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Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental

Started by Carl, May 25, 2011, 03:43:48 PM

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Carl

QuoteWhat's next to be done?

- Eastern Northamptonshire
- Leicester and Leicestershire
- GWR December timetable change
- Northern & TPE December timetable change - the timetables in this part of the map are much more out of date so this'll be a big overhaul.

Carl

Today's update is mainly focused on areas around Leicester. You can download the savegame and pak folder here.  As ever you will need a legacy Simutrans Experimental exe to run this.

Updated trains: graphics for East Midlands Trains Classes 222 and 156, and Crosscountry Class 170 trains have been updated.

Map updates: A large part of the southern East Midlands, around the Midland Mainline, was updated. Kettering, Corby and surrounds were all rebuilt. The largest project was rebuilding Leicester, which is something like the 10th-largest city on the map, and its surrounds. In addition, I've rebuilt and added areas in Rutland and southern Lincolnshire. Next I'll be working on some videos, December timetable updates, and then onwards to rebuilt Nottingham and Derby.

Overview: this restyled minimap shows the area around Leicester (top left), stretching to Coventry (left), Northampton (bottom) and Peterborough (right). Rail lines are light grey on this image. You can see the freight-only Leicester to Burton line (as far as Ashby) and the Great Central Heritage Railway.


Leicestershire area: This wide shot shows the large built-up area around Leicester (right), as well as the West Coast Main Line (left side of the image). The line of trees is the path of the former Great Central Main Line, which is still visible IRL.


Leicester itself: here an EMT Class 222 and an XC 170 pass at Leicester station.


Rutland Water: away from the hustle and bustle of Leicester, here's the area around the largest reservoir in England.


List of major towns added or rebuilt: Towns: Leicester, Kettering, Corby, Hinckley, Oakham, Melton Mowbray, Loughborough, Coalville, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Stamford, Grantham, Spalding, Boston, Skegness

Bus routes added: Kettering-Rushden, Peterborough-Northampton, Northampton-Raunds,
Leicester-Rugby,
Northampton-Market Harborough
Kettering-Desborough, Corby-Melton Mowbray
Leicester-Market Harborugh, Narborough, Countesthorpe, Market Bosworth, Melton Mowbray, Loughborough, Shepshed
Nuneaton-Hinckley-Burbage
Loughborough-Coalville
Stamford-Uppingham
Grantham-Melton-Loughborough
Spalding-Boston, Spalding-Peterborough


Carl

Here's a Christmas gift - a new video!
https://youtu.be/W32oSKIaTXE


This one follows the CrossCountry route from Birmingham New Street to Stansted Airport, and crosses the East Coast, West Coast, and Midland Mainlines.

Here are a couple of the info cards I made for use in the video: a route map, and a map of the Leicester area.






Mariculous

Just came here to call you crazy!
That map is impresive!

ScotRail170434

Any idea when the recent progress will be released?

Carl

I've done the GWR timetable overhaul but haven't yet started working on the Northern/TPE one. I'll upload again once I've done that.

ScotRail170434


Carl

They're "due" in that they'll be added with the Northern/TPE update, yes, but I haven't made them yet.

mspljd1990

Would you also be able to update the Northern 333 liveries?

Carl

Yes that'll come with the Northern update. But as you can probably tell, I'm having some time away from the game right now.

Carl

Finally, an exciting and long-awaited update!

Download the save and pak folder here

The update includes two main changes:

Northern England timetable update
All Northern Trains and Transpennine Express schedules have been completely overhauled and brought up to date with the May 2020 timetable. This includes a lot of new trains and liveries, so there's an accompanying update to British Trains for Pak64.

This was a large project, but after a lot of work everything seems to be functioning. Yes, even the Castlefield corridor! I suspect there are still be some problems to iron out though, so let me know where you find errors and blockages.

Great Western Railway timetable update
GWR had a major timetable upheaval in December 2019 affecting all mainline routes. This has been added too. As part of this, the mainline fleet is now all IETs. You can still find HSTs on the Exeter-Penzance line.

