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New stations for Pak128

Started by Fabio, December 01, 2013, 12:29:24 PM

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Fabio

Considering that the tracks have been lowered, so must the platforms.
I want to take advantage of this repainting a few of them and editing the other.
I plan to stick to VS's vision to lower station capacity considerably (and making them cheaper as a bonus) and increase the capacity of extension buildings, which should become a must for high traffic stations.
Also, I plan all stations to have only one platform (much like in the British Pakset).

Here two pics of a new model:


kierongreen

Remember you can now alter capacity cost and maintenance for each station too!

mEGa

Good idea ! More realistic IMHO
Current projects in progress : improvements of few designed french paks

Fabio

Should I add any further detail to this one? Suggestions?


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mEGa

Cold drinks distributor ? Tickets distributors...
Current projects in progress : improvements of few designed french paks

Zeno

What about kind of an info panel, fabio? Something small if it's in the middle section, as long as it's gonna be repeated allong all middle tiles.

Quote from: kierongreen on December 01, 2013, 02:19:52 PM
Remember you can now alter capacity cost and maintenance for each station too!
Does it work like in experimental?? That would be great, allowing empty platforms to be very cheap, and charge it to the extensions giving capacity. That was the original plan... :)

Sarlock

I love it!  Nice work.

It would make double track stations look so much better if we could add a central platform too :)
Current projects: Pak128 Trees, blender graphics

kierongreen

QuoteDoes it work like in experimental?? That would be great, allowing empty platforms to be very cheap, and charge it to the extensions giving capacity. That was the original plan...
It works exactly like experimental as code was merged in. There's potential for a number of options - you could have a choice between low maintenance, high cost stations and high maintenance, low cost stations as well for example.

Tazze

Brainstorming...
More kind of platform
1. Island platform (same as Sarlock's suggestion)


2. Bay platform

(e.g.)
Britain London Paddington station
           London King's Cross railway station (Famous for Hurry potter :)) ;http://www.iam-architect.com/western-concourse-at-kings-cross-by-john-mcaslan-partners/

France Paris-Gare de Lyon

Germany München Hauptbahnhof
             Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof
              Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof ; http://polpix.sueddeutsche.com/polopoly_fs/1.489376.1357480153!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/900x600/image.jpg

Italy Roma Termini railway station ;http://www.roma-termini.com/images/termini2.jpg

Japan Hankyu Umeda station ,Osaka ; http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Rail_Tracks_map_between_Hankyu_Umeda_and_Juso_Station.svg
           JR Kyoto station ,
           Odakyu Shinjuku Station ,Tokyo ; http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Rail_Tracks_map_Odakyu_Shinjuku_Station.svg

Spain  Barcelona Estació de França ;http://www.trenscat.com/renfe/images/linia15/sch-estaciodefranca.gif
And more...

3. Curved Platform

I think that it isn't rare. Dou you think about it? Difficult?

More Decorations on the platforms
Waiting pax ,the station staff ,Running in board ,Dust box, Crock , Commercial board , Elevator ,Escalator next to stairs, Waiting room ,Timetable board,Platform screen doors ,Some Vending machines ,small store ,overpass , foliage plants...

sdog

you can have central platforms already. The first station tile you place has the platform on the same side. Depending on the order you place station tiles on a double track you'll get either two platforms facing each other, or one platform joined in the middle.

Tazze


VS

#11
Is the height final? I could help by scaling some other platforms... (meaning the goods ones, mostly).

My projects... Tools for messing with Simutrans graphics. Graphic archive - templates and some other stuff for painters. Development logs for most recent information on what is going on. And of course pak128!

Fabio

Thank you for your offer, VS! I plan to release soon a basic platform template.
OTOH two more things in TODO list are lowering (and adding snow) to all station extensions and transforming the buildings in village and office stations in station extensions.


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VS

Yup, I guessed as much :)

It would be good to make a list of what should happen to each station type...?

My projects... Tools for messing with Simutrans graphics. Graphic archive - templates and some other stuff for painters. Development logs for most recent information on what is going on. And of course pak128!

