Pschlik's Scenarios Discussion

[pschlik]

The Official Discussion Thread of pschlik's Scenarios

This is the official thread for the discussion of my scenarios! I'm keeping this all North American, as I'm not interested in Europe, and I don't know how their railways are run. (I don't need to make someone sad because I screwed up on they way Europe runs...) I'm also not trying to make copies of real life, so some things might be inaccurate compared to real life. Here you can find links to the scenarios and information about them. You can post question, comments, recommendations and such here, too. You can also find updates on what's going on in this post and throughout the rest of the thread.

Disclaimer for all Scenarios: This scenario my not fully resemble real life; I do not make prototypical scenarios. Keep this in mind when playing.

Scenarios

*note: dates are in MM/DD/YYYY format*
Schedule: Waiting until TS2014.

5/8/2013-Whooo-hooo! First scenario is out!
Name: Empties to Granite (PSC001) [1st 5-Star Scenario]

Description:
You are taking an empty train to Granite for refilling. Your train is decently sized, and you've been traveling for a while. It's just the last leg of the trip, it should be fine. Now, you have just stopped over in Cheyenne to make sure everything is fine, and your'e ready to leave. It's pretty cloudy today, and there's not much traffic to get in the way, it should be a streightforward run. Duration : 40 mins Difficulty : Easy
Link: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=144006686

5/17/2013-Second scenario out! The hugely requested return run Sorry for the late update, busy with Boy Scouts.
Name: Gravel for Cheyenne (PSC002) [3rd 5-Star Scenario]

Description:
A couple of days ago, an empty train was dropped off here at granite to be loaded. Now it's loaded and ready to be brought to Cheyenne where you will drop it off at one of the sidings, for later. The cloudy weather had developed into rainyness, and you have an extra ES44AC, which gives you enough tractive power. Braking will be less responsive. The railroad's at a normal busyness today, so be vigilant. Otherwise, everything's good and you are ready to go! Duration : 45 mins Difficulty : Medium
Link: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =145758910

5/24/2013-3rd scenario now!
Name: Eastbound Coal (PSC003) [2nd 5-Star Scenario]

Description:
Predicted high temperatures in the spring and summer have caused a worry in power companies. Some are buying coal while it's cheap and stockpiling it for high-demand seasons. You are taking one of the coal trains to Cheyenne where you will do a crew change. You have just climbed aboard, and the plan is to take the 3rd track, with less grades, the whole way. A small bit of snow has fallen, but it has revealed some weak old tracks. You will probably be forced to wait for some tie or rail replacement at some point, but you aren't stuck to any tight schedule. On the other hand, the power company has requested you be a high-priority delivery, so don't be too liesurely about not having a strict schedule! Duration : 55 mins Difficulty : Easy
Link: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =147432526

5/31/2013-Fourth scenario is now public (yes, it wasn't public earlier and now it is).
Name: Cold Warbonnets [Patch] (PSC004)

Description:
Today, you have been assigned to take a cold goods train to Victorville for deliveries to local shops and supermarkets. The weather is nice and the line is calm. Your running with a pair of warbonnet Dash 9's, too! So, couple to your consist and take it to Victorville! (Note: The old BNSF ES44 + SD40 pack is required.) Duration : 45 mins Difficulty : Medium
Link: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =153129063

6/10/2013-Yay, 5th scenario. Took enough work
Name: Wycon Round Trip [Patch] (PSC005)

Description:
On this fine autumn afternoon, you are taking your 2 SD40-2's with a BNSF local just coming from Speer with empty covered hoppers bound for Wycon. Once you drop-off the empty hoppers, you will have to take a loaded train of chemicals back to Cheyenne. You will be running on UP's tracks, and you will be at the mercy of the dispatcher. It is likely that you will have to stop to let UP trains pass, as you will need to take the oncoming track 2 to Wycon and back. Be careful, and don't cause trouble for dispatch! Duration : 40 mins Difficulty : Hard
Link: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =154792353

6/18/2013-Decided to release my next scenario, but I ran out of pictures, so I might use the image link... (It worked).
Name: From the North (PSC006)

Description:
Earlier at Victorville, you took over a doublestack train originating from Canada. Now, you are at the bottom of the Cajon Pass waiting for clearance to continue on to San Bernardino, where you will stop with the doublestack cars. It's a normal day, and there isn't much to get in your way, so it should be a quick run from now until San Benardino. Duration : 35 mins Difficulty : Easy
Link: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =153822134

