sure about this, though). When that's done, do as you have done, but choose "Realistic" this time. It will then ask you if you want to use the startlist.

Many thanks - will try this tonight.

One other thing, for the TDF, can you tell me exactly what the startlist file name should be? Is France_-_Grand_Tour.xml correct?

I don't know, actually, since my PCM-computer is at the repair shop, but you can find the name of it by using an editor. I'm quite sure that you can see it in STA_race.

Okay, thanks again. I'll find it.

Hmmm,
some progress. I went through and made the complete startlist file. Checked it very carefully and fixed 2 errors. Started game, went through Stage Race -> Realistic Teams -> TDF and it now says it finds an xml file and I click yes to use it. However, while it picks the intended teams, some of them still have an incorrect lineup and one team still only picks four riders. I'm stumped. Any ideas? Do I have to do anything beyond selecting the current/default DB in the game menu? Anyone else have any ideas as to why this isn't working?

/end hair self-extraction.

Did you also dictate which riders the teams should pick? Or did you just <team id=lala> </team>?

many startlists here...
https://community....mp;start=0

I created a full detail list for all 20 teams, each with 9 riders, in the following format:

<startlist>
<team id = "xx"> <!-- Team Name-->
<cyclist id = "xxx"/> <!-- Rider Name-->
</team>

</startlist>

Where the details are of course edited (and checked three times across two editors to ensure no team id or cyclist id errors), with 9 riders per team, all 20 teams.

So, I'm thoroughly stumped. All the more so in terms of understanding why one team would only pick four riders every time, regardless of the startlist file. Again, any help would be enormously appreciated.

As to the link to other startlists, no use if I have my own custom created DB, correct?

I should add, perhaps, it IS picking the right 20 teams, so I guess that's conclusive that it is using the file somewhat. Just not the riders.

Ah ha! Got it working. Seems I needed to put it in the following directories:

My Docs/PCM2008/Export/Startlists
and
My Docs/PCM2008/Import
and NOT .../Import/STARTLISTS

All rather unintuitive but it works now and I have Abdoujaparov and Cippollini zipping about.

When you name a custom startlist file, how do you know what to call it?

I've created a startlist for a custom Tour and it doesn't show up....I know the startlist works as I renamed it for the TdF as a test and it worked.

Where do I check the race name? (I called the race King of Classics, but that doesn't seem to work)

Any help would be much appreciated....

When creating the Custom Tour, you give it a name (filename.xml). The startlist needs to be called exactly the same.

Cheers, crue.

I just worked it out myself.

I was naming the startlist after the xml filename of the custom Tour. What I needed to do was name the startlist exactly the same as the race name. They were slightly different.