ӔO

#14
I don't know how common this is, but certain stations have different foundations from the rest of the track.

example:
Track beyond platforms: ballast and sleepers
Track at platforms: ballast-less

There may also be some extra stuff sitting in the middle, like an emergency shelter/maintenance walkway.

or maybe some extra ballast to make the station look more like a single piece?
My Sketchup open project sources
various projects rolled up: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17111233/Roll_up.rar

Colour safe chart:

Fabio


Quote from: ӔO on December 03, 2013, 10:44:01 PM
maybe some extra ballast to make the station look more like a single piece?

I actually think of something like that... Thank you for the suggestion.
Instead I'm rather skeptical about other kind of objects, but we'll see.


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VS

Other objects can be only at ends of platform, or they would repeat...

My projects... Tools for messing with Simutrans graphics. Graphic archive - templates and some other stuff for painters. Development logs for most recent information on what is going on. And of course pak128!

sdog

there are a couple of repeating objects at stations. For example at german stations in the space between tracks there were often regularly spaced pipes, where hoses could be connected. In Japan i've seen structures similar to small step ladders. I've seen old stations that had planked walkways for workers between the tracks.

Such things might help to fill up the space between tracks, which being green looks a bit strange. This is much more visible for pak128 than for pak128.britain. Reason for this is, i think, the much duller ground of the latter.

To fill the gap up with ballast, might cause some ugly colour differences? Perhaps this could be ameliorated by newer stations having lighter ballast, so it fits several tracks from the same aera only?

Fabio

I  think about a light ballast. The tracks have color (lightness and saturation, but same hue) variants of the same ballast. I think I could find a neuter version going along with most tracks. Also, I have half an idea to cover the existing ballast leaving place only for tracks and sleepers. I just need to experiment a little.


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Fabio

Just an update...



I still need to find the right ballast nuance...

sdog

I completely forgot, the consequence thereof is also that single platforms and island platforms have such ballast protruding towards the open. That might look worse than having a lot of green in the centre.

Maybe the way of one of the japanese paks and Carl Baker would be preferable. They have ballast types that fill all/most of the tile.

I think some of the devs said they'd like to look into Carl's approach to see if it could be generalized. In such a case it would be resovled all by itself, or if not, mibht be easier to check if platforms are in such a configuration and select a different rail png.

Fabio

I'll test also the island platform configuration, but I don't think the result is gonna be that bad. After all also fastest tracks have the tile completely covered in ballast and here I used the same ground tile with jagged sides.


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sdog

here's Carl's post:
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=7367.msg120521#msg120521

Couldn't find who put it to the bottom of their very long todo list. (most likely Kieron)

kierongreen


ӔO

Don't railway platforms also allow an extension end piece?

I know the ramps in pak britain are not part of the platform itself, but an extension.

That could be used to taper the filling so that it doesn't look jagged.
My Sketchup open project sources
various projects rolled up: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17111233/Roll_up.rar

Colour safe chart:

Tazze

I unsure it is ballast at a glance.
You need to change the color :same color as rails is better.

By the way, almost Japanese paks edited from 589's work. he doesn't forbid your remodeling and redistribution.(picked up from a Read me.txt )
http://japanese.simutrans.com/index.php?Addon128%2FRailTools%202

I'd like brown one....

sdog

@AEO
here's the pak128.britain version:


Stations can have graphics for end tiles and single tiles. It's defined as extra rotations, when i'm not mistaken. Here's a snippet from the dat file to the png posted above

FrontImage[8][0][0][0][0][0]=brick-platform.1.1
FrontImage[9][0][0][0][0][0]=brick-platform.0.1
FrontImage[10][0][0][0][0][0]=brick-platform.1.3
FrontImage[11][0][0][0][0][0]=brick-platform.0.5
FrontImage[12][0][0][0][0][0]=brick-platform.1.5
FrontImage[13][0][0][0][0][0]=brick-platform.0.3
FrontImage[14][0][0][0][0][0]=brick-platform.1.7
FrontImage[15][0][0][0][0][0]=brick-platform.0.7


Most likely there would be a nice transition to the start of the ballast covered area, using transparency. I think that is part of what Fabio had in mind when he wrote above it wouldn't be that bad. (As always his work is flawless and marvelous, when it comes to release.)

Vladki

I like the first version without ballast more. The second looks like the old double sided platform.

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Fabio

I improved the ballast:



For me it's pretty final now, I'll just add some snow and commit (in the next days) so that everyone can test.

