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Community => Social & Contests => Stories, Screenshots, Videos & Saves => Topic started by: Carl on May 25, 2011, 03:43:48 PM

Title: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 25, 2011, 03:43:48 PM
Summary, 2020 : This thread documents two separate attempts at the same project: recreating the British rail network using Simutrans Experimental.

View video updates on YouTube by clicking here (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCME0YPh5ZmLI4Cu_RrKvy_w)

The links below lead to update posts in this thread - most recent first.

21/03/20 Northern, TPE and GWR timetable updates
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg185542.html#msg185542

09/12/19 Leicestershire
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg182751.html#msg182751

09/11/19 West Midlands counties
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg182501.html#msg182501

27/09/19 West Wales
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg182101.html#msg182101

31/08/19 Swansea
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=7367.msg181693;topicseen#msg181693

20/8/19 Cardiff & Valleys
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg181520.html#msg181520

4/8/2019: Coventry
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg181252.html#msg181252

28/7/2019: Straford-on-Avon
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg181124.html#msg181124

9/3/2019: Birmingham
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg178380.html#msg178380

8/2/2019: Cornwall
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg177884.html#msg177884

2/2/2019: Devon
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg177725.html#msg177725

20/1/2019: Thameslink/Somerset
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg177568.html#msg177568

14/7/2018: Bristol
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg174440.html#msg174440

17/6/2018: Wilts/Somerset
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg173938.html#msg173938

12/5/2018: Bath
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg172813.html#msg172813

21/4/2018: Stroud/Swindon
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg172205.html#msg172205

25/2/2018: Oxfordshire
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg170917.html#msg170917

12/2/2018: Reading to Gatwick video
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.825.html

7/2/2018: Buckinghamshire/Berkshire
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg170540.html#msg170540

29/1/2018: Freight video
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg170257.html#msg170257

21/1/2018: Milton Keynes
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg170021.html#msg170021

15/1/2018: Football special to Norwich video
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg169778.html#msg169778

13/1/2018: Cambridgeshire
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg169663.html#msg169663

17/12/2017: Hertfordshire
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg168440.html#msg168440

3/12/2017: More Norfolk
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg167634.html#msg167634

26/7/2017: Norfolk
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg164498.html#msg164498

18/7/2017: Suffolk
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg164285.html#msg164285

9/4/2017: North Essex
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg161449.html#msg161449

25/3/2017: Southend
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg160786.html#msg160786

18/2/2017: Medway
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg159546.html#msg159546

11/2/2017: East Kent
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg159144.html#msg159144

4/2/2017: Dover
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg158845.html#msg158845

29/1/2017: Gatwick
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg158722.html#msg158722

28/1/2017: Hastings & Ashford
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg158676.html#msg158676

21/1/2017: Eastbourne
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg158481.html#msg158481


7/1/2017: Brighton
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg157843.html#msg157843

16/12/2016: North Hampshire
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg157228.html#msg157228

4/12/2016: Bournemouth
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg156395.html#msg156395

26/11/2016: South Hampshire
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg156203.html#msg156203

19/11/2016 First new update (Lincs/Haverhill/Chelmsford)
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg156026.html#msg156026

21/6/2014
First version of the map finished:
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,7367.msg136401.html#msg136401

2014: UK map final download link: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/uk2015-2.rar (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/uk2015-2.rar). Here's what the final map looks like:

(http://i.imgur.com/uD2IeSS.png)

There are also a series of 20 video diaries for the UK map produced between 2012 and 2014. The Youtube playlist is here (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8CT06pqPvAdm5cKGfL3fcX2jHs1Kk53I), and the first episode is below.



The first attempt was completed in 2011, and you can see the final results here (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=7367.msg73319#msg73319). You'll find that these savegames don't run especially well in up-to-date versions of Simutrans Experimental.

In 2012 I started a new version of this project from scratch, using a more detailed scale and with much more ambitious aims for accuracy, using the improved resources given by updates to Simutrans Experimental in the intervening year. You can track the progress of this new project at the end of the thread, starting here (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=7367.msg97850#msg97850).

The trains used in this project can be downloaded for pak64 - both standard and experimental - here (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11781.0).

---------------------------------
---------------------------------

ORIGINAL POST FROM MAY 2011:

This map is not finished, but I wanted to share a work-in-progress version in order to showcase some of the very powerful features of Experimental.
UK rail network now complete as of 27/7/11!

Save-game file: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/UKrailmap.sve (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/UKrailmap.sve)
Pak folder (required): http://simutrans-germany.com/files/upload/pak-baker.rar (http://simutrans-germany.com/files/upload/pak-baker.rar)

I recommend opening this map in Experimental 9.3, if you can find this version, since I have not yet optimized it for the deceleration changes implemented in 9.4 onwards.


(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/completetrafficmap.jpg)

Important notes/disclaimers
====================

This map is currently inaccurate in many ways. Some will be fixed later, and some are by design. Here are some explanatory notes:

1. This is intended as a simulation primarily of rail passenger flow. As such, other aspects take a back seat. I've cheated to a huge degree by extending stations with bus stops. Partly this is to avoid having to build too many bus lines -- and partly it's to simulate the fact that many people will travel to a rail station of their own accord before starting their journey. Buses are used only where there are no trains (and occasionally to provide extra links -- see the East Midlands). Once the rail network is complete, I plan to add more buses.

2. Vehicles are not intended to be accurate. There are few good UK trains for pak64. Almost all the trains I've used are electric, which means that many lines are electrified which would not be in real life. Also, since my main concern is to simulate accurate journey times, the top speeds of vehicles have been altered (and are not always true-to-life for the relevant routes). Costs are also artificially low in order to allow me to build the network without obstruction. I plan to raise them later.

3. Many large inner-city stations have underground sections which do not exist in real life. For example, Manchester Piccadilly is on three levels. This is for space reasons -- because of the scale, 18 platforms at Waterloo (for example) would require a station 4.5km wide...! Similarly, local metro systems (e.g. Manchester Metrolink) are often underground when they would normally run above ground. For similar space reasons, a few stations in London (and one or two elsewhere) are omitted.

4. Almost all routes run to a schedule, using Experimental's fantastic 'convoy spacing' system. Most routes run approximately half-hourly (7 convoys per month). I'd like to make this more realistic, but I'm stuck with a "passenger max wait" time which means that passengers will only wait for around half an hour before joining the "unhappy" pile. If anyone knows how to change this in-game (or by editing the save-game), I'd be very grateful! Because many services run more frequently than in real life, some areas have double-track where it should be single-track, and even four-track where it should be two-track. Also, some 'semi-fast' services are omitted. For example: there is no semi-fast Euston-Milton Keynes service. Instead, the stopping Euston-Watford Junction service is extended to call at all stations to Milton Keynes.

5. A note on cities. Each city has been built from scratch, building by building. Populations are not intended to be realistic, but population ratios are. The population of each city is approximately 13.6 times smaller than its population in real life. Note that sometimes I've included surrounding areas as part of a larger city when they wouldn't normally be included in the population -- and some smaller cities are combined together. I already have over 700 cities and I'm worried that the game might have a limit at 999. Does anybody know?

6. The geographical aspects of the map are not perfect. I think it's a little wider than it should be, and some of the city placements are slightly out. Again, I plan to correct some of this later.

7. Not all stopping patterns are accurate. Partly that's because you can't vary stopping patterns in-game like you can in real life (e.g. some Euston-Manchester trains go via Crewe, some via Stoke). Partly it's to regulate passenger flow: each major station on the West Coast Main Line receives a call from only one express train, in order to avoid passengers changing where they shouldn't. Something similar happens on the ECML and the MML.

8. No freight yet; maybe later!  :)

I've still got lots of work to do, but so far I'm really impressed with just how easy it is to accurately simluate passenger flow within Experimental. What's more, most of the journey times are within the margin of error of being correct!

I'd be very interested in your comments and feedback!  :)
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: Carl on May 25, 2011, 03:46:33 PM
One more thing: if you look closely, you can find my (very poor) first attempt at drawing for Simutrans: a commercial building called 'Greggs', which is a ubiquitous bakery in the UK. In fact, it's in the above screenshot! Can you spot it? :)
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: sdog on May 25, 2011, 07:45:28 PM
that might have taken a bit more time than a rainy saturday afternoon.
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: Ashley on May 25, 2011, 08:46:44 PM
Impressive :)
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: Carl on May 25, 2011, 10:34:57 PM
Quote from: Timothy on May 25, 2011, 08:46:44 PM
Impressive :)

Thanks!  :)
Quote from: sdog on May 25, 2011, 07:45:28 PM
that might have taken a bit more time than a rainy saturday afternoon.

Indeed  ;) Now about that PhD I'm supposed to be writing...

Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: BBGunn on May 26, 2011, 02:27:03 AM
My goodness, what a save game. 

On a side note, seems to be a lot of Japanese influence in the UK, with the pachinko parlors and all.  :)
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: Carl on May 26, 2011, 10:39:15 AM
Yeah, I've used a lot of graphical add-ons from japanese.simutrans.com. In the future I plan to use more graphics from pak.German, since those will fit better.
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: greenling on June 03, 2011, 11:50:49 AM
Carlbaker
It your pak-baker.rar  playable with simutransstandart?
or it a Pakset for Simutrans Exp.
I Have be downloaded your first jha4ceb-pak.rar from http://simutrans-germany.com/files.
I was very nice games what you be have make.

greenling
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: Carl on June 03, 2011, 03:21:46 PM
Hi greenling,

It's not a pakset as such, but rather just pak64 with a few addons from the Japanese simutrans website. It will work with Simutrans Standard, yes.

Note that it's not really suitable for ordinary games, because many of the costs are artificially low for the reasons given above.
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: greenling on June 03, 2011, 06:12:07 PM
Carlbaker i Collect simutranspaksets each pakset how i becam be geting in my liberty.
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: Carl on June 05, 2011, 08:54:52 AM
Here's an updated version and more screenshots!

File: http://simutrans-germany.com/files/upload/UK-baker.sve (http://simutrans-germany.com/files/upload/UK-baker.sve)

New: Wirral and Merseyside, Yorkshire and the Humber (Leeds, York, Bradford, Hull, and corresponding local services), East Kent, South West (Dorset, Devon, Cornwall), South Wales Valleys.
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: Carl on June 08, 2011, 09:04:07 AM
A quick note for those using the latest version of Simutrans Experimental -- 9.8. I've not yet optimised this map to take into account the new deceleration behaviour, so you'll find that services are slower than they should be. What's more, there will be severe overcrowding on some mainlines. At the moment this map works best with 9.3. I hope to optimise it for 9.8 very soon.
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: KneeOn on June 19, 2011, 05:23:41 PM
Wow! Being a brit, I feel surrounded on here by many Europeans and Americans who play Simutrans (I don't know anyone else in Brighton who plays, nor of many others around the UK on here... but i come and go in flits, often depending on the state of my laptop!)

The lines around Brighton, does it include all stations such as Hove, Aldrington, Portslade, Fishersgate etc to Portsmouth/Southampton and the stations such as Preston Park, Burgess Hill, Hassocks going north to London and then London Road, Molsecoombe, Falmer etc towards Lewis and Ashford?
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: KneeOn on June 19, 2011, 05:39:00 PM
It won't open, as it goes, in 9.8, does anyone have a 9.3 exe?

EDIT: Ignore me, although it is just a "file" file type, you need to add .sve to the end of the file name  :P my bad.

EDIT 2: Probably the best map i've ever seen! Even with the mentioned inaccuracies, it is still definately, clearly and amazingly, fully the National Rail network! Obviously a bit of comprimise on the lines (No Brighton - Southampton, Brighton - Portsmouth, Brighton - West Worthing) but that'll obviously be the case given the detail and size of the map. Top work, sir.
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: Carl on June 19, 2011, 06:30:57 PM
Thanks!

As you say, there isn't the same variety of services that you'd find in real life. Simutrans doesn't really allow for irregular services, so I run just a few regular services which encompass almost all of the routes you mention above. For instance, I run a very regular Brighton to Worcester service, which encompasses the fast services from Brighton to Southampton, Southampton to Bristol, etc, even though this route doesn't run very often in real life. The main direct route that's lost from Brighton is to Portsmouth. Maybe I'll think about adding that, although the Portsmouth tracks are already pretty busy. The main reason I don't run *all* of the real-life routes is because it would make the tracks horrendously overcrowded and would compromise the accuracy of the journey times.

Edit: Incidentally, you can get the 9.3 exe here: http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=6933.0
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: KneeOn on June 19, 2011, 08:44:46 PM
I totally understand why every route can't be run, and the comprimises work so well. it's an impressive feat to have researched and built that map.
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: KneeOn on June 20, 2011, 11:33:11 PM
(24 hours later is the acceptable double posting right, i forgot about that yesterday!)

I've noticed a... bug of sorts. Manchester at 1:36 in 2036 on 9.8 causes two lines to be stike, the Manchester-Rose hill and the Manchester-New Mills line.
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: Carl on June 21, 2011, 08:07:20 AM
Yep, there are definitely still some wrinkles in the track design here and there! Last night I had to fix problems at Worcester and Porstmouth which caused untold chaos. I've not come across trouble on those Manchester lines before, though, so I suspect they are an artifact of the decelaration changes in 9.8. I haven't yet altered the vehicles to take account of these changes, so if you open the game in 9.8 everything will run a little slower than it should be -- presumably resulting in congestion on these already-crowded suburban lines.

9.8 has a nasty bug with respect to journey times, so I don't plan to optimise the save-game for the latest version until that's fixed. 9.9 seems to be in the pipeline, so hopefully I'll be able to do that soon!

Thanks again for the feedback :)
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: KneeOn on June 22, 2011, 11:01:55 AM
I did suspect 9.8 had something to do with it. Do you plan on going north of the wall once wales is done?
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: Carl on June 22, 2011, 05:01:06 PM
Certainly! I've finished Wales now and completed all lines as far north as Barrow-in-Furness. It's probably about time I uploaded an updated version!
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: ojii on June 22, 2011, 05:22:17 PM
Quote from: carlbaker on June 22, 2011, 05:01:06 PM
Certainly! I've finished Wales now and completed all lines as far north as Barrow-in-Furness. It's probably about time I uploaded an updated version!

also more screenshots please :D
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: Carl on June 22, 2011, 07:10:57 PM
I'm having trouble uploading an updated savegame at the moment, but here are some more screenshots to be going on with:

<Screenshot expired>

Gatwick Airport. Note that Gatwick has tourist attractions posing as airport buildings. This is because I'm not using passenger planes on this map but I still wanted to simulate passenger traffic to and from airports. There's a mail plane at the airport which is for eye-candy purposes only. It flies between Gatwick and Liverpool John Lennon Airport. The two blue trains are Victoria-Brighton fasts, which double as the 'Gatwick Express'. The other train is a stopping service from Victoria to Horsham.

<Screenshot expired>
North of Bristol -- a busy junction. Trains, from left to right: Cardiff to Taunton service (at Filton Abbey Wood); CrossCountry Edinburgh to Plymouth service; Swansea to Paddington service; Crosscountry Plymouth-Edinburgh service; and finally, Worcester to Brighton (via Bristol) service.

<Screenshot expired>
Central London. All of the stations you can see also extend underground (for space reasons), which is why they look so small and empty compared to their real size. As a general rule, local services run overground in London and longer-distance services run underground. At Waterloo and Vauxhall you can see various stopping services to Weybridge, Guildford and Kingston. The train at London Bridge is running from Dartford to Charing Cross via Woolwich.
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: rsdworker on June 26, 2011, 09:46:14 PM
nice :) its amazing map
Title: Re: UK rail network in Simutrans Experimental [WiP]
Post by: Carl on June 29, 2011, 07:22:59 PM
Here's an updated savegame: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/UKrailmap.sve

The map now goes as far north as Carlisle and Darlington -- and almost everything south of these towns is now complete. The end is in sight!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - work-in-progress
Post by: Carl on July 16, 2011, 05:40:18 PM
A bit of a milestone -- England and Wales are now complete! To celebrate, here's an updated savegame!

Savegame: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/UKrailmap.sve (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/UKrailmap.sve)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - complete
Post by: Carl on July 27, 2011, 07:06:45 PM
The rail network is now complete! It's taken over five months, and more hours than I'd care to count, but here is the complete UK rail network in Simutrans:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/UK-Latestt.sve

Completed traffic map: (also added to original post above)

(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/completetrafficmap.jpg)

I think that every train route on the National Rail system is on this map. Do let me know if I've missed anything! There's still more work to do on this map, such as long-distance bus routes and adding some towns which don't have rail service. But I'm going to take a break from the map now and work on a new project. Later on I'll come back and add the finishing touches. Some final (for now) screenshots:

(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/edinburgh.jpg)
Edinburgh. There are London and Glasgow services waiting at Waverley. There are more tracks underneath the surface in order to save space!


(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/underlondon.jpg)
A snapshot of the underground view of Central London. A huge mess -- this is why the "layers" view is necessary! :)

If there's any other area you'd like to see a screenshot of, let me know!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - complete
Post by: majosc on September 20, 2011, 01:58:22 AM
Hmm. Keep on getting a big ol' error.

Any tips?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - complete
Post by: Carl on September 20, 2011, 07:54:55 AM
This bug will occur if you try to load the map in Simutrans Standard. You should be able to get it to work using Simutrans Experimental: https://github.com/downloads/jamespetts/simutrans-experimental/simutrans-experimental.zip

Note that you'll also need the pak folder from the first post.

If the error still occurs with those things in place then I'm afraid I'm at a loss...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - complete
Post by: sojo on September 20, 2011, 08:59:45 AM
Do you build the railroad through the cities or grow the cities around the stations?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - complete
Post by: Carl on September 20, 2011, 09:03:28 AM
I built the cities (with public player) and the railroads at the same time, so I left room to build railroads through the cities. City growth is effectively disabled. The map was made in 'sandbox' style, I suppose, rather than being a 'proper' Simutrans map in that sense.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - complete
Post by: majosc on September 21, 2011, 02:26:53 AM
thanks. I had been trying to find a good link to exp, but couldn't find a download in my half-asleep, rushed state.  ;D
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - complete
Post by: majosc on September 21, 2011, 02:30:09 AM
hmm. now it's telling me I don't have proper language files...


(geez, I must sound like a computer-illiterate 90-year-old.)

found it. never mind :D
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - complete
Post by: KneeOn on April 18, 2012, 09:56:21 PM
Which map did you use? Sorry to be a pain drag this back up!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - complete
Post by: Carl on April 19, 2012, 07:08:26 AM

The map I used for this wasn't so great, really -- especially with respect to the hills.


If you want something of comparable size, I recommend you take the map on this topic (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=9124.0), and half its dimensions. If you're not able to do that, let me know and I'll post a smaller version on that topic.

Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - complete
Post by: edstoke on June 09, 2012, 05:45:10 PM
Sorry to bring this up, but the link is dead.

Is there any possible chance you can upload the savegame again? Thanks!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - complete
Post by: Carl on June 09, 2012, 06:09:51 PM
Try this: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/UK.sve

Sorry, I had deleted it from my Dropbox.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - complete
Post by: Carl on July 30, 2012, 01:09:39 PM
I've been working on a new, much improved version of this for a few months now. No trains yet -- building the tracks and cities first this time. First screenshot from NW London:

(http://i.imgur.com/jOAEv.jpg)

Improvements:
-- Better heightmap from DEMs
-- Bigger scale -- 118 metres per tile, which allows for all stations and tracks to be built. It also means that the map is 4200 x 8600 tiles and consumes 1.5Gb of RAM so far! I'm not sure how well it will run when there are actually trains operating, but we shall see. 
-- Since Experimental has come a long way since I made the last map, I'm hoping I'll be able to simulate as close to realistic running as possible on each line.
-- (Eventually:) real-liveried trains

When the next version of Experimental is released, I'll be able to start operating train routes. (The new braking physics features are required for this to work properly at such a big scale).

And here's a minimap of the London area:

(http://i.imgur.com/Ht1YK.jpg)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - complete
Post by: ӔO on July 30, 2012, 05:32:01 PM
wow, that is packed!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - complete
Post by: kierongreen on July 30, 2012, 05:50:15 PM
That is very impressive. Have to say think I'm going to stick to my 3800x2800 map of Britain for now if only because I don't think my computer would cope with the size of yours! Mind you, only needs to be about another 10 times larger in each direction and we'll be approaching a scale which is realistic for buildings and distances (Moores Law would indicate that should be possible in about 10 years time...)! :p
Title: [VIDEO] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental - new version
Post by: Carl on August 05, 2012, 05:34:27 PM
I've been experimenting with the upcoming version of Experimental, which is what will allow me to properly proceed with this map.

Here's a video capturing half an hour at Colchester, with trains appearing as they would on an ordinary Monday-to-Friday off-peak schedule.

http://youtu.be/1mM087FdRso

I recommend you switch to large player and turn the resolution up, or you'll need a magnifying glass!

(The trains you see, in order of departure from Colchester, are: 1104 London to Ipswich, 1103 Norwich to London, 1116 London to Clacton, 1120 Colchester to Colchester Town, 1123 London to Norwich, 1130 Norwich to London, 1133 Clacton to London. The two left over at the end are the 1141 London to Colchester Town and the 1144 Colchester Town to London. You can also see the 1056 Colchester to Walton-on-the-Naze in the bottom half of the video at the beginning.)


I'm excited to work more on this when the new version is finalised!


Notes:

> I haven't taken any time to paint the trains yet, but they do all have the relevant .dat file stats, which is required for them to run to time.

> The non-standard source of data here is the National Rail sectional appendix, which gives linespeeds and platform layouts etc. People might not know that this data is available, so here's the link: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/10563.aspx (http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/10563.aspx)
Title: Re: Great Britain map: new video
Post by: Carl on September 10, 2012, 10:54:47 PM
Here's another video of rather higher quality from my above testing -- a journey from Clacton-on-Sea to London in four minutes.



Our service makes all the stops you'd find on an ordinary timetable, and arrive in almost exactly the timetabled (http://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/G21440/2012/9/10) 85 in-game minutes. (Sadly you can't see the time indicator as I'm not recording fullscreen).

There are lots of work-in-progress elements here: missing roads and trackwork, cities which need tidying up, etc. But this video gives a good sense for the map.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Phil on October 02, 2012, 06:58:41 PM
Hi Carl,

Please can you re post the link to the pak folder (in your first post), it doesn't seem to be working.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on October 03, 2012, 07:02:32 AM
Hi Phil,


The pak folder is here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/pak.classic.rar


Note that the performance of the old map will be pretty unsatisfactory in the latest version of Experimental, since the vehicle physics have changed since I made it. When the new version of Experimental comes out (any time now, hopefully) I'll be spending some time developing my new version of this map.
Title: Re: Great Britain: new video, London Liverpool Street
Post by: Carl on October 05, 2012, 07:08:56 PM
Here's another video from the new map, showing local services around London Liverpool Street:



Preview: click for larger
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/lst.jpg)

*Watch in 720p and fullscreen to avoid squinting* :)

This one features services to Shenfield, Chingford, Enfield Town and Cheshunt. As ever, what you see reflects a real daytime off-peak timetable. You'll notice (from the annotations) that the Shenfield arrivals are a little early, but everything else is more or less spot on.

Of course, Liverpool Street has more than four platforms: the rest are underground for space reasons. Because the scale is 118 meters per tile, it wouldn't be possible to have all the platforms above ground.


I'm hoping to make a different kind of video soon: a "video diary" type thing in which I give a tour of the map as it stands and talk about how it's been made and where it will go next.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on October 05, 2012, 09:27:44 PM
The track layout on the Tower Gateway branch of the DLR is not accurate. After the Bank branch was opened Tower Gateway was served from a single lead junction, and more recently still the station has been rebuilt to only have one platform track (but two platforms).

It goes without saying that to have a layout so complete and complex that only tiny flaws like this can be spotted is very impressive :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: sdog on October 06, 2012, 05:15:49 AM
I'd love such a video-diary!

Showing the complexity of the network and the connexions. That's where the real beauty lies for me, when the subject leaves the pure aesthetic and my mind forms it's own representation of the complex system.



ps.: this just made me wonder if the term beauty is correct, as it may apply only to aesthetic beauty. The representation in my mind can hardly called aesthetic* anymore, since it is beyond sensing already. Unless i would consider the transfer of information in my mind as sensing. First thought was the appreciation of abstract art, where one might appreciate the representation in one's mind, thus seeing no conceptual difference, which would most likely fall under aesthetic. Third thought everything sensed requires a mental representation. Fourth thought, there is a fundamentall difference in my own perception of the matter when looking at a non-abstract photo and the mental representation of a complex system. Let both have the same degree of appreciation by me, i consider the former as mostly reception the latter as mostly forming the mental representation. Degree of conscious evolvement is different when forming both mental representations. Reflection on this: for the picture the medium is important, i would not appreciate the beauty of it when reading a good description, i can get the beauty of the complex system regardless of the medium -- as long as i can understand it.

pps.: mostly wrote above to structure my thoughts, decided not to delete it, since the people here might understand why i can consider the complex system to be beautiful (while i doubt it is the right word).


*WP etymology:  αἰσθάνομαι (aisthanomai, meaning "I perceive, feel, sense").
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on October 06, 2012, 05:18:40 AM
Ah, thanks Kieron -- looking more closely at this document (http://carto.metro.free.fr/documents/CartoMetroLondon.v2.6.pdf) I see that I had misread the entry and exit platforms facing the single track as being two platforms for two separate tracks.

Quote from: sdog on October 06, 2012, 05:15:49 AM
Showing the complexity of the network and the connexions. That's where the real beauty lies for me, when the subject leaves the pure aesthetic and my mind forms it's own representation of the complex system.
I agree completely -- that's the main appeal for me of wanting to simulate real systems, networks and passenger flows. I'll get to work on the video diary soon. :)
Title: Re: Great Britain: new video, Essex Thameside
Post by: Carl on October 07, 2012, 02:11:29 PM
Another new video, this time featuring the Essex Thameside lines -- i.e. what used to be known as the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway. The video features trains at Southend, Upminster, Barking and Grays:



A preview image (click for larger):
(http://i.imgur.com/I9EvB.jpg)

We see tube trains at Barking and Upminster, too. Note that tubes are limited to four cars since in central London there is only room for two-tile long underground stations.


I've also been working on the suburban lines out of Waterloo. These were the first real test for my ambition to simulate a real timetable, since the lines out of Waterloo are very crowded (http://www.opentraintimes.com/location?at=WAT&to=VXH&from=&date=Monday+8+October+2012&time=11%3A00)! I was relieved to find, however, that everything works just fine. A preview image is below, and I'll have a video of this (as well as the promised video diary) coming soon:

(http://i.imgur.com/YzeGw.jpg)
(click for larger)
Title: [VIDEO DIARY] Great Britain Map: Introduction
Post by: Carl on October 09, 2012, 03:15:45 PM
Here's the first episode of the promised video diary, in which I introduce the map and talk mainly about two things: first, how it's different from my first attempt at a GB map in Simutrans, and second, the various kinds of data that I've used in making the map.



(http://i.imgur.com/EuRYw.jpg) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdaojTshQ3Q)

This screenshot is of the Richmond area. I'll probably have to add another bay platform at Richmond station once I add the London Overground services. At some stations I've omitted platforms which are not in regular off-peak use. Richmond seems to have five bay platforms, but I think I'll only need four. Also, to give another example, I think that the new bay platforms at Blackfriars are only used by peak-time services, so I won't be building those -- which is just as well, since that area is quite crowded!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on October 09, 2012, 04:05:15 PM
Very well done!  Great video, wonderful view of your city thusfar.  Can't wait for the next one!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Combuijs on October 09, 2012, 07:40:17 PM
Very interesting video. A lot of work has been done, a greater lot of work still needs to be done! Enjoyed it so far!! Good luck with the rest, and remember: there is life outside Simutrans...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on October 09, 2012, 08:01:42 PM
That's the strangest Aberdonian accent I've heard in a long time :p

Very interesting though - definitely shows the impressive amount of work you've done :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: sdog on October 10, 2012, 04:27:09 AM
That's not a small project.
When it's done i'll use it when traveling to the UK instead of official timetables :-)

Quote from: kierongreen on October 09, 2012, 08:01:42 PM
That's the strangest Aberdonian accent I've heard in a long time :p
Ignorant as the non-native speaker i am, it sounded just like typical accademic english to me. :-(
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on October 10, 2012, 07:19:35 AM
Thanks for the comments all! :)


Quote
That's the strangest Aberdonian accent I've heard in a long time :p
Quote
Ignorant as the non-native speaker i am, it sounded just like typical accademic english to me. :-(

Kieron was joking -- my accent is definitely not Aberdonian ;) I've only lived here for six months, so the accent has yet to take hold!

