[Matej Pacha]

I have this: "zoom" key feature - a real world driver can see all the signals pretty clearly on a long distance. In ORTS (or MSTS) it is really hard to recognize a signal or a sign/label in a far distance from locomotive. This "zoom" key should zoom the view to make the signal readable. This is very well done in ZUSI (www.zusi.de) - very simple but working really good.

Another one is an adaptive contrast - our eyes are adapted to the most bright point - this can be simulated by the enviromental brightness computation. The transition between daylight and a tunnel (and back) should be more real, as well as the headlight brightness could be different at night and at a daylight.

Matej

[Genma Saotome]

IMO the signal light is one of those things impaired by the limitations of our machines... and given that it would be reasonable to provide an aid as some sort of compensation, say... (yet another) pop up window showing all the aspects that would be visible on the defined path at some distance, say, within 1000m -- what the eye could see but our PC's cannot properly show.

[James Ross]

 Matej Pacha, on 30 June 2013 - 10:11 AM, said:

I have this: "zoom" key feature - a real world driver can see all the signals pretty clearly on a long distance. In ORTS (or MSTS) it is really hard to recognize a signal or a sign/label in a far distance from locomotive. This "zoom" key should zoom the view to make the signal readable. This is very well done in ZUSI (www.zusi.de) - very simple but working really good.

We should fix the mipmap bug first, as that should help considerably with signals equipped for it. A more general solution for OR-specific content would be defining lights as real lights and having the game engine make them more visible.

[Lindsayts]

 Matej Pacha, on 30 June 2013 - 10:11 AM, said:

I have this: "zoom" key feature - a real world driver can see all the signals pretty clearly on a long distance. In ORTS (or MSTS) it is really hard to recognize a signal or a sign/label in a far distance from locomotive. This "zoom" key should zoom the view to make the signal readable. This is very well done in ZUSI (www.zusi.de) - very simple but working really good.

Another one is an adaptive contrast - our eyes are adapted to the most bright point - this can be simulated by the enviromental brightness computation. The transition between daylight and a tunnel (and back) should be more real, as well as the headlight brightness could be different at night and at a daylight.

Matej

From memory the first version of Train Simulator had the zoom feature, One hit on the up arrow key and the display zoomed in to around half the angular view, was great for signals, a quick hit in the up arrow and then another brought it back to normal.
Another thing Train Simlulator did was to double the size of the signal light/arm beyond around 1000 metres distance so it was easier to see.

A point I will put here is that all train sim's seem to make the mistake of displaying the signal light at a relatively low brightness, If you look directly at the light of any coloured light signal its dazzling in its brightness even of a sunny day. The new signals they installed on the Seymour Albury line when it was redone recently can be seen at 5 to 6000 metres NO problems, as long as one is directly in the signals siting line.

Lindsay

[disc]

 James Ross, on 30 June 2013 - 02:15 PM, said:

We should fix the mipmap bug first, as that should help considerably with signals equipped for it. A more general solution for OR-specific content would be defining lights as real lights and having the game engine make them more visible.

Wouldn't real signal lights cause performance problem? I think the technique that is used in railworks would be enough. Bigger signal light glow planes with glow texture, that is faint in close mipmaps, but brighter ad distant mipmaps, with that signal lights are visible from 2 km
See this texture with mipmaps
http://f.cl.ly/items/0I222w0Q3a0p0H1l2N3r/glow_green_nm.png

[copperpen]

The long visibility distances with colour light signals has only come about with the progress of technology. It would be entirely wrong for a steam era light so be seen at 5 to 6000 metres. They were after all only lit by a paraffin of oil lamp placed behind the flat glass lens. Early colour lights were an improvement, but nowhere near the standards of today.

[Lindsayts]

 copperpen, on 01 July 2013 - 06:25 AM, said:

The long visibility distances with colour light signals has only come about with the progress of technology. It would be entirely wrong for a steam era light so be seen at 5 to 6000 metres. They were after all only lit by a paraffin of oil lamp placed behind the flat glass lens. Early colour lights were an improvement, but nowhere near the standards of today.

Collimating lens and mirror systems have been around nearly as long as colour light signals (note not semaphore), Colour light signals came in two varietys, standard and search light. The search light signals were designed to be able to be seen at around 2000 metres with the sun BEHIND them thus can be seen at great distances at other times (Note, this HAS to be allowed for when the signal is installed). In the Melbourne (Autralia) metro rail system search lights were installed (in the 1920's) in a lot of locations on the East West lines (mainly the Ringwood line) as the line went into the rising/setting sun. It seems the newer LED signal lights are only availble in one version.

Lindsay

[rdamurphy]

There is a crossing near where I work, and there's a signal right off the road to the left of a set of traffic lights. Comparing the two, the signals are a bit smaller in diameter than the traffic lights, and slightly less bright. Both are visible at about the same distance.

This is on the BNSF Front Range Sub, at a siding, so it's a three color over three color signal.

In reality, the ONLY signal that you have to do anything immediately at is STOP, and you should know that's coming well in advance. The rest merely tell you the condition of the NEXT signal. By reading the signals correctly, you SHOULD know what to expect the next signal to be, and be able to comply with it even if you don't see it until you're a meter away from it.

I can elaborate on that if necessary...

Robert

[engmod]

Any driver knows their territory anyway.

So they already know where every signal is, even if its obscured.

cheers

[CGW121]

 engmod, on 02 July 2013 - 01:06 AM, said:

Any driver knows their territory anyway.

So they already know where every signal is, even if its obscured.

cheers

And in real life signals are often obscured.