ӔO

My Sketchup open project sources
various projects rolled up: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17111233/Roll_up.rar

Colour safe chart:

Sarlock

Current projects: Pak128 Trees, blender graphics


tonu

It looks very nice! And the platform looks consistient with the extension building
Maybe you can do something simillar with a covered station, something like this japanese addon:

Fabio

Thank you all!

Quote from: tonu on December 07, 2013, 03:34:09 AM
Maybe you can do something simillar with a covered station, something like this japanese addon
Yes, it is planned, although only spanning 2 tracks wide, much like pak Britain's one


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VS

One important question for my part is - is the new height the standard for freight stations, too?

My projects... Tools for messing with Simutrans graphics. Graphic archive - templates and some other stuff for painters. Development logs for most recent information on what is going on. And of course pak128!

Fabio

I would also like to hear other opinions but I would personally say so. Standard height should be 2px (=40cm in my scale for buildings).
How is it in real world? Do freight and pax platforms have the same height?

One notable exception will be for early (=XIX century) train stops which will be ground level and earthen.

For freight platforms I would say 2px unless special needs, in which case they can't be taller than 4px from the ground and they should be nicely transitioned to look neat near standard ones.
2px should also be standard height for station extension basements and (again except special cases) road freight stops.


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ӔO

All the modern freight platforms I've seen are rail level.
The goods typically require a fork lift (goods on pallets), crane (container) or loading ramp (car and livestock)
My Sketchup open project sources
various projects rolled up: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17111233/Roll_up.rar

Colour safe chart:

Junna

Only sundry loading docks tend to be at platform level, all others are typically on ground (rail)-level and sidings, not platforms, as AEO says.

Fabio

Ok guys you convinced me. We might switch to ground level freight yards. I'll look into it and try to produce a template, or VS you could try it yourself if you feel like it.
I would choose a ground level concrete or asphalt yard for modern times, earthen or gravel for older eras.


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Vladki

Well, there are freight platforms that are double height. Maybe they are not so common nowadays but certainly were in XX. century. See here. It's a model, but shows nice comparison of cheap passenger platform (a bit lower for today standards) and freight platform.


And street loading bay should be also of this height. Just so to be on the same level as the floor in the truck or waggon.

Tazze

I supposed that freight platform is a thing like that:

This yard build in 1924. The left side was torn down lecently.

Fabio

So, platform (with standard height) or yard? I think we should experiment a little and then decide.


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Junna

Quote from: Fabio on December 08, 2013, 02:00:19 PM
So, platform (with standard height) or yard? I think we should experiment a little and then decide.

One of each wouldn't be bad. They usually serve different purposes.

Quote from: Tazze on December 08, 2013, 10:02:36 AM
I supposed that freight platform is a thing like that:

This yard build in 1924. The left side was torn down lecently.


Umeda goods yards in 1974. The extensive wagon-load and sundry loading facilities would all be closed within a few years, and the goods branch that served the council wholesale market and the industrial sidings in the vicinity were all regrettably closed.

Usually wagon-load docks are higher, like passenger platforms, to allow the loading by forklift and similar (this also goes for cattle loading docks), and this higher level carried on to to some extent for the container stations when wagon-load was abolished in 1982, as smaller containers tend to be handled by forklifts too. The level is not much above rail height though as far as I remember from such sites.


As seen here (though the rail connection was severed at this site sometime in the 90's for some reason.)

ӔO

Truth is, with modern machinery (particularly the crane), all types of platforms can easily be adapted to suit the various needs of each type of goods. This means that there are multiple standards, unlike passenger platforms, which are quite consistent in either being low or tall.

The only difference is between loading and unloading speed, which is not simulated in standard (there is only a slight delay instead of being instant).
My Sketchup open project sources
various projects rolled up: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17111233/Roll_up.rar

Colour safe chart:

Fabio

Quote from: Fabio on December 06, 2013, 06:52:54 PM


For me it's pretty final now, I'll just add some snow and commit (in the next days) so that everyone can test.

Now you can test it in r1369

VS

A few points:

1) Describing current state of art is not unimportant, but most of simu-playing-time is spent in history. I have already tried to find out if freight used higher or lower platforms, no results yet though.

2) I'm no expert, but it seems intuitive that cargo which is carried as smaller "pieces" in covered wagons is loaded from platforms. Stuff that needs cranes or special loaders has no use of platforms and can use ground level. So one would separate goods platforms from wood, bulk, steel...