Quote
Good luck with the rest, and remember: there is life outside Simutrans...
Haha, indeed! Even to get this far has been a slow gradual process over several months, so don't worry, I maintain a healthy life outside Simutrans. In fact, I've spent a lot of time in the last few weeks engrossed in Guild Wars 2. Oh, you mean that there is life outside video games? Well, I'm not so sure about that... ;)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: VS on October 10, 2012, 10:44:02 AM
This is incredible! Shame that virtual undertakings are so hard to see... When finished, this would deserve (or rather generate?) some publicity (giving Simutrans some spotlight as well ;) ). At least public transport people should be interested!

Come to think about this, why is it that the program feels... normal, while the world created in it amazing? That's not fair.




Quote from: carlbaker on October 10, 2012, 07:19:35 AM
Oh, you mean that there is life outside video games? Well, I'm not so sure about that... ;)

In "real world", cakes can be seen, even made, as James can confirm. But we were taught that cake is a lie.

The rest is an exercise for the reader.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on October 14, 2012, 11:28:33 AM
The London Overground (and Underground) network has been taking shape:

(http://i.imgur.com/6NyZs.jpg)

This is Highbury & Islington, whereOverground trains from Crystal Palace and West Croydon terminate -- allowing passengers to change for North London Line services to Stratford, Richmond and Clapham Junction. All services are operated by Class 378 'Capitalstar' trains.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Maragil on October 16, 2012, 02:56:07 PM
Hey Carl.

Londoner here. I used to frequent these forums a lot, but popped on earlier today to see how things were going as I somewhat dropped off, but I must say that this is *amazing*.  Awesomeness of this simply cannot be explained.

So yeah.

Keep going!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Isaac_Clarke on October 16, 2012, 03:32:19 PM
Dear Carl,
Your videos, drawings and explications about your map are very fascinating to watch. It must have taken a lot of time to make that and I think your work inspires me to introduce in this section my own map of Paris.

Keep it up!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on October 16, 2012, 03:58:50 PM
Thank you both for your kind comments! :) Isaac, I'm sure that many of us would be very excited to see similar content from your Paris map -- go for it! :)
Title: Re: [Video Diary pt.2] Great Britain: West Anglia Main Line
Post by: Carl on October 26, 2012, 12:49:15 PM
Here's a new video diary, in which we take a tour of the West Anglia Main Line (by riding a Stansted Express service) and I talk a little about the line and its challenges:

(http://i.imgur.com/Aj7nL.jpg) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr01jDaBAJA)

The screenshot is of the southern part of this line at Hackney Downs, where the line crosses the North London Line from Stratford to Richmond (etc).

I have another video almost ready to go discussing the scheduling and timetabling features at work here. I'll release that in a few days.
Title: [New Video diary] Timetables and scheduling; Great Britain part 3
Post by: Carl on October 30, 2012, 05:25:33 PM
Another video, hot on the heels of the last, in which we discuss how the timetables and schedules work on this map. I also give a general overview of the progress that's been made since previous videos.



(http://i.imgur.com/jXf36.jpg) (http://youtu.be/31JcY7b8WnQ)

Screenshot from the Cannon Street/London Bridge/Waterloo area, where services have been taking shape.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on October 31, 2012, 03:45:16 AM
Very impressive, I love watching these!  You've done a marvelous job with your modelling.

Your game seems to be running fairly smoothly still despite the enormous map size.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on October 31, 2012, 09:22:20 AM
Glad you like them! :)

The map still runs very smoothly -- I'm only recording at 10fps here so it's actually even smoother than shown in the video -- and I can still fast-forward up to 30-35x normal speed. That said, performance is my big worry on this map -- I'm concerned that it will be unplayably slow towards the end. I'm not worried about the number of convoys, since I don't think there will be many more than on the previous version of the map, and that still ran acceptably even when full. (Also, I think about 1/4 of the total convoys are already on this new map -- since the frequency of London Underground trains means that they take up a surprising proportion of the total convoys). But the population and passenger levels are likely to be much higher on this new map, and it's this that might kill performance. We shall see.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on October 31, 2012, 04:23:47 PM
Carl
how often have you exchange the vehicle in the game?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on October 31, 2012, 04:35:17 PM
Hi greenling, what do you mean by "exchange"?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on October 31, 2012, 04:41:16 PM
Carl
The word exchange it a another word for replace.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on October 31, 2012, 04:44:18 PM
If you mean how often do I have to replace vehicles in the pakset, the answer is often: all of the trains I'm using here have been painted or modified by me (which is why many of them look a little dodgy :) )

Or if you mean how often do I have to use the "replace" function in-game, the answer is never -- I've set it up so that I don't have to use that.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on October 31, 2012, 09:58:53 PM
Carl
Quote from: Carl on October 31, 2012, 04:44:18 PM
Or if you mean how often do I have to use the "replace" function in-game, the answer is never -- I've set it up so that I don't have to use that.
Thank you for this info!
Title: [new screenshots] Great Britain
Post by: Carl on November 01, 2012, 07:53:24 PM
Two more screenshots (click for larger):


(http://i.imgur.com/Iapm6.jpg)
First, a quick one I grabbed by accident with four trains passing at Brentwood (on the London-Colchester line). On checking the timetable I was pleasantly surprised to find that all four trains were indeed meant to be passing here at exactly that time! I continue to be amazed at just how accurately it is possible to model the network on this map -- this is a testament to how far Experimental has come in recent versions. The top-most two trains are the London-Shenfield trains, and the other two are the Braintree and Southend trains.




(http://i.imgur.com/QJmSN.png)
Second, an up-to-date shot of the minimap, showing the extent and limits of the progress that I've made. It's progressing nicely... (more detail on click)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on November 01, 2012, 09:27:47 PM
Very nice - might be my eyes playing tricks on me but looks like you've not got a reversing siding at St. Albans City (north of the station between the slow lines) which may cause problems once you start implementing Thameslink services. Also when I was last at Harwich I remember it being single track (on the platform anyway), maybe it's changed in the last 16 years though - this is just from glancing at the minimap so apologies if I've misinterpreted it...

The videos are interesting to follow, I look forward to seeing many more :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 01, 2012, 09:38:16 PM
Good call on both counts, thanks! :) The double track at Harwich Town looks like a mistake -- I missed that the line becomes single after Harwich International. As for St Albans, I typically add reversing sidings when I start implementing services and (upon looking at the OpenTrainTimes timetables) realise that vehicles won't be able to simply reverse in the platforms. Thameslink is coming relatively soon, right after I've filled out more of the Kent services, so that will be added soon.

Glad you're finding the videos interesting! :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Ashley on November 01, 2012, 10:29:21 PM
This is really impressive, I'd love to see a video of a trip on the Great Western mainline out of Paddington (when you get it as far as Bristol!)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: ӔO on November 02, 2012, 12:17:41 AM
it's quite amazing looking at the bigger picture.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 02, 2012, 08:22:39 AM
Thanks both. I'll be sure to make a video of the GWML when the time comes! :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: asaphxiix on November 02, 2012, 09:42:14 AM
amazing project Carl!
I see you are running the newest version?
Perhaps you would post a save & pak?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 03, 2012, 09:22:33 AM
Of course! Here is a savegame and pak folder:

http://www.mediafire.com/?83aicwjlha5ou7v (http://www.mediafire.com/?83aicwjlha5ou7v)

Please note that Experimental will occupy 1.5GB of RAM when this savegame is open!

On this note, I should say that once this is finished I plan to release a set of "GB trains" addons for pak64, since the work will have been done anyway.

Edit: If you downloaded this you may have noticed the Shenfield Bug; I've fixed this now.  ;)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on November 03, 2012, 09:55:05 AM
Carl
Have you make new modells for Simutrans exp?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 03, 2012, 10:08:06 AM
Yes, there are lots of new vehicles in that download -- and when the time comes I will release them as a set for Standard as well as for Experimental.
Title: [New GB Video] Kent & south-east London Tour
Post by: Carl on November 06, 2012, 05:52:38 PM
Another video? Why not! This time we take a Tour of Kent and South-East London, a section of the map which is now finished!





Two screenshots from this part of the world to accompany the video, too:

(http://i.imgur.com/kJno0.jpg)
Ashford International, where the highspeed lines from St Pancras join the regular lines.

(http://i.imgur.com/GRrF3.jpg)
Just east of Bromley in SE London, the mainline from Victoria crosses another mainline from London Bridge. We see a mixture of fast and slow services.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 08, 2012, 08:14:09 PM
Just noticed that the game has spawned an oil rig in Wraysbury reservoir, west of Heathrow Airport, which made me laugh :)

(http://i.imgur.com/MJsrb.jpg)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: treiskin on November 17, 2012, 05:43:42 PM
Hey Carl,
I became a member on the fourms due to the fact that you started doing the youtube Vids. I would like to thank you for making such an awsome map as I don't need to look at any of the Rail maps anymore! But anyway, could you post an updated version of your map? I've seen it change from the last verison you posted in your most recent video.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Vera on November 17, 2012, 08:35:43 PM
I am absolutely astounded by the sheer scale and accuracy with this project. Props to you for this. The computer I'm using at the moment has less RAM than a sheep farm following a foot and mouth outbreak, so I can't load the savegame up myself; so I was wondering if you wouldn't mind posting screenshots of the Hastings and Milton Keynes Central stations.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 17, 2012, 11:36:28 PM
Hi both, many thanks for your kind comments! :-)

treiskin: I will upload a new savegame very soon.

Vera: I'll post some shots of Hastings shortly. I haven't implemented any of the services through Milton Keynes yet, so I'll save that until a little later...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: treiskin on November 18, 2012, 12:08:38 AM
Thanks Carl, looking forward to seeing whats diffrent from the 2nd version!  :D
Title: [Great Britain] Hastings & Croydon screenshots, updated save file
Post by: Carl on November 22, 2012, 02:48:20 PM
Here's an updated savegame (pak folder included):

https://github.com/downloads/jha4ceb/pak64.experimental/ukmapnov12.rar

The most notable addition, on top of the Kent lines, is the complete Thameslink network: Bedford-Brighton, Luton/St Albans-Sutton/Wimbledon, and Kentish Town-Sevenoaks. Here's a shot of two Bedford-Brighton services passing at South Croydon, whilst a train to East Grinstead can be seen in the bottom left.

(http://i.imgur.com/p4H3o.jpg)



Also, here's the promised screenshot from Hastings:

(http://i.imgur.com/UnSeO.jpg)

The Southern-liveried train is the Ashford to Brighton service, and the Southeastern train is running from Charing Cross to Hastings. This is about 17 minutes past the hour, when the two services past just outside St Leonards Warrior Square.

IRL there are tunnels either side of St Leonards Warrior Square, but it wasn't possible to include them here.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Fabio on November 22, 2012, 02:55:54 PM
Beautiful screenshots of an impressive map! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Isaac_Clarke on November 22, 2012, 03:52:09 PM
Your network is amazing and seems very clear and structured! It's a pleasure to watch yours clips too :) I'm thinking about doing my owns clips of my map too. Good game!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on December 30, 2012, 01:47:36 PM
I've been somewhat preoccupied for the last month or two, so progress has slowed down on this map. But now I'm back on the case! New video content will be coming soon.

Here's a new screenshot to tide us over:

(http://i.imgur.com/mtXNn.jpg)

Lewes is an important junction in East Sussex -- trains leave to Brighton, London Victoria, Seaford, Eastbourne and Ashford International, among other destinations. All trains at the station are operated by Southern trains.

I've completed all lines east of Brighton now. The next step will be the west coastway -- trains to Littlehampton, Worthing, and Bognor Regis. After that, the main lines from Waterloo to Portsmouth and Southampton (and beyond) will be in the frame...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Suleyman on December 30, 2012, 11:34:57 PM
Hi Carl! Your rail lines, are clean and nice, and stations organized. I like it.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 14, 2013, 10:15:33 AM
How the months fly by!

I have recorded a new video of this map - a journey from London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour. As soon as I get a chance to add some audio, I will upload it! :-)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on February 14, 2013, 05:48:56 PM
I shall be interested to see that!
Title: [New GB Video] London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour
Post by: Carl on February 15, 2013, 02:21:43 PM
Here, then, is the video of the journey from London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour:

http://youtu.be/P1Rdt4xXtMA (http://youtu.be/P1Rdt4xXtMA)

And here's a screenshot of some busy lines around Wimbledon, in south west London:

(http://i.imgur.com/n1hFl8R.jpg)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on February 15, 2013, 03:57:56 PM
Rather splendid! (You may want to update your signature, too...)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on February 15, 2013, 04:01:52 PM
Hello Carl
The Photo looks good out.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 15, 2013, 04:07:36 PM
Quote from: jamespetts on February 15, 2013, 03:57:56 PM
Rather splendid! (You may want to update your signature, too...)
Thank you! And good call on the signature - I forgot all about that.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Milko on February 15, 2013, 08:40:37 PM
Hello Carl

Spectacular. You've built a very good infrastructure

Giuseppe
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: treiskin on February 15, 2013, 10:39:55 PM
I would love to see it myself so could you put a updated map/pak download please?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 16, 2013, 08:52:11 AM
Of course! Here is an updated rar file with the savegame and the pak folder:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/ukmapfeb13.rar
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jayem on February 16, 2013, 12:17:14 PM
Quote from: Carl on February 16, 2013, 08:52:11 AM
Of course! Here is an updated rar file with the savegame and the pak folder:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/ukmapfeb13.rar
That is beautiful, and it makes profit!

I always though 256 was about the limit of map size my PC could take, so it's interesting to see that it can do 200 times that (or at least 10 times at very high density).
Also explains why I couldn't match a consistent scale (which I kind of knew but didn't really understand).

(The only performance flaw I've noticed is It hangs a few seconds when switching to and from underground, I don't know if that will scale worse as the map fills and the map sliders sometimes seem to misjudge the size of the map, so once again I'm in awe)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: treiskin on February 16, 2013, 02:21:10 PM
Thanks Carl!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Bear789 on February 20, 2013, 04:02:38 PM
I haven't played the savegame but I watched all your videos (great work, by the way) and I have a question: in the video about schedules, you showed that you use a single Simutrans line to cover multiple real life services. How does that affect passengers routing? I mean, if you have a line [(city A station1 -> B -> C -> B -> As1) -> (As2 -> D -> E, etc)], how do you prevent passengers boarding, say, C and staying on the train all the way to D or transfers from another line at As2 for B, which obviously are not the desired behaviours?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Isaac_Clarke on February 20, 2013, 04:38:37 PM
Quote from: Bear789 on February 20, 2013, 04:02:38 PM
I haven't played the savegame but I watched all your videos (great work, by the way) and I have a question: in the video about schedules, you showed that you use a single Simutrans line to cover multiple real life services. How does that affect passengers routing? I mean, if you have a line [(city A station1 -> B -> C -> B -> As1) -> (As2 -> D -> E, etc)], how do you prevent passengers boarding, say, C and staying on the train all the way to D or transfers from another line at As2 for B, which obviously are not the desired behaviours?

Passengers are a bit clever, they always choose the shortest mean to go the their desirate destination. For your example, the passenger will wait the second passage of the train in the C station to go to the D station. Does it answer to your question?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on February 20, 2013, 04:43:41 PM
Hello Carl
Thank you for the new rarfile.
It's be plan to update the  png and dat files from those rarfile?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Bear789 on February 20, 2013, 05:10:53 PM
Quote from: Isaac_Clarke on February 20, 2013, 04:38:37 PM
Passengers are a bit clever, they always choose the shortest mean to go the their desirate destination. For your example, the passenger will wait the second passage of the train in the C station to go to the D station. Does it answer to your question?

That's not what I ment. A1-B-C and A2-D-E are supposed to be different services; even if in real life they are operated by the same trains like in Carl's simulation, passengers won't consider that a single line and/or direct route, and won't be allowed to stay on board during the tecnical transfer between A1 and A2. A realistic passenger trip would be to take the first line to A1, use whater form of urban transit is available (or walk, since in Experimental there's this option) to go from A1 to A2, then board the second line to D.

Also, passengers to B or C are supposed to reach A1 to start their journey, instead (given my experience with Simutrans) in this configuration they could choose A2 or any other station of the second service as a valid starting point for a trip without transfers, while in real life that's definetly not the case.

I'm asking if Carl has a way to force passengers to make the proper journeys, since the simulation of the real network is the focus of the map, or if he just didn't care because that wasn't what he wanted to achieve. In the first case, I'd really love to know how he does it because it would be really handy for other games.

I'm afraid that I made this even less clear than the first post, but I can't explain it better. :\
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 21, 2013, 11:18:14 AM
Good questions. The short answer is that passengers are typically clever enough to avoid the kind of situations you describe, and this requires very little intervention on my part. The simulation of passengers' journey selection is detailed enough to avoid those situations for the most part.

Passengers are of course "allowed" to stay on the train between C and D in your example. But they rarely will, because this will rarely be the fastest route between C and D. In Experimental there is no preference for a direct route over a route that involves changing trains -- the latter will always be preferred if it is faster.

Sometimes it takes a little while for them to figure this out -- for a month or two the passenger flows on these lines can be somewhat odd. But strange passenger journies like you describe happen quite rarely.

Simulation of passenger flows is definitely one of the goals of this map (if not the main goal), and typically it's something that "just happens" rather than needing much specific intervention on my part.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Bear789 on February 21, 2013, 07:58:31 PM
Thank you for the answer.
Title: [New GB Video] Brighton Main Line
Post by: Carl on March 29, 2013, 03:20:18 PM
Here's a new video featuring the Brighton main line:



As well as taking a trip on the Brighton line, I talk about how I tackle two problems: (a) splitting and joining trains, and (b) airport rail traffic.

Here are some screenshots from the video:

(http://i.imgur.com/dhfqt1U.jpg)
Gatwick Airport

(http://i.imgur.com/GzDH5wq.jpg)
Croydon
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: ant123 on March 30, 2013, 08:46:07 PM
Carl, I saw they videos you put on Youtube and loved them! I worked on the Brighton Main Line for a bit. Could you give a download link so I can see all the great work you've done? Keep it up!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 01, 2013, 12:50:31 PM
Thanks for the kind words ant123! Here's the latest version of the savegame and pak folder: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/ukmapapr13.rar (https://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/ukmapapr13.rar)
Remember that you'll need the Experimental version of Simutrans to run this map.

And here's a screenshot of the newly-built lines under Heathrow, complete with Heathrow Express/Connect services and the Piccadilly line tube:
(http://i.imgur.com/5gZjsDg.jpg)
(click for full size)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on April 01, 2013, 07:25:35 PM
Hello Carl
gives from your new Pakset the png and datfiles?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 02, 2013, 07:42:57 AM
Not yet, but I plan to publish those separately soon -- as part of a set of British trains using the images I've painted for this map. Don't expect too much, though; my pixel art is not fantastic! Watch this space, anyway.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: rsdworker on April 02, 2013, 07:57:42 AM
on heathrow 4 - i noticed the heathrow express platforms (one on picture) but in real life - there two platforms with crossover

there twin tunnels between H4 and H central
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 02, 2013, 08:02:18 AM
Yes, I will need a second platform at H4 since I've just noticed that the service is every 15 minutes, not every 30 as I had thought.

However, according to the source I've been using, there's only one track between H4 and H123 -- is this right?
http://carto.metro.free.fr/documents/CartoMetroLondon.v2.9.pdf (http://carto.metro.free.fr/documents/CartoMetroLondon.v2.9.pdf)


The map seems accurate in most ways so I've been inclined to trust it.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: rsdworker on April 02, 2013, 08:25:58 AM
Quote from: Carl on April 02, 2013, 08:02:18 AM
Yes, I will need a second platform at H4 since I've just noticed that the service is every 15 minutes, not every 30 as I had thought.

However, according to the source I've been using, there's only one track between H4 and H123 -- is this right?
http://carto.metro.free.fr/documents/CartoMetroLondon.v2.9.pdf (http://carto.metro.free.fr/documents/CartoMetroLondon.v2.9.pdf)


The map seems accurate in most ways so I've been inclined to trust it.

looks correct - i thinkjits was my fault because i didn't realise - my last trip on that line was years ago
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 04, 2013, 12:05:22 PM
Progress update:

-- Greater Anglia routes all complete (London-Norwich express route, Norfolk & Suffolk branches, etc)
-- First Capital Connect routes all complete (East Coast Main Line routes to Peterborough/Cambridge, etc)
-- South West Trains routes all complete (except for the irregular Salisbury-Bristol trains - Bristol is not yet built)
-- Chiltern Railways suburban routes now complete (i.e. routes to Aylesbury, High Wycombe, and Bicester, etc).
-- First Great Western suburban routes now in progress; Reading/Oxford stoppers and Heathrow services complete.

Next up are the London Midland suburban routes to Tring and Milton Keynes (plus the Abbey line & Bedford-Bletchley), which should be fairly simple. Once those are done, all suburban services in London and the South East will be complete -- which is a pretty nice milestone!

After that, the next project is the West of England routes out of Paddington - to Plymouth and Penzance - and the associated Devon and Cornwall branch lines. Following that, Bristol and Cardiff will be in the frame.


Updated savegame:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/61716/ukmapapr13.rar


Finally, a screenshot of Norwich station:
(http://i.imgur.com/tUIT2ld.jpg)

If you have any particular requests for route videos, feel free to note them in this topic!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: treiskin on April 04, 2013, 10:57:29 PM
Hey Carl, love the progress on the map. Could you do a video highlighting the West of England Main line/Southwest Main Line? Again love the progress :D
Title: [Video] South West Main Line: Waterloo to Weymouth
Post by: Carl on April 06, 2013, 10:54:46 AM
Your wish is my command! Here's the latest video:



In this video we travel on the South West Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth, via Basingstoke, Winchester, Southampton and Bournemouth.

Here's a screenshot from the area:
(http://i.imgur.com/M6QxQQj.jpg)
(Click for larger)

This is a very busy part of the world. As well as the SWML through Farnborough, you can see the Guildford to Ascot train (headed for Frimley), Alton to Waterloo trains (either side of Ash Vale), and a Redhill to Reading train (at Farnborough North).
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: treiskin on April 06, 2013, 08:03:24 PM
Thanks!
Title: [Video] Basingstoke to Exeter St Davids
Post by: Carl on April 09, 2013, 08:37:04 AM
Here's another video following on from the South West Main Line post -- of the line from Basingstoke to Exeter via Salisbury.

No commentary on this one; this is a bonus video as an extension to the last one:



You'll notice there are several single-line sections on this route. At Exeter we see a First Great Western HST -- more of that in the next proper episode!

Here's a screenshot of Exeter St Davids, replete with an FGW HST, an FGW Class 143, and a SWT Class 159:
(http://i.imgur.com/eDRPFgn.jpg)
Title: New Minimap Screenshots
Post by: Carl on April 11, 2013, 07:11:26 AM
Here are two up-to-date shots of subsets of the minimap. In each case you can click for a full-size version.


First, London and the South East -- almost all lines are operational in this section:
(http://i.imgur.com/ccIiT5q.png) (http://i.imgur.com/ccIiT5q.png)

Second, Bristol and South Wales. At Cardiff, all of the Valley lines are up-and-running, along with the London routes, the Bristol routes, and some of the lines to West Wales.
(http://i.imgur.com/knBxZc6.png) (http://i.imgur.com/knBxZc6.png)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on April 11, 2013, 08:34:25 AM
Impressive!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: sdog on April 11, 2013, 02:36:03 PM
this is a very good illustration of simutran's capabilities. i've set it as g+ profile picture.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: treiskin on April 12, 2013, 12:54:43 AM
That is very impressive, all that work in such a small amount of time
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Isaac_Clarke on April 12, 2013, 09:39:22 AM
Amazing as usual :) I wonder how many convoys do you have in your map by now
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 12, 2013, 10:44:07 AM
Thanks all!

sdog -- I'm flattered!  :)

Isaac -- there are currently 1,134 convoys. Given the density of trains in London and the south east -- as well as the several hundred London Underground trains -- I expect and hope that this will be about 1/2 of the eventual total convoys.

treiskin -- although it seems like a lot has been done in a short time, even this version of the map has been in progress (on and off) for about a year. And it benefits greatly from lessons learned from earlier versions of the map, the oldest of which was started two-and-a-half years ago. So it's been some time in the making!  :)
Title: [video] London to Devon & Cornwall, part 1
Post by: Carl on April 15, 2013, 08:46:15 PM
The trip from Paddington to Penzance will be uploaded in two parts. This first part covers the line from London to Exeter via Reading and Newbury:



I also talk about how I deal with the somewhat irregular timetable in this part of the world.


Here's a screenshot of Reading station, showing the variety of operators and units running to and from the station:

(http://i.imgur.com/0QLuRaZ.jpg)
(Click for larger)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: treiskin on April 16, 2013, 01:01:13 AM
Love the first part of the video, any chance of an updated savegame? Keep it up :D
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 16, 2013, 07:02:43 AM
Of course! Apologies, I always forget to upload a new savegame when I'm making a video. Here it is:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/ukmapapr13.rar
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 17, 2013, 02:13:26 PM
I've released an initial set of British trains used in this map as addons for general use here:
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11781.msg115931#msg115931 (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11781.msg115931#msg115931)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on April 17, 2013, 05:19:24 PM
Thank you Carl for those link.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: planestrainscomputer on April 25, 2013, 06:59:11 PM
where do you get the latest pak file?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 25, 2013, 07:30:40 PM
It's contained in this archive (which I've just updated):
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/ukmapapr13.rar
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: planestrainscomputer on April 26, 2013, 04:52:47 PM
thanks for the link
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 16, 2013, 08:28:12 PM
Well past time for part two of that Devon/Cornwall video, eh? I'm about to go away for a week, but when I get back it will be high on my to-do list :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: benny290 on May 18, 2013, 10:57:57 AM
hi
i love the maps and videos well done! however when i try to use the pak texture it comes up with fatal error then crashes the game on load up. Please help?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 27, 2013, 04:10:57 PM
Hi benny290. Are you using Simutrans Experimental 10.27?
(Download here: http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11474.0)

If not, that's probably the problem.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: treiskin on June 02, 2013, 08:38:22 PM
Could you upload part 2? I would love to see more of the network!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 03, 2013, 07:51:23 AM
Hopefully I should be able to get this online within a week! :)
Title: [new video] Exeter to Penzance: Devon & Cornwall part 2
Post by: Carl on June 21, 2013, 11:25:06 AM
Here, at last, is part two of the Devon/Cornwall trip: a journey from Exeter St Davids to Penzance.

http://youtu.be/X8cP4PL4l8Q

(http://i.imgur.com/1I5loNh.jpg) (http://youtu.be/X8cP4PL4l8Q)

Next up -- hopefully without a two-month gap, this time -- will be videos of the Bristol and South Wales main lines.

Here's a screenshot from Plymouth station and surrounds:

(http://i.imgur.com/vX75uKQ.jpg)
Title: GB: London screenshot
Post by: Carl on July 01, 2013, 09:12:22 PM
A new screenshot: Greater London, from the highest possible zoom level:

Large version is here: http://i.imgur.com/lFH1rjt.jpg (http://i.imgur.com/lFH1rjt.jpg)
(or you can click below to embiggen)

(http://i.imgur.com/lFH1rjt.jpg)


I've recorded a video of the Bristol to London Paddington line, and will try to get it uploaded with audio at the weekend.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on July 01, 2013, 09:20:21 PM
Gosh. Impressive!
Title: [new video] Bristol to London: Great Western Main Line
Post by: Carl on July 07, 2013, 03:30:34 PM
A new video! This time we're headed from Bristol Temple Meads to London, via Swindon and Reading.

http://youtu.be/rq5c9Pl_OB8

(http://i.imgur.com/1I5loNh.jpg) (http://youtu.be/rq5c9Pl_OB8)

Here's a screenshot of Bristol Parkway, which we don't see in the video, but is nearby. The line to Avonmouth and the airfield are just here for show, and aren't (yet) used in the simulation. Once all the passenger lines are built, if there is any CPU power still left in the bank, I might consider adding some freight services too, since OpenTrainTimes now gives some schedules for these.

