[Jack@Elvas]

Hi, I'm looking for a mentor to help me with open rails.

Thanks!

[Weter]

Hello.
Would You extend the sentence, please?
What kind of help would be needed?

[Jack@Elvas]

Thanks,
I'm interested in the "using" aspects of open rails (vs the creation side)

I'm really well versed in Run8, so to some degree, I'm trying to get my openrails understanding up to that of Run8.

Examples:
- In Run8, I can teleport anywhere on the map instantly - is that possible in open rails, and what would be the process to do so?
- In Run8, I can add trains anywhere anytime with the built in Train maker upper, my understanding is that in open rails this is done with an external program not made by openrails and there might be some nuances- for example, I don't know if this is possible in open rails once a session has started.
- In Run8, I can control all the signals via the dispatch boards, is there something similar in open rails?
- In Run8, The place trains need to go is determined by tags on the engine, and or cars. Does open rails use a similar concept?
- In Run8, everything is basically 'free roam' mode, and there's a way to save the state of everything on the route so you can come back to it later - I feel like I've seen free roam mode in open rails but I think It dumped me into an empty route - couple that with my lack of knowledge of how to jump around the route.

  The items above would help me get my bearings.

Since each sim is different, there's likely some awesome things OpenRails does that Run8 does not, and it'd be neat to learn about those things.

Does that help?

- Jack




 

[Weter]

Hello.
1. That's expected kind of approach.
2. Teleport instantly - only in case of jumping to another train. Alt+F9 ->choose the train. Otherwise - fly there is required. 8, then PgUp+arrows.
3. Yes, it's possible only in form of pre-defined scenario (activity or timetable), written by standalone programs. For Activity editing either MSTS AE, or TSRE5's module.
For timetable - spreadsheet processor, like Exel, Calk, or contributed editor, supplied with ORTS.
4. It's possible, but through map-like window, called by Ctrl-9, not like dispatcher board.
5.

Quote

The place trains need to go is determined by tags on the engine, and or cars. Does open rails use a similar concept?

I feel complications with right understanding that. There are only pre-defined paths, one of which may be assigned for a train.
6. Saves and re-plays are possible for any mode, as well, as autopilot, but free roam (explore route) will show You indeed empty route.

Any further questions?

[Genma Saotome]

Jack@Elvas, on 01 October 2023 - 12:51 PM, said:

- In Run8, The place trains need to go is determined by tags on the engine, and or cars. Does open rails use a similar concept?
- Jack

No.

The issue here is what you are asking about (1) wasn't in MSTS and (2) is largely North American specific. MSTS served as the template for OR -- developers could compare what it did and what OR didn't do and address the omissions. Over time this extended to going well beyond MSTS in the realism in train physics and signalling (largely to support European passenger train operations via timetables). Most of the developers were not in North America and so lacking expertise/interest in anything done only in North America their attention was turned towards what the knew and were interested in elsewhere.

I think what you'd like I was I've been asking for over the years: allow for train blocking so relevant information can be presented to the player via sprite text, allow for destination information on specific cars, also presented to the player via sprite text as an essential aid to car spotting at industries, and car initial and number replacing the serial numbers presently shown in sprite text.

[Genma Saotome]

Jack@Elvas, on 01 October 2023 - 12:51 PM, said:

- In Run8, everything is basically 'free roam' mode....
- Jack

Almost everything is done in controlled Activities. If you want free roam you chose explore route... but yours will be the only train and even then you may be constrained by a predefined path (you can escape that tho by going into manual mode).

There isn't anything that supports the idea of the dispatcher and conductor working together to work a town, plus enough of the main at either end, in a way t hat lets the player, as conductor, freely control the train movement. As it stands now, the activity IS the conductor and you are only the engineer and your movements are entirely determined by the person who made the activity files.

=================
I'll suggest this: get a finished mountain route, one that has activities. I don't know the Shasta Route but it would do just fine. I think the OR web pages has it. Run a couple of activities thru the mountains. Train handling is harder than you think, especially if the rolling stock has proper (realistic) settings. I have A CGW route set in Iowa -- a land ocean of up, down, up, down swells, 100-250ft elevation changes, one after another. It took me 4 runs to get a handle on it... judging the change in elevation and where to set the brake, release the brake, when to change the throttle. Non-stop. Different consist, different actions.

Edit: One of the interesting issues here is when the majority of the train passes the top of the hill and over on the descent the train mass begins to push the locomotives faster. You get all that under control only to realize you've passed the the dip at the bottom, your brakes are still on, throttle is low as you begin to climb the next hill. No way will that let you maintain enough speed to get across the district anywhere close to what a real engineer would have done.

[railguy]

^Shasta will definitely test one's train handling skills. OpenRails physics is one of the most realistic out there, however, there is a huge amount of rolling stock that still uses "simplified," unauthentic MSTS physics in their .wag files. So, even operating a train properly on Shasta may generate derailed cars, etc. For over three years, I've been modifying my .eng files with good OR physics settings, but in almost every new consist that I create, I may find an .eng file that I have not yet modified. I haven't even dug down into .wag files yet--I likely have over 12K .wag files. Mullan Pass and Soldier Summit are also routes that will test one's train handling skills in mountainous terrain. I'm fortunate to have some real-life mountain railroaders for friends. I've learned a lot from them about train handling.

[ATSF3751]

First off you can not compare Open Rails to Run 8 as they are two totally different simulators. Every Open Rails is still a work in progress and it more about train handling and physics then it is about switching on a route or multiplayer gaming.

As I see your original post it seems like you are demanding that Open Rails has these or more like expecting them to have the features that Run8 has and that is not the case. Yes it would be nice if Open Rails had some of the features that Run8 has but it does not and can not expect one railroad simulator to have the same exact things that another one does. Every single train simulator game that I have played weather it is Run8, Open Rails, TRAINZ and even Train Simulator 20xx all have there perks and there flaws! All of them are different and some of them are better then others in specific areas.

Sure we all wish for a railroad simulator to have every single feature that features the best of all of the sims in one but unfortunately that is not the case!

Brandon

[ErickC]

Genma Saotome, on 12 November 2023 - 01:49 PM, said:

Edit: One of the interesting issues here is when the majority of the train passes the top of the hill and over on the descent the train mass begins to push the locomotives faster. You get all that under control only to realize you've passed the the dip at the bottom, your brakes are still on, throttle is low as you begin to climb the next hill. No way will that let you maintain enough speed to get across the district anywhere close to what a real engineer would have done.

I once asked a friend how the crest-and-downgrade portions of undulating terrain (where even a minimum application might bleed off too much speed) were handled in real life (without dynamic braking), and he told me: "bail off and drag 'em like crazy." After some thought, it made logical sense to me: you're basically fooling the train into thinking it's always going uphill and maintaining speed with power instead of braking. A side benefit is this keeps the slack from running in as the train is always being pulled and never pushed. And, once you're reached the point where unreasonable amounts of power are required to keep the speed from bleeding off, you've probably also reached the point where enough of the train is on the next upgrade that you'll need power with the brakes off anyway.

Power braking, of course, isn't particularly popular in the eyes of executives today (actually the same friend told me it's a good way to get disciplined for wasting fuel), but with DPU and dynamic braking, I guess that's probably less of a problem.

[Genma Saotome]

ATSF3751, on 12 November 2023 - 03:22 PM, said:

As I see your original post it seems like you are demanding that Open Rails has these or more like expecting them to have the features that Run8 has and that is not the case.

Wrong.

He was asking for help in understanding what is in OR by asking if there anything like he is familiar with in Run8. That's very different than demanding OR be like Run9.