6/24/2013-Time for my first switching scenario!
Name: Picardi and Bethlehem Steel

Description:
It's quite foggy, but that hasn't stopped your work at Johnstown. Your next set of instructions on your work order involves hauling some empty hoppers from Bethlehem Steel to Picardi, then taking some steel coil cars on the way back. There's plenty of switching to do, so get moving! Duration : 45 mins Difficulty : Medium
Link: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =155258229

7/1/2013-Marias Pass time! First Marias Pass scenario is out!
Name: Out From Harve

Description:
Earlier today, you took over a mixed freight at Harve. Now, you are nearing Shelby, where you will drop off part of your consist. Afterward, you'll head off to Cut Bank, your final destination. This last part of your work order should not take that long, but don't let work get away from you. Duration : 55 mins Difficulty : Easy
Link: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =157079044

7/9/2013-Another scenario is out, but a pretty simple one, hopefully it has no AI problems on others' computers...
Name: Supplies for Coram

Description:
The recent snowstorms have blocked all road access to Coram! Take a short train of supplies to help with the situation. It is still snowing, so you'll have to be careful on the ascent. Luckily, rail traffic is low and stopping is not likely. Duration : 35 mins Difficulty : Easy
Link: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =158900325

Steam Group

Come join my new PSC group!
Description:
The official Pschlik's Scenario Creations group. Here, you can discuss PSC in general, get updates on my scenarios and more. I hope this group will streamline updates to followers and help improve the scenarios by getting announcements out there and such. I see this as a very reliable method, as people who join the group as a fan or follower will get updates on announcements, but only the people who care to join the group. Here I will allow on topic discussion, comments, questions, suggestions, etc. Just keep it all on topic, and no fowl language! This isn't a place for yelling or fighting! So, use this group properly, and have fun!
Link: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/PSC_Followers_Fans

Announcements

Find announcements at the PSC Fans & Followers group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/PSC_Followers_Fans

DLC List for Suggestions

DLC List: I only included North American things, that's all I'm going to be making.
Routes
-Cajon Pass
-Northeast Corridor
-Horseshoe Curve
-Sherman Hill
-Marias Pass
Locomotives
-BNSF Officially Licensed Add-on
-P42DC Genesis
-Dash9 Pack From what I hear, the regular BNSF Dash-9's (not warbonnet) have broken dynamic brakes, too!
-SD70 Volume 2 The SD70ACe and SD70MAC are broken under dynamic brakes, but the SD70M-2's still work!
-SD75 Add-on
-SW1500 Switcher
-Union Pacific Big Boy
-Union Pacific Challenger
-BNSF SD40-2
-BNSF GP38-2
-SP&S Northerns
-F40PH

[BlueLight]

Scenario writing is a lot of fun. That being said be prepaid for this and this and a lot of these
Best of luck to you.

[5292nate]

*&!welcome!&* Scenario writing is a lot of fun. That being said be prepaid for this and this and a lot of these
Best of luck to you.

Ive been doing scenarios for 2 years. I'm still stuck on this, this and these, Best of luck to you Pschlik!

[pschlik]

*&!welcome!&* Scenario writing is a lot of fun. That being said be prepaid for this and this and a lot of these
Best of luck to you.

From what I know, the AI can get a little out of hand... Anyway, I'll be able to get started next week, I'm on vacation this weekend and I don't think my dad's laptop needs my 16GB RailWorks install, I'll probably just brainstorm ideas for later.

[Chacal]

The NERW forums have good advice for scenario builders.
Also, NERW is a good place to start writing scenarios, for various reasons.

[pschlik]

The NERW forums have good advice for scenario builders.
Also, NERW is a good place to start writing scenarios, for various reasons.

Thank you for the advice, I'll look into that, but the Steam Workshop is a very simple way of getting scenarios out there, very low hassle. At least I'll use it until I get really good at scenario making, and get decently well-known for uploads elsewhere to actually get used.