(http://i.imgur.com/9jkRmp8.jpg)

As I say at the end of the video, the next video will showcase Swansea and Cardiff. After that, I suspect the Birmingham area will be next in line...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on July 07, 2013, 04:52:11 PM
Impressive as always :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 14, 2013, 07:59:31 PM
Here's an updated savegame (with pak folder):
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/GB-Jul13.rar

West Midlands local services are now mostly complete, and I've moved on to the East Midlands region. As for videos, South Wales and Birmingham will be coming in the next few weeks.
Title: [new video] South Wales: Swansea-Cardiff-Bristol
Post by: Carl on July 16, 2013, 10:25:52 AM
Another video, this time of the South Wales mainline. We follow a Swansea to Paddington service as far as Bristol Parkway, before switching to a local train to Weston-super-Mare.

http://youtu.be/n4R_rwmoFMg (http://youtu.be/n4R_rwmoFMg)

(http://i.imgur.com/1I5loNh.jpg)

I mentioned the Valley lines in the video. Here's a view of them from high zoom. At the bottom left is Cardiff, and the bottom right is Newport.

(http://i.imgur.com/tuQoRuS.png)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on July 16, 2013, 11:28:10 AM
Looks rather impressive!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on July 16, 2013, 03:29:36 PM
Hello Carl
I have your gamesave look on and find a problem:
The Map it a little bit to big i have get problems to load the save.
And i have fund some new parts they not know there it came.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 17, 2013, 07:34:47 AM
Thanks James!

Greenling: this is now a very large and CPU-intensive map, so this may be why you couldn't load it. Or were you getting an error of some kind? If so, make sure that you've copied the pakfolder over fully from the archive.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 21, 2013, 08:48:32 AM
I've been working on beautifying the map a little. First steps have been "gapless" double track rails and some elevated rails adapted from Pak128. Here's a flavour of the changes in East London (bigger version here (http://i.imgur.com/BWYrQXA.jpg), or click to embiggen):

(http://i.imgur.com/BWYrQXA.jpg)

I was unsure about the gapless rails for a while, but once I played with the underlying texture enough, I really think it adds something.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on July 21, 2013, 10:56:55 AM
Yes, I think that it adds something, too. I wonder whether one could change the code to detect automatically when two railway tracks are next to each other and change the ground texture between them as a result? Hmm.
Title: [New Video] M25 London Circular
Post by: Carl on July 23, 2013, 11:10:17 AM
Today we get a different perspective on the map! I've been building some of the motorway network, and this video is a full trip around the M25, London's orbital road. In the process we cross all the major rail lines in and out of London, as well as a big portion of the south east of England!



No commentary on this video -- I thought I'd let the annotations do the work this time.

The M25 is replete with all its junctions, although most aren't as complex as they are in real life. The details of some motorway junctions are quite difficult to replicate, and since this isn't the main focus of the map, I didn't want to spend a disproportionate amount of time on it. You'll see some citycars in the video, but not many -- I don't usually run them for performance reasons, so they were switched on purely for the purpose of making this video.

Here's a screenshot of the M25's junction with the A1(M) near Potters Bar -- with the East Coast Main Line in frame too.

(http://i.imgur.com/OuW4qYV.jpg)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on July 23, 2013, 12:07:04 PM
Very nice :) I like the details at Dartford Crossing and Junction 5. Also the tunnel near Enfield. Although I'm sure some of the sections where the motorway is on a bridge over a railway should be the other way round :p
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 23, 2013, 12:23:22 PM
Thanks Kieron!

I'm also very sure that some of the crossings are inverted, as you say! :) I think I forgot to check in many cases and so just built the motorway over the (pre-existing) rail. I'll go back and fix these at some point.
Title: [new video] Chiltern Main Line: London Marylebone to Birmingham
Post by: Carl on August 08, 2013, 01:24:43 PM
A new line video today, showcasing the Chiltern Main Line from London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill.



This video debuts some cosmetic upgrades to the map. As well as the new motorways and gapless double tracks, I've altered the standard intercity roads. Furthermore, I've added some farms to beautify the dull land between cities. Here's an example in a screenshot from the video where you can see all of these cosmetic features (this is just west of Beaconsfield):

(http://i.imgur.com/ZmAnEBO.jpg)

I got the 'fields' idea from Sarlock, and I've adapted some of his farm graphic concepts as well as creating some of my own. The idea is to add some flavour to the long stretches between stations.

Here's another screenshot, of the busy area around West Hampstead in NW London.

(http://i.imgur.com/xyj3d0t.jpg)

The Midland Mainline heads up past Cricklewood, while the North London Line crisscrosses around the various mainlines and London Underground routes.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on August 08, 2013, 02:02:16 PM
Nice - look forward to seeing the WCML :) Really must think about getting fields and ways without gaps done automatically...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on August 08, 2013, 07:52:34 PM
Quote from: kierongreen on August 08, 2013, 02:02:16 PM
Nice - look forward to seeing the WCML :) Really must think about getting fields and ways without gaps done automatically...

That would be very useful. Indeed, if there exists a means of graphics determining when to do this, that has two further interesting consequences. First, it should enable things like motorways to be built properly (consisting of two parallel roads) and actually look like motorways. Secondly, and more importantly, it should enable the construction of a parallel way to be at a discounted cost (to reflect the fact that building a single motorway is less expensive than two separate roads, and a double track railway is less expensive than two single track railways, and so forth): if the detection mechanism can work for the graphics, it should also work for the economics.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on August 09, 2013, 06:57:53 AM
Wonderful!  I really like what you've done with the diagonal farm sections, it buffers up nicely to the diagonal rail and road ways.  You've given me some great ideas... another superb update!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: siefc on August 09, 2013, 07:28:20 AM
Hi Carl,
I've been watching this thread with interest, superb map and I'm loving the fields and cosmetic changes you've made, keep up the excellent work!
Any chance of a save game?
Simon
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 09, 2013, 07:49:02 AM
Thanks for the comments! Here's an up-to-date savegame with pak folder included. Note that you'll need at least version 11.0 of Experimental to run this savegame.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UKmapAug2013.rar
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on August 09, 2013, 04:48:07 PM
Thanks, Carl!  I look forward to watching this map in motion.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: sdog on August 09, 2013, 10:49:23 PM
Quote from: kierongreen on August 08, 2013, 02:02:16 PM
[...] Really must think about getting fields and ways without gaps done automatically...

This would be speaking for the previously discussed separation of balast and rail/sleeper images. Only four sets of balast could cover all track types (which would also be easy to make). In comparison now four sets would be required for all rails.


Quote from: jamespetts on August 08, 2013, 07:52:34 PM
[...] Secondly, and more importantly, it should enable the construction of a parallel way to be at a discounted cost (to reflect the fact that building a single motorway is less expensive than two separate roads, and a double track railway is less expensive than two single track railways, and so forth): if the detection mechanism can work for the graphics, it should also work for the economics.

Here the cost of building the way/ballast could be distinctive from the rails. Where adjoining balast would be cheaper in construction. While it would not influence the rails upon it.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on August 09, 2013, 10:52:45 PM
Quote from: sdog on August 09, 2013, 10:49:23 PM
Here the cost of building the way/ballast could be distinctive from the rails. Where adjoining balast would be cheaper in construction. While it would not influence the rails upon it.

Yes, the separation of initial building cost and renewal cost is already planned for Experimental.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Pottsy on August 10, 2013, 08:49:09 AM
Hi When I run the pak file included in the save folder i get this message;

'FATAL ERROR: stadt_t::init() - Can't read cityrules.tab
Aborting program execution ...'

As this only happens with your pakset, (all the standard ones work fine) I thought it  appropropriate to post it here. How can I fix this?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on August 10, 2013, 11:35:48 AM
Pottsy - welcome. Which version of Simutrans are you using? This saved game is designed for Simutrans-Experimental, version 11.0 and above, and will not work in Standard or an earlier version of Experimental.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: cousjath on August 10, 2013, 03:32:20 PM
Could you add the VT Vienna Plank Car to your pak? I very much enjoy using it (its my now my favourite experimental pak) but there is a large difference between that car and the one in the pak which only holds 7t and is limited to 90km/h, and the addition of the the larger plank car will make it perfect.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Pottsy on August 12, 2013, 12:46:21 PM
Quote from: jamespetts on August 10, 2013, 11:35:48 AM
Pottsy - welcome. Which version of Simutrans are you using? This saved game is designed for Simutrans-Experimental, version 11.0 and above, and will not work in Standard or an earlier version of Experimental.
The version says
112.3 - r6520. Where can I download experimental?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 12, 2013, 12:50:28 PM
Experimental version 11.4 can be downloaded here:
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=12307.0 (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=12307.0)


If you're using the savegame above in 11.4, you'll notice a couple of problems on the WCML and the MML as a result of the reversing waypoints bug. I've manage to remove most of the errors generated by this via tinkering, in advance of a bona fide bug fix, so this won't be present the next time I upload the save.

Cousjath: the folder distributed with this pakset isn't really intended to be a fully-functioning pakset, but rather a collection of files required to run this specific map. Maybe one day it will become a fully-fledged pakset, but if that ever happens it is a long way off. For now, you can add any addons or native pak files from any other 64-pixel size pakset to this pak folder to add the functionality you're after. I'm not sure whether the plank car you mention exists in pak64 or pak.German (or even perhaps pak64.Japan?) -- but if it does, this can be added to the folder without functionality problems.

If you can't find anything meeting the specifications you need, drop me a PM and I'll see if I can modify an existing file to distribute as a standalone addon.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Pottsy on August 12, 2013, 01:14:36 PM
Thanks but even with 11.4 experimental, I am still getting the 'can't read cityrules.tab error. Is there anyway to fix this on the GB pakset?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 12, 2013, 01:17:55 PM
Hmm. Since this works on mine and others' machines, I suspect there must be some kind of file mismatch somewhere. I suggest downloading the configuration files (http://bridgewater-brunel.me.uk/downloads/simutrans-experimental-config.zip) from the Experimental 11.4 topic, and writing them over whatever you already have in your directory. If that doesn't work, I'm not sure -- perhaps James has some idea how this error could arise with Experimental?

One other thing to check is whether you have sufficient free RAM -- this map occupies 1.8GB of RAM whilst open. I don't know why this would give rise to a cityrules error, though.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on August 12, 2013, 04:34:02 PM
Carl
It's Possible to update the scoure from those pakset?
I go on the 28. 8 until 15.9 in holiday there i have not Internet.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on August 12, 2013, 05:31:30 PM
Pottsy - can you give me a step by step rundown of what you have done to install Simutrans-Experimental and Carl's pakset?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Pottsy on August 13, 2013, 01:54:42 PM
Okay. First I downloaded the 112.3 installer and set up simutrans with most paksets.
After this ST worked fine at all times.
For Carl's Pakset I simply opened the Winzip file and moved everything to it's own pakfolder where the other graphics sets are held
Finally, to install experimental I moved the simutrans-experimental.exe and the pthread files to the simutrans folder  where the vanilla exe was and merged all the config files.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on August 13, 2013, 05:18:12 PM
Are you using Windows? If so, might I suggest doing this instead: download the complete Simutrans-Experimental package (http://www.bridgewater-brunel.me.uk/downloads/Simutrans-Experimental-Complete.zip), unzip it into its own folder in your Program Files directory, then extract Carl's pakset and add it as a subfolder to the /simutrans folder?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Pottsy on August 15, 2013, 10:40:26 AM
I've tried using a separate folder but whatever I do, I still get the can't read cityrules error even if I delete cityrules.tab . Is there any solution now or will tech support have to deal with still error?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on August 15, 2013, 10:45:16 AM
Can you go through precisely and step by step exactly what you have done to set up Simutrans-Experimental?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 15, 2013, 11:46:43 AM
One other thing to try might be to overwrite the cityrules.tab in pakngb/config with another cityrules file from a different pak folder.

I assume you're not getting this error with other paksets?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Jack Rudd on August 15, 2013, 05:33:31 PM
I might download this entire save when it's done and use it to see how well my Somerset metro idea would work.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: siefc on August 16, 2013, 10:07:23 AM
Hi Carl,
I'm very much a newbie to simutrans but would it be possible to add some steam trains to your pack so that the orient express and other specials can be added by myself, any helps or pointers into doing this would be gratefully received
thanks in advance
Simon
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on August 16, 2013, 05:43:05 PM
If vehicles you want to include are in pak64 you can copy over the pak files from that.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 17, 2013, 06:56:03 AM
Indeed you might well find that some of the steam trains from pak64 are already in this set. This folder started as pak64, a long time ago, and I can't remember exactly what has been removed. If there's something in particular that you'd like to be added which is present in some other pakset, e.g. pak.Britain, let me know and I'll see if I can adapt it.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on August 17, 2013, 08:37:32 AM
Hello All
The Build in from parts out pak standart or another parts out the Simutrans standart pakset
do only working, then Carl update the scoure from those pakset!
It gives technical special codes they are not the same language speak.
That must be translated that it work. ::( ::(
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 17, 2013, 11:18:46 AM
Hi Greenling, I'll try to release updated sources for the trains used in this map in the next few days (over on the pak64 addons board). Is there anything else you'd like the sources for?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Pottsy on August 18, 2013, 11:05:18 AM
I did make pics to show what I id but I cant upload these sot text may need to suffice.
1) I uncompress the simutrans experimental folder and move it to program files/Simutrans Experimental
2) I then unzipped every file in UKMapAug2013 and moved these to a new folder ( Program Files/Simutrans Experimental/Pak.Ngb)
3) I opened STE and selected Pak.Ngb, receiving the error: Can't read cityrules.tab

This even happens when I transfer the city rules file from vanilla pak64 so it's safe to assume something in the set is stopping cityrules from opening.
Title: [new video] West Coast Main Line: Euston to Birmingham
Post by: Carl on August 18, 2013, 11:15:18 AM
Here's another video, this time of the south portion of the West Coast Main Line. We travel from London Euston to Birmingham New Street, via Northampton.



At the end of the video I talk briefly about the challenges posed by Birmingham New Street station, and some of the measures I took to make it run smoothly.

Here's a screenshot from the route. A Virgin Trains service to Birmingham passes another coming from Chester, as well as a London Midland service to Birmingham, at Leighton Buzzard:

(http://i.imgur.com/7WJYmW4.jpg)


P.S. Pottsy - I'll try following those steps in a new Simutrans folder and see if I get the same error. It's also possible that there is something missing or misnamed which is causing this error.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on August 18, 2013, 01:02:24 PM
Impressive getting New Street working with timetabling! Love the bit about Wales "...and places I won't even try to pronounce"
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 19, 2013, 04:24:46 PM
Glad you liked it :)

Pottsy: I followed your steps, extracting Simutrans Experimental into a new folder, then added the contents of Simutrans-Experimental-Config, and then added the contents of the UKmapAug2013 rar. I didn't seem to get the error you described, which is very strange.

The only thing I didn't do was put the Simutrans folder in the Program Files folder. This makes me wonder whether you should try either putting the folder elsewhere or running Simutrans as an administrator.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on August 20, 2013, 02:31:13 AM
Finally got around to installing your game, Carl.  I installed the pak into a pak.ngb folder in /simutrans and then put the save game into the save folder in the Users/ folder.

Loaded the game with Sim-Exp 11.7 and everything seems to be working great.  What an amazing map!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 20, 2013, 09:05:51 AM
Thanks for the comments! :) You might find some issues around Horsham with the fast trains -- I've since fixed this. The problem was that the Southampton/Portsmouth trains were getting stuck behind the Horsham slows after East Croydon because I hadn't pathed them correctly.

Here's a screenshot of Greater Manchester taking shape:

(http://i.imgur.com/lkvcYP4.jpg)
click for larger, and here (http://i.imgur.com/lkvcYP4.jpg) for new window


The built-up area here consists of about 12,000 new buildings. My clicking finger is sore!


I've decided that I'll need to build Manchester Metrolink light rail system, since (a) it's an integral part of the network in this area and (b) many of the lines are converted from heavy rail anyway. My aims for simulating this will not be quite so ambitious as for the heavy rail network. I won't be able to fix in every metrolink station, and I expect to have to simplify the network in the central zone of Manchester, as well as placing it underground.

I think I'll have to go back at some point and add the Midland Metro trams in Birmingham, too. I doubt that I will add the Nottingham tram network for the time being, however.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on August 20, 2013, 04:48:50 PM
Very nice!  I was zooming around the Manchester area and saw that you had the basic foundation set up and was interested to see it develop.

I admire your dedication to this map... once you get that area of the map resolved the rest will be quite easy as the networks thin out as you move further northward.
Title: [updated savegame] Great Britain rail network
Post by: Carl on August 21, 2013, 10:40:52 AM
Indeed - once Greater Manchester and the Leeds/Sheffield/York area are done, I expect it to be fairly smooth sailing.

Here is an updated savegame and pak folder:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/GBmap210813.rar

I've included a version of Experimental 11.7 unlocked (using this patch (http://www.ntcore.com/4gb_patch.php)) to allow more than 2GB of RAM usage, in case you run into memory errors.

Also in case you missed it, I've released a new version of the trains for this map over here:
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11781.msg122708#msg122708

This includes sources.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on August 21, 2013, 12:08:23 PM
Glasgow could be tricky...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 21, 2013, 12:42:52 PM
Ah yes, the Scottish central belt -- and Glasgow in particular -- will be the other remaining crowded area once Northern England is done.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: sdog on August 21, 2013, 08:45:12 PM
based on your previous behaviour, i assumed you'd not mind me having the above screenshot posted at the frontpage of the g+ site. (If you do, you're a manager and can undo it). It is one of the best examples of what simutrans is capable of.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 21, 2013, 09:38:40 PM
Of course; feel free to use anything I post here for any (non-commercial) purpose you like! :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 24, 2013, 07:57:32 AM
Here's a new screenshot, this time of Crewe station:

(http://i.imgur.com/V1HGNPK.png)

I've updated to the latest version of the 'wa_platforms' set, which can be found on this page (http://japanese.simutrans.com/index.php?%A5%A2%A5%C9%A5%AA%A5%F3%2Frailtool). It's a great set, with a lot of versatility for different platform layouts.

Crewe is one of the busier railway junctions, with the West Coast main line meeting several provincial lines. As such there is a wide variety of operating companies. From left to right, you see: Virgin from Birmingham to Glasgow; Arriva Wales from Crewe to Shrewsbury; Arriva Wales from Manchester to Milford Haven; Virgin from Euston to Manchester; East Midlands Trains from Crewe to Derby; London Midland from Crewe to Euston; and finally, Northern from Crewe to Manchester.
Title: [new video] Midland Main Line & Thameslink
Post by: Carl on August 31, 2013, 12:08:21 PM
Here's the latest video, taking us from Wimbledon to Luton Airport Parkway via the Thameslink lines, and then eventually onto Nottingham. Enjoy! :)



I've also assembled a couple of before/after screenshots to show how areas in London have changed due to refinement, tidying up, and graphical improvements. Click for larger:

(http://i.imgur.com/HxKJZdk.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/HuNp73e.jpg)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Milko on August 31, 2013, 02:00:58 PM
Hello Carl

Awesome! I looked at your first post, it is more than 2 years ago ... an epochal work!

Giuseppe
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on August 31, 2013, 05:34:00 PM
Hello Carl
The Photo looks very cool out. But i can in moment not play with your pakset there i must sort simutransdata.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on August 31, 2013, 05:35:44 PM
Another wonderful update, great work!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on August 31, 2013, 08:36:04 PM
Ah - Thameslink, a line I know quite well :) Interesting that you have the fast and slow pairs the opposite way round to in real life, but impressive getting scheduling working through central London. That'll be fun when the Great Northern services get moved to Thameslink...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 31, 2013, 08:44:46 PM
Well spotted! That was purely a mistake based on a misreading of the sectional appendix -- I didn't notice it until I was preparing for this video. I meant to mention it in the video, actually, but didn't get around to it. I will rectify it eventually, but it'll require some work in altering the waypoints of every single line that uses those tracks.

It will indeed be interesting to see what effect the Great Northern services have on the Thameslink tunnel -- I imagine it will be quite crowded...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 01, 2013, 11:29:30 AM
I've added the Docklands Light Railway services in East London. Placeholder tracks have been present since the beginning, but I've never gotten around to sorting the trains themselves. I've also rebuilt some of the associated areas, including adding London City Airport.

(http://i.imgur.com/zjdnlOB.jpg)

As with the London Underground (and other non-heavy rail), my ambitions for the simulation here are not as lofty as for the core rail network. All of the DLR branches are served, but not all of the real-life routes are operational. Specifically, Lewisham-Bank and Stratford-Beckton are omitted -- though as I say, these branches are covered by other services (Lewisham-Stratford and Tower Gateway-Beckton). This is because if simulated with realistic schedules, light rail will take up a disproportionate amount of the convoys on the map. (This is already the case with the Underground, really.) And each convoy represents more CPU usage. Also, a couple of stations are missed out, especially in the crowdedCanary Wharf area. Finally, the Poplar area is somewhat simpler than in real life, due to space constraints (and due to not needing lines running from West India Quay to Westferry, since there is no Bank to Lewisham service).

I added an aircraft to this screenshot for some eye candy. I don't have plans to put in a passenger air network at any stage. However, further along the line, I would like to add some more scheduled services simply for some visual flavour.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on September 01, 2013, 06:10:33 PM
Nice :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on September 01, 2013, 06:29:02 PM
One very interesting exercise with this map is to see to what extent that passengers take the same routes between origin and destinations as are recommended by the National Rail Enquiries website between those two same stations...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on September 01, 2013, 07:19:49 PM
Hahaha. Not that always chooses the best route (or not the one I would anyway)!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on September 01, 2013, 07:34:26 PM
It'd be interesting to work out whether Knightly's algorithm is better than that used by the National Rail people...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on September 01, 2013, 08:41:42 PM
Especially when it comes to (for example) Aberdeen to Penzance. Do you take the direct Cross Country train, go via London or go via the WCML and Birmingham?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 03, 2013, 08:23:52 PM
I've been continuing to tidy up some of London, including rebuilding some ugly areas of buildings, and adding some small rivers/canals for visual flavour. I'll upload a new savegame once I've done a little more work. Here's a shot from west London, just north of Heathrow:

(Full-size version here (http://i.imgur.com/nSeXYFc.jpg))
(http://i.imgur.com/nSeXYFc.jpg)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on September 03, 2013, 10:01:35 PM
Splendid!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on September 04, 2013, 12:06:38 AM
Wonderful... your map just gets better and better!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Urgentemente on September 04, 2013, 12:12:41 PM
I only found out about Simutrans late last year , and haven't really had much time to play with it after the intial week or so , but have recently started playing with it again (just in freeplay mode for now until I'm up to speed with stuff).

One of the first things I though would be great to do , was to model the UK train network, having just downloaded your latest last night and watched it for a while , all I can say is WOW!  It's mesmerising, amd fun to watch it all rolling along. Can't wait for further North to be added (I'm from Penrith originally, now living on the outskirts of Liverpool near Aintree).

Great work !
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 04, 2013, 03:24:04 PM
Thanks for your comments; I'm glad you like the map! :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: sdog on September 04, 2013, 07:50:50 PM
Carl, if you have a moment, could you post a new high res 16:9 screenshot of the map's line network view? That is if it's not looking overly complicated, with the massive amount of lines. I should like to use it as a g+ front page. The last one you posted a year ago was greatly appreciated.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 04, 2013, 08:28:04 PM
Hi sdog, given that the map is tall and thin, this is the best I can do for a 16:9 image:

(http://i.imgur.com/9xN7rPA.png)

(full size) (http://i.imgur.com/9xN7rPA.png)


It's pretty crowded in the London area but otherwise not too bad.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: sdog on September 04, 2013, 10:10:13 PM
That's marvelous!

Thanks a lot, it really is quite a good showcase of simutrans. Such abstract images also convey the idea that it's more than cute graphics, but quite complex in depth.



check it on the page, it looks rather good.
especially since initially only the lowest part of the map is shown, and it is shaded. So there's only a hint of what's there, but then when you scroll it out you get the whole picture.

I have yet to write a caption.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 05, 2013, 09:00:19 AM
Thanks for putting this up, sdog! I like how it looks on the page. My only regret about the image is that there are a few too many pastel/flourescent colours, which makes it look a little more garish than network maps normally would. But this is luck of the draw, I suppose.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: sdog on September 05, 2013, 07:51:26 PM
There are also a few more lines on it than typically shown ion network maps.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental [updated savegame]
Post by: Carl on September 06, 2013, 03:48:47 PM
Another screenshot from some recent work, plus an updated savegame:

(http://i.imgur.com/z1Wur82.jpg)

And the savegame/pak folder: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UK-Sep13.rar (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UK-Sep13.rar) (25MB -- once again, packaged with a RAM-unlocked version of 11.9)

I've "refurbished" all of the First Great Western main line stock, making it "length=10" in line with my new standard. The HST is the first longer train to which I've given this treatment, and I'm pleased with how it looks. (To appreciate the difference, take a look at the last screenshot (http://i.imgur.com/nSeXYFc) I posted). I've also re-aligned these trains and added extra detail.

I've also added the Class 180 'Adelante' (seen heading eastbound on the fast lines, above). Previously all of my Cotswold Line services were operated by HSTs, whereas in real life very few of them are. Now the line is composed of about half 180s, a handful of 'Networkers' (like the one at Pangbourne above), and just one HST. Luckily they can all keep to the same timetable. I plan to introduce more of this variation in stock on suitable routes -- two examples are the occasional HST on CrossCountry routes, and the occasional loco-hauled service on the Chiltern main line.

Paddington to Bedwyn services are also now operated by Networkers, as (I think) in real life, rather than HSTs. Finally, all Networker-operated services now run as 3-car, rather than 6-car.

The revised HST takes up seven station tiles (when formed with eight passenger cars). The increase in "footprint" is the main obstacle to rolling out the "length=10" change to all stock. In this case, I was just about able to make room for a seven-tile platform at Paddington. This won't be so easy everywhere. For instance, I'm less sure that I'll be able to convert the SWT 444s to this new scale, since they will also require seven tiles for ten-car operation, and I can see this being a problem in some places. But we'll see.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 07, 2013, 10:37:10 PM
Anglia has been my next target for a revamp. These were some of the very first lines I built, so many of the trains were quite tardy-looking. So, I've updated all the rolling stock on the Great Eastern and West Anglia Main Lines. This shot shows all of the updated trains, as well as some track changes in the Hackney/Stratford area:

(http://i.imgur.com/uxtjfRL.jpg)
(click for larger, or here (http://i.imgur.com/uxtjfRL.jpg) for full-size)

Stratford has received an overhaul. The Temple Mills branch, on which the Bishop's Stortford services travel, used to be underground -- but now I've found space for it above ground. I've corrected an error where the electric lines and the main lines were the wrong way around (they now switch places after Manor Park, as in real life). The main lines now stay above ground until just before Bethnal Green.

Summary of updated trains in the screenshot: Class 379 at Cambridge Heath; Class 315 at London Fields and west of Stratford on the electric line; Class 360 west of Stratford on the main line; Class 317 waiting at Stratford (partly obscured by footbridge); Class 321 east of Stratford; Class 90 loco and Mk3 carriages loading at Stratford.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on September 07, 2013, 10:52:12 PM
Very nice!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: waerth on September 08, 2013, 02:48:46 AM
Hi Carl,

What is the deal with the farmfields? Did you rePAK them as monument with 0 pax or something like that?

W
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: ӔO on September 08, 2013, 04:17:41 AM
don't class 444 have trouble fitting into platforms in real life?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on September 08, 2013, 05:07:36 AM
The farms are just coded as individual 1x1 low level industrial buildings.

Looks great, Carl, you're doing an amazing job!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 08, 2013, 07:02:43 AM

Quote from: waerth on September 08, 2013, 02:48:46 AM
What is the deal with the farmfields? Did you rePAK them as monument with 0 pax or something like that?
Yes, they're currently industrial buildings at the lowest possible level. If it's possible to code them with 0 passenger level, I'd prefer that -- but aren't monuments unique (i.e. can only be placed once per map/city)?


