[rfranzosa]

NW_611, on Jul 14 2009, 10:15 PM, said:

:D

This route is looking really good. It'll look even better when ex-PRR/NYC E8s head into Boston to provide commuter service. :D

:D

What IS IT with you and black diesels?!?!?! :D

[rfranzosa]

CARex, on Jul 16 2009, 08:27 PM, said:

Hi Michael,

Looks wonderful!!
If you need (slow) assistance in one form or another, don't hesitate to get in touch.
I'm in season (business), although off compared to last year, but still busy just the same.
Needless to say, I haven't had much time to do anything other than read the odd post here and there.

I've been considering offering the VNHRR (Springfield-New Haven) to some worthy individual that would be interested in completing it.
I don't have the time to get up to speed with RS/RW let alone finish the MSTS project.
If/when you get the B&A out to Springfield... you might be interested eh?

Meanwhile... keep up the great work and have a pleasant summer, Bob

Michael,

I know next to nothing about RE, but I want very much to see the VNHRR completed. If there is any way that I can talk you into accepting Bob's offer, I will help in any way I can!!

Rick

[GreatNortherner]

Bob,

Great to hear from you again! ;)

So the VNHRR is on the back burner, too? Ah, if only there was more free time for our hobby! :cool3: I haven't touched MSTS or RS in over a week now, been way too busy. Have you stopped working on the route, or do you have some time left every now and then? You could try to do it like I'm planning on doing it with the B&A: Finish all the simulation-related parts (database items - roads, sidings, speeds, signals, possibly car spawners) and then "lock" the route's interactive development and release it with whatever scenery has been done at this point. This is still a major task (I HATE placing roads), but this way those who are interested can at least start running some trains. :D And scenery updates can be done later by whomever by just releasing the new world files and new shapes/textures to overwrite the old ones. One only needs to keep good track of which objects are new to the updated version, so none gets omitted from the uploaded files.

Could that be an alternative to abandoning the route altogether? Or giving it to somebody else. By the way, thanks for the offer!!! But as I said I'm having troubles getting my own routes done, maybe you'll even beat me to it and get the VNHRR done before I finish the Boston route. :book2: Sorry to disappoint you (and Rick!), but I really don't know when I'll have some more time again. But please don't get me wrong: when there is more time again one day (hopefully not too far in the future), I'll gladly help out on your route!

Cheers!
Michael

[GreatNortherner]

Hello Hi and Howdy,

Just had a couple of free hours tonight and spent them on the Boston route. I did some super-detailing around Framingham, on the NH line south to Walpole. Well. I only got to the Charles River crossing south of Sherborn, but that alone took me about 2 hours, placing traffic signs, shrubs, telegraph poles, level crossings, etc.

Below are some pics.

One more thing: I was wondering, what do you think about public alpha/beta releases? It has become quite a fashion, or even standard, in the Railsim/works scene to release one or even many public alpha or beta versions of a route. The files are usually hosted on a public mass download server (humyo, rapidshare, or the like), password protected and access is regulated through a forum (PM or post). I would have to check whether I am using 3rd party objects that only allow redistribution via trainsim.com, but if there aren't any of these I don't see any reason why this should be possible in train-sim too? Or am I missing something here? :drool3: Would you even like to get the route in an early alpha version?

OK. Finally: on to the pictures! How does the object and forest placement look like? Does it at least somehow resemble eastern Massachusetts?


south of Framingham on the NH


just north of Sherborn, looking north


south of South Sherborn, looking north


a few steps further south, looking south across the Charles River and onto the Medfield State Hospital

Cheers!
Michael

[philmoberg]

GreatNortherner, on Aug 8 2009, 03:01 PM, said:

... How does the object and forest placement look like? Does it at least somehow resemble eastern Massachusetts?
...

Amazingly so! The rolling terrain, the distant mills and mill ponds ... the whole sense of it is very like the southern New England I remember whenever we came East to see my Mom's family, back in the early-'60s. Particularly striking is the encroachment of lower vegetation, approaching very near the ballast line, with the ballast still clear, as it would have been (at least as a general rule) into the late-'50s. Even most of the yard track still looked good in those days. The company-service pole lines were then still very much in service, and yours are quite reminiscent of those endless miles of such utilities that mesmerised me as I followed them, all those decades ago. What I can see of the adjoining highways looks quite good as well: except for the Interstates (then in their infancy) and the few state-built expressways, public highways were not marked by the sorts of wide shoulders we have these days. I'm thoroughly impressed.

I think the public alpha/beta concept is a good one for several reasons. A chief advantage is that it provides the developer a good measure of encouragement early on in a very complicated project. Additionally, it tends to ensure a more accurate final product, a direct benefit of the wealth of technical, historical and artistic talent in this comunity. IMO, the comunity have made a good move in beginning to adopt this approach. -Phil

[rfranzosa]

philmoberg, on Aug 8 2009, 09:29 PM, said:

Amazingly so! The rolling terrain, the distant mills and mill ponds ... the whole sense of it is very like the southern New England I remember whenever we came East to see my Mom's family, back in the early-'60s. Particularly striking is the encroachment of lower vegetation, approaching very near the ballast line, with the ballast still clear, as it would have been (at least as a general rule) into the late-'50s. Even most of the yard track still looked good in those days. The company-service pole lines were then still very much in service, and yours are quite reminiscent of those endless miles of such utilities that mesmerised me as I followed them, all those decades ago. What I can see of the adjoining highways looks quite good as well: except for the Interstates (then in their infancy) and the few state-built expressways, public highways were not marked by the sorts of wide shoulders we have these days. I'm thoroughly impressed.

I think the public alpha/beta concept is a good one for several reasons. A chief advantage is that it provides the developer a good measure of encouragement early on in a very complicated project. Additionally, it tends to ensure a more accurate final product, a direct benefit of the wealth of technical, historical and artistic talent in this comunity. IMO, the comunity have made a good move in beginning to adopt this approach. -Phil

I agree with Phil. This is excellent work, Michael.

[GreatNortherner]

rfranzosa, on Aug 9 2009, 04:39 PM, said:

I agree with Phil. This is excellent work, Michael.

Phil, Rick,

Thank you so much for your help. It's good to know then I seem to be headed to the right direction with this project.
Whenever I get the chance to fiddle about in the RE, right now about once or twice a week in average, I put some more roads into the route. So maybe a public alpha release might actually see the light of the day in a few months. No promises though.

Cheers!
Michael