[OldProf]

Since you live in St. Louis, you must be familiar with Missouri's state motto: "Show me". This and other forums are chock full of promising messages from "content creators" who have never finished anything (especially anything worthwhile). I applaud them (and you) for trying, but the "what should I make next?" approach has already overstayed its welcome.
Please start by quietly attempting to make a few simple scenarios. One way to do this is to look at a simple scenario already published for one route and try duplicating it on another route. By "simple" I mean a passenger run of several stops or a point A to point B freight run with no complications and no AI. Don't publish these or brag about them, just use them as learning tools, as kids used to do by taking apart a clock and putting it back together. Once you feel comfortable with these simple imitations, make up something of your own and try publishing that.
Steam Workshop, as you've noted, is a good place to publish scenarios, but it is filling up with junk as novices send in any old thing (clues to incompetence abound), perhaps just to shout their names in public. One of SW's best features consists of the comments that serious scenario makers and players post about your work. Ignore the empty praise (or blame) and read the sincere comments carefully.
Then, begin working on something more complicated, such as a well-written shunting scenario, again imitating someone else's work and avoiding the complications and frustrations of AI. Again, imitate until you feel confident about writing something original. Publish that on SW and look for comments. Your very last step should involve experimenting with AI. The result can be quite rewarding, but expect to deal with lots of frustration along the way.
One final piece of advice: clone your work frequently, so when (not if) your creation blows up in your face you can go back to an earlier version and try again.

Have fun!

[pschlik]

Old Prof, good advice I will be sure to follow, as soon as I have time . For each scenario I'll work on testing and prototypes, and put lots of work into each one . I have seen and driven failed attempts, and it's definitely all about attention to detail, and I don't think the guy drove his own scenario . Now, I'll make it clear that I'm not doing this because I want to beat some other person or make things absurdly quickly, I just want to make good, quality, enjoyable scenarios. And don't worry, I have some ideas and I'm not giving up, I'll will do may best to keep this going and not let it fade away.

[OldProf]

Good for you. There's one more important item I forgot to mention: read the manuals. Even though the Timetable Editor manual hasn't been updated since it first appeared several years ago, it does provide very important basic information. I'll be looking forward to your scenarios.

[pschlik]

Uh oh! Every time I try to create a scenario on the Cajon Pass, I get this error: (a game crash too)

ERROR: Not a serialized binary file
FILE: D:\build\CoreRelease\Code\Libs\Foundation\API\core/cFxException.h
LINE:113

I did re-validate the files after I got it the first time, but I still get it. I'll try a different route for now...

Update: Yeah, moved to the Sherman Hill, and I'm getting quite a bit done.
Announcement: The first scenario is out! It's easy, and relatively short, but I think it's good. Please try it out!

[pschlik]

I have a question: is there any tool out there which lets me speed up time in scenario? It bugs me when I drive 50 minutes testing a scenario to find out that I collide with another train (real problem) but the earlier 50 minutes were fine, and then I don't want to relive those 50 minutes, and I'd rather have them pass at 4x speed. Just so I can make sure the scenario works after the 50 minute point.

[imphantum]

pschlik, there are ways to speed up the scenario, but I don't use them. Tools such as the one in the scenario editor at the bottom right of the screen are buggy, and has corrupted my scenario before, so I wouldn't recommend it. Honestly I prefer to play the final version of my scenarios in real time, but in some cases, such as my "Empire Builder Westbound" scenario which was 4 hours long, it got annoying. TRUST ME always try to test the final version of the scenario before uploading it to the workshop, because if you upload it and there's a scenario braking problem such as AI collision or red light towards the end, not only is it embarrassing, but that's more work on that scenario that you could've used on making a different scenario. That's my advice -Gumballzx

[Bananarama]

Nice work. If I may make a suggestion? I believe the trains to Granite run through (Cheyenne, Granite, through the loop, and finally back to Cheyenne). I'll have to see if I can find my schedule.

[Chacal]

You can speed time up to 5x by using the asynch keys command-line option.

[pschlik]

You can speed time up to 5x by using the asynch keys command-line option.

And where can I find that? Sorry if that's a silly question, but I've never heard of that feature.
Update: Thanks, steam forums, I found it!

pschlik, there are ways to speed up the scenario, but I don't use them. Tools such as the one in the scenario editor at the bottom right of the screen are buggy, and has corrupted my scenario before, so I wouldn't recommend it. Honestly I prefer to play the final version of my scenarios in real time, but in some cases, such as my "Empire Builder Westbound" scenario which was 4 hours long, it got annoying. TRUST ME always try to test the final version of the scenario before uploading it to the workshop, because if you upload it and there's a scenario braking problem such as AI collision or red light towards the end, not only is it embarrassing, but that's more work on that scenario that you could've used on making a different scenario. That's my advice -Gumballzx

I've used that before, but it tends to get off-time as it runs the trains all as AI, which works different than a player would drive.