Quote from: ӔO on September 08, 2013, 04:17:41 AM
don't class 444 have trouble fitting into platforms in real life?
Seems plausible -- but if I have trains longer than platforms in-game, then I'll get an error pop-up every time one stops at a short platform. That's too annoying to put up with!
Title: [new video] Sheffield Under Construction
Post by: Carl on September 08, 2013, 06:39:15 PM
A different kind of video today -- a timelapse view of the construction of Sheffield. 1800 buildings in three minutes! The subtitle, I think, should be "No suitable ground!" :)



When building cities I lay tracks first, followed by a skeleton of roads, followed by the buildings. The video shows only the last part of this workflow. The video is sped up by a factor of ten, so the city took about half an hour to build.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on September 08, 2013, 09:08:54 PM
Wow, that's really cool... nice video clip :)

Nice choice of music, too...Flight of the Bumblebee
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Spacethingy on September 08, 2013, 09:18:29 PM
Epic use of the Bumblebee... So, Sheffield took 30 minutes, just for the buildings... Umm.... dare I ask how long roughly the rest of Britain took?! Amazing work, I must get round to fitting some new RAM sticks so I can see it all in Simutrans... :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 08, 2013, 10:15:12 PM
Let's just say I'm glad that Simutrans doesn't track time played like some games do! This instance of the map has been in project for approaching 18 months now (with a few breaks), so the hours have certainly racked up.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 11, 2013, 04:46:43 PM
A few days of track-laying has yielded the skeleton of West/South Yorkshire and the remainder of north Lincolnshire:

(http://i.imgur.com/ljLWBnr.png)
(click for larger, or fullsize here (http://i.imgur.com/ljLWBnr.png))

Most of the tracks are in place up to Todmorden, Skipton, York, and Hull. (As far as I know only the Huddersfield to Barnsley branch is missing, but I'm sure I'll discover something else.) Now comes some more city-building, before extended services gradually to Scunthorpe, Cleethorpes, and then up to Leeds.

The rivers are a bit of a mess here where tracks are involved: I'm hoping to replace most of the "sea-rivers" with actual rivers soon, since they allow for more flexibility with terrain.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on September 11, 2013, 06:22:01 PM
Wow...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 12, 2013, 09:46:05 PM
The first Transpennine Express trains are now running, on the Cleethorpes to Manchester Airport route. Here a Manchester-bound TPE train approaches Stockport (far left). A Bristol to Manchester train and a Manchester to Alderley Edge train are also in the station, while the East Midlands Liverpool to Norwich train approaches from the north.

(http://i.imgur.com/6N8laYH.jpg)

Edit: updated screenshot to show revised XC Voyager and Northern 323 models. Old image is here (http://i.imgur.com/Zr31SNt.jpg), for comparison.
Title: [new video] One hour at Reading station
Post by: Carl on September 14, 2013, 03:12:49 PM
Time for a new video! This time we spend one hour observing the arrivals and departures at Reading station, which is a very busy junction. In the course of the hour we see around forty services come and go. Each service from the 1357 Bristol to the 1457 Bristol is tracked by annotations.



(I'll add some music later, but that feature of YouTube seems to be playing up right now.)

As the annotations show, most services are running more or less to time. Some -- notably those that terminate at Reading -- are running a little ahead of time, but that's fairly normal.See here (http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/RDG/2013/09/16/1357-1502?stp=WVS&show=pax-calls&order=wtt) to compare to the working timetable.

Here's a silly screenshot of Reading station created using the "photocopy" filter in Gimp. Full size here (http://i.imgur.com/hSMcPfc.jpg).
(http://i.imgur.com/hSMcPfc.jpg)

Reading is a good showcase for the graphical enhancements I've made over the last couple of months. Here is an old screenshot of Reading (http://i.imgur.com/0QLuRaZ.jpg) which shows the main differences.

The Class 458s are new, here -- previously I hadn't bothered to draw them until today, having used 450s on the Reading-Waterloo route before.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on September 15, 2013, 08:43:04 PM
Hello Carl
do your game save work with the brandnew simutrans exp?
And it´s possible to update the png´s & dat´s from your pakset too?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 15, 2013, 09:12:20 PM
It does work with 11.10, but that version has somewhat worse performance than 11.9 (a bug that will be fixed in the next version, I think).

I'll release a new version of the British Trains set soon since I've improved lots of the models since the last release.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: planestrainscomputer on September 27, 2013, 04:05:08 PM
Could I have the latest save game and pakset please. I have to say this game is amazing
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 29, 2013, 04:49:35 PM
Here's the latest savegame and pak folder:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/GBmapSep13.rar (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/GBmapSep13.rar)
(that's still uploading, so the link might not be live for a few minutes)


Updates have slowed for now as I've been getting a bit busier -- hopefully some new progress to show soon.


The rar comes with a 4gb-unlocked version of 11.9, again.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 17, 2013, 09:23:51 AM
Doesn't the time fly? I've had a couple of months off working on this, but have now slowly started to resume work. I seem to have settled into a pretty regular cycle - a few months of intense activity followed by a break, and so on.

Anyway, here's an up-to-date savegame. The latest updates are in Yorkshire, with Huddersfield and Bradford receiving their first services.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/GBnov13.rar

And a screenshot of Sheffield:

(http://i.imgur.com/Ud4VoGe.png)

Sheffield station poses a few challenges. Several of the platforms are "split" so that two trains can use them at once. And the extra track between platforms 1 and 2 (which is real-life fixture) allows trains approaching from the south to access the Northern end of platform 1 even when there is another train in the southern end. Sheffield has almost all its real-life services now. It's still missing the Hull/Bridlington ones, which are not far down the to-do list, as well as the irregular train to York via Pontefract. There are no trams, yet -- they will appear soon™.

Once the Knottingley services are sorted, I plan to work on the Calder Valley - trains from Leeds to Manchester Victoria via Halifax and Bradford. This requires some tricky diagramming work, but I think I've figured out how it will all go.

And, of course, I hope to get new videos out in the near future. I was thinking of a Great Eastern Main Line video, since a lot has changed in that area since the old Clacton-London video.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on December 13, 2013, 12:01:08 AM
Wow, I love it. If you have any Thameslink related questions I might be able to help!


Two small points regarding services out of Brighton - the Brighton - Ashford service is formed of only a two car 171 rather than the four car 171 and FCC run 377s as well as 319s.


I don't know where you are from and I'm not trying to criticise but you said you wanted in your videos as accurate as you could get  ;D


What is even more impressive than the map in my opinion is the pak. I play 128 Britain exclusively but the variety of EMU's on here that are current swings it - Its also really well balanced!


Please keep adding to it, you're fully utilizing almost every feature of an expansive game and that pakset is just beautiful! I do have one suggestion which is that this pak is more playable than your older map's pakset however it is very... oddly named in some parts (wa-platform-3 doesn't mean much to me).


Kudos to you though - I could not have done better in 10,000 lifetimes.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on December 13, 2013, 08:48:36 AM
Thanks for the comments KneeOn! :)

There are quite a few places on the map where formations are too long, e.g. the 171s out of Brighton. This is because, until recently, even the lowest passenger_factor setting was really too high for hourly services, so I exagerrated the rolling stock in places. This has now changed, so I'm gradually changing services back to their proper formations.

The FCC thing is entirely out of laziness -- I never got around to painting the FCC-liveried 377! But it also has another problem now, in that 8-car 377s take up five station tiles, and stations such as Blackfriars and City Thameslink have only four station tiles. I'll think of a way around this someday :) I had the pleasure of using FCC from Gatwick to London a couple of times last week -- in particular, I squeezed onto the first offpeak service from Gatwick towards Bedford which seems to always be formed of only four cars!

The platform names are, I agree, not very user friendly - since these platforms are modified versions of ones I found on the Japanese website, I kept the same names. It might be a hassle to change them now.

I will of course keep adding to this, though my time is at a premium right now - I'm likely to be relocating and starting a new job in the next few months. But I will certainly return to this in earnest when time allows!

Thanks again for your comments!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Junna on December 13, 2013, 11:27:42 AM
Quote from: KneeOn on December 13, 2013, 12:01:08 AM
I do have one suggestion which is that this pak is more playable than your older map's pakset however it is very... oddly named in some parts (wa-platform-3 doesn't mean much to me)

Number with nothing after it = island platform
-s = side platform
-u pedestrian subway
One of the others is filler and two-sided platform (-f I think).
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Matthew on December 24, 2013, 07:39:16 PM
Just wanted to say that I've enjoyed viewing the YouTube videos as prt of my Christmas holiday relaxation. I've watched the first nine and have been impressed by the amount of effort and care that you have put into this, the remarkable achievement by jamespetts, prissi (and many others over the years) of a simulator that is so sophisticated that you can plug in the National Rail timetables and get real-life results, and the high level of politeness and credit-sharing amongst the Simutrans community.

This is really a kind of art work. It doesn't feed the hungry or put a roof over people's heads. But neither does it necessarily harm anyone and it has its own kind of beauty, turning chaos into order within its virtual world. And like good art, it helps me understand the real world better and makes me question the way things are.

Thank you to Carl, jamespetts and the Simutrans developers for the gift that you provide to users and viewers all year round.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: prissi on December 24, 2013, 10:23:47 PM
I eally thank you for your kind word. That is an extremely nice way to describe simutrans (and of couse CCalrs work in special).
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 04, 2014, 10:54:36 AM
Hi Matthew, many thanks for your kind comments! I'm glad that you enjoyed the videos. And I'd like to reiterate your thanks to the coding teams for both Standard and Experimental for building a simulator with such incredible capabilities!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: some help please on January 14, 2014, 03:50:50 PM
Hi,

Just to say your map and work is great, and i would like to download it, but i cannot get it to work for me.

I have downloaded simutrans and expansion paks for it, which are great, but dont know how to get your UK map to work - any ideas please ?

being new to simutrans it all seems rather compicated, so any help would be very greatful.

Thank you.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on January 14, 2014, 07:00:03 PM
What are you having difficulty with - finding where to put the game or with loading it?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: some help please on January 14, 2014, 07:54:48 PM
Hi,

i do not know where to put the great britain save file and pak, i have downloaded simutrans experimental and i can load that up - it take about 2 mintues to.

i then try and load save game - but the file UK2013-.sve is not there.

could you please offer a step by step guide on how to get this save to load please ?

Also there are many things i do not understand with this simulation, signals for example - is there a beginners guide for this ?

and i have regestied for this fourm a few hours ago, and have not been sent an activation link yet - any ideas ?

Thank you.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Isaac Eiland-Hall on January 14, 2014, 08:18:22 PM
Please email a quick note to the email address in my signature and I'll manually activate your account. :)

edit: Please note: Ticket received; account activated.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on January 15, 2014, 12:15:57 AM
If you are using Windows, you need to follow the following steps to install Simutrans-Experimental and get this saved game to work:

(1) download Simutrans-Experimental Complete from here (http://www.bridgewater-brunel.me.uk/downloads/Simutrans-Experimental-Complete.zip)
(2) extract the entire contents to a subfolder in your "Program Files" folder;
(3) download and install this (http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=5555) and this (http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=30679)
(4) download Carl's large saved game and pakset combined files from above;
(5) extract UK2013-20.sve into the "My Documents\simutrans\saves" subfolder;
(6) extract the whole "pak.ngb" folder into the same folder as that into which you extracted the contents of the Simutrans-Experimental Complete download above;
(7) create a shortcut to Simutrans-Experimental in your start menu or desktop for easy access later (this step is optional);
( 8) run Simutrans-Experimental;
(9) you will be presented with a menu on starting asking which pakset that you want to choose - select "pak.ngb";
(10) select your language from the languages menu;
(11) when the game has loaded, select "Load game" and choose UK2013-20.sve from the menu by clicking on it.

If you follow all of these steps, you should be able to load Carl's splendid saved game. I hope that this helps.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: ZBOX on January 15, 2014, 05:36:52 PM
@ Isaac.Eiland-Hall - thank you for activating my account.

@ Jamespetts

- Thank you for the step by step instructions, I have done what you said and have got the map working ok, Great credit to the author carl baker aswell, the map is amazing, this must of taken alot of work.

just one thing though, the map does freeze up and it wont respond sometimes - would this be that the map has alot of stuff being proccesed and the map being huge ? or could it be my laptop - its an i3 2.5ghz win7 and 3gb of ram ?

Also i would like to play the normal simutrans simulation game, but find it alittle complicated, like from laying track to understanding the basic signals, I have read abit from the in-game guide, but still do not fully understand, I have only played a bit of openttd before and just about understand the basics of that game, but i do prefer simutrans - is there a guide/video for beginners ?

Cheers again for help.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Isaac Eiland-Hall on January 15, 2014, 05:41:10 PM
Quotethe map does freeze up and it wont respond sometimes

Probably autosave is on.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on January 15, 2014, 06:24:52 PM
Glad that you managed to get it working; the freezes might be caused by autosave; how often do these occur, and how long do they last? It is a very big map, and Experimental is more complicated than Standard, so you might find performance slow on less capable machines, although yours is at least of the current generation.

As to general guides to playing "normal Simutrans" (I assume that you mean Simutrans-Standard as distinct from Simutrans-Experimental?), there is a wiki manual (http://wiki.simutrans-germany.com/) that you might find helpful. You might also look at the help centre (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?board=7.0) forum to see whether anyone else has had the same question as you and to see what the answers are, or, if nobody has asked the question before, ask a new question. If you want to learn more about Simutrans-Experimental, have a look at the FAQ (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=9184.0).

Welcome again to Simutrans, and happy playing!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 17, 2014, 09:57:48 AM
Hi zbox,

Glad you got the map working, and thanks for your comments. Sorry I was unable to reply previously - I've been away this week.

Autosave is on and will cause the map to hang at the beginning of every third month. Depending on your setup this might take a while. You might notice a pause when the map does its route recalculations, too, as this can be computationally intensive depending on your setup. This may happen several times per in-game month.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: ZBOX on January 17, 2014, 02:34:54 PM
Hi carl,

No problem, thanks for sharing your map, its really impressive, you must of put an insane amount of work into it. I have turned the auto-save off now, and it does seem more stable.

Do you have any plans do upload newer version's of your map in the future ?

Cheers.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 22, 2014, 09:42:53 AM
I do plan to upload newer versions of the map, as soon as there is enough interesting progress to share. As mentioned above, real life has been demanding all my attention recently and I haven't been able to make too much headway. But fear not, I'll get there eventually...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Simidoodler on January 25, 2014, 08:56:50 AM
I'm confused, I'm trying to get your pakset and it is a rar file but I don't have a rar file extractor so could you help
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 25, 2014, 09:44:55 AM
Try winrar: http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Simidoodler on January 25, 2014, 12:38:04 PM
Thanks a bunch!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Simidoodler on January 27, 2014, 05:33:17 PM
hi
I want to ask how you started off your map which lines did you start?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 27, 2014, 07:08:22 PM
Hi Simidoodler,

I started by building the whole of London's rail network. I then built the city of London around this. After this I gradually extended out of London on each line, building rail and towns as I went. Once I had most of the south east done, I started adding trains and schedules.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Simidoodler on January 27, 2014, 07:13:47 PM
Thanks Because I usually build 1 trainline per map and build 1 traintrack. Its nice hearing someone elses way of doing it
Title: [new screenshot] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 02, 2014, 05:52:35 PM
Since I've recently moved to south-east London, it seemed like a good time to clear up the mess in the Croydon area. This is the result:

(http://i.imgur.com/pywAPf6.jpg)
Fullsize here (http://i.imgur.com/pywAPf6.jpg)

The big task here was making the junctions north of East Croydon correspond better to reality, in order to make possible fully accurate platform allocations at East Croydon. I've also prepared the ground for the Croydon Tramlink services to be added -- this suddenly seems far more pressing now that I live nearby :)

For reference this is what the area looked like in March 2013: http://i.imgur.com/GzDH5wq.jpg (http://i.imgur.com/GzDH5wq.jpg)
Title: [Leeds screenshot] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 05, 2014, 09:13:55 PM
Am making the most of the time before I start my new job by -- finally! -- making some concrete progress on the GB map. Here's a new screenshot from Leeds:

(http://i.imgur.com/B0Od3el.png)
Full size here (http://i.imgur.com/B0Od3el.png)

Since last update, I've added the following:
Once I've added the Harrogate Line and the Hull to Scarborough line, I'll be headed back to Lancashire to complete the routes up to and including Blackpool, Preston, Blackburn, and Colne.
Title: [new savegame] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 08, 2014, 04:14:27 PM
Time for a new version of the savegame, methinks:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UK-Feb2014.rar (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UK-Feb2014.rar) (27 MB download)

As ever, the pak folder is included in the download.

Here's an aerial view of the West Yorkshire area:

(http://i.imgur.com/tMUeGZC.png)
Click here (http://i.imgur.com/tMUeGZC.png) for fullsize

Leeds is in the top-right, with Bradford a little west of it. (West in isometric terms, that is, so above-left on this image.) Huddersfield is on the far left of the image with Halifax above it. The town in the bottom centre is Barnsley, with Wakefield to its north in isometric terms.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on February 08, 2014, 10:41:23 PM
Gosh. Impressive!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: sdog on February 09, 2014, 04:16:55 AM
Impressive indeed!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on February 09, 2014, 04:35:50 AM
Wow.

Visited relatives in Halifax many years ago and walked all over the town (and the moors).  Amazing thing is that I could recognize it from the screenshot just by the layout before I even knew which city was which.  Very accurate!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 09, 2014, 08:51:13 AM
Thanks folks :) It's good to be back working on this again.

Also, I just noticed that this topic has passed 30,000 views. :o Thank you all for your sustained interest in this project over the last few years!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on March 02, 2014, 03:19:13 PM
Time for another update on the GB map! Since last I wrote, I've been working on Cumbria. Here's the updated savegame and pak folder (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UK-1Mar2014.rar).

The following lines are now operational:
Here's a screenshot of Preston, where many of the recently-added services pass:
(http://i.imgur.com/axrYZKq.jpg)
(Click here (http://i.imgur.com/axrYZKq.jpg) for fullsize)

From left to right, the trains are: TPE Manchester to Glasgow, Northern Liverpool to Blackpool, Northern Blackpool to York, Virgin Euston to Edinburgh, and Virgin Glasgow to Euston. This is around 54 minutes past the hour: for comparison, here's the real departure times (http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/PRE/2014/03/03/1255) at Preston for that time. (The train in the siding north of the station will form the Preston to Hazel Grove service 25 minutes or so after this.)

Other changes include graphical updates to the Southeastern Class 375, which is ubiquitous in Kent.

I've also implemented some of the recent timetable updates on the West Coast Main Line. Until the December timetable update, there was an hourly Euston to Wolverhampton service and an hourly Birmingham to Edinburgh or Glasgow service. These have now been combined, so that there is one hourly service from Euston to either Edinburgh or Glasgow via Birmingham. This is now in effect on my map, too.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on March 02, 2014, 06:32:39 PM
Impressive, as always!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on March 10, 2014, 09:28:25 PM
Hello Carl
Have you in RAR that you be post have be packing new vehicle in it?
And do the Pakset and the save work with the new 11.22?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on March 10, 2014, 09:36:29 PM
Carl's pakset should work with 11.22, and the link in his post above contains the pakset as well as the saved game.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on March 10, 2014, 09:40:09 PM
Hello Jamespetts
I ask that there in the last two simutrans exp relase it gives changes that can be change the game play a little bit.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on March 10, 2014, 11:13:40 PM
Hi Greenling -- I haven't released a new version of the British Trains sources yet, since there weren't too many new ones to add (and I didn't have much time in late 2012). I should do so soon, though, to account for all the files I re-painted in southern England.
Title: [new video] Transpennine: Liverpool > Manchester > Leeds
Post by: Carl on April 05, 2014, 01:05:18 PM
It's time -- at last! -- for a new video! Today we take a trip along the Transpennine North route from Liverpool to Leeds via Warrington, Manchester and Huddersfield.



As I mentioned, most of the north of England is complete now -- just some odds and ends to finish off in the North East (like the T&W Metro). Soon I'll be headed north of the border...

Here's the north east as it currently looks on the minimap.

(http://i.imgur.com/P2SmOL2.png)

Trains to Whitby, Saltburn, Bishop Auckland, Sunderland, Hartlepool, Hexham and Middlesborough are all operational. Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead are built, but as you can see, North/South Shields and Tynemouth/Whitley Bay aren't yet in existence.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on April 05, 2014, 01:58:04 PM
Impressive! You might want to update your signature, too.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 05, 2014, 02:03:53 PM
Thank you for the reminder!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on April 05, 2014, 05:16:48 PM
Another wonderful update!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on April 07, 2014, 07:57:06 AM
Lovely - as it happens I'm just headed to North Shields today! :p
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on April 13, 2014, 09:55:47 PM
Carl, have you got any more units to add or have we got the entire fleet of current units in full livery? Also, any chance we might see a BR set for the entire fleet (some of which would be fantasy units I know) and the NSE/RR/IC liveries? I'd love to have an entire range of
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 13, 2014, 10:17:06 PM
There's definitely an update due on the GB trains pack -- I'll try to get around to this soon. Thanks for the reminder!

The BR fantasy set is something I'll think about after I've finished the GB map! Are any of the fantasy liveries available in Pak.128-Britain Experimental?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on April 13, 2014, 11:22:38 PM
Quote from: Carl on April 13, 2014, 10:17:06 PM
There's definitely an update due on the GB trains pack -- I'll try to get around to this soon. Thanks for the reminder!

The BR fantasy set is something I'll think about after I've finished the GB map! Are any of the fantasy liveries available in Pak.128-Britain Experimental?

There are very few hypothetical liveries currently available, but it might be helpful to add one or two one day. One hypothetical livery currently available is the Class 210 in Regional Railways livery (although not yet Network South-East livery, which is what I suspect that they would have had if they had been introduced); another one that might be worthwhile is an InterCity livery for the Class 50, as it was historical accident that it ended up on services classed as Network SouthEast after sectorisation.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on April 15, 2014, 09:38:11 PM
I would be happy to assist with the odd drawing of BR/NSE/RR/IC liveries. Not many exist but a fair number of the current fleet were in either Sectorisation liveries or even both. Cl313 definitely had both, so did 455 and 317. I know 319 had NSE livery. Pretty sure the 466 had NSE. 165 is another definite NSE.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on April 15, 2014, 11:37:37 PM
One of the NSE liveries the 319 class carried is in the pakset already. I'm not sure the other is necessary (slightly different roof, rounded rather than pointed stripes rising up at the ends...). On the otherhand I'm pretty sure that not all of Battleship Grey Thameslink, Blue and Yellow Thameslink and both First Capital Connect liveries are present. Likewise networker (turbos) are present in NSE livery but probably not all liveries since then.

Classes that might be missing NSE liveries are the Mark1 EMUs as I drew these with Blue-Grey originally.

Regarding hypothetical liveries, most NSE units could only every really carry NSE branding in the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s. In particular third rail units would only be used on NSE services (well, unless you go down route of assuming that Tyneside electrics might have continued, Manchester electrics converted, or stock used on Liverpool suburban services). In which case a few inner suburban units (465, 313?) might have the liveries of the various PTEs/regional railways. About the only class suitable for Intercity livery would be 442.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on May 08, 2014, 09:34:47 PM
Quote from: kierongreen on April 15, 2014, 11:37:37 PM
One of the NSE liveries the 319 class carried is in the pakset already. I'm not sure the other is necessary (slightly different roof, rounded rather than pointed stripes rising up at the ends...). On the otherhand I'm pretty sure that not all of Battleship Grey Thameslink, Blue and Yellow Thameslink and both First Capital Connect liveries are present. Likewise networker (turbos) are present in NSE livery but probably not all liveries since then.

Classes that might be missing NSE liveries are the Mark1 EMUs as I drew these with Blue-Grey originally.

Regarding hypothetical liveries, most NSE units could only every really carry NSE branding in the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s. In particular third rail units would only be used on NSE services (well, unless you go down route of assuming that Tyneside electrics might have continued, Manchester electrics converted, or stock used on Liverpool suburban services). In which case a few inner suburban units (465, 313?) might have the liveries of the various PTEs/regional railways. About the only class suitable for Intercity livery would be 442.

I think this might have been misinterpreted. I'm talking about doing the liveries for Carl's 64pak he's using in his map.

I also disagree regarding the 442. The Meridian and Pendos and Voygers would all suit Intercity livery.

Finally I didn't convey my point at all about why I would love to draw the new liveries on the units (even having say, the Capitalstar 387 in Intercity livery). It isn't for realism - far from it. Very few would have actually gotten the intercity design but I like grouping my routes in to different types and think having that flexibility would be very nice to see. It's definitely in the realms of fantasy - livery is something I like in Simutrans (and more so in experimental) and would love to be able to create my own fleet based on how I was feeling. I'd go far as to say with Carl's permission that i'd draw new liveries for all units for all current and future (TSGN specifically) TOCs, so I can create a consistent scheme across my networks and provide people a chance to take a design they like and create their "dream" fleet of trains to run on their route, even if they wouldn't really run like that in reality.

I do appreciate how that wouldn't fit in to pak128.britian or even maybe in to the experimental branch - that's focused on a lot of realistic factors (and executes it really well, I am a huge fan!). Obviously this is dependant on Carl Barker's willingness to allow me to modify the graphic files - painting I can do but creating the "shell" is beyond me and he has done a very fine job.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 09, 2014, 08:41:17 AM
Feel free to do with the raw files whatever you wish. The most up-to-date published release of the sources is in this topic:
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11781.0

I've been promising for a long time to update that. I'll try to find the time this weekend!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 10, 2014, 11:28:56 AM
Quick update -- I've uploaded a new version of the source files for the trains from this pak, here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/BritishTrains.rar
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on May 10, 2014, 01:03:15 PM
Hello Carl
Have you on Sunday Freetime? I what talk with you!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 11, 2014, 09:12:39 AM
Hi greenling, I'm afraid I won't really be free today -- but feel free to post any questions you have either here or in a private message.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on May 11, 2014, 02:21:44 PM
Carl you absolute legend! You'd have been well within your rights to say no, that they are your work! I will use the chassis designs and work my way through drawing as many liveries as I possibly can. I can't however pak them up very well in line with experimental .dat files (specifically liveries) so that part might have to wait. Thank you so much!

EDIT: Sorry Carl, I've had a flick through the image files. Am I to assume that the units are the actual ones used by the dat file and the bottom one which is either a blue and white or grey and red unit a reference guide? I have to say you've done an outstanding job seeing them in the raw. I attempted to do the 450 and the 313 a long time ago and couldn't quite capture the detail you have.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 11, 2014, 02:23:59 PM
No problem! There's nothing to be gained by keeping the files to myself :)

I've also never really got to grips with the liveries system -- I tend to paint separate liveries as different units.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on May 11, 2014, 02:32:40 PM
My ultimate goal would to be to create a pak64.britian (I don't know if my drawing abilities would be able to though, especially on buildings!).

I've modified my post because I wasn't expecting such a fast response but i'll ask again in case you don't see the edit - the images contain what appears to be two separate units, the BR unit and then a generic blue/white or grey/red unit. The BR one is obviously the BR one, is the generic unit a reference guide you used? It's been some time since I've painted anything so i'm going to get to grips with the lay out before diving in too fast!

I'll see if I can crack the liveries system once I've done a few.

Also are there any you would like done as a priority for your own enjoyment?

Finally when I do get to the .dat file, i'm thinking that i'll put down in the credit/creater bit "Created by Carl, livery by kneeon" or words to the effect of. Is that okay? You seem pretty laid back about your sources but credit is still due!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 11, 2014, 02:37:12 PM
Yes, that's right, the generic blue/white parts of the files are just parts of an old template that I never got around to cleaning up. It's probably best to ignore these, or even crop them out if you can be bothered.

As for the dat file, that sounds fine too! I look forward to seeing what you come up with... :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on May 11, 2014, 04:22:55 PM
Funny how an hour or so can yield results already!

Both FCC and NSE versions are done. Compared to say, Mersyrail the NSE graphic isn't exactly hard but it was tricky to draw on the diagonals. Some notes:
FCC 377 has got white trims AROUND the doors compared to on the doors. This is because the doors looked too white but without the small trim (think the orange safety limit around the pantograph in size) the unit felt too bland. Feel free to disagree and i'll look to change it.
The NSE units were complicated. At best, there was three pixles window to floor to fit in four lines (the blue trim around the windows, the white separating part, the red bottom trim and the grey underside). I cut out the white trim because the doors are white as it is. I also am not sure about the shade of blue used.

By happy chance as I tried to find a reference for the 377 I came across this: http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4103/4975023843_9f4c71a5aa_z.jpg

Useful to say the least! Enjoy!

I've just realized I've not finished the trim on one or two of the views of the FCC one!

EDIT2: We've got a fixed FCC377 and an InterCity 222. The 222 is quite hard to modify due to the curves the 222 has on its front. Also, the Intercity colour hides the windows very well. I went with red doors so there IS some definition. If they were in keeping with the standard livery then there would be no definition. I would love just one extra pixel in height - I always forget that on this pak size but i'm happy with the result here.

