[cjakeman]

If you don't use the Multi-Player options, you may not have explored the Dispatch Viewer. It's a separate window that gives you a map of the track, but updates the trains, the signal blocks and the state of each signal. You can zoom in and out and pan along the route or just let it follow the player's train.

Here's an example with 2 trains (in green) in Norwich station. The switches/points are marked in black and the signals and signal blocks in colour.





For performance reasons, it is only available when in multi-player mode. You can use it when working alone by selecting Server rather than Start and then Ctrl+9 to open the window. If your system has just a single screen, then you must also set Windowed = "yes" otherwise the Dispatch Viewer will always be hidden by the OR graphics window.

Note that several options are not available in multi-player mode - e.g. Pause and Save.

[roeter]

cjakeman, on 28 December 2013 - 11:03 AM, said:

For performance reasons, it is only available when in multi-player mode. You can use it when working alone by selecting Server rather than Start and then Ctrl+9 to open the window. If your system has just a single screen, then you must also set Windowed = "yes" otherwise the Dispatch Viewer will always be hidden by the OR graphics window.

Note that several options are not available in multi-player mode - e.g. Pause and Save.

Correction : the dispatcher window is available in normal single player mode as well, but it is started as a separate, minimized window so you must be in windowed mode to use it, and not it full screen mode.

Also please note that, at present, the display and functionality of the dispatcher window is very much 'subject to change', the present layout and control is very experimental only.

Regards,
Rob Roeterdink

[cjakeman]

Hi Rob,

roeter, on 28 December 2013 - 12:26 PM, said:

Correction : the dispatcher window is available in normal single player mode as well, but it is started as a separate, minimized window so you must be in windowed mode to use it, and not it full screen mode.

Thanks.

OR doesn't open the window on my desktop, but I see it does on my laptop as you said so I must dig a bit deeper and perhaps make a bug report.

[James Ross]

cjakeman, on 28 December 2013 - 02:19 PM, said:

OR doesn't open the window on my desktop, but I see it does on my laptop as you said so I must dig a bit deeper and perhaps make a bug report.

You have to enable it in options (General > Dispatcher window) and press Control-9 and unminimize it. It's pretty well hidden. :)

[cjakeman]

James Ross, on 28 December 2013 - 03:27 PM, said:

You have to enable it in options (General > Dispatcher window) and press Control-9 and unminimize it. It's pretty well hidden.

That's it. I wasn't enabling it in Options > General > Dispatcher Window.

Thanks.

[Sid P.]

Hi All,
The dispatcher window is a great feature, even in single player mode!
I have now discovered that the Alt-9 "Camera Jumping Train" capability also "works" in single player mode. When I attach to an AI passenger train, I can sit in the passenger car and watch the world go by (using the 5 key), while my player train keeps rolling. Another great ORTS feature!
But I find that Alt-9 also jumps the camera to locations that do not have any AI trains: e.g. switching yards. What are the rules of the Alt-9 key ?

[Csantucci]

OR considers as trains also the "loose consists". So with Alt-9 you switch also through all loose consists.

[dennisat]

Having recently discovered this feature I've used it for analysing a couple of activities which work fine in MSTS but have problems in OR. Being able to see the location of AI at critical times is very useful.

Dennis