Screenshot: Leeds


Screenshot: Manchester


What's next?
On this map, Nottingham and surrounds are next in line for rebuilding. But before that, I plan to spend a bit of time on the Balkans map which has fallen by the wayside over the last couple of years. Bucharest and Sofia, here we come...

NoMorePacers

I applaud you for getting this all to work - it must've taken a lot of effort (I had a go myself at one point and it did not work).

However, I've noticed a couple of things that, whilst certainly not game-breaking by any means, would improve the map if they were addressed.

1) The Liverpool - Warrington Bank Quay and the Liverpool - Crewe services use different tracks at Roby and Huyton in real life compared to how they've been depicted in game. They use the fast line platforms at said stations (why I do not know). The Wigan and Blackpool services however are correct, so there's no need to change those. To add, the Liverpool-Edinburgh services are defaulting to the slow line at Huyton when going towards Liverpool - and the lost time could be the root of some disruption down the line (the Scarborough services are fine).
2) Kirkham & Wesham has a somewhat different track layout now.
3) The Northern 153s are unable to run solo in game, but they can still do on some routes in real life (Barton-Cleethorpes, Doncaster-Scunthorpe, Huddersfield-Castleford, Sheffield-Huddersfield, Bradford-Huddersfield).
4) There are some stock allocations which don't tend to happen off-peak (or at all) in the map.

I may be nitpicking somewhat, but I am rather familiar with the state of the Northern network, so these are things that I've noticed while having a look around the map.

But still, good work all round. :)

Carl

Thanks, no worries about nitpicking, it's good to get these things right!

It's not always easy to find info about current stock allocations (especially as we're mid-Pacer withdrawal), so let me know any specific ones that should be changed.

On 153s, I thought I'd read that they couldn't work alone anymore because they aren't PRM compliant? Or is that just 142s?

NoMorePacers

Quote from: Carl on March 21, 2020, 09:25:20 PM
Thanks, no worries about nitpicking, it's good to get these things right!

It's not always easy to find info about current stock allocations (especially as we're mid-Pacer withdrawal), so let me know any specific ones that should be changed.

On 153s, I thought I'd read that they couldn't work alone anymore because they aren't PRM compliant? Or is that just 142s?
That is just 142s, yes. 153s are allowed to work alone on the routes that I mentioned above.

I do appreciate stock allocations are difficult (especially on something like Northern where it changes on a day-to-day basis), so I'll comment on observations on the map in comparison to what I've seen in the flesh.

Manchester-Chester/New Mills/Sheffield services are depicted as having 153s coupled onto the 150s/156s, but they don't operate on those routes in real life (I don't think Piccadilly crews sign them - just Victoria crews).
Similarly, Hull-Halifax has coupled 153s deployed on them but similarly, this never happens (it wouldn't be unappreciated mind).
Saltburn line services have 153s coupled on but they don't run anywhere in the North East.
However, you could get away with coupling 153s on routes such as Leeds-Lancaster and Leeds-Sheffield via Moorthorpe (these are the routes that this has happened to my knowledge).
Hull-Doncaster still has 144s, but this route was not included in their derogation so can't run there on their own. It's either 150s or 158s now. They do still run on the York-Bridlington services alone however.
Manchester Airport-Blackpool North services are mostly 331s now (there still usually is a diagrammed 319 run there though).
Liverpool-Crewe is majority 323s nowadays, as is Liverpool-Warrington Bank Quay (again, the odd 319 does still end up on both, and occasionally a 331).
You can get away with removing 142s entirely - they only really have 1 daily diagram (well - none at all with the reduced timetable at the minute).
Leeds-Nottingham/Lincoln is mostly 195s now instead of 158s. Similar situation with the Caldervale Line services.
Manchester Airport-Redcar is depicted as being formed of 6 car 185s, however this is unfortunately not the case. 6 car 185 sets do regularly run on the Manchester-Cleethorpes route however.

That is all, and I hope it isn't too much.

Carl

Not too much at all - that's an absolute goldmine of information, thanks so much!

To clarify: York-Bridlington is 144-operated but Hull-Doncaster is not (or is 150/158+144?)