I've also ditched the front wrapping red stripe, for two reasons. Firstly I think it makes this unit look sleeker and secondly it is victim of pak 64's size. Enjoy!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 12, 2014, 08:30:15 AM
Looking good!

The Class 222 was one of the much harder trains to make, principally because of the nose, but you've done a good job.

The 377s look good. On the FCC one - you might find that using very slightly different colours at the top and bottom of the purple/pink areas will give it a little more of a curved look and less of a straight vertical feel. See some of my other newer source files for comparison. I would say that the blue in the NSE livery could be a little less bright, too.

Keep up the good work! :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on May 12, 2014, 12:12:49 PM
The FCC one I tried to keep it as close to the actual livery which is different from the 319 in the sense it is not a blurred effect but looking at it today with fresh eyes I can see how i'd do that quite easily! Thanks for pointing that out.

Seeing as how NSE stopped being a "thing" when I was just starting to remember my life, I guessed a bit on that one! I will make that darker, its funny how the Railway Blue and the NSE liveries can be distorted colour wise in the photos I look at - when trying to find the RGB value of Railway Blue I read the article which said it is actually darker than images would have you believe. I then put the rgb value in to paint and it looked nothing like either!  Before watching the football, I started the 377 BR livery and used pak128.britian's br blue as inspiration for how to get that colour to look right but the 128 version is a grittier feel (kind of like the difference in the colours of GTA IV and GTA V).

Hopefully in the next hour or two I will modify this post and the last one with the tweaked 377 units and the new 377, and maybe one or two newer ones.

As a side note, I have to applaud your EMT 222 drawing. It is very detailed!

EDIT: As promised, a fixed NSE and FCC livery and a BR livery for the 377. Looking now at the NSE 377 I see I need to do a bit more work to make it look more curved. Staring at the same few pixels trying to make them blend means they all start to blur!

EDIT2: Bonus - 377 Regional Railways livery. Wasn't expecting it to be so quick to finish off. I think the side views despite having more pixels are hardest on the 377 because of the requirement that it looks really curved at the bottom.

EDIT3: 142 in NSE. However, quick question for you Carl - the 395 - is it a modified 222? It's also very very grainy - how did you draw that? I'm struggling to keep the definition as I try to draw it in IC colours. Edit3.5 I've included the WIP IC 395 (I like acronyms!). I'm not sure what is unit and what is livery at the front and back. I'm not sure how defined it is, nor what the true width of the doors are.

EDIT4: Class 450 in NSE too. On a roll today. I've noticed that some units have more graphics than others - any reason or is that just a hang over from using the template. I've opted for a grey roof but would like a second opinion regarding this!

That will be all for today - please critique.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on May 12, 2014, 09:52:21 PM
As a person who has played both GTA IV and GTA V, yes, the colors are WAY different between both of them!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on May 13, 2014, 01:03:45 PM
It's a new day, and a new liveried train! Staying down south for the time being, the next unit is a fantasy livery - London Overground is constantly expanding its operations and rumour has it, LO will take over First Capital Connects Morgate - Welwyn (Hertford Loop) services, which are run by 313's.

That will come later though.

I've got a 455 in LO livery for now, the lines out of Waterloo to Epsom Downs or around the Kingston Loop or where ever else the 455's run to one day might be a new addition for London Overground! Enjoy. This is definitely the easiest livery to draw. I've adjusted for the lack of dark green trim around the windows by adding extra pixles (in the same pattern and colour) to give it a bit of thickness.

AAAAAAAAnd theres now the 313 in LO livery. Currently fantasy but as said - it might not be for long!

Also, have a 180 in Intercity Livery. Even better. Have a 180 Intercity Livery which is fixed AND in NSE livery. Which i'm pretty darn proud of.

I love this job!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Taurus on May 13, 2014, 05:10:36 PM
Sort of OT but still.
What data (power, capacity, etc) are you using and would it be possible to adapt the same values between our (Britain Addon and this)?
Nice trains btw.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on May 13, 2014, 05:19:23 PM
I think Carl used either data which can be found on sites such as Wikipedia OR they were gently tweaked to fit his timetabling requirements for the main save.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 14, 2014, 07:17:18 AM
For the most part, that data is either copied from pak128.britain-ex, or from sites such as this:
www.railway-centre.com/traction-recognition.html

Wikipedia is very spotty for this kind of information.

There are only a couple of cases where I've had to tweak stats to make trains able to keep the timetable -- Voyager CrossCountry routes, notably.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on May 15, 2014, 07:36:55 PM
That is remarkable - by using the speed limits of both traction and track you've managed to replicate the entire NR network. (nearly)

A testament to both your work and the work that the Experimental team have put in to the fork. I don't think I've played standard in a few years apart from to try new features before they get merged in to simutrans exp.

When are we due for another update?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on May 16, 2014, 12:04:16 AM
Quote from: KneeOn on May 15, 2014, 07:36:55 PM
That is remarkable - by using the speed limits of both traction and track you've managed to replicate the entire NR network. (nearly)

A testament to both your work and the work that the Experimental team have put in to the fork. I don't think I've played standard in a few years apart from to try new features before they get merged in to simutrans exp.

When are we due for another update?

There is quite a lot of work ahead before I can release another update, and that is being delayed indefinitely due to the ongoing desync problems that will need to be fixed before work can recommence in earnest on new features.It is hard to predict a time, I am afraid, as there are too many unrpredictable aspects involved.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 16, 2014, 07:30:24 AM
And as for the GB map (I'm not sure which you were asking about) --

Last weekend I spent some time laying the tracks for the Scottish central belt. Hopefully I'll make some more progress this weekend. I hope to make another video or two soon, as well -- Manchester to London and Leeds to London are next in line.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on May 16, 2014, 03:17:30 PM
I was asking specifically about your map, but hearing James tell us about the next exp release is also good to hear too.

In one of your videos you mentioned a train took an interesting route in or out of a station (I think Nottingham?) any idea why this is the case? It bugs me to see my stations have a weird track layout, especially when you've got fast and slow lines joining at the junction just out side of a station and even more frustrating if it is on a through station!

OT: I've just realized that your avatar is Mr Turnip Head - that is one confusing film.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on May 16, 2014, 05:09:33 PM
Along with fitting intensive services across Glasgow I'd be interested to see how the timings work out on the highland lines with long single track sections and infrequent services.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on May 16, 2014, 06:55:02 PM
Quote from: kierongreen on May 16, 2014, 05:09:33 PM
Along with fitting intensive services across Glasgow I'd be interested to see how the timings work out on the highland lines with long single track sections and infrequent services.

I'd imagine the WTT times for longer dwell times at some signals or stations than is actually used in real life to allow a buffer. It'd be sort of like what happens at Blackfriers on a normal day, where trains arrive up to two minutes before they are due to depart southbound or like what happens to some services at Croydon on a Sunday where specific Bedford-Brighton services are timed to arrive five minutes before departure to allow for any congestion during the Thameslink Programme engineering works. At least, that's my theory. I don't know the WTT for Scotrail.

Carl, a useful source if you need it would be realtimetrains.co.uk - you'd be able to see more specific arrival times according to the WTT compared to a TOCs timetable.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 16, 2014, 09:42:09 PM
Indeed, I use realtimetrains quite frequently -- it's a very useful resource.

As for the infrequent services on the Highland lines -- these will indeed be interesting. The closest equivalent elsewhere that I've already done is the Heart of Wales line, which receives only about four services per day and has lots of single-line running. I bumped this up to one every three hours for the sake of regularity, but I did have to add one extra passing loop in order to make a regular 3-hourly timetable work. Just one, though, which isn't too bad :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on May 16, 2014, 09:55:57 PM
Well, Oban is just doubling from 3 to 6 services a day (plus one extra which only travels 1/3 the length) which works out around one every 2 hours, ish. Fort William is 4 a day (one of which is the sleeper to Euston via Edinburgh...). Fort William/Mallaig has several services a day, in summer 1 or 2 are steam hauled (the only other timetabled steam on national rail is North York Moors services to Whitby). Thurso/Wick and Kyle is a bit of a nightmare - I think there's 3 or 4 going all the way to each but various numbers that travel some distance up the line.

Oh, and Inverness-Aberdeen has an almost entirely random timetable - spacing varying between 30 minutes and 2 hours with various trains not travelling the full route (you might want to add the improvements currently suggested which would allow an hourly clockface timetable!)...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 16, 2014, 09:59:11 PM
Yes, I think I'll have to do that with Inverness to Aberdeen -- inexplicable variation in timetables is very difficult to implement in Simutrans! :)



Quote from: KneeOn on May 16, 2014, 03:17:30 PM
In one of your videos you mentioned a train took an interesting route in or out of a station (I think Nottingham?) any idea why this is the case? It bugs me to see my stations have a weird track layout, especially when you've got fast and slow lines joining at the junction just out side of a station and even more frustrating if it is on a through station!


In this case it was because I hadn't built the junction properly - there was no through route from Platform 1 (the northern-most platform) to the Westbound Beeston line, so the train had to make a couple of 90 degree turns in order to get there.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on May 17, 2014, 12:18:48 PM
Quote from: Carl on May 16, 2014, 09:59:11 PM
Yes, I think I'll have to do that with Inverness to Aberdeen -- inexplicable variation in timetables is very difficult to implement in Simutrans! :)




In this case it was because I hadn't built the junction properly - there was no through route from Platform 1 (the northern-most platform) to the Westbound Beeston line, so the train had to make a couple of 90 degree turns in order to get there.

Hmm. On most of my maps, I have four tracks which comprise one fast up and down and slow up and down leading in to a shared set of platforms using choose signals. The lay out is similar to most fast/slow line configuration in the UK - up, down (fast) up, down (slow) like that (instead of up (F) up (S) down (F) down (S)). Often it leads to a "sink" style junction where these lines have their choose signals next to each other. Now to minimise track space usually two platforms share one line out, splitting at the platform edge (again, typical of most track layouts I can think of in the UK - at least on my route!).

Fairly simple, the junction is 3x3, with the fast and slow lines crossing at the junction in to the shared platform roads. Despite this, they sometimes take really odd patterns. Fast services for example sometimes go to the bottom of the junction, then cut up and go back down to side platforms instead of just crossing over which would be faster. There is no difference in track speeds on these approaches from fast to slow. I solved it on most stations by having split platforms with tracks which don't meet splitting fast and slow services which doesn't impact too much on the amount on convoys I can route through however it does mean if the fast platform aren't very busy but the slow are (the main termini for slow trains tends not to be its waiting point) then I am unable to use the fast platforms as relief without the junction messing up.
           X====|
         X=====|
=X=X======|
    X=======|
=X=X======|
        X=====|
          X====|

That's the basic track layout, where one line is one track. Yet trains will go to the second X from the entry then cut back to the middle points, then down again in to a platform.

Any ideas?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: greenling on May 18, 2014, 04:07:58 PM
Heelo Kneeon
The Photos from The Vehicles are cool. You have there make a good Job. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on May 19, 2014, 09:23:36 PM
Quote from: greenling on May 18, 2014, 04:07:58 PM
Heelo Kneeon
The Photos from The Vehicles are cool. You have there make a good Job. :thumbsup:


Thank you very much, Greenling :)
Title: [Scottish shots] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 31, 2014, 06:44:23 PM
Some concerted effort today has led to the building of Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as all of the mainline services to England from the central belt. Here's how it looks. (All of the surrounding towns are still to be added.)

(http://i.imgur.com/dfhBmUH.png)

The East Coast and CrossCountry services are not perfectly regular across the day in terms of destinations. They are simulated here as follows:

XC:
Glasgow to Penzance, once per two hours
Edinburgh to Plymouth, once per two hours

EC:
Edinburgh to King's cross, two per hour

Since the Glasgow to Penzance journey is 12 hours, there are only one or two of these on the real timetable. But since time runs on a loop in this Simutrans universe, that end-to-end service runs constantly.

I'm aware that there are some hours when Edinburgh doesn't have two services to London (sometimes the second service terminates at Newcastle). And when it does, they are often extended beyond Edinburgh to Aberdeen or Inverness. But the Aberdeen/Inverness services  aren't regular enough for me to put on this map, so I compromised at a half-hourly EDI-KGX route.

The TPE and Virgin services run as timetabled.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on May 31, 2014, 07:57:20 PM
Intriguing!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 06, 2014, 08:56:11 PM
It turns out that timetables in Northern Rail-land changed quite a bit in May, partly to make room for the extra Transpennine service from Newcastle to Liverpool via Manchester Victoria. I've been spending some time making the required alterations, which has been a bit of a headache, but it should be done shortly. Once it is, I'll upload an updated savegame.
Title: [new savegame] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 07, 2014, 02:09:46 PM
After no small amount of troubleshooting, the re-timetabling in the north of England is done. Here's the savegame and pak folder:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/GB-jun14.rar

I think I've ironed out all the issues; let me know if you find anything problematic.

Here's a screenshot of central Manchester complete with an inset minimap extending to Leeds and Sheffield:

(http://i.imgur.com/Ap2FLi2.png)
Click here for fullsize (http://i.imgur.com/Ap2FLi2.png)

Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Randy007 on June 07, 2014, 04:16:36 PM
Hi Carl,Hi @All,

I enjoy your threats and videos vry much! But now, I can't load your map anymore!? I got an error. My notebook has 3GB of memory. Have i reached the limits?


Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on June 07, 2014, 04:22:54 PM
Which version of Simutrans-Experimental are you using?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Randy007 on June 07, 2014, 04:30:31 PM
Hi James,

Version 112.3.11.33. I had no trouble with this version, the privious pak and the UK2013-8-11.sve

and thx for reply


Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: TurfIt on June 07, 2014, 04:42:33 PM
You must use a 32-bit build, and if on Windows, it must be configured large address aware. Note the simutrans-experimental-laa.exe provided by James (as of 11.33) doesn't have this set correctly.

64-bit requires 3.5GB, 32-bit MSVC (Windows) 2.1GB, and 32-bit GCC (Linux/MinGW) 1.8GB to run this savegame.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on June 07, 2014, 05:06:54 PM
Ahh, I have realised that I had not correctly configured my large address aware builds - my apologies. This will be corrected in the next version.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Randy007 on June 07, 2014, 05:19:32 PM
I use W7 Home Premium 64Bit, "Simutrans-Experimental.exe" I think thats the 32Bit-Version. Until this sve, i never had problems with the biggest maps as long as the paks are OK. I can loggin the Brunel-Server and all convoys running smoothly. And this map is also huge. So i am a little frustrated  :-[
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on June 07, 2014, 05:52:51 PM
You could always run the 64-bit version, which should work.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 07, 2014, 06:04:34 PM
If that doesn't work, try this:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/Simutrans-Experimental%2011.24.rar

(The standard release modified with a third-party tool)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Randy007 on June 07, 2014, 08:04:56 PM
Thx Carl, that works. The 64-Version gets an error that the MSVC110 is missing but there are installed!? Just for information: I follow the train 1966 - London KGX. After a while train 1970 and 1257 give the message "Station to short"(German). CPU(2,1 GHz) runs betwen 50 and 70% with peeks to 90%. Memory is justed with 2,7 GB. Picturerate is betwen 7 and 20 fps, Simloops 4-6
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: cousjath on June 07, 2014, 09:47:56 PM
I am getting a lot of no route messages when I try loading your gaming for very long. Within 5 minutes of in-game time convoy 1966 departing Edinburgh Waverley for Alnmouth, convoy 1703 departing Kings Cross for Edinburgh and convoy 2026 from Euston to Warrington Bank Quay all have no route errors. If I play longer more no route errors start appearing. Is it something in my config file? I have set:

max_route_steps = 1000000
max_hops = 4000
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on June 07, 2014, 09:53:00 PM
The config settings should be saved with the game, but I am seeing no route indications, too.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 07, 2014, 10:32:33 PM
As for the Station Too Short error -- Durham's northbound platform is indeed too short for East Coast trains -- I keep meaning to get around to fixing that!


Edit: the no route bug is fixed in 11.34 (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=13712.msg136172;topicseen#msg136172), and the LAA build also seems to work fine with this save. Thanks James!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 09, 2014, 09:51:19 PM
A new video is in the pipeline and is just awaiting audio before it's ready to go.

I tell you this so you can shout at me if I don't get around to finishing it soon... :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on June 09, 2014, 09:56:38 PM
Noted.
Title: [new video: East Coast Main Line South - GB in Simutrans episode 19]
Post by: Carl on June 10, 2014, 06:39:13 PM
Well, as it turns out, posting that sort of IOU was just the motivation I needed to get the video finished. Here it is!

East Coast Main Line South: from London King's Cross to Leeds


We first take a slow train to Peterborough, before joining a fast service to Leeds. I talk a bit about the current progress of the map, and what comes next....

Here's a nice shot from the video, of four trains passing at Knebworth:

(http://i.imgur.com/Jhs5G6W.png)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Simidoodler on June 10, 2014, 07:05:59 PM
Hi Carl,
I wanted to ask why you use simutrans-Experimental, why not simutrans or OpenTTD?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 10, 2014, 07:40:10 PM
The short answer is that it allows for accurate simulation with the least effort. I think some people have done timetabling etc with OpenTTD, but it always looked pretty impenetrable to me. I've gradually mastered the ways of Simutrans Experimental over a number of years and learnt how to push it to its limit.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on June 10, 2014, 10:43:37 PM
Bravo!  I look forward to your updates.  Well done as always!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on June 10, 2014, 11:00:18 PM
With my pedant hat on I would point out that the platform layout at Hatfield (Hertfordshire) isn't entirely accurate. You portray the station as having side platforms on each of the two slow lines. There is indeed a side platform on the slow line traveling toward London, however there's actually an island platform facing both the fast and slow lines traveling away from London (see http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Hatfield_railway_station.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Hatfield_railway_station.jpg))... Not that the fast face is used much.

Ends pedant mode...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 11, 2014, 08:21:05 AM
Well spotted Kieron! You do have an eye for detail. :) I'm sure remember having that layout correct at some point; I don't know why I changed it. I wonder if the platform facing the fast line gets any regular timetabled use? I doubt it, given how tight the ECML timetable is. Perhaps the odd late-night service?

Thanks for the comments all!


Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Junna on June 11, 2014, 09:17:13 PM
Quote from: Carl on June 11, 2014, 08:21:05 AM
Well spotted Kieron! You do have an eye for detail. :) I'm sure remember having that layout correct at some point; I don't know why I changed it. I wonder if the platform facing the fast line gets any regular timetabled use? I doubt it, given how tight the ECML timetable is. Perhaps the odd late-night service?

I think there was some other station that also retains platforms on the fast after reconstructions in the 50's and later 80's (I think some along the Midland mainline also... at least it was in the 1970's). Might just be used by trains rescheduled during track closures/emergencies though.
Title: [Glasgow screenshot] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 14, 2014, 11:33:42 AM
I've finished the local routes around Glasgow - of which there are many! Below is a screenshot of the Glasgow area:

(http://i.imgur.com/CrBV6o3.png)
Click here for fullsize (http://i.imgur.com/CrBV6o3.png)

Glasgow Central (High Level) is 15 platforms, and I decided to put them all above ground since it's much nicer to look at that way. This doesn't cause too much distortion in the Low Level lines.

The lines into Glasgow Central are very busy and took some work to get running smoothly.

Today I'm working on Fife and Edinburgh-Dundee/Perth lines. Then all that remains will be Aberdeen, Inverness, West Highland, and the Far North...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on June 14, 2014, 11:47:50 AM
Gosh. Impressive.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on June 14, 2014, 02:55:12 PM
Nice! Your track layout out to Paisley seems to be out of date - it's a mixture of three and four track now (although I think the extra capacity is only used in peaks or to recover the timetable).

Edit:
Like the grade separated junction at Exhibition Centre and the twisty nature of the Paisley Canal Line. If I've got it right though I think you've drawn Westerton as having 2 platforms and the Queen Street (High Level)-Westerton Line as being 2 track all of the way. I think the junction at Westerton from this line should be single lead, with Westerton station having 5 platforms (one a terminating bay for low level services).
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on June 14, 2014, 03:54:04 PM
Wow.  That is beautiful... must've been a lot of work.  Nicely done.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 14, 2014, 04:16:15 PM
Thanks for the comments!

Yes, I decided not to correct the Paisley line for now when I realised that the middle track isn't used during off peak service.

As for Westerton - as far as I can tell from checking it only has two platforms. Are you thinking of Dalmuir?
(http://i.imgur.com/TcS6N2k.png)

Actually, I notice that my first image doesn't even extend as far northwest as Dalmuir.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on June 14, 2014, 06:52:03 PM
Ah probably!
Title: [new video - Birmingham to Glasgow] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 16, 2014, 05:30:50 PM
You wait months for a video, and two come along (almost) at once! Today we're taking a long journey from the land of Aston Villa to the land of Celtic and Rangers.




West Coast Main Line North: Birmingham to Glasgow


I've added more annotations to this video to label towns, rivers, roads and landmarks. It should give you something to focus on instead of my rambling voice!

This is also episode 20 of the video diary. Hard to believe I've made almost 2.5 hours of the things now. Enthrall your friends, bore your enemies; buy the DVD boxset for Christmas  :)

Here's a screenshot of Carnforth, where the WCML branches with the line to Barrow-in-Furness and the line to Skipton and Leeds:

(http://i.imgur.com/E2WMUCW.png)

The Leeds to Morecambe via Carnforth service is in fact one of only two (that I know of) that I haven't yet added in England. I was unsure how to deal with its very low frequency. I'll solve this at some point!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on June 16, 2014, 06:20:43 PM
Very impressive!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on June 17, 2014, 08:58:24 PM
Nice to see some of the Queen Street services in already too :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 18, 2014, 08:56:41 AM
Turning my sights north to Inverness has meant grappling with the irregular timetables and making some decisions about which services to run. Here's a list of trains running south from Inverness between 0600 and 2000 today, for instance:

(http://i.imgur.com/4ya9NON.png)

The single London service is out, of course -- I don't typically simulate anything that runs only daily. The Glasgow trains are also a little too rare to be useful given the way that Experimental handles waiting times. So I've decided to run only a two-hourly service to south to Edinburgh with nothing to Glasgow. This means that only seven trains would run south over the 14-hour period above, rather than ten, although the number of services to Edinburgh is increased. But given that the bulk of the route from Perth to Inverness involves single-line working, the two-hourly option was really the only way to go since I needed a fixed timetable.

As for the Aberdeen - Inverness route -- as we've previously mentioned, this has a highly irregular timetable. I've standardised the route to run two-hourly at regular intervals. However, because of the locations of the passing places on this mostly-single-line route, this means that the southbound train has to wait for ten minutes at Huntly before proceeding. I assume that the awkward intervals of passing places are the reason that the real-life timetable on this route is so strange.

I've also been giving some thought to Buses and the Isle of Wight, but more of that another time...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on June 18, 2014, 09:58:00 PM
QuoteI assume that the awkward intervals of passing places are the reason that the real-life timetable on this route is so strange.
Indeed - there's times when trains wait for up to 10 minutes on that route (also on West Highland line) in real life.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Junna on June 18, 2014, 11:37:27 PM
Quote from: Carl on June 18, 2014, 08:56:41 AM
I've also been giving some thought to Buses and the Isle of Wight, but more of that another time...

Restore Isle of Wight to its 1945 system!
Title: [Rail network completed!] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 21, 2014, 10:59:21 AM
It is finished!*.

The map with all lines added:
(Click here for the full size version, ~4000x3000px, which shows you all the detail.) (http://i.imgur.com/uD2IeSS.png)

(http://i.imgur.com/uD2IeSS.png)

When I started this project I thought that either it would prove too difficult to simulate the timetables accurately, or I'd run out of processing power before the map was finished. I'm pretty amazed that it's proved possible to simulate the entire British rail network running an accurate timetable. Thanks to the developers and bugfixers for both Standard and Experimental for creating such an amazingly capable simulator. Special thanks to James Petts for his vision in creating and finessing Simutrans Experimental over the past few years, and for being so receptive to bug reports and the like!

* As I've said before, there's still loads I want to do to the map even though the rail network is finished. Here's a list:

1. Add bus routes for major towns not served by the rail network, and other bus routes that provide useful connections that the rail network doesn't (the eagle eyed among you will notice that I've already started this -- the X1 from Peterborough-King's Lynn-Norwich-Lowestoft is running already).
2. Finish updating the graphics for some of the earlier trains in the south of England
3. Add principal boat routes to places that would otherwise be inaccessible, e.g. the Isles of Wight and Man
4. Further visual upgrades, including touching up rivers and tracks where appropriate
5. Add some domestic flights, though probably only for show -- I don't plan to run passenger air routes
6. Add some freight trains. RealTimeTrains has schedules for a good deal of freight trains and I should be able to fit some once-monthly timetables in (again, for show)

Those are in approximate order of priority from highest to lowest. I'm not sure if I'll ever get to airlines or freight. One of these days I really will run out of processing power, and the buses may do that!

There are of course also more videos to come. Leeds to Edinburgh, Scottish Central Belt, Edinburgh to Aberdeen, and West Highland Line are the main routes I still plan to make videos on. Also some specials such as One Hour at Crewe could be interesting.

(In case anyone's curious, the very large map was just made by stitching together smaller portions of it in Gimp.)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on June 21, 2014, 02:59:29 PM
Amazing piece of work!

With regard to processing power, I am still able to accelerate the map to around 40x, so there is still plenty of power left.  The server game that we're playing is over 11,000 convoys on a similar sized map, so you still have a lot of opportunity to add things :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 21, 2014, 03:49:52 PM
Thanks Sarlock! 40x fast forward? Sounds like my CPU is losing touch with the state of the art - I can only manage about 14x. Good to know that the server map is going strong with far more convoys (I'm on about 2,200). What's the population on that map, out of interest?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: rainer on June 21, 2014, 03:54:02 PM
Congratulations!

I am watching this project since its beginning. I have to admit that you readjusted my understanding of "crazy".
Bowing deep, I would like to express my highest respect. What a work! This _is_ art!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on June 21, 2014, 04:47:47 PM
I noticed that you've got the Strathspey and Keith and Dufftown preserved railways on the map - are there services running on those and is that another thing you're planning to add more widely?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sarlock on June 21, 2014, 05:36:48 PM
Server map population is currently around 18 million.
Title: [new savegame] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 22, 2014, 12:38:25 PM
Here's an updated savegame of the completed rail network.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UK-jun14.rar (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UK-jun14.rar)

I've filled in the remaining gaps at Melksham and Baildon. There's only one line still not receiving service, and that's the Long Preston to Carnforth section where the very occasional Leeds to Morecambe trains run. I need to find some capacity at Leeds, which is very busy, to add this as a three-hourly service.

You'll also see the beginnings of the bus network (in Hampshire and Cambridgeshire), and the Isle of Wight with a mixture of trains, boats and key bus routes. Boats are available from Yarmouth to Lymington, Cowes to Southampton and Ryde to Portsmouth.
(http://i.imgur.com/kS6ZLDL.png)

I forgot to mention before how I dealt with the services north of Inverness. This are very infrequent and fairly irregular. I've made these regular as follows:

1 train per 3 hours: Inverness - Dingwall - Kyle of Lochalsh
1 train per 3 hours: Inverness - Dingwall - Invergordon
1 train per 3 hours: Inverness - Dingwall - Invergordon - Wick

The Invergordon and Wick trains share a diagram, so a unit will go Wick>Inverness>Invergordon>Inverness>Wick.

