[patch] Allow convoys to follow their schedule in reverse automatically

[sdog]

as it is now, it is a tripwire for moderately new players, starting first complex rail lines. Absolute newbs get confused by filling up their schedule with lots of copies of the schedule, by pressing the mirror button several times.

This is perhaps mostly a request from former openTTC players (the UI there is a hopeless case though, players who learned to get used to that are probably spoiled for the rest of their gaming lives :-P).

After reading your comments, i think you're quite right there (even while i don't like it) simutrans has the concept of fixed schedule-platform assignment. Any rule deviating from this in a non transparent way, endangers useability. (one can see this from howto or workaround pages for one special case spawning). The way that was chosen was also very indirect and prone to errors. (calculate a very long route to the opposite platform, for any stop, break a rail section somewhere on the outgoing route and all returning trains get broken too, without a sign where it comes from -- got frustad more than once in experimental by this)

If the patch would be used as it is now, without tinkering with platforms, it still would have the pitfall the mirror schedule has now: on a bi-directional train route, the trains would circle the whole line. But: this can be fixed by the players after one trial, they know platforms are fixed, and the wrong behaviour is very clear. From this point on, they need either an alternative approach (quite a lot possible) or assign stops for retoure routes by hand.

An advantage is, the latter would be clearly distinctive from a return route, very much unlike it is now.

For bus routes, there is no danger at all (only advanced players could make routes where it was an issue).

ps.: prissi, thanks for taking your time to discuss this (let me know if i became to persistent)

[prissi]

You are welcome. I just wanted to clean up this section, when I revived this topic, and add an explaination.