Yard Names

[artimrj]

Thanks Pike, I am going to subscribe to this philosophy because it makes too much sense. This may make the scenario writer do more work, but I doubt any given scenario would use every siding on the route, so it really isnt that much more work, but it does give them the flexibility to make better scenarios. They will have all the control. Fortunately for me I only have around 50 sidings marked, so that should not be a difficult change for me at this time. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

[gwgardner]

Glad I came across this thread.

I'm just now ready to place siding markers, and having reviewed this thread, am wondering if the conclusions you guys drew back in 2010 are still the consensus?

From what Bob concluded, and was advised to do, just place short destination markers at both ends of a siding. Leaving room on the siding for scenario creators to place other markers. Bob are you still going with that - anyone else want to chime in?

Thx.

[Toripony]

Well, I am glad you revived this thread because I had missed that thorough explanation by Pike. After reading that, what I thought was a good compromising design of my own may not be as good as I thought. I am now inclined to do what Artim did and change strategies. I was also not aware that all my passenger cars had to fit within the platform marker to be counted as successful.

One question I have after reading this.... Pike mentions the need to place an identifying marker without it getting in the way of other markers such as for platforms... what do ya'll think about using an Area Marker there... it's not even attached to the track? Area markers show up on the 2D map and will provide the station/stop name for the scenario writer..... ????

Also, if using the "short destination marker at the end of each siding" scheme, how short is too short? Seems to me that a half-car length marker placed within a car length of the usable end of a siding should suffice as a stopping point... just right to "land" the player loco on? I tend to draw out long destination markers on my mainline just to make them easy to click on when scenario writing.

[artimrj]

Gary: I decided to only put markers on one end of the siding. On both ends makes for too many markers and we discovered the markers take up object count as well. I have over 200 markers on a 50 mile route. Thats a long list when your writing a scenario. So I also got in the habit of naming my scenario placed markers prefixed with NE so I can find them in that list.


Tori: Area markers only show up while editting, not in game play.

[artimrj]

Oh yeah, another thing I did. All interactives, coal chutes,gravel, grain unloader, container cranes, etc, I placed an actual siding marker there as they do not work with out one. So since the scenario writer would have to do it to make it work, I decided it would be easier if they were allready there. I made them long as the longest car. I also added a few siding markers near warehouses in areas where I was making things and wanted to be sure everyone knew what I was doing there. I have 3 ware houses on one siding that boxcars will go up to the big double doors and I put 3 siding markers there, one in front of each door with planty of seperation. I figure the spots I marked are what the scenario writer would have to do anyway, unless he didnt know what I was thinking when I made the route.

[gwgardner]

Thanks for replying. Good info. Especially glad to learn about the loading/unloading location markers.

[Toripony]

Tori: Area markers only show up while editting, not in game play.

I hadn't realized that. However, I knew I've seen them somewhere while driving, so I checked.... they show up in the 2D map in Play mode.

[artimrj]

I stand corrected. I never could see the point so I ignored them. I saw big red lines around an area and didnt know what they were.

[Toripony]

I stand corrected. I never could see the point so I ignored them. I saw big red lines around an area and didnt know what they were.

Yea, those are annoying. I used to delete them. I put in little tiny squares now, off to the side somewhere to hold notes and information. Just for fun I'm thinking of using them as a sort of "Historical Marker" in a few key spots.