Quote from: kierongreenI noticed that you've got the Strathspey and Keith and Dufftown preserved railways on the map - are there services running on those and is that another thing you're planning to add more widely?
I've mainly added these where (as in the above two cases) they affect the layout of a station. I would like to add heritage railways eventually, but these come at the low end of the list on my previous post, in the category of 'things that would be nice to have to look at' :)

Quote from: rainerI am watching this project since its beginning. I have to admit that you readjusted my understanding of "crazy".
Bowing deep, I would like to express my highest respect. What a work! This _is_ art!
Thanks rainer :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on June 22, 2014, 05:11:12 PM
Very impressive!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on June 23, 2014, 02:49:06 PM
Fantastic - I was thinking about IoW earlier today and if you had done it - i was going to modify the tube stock to suit the current and nse livery for that but you beat me to it!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 23, 2014, 02:57:26 PM
I only did a very quick-and-dirty job with the tube stock to modify it for the IoW, so do feel free to have a go at sprucing it up if you want to! I'll release a new version of the British Trains set very soon -- I've also updated all of the Class 158s to the new model and will do the 156/150s very shortly.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: planestrainscomputer on June 23, 2014, 05:52:55 PM
I keep on getting an Out of memory error message. I have 4gb of ram and have a 2.8Ghz processor. I run on a 32bit system. The versions you modify also give me an error. So annoyed because it always used to work and really enjoyed your work. Surly there must be a way around it.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 23, 2014, 05:58:09 PM
You'll need the Large-Address Aware executable from the latest version: http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=13712.0

I believe James was looking for people to check whether this would work on a 32-bit system, so do report pack and let us know.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: planestrainscomputer on June 23, 2014, 05:59:38 PM
Dont worry I have it :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 23, 2014, 06:00:24 PM
Windows Binaries, and then use the 'Simutrans-Experimental-laa.exe' application.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: planestrainscomputer on June 23, 2014, 06:01:49 PM
Nope it didn't work
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 23, 2014, 06:04:11 PM
Can you post the error here? As I said, James was looking for feedback on this version.
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=13732.0


You could also try this exe that I modified with a third-party tool. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/Simutrans-Experimental-modified.rar
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: planestrainscomputer on June 23, 2014, 06:09:20 PM
I have posted the error but with your version I get the pthreadVCE2.dll is missing error when trying to install.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 23, 2014, 06:10:59 PM
Does it help if you add this dll to your simutrans folder?
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/pthreadVCE2.rar
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: planestrainscomputer on June 23, 2014, 06:13:17 PM
No, a black screen flashes up but then disappears. I also tried running in compatibility mode.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 23, 2014, 06:17:19 PM
Ok - in that case I think we'll have to wait for James to take a look at the bug with the LAA exe. In theory that version is supposed to allow maps like mine to be run on 32-bit systems.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: planestrainscomputer on June 23, 2014, 06:19:03 PM
Ok, thanks for the help though ;)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on June 23, 2014, 07:16:22 PM
Planestrainscomputer - the trouble is, I suspect, that your 32-bit system is terminally limiting the amount of memory available to Simutrans. Your 4Gb of physical memory almost certainly is not being fully used on a 32-bit system, as the 4Gb address space has to deal with things other than physical RAM (such as virtual memory). If you still get the out of memory error message with the -laa version (and you have double checked that you are running the executable with -laa in the name, which is important), then, I am afraid you really actually are out of memory. You could try closing background programs to see whether that helps.

Incidentally, if you, running a 32-bit machine, find that the -laa is stable for you even running Carl's map, then I can make the large address aware flag standard in the next version and discontinue the separate -laa version, which I only added because of reports that I had read about this being unstable on 32-bit systems.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Junna on June 23, 2014, 08:31:20 PM
By the way, there's something off - when I unpause for a while, I get trains stuck near Sheffield, which causes a permanent freezing of the entire system, including the East Coast Mainline at Doncaster, due to waiting trains blocking platforms, and a second service (Hull - Doncaster) getting itself stuck since it uses the same platform upon departure and arrival before entering the holding sidings.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 23, 2014, 08:33:35 PM
At Sheffield? Interesting, I've not seen that one recently. I've seen blocks at Leeds occasionally but not been able to reliably reproduce them. I'll take a look at this and see if I can find the cause. Previously the only blocks at Sheffield have been caused by CrossCountry trains (usually HSTs) missing their timing points. Maybe that's the case again.


Doncaster does tend to go pretty haywire if something's up -- it's possible that the problem begins there.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Junna on June 24, 2014, 10:35:08 AM
It's possible it begins there... things get stuck around Dore & Totley, where the stopping service waits, but a passing service that does not stop there for some reason wants to use the platform track rather than the clear track, which causes it to get stuck there.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 24, 2014, 10:45:35 AM
Interesting. I've never seen an issue originate at Dore before. I don't think either of the fast Stockport-Sheffield services is timetabled to overtake the stopping service at Dore, so if one is catching the stopper up and getting stuck behind it then this probably means that the stopping train missed its timing point, perhaps because of congestion getting out of Manchester Piccadilly. These things can often be hard to track down the initial cause of...

This is all speculation however - I'll take a look later on :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Junna on June 24, 2014, 01:33:15 PM
I notice a block at Leeds the second time. It might be the delay from there caused the subsequent blocks at Dore and Doncaster since they missed the schedule departures.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on June 24, 2014, 03:38:04 PM
So basically, the issues are standard real life operating issues the country faces daily!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 25, 2014, 06:58:05 PM
Ok, I've found the problem. The Manchester to Middlesbrough train (convoy 1800) gets stuck behind a slow service between Huddersfield and Leeds, and missed its spacing slot at Leeds by about 30 seconds. This is fixed in the savegame below:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UKmap-Jun2014.rar

Before uploading the savegame last time I ran the game for six in-game hours to try to spot any issues like this. Funny how these bugs sometimes take a while to appear!

There may well be another such blockage hot on the heels of this one, we'll see :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Junna on June 26, 2014, 08:21:34 PM
Now it seems to jam at Birmingham after a while.

By the way, why does the Bank - Waterloo underground shuttle not operate? I noticed it in the list, but it has no vehicles assigned?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 26, 2014, 09:44:12 PM
I've fixed the issue at Birmingham and also another that came up at Preston. Two more perennial offenders, those. I've also lengthened the platforms at Salisbury to remove that error and added the LUL Waterloo City line - thanks for pointing out that oversight Junna! :)

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UKmap-Jun2014.rar
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Junna on June 29, 2014, 01:09:15 PM
Your Lymington branch is not electrified? As far as I know it is third rail operated.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 29, 2014, 01:55:26 PM
You're right that it should be electrified - but wikipedia suggests that the weekday operation is by Class 158 units:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymington_Branch_Line
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Junna on June 29, 2014, 02:02:57 PM
That's an oddity. They should just bring back the slammers they were running until 2011.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sir_Tramalot on November 08, 2014, 09:50:52 PM
Just to let you know, the link for the pak is down.
(I know it is more than 45 days, but this is important)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 08, 2014, 10:01:28 PM
The most recent one should be up:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UKmap-Jun2014.rar

Though some of the ones in earlier posts might not be.

Enjoy!
Title: [Update] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 01, 2015, 08:58:13 PM
After a quiet few Simutrans months, I've returned to the Great Britain map to make some updates - partly in the light of timetable changes.


Here's the new savegame:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/GBmap-Jan15.rar (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/GBmap-Jan15.rar)



(http://i.imgur.com/qMWPMTN.png)


Timetable changes:
Additionally, I've made cosmetic improvements to much of Kent and Sussex - repainting all the tracks with the 'new' versions I made a year or so ago. Since the South East was the earliest area I made on this map, it had missed out on this up to now. Oh, and the Class 395 and Class 319 trains have been repainted.


There are also a couple of extra bus routes (to Hayling Island, and from Oxford to Aylesbury). From now on most of my work will be in adding bus routes and making cosmetic improvements.


There are also some changes to the Midland Mainline timetable, to reflect the new 125mph running on some sections, which I haven't yet added.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Junna on January 01, 2015, 09:14:54 PM
You could always do a network as of 1951 greatest extent network. Though I suppose that'd be without accurate timetabling. It would be wonderfully dense.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 01, 2015, 11:56:36 PM
Indeed, that would be quite something! Although given the lack of the comparable required information about historical railways, it may be the work of a different lifetime...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on January 01, 2015, 11:59:31 PM
Was 1951 the maximum extent? I thought that a fair bit closed in the 1920s and 1930s. I should have imagined that the maximum extent would have been just before the first world war.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on January 02, 2015, 12:50:30 AM
Earlier railways would be a nightmare to try and simulate as clockface timetables were pretty much non-existent. On the plus side the actual number of trains running might not be much different, as despite there being more route miles, many lines has a much less frequent service than they do now.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on January 02, 2015, 01:09:28 AM
Quote from: kierongreen on January 02, 2015, 12:50:30 AM
Earlier railways would be a nightmare to try and simulate as clockface timetables were pretty much non-existent. On the plus side the actual number of trains running might not be much different, as despite there being more route miles, many lines has a much less frequent service than they do now.

Another problem with earlier railways is likely to be their propensity to change locomotives/carriages/wagons in a train with great regularity, which is much more rare now.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Junna on January 02, 2015, 01:45:40 PM
Well, I haven't seen any complete network maps for anything older than 1951. Are there any?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on January 02, 2015, 01:50:31 PM
I cannot immediately find any online, but there are plenty of books of old RCH atlases, such as this one (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Railway-Clearing-House-Atlas-England/dp/0711027781) from 1904.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 02, 2015, 09:32:01 PM
There's a nice (work-in-progress) historical map here, although I can't speak to its accuracy:
http://www.systemed.net/atlas/
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on January 02, 2015, 09:37:07 PM
Very interesting!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on January 15, 2015, 01:55:52 AM
555, 79236 - broken road
1201, 7828 - broken road
Traffic Jam at York after some time in the latest update
2597, 4244 - broken rails
I will post more errors when I see them!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 15, 2015, 09:13:42 AM
Thanks for spotting these - I'll get them sorted in due course!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on January 15, 2015, 08:34:55 PM
Your welcome!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on January 16, 2015, 06:09:49 AM
Rail line under Glasgow is blocked
Rail line at Haymarket is blocked
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on January 16, 2015, 06:26:39 AM
Preston is blocked up
Manschester "         "
Crewe           "         "
York             "         "
Stafford        "         "


EDIT: Stafford is NOT blocked up, the blockup at Crewe caused it!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on January 16, 2015, 07:04:37 AM
Liverpool
Wakefield
Leeds
Cardiff
Edinburg - No trains can enter from the north side!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 16, 2015, 08:02:12 AM
I'd be surprised if there's more than a couple of route causes there - the East Coast Main Line has caused me problems, though only really at Doncaster (which has knock on effects everywhere). Crewe used to caused trouble in the WCML. I'll check this out later.


For info, how long did you run the map for,and what version are you using?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on January 16, 2015, 08:38:40 AM
A while and the latest version I could find, 11.35
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on January 16, 2015, 08:45:33 AM
Most of London is grid locked
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Combuijs on January 16, 2015, 09:55:55 AM
Quote from: 123abc on January 16, 2015, 08:45:33 AM
Most of London is grid locked

So, looks like an accurate simulation then...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on January 16, 2015, 10:59:51 AM
Quote from: Combuijs on January 16, 2015, 09:55:55 AM
So, looks like an accurate simulation then...
I wouldn't have a clue since I don't live in England but the trains don't even move!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on January 17, 2015, 03:31:36 AM
There is a blockage at Sheffield
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on January 17, 2015, 05:18:46 AM
1344, 1031 wrong rail
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on January 22, 2015, 08:34:42 AM
Any update with what errors I said?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: DrSuperGood on January 23, 2015, 06:45:27 PM
Remember to shutdown all trains in late December and Early January due to bad weather and incompetents!

Last year people leaving London after Christmas were greeted with lovely closed stations and lines despite having booked expensive tickets ages in advance.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on January 31, 2015, 09:49:35 AM
You going to update this?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 05, 2015, 11:19:58 PM
I am, but I've been distracted by other things recently. Sorry for not replying sooner - I only just saw your most recent two posts.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on February 06, 2015, 07:31:30 PM
Ahh, ok
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 19, 2015, 11:19:32 PM
I ran the game for a fairly long time and came across problems only at Cardiff and Carlisle. These are both fixed in this version:


https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/uk2015.rar


I also had a problem in Gloucester which I believe was a consequence of the Cardiff block. Let me know if you find Gloucester playing up again. It's likely that the Gloucester issue could have had wide-ranging effects since it's near the CrossCountry route. Any problem there will eventually infect Birmingham New Street, and once that falls, the realm falls.


If you find further problems, it's useful to track them down as close to source as possible - even to the exact train which initially gets stuck. This makes it simpler to fix problems.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on February 20, 2015, 10:19:45 PM
Ok, thanks, I try to but sometimes I can't tell!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on February 22, 2015, 07:39:28 PM
Ok, Edinburgh is blocked again but I think it's train ID 2074 blocking it all up! And I think it's also 2069 and 2060 blocking each other!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 22, 2015, 07:43:15 PM
Thanks - I'll check that out and see what I find. I don't think I've ever seen a problem at Edinburgh before so I'm intrigued to see what this could be! :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on February 23, 2015, 12:32:58 AM
Ok, thanks!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 13, 2015, 07:23:22 PM
I wasn't able to reproduce a problem at Edinburgh (although you weren't the only one to report it, 123abc), but I did find a problematic timing point on the two-hourly westbound XC (Glasgow) service, so I've removed that. Also I noticed that the same service was travelling to Glasgow via Shotts instead of via Carstairs, so I rectified that too. Finally, I squashed a blockage at Carlisle.


New savegame download link: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/uk2015-2.rar


Let me know if there's still trouble north of the border.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on April 13, 2015, 10:52:28 PM
Ok, I will
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Matty on April 15, 2015, 06:07:32 PM
Hi Carl
Love your video's, however the pak file is not applicable now, is there any way you could re-upload it
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 16, 2015, 04:47:41 PM
Hi Matty,

The download link in my last post should have a pak folder in addition to the savegame. Let me know if that throws up any errors. Note that you'll need Simutrans Experimental for it to work.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on May 30, 2015, 03:14:48 PM
hi, I have  branched off from your map and created my own services,
i was wondering if you could maybe make one or two re-skins and maybe some freight trains and loco hauled passenger trains
could you maybe do a class 37 in  DRS livery and a class 66 in DB/EWS livery, you you also make some network rail carriages to go with the 37 on test trains.
for passenger trains could you make a class 67 with mk3 coaches with a DVT in Arriva train wales livery also maybe some DRS coaches (Cumbrian Coast Line)
also while im at it can we maybe have some freight wagons

thanks for reading and i hope you do decide to make these
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 30, 2015, 06:49:55 PM
Hi lewis, thanks for your post - interested to hear about your branch! I'll certainly add those to my to-do list, though I can't promise when exactly I'll get them done!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on May 31, 2015, 08:10:12 AM
Thanks
all ive done is added my own services to the map mainly ones you cant really simulate and added them to my own timetable,
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on June 09, 2015, 07:48:43 AM
Carl, forgive my impatience but where are you at with your London scale set? I am quite excited to give it a try!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 12, 2015, 10:18:00 PM
You mean the one-carriage-per-tile ones? No progress on those for some time, I'm afraid. I got up to the 377 and little further, I think. Whatever's there should be in the downloadable folder above.

What little Simutrans time I've had this year so far has been spent on Balkans and another project that I haven't shared here yet.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on August 04, 2015, 02:07:12 PM
I meant with the actual map creation :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 06, 2015, 09:36:26 PM
Progress is as per this map: (link to full size (http://i.imgur.com/lRtpBzO.png))

(http://i.imgur.com/lRtpBzO.png)

The map is bigger - goes as far south as Gatwick and as far west as Slough. Not all lines shown are in operation. The following trains are running:

Cannon Street to Hayes
London Bridge to Beckenham Jct, Caterham, Tattenham Corner, Victoria, West Croydon
Liverpool Street to Enfield Town, Cheshunt, Chingford, Shenfield (still in Greater Anglia livery/timetable?), Hertford East
Stratford to Bishop's Stortford
Victoria to East Grinstead, Epsom/Sutton/etc
All DLR Lines
All Overground lines via East London Line
Underground: Central, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Victoria

Progress is slow - I spend a weekend on this every few months.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Taurus on August 07, 2015, 06:36:05 PM
Looks really nice, but why not in pak192.comic? We have almost all of the central London trains  ;)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 07, 2015, 07:48:36 PM
And excellent they look too! :) It's a personal preference that I prefer working in 64-pixel paksets, even though they aren't quite as pretty.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on August 08, 2015, 07:59:00 PM
Freight trains :(  ;)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 10, 2015, 09:14:46 AM
Freight trains! Yes... soon™ :D
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on August 10, 2015, 02:06:34 PM
If that is Windmill Junction I can see at the bottom, kudos! That's a pig of a junction!

Will some landmarks be drawn specifically for the map?

I got a new laptop recently which can actually run the GB map in all its glory without lagging. It makes you realise that even with following the sectional appendix just how crowded the lines are in London and in other major cities. I know that's a limitation of simutrans as much as the geography of the network but still - Finsbury Park for example is very crowded and has the down Moorgate dive under as a fly over instead. I really look forward to trying this one out and seeing it in the flesh.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 10, 2015, 02:44:29 PM
Yes, there's a lot of compromise around London in that map! Some of it could probably have been avoided with a bit of lateral thinking - that Moorgate dive under is probably an example. I was building Willesden Junction on the new map the other day and realised just how much I had to simplify it before!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Taurus on August 10, 2015, 03:23:27 PM
I remember that as well. Had to edit it a bit to get Freight trains from Willesden JN Low - Level to the WCML slow lines.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on August 17, 2015, 07:35:45 AM
Freight Trains :D
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on September 03, 2015, 08:28:02 PM
maybe one day heritage railways now that will be a first
Title: [London update] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 24, 2016, 10:47:24 AM
A progress update on the London map, which I've been working on recently. (The wider UK one is mostly a finished project now since it can't keep pace with all the timetable and livery changes anyway.)

Download with pak folder and savegame: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/london.rar (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/london.rar)

First, an image of Windmill Bridge Junction & Selhurst, north of East Croydon station. I've added some decoration around here for effect. Given the massive scale of this map, it's not really practical to add all built up areas. Instead there are placeholder cities next to each station to generate traffic. This is the main disadvantage of large maps - making it look nice would be a full time job. I travel over this junction every day, though, so it's a bit easier to find the motivation to work on it  :)
(http://imgur.com/K9Da4GT.jpg)

Second, an updated minimap showing progress. Recently added lines include Southeastern metro services from Victoria, the Jubilee line (including around six different permutations of line required to meet the working timetable!), Brighton main line services, and Thameslink.
(http://imgur.com/4RGjiPm.jpg)

Trains which would usually go further than the map boundaries have a dummy terminating station at the very edge of the map. This allows for simulation of traffic coming from outside the London area.
Title: [London update] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 06, 2016, 11:19:00 AM
Noticed that this topic has passed 100,000 views - wow. Thanks for your interest in this over the years!

It's only a couple of weeks since my last London update but a lot of progress has been made. Here's a gif of services at Clapham Junction. Everything's there except Gatwick Expresses and the hourly Southern WLL route.

(http://i.imgur.com/YtDvDB4.gif)

You can download the savefile here (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/london.rar). You'll also find a completed Southeastern network and an almost complete South West Trains network. Southern is done except for the Gatwick Expresses.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on February 14, 2016, 05:01:24 PM
Looks very good, just wondering if you may be able to update all the livery's on your original map or for my personal project a east coast (grey) hst
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 14, 2016, 07:00:34 PM
I'm not likely to update *all* of the ones on the old map, but I will be updating the HSTs for the London map so I can do the old version at the same time. Is it the old East Coast grey livery you wanted or the new red & grey Virgin one?

Can't promise a timescale on this!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on February 14, 2016, 07:32:10 PM
The old to go with the 91s  ;D please
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: LocatedElephant on February 25, 2016, 05:30:15 PM
Hey, I'm trying to run this(The full UK map), but every time I select the pak file in the OP it throws the error

FATAL ERROR: tunnel_reader_t::read_node() - Illegal version 16644

Any ideas how I can go about solving this?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on February 26, 2016, 06:36:33 PM
Are you using experimental
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: LocatedElephant on February 26, 2016, 10:11:12 PM
Quote from: Lewis on February 26, 2016, 06:36:33 PM
Are you using experimental

I was running version 120.1.3 I believe. Do you have a download link to a version that will work?

Thanks!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 26, 2016, 11:01:09 PM
Try here:
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=13772.0
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: LocatedElephant on February 27, 2016, 05:17:44 PM
Quote from: Carl on February 26, 2016, 11:01:09 PM
Try here:
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=13772.0

Thanks! That worked. Nice network, been wanting to explore it for a while.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sirdagen on April 27, 2016, 06:06:34 PM
Hi Carl!
I found your videos yesterday and spent the whole evening looking them through. Lovely, and now I'm thinking of downloading both Simutrans and your savefile.
What do I need to do to make it work?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 27, 2016, 10:11:45 PM
First thing to do would be to download Simutrans Experimental:
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=13772.0

Then put the save file in Documents/Simutrans/Save. The pak.ngb folder will need to go in your Simutrans executable directory.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sirdagen on April 28, 2016, 03:04:12 PM
Do I need a specific version or just any?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 28, 2016, 06:59:01 PM
It has to be Simutrans Experimental (rather than Standard), and the thread I linked to has the most recent version.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sirdagen on April 28, 2016, 08:32:32 PM
Right! I think I've got it. Thanks for your help :D
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sirdagen on May 01, 2016, 06:04:36 PM
So I managed to install it and I've been running the savefile for a while, and it's fascinating. However I did actually managed to come across a blockage in Sheffield. The southern entrance to the station was completely clogged up and it seemed that it was the Mars 2004 train from London St Pancras that caused it.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 02, 2016, 03:30:29 PM
Glad you found it fascinating! Thanks for the report, I'll check it out soon.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Taurus on May 03, 2016, 11:30:44 AM
In the version I have there is also a blockade at the ECML exit of Edinburgh. Also, have you considered adding freight? Or new lines such as the Borders Railway? Thanks a lot though for letting me use your map to rebuild it in pak192.comic.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on May 03, 2016, 06:11:44 PM
The full GB map is mostly a finished project now, and is available 'as is'. Carl didn't add freight because his computer could only just about manage the passenger services, and freight would kill the CPU. If you can get the information for the Borders Railway, and the timetables, then you can add it. Also, do you have a link for pak.192 experimental. Carl was working on a London map, but i'm not sure he still is. His little time has been concentrated on the Balkans and S.E. Europe map.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Taurus on May 04, 2016, 06:57:59 AM
I am building it in Standart Simutrans and the pakset is pretty much just the standart full height one with the british addons.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on May 05, 2016, 09:47:42 AM
Quote from: Sirdagen on May 01, 2016, 06:04:36 PM
So I managed to install it and I've been running the savefile for a while, and it's fascinating. However I did actually managed to come across a blockage in Sheffield. The southern entrance to the station was completely clogged up and it seemed that it was the Mars 2004 train from London St Pancras that caused it.
I think I found that one as well
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 07, 2016, 02:33:27 PM
I remember last time I checked this out I couldn't reproduce the Edinburgh problem, but I'll try again.

This map is pretty much a finished entity as NoMorePacers said. I tend to binge on Simutrans for a couple of weeks every 3 months or so, with either London, Balkans or USA NE maps receiving the attention.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on May 07, 2016, 03:07:17 PM
And my HST?  ;)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 07, 2016, 03:53:55 PM
I have a short memory and haven't touched the London map since I posted that, but I will get around to it :D
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on May 07, 2016, 05:35:20 PM
Does the London map get built when you have done the rolling stock one carridge-per-tile?
Also, how do you make the trains?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 08, 2016, 09:07:27 AM
Edit 2: Found and fixed a blockage at Leeds on the full UK map. No link yet as Manchester has its own problems...

The Leeds issue was caused by using a mixture of HSTs and Voyagers on the CrossCountry route. The HSTs can only just keep the timetable, and on one occasion a HST was missing its departure time and waiting for two hours at Leeds, causing chaos. I've solved this by bumping up the XC HST power output a bit (a fudge, for sure), which should make its timekeeping less marginal. This might have consequences elsewhere but I'm hoping not. Let me know if you find anything else.

NoMorePacers: I draw the one-carriage-per-tile trains as required - when I start to build a line that needs particular rolling stock, that's when I'll draw it.

I'm making these ones by adapting the sprites I made for the big UK map (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11781.0). As for how I got started in the first place - I looked at existing source files to see how people approached drawing trains, and gradually adapted this into my own drawings. It takes a while to get used to making things look realistic and when I look back over my maps, I can certainly see how I've improved on my initial poor attempts! :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Sirdagen on May 08, 2016, 04:14:09 PM
Did you find the Sheffield blockage?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on May 08, 2016, 05:12:11 PM
I haven't, but the 400% waiting times have caused jams. The key suspects for me are the through platforms at Manchester Piccadilly, and Portsmouth Harbour. At Piccadilly, it's usually the ATW services at the Mayfield Loop, where a train waiting for a loop slot is waiting for another train to exit the loop, which on one point, caused delays going as far back as Marsden. Portsmouth Harbour is due to the fact that it only has three platforms (I think it has 4 or 5, but those extra 1or 2 platforms are probably only used at peak times), and two trains are scheduled to be at the same platform at the same time. This caused backups as far as Basingstoke and Guildford. But it's a very authentic showing of real life, delays and all!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 08, 2016, 05:25:36 PM
Yes, blockages are almost always caused by the wait-for-400%-load instruction, which is necessary to timetable a route. Thanks for the tips on where to look.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on May 08, 2016, 06:53:05 PM
Imagine doing a map where the Beeching II cuts happened.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 10, 2016, 07:43:13 PM
New savegame:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UK2016.rar (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UK2016.rar)

I've run the game for 20 in-game hours and not experienced any new blockages. This hopefully means that problems at Portsmouth, Sheffield, Manchester and Edinburgh were by-products of problems that are now fixed.

If you do find a new blockage, some useful information to help me track it down is as follows. Don't worry if you can't be bothered - this is just for the keen :)
These last two questions help to detect whether you've found the source of the blockage or just a downstream effect. If you find a blockage and have the inclination, you can load up the file again and see if you can spot the first train to cause a problem - that's what I need to track down in order to fix it.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 13, 2016, 03:35:43 PM
Quote from: Lewis on May 07, 2016, 03:07:17 PM
And my HST?  ;)

Lewis - here's the East Coast HST in the grey livery, as requested! There's a dat, png and a pak compiled with the Experimental makeobj. Sorry it took so long!
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/hstec.rar
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on May 15, 2016, 12:34:04 PM
 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Thank's, Today I dont think im going out, Simutrans all day!!!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: mspljd1990 on July 08, 2016, 11:08:10 PM
This is incredible. You've clearly put a lot of time and effort into it and have a clear attention to detail. I'm actually in awe of how good this is.

I might add some modifications to the savegame I have - no disrespect to you, because you have done a stellar job. Adding the new Virgin East Coast trains, building the new Apperley Bridge and Kirkstall Forge stations, and perhaps adding aircraft to airports - just for eye candy.

Great stuff mate! :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 09, 2016, 09:12:04 AM
Thanks for that! The file is definitely ripe for some additions as it mostly reflects the situation in 2014. There are new liveries all over the place. I did think about adding some eye candy planes but it was something I never got around to doing.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 10, 2016, 06:04:42 PM
In case you're interested, here:
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11781.msg152434#new] (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11781.msg152434#new) is a Northern-liveried 319, for use on the Liverpool-Manchester via Chat Moss, and the newly-electrified Liverpool-Wigan/Preston/Blackpool North (When the wires go up that far).
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: mspljd1990 on July 10, 2016, 09:02:24 PM
Quote from: Carl on July 09, 2016, 09:12:04 AM
Thanks for that! The file is definitely ripe for some additions as it mostly reflects the situation in 2014. There are new liveries all over the place. I did think about adding some eye candy planes but it was something I never got around to doing.

No problem, been enjoying checking out a lot of the routes!

Do you know which aircraft sets would work with pak.ngb?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 11, 2016, 08:44:50 PM
Any pak.64 ones should work.

NoMorePacers - I had seen those - nice work. I probably won't update the whole map with new stuff because lots of liveries and timetables are changing all the time. It's quite a burden to keep updating that. More likely that I would repeat the project (or something like it) in a few years time with better hardware, updated versions of Simutrans, etc.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 15, 2016, 06:26:43 PM
That will represent a whole new challenge, especially with 12.0 of Experimental, which could possibly be out by then. You'll have to think about signal boxes as well, which will be a whole new challenge.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 15, 2016, 06:30:23 PM
Yes. I'm not really looking forward to that. Still, it won't be anytime soon. With other projects on the go and real life taking up almost all of my time, it'll be some time before I get around to it!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on July 15, 2016, 07:31:54 PM
The requirement to have signalboxes is pakset dependant in the forthcoming release, so continuing to use this pakset would be possible without them.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 15, 2016, 07:48:51 PM
Thanks for the info James. I haven't looked into what it would entail yet - it may add an interesting new dimension!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Llandudno on July 18, 2016, 07:28:04 PM
Sorry to be a pain, but I've noticed a new block - this time in Portsmouth (I think it's Southsea). When I simulated a game year, one of the trains refused to depart and created a tailback all the way to Petersfield on the PDL (I can'r remember the other queues). Could this be fixed if you're sill working on this?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 18, 2016, 08:10:55 PM
Sure, I will take a look.

