[Poll] Simutrans-Experimental survey

[jamespetts]

Werl - Simutrans-Experimental won't start? Are you sure that you've downloaded all of the configuration files? If you've upgraded from a previous version, try deleting settings-experimental.xml.

[sdog]

when i had problems getting simutrans experimental to run (with linux), i could solve them by installing the full install of the latest nightly first, then copy binary and configuration files into it. 

the latest nightlies of pak128 requires a new directory with gui files wich is included in recent nightly builds of standard.

[jamespetts]

Sdog,

were you running Simutrans-Experimental with the latest nightlies of Pak128 when you had the problem?

[sdog]

yes (sorry, hurry, short reply)

[jamespetts]

The issue may, then, be with the Pak128 nightlies...

[VS]

I believe the new gui files are a) optional, b) part of program distribution, not pakset. So this should not be the cause of errors - at least with standard trunk it isn't as far as I can verify.

edit: Oops. It seems the skin files are optional on startup, but required once pakset is loaded and the game will enter normal interface. It does not matter where they come from, though, and normally that is left to program installation. Now I remember that they were removed from pak128 then.

edit2: It seems duplicated skin objects in simutrans/skins and simutrans/pakset do not cause problems with standard trunk.

[jamespetts]

VS,

thank you for the details. Can you give some more information on what files that I should include in future distributions of the complete version of Simutrans-Experimental?

[VS]

Standard has trunk/simutrans/skin/menu.WindowSkin.pak checked into svn...

[AvG]

I discovered Exp just a few days ago. (Left Simutrans more than 2 years ago)
Downed and made a few trials.
Prelim conclusions:
- Maintenance indeed way too high. Also in Standard. Newprice simple busstop 100 Cr Maintenance 36 Cr/Month.
  Starting a citynetwork with lots of stops and short distances is disaster.
  Therefore I divide (config) maintenance 1800 by 100.
- Question: Why more than one config.tab? Is the program using more than one? Which is the one for player-alterations?
- Nice surprise: The goods-catagories. Almost the same like I use. On top of your system I distinguish light and heavy
  crates in order to make the use of WideBody-vehicles attractive.

Alltogether Exp is IMHO very promising.

I want to implement my vehicles in Exp.
I copied a few in Exp and they work. But of course without the new interesting features.
I studied the new .dat instructions but found them rather misty.
Would is be possible to get a copy of some .dat-files of vehicles(road,track,water) and stops(road, track, water)??
That would be very helpfull!!

AvG

[jamespetts]

AvG,

thank you for your interest in Simutrans-Experimental. The issues to which you refer are being worked on, although slowly as my time is limited. The maintenance issue for stops can be addressed in the paksets (by changing the stop costs independently of level as is now possible in Experimental), but has not yet been implemented in Pak128.Britain-Ex. It is planned to implement that soon. The maintenance for depots should be addressed in Simutrans-Experimental 8.0 (planned next release but one), in which different types of depots will build different types of vehicles (biological, steam, diesel, etc.), and have different purchase/maintenance costs.

One change in the next version (an interim release, 7.2, due out very soon) that will improve 'bus networks is the reduction of the effect of comfort ratings for shorter journeys. Also in 7.2, diagonal way maintenance costs are properly scaled, resulting in an overall reduction in maintenance costs.

As for the simuconf.tab files, this is actually a change from Simutrans-Standard some time ago: the first simuconf.tab in the /Simutrans/config directory is one that applies to all paksets, and the second one, in the /Simutrans/[pakset]/config directory applies only to the specific pakset, and over-rides any settings in the general simuconf.tab.

As to the .dat files, Pak128.Britain-Ex is an open-source pakset, based on the open-source Pak128.Britain, with modifications for Simutrans-Experimental. The source files can be found here. More information on Simutrans-Experimental compatible paksets can be found here. If you would like any clarification of the instructions for modifying the .dat files, please let me know (perhaps by replying to the thread).

Please note that Pak128.Britain-Ex (and the standard Pak128.Britain) are not properly balanced yet. As I stated in another thread, I am in the process of obtaining real-world data to use in setting costs/revenues, etc., but the balancing at present is largely guesswork.

I shall be very interested to know more about your pakset as it progresses. Alternatively, you are free to work on and/or branch Pak128.Britain-Ex (or the standard version). Very best wishes!

[jamespetts]

AvG,

incidentally, there is a new release of Simutrans-Experimental available now, with a number of balancing enhancements, and also updates to PAk128.Britain-Ex.