Cheyenne 1869 extension

[mrennie]

Great work Mike

In the meantime I wasn't unproductive and after some custum sounds I tried something new: A custom skydome

Unfortunatly there is almost no information on the net but I found an old blender template from 2013 on a dutch website which is free to use.

At least I was already able to export the skydome and add some custom textures for the sun (which looks good) and a 25 phase moon which seems to have some problems with the opacity at day but looks good at night even if the stars don't seem to work right now. Maybe I should mention that I'm not very experienced in this graphical stuff but here is how it looks now...

Screenshot_1 Cheyenne 1869 Extension Laramie Plains_41.89504--106.20171_20-19-41.jpg

@Mike: Will there be some additional signals in the Promontory Route available or do you have an idea how let an eastbound and a westbound train meet in a scenario?
There is a tutorial available from BoostedFridge (viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17999) but this works only if you have signal blocks.

Every switch/turnout in the Promontory Summit route is protected, in every direction, by hidden signals, and some of the longer sidings (including passing sidings) are split into two or three sections so that more than one train can occupy them at the same time.

[DrTrenchcoat]

Every switch/turnout in the Promontory Summit route is protected, in every direction, by hidden signals, and some of the longer sidings (including passing sidings) are split into two or three sections so that more than one train can occupy them at the same time.

Thank you! That will make scenario creation so much easier.

[DanSSG]

Every switch/turnout in the Promontory Summit route is protected, in every direction, by hidden signals

I have also done that but it seems they are ignored by AI trains

Comming from the mainline to a siding I use the JuncSig_hh and from every leg of the siding I use the Sig Shunt_Exit_Mainline like in the screenshot below. The third signal in the list Sig_h seems to be red all the time. I have no idea for what these signals are usefull

Signals.jpg

[mrennie]

Every switch/turnout in the Promontory Summit route is protected, in every direction, by hidden signals

I have also done that but it seems they are ignored by AI trains

Comming from the mainline to a siding I use the JuncSig_hh and from every leg of the siding I use the Sig Shunt_Exit_Mainline like in the screenshot below. The third signal in the list Sig_h seems to be red all the time. I have no idea for what these signals are usefull

Signals.jpg

That's strange, they should work. I checked the signal blueprints just now to make sure I did set the "Stopping" parameter to true, and I did. They're the same as in Promontory Summit and the AI works fine in the scenarios I've done for that route. What priorities have you set for the AI and player trains? I'd avoid using "Special" because I found out recently that it makes the trains ignore the rules in some cases.

[DanSSG]

Here is an example. The player train (express passenger) should stop on the siding and than continue to Laramie.
The AI (stopping passenger) should stop on the mainline marker and than continue to Wyoming.

Signals as in my last post.

AI.jpg

[mrennie]

Here is an example. The player train (express passenger) should stop on the siding and than continue to Laramie.
The AI (stopping passenger) should stop on the mainline marker and than continue to Wyoming.

Signals as in my last post.

AI.jpg

Yeah, the TS dispatcher is very finicky, especially when it comes to single track routes. It's probably saying that the AI is blocked at some point by the player path, or vice-versa. You might have to play around with the timings to get it to work. I've had similar problems when the AI is going in the opposite direction to the player. In one case, I'd set up the AI to approach a station, heading west, and stop on the main track through the station while the player train was waiting in the passing siding for the AI to go past, so that it could then continue along the single track heading east. No matter what I did, the AI insisted on trying to route itself along the passing siding where the player train was (despite me trying to set up waypoints and "go via" instructions telling it to go along the mainline instead), before backing up into the main line!! Anyway, I'll have another go myself and see if I can find something that works, but don't be surprised if nothing works. It does seem to work, after some tweaking, when the AI and player train are heading in the same direction.

[DrewG]

Something a little different... Running your beautiful creations Mike across Dans fantastic route, accompanied by my 1870-75 lantern. This is one of the first ever models of 'tubular' lantern made and has patent dates from 1867 - 1870 on it. I can't think of a better way to spend a quiet evening. Thanks for all the effort the two of you have put into this awesome recreation!

IMG_20190129_233715.jpg

[mrennie]

Something a little different... Running your beautiful creations Mike across Dans fantastic route, accompanied by my 1870-75 lantern. This is one of the first ever models of 'tubular' lantern made and has patent dates from 1867 - 1870 on it. I can't think of a better way to spend a quiet evening. Thanks for all the effort the two of you have put into this awesome recreation!