3) Openttd addons all have both high and low tiles for freight.

4) ...as Zeno can remember, I planned to have a standard for low (ground) level as well (never happened).

My projects... Tools for messing with Simutrans graphics. Graphic archive - templates and some other stuff for painters. Development logs for most recent information on what is going on. And of course pak128!

Sarlock

Which probably just means that whatever you select to look the best (and is the easiest to draw) artistically will work fine :)
Current projects: Pak128 Trees, blender graphics

Fabio

I agree with Sarlock.

Hence freight stations must have:

- standard pax platform 2px tall (on one side only and ballast on the other side)

OR

- ground level yard earthen, ballast or concrete according to era and freight type

As an artist's choice based, among all, on prevalent freight type and era.




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VS

#48
Duly noted.

I changed the plain tile as a starting exercise, and realized that the 2px is rather unnoticeable. Did you base the number off buildings or vehicles? You have both of these at the platform, and it looks rather weird that the truck has wheels higher than the platform... Maybe 3px could be better?

Anyway, this would be my analysis of stations (attached).
a) I'm not certain if we want to have multiple container stations?
b) And I hate my old extensions more and more. They were cool in their day, but now they're just old crap.
c) The cranes could be high or low. I don't know. Warehouses sound more like high stuff.

edit: To be brutally honest, openttd uses 3px at half tile size, and even if that is exaggerated, 2px seems a bit excessive :-/

My projects... Tools for messing with Simutrans graphics. Graphic archive - templates and some other stuff for painters. Development logs for most recent information on what is going on. And of course pak128!

Fabio

Platform height: as I lowered all trains by 4px, so I did the platform. You suggest 3px? I don't know, I would need tests/mock ups.

Containers: they can be joined exploiting the front-middle-back parts system, giving a bit more variety.

Under standard extensions: your's the choice -- kill or reprint ;)

Cranes&c: probably the low tile, with concrete or asphalt surface, possibly with a "truck lane" along the tracks where container trucks could deliver their cargo to the crane.


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sdog

Closed train stop (pax), top row, leftmost image, was hardly useable in game as it is not visible if there's a train in the station or not. While the graphis seem to have a historic precedent, and are supposedly modeled very closely after it. It'd need some modifications to really be useful again.

Modern train stop (second from top, left column) has a wonderful roof. i Hope it is just converted to the new standard.

Train stop (third from top, left column) is a TTD like relic from the past before rotations. Now we'd rather build double platforms with such roofs, similar to pak.britain.

Bulk station is fine enough as road-freight extension.

The parking lot is far behind modern pak128 style, and scale. The fence always made it look awkward. A nice parking lot would be desirable, but it also ought to tile nicely and fit to fabios city streets. It'd be  better if it was deprecated.

Village and office stations ought to be removed from the platforms and made station extension buildings of their own. Afterall the new strategy is to have low capacity platforms with extensions.


Freight train stop with ramps (top row, rightmost) never made sense, as there were always ramps leading into another high platform. If it is one sided only, it makes perfect sense as a high loading platform for piece goods, or roll in containers (Like mail). Perhaps even call it piece freight platform? Make it such that the ramps and the gate are only shown at the end tiles, while the middle tiles get a railing on the non-rail side.


The new freight infrastructure images in the central pannel ought to be low.

VS

Hm, it does certainly sound true that trains lower 4 px = platforms lower 4 px. On the other hand it just does not look... dunno.

I'll wait more :P

My projects... Tools for messing with Simutrans graphics. Graphic archive - templates and some other stuff for painters. Development logs for most recent information on what is going on. And of course pak128!

Tazze

Quote from: Fabio on December 08, 2013, 09:45:00 PM
Now you can test it in r1369
Hello Fabio I tested it. There are not bug and no complain.
please go on the next!! :)

gauthier

I was working on a complete set of stations for pak128 some months ago until I got this bug. The current version is fairly complete and was already designed to lower stations'capacity. If you want, I may share sources for pak128.

Fabio

Wow, I would really appreciate, gauthier!


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gauthier

Here are the sources : https://mega.co.nz/#!Q9IXBbSI!QIuIbwxPrXyZest8WzaOqDK9SfAa3tb7o3gIKnIFGcI
And here is a pak file for who wants to test : https://mega.co.nz/#!c0IXEBwT!T_6OfnE3hRXuOjFTHjC5YRR9axN9sa7UibZVu2sC31s

(First time I use MEGA, hope it works fine ...).