NoMorePacers

Quote from: Carl on March 22, 2020, 10:12:43 AM
Not too much at all - that's an absolute goldmine of information, thanks so much!

To clarify: York-Bridlington is 144-operated but Hull-Doncaster is not (or is 150/158+144?)
York-Bridlington is 144 operated (alongside 155s and the odd 158), and Hull-Doncaster is not (it is only single 150/158 units).

ScotRail170434

Scotland is in bad need of an upgrade

Things to consider changing being familiar with the network is:

2 hourly service from Edinburgh to Glasgow via Carstairs extended to Ayr.

Adding of Falkirk Grahamston services extended to Edinburgh

Argyle Line switched to 320/318 operation

Inverclyde line updated to 318/320/385/380 operation

IBM mothballed on Wemyss Bay branch

Cathcart Circle 314s replaced

Borders Railway, Robroyston, Edinburgh Gateway and the trams added.

Splitting of Lanark services and merging of the Whifflet services.

And Class 385s

Just a long list of things to be updated since Scotland was built.




mspljd1990

Carl, you are an absolute god for doing this. :) Also I think the 156s make a decent enough stand-in for what is presumably the 150s.

Carl

Just a small update - I've made the Northern corrections helpfully collated by NoMorePacers. Hopefully this should still run smoothly - I've sorted out a few other potential blockers too.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/54zthevtpv1nn2i/UK-Mar2020.rar?dl=0

Nothing else to report on this map at the mo - I've been working on the Balkans one instead (update here).

Carl

Time to share another big map update: this time covering a large chunk of the Midlands, with Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, Derby and Southern Derbyshire, Lincoln, and Burton-upon-Trent revamped.

You can download the savegame and pak folder at the following link - note as ever that you'll need a legacy Simutrans Experimental exe to run this.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ic1pcr5ensytvxo/UK-May2020.rar?dl=0



As well as revamping the large cities of Nottingham and Derby, and their hinterlands, other major changes include the addition of the Nottingham Tram Network. As with other light rail systems on the map, this had to be simplified a bit in the city centre because of the scale.



Changes to the rail network in this area include:

- Added LNER King's Cross to Lincoln trains (every 2 hours)
- Added EMR Newark-Matlock trains
- Added EMR Class 156 livery

In addition, Class 170s have been added to some routes in South Wales.



I've also spend time tweaking and altering a lot of the map's background graphics. Trees, houses and rails have been adjusted. In addition, I've changed the climate settings to add a better terrain gradient, and altered the terrain colours. You can see this in the following screenshot of the South Wales Valleys.



I've started using a new custom font in Simutrans. So if you load this map using the old font you'll see some odd symbols at the end of some station names - these are being used for BR symbol, as shown below.

This screenshot shows the complex rail junction around Long Eaton, where the Midland mainline divides to head to Derby (west) and Nottingham (east). You also see the predominantly freight-only lines heading to Toton (north) and Castle Donington (south-west).



The new font is in the download folder above, but if you want to use it you'll have to place it in the Simutrans/Fonts folder yourself.

Finally, I added a lot of bus routes as always. These radiate around Nottingham, Derby, Lincoln, Mansfield and Burton.

Carl

A new video to share today! Travel the South Wales valley lines from Cardiff, taking in Ebbw Vale, Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare, the Rhondda, and Rhymney. We even take a couple of buses as well as trains. The tour takes 7 in-game hours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTye13h0HcY



And here's a map from the video itself:

Carl

Here's another new video! We travel from Hastings to London, first on a Class 375 from Hastings to Orpington, then a Class 376 from Orpington to London Cannon Street.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZO84JIppS4



Here's the route map... (click here for full size)


...and here's a screenshot from Hastings at the southern end of the video.


Next week I'll have a map savegame update to share, with a lot of exciting and geographically diverse updates including some hotly-requested ones. Watch this space!

Carl

Time for a new map update! The highlights today are a revamp of Scotrail trains and timetables and the rebuilding of Edinburgh. But that's not all - I've also made some graphical improvements, finished Staffordshire, and made a start on Cheshire and North Wales. See below for full details!