That said - I think I've been unable to reproduce some blocks that others have found in the past, including at Portsmouth. If you are able to identify the root cause, and when it occurs, that would be very helpful in fixing it.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on July 23, 2016, 07:46:38 PM
The London lines out of Liverpool Street are taken over by TFL. The line to Shenfield is operated by TFL (Cross)Rail, the other lines towards Chingford, Chesnut via Seven Sisters and Enfield Town are operated by London Overground.
Title: [London Update] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 24, 2016, 08:23:55 AM
Thanks fam621. I'm not updating the full UK map now since things are changing all the time - both liveries and timetables. It's more fun to build new stuff than be constantly updating old stuff. So the UK map reflects the situation from 2014.


I am building a bigger-scale map of London, though, which has more up to date services. I was just coming here to post an updated version of that, so here it is:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/LondonJul16.rar (http://forum.simutrans.com/Thanks%20fam621.%20I'm%20not%20updating%20the%20full%20UK%20map%20now%20since%20things%20are%20changing%20all%20the%20time%20and%20it's%20more%20fun%20to%20build%20new%20stuff%20than%20be%20constantly%20updating%20old%20stuff.%20So%20the%20UK%20map%20reflects%20the%20situation%20from%202014.%20<br%20/><br%20/>I%20am%20building%20a%20bigger-scale%20map%20of%20London,%20though,%20which%20has%20more%20up%20to%20date%20services.%20I%20was%20just%20coming%20here%20to%20post%20an%20updated%20version%20of%20that,%20so%20here%20it%20is:%20https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/LondonJul16.rar)

(http://i.imgur.com/JUY8DFt.png)

Since I last posted about this, I've added the C2C Southend lines, the rest of the Great Eastern Main Line, the Great Northern Lines, and the Piccadilly Line. There are still some gaps and issues to iron out. The Northern Line will be next.

You'll notice that the Shenfield/Chingford/etc lines are still Greater Anglia on here too. That's because I built that part of the map before the lines went over to LO. But I will change those in due course...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on July 24, 2016, 11:16:22 AM
Ok Carl.

There's trains missing, can I have them in a pack please? :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 24, 2016, 12:28:00 PM
Which ones are missing?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 24, 2016, 04:26:39 PM
Ah - yes, you need to use the pak.ngb folder that comes in the archive above (here's the link again): https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/LondonJul16.rar
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on July 24, 2016, 05:07:50 PM
I've got the pak.ngb pack but its just the long trains I need, Carl.

Could it be possible if you can make a new updated GB map using these trains please? :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 24, 2016, 05:23:37 PM
The link above has all the files you need to open the LondonJul16.sve. The pak.ngb folder in there is updated with all the long trains and you'll need to copy it over what you have already.

I'm sticking with the London map for now (alongside my other projects) but I might consider doing the UK again sometime in the future. I wouldn't be able to use the long versions of the trains without hugely increasing the size of the map, though.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 24, 2016, 06:18:04 PM
Sorry to be a pain, but the link seems to be broken.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 24, 2016, 06:23:14 PM
This one? https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/LondonJul16.rar

Seems to work for me
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on July 24, 2016, 06:32:16 PM
Ok, let me know if you are doing a version for pak128.Britain-Ex-0.9.2 please. :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 24, 2016, 06:52:18 PM
Quote from: Carl on July 24, 2016, 06:23:14 PM
This one? https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/LondonJul16.rar

Seems to work for me
Now it does.

To the author directly above me, I recommend you watch Carl's video diaries for the wider UK map from the beginning. It explains why he doesn't use pak128Britain 0.9.2.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on July 24, 2016, 06:55:40 PM
I know that he is not using pak128.Britain..... He said he'll do one in a couple years time.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 24, 2016, 07:29:13 PM
I have two points to make. 1. Carl didn't say for definite that he would be making a new UK map. He said he 'might'. That means he hasn't confirmed the map will even exist yet. So don't start speculating. 2. He didn't say what pakset may be utilised. So there you are, fam621 and the others thinking about posting about this new GB map. I'm not overreacting or being mean, but I'm just saying.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 25, 2016, 11:57:34 AM
The combination of (a) work and real life (b) other hobbies and (c) other Simutrans projects means that recreating the whole UK map is not near the top of my priorities.

I'm happy to provide tips and help to anybody who fancies giving it a go in pak.Britain themselves, though :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 25, 2016, 05:20:13 PM
Carl, I have 2 questions, if I may. Firstly, as I am quite interested in rebuilding the London map in pak128.britain, could you release the map, or is it private? Back in 2012, you released the full UK one, so I was wondering if you could release the London map. Secondly, could you provide the sources (at least, the .png files) of the long trains? I am quite interested in repainting the units into all sorts of different liveries.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 25, 2016, 06:55:47 PM
Of course! Everything you need is in the following link:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/londonsource.rar

Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 26, 2016, 08:50:54 AM
Thank you! With the long trains, I suppose I could paint up some trains for any future additions to your map, so you can concentrate on the map building instead (Yes, I am offering to help with the map by doing the trains. I'm sure that, that way, you could get on a bit quicker with the map. I could also help with the Balkans & SE Europe and the USA N&E maps, if any trains, buses, ships or buildings need doing.). Also, how do you get the tunnels to go up and down? I know it is a questionable question (is that even a phrase?), but I cannot fathom it out.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 26, 2016, 08:55:28 AM
Thanks - feel free to have a go! Some of them should be fairly simple, e.g. Chiltern 165/166 and GWR 165/166 will be based on the already-existing SE 465/466.

If you wanted to try something that would be a great improvement, a new tube train would be the thing to do. I did that in about 5 minutes, 5 years ago, and it's badly in need of change!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 26, 2016, 09:06:31 AM
Something small I did literally did just 2 minutes ago: an updated 378 .dat file, to allow for the 5 car formations the units have been running for the past year or so:
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 26, 2016, 10:13:07 AM
I did the Chiltern 165:
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 26, 2016, 10:38:25 AM
Nice work on the 378. That's one of those things that I hadn't bothered to get around to... mainly because it requires me to replace lots of the trains on the map :)

The Chiltern 165 is looking good. The blue could probably be a tiny bit darker - and I wonder if there's a way to give a faint impression of the red stripe?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 26, 2016, 04:25:07 PM
I updated the 165:
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 26, 2016, 04:55:16 PM
Very nice! I find painting the trains the most tedious part, so this is a godsend :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 26, 2016, 08:33:36 PM
I can do the painting for you, if you just send the models.

I have done the 166:
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on July 28, 2016, 10:26:01 AM
Carl, I want to do the Bakerloo line that terminates at Queen's Park. But its impossible with the amount of tunnels in the way! :(
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on July 28, 2016, 07:25:09 PM
So build the tunnels down.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 28, 2016, 09:50:36 PM
He may be wondering how to do it.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on July 29, 2016, 08:20:29 AM
Erm.... its impossible. :( NoMorePacers can you give us those long trains you made please? It was a mistake when I did that. Corrected it now.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 29, 2016, 09:28:50 PM
On the tunnels - use the "lower land" tool on a tunnel end to make it go down to the next level.

I have just built the Bakerloo Line to QP in the last couple of days. Had an internet outage so got a lot done on the London map. Will post an update soon...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 30, 2016, 01:20:27 PM
Quote from: fam621 on July 29, 2016, 08:20:29 AM
Erm.... its impossible. :( NoMorePacers can you give us those long trains you made please? It was a mistake when I did that. Corrected it now.
I've provided the sources so you just need to compile them. I am unable to do this myself but if you can go ahead.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on July 30, 2016, 10:52:42 PM
I can not compile them sorry.... I've got only landscape tools....
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on July 31, 2016, 11:56:09 AM
Carl, is it okay if you give me the updated map please? The lower land tool does not work.... Sorry. Also I meant the whole map not the London one but still ya know.
Title: [London update] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 31, 2016, 12:24:56 PM
About time for an update anyway since there has been a lot of progress. Here's the link:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/London-Jul16.rar (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/London-Jul16.rar)

You'll need to copy the pak.ngb folder in here over your old version in order to get all the new trains.

(http://imgur.com/Jfe0esD.jpg)
Liverpool Street

(http://imgur.com/esDHfi7.jpg)
King's Cross and St Pancras

What's been added?
At King's Cross and Paddington I have painted all VTEC and GWR trains in their new liveries. I know that's not yet the case in real life, but it saves the map from getting dated so quickly  ☺


I also updated the catenary to remove some visual noise - made it a little less dark.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 31, 2016, 02:23:15 PM
Yes! And you used my 165! (I don't mind at all that you tweaked it, I made it as a base model and you are free to edit it as much as you like) I can do the LM 350's and VT 221's. (repainting the 450 and 222 you have done) Could you provide the sources for the new trains? And did you ever plan on doing a few videos on this? (like the full GB map, but a few videos, not a full series)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 01, 2016, 06:18:44 PM
Sure, here are the updated sources: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/london-longtrains.rar (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/london-longtrains.rar)

I've done the LM 350 but the VT 221 would be very useful, thanks!

I might make a video about the project but probably not a series. The main problem is that - apart from the trains - the map looks pretty bare. Because of the massive scale, it's not practical to build realistic looking cities. It *could* be done, I guess, but it would take a lot of busywork that I'm not sure would be worth it.

QuoteAlso, how do you get the tunnels to go up and down? I know it is a questionable question (is that even a phrase?), but I cannot fathom it out.

Didn't answer this properly before - sorry. You use the lower land tool on a tunnel tile to lower it, as follows:

(http://i.imgur.com/l5j3pFh.png)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 01, 2016, 07:48:22 PM
If you haven't already, I can do a LO 172, as oddly enough the GOBLIN (Gospel Oak to Barking Line) is the only part of the LO network not running in the map yet (bar the Watford DC line, but that is essentially the WCML) and what else exactly needs doing?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 01, 2016, 08:37:26 PM
I was planning to leave the GOBLIN until after it's electrified, given that it's part closed at the moment. But given that I will probably finish the map, soon, I should probably put something in. So the 172 would be really useful!

Apart from that I think I don't think there is much else left.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on August 01, 2016, 09:31:01 PM
You could always put in the rail  replacement 'bus service...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 01, 2016, 09:39:28 PM
True James! My question to Carl is if he can do a class 800 or a class 802 (pak64 version) for the GB map please? :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 01, 2016, 09:41:51 PM
Maybe I will try the rail replacement service :)

I will probably get around to doing the Class 800/802 at some point in the future. The priority for this map is trains that are already in service. In the meantime the Class 395 is quite similar-looking. I should think about doing a Class 700 though, since those are now entering service.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 02, 2016, 04:47:12 PM
Future?!?!?!?!? xD I kind of need it for testing now! :P NoMorePacers, can you do a class 800/802 diesel 5 car unit for me please? :) I may be being sort of lazy but can you complie the class 800 from pak128.Britain to pak64 (pak.ngb) please? How do you make the train a 5 car convoy instead of 6? The .txt file is for Carl.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 02, 2016, 05:01:34 PM
We all had to start somewhere - why not open the Class 395 sources in image editing software (I use GIMP) and try to adapt it yourself? :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 02, 2016, 08:48:49 PM
Quote from: fam621 on August 02, 2016, 04:47:12 PM
Future?!?!?!?!? xD I kind of need it for testing now! :P NoMorePacers, can you do a class 800/802 diesel 5 car unit for me please? :) I may be being sort of lazy but can you complie the class 800 from pak128.Britain to pak64 (pak.ngb) please? How do you make the train a 5 car convoy instead of 6?
To answer your last question, quite simply edit the .dat file. The first question, now pak128.britain uses a 3D model made in Blender which is then edited. pak64 trains are drawn by hand. And, another thing, pak64 uses a 64 pixel graphics face. pak128.britain uses a 128 pixel graphics face, thus making the two completely incompatible with each other.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 03, 2016, 04:52:54 PM
Carl, that .txt file I have on my last post. Can you convert it into a .dat file and draw the class 800 up from the class 395 please?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 03, 2016, 04:59:26 PM
You can make it a dat by changing the file extension in Windows. Check out Method 2 here:
http://www.wikihow.com/Change-a-File-Extension

I suggest trying to create the Class 800 images yourself. The PNG file you need is in the sources download I posted above. Then all you need to do is open it in an image editor and change the colours. It'll be hard at first, but it's a good skill to learn.

Remember that we are all doing this as a hobby, and have limited time, so we will always be focusing on the things that we ourselves are interested in!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 03, 2016, 08:51:05 PM
Like I, for example, do enjoy Simutrans very much and do enjoy playing and designing for it. I do maintain a healthy life outside of Simutrans, last month I was into Microsoft Train Simulator, and I do go outside a lot as well.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 04, 2016, 07:17:34 PM
I see, I see.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on August 09, 2016, 07:43:04 AM
Well as everyone is on about the london map. ive created a class 308 for the old map. its an almost direct reskin of the class 422, with modifications to the front end.


wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_308
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 09, 2016, 01:40:30 PM
Lewis, that is great! But can you do a class 800 for me please? .pak file. :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on August 10, 2016, 05:50:12 PM
Class 800 GWR
Class 185 in new livery
Class 377 in FCC livery
Class 387
Class 43 in VTold
Class 321 in WYPTE
Valley line pak
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 14, 2016, 12:27:40 PM
:D
Edit 1: There's blockages in the Birmingham and Manchester areas.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 14, 2016, 01:46:08 PM
Nice work, lewis!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 16, 2016, 08:30:43 AM
There's blockages in the North-Western and Birmingham area's.

Edit 1: It has severe affect on the whole area, It pops up at a random time.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 16, 2016, 08:33:13 AM
Thanks fam621. I will have another look for blockages, but here's what I said last time on this - those with better CPUs than mine may be in a better position to fast-forward to find these

QuoteIf you do find a new blockage, some useful information to help me track it down is as follows. Don't worry if you can't be bothered - this is just for the keen   :)


  • Where and when (in-game-clock) did you notice it?
    How severe (how many trains blocked) was it when you found it?
    Has it had a knock on effect nearby?

These last two questions help to detect whether you've found the source of the blockage or just a downstream effect. If you find a blockage and have the inclination, you can load up the file again and see if you can spot the first train to cause a problem - that's what I need to track down in order to fix it.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: mspljd1990 on August 18, 2016, 04:45:53 PM
Are there any .pak sets for the Gatwick Express and Grand Central? Also class 350 TPE?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 18, 2016, 06:21:56 PM
The GX 442 should be in the British Trains download here:
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11781 (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11781)

And the new red Class 387s are in the London map, latest download here:
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=7367.msg153251#msg153251 (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=7367.msg153251#msg153251)

But those are large one-coach-per-tile trains.


I don't think I've done Grand Central or TPE 350s.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: mspljd1990 on August 18, 2016, 06:34:47 PM
Quote from: Carl on August 18, 2016, 06:21:56 PM
The GX 442 should be in the British Trains download here:
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11781 (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11781)

And the new red Class 387s are in the London map, latest download here:
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=7367.msg153251#msg153251 (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=7367.msg153251#msg153251)

But those are large one-coach-per-tile trains.


I don't think I've done Grand Central or TPE 350s.

Alright, downloaded, cheers!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on August 18, 2016, 07:36:21 PM
grand central for the british or london map?

QuoteAre there any .pak sets for the Gatwick Express and Grand Central? Also class 350 TPE?

Ive done a Grand Central for the British map
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 18, 2016, 08:16:24 PM
Can I have a updated version of the UK map please. NOT THE LONDON ONE! :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: mspljd1990 on August 18, 2016, 08:20:55 PM
Quote from: Lewis on August 18, 2016, 07:36:21 PM
grand central for the british or london map?

Ive done a Grand Central for the British map

British map, got a link? Also is there a Virgin East Coast for the British map too?




Quote from: fam621 on August 18, 2016, 08:16:24 PM
Can I have a updated version of the UK map please. NOT THE LONDON ONE! :)

I'm wanting to build Apperley Bridge and Kirkstall Forge stations in the savegame, but for some reason it won't let me build new stations on already built track. Carl, I know you're now focussing on the London map, but would it at all be possible for you to update the UK map savegame with these two stations? :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 18, 2016, 08:25:22 PM
The London map has the Virgin Class 91 - not the HST though.

Quote from: fam621 on August 18, 2016, 08:16:24 PM
Can I have a updated version of the UK map please. NOT THE LONDON ONE! ☺

The British map isn't being updated any more, as explained above. The timetables and liveries etc will stay as they are. I'll fix any issues that we can identify with it, though.


QuoteI'm wanting to build Apperley Bridge and Kirkstall Forge stations in the savegame, but for some reason it won't let me build new stations on already built track. Carl, I know you're now focussing on the London map, but would it at all be possible for you to update the UK map savegame with these two stations? :)

You need to change to the "public player" to add stations to those tracks as that's who owns the tracks. Press shift+P to change players and it should let you build the stations.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: mspljd1990 on August 18, 2016, 08:43:04 PM
Quote from: Carl on August 18, 2016, 08:25:22 PM
The London map has the Virgin Class 91 - not the HST though.

The British map isn't being updated any more, as explained above. The timetables and liveries etc will stay as they are. I'll fix any issues that we can identify with it, though.


You need to change to the "public player" to add stations to those tracks as that's who owns the tracks. Press shift+P to change players and it should let you build the stations.

Ah yes, that's done the trick - once again, thanks a lot! :D
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on August 19, 2016, 12:46:20 PM
QuoteBritish map, got a link? Also is there a Virgin East Coast for the British map too?


The Virgin is a W.I.P but here is a Grand Central class 180
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 28, 2016, 12:27:44 PM
Carl, just a reminder, don't forget to swap the Charing Cross and Cannon Street services at London Bridge, because I think the Charing Cross services have started stopping there, and the Cannon Street services are bypassing it now.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 28, 2016, 12:43:27 PM
Thanks for the reminder - I'll check out how those have changed.

I should be able to upload the finished London map pretty soon. I've finished the Metropolitan line and am working on the last corner - the West Coast main line.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 29, 2016, 10:27:32 AM
Quote from: Lewis on August 19, 2016, 12:46:20 PM

The Virgin is a W.I.P but here is a Grand Central class 180
Lewis, can you also do a Virgin Class 800/801, Transpennine Express/GWR Class 802 please. :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 29, 2016, 10:41:15 AM
Quote from: Carl on August 28, 2016, 12:43:27 PM
Thanks for the reminder - I'll check out how those have changed.

I should be able to upload the finished London map pretty soon. I've finished the Metropolitan line and am working on the last corner - the West Coast main line.
What will you be doing after all the lines are finished?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 29, 2016, 06:28:36 PM
Good question! I think filling in proper cities/roads/etc would be too much of an undertaking for this map. I don't think it it would be possible to do a good enough job.

It would be possible in theory to do all the bus lines - but I think that would be too much trouble for relatively little gain.

Any ideas about other ways to develop it?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on August 29, 2016, 06:54:43 PM
QuoteLewis, can you also do a Virgin Class 800/801, Transpennine Express/GWR Class 802 please. :)

I posted the GWR class 802 on August 10, 2016 page 16. the TPE one is just being finished.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 29, 2016, 07:13:39 PM
Quote from: Carl on August 29, 2016, 06:28:36 PM
Good question! I think filling in proper cities/roads/etc would be too much of an undertaking for this map. I don't think it it would be possible to do a good enough job.

It would be possible in theory to do all the bus lines - but I think that would be too much trouble for relatively little gain.

Any ideas about other ways to develop it?
You said a few pages back that you would put freight trains soonTM. Unless you've changed your mind on that. And I saw the New York City map that you did a few years ago. You used attractions shaped as buildings to populate that; but New York is different to London. While New York is nicely split up into three islands so you can do none, one, two, or all three if so desired. London is a different story. Not only have you just got the Thames making a north/south split, London has a much greater geographical area, and as the map covers the surrounding areas, is an extremely large map, making it extremely difficult to populate, unless you used Clapham Junction-sized buildings, which would be extremely unrealistic and effectively undermine the original goal, which was to create the London area as accurately as possible. You could just bump up the passenger factor to it's highest level , put a ridiculous amount of trains on it, and watch chaos unfold. Also is there anything I could do for you? I mean graphics-wise. I can draw stuff out and write the appropriate files, just need you to compile, tweak it if you want and use it in-game. If you are planning on putting freight trains in, then send me a list of what you need doing, say what you'll be doing, and I'll do the rest.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 30, 2016, 01:39:07 PM
Erm, Lewis the class 802 has more horsepower than a class 800....
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 30, 2016, 05:00:15 PM
Ah yes, freight! The thing I always intend to do and never get around to doing. If I can find some freight routes that are contained entirely in the area of the map then I might add them. (The boundaries are roughly Slough-Guildford-Gatwick-Tunbridge Wells-Ashford-Sittingbourne-Southend-Chelmsford-Broxbourne-Hatfield-St Albans-Berkhamsted-Amersham). For instance this one (http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/H31992/2016/08/30/advanced). My problem would be - how to find out what kinds of locomotives/stock run on these services? I guess for Purley Foster Yeoman services that's quite easy to answer. But not always.

For the buildings - the attractions-as-buildings idea would be possible. Ultimately I think it would be too fiddly and the outcome wouldn't be as good as I'd like. The problem is that I play Simutrans because I like transport simulators - if I wanted to spend all day placing buildings I'd be playing a different game. The thousands of buildings on the London part of the UK (http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=737452142) map are about the limit of the busywork I can tolerate, I think.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 30, 2016, 08:52:24 PM
How about this for freight. 66s/70s for Freightliner diesels, 59s/60s/66s for DB Schenker diesels, 20s/37s/47s/66s for DRS, and 59s for Foster Yeoman. Then use 86s/90s for Freightliner electrics, and 90s/92s for DB Schenker electrics. For stock, if it's going to/ coming from Felixstowe, Seaforth Dock, Southampton, Thamesport, Tilbury, Birch Coppice, Daventry, Dollands Moor, Telford, Trafford Park, Wakefield or Wembley, use containers and Freightliner locos (if it uses electric through London use 86s/90s. If not 66s/70s). If it's coming from a coal mine and it goes to a power station and it passes through the map then put it in with MGRs and DBS diesels. Don't think anything involving oil/petrol/chemicals goes through the map (could be wrong). Constuction trains run to places where construction is going on. Supermarket trains do run in parts of the map (specifically Tesco trains to Dagenham from Dollands Moor operated by Stobart Rail (using DRS locos in Britain) using containers). Nuclear flask services run, from various power stations to various plants using DRS locos (specifically 20s/37s but sometimes 47s) and FNAs. Steel runs through the map from Scunthorpe to France. Use 92s and flatbeds. Cars are transported, Specifically Fords from Dagenham to Halewood with DBS locos. 90s will suffice with Cartics. Binliners run from Northolt, Cricklewood, Dagenham and Hillingdon to the landfill site at Calvert (north of Aylesbury). Trains also run from Brentford to Appleford in Oxfordshire and Hendon to Stewartby. The Calvert trains and the one from Brentford are operated with DBS diesels, and the Hendon one is run with Freightliner diesels. All of them use containers. Thats the freight that runs on the map, I believe.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 31, 2016, 01:22:40 PM
That's very comprehensive - thank you!

Let me look into this further and see what would be most interesting/feasible to add. I'm particularly keen to add lines on well-used freight routes like the NLL, and on non-passenger routes like Grain.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 31, 2016, 09:17:28 PM
What would you consider doing for freight? And also, what type of timetable are you trying to simulate? Off-peak, like the UK map, peak, or a mixing of the two? And, why not make these graphics that you (and others) into a seperate branch of pak.64. pak.64 britain sound good? Just asking.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on September 05, 2016, 04:48:00 PM
Quotewhy not make these graphics that you (and others) into a seperate branch of pak.64. pak.64 britain sound good? Just asking.

I agree with this
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 05, 2016, 06:39:01 PM
All good questions, thanks.

Freight is obviously more irregular than passenger service. I would pick services that run alongside passenger trains in the off peak, to be sure that they fit with the off peak timetable elsewhere on the map. I'd probably do something to ensure that they only run every few hours. The London map has a 1-hour-long month, but there are things I can do to get around that for freight scheduling.

On the pak.64-britain idea - it's not a bad idea! It would take a lot of work. It would probably mean painting a lot of new trains for historical times (plus new liveries). It might also mean some economic balancing, unless it was a pakset just designed for freeplay. The ways and buildings would also require attention. At the moment I use a lot of material that belongs to other people. I've been accumulating it over 6 years and I don't know the sources in all cases. All this is to say that - while it's a great idea and I may work on it in the longer term - it's not an easy or short-term thing.

For the moment we have the British trains addon (http://forum.simutrans.space/index.php?topic=11781.0) for pak 64, and the pak.ngb folder in the downloads I provide can be used as a custom pakset for pak.64. Those provide quite a lot to go on, at least.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on September 05, 2016, 07:47:40 PM
I understand your points there. It would take a long time and a lot of work to do a separate pakset. In the long term though, it would benefit the community. And nothing starts out fast - pak128.Britain was originally just British addons for pak128, which developed into the pakset it is today. And Simutrans Experimental itself started out as a mere patch to Standard - in fact, if you go back to jamespetts' earliest posts, he was asking questions about expansion. Now look at Experimental. Practically a game in its own right! So, it takes time, but it will hopefully get there in the end.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on September 06, 2016, 07:40:17 AM
QuoteOn the pak.64-britain idea - it's not a bad idea! It would take a lot of work. It would probably mean painting a lot of new trains for historical times (plus new liveries).

I could do that.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Jack Rudd on September 10, 2016, 06:17:00 PM
A quick question, Carl: I'm making my own Britain map, and having a bit of a problem placing the cities properly. How did you go about doing that?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on September 10, 2016, 07:05:19 PM
I recommend you watch his video diaries; on the first episode he explained this.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Jack Rudd on September 10, 2016, 07:30:30 PM
He explained how he sourced the data, which is useful stuff, but not what I needed to know. What I'm trying to work out is, having got that data, how to translate it into co-ordinates on the map.

(Linear interpolations seem just to be failing for me, so I think I need something more complex. Not sure what, though.)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on September 10, 2016, 07:42:21 PM
Why not use geographical features to help you? Like the Thames for London, the Clyde for Glasgow, the Mersey for Liverpool etc. Does your map have things like rivers?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Jack Rudd on September 10, 2016, 07:49:37 PM
It does, yes.

(The Thames is where I first started having problems, because my formula was placing things on the wrong side of the Thames.)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on September 10, 2016, 08:38:38 PM
OK then. What do you mean by the wrong side?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Jack Rudd on September 10, 2016, 08:42:49 PM
I mean that the co-ordinates my formula was giving for the location of Trafalgar Square put it south of the Thames, that sort of thing.

(I have a lot of locations to place, and am trying to find some sort of automatic method of finding the co-ordinates for those locations to save myself time.)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 10, 2016, 08:51:49 PM
Sounds like an interesting time-saving idea.

Using the scale of the heightmap (i.e. metres per tile) and measuring distances on Google Earth was the method for me. Any heightmap will require some correction - the curvature of the earth means that things get a bit out of whack over long distances, I think. Because of that I would never use one single point for calculating *all* locations. Rather I'd pick something that's reasonably nearby - a geographical feature like distinct points on Sheppey, or Flamborough Head - to minimise the distortion over long distances. This might make it difficult to place everything in a formulaic way.

Which heightmap are you using?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on September 10, 2016, 08:54:22 PM
Afraid I can't help you with that then, as I'm more of a network builder or graphics painter than a map builder. I thought you were engaged in real life things (as you do), Carl. Nice surprise to see you again.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Jack Rudd on September 10, 2016, 08:55:40 PM
Quote from: Carl on September 10, 2016, 08:51:49 PM
Using the scale of the heightmap (i.e. metres per tile) and measuring distances on Google Earth was the method for me. Any heightmap will require some correction - the curvature of the earth means that things get a bit out of whack over long distances, I think. Because of that I would never use one single point for calculating *all* locations. Rather I'd pick something that's reasonably nearby - a geographical feature like distinct points on Sheppey, or Flamborough Head - to minimise the distortion over long distances. This might make it difficult to place everything in a formulaic way.
That was the approach I was trying - doing it county by county - but it seems to be breaking down, and I'm not sure why.

Quote
Which heightmap are you using?
A map I found on these forums, scaled so it's just about small enough to work with. Turns out it's actually yours (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=9124.0).