Thanks very much Drew, and I absolutely love that lantern!

[ET44C4]

That's very neat, Drew!

[DanSSG]

Yeah, the TS dispatcher is very finicky, especially when it comes to single track routes. It's probably saying that the AI is blocked at some point by the player path, or vice-versa.

I know. A few days ago I made a scenario where an AI passenger train had to stop at the station, uncouple the cars and move the loco to a siding so that the player can take over the consist. It ended up that I told the player in a text box to hook up the cars to the tender because in the timetable it always created errors.
Can you post a screenshot of your signalling so that I can see where you put what type of signal?

Something a little different... Running your beautiful creations Mike across Dans fantastic route, accompanied by my 1870-75 lantern. This is one of the first ever models of 'tubular' lantern made and has patent dates from 1867 - 1870 on it. I can't think of a better way to spend a quiet evening. Thanks for all the effort the two of you have put into this awesome recreation!

and great picture

[DrewG]

Thanks all! Here is the lantern in daylight, along with an original Pat May 4, 1869 glass globe. This lantern is what would have been arriving in the area around the same time as your route is set.

IMG_20181022_105728.jpg

[mrennie]

Comming from the mainline to a siding I use the JuncSig_hh and from every leg of the siding I use the Sig Shunt_Exit_Mainline like in the screenshot below. The third signal in the list Sig_h seems to be red all the time. I have no idea for what these signals are usefull

In your screenshot you've placed them exactly the same way I'm doing it on Promontory Summit. In the Cheyenne route, I wasn't as scrupulous in protecting all the switches in both directions. Even so, the AI often behaves in a nonsensical way, apparently disobeying the signals. Sometimes it works if I change the priorities, like making the AI train a Special while the player train is Stopping Passenger, or sometimes vice-versa. It's damned hard to make interesting scenarios when the AI won't cooperate, but it is possible sometimes. I was quite pleased when I managed to do a scenario where the player chases very close behind the AI train as they both go from Blue Creek up the mountainside to Promontory and stop in the same siding. I doubt I'd be able to do it the other way around, with the AI chasing me up the hill.

[DanSSG]

I think I'll play around with these settings next week when I try to create some more scenarios.
In the meantime I'm testing the ones I made last week and got a surprise as UP119 made the whole 75 miles without a single water stop and Jupiter was bone dry after just 30 miles

But I also made some good screenshots and this one will become the route picture

Cheyenne-1869-extension-Stage-Two.jpg

[mrennie]

I think I'll play around with these settings next week when I try to create some more scenarios.

I think you're right about the signals being useless. I did an experiment with a copy of the Promontory Summit route and deleted all the signals. Then I ran the most complex AI scenario (with an AI loco doing switching duties at Kelton) and it worked perfectly! It looks as if the AI ignores the signals completely, and that they serve only as visual signals to the player. However, if they're hidden from sight, there's no point in having them. So, I'm going to delete them all from Promontory Summit.

EDIT: OK, I just tested another of the career scenarios where the player follows the AI up a hill, and the player path was blocked from the outset, so I'm going to keep the hidden signals after all ... they must be doing something good

In the meantime I'm testing the ones I made last week and got a surprise as UP119 made the whole 75 miles without a single water stop and Jupiter was bone dry after just 30 miles

I usually find that no two runs, even with the same loco, are the same - sometimes I'm just more (or less) efficient with the fire and cutoff.

But I also made some good screenshots and this one will become the route picture

Cheyenne-1869-extension-Stage-Two.jpg

Lovely picture!

[DanSSG]

I really would like to use some AI in scenarios but even with easy AI operations I get problems

An example: I have an AI UP119 passenger train (defined as stopping passenger) at Sherman station which should start eastwards.

The player starts at Sherman freight spur, has to stop at the eastwards ball signal and let the AI pass before it stops behind the siding and moves onto the wye. But what happens is this: The AI suddenly stops and than moves than with 0.1 mph.
It doesn't matter if there are any signals and it doesn't matter what the destination of the AI is.
I've also had the same problem in the middle of a single track section just a few miles before the AI should disappear an a portal and the player train was miles behind