You can download the savegame at the following link. As ever, you'll need a legacy Simutrans Experimental exe to run this:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h63unyajukud863/UK-Jun2020.rar?dl=0





Updates to trains and the rail network:

- Updated all Scotrail timetables out of Edinburgh and Glasgow (this covers most Scottish services but there might be a few outlying lines still not updated)
- Added new Scotrail trains (Classes 385, 318, 320)
- Updated existing Scotrail train graphics (Classes 334, 170, 158, 156, 380) - I'll add all of these to the British Trains addon set soon.
- Added the Borders Railway (Edinburgh to Tweedbank line)
- Added the Edinburgh Tram
- Improved the graphics for signals, and moved them to the left side of the track

Here's a close-up of central Edinburgh and Waverley station:



The main city and town areas added/rebuilt this time:
- Edinburgh (including Midlothian towns like Dalkeith)
- Stoke-on-Trent (including Newcastle-under-Lyme, Leek, Biddulph, Uttoxeter)
- Crewe (including Nantwich, Sandbach)
- Chester and Wrexham (including Buckley, Mold, etc. This area is still a work in progress!)
- Sevenoaks and Orpington (these were rebuilt for the recent Hastings video)

The West Midlands region is now finished, meaning the south of England is pretty much complete. Sorting out North Wales is the next project, along with some off-piste areas that you'll see in a video next month ;)

Here's a screenshot of the Wrexham area, with its large out-of-town industrial park, and the River Dee to the southwest.



There were also some updates to river graphics. And, finally, as always, a whole host of bus routes added. They centre on the towns and cities mentioned above, but also include a few routes out of Derby and Shrewsbury.



KneeOn

#970
Nice one!

I managed to get it running. There's a lot to unpick within the detail but something which struck me with the re-build of Edinburgh is the feel of Edinburghs buildings - they're distinct and well selected. Certainly providing more inspiration for future city buildings!


EDIT: by way of a bug, there is a swath of the east Kent coast which has 'undef' as every station, town and stop name - there's no Dover, Ramsgate, Margate, Paris/Bruxelles etc.


I'm not sure if thats a problem only for me.

Carl

Thanks KneeOn! I wanted to make Edinburgh feel a bit different since Scottish cities do tend to have a different look. Glad to hear it worked.

I'm not getting the bug with the Kent coast thankfully. I was really worried there for a moment! I figure that one day there'll be too much stuff on the map and it'll break, but I'm glad it's not today. It could be a Simutrans version mismatch?



KneeOn

Yeah that's possible. It's also possible it's the laptop I'm using.


I'll have a proper look when I get it back. What version does this work best with again? I'll see if I've got that one - I had to pick from the list when I downloaded it because I lost the original version when I moved to my laptop which subsequently broke.


KneeOn

I can confirm that 11.34 works a treat - no undef markers.

Carl

Today's new video takes us from Derby and Nottingham to Skegness. We follow a HST on a special summer saturday express journey. I hope you enjoy it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoZJT8wt-NA

This is episode 30 of the Great Britain series, which is a nice milestone. It's also my 5th video of 2020, which makes this the most prolific year since 2013! It's nice to see a bunch of new videos populating my channel page. There's more to come, too: in 2 weeks you'll see the next Balkans video, followed by another GB one in 4 weeks. Let me know if you have any thoughts on the current video series or ideas for future videos (including different formats).



Below are screenshots of Derby, Nottingham and Skegness, along with the inset maps featured in the video itself.







Skegness has a high density of caravan and holiday parks, as you'd expect, which is why it looks so different to most other settlements.

KneeOn

Having been to two of those stations in my travels and knowing Skegness very well you've done an excellent job. The track layouts are brilliant too. I really like the location map insets you've done recently too. They give a lot of context to the locations.



Carl

Working on a few new British-style buildings today to give the map a more authentic feel. Was becoming a bit underwhelmed by the look of my cities.
.


I'm replacing existing buildings with these graphics (meaning that they show up right away in existing towns rather than having to be added).

Still a work in progress. I'd like to add a bunch more variations for each building.


KneeOn

Carl, what scale are you using per floor?


If you're also doing buildings it might be worth combining work, since the pakset will have your trains as it is.