-----------------------------

So I'd get a wodge of data for a county like so:

Plymouth      -4.142593   50.375923
Exeter      -3.533594   50.718544
Torquay      -3.525339   50.461933
Paignton      -3.564236   50.435188
Exmouth      -3.384131   50.625582
Newton Abbot      -3.608396   50.529049
Barnstaple      -4.058376   51.078297
Tiverton      -3.492539   50.901941
Brixham      -3.513991   50.395353
Teignmouth      -3.496709   50.547352
Bideford      -4.206774   51.01681
Sidmouth      -3.237478   50.67876
Dawlish      -3.464221   50.582666
Ivybridge      -3.920458   50.390254
Honiton      -3.188819   50.799758
Northam      -4.21321   51.039868
Tavistock      -4.143353   50.555026
Ilfracombe      -4.126848   51.205305
Kingsteignton      -3.598556   50.549485
Totnes      -3.685286   50.433768
Okehampton      -4.004339   50.738284
Crediton      -3.65162   50.792511
Axminster      -2.994943   50.782711
South Molton      -3.832365   51.016534

...and then do a linear interpolation formula to convert all those grid references to places on the map, having found two fixed points that form the corners of a box surrounding the county.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 10, 2016, 10:02:45 PM
Interesting. I think the most likely cause is as follows. The heightmap in question was adapted from SRTM (http://dwtkns.com/srtm/) data, but I did adjust it to make distances consistent across the country. If I remember correctly this involved separately adjusting the y-axis scale of different slices of the map (e.g. squashing Scotland and extending the South), so that the height of one pixel corresponded with a consistent value at each point in the map.

I think this would affect the lat/long approach you're taking and lead to discrepancies. However I would have thought that using a single point for each county (rather than one for the whole country), as you are, would mostly alleviate this. As a result I think you're running up against the limits of how accurate it is possible to be with Simutrans heightmaps.

Your approach might work better with Easting and Northing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easting_and_northing), if you're able to get those coordinates?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Jack Rudd on September 10, 2016, 10:18:48 PM
What seems to be happening is that I'm getting problems near the edges of counties. I put in most of Essex and it's fine, and then there's stuff near the Hertfordshire border that's obviously wrong when I compare it with the Hertfordshire towns.

Ah well, back to the drawing board. Maybe the problem is with linear interpolation and I need a non-linear interpolation on the North-South axis.

ETA: Let's try with a county that's pretty big and see what's going on...

Cumbria.

The southern tip of Cumbria seems to be at (-3.195910, 54.044276) and at (1072, 2976)
The western tip of Cumbria seems to be at (-3.640176, 54.514060) and at (909, 2676)
A northern point just below the strait separating Cumbria from Annan and Gretna seems to be at (-3.213980, 54.953477) and at (1067, 2395)

Hmmm, no help there.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 12, 2016, 08:26:03 AM
I would say that on all the real-world-simulation maps I've done, I've had to triangulate the position of difficult locations (e.g. those in the middle of the country or not near any geographical features) based on several already known points. So I might measure from multiple coastlines or elevation peaks to find where the location most fits - and they don't always agree, so you have to come to some kind of compromise.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on September 17, 2016, 05:10:16 PM
 ;) Class 66
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 18, 2016, 08:08:00 AM
Thanks Lewis - looks like a good start on those. Could probably use a bit more colour differentiation on the roof, and between the front and the side.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on September 18, 2016, 10:10:38 AM
Carl, I am working on a UK map with fictional cities. It'll feature as much routes and lines as possible. The map will include a plane service and Coach (Long Distance) bus services. Also an Airport shuttle in-game. Photo's will be posted on a Discord page soon. Watch this space! xD

Link to the Discord page: https://discordapp.com/channels/227891198520459264/227891198520459264

DONT MAKE ACCOUNTS! Reply here instead. :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on September 18, 2016, 11:43:50 AM
Carl, just to let you know, you know the long class 90 sets you did for the London map. They've overwritten the originals for the UK map, which renders the UK map practically unplayable, because of the excessive 'train too long to fit in x station platform'. Could you have a look at this please.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 18, 2016, 11:48:26 AM
Thanks - I have noticed this and will fix it.


Edit: here's an updated pak.ngb folder and London.sve which should do the trick:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/London-sep16.rar
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on September 28, 2016, 07:26:52 PM
Can you maybe give us the updated version of UK2016 .sve please? Even though the map is finished. :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Jack Rudd on September 28, 2016, 08:08:54 PM
I just put some fixed points in and the correlation coefficients were:

e-w axis: 0.998
n-s axis: 1

Hah, screw doing it county by county, that's what's introducing the errors. I'll try again and see whether doing things on the whole map scale makes things work...

Trafalgar Square ends up at 2263, 4598...

Yes! It's north of the Thames, it's just west of the bit where the Thames goes north for a bit.

Problem solved by zooming out. Go figure.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on September 29, 2016, 06:24:58 PM
Carl, can you maybe give us the updated version of UK2016 .sve please? Even though the map is finished. :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 29, 2016, 06:27:55 PM
fam621, I saw your post above from yesterday - no need to repeat :) I need to make one more tweak to the folder I uploaded last time. I'll add the savegame to it if that will help.

Jack - that's really interesting. Does that work everywhere in the map? I wonder why that is...?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Jack Rudd on September 29, 2016, 06:31:56 PM
Calibrating north-south has worked very well. East-west was slightly trickier, but I think I've now got it right: Richmond is now east of the Thames, and Margate has not fallen into the sea. :D

Those fixed points in full:

Lizard Point
-5.20646
49.95763
251
5596
Land's End
-5.70806
50.05938
49
5531
Portland Bill
-2.45631
50.51342
1370
5234
Sandbanks
-1.94747
50.68325
1574
5126
Selsey Bill
-0.78916
50.72194
2038
5102
Beachy Head
0.24143
50.73382
2449
5093
Dungeness
0.977418
50.91207
2738
4980
Hartland Point
-4.52588
51.02184
543
4912
Folkestone Harbour
1.194846
51.07603
2866
4855
Lundy
-4.65502
51.16173
494
4824
Fayrneness
1.441665
51.38701
2899
4674
Foulness Point
0.958945
51.62006
2701
4525
Skomer
-5.29567
51.74258
251
4449
Bradwell Point
0.92355
51.74805
2683
4443
Cardigan Island
-4.69021
52.13141
494
4193
Lowestoft Point
1.762847
52.48115
2976
3969
Uwchmynnydd Point
-4.73219
52.78174
487
3777
Spern Nature Reserve
0.107989
53.57267
2308
3278
Roa Island
-3.17364
54.062
1080
2964
Flamborough Head
-0.07616
54.11458
2224
2930
Mullach Mor
-5.07021
55.5227
401
2027
Cape Wrath
-5.00207
58.62616
468
40
Duncansby Head
-3.02516
58.64359
1129
31

EDIT: I spoke too soon, having checked the south and not the north. Scarborough appears to have fallen into the sea. Back to the drawing board.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on October 01, 2016, 06:55:14 PM
It will Carl, but when will I be able to run 800's again on the GB map? :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on October 01, 2016, 06:58:06 PM
I'm not surprised that you've found a south/north discrepancy Jack. I think the error introduced by the curvature of the earth will mean that the east-west distances are different up there. The north/south values may also be influenced by the corrections I had to add to ensure consistency.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Jack Rudd on October 06, 2016, 07:41:37 PM
Hmmm. Seems to be 1 degree in the east-west direction is 380.95 tiles at latitude 51, and only 352.18 tiles at latitude 58. That could be something to work with.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on October 07, 2016, 12:39:15 PM
That is intended behaviour, I think. The size of a tile is supposed to remain constant in terms of metres across the map, whereas the number of metres in a degree will change at different latitudes (I think?)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Jack Rudd on October 07, 2016, 12:46:05 PM
Quote from: Carl on October 07, 2016, 12:39:15 PM
That is intended behaviour, I think. The size of a tile is supposed to remain constant in terms of metres across the map, whereas the number of metres in a degree will change at different latitudes (I think?)
Yes - it'll be zero at 90 degrees North. Now to see whether the reduction is linear or something more interesting.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Vladki on October 07, 2016, 04:06:11 PM
I would guess it is not linear, but something like const*cos(latitude)

Const is km/degree at equator (lat 0)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on October 07, 2016, 04:07:24 PM
I think I made the manual adjustments in chunks, so it's likely it will be less regular than that.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Jack Rudd on October 07, 2016, 04:18:01 PM
cos 51 deg = 0.62932039
cos 58 deg = 0.52991926

Hmmm, ratio is 1.18 rather than the 1.08 for the numbers themselves, but it might be good enough.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Vladki on October 07, 2016, 07:00:44 PM
The function with cos is just my guess, based on the fact that it is at max on equator and 0 on poles, and that earth is approximately spherical. But it may be something more complex...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Combuijs on October 08, 2016, 01:32:52 PM
See http://williams.best.vwh.net/avform.htm#flat (http://williams.best.vwh.net/avform.htm#flat)

If you stay in the vicinity of a given fixed point (lat0,lon0), it may be a good enough approximation to consider the earth as "flat", and use a North, East, Down rectangular coordinate system with origin at the fixed point. If we call the changes in latitude and longitude dlat=lat-lat0, dlon=lon-lon0 (Here treating North and East as positive!), then

distance_North=R1*dlat
distance_East=R2*cos(lat0)*dlon

R1 and R2 are called the meridional radius of curvature and the radius of curvature in the prime vertical, respectively.

R1=a(1-e^2)/(1-e^2*(sin(lat0))^2)^(3/2)
R2=a/sqrt(1-e^2*(sin(lat0))^2)

a is the equatorial radius of the earth (=6378.137000km for WGS84), and e^2=f*(2-f) with the flattening f=1/298.257223563 for WGS84.

   
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on October 08, 2016, 07:22:02 PM
Carl, I've waited long enough for a Sept. or EVEN an Oct. 16 update of the GB map... xD
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on October 09, 2016, 10:35:19 AM
Hi fam. Here's the update that fixes the GA Class 90/DVT:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UK-oct-2016.rar

There are no changes to the savegame.

I have a new faster PC, though, so I should be in a better position to diagnose some of the blockages people reported a few pages ago. I'll check that out soon.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on October 27, 2016, 01:43:58 PM
To let you all know, do NOT rotate the GB map because come town's/cities will instead say undef.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on October 27, 2016, 01:45:43 PM
Yep, I suspect that's because the map is technically larger than Simutrans is designed to handle. It mostly behaves itself so long as you don't rotate.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on October 27, 2016, 05:28:38 PM
 :)  ;)
Title: London map - passsenger services complete
Post by: Carl on October 30, 2016, 12:11:07 PM
(http://i.imgur.com/NIstfKM.png)

Having added Croydon Tramlink and the last few mainline services, the passenger network on the London map is now complete. You can download it here (requires Simutrans Experimental):
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/London-Oct16.rar (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/London-Oct16.rar)

What next?
- Some freight services as suggested above
- More work on the Balkans and USA maps
- Thinking about a new project. Both of my current ones are fictional, so I was thinking about another attempt at simulating real life. When I was in Poland this year I thought about doing that. It could be done at the same scale as the UK map (118metres per tile). But there's far less data easily available, e.g. trackmaps and linespeeds, so it would be more challenging. I think the timetable is also less regular. Maybe it would be possible to simulate a full 24 hours (with peak/off peak timetables)? That would be quite the challenge.

All assuming that I find time to spend on Simutrans.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on October 30, 2016, 01:02:18 PM
Will making one using pak128.Britain be now an aspiration for the GB map? :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on October 30, 2016, 01:11:59 PM
QuoteWhat next?
- Some freight services as suggested above

Maybe on the Full GB map?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on October 30, 2016, 01:30:39 PM
You could make some more videos about your current map?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on October 30, 2016, 07:11:40 PM
QuoteWill making one using pak128.Britain be now an aspiration for the GB map? :)
I think I will at least wait for a new version of Experimental before trying that.

QuoteWhat next?
- Some freight services as suggested above

Maybe on the Full GB map?
Maybe! I'm largely treating the full GB map as finished, since the timetables and liveries are mostly two years out of date. It would be easier to add freight to the London map, but, I suspect, less satisfying. I'll think about it.

QuoteYou could make some more videos about your current map?

There are still more maps to be made of the full UK map, for sure, that I never got around to doing. I doubt I will do a full series on the London map - mainly because it's not very photogenic! Because of the 20 metre per tile scale, it's hard to make the roads/buildings/etc surrounding the stations look good - and it would be very difficult to make them look realistic. I might do a one-off video about the map, though.

I'd like to do more videos of the Balkans map - I was quite happy with the Budapest-Vienna one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aOtwKvLPdI).

I find that videos are quite time consuming to make, and I have less time now than I did when I was making the GB series. But since they have proved quite popular, it would be worth setting aside some time.




I forgot to say before that I haven't update the Charing Cross/Cannon Street calls at London Bridge on the London map. I think I will leave this for now and revise it all when the radical new Thameslink timetable comes into force in 2018. I can add the 700s at the same time.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 11, 2016, 10:49:48 PM
Made this at work and thought this would be a good place to share it. It shows railway lines in Great Britain overlaid on a dot map of the population distribution.
Full-size version: http://i.imgur.com/Z5AXAwD.png (http://i.imgur.com/Z5AXAwD.png)

(http://i.imgur.com/Z5AXAwD.png)

It's quite interesting for seeing which populated areas aren't covered by railways. If I were still working on the UK map, it would help to figure out which areas most need buses.

Note that this includes some lines that no longer see a passenger service. Doesn't seem to include heritage railways though. Not sure of the logic - you'd have to ask Ordnance Survey, whose data it is!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 19, 2016, 12:06:30 PM
In a screeching U-turn, I've started doing a little work on the full UK map again. Not sure if I'll keep at it, but let's hope. :)  The main reason for the change is that I now have a more capable PC, so I can fast-forward the map at a reasonable rate again.

I started off by adding a bunch of bus routes - using that population map above to help identify some gaps. So East Lincolnshire (Louth, Horncastle, Mablethorpe), South Holland (Holbeach) and Haverhill are now linked to the network.

But more generally I've realised that there's so much more to do with the map. Almost every city could use an aesthetic upgrade. Here's what I've done to Chelmsford to make it better reflect reality. The A12 & junctions are all there too, out of shot.
(http://i.imgur.com/XlmYDZd.png)

My priority is buses and aesthetics, but I'll look at freight, updating liveries, and timetables in due course.


I'll upload the savegame again when there are enough differences to make it worth it.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on November 19, 2016, 12:22:42 PM
I wonder whether the latest multi-threading additions to the code have also allowed you to run the map faster?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 20, 2016, 04:12:34 PM
I haven't actually tried those out yet - still using 11.35. Will let you know how it runs when I do...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on November 21, 2016, 05:16:59 PM
Some liveries I've made for the GB map. Carl, can you add these to the updated version of the GB map, before you upload it to us please? To let you know, the Class 800 has had its livery updated, so has the Class 365. :D
Title: [Updated download] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 21, 2016, 07:17:11 PM
Thanks for doing those fam621, and good work getting to grips with making them yourself. I will be updating the liveries as and when I revisit areas of the map, so I won't wait until I've updated everything before I upload it. You'll see versions of these gradually filter into the map over the next few months. Though there won't be any Class 800 yet, since that isn't in service yet.

Download update for UK map
So with that, here's the update (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UK-Nov16.rar).

Changelog:

- Updated Class 357 model
- Buses in Lincolnshire (around Louth, Skegness, Lincoln, Holbeach)
- Buses in Essex (around Colchester, Braintree, Chelmsford, Basildon)
- Rebuild/aesthetic update of Southampton, Colchester, Chelmsford, Basildon and minor towns
- Most importantly, I found and fixed a rare blockage at Southampton which has eventual knock-on effects at Portsmouth, Birmingham and...well, everywhere. I think this was the source of issues that people have been reporting for some time, so hopefully you shouldn't see blockages anymore. Until the next one...

As ever, you'll need Simutrans Experimental to run this map.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on November 22, 2016, 05:32:51 PM
You forgot to change the SE timetable for trains that go through London Bridge and also to add the updated version of the Oxford to Bicester line with a junction connecting it to the up line toward's London. xD
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 22, 2016, 06:03:01 PM
Don't forget the Borders line, and all the other timetable changes.... I haven't forgotten, but it'll take a while to update everything, so patience will be required  :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Jack Rudd on November 26, 2016, 01:36:25 AM
I've gone back to my old map, and combined my two approaches. Latitude will work on the national scale, longitude county-by-county.

First test passed: Margate doesn't fall into the sea.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on November 26, 2016, 08:45:53 AM
Well, here is everything i have ever made......

its in a Rar file as its too big
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on November 26, 2016, 05:08:08 PM
Is it okay if you make them individual models please and the VTEC HST/MK4 stock need to have a buffet car, due to there livery. Also some of the liveries on the MK4 rolling stock do not exist, nor on the 800/802. :)
Title: [Update] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 26, 2016, 10:23:27 PM
Some screenshots and an updated savegame.

South Hampshire (http://i.imgur.com/PMaIIa5.png) (Southampton, Portsmouth, Winchester, etc)
(http://i.imgur.com/PMaIIa5.png)

Basingstoke (http://i.imgur.com/cmP9D3l.png)
(http://i.imgur.com/cmP9D3l.png)

Savegame download
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UK-Nov16.rar (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UK-Nov16.rar)

Changes since last version
- Started removing overhead wires in areas where electrification is third rail. I'm doing this by not requiring the third rail vehicles to run on electric track at all - it's not worth messing around with third rail that should be invisible at this scale. This is the same approach I took on the London map.
- Class 444 update (major)
- Class 450 update (major)
- Class 377 udpate (minor)
- Southampton: further improvements and more buses (e.g. to Hythe)
- Portsmouth and surrounds rebuild
- Waterlooville area added with buses to Portsmouth/Havant
- Basingstoke rebuilt, plus buses to Alton/Liphook
- Timetable refinements/fixes
- Other minor changes
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on November 27, 2016, 07:44:59 AM
There is something in your pak that crashes the latest version of Nightly, no idea what it is!

Error Code: FATAL ERROR: tunnel_reader_t::read_node() - illegal version 16644
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 27, 2016, 09:19:20 AM
Hmm, that's a worry. I wonder if James has any idea what that could be? (I assume this is the newest devel branch of Experimental)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on November 27, 2016, 11:30:45 AM
123abc refers to the "nightly"; since there is not currently a nightly build of Experimental (although I am considering that for the future), I infer that 123abc is using the Standard nightly, which would explain the crash, as this map is not compatible with Standard, but only with Experimental.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 27, 2016, 12:59:44 PM
Thanks James. I thought 123abc may have been using 'nightly' as shorthand for the pre-release build - but the Standard incompatibility would, of course, explain the issue.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on November 27, 2016, 05:45:19 PM
I went to the nightly download page... where do I go then?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Vladki on November 27, 2016, 09:32:37 PM
If you are looking for fresh devel version of experimental, go to server.exp.simutrans.com.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on November 28, 2016, 05:04:08 AM
Thanks!
Title: [Update] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on December 04, 2016, 10:35:59 AM
Time for another updated savegame, and some screenshots. Here is the updated savegame (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/UK-Dec16.rar). Changes since last time:
In this screenshot of Christchurch you can see the new river, cityroad and tree graphics:
(http://i.imgur.com/AcVELxd.png)

Here's the whole Bournemouth/Poole/Christchurch area:
(http://i.imgur.com/vvmdYSQ.png)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on December 04, 2016, 02:07:32 PM
For the next update, can you add the Norton Bridge flyover (viaduct) and remake the Bicester - Oxford line please? :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on December 04, 2016, 02:24:38 PM
Sure, those seem like sensible things to add - especially since the Oxford Parkway to Oxford section opens next week. :) It will probably involve a big revision of Chiltern services, but it shouldn't be too bad.

I meant to say a bit more about what I'm doing with bus routes. They are intended to match real routes in areas where substantial towns aren't connected to the rail network, or where they provide a more direct link between towns than the rail network does (e.g. Lincoln to Skegness). The frequencies will be roughly the same as real life, but the journey times are much shorter in most cases. This is because it's not really possible to simulate traffic and the roads are much straighter than they would be in real life. Buses also stop much more often in real life. In addition, some bus routes are combined (e.g. in cases where it doesn't make sense to have two separate routes for neighbouring towns) or shortened (e.g. where part of their route mirrors the rail line). I'm not really including any bus routes that only go a few times a day.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Jack Rudd on December 04, 2016, 03:03:17 PM
Can you introduce the Bideford-Ilfracombe bus route? Four buses an hour during the day, connects up some substantial towns.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on December 04, 2016, 07:54:17 PM
Sure, that will definitely be added to the map in due course!
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on December 05, 2016, 07:19:45 PM
Carl, I am working on a UK map with fictional cities. It'll feature as much routes and lines as possible. The map will include trains, coaches, buses and trams. Photo's will be posted on a Discord page soon.

Link to the Discord page: https://discord.gg/jR7S3zs

DON'T MAKE ACCOUNTS! Reply here instead. :)

Any account's made on discord will automatically be deleted.
Title: [Update] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on December 16, 2016, 04:23:22 PM
Here's an updated savegame (https://www.dropbox.com/s/8iqxmjhu2vsjxl5/UK-Dec16.rar?dl=0). Two screenshots below of the Farnborough area:

(http://i.imgur.com/8JXi5vY.png)

(http://i.imgur.com/L30ISyE.png)

Changes since last time:

- Norton Bridge junction reconfigured to its new real life structure
- Marylebone to Oxford services added, with resulting changes in Chiltern timetable
- Farnborough, Aldershot, Farnham, & Frimley rebuilt
- Guildford and Waverley rebuilt, along with some buses
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on December 16, 2016, 10:35:42 PM
Cheer's mate. One correction need to be made: London Bridge SE schedule swichover need to be made, Class 700's on the Thameslink line, GN Class 387's and London PAD - Hayes and Harlington GWR Class 387 services to be intoduced in the next update. :D
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on December 17, 2016, 10:36:53 AM
Yep, there is still plenty left to be done. The Hayes & Harlington services are only at peak times, I think? If so, they won't be added to the map as it's simulating an off peak timetable. Are GW using 387s on any off peak services?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on December 17, 2016, 02:52:52 PM
From January 2017 Carl. :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on December 17, 2016, 03:52:24 PM
Ah, so I see - thanks, I hadn't noticed that.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 05, 2017, 07:37:34 PM
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Also may I have the updated version of the GB map please and have a look on my bridges over bridges comptition please? This pakset is good enough to enter. :)
Title: [Updated savegame] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 07, 2017, 12:15:17 PM
Happy new year! Here's an [https://www.dropbox.com/s/mjtv3breez5fmxu/UK-Feb17.rar?dl=0]updated savegame[/url] with progress from the past few weeks. Mostly I've been rebuilding cities in the West Sussex and Brighton area.

Some screenshots:

Brighton, Hove & Worthing
(http://i.imgur.com/0xbdgHm.jpg)

Chichester, Bognor Regis & the Selsey Peninsula
(http://i.imgur.com/K5ezrNB.jpg)

And the full changelog:

- Woking rebuilt (with bus from Guildford to Camberley)
- Chichester, Bognor Regis, Littlehampton rebuilt: and buses
- Horsham & Arun Valley rebuilt: bus to Guildford
- Worthing rebuilt: buses to Crawley and Midhurst
- Brighton & Hove rebuilt
- Crawley rebuilt (but not Gatwick yet)
- Aldershot-Yateley bus

Next up will be sorting out the timetable changes on the Brighton main line, including adding new models for Thameslink & Gatwick Express. I'll hold off on the Class 700s until the major timetable overhaul, however.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 07, 2017, 06:56:19 PM
Don't forget about the Northern Electrics services! Also can you devide the trains that Lewis sent to us for the next update please? :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on January 14, 2017, 11:08:12 AM
which ones?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 14, 2017, 11:40:21 AM
The ones of this post: http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=7367.msg156176#msg156176.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on January 14, 2017, 12:50:32 PM
which ones do you need theirs quite a lot there?
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 14, 2017, 01:31:56 PM
All of them. xD
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on January 14, 2017, 04:59:01 PM
 ;) Give me a couple of Weeks
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 20, 2017, 08:53:48 PM
Aye Carl, another update please? xD
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 20, 2017, 08:54:45 PM
There will be one this weekend :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 20, 2017, 09:51:47 PM
Ok.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 21, 2017, 01:04:53 PM
ITS THE WEEKEND! xD
Title: [Updated savegame] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 21, 2017, 02:06:36 PM
Here is the updated savegame (https://www.dropbox.com/s/mjtv3breez5fmxu/UK-Feb17.rar?dl=0). Some screenshots below, followed by a changelog:

Eastbourne, Hailsham and Beachy Head
(http://i.imgur.com/uA47E5H.png)

Zoomed-out shot of Sussex, including Crawley, Horsham, Haywards Heath, Arun Valley, Brighton & Lewes
This image shows what's different in my "second pass" on this map - none of the area inbetween the rail lines was coveredfirst time round.
(http://i.imgur.com/ev1SIfs.png)

Full changelog
- Thameslink Class 377 added - no more 319s on the BML. No Class 700 for now - I'll do this when the new Thameslink timetable comes in next year.
- Thameslink BML timetables updated
- Southern BML timetables updated
- Gatwick Express Class 387 added
- Mid Sussex built and rebuilt (Haywards Heath and surrounds) including buses
- Lewes & Uckfield rebuilt - including buses to Brighton & Tunbridge Wells
- Eastbourne rebuilt - with a bus to Hailsham and Tunbridge Wells

Since I've overhauled the Brighton Main Line timetable, it's possible there will still be glitches and blockages.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 21, 2017, 04:30:37 PM
In the next update (thats if I don't update it), can you update the Tottenham Hale - Stratford line please due to the opening of Lea Bridge (Road) station. :)
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 21, 2017, 04:32:37 PM
Yes that addition should be easy enough.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on January 21, 2017, 08:38:53 PM
RIP 319s on the Simutrans BML November 22nd 2012 - January 21st 2017.  :(
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 21, 2017, 08:59:35 PM
Blockages at Manchester. Picture: http://imgur.com/a/UoIv6.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 23, 2017, 08:24:03 PM
Thanks - will look into it. Unrelatedly (I presume), I fixed a blockage at Blackfriars related to the Thameslink changes.


In other news: coming soon...
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 27, 2017, 04:47:55 PM
In the next update of the GB map, can you make all the timetables like shown in the picture below please. In my version, I have made big changes to timetables. Also, where blockages are common, I have changed the timetable (schedule) to make blockages less common. Also, in places where blockages WILL be common, I have also made single lines double track so that trains can not block the line. :)
Title: [New Video!] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 27, 2017, 05:28:51 PM
Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy a new Youtube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOHElk0qDek) featuring a journey along the West Coastway from Brighton to Southampton. I also talk about why I'm revisiting this map and what I've been changing. Enjoy!

One thing I forgot to mention: I haven't simulated any of the reduced service on Southern due to strikes. The map has the full normal timetable.




fam621: thanks for the suggestions. The 400% wait-for-load is necessary to simulate the real-life timetable. I have made small changes to the real timetable where there have been blockages, but I won't make any changes that detract from realism. I have made some changes at Manchester Victoria that should fix the blockage you found last week. I'll upload that in due course.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on January 27, 2017, 07:05:32 PM
I should note that the 400% thing is no longer required in the latest development builds of Experimental, as there is a new "wait for time" option.
Title: [Updated savegame] Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 28, 2017, 12:45:15 PM
Here's an update to the savegame (https://www.dropbox.com/s/mjtv3breez5fmxu/UK-Feb17.rar?dl=0) which fixes the Blackfriars and Manchester Vic issues while expanding the revamp to Hastings and Ashford.

Changes:
- Hastings, Bexhill, and towns between Hastings and Tunbridge Wells all rebuilt
- Ashford (Kent) rebuilt
- Marshlink line towns rebuilt
- Ashford, Hastings and Bexhill buses
- Class 375 update (minor)
- Class 171 update (major)

Here's a screenshot of Ashford in Kent, with Ashford International station:
(http://i.imgur.com/bCGLuVq.png)

Ashford Intl is where the highspeed line from St Pancras meets conventional lines from Tonbridge, Maidstone, Dover, Canterbury and Hastings. It actually has more tracks than this. It has two through lines, and a bypassing line on HS1. I've not added those as they aren't used in domestic off peak service and the station already takes up a lot of space. In fact, I think only 4 platforms are normally used for domestic trains - the middle island is for Eurostar trains. I've rebuilt the track layout on the west of the station, as it wasn't totally accurate before.

I'll add Lea Bridge next time as it slipped my mind this week.
Title: Re: Great Britain rail network