EDIT : I'm likely to update these files in weeks.

tonu

Hi! Very nice work
I'm testing them.
In a first test I found a little bug:

I'll continue testing, now with vehicles in a map where I'm playing
Regards!

Miziiik

http://msim.8u.cz/ Můj web o hře Simutrans - Moje addons, návody, odkazy, apod.

gauthier

Indeed. This bug is caused by the drawing system of the game. It will disappear if you use fast forward.

Dwachs

It will also disappear if the graphics are prepared according to the suggestions in that thread  :::)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and maggikraut.

Fabio

Let me introduce you a new station!









Note: Previous station roof was slightly lowered.

Sarlock

Very nice!

There is a small section of lighter coloured roofing on the right side that if darkened like the rest of the roof will make multiple sections together appear less repetitive.

Current projects: Pak128 Trees, blender graphics


Aurel-96


greenling

Who!
This stations looks very cool out.
Opening hours 20:00 - 23:00
(In Night from friday on saturday and saturday on sunday it possibly that i be keep longer in Forum.)
I am The Assistant from Pakfilearcheologist!
Working on a big Problem!

HDomos

Quote from: greenling on January 12, 2014, 07:34:05 PM
Who!
This stations looks very cool out.

It is indeed looks good... When will it be available for testing?

Fabio

Quote from: Sarlock on December 21, 2013, 05:33:53 PM
There is a small section of lighter coloured roofing on the right side that if darkened like the rest of the roof will make multiple sections together appear less repetitive.


Quote from: HDomos on January 14, 2014, 08:54:59 PM
It is indeed looks good... When will it be available for testing?

Glitch hopefully fixed and station available for testing in r1391.

benste

#67
Hi - looks like you guys are working on some excellent improvements. Actually i can't wait seeing them and tried downloading the latest.
First i noticed there is no useable package in the nightly builds website - just a 3 months old openpak128.


Anyway, after finally finding the code at [size=78%]http://sourceforge.net/p/simutrans/code/HEAD/tree/pak128/[/size]
i installed simutrans-makeobj, and created the package. But then i do get an error when starting my simutrans ... sidewalk not found ...
anyideas on what's wrong ?


EDIT - looks like some errors slipped unnoticed when running the pakmak.py
See make object memory issue on
http://paste.ubuntu.com/6822043/



Sorry, just used the outdated makeobj from ubuntu ... had to manually add the latest.


Stations look great, can't wait them to see them in stable.
I don't know whether it's the right place, but looking at the new softslopes it still seems to be fairly hard - it's gonna make the games a lot more realistic and challenging - especially as it's now very hard to find leveled areas on the map.
With the experimental tool
* i'm missing a button to raise the soil up to the next real level.
* Some menu buttons are not drawn - only get a default slope button for the old full slopes
* Is it intended that NO mode of transport can access regular slopes? (checked rail, tram and street)
* should two soft raises in the landscape equal a full step ? - why can't i connect a bridge to a 2* 1/2 increment ? - it says can't build to center of the slope ...
* for sure i can't use regular slopes for train tracks in future, but i should be able to build bridges from it ..
* will i be able to start a bridge from a 1/2 raised area (random maps will create these areas too ! - will they only be 1/2 high or 1 high and only be able to end on equal level or +-1 ?
* e.g. in the Swiss Scenario there are existing bridges - now the default slope is only the soft slope and bridges are flat as well - even though they're still connected there is clearly something wrong ... the ramps end on 1/2 level while as the main part of the bridge still cross the rivers correctly

kierongreen

I believe that slower roads and maybe tramsways should be able to be built on steep slopes, with railways only on shallow slopes. Bridges should be able to start from either shallow or steep slopes - but only slopes which are entirely shallow or steep (if that makes sense).

HDomos

Quote from: Fabio on December 21, 2013, 02:53:07 PM
Let me introduce you a new station!






Note: Previous station roof was slightly lowered.

I now tested the new stations and they are looking really looking good. A strange thing that I can't really see if a train is under them though...

One thing that as in this picture, the winter version should have also snowy ballast...

gauthier

I just updated my set of stations for half heights. The file and a preview picture are available on http://www.simutrans-france.fr.nf/doku.php?id=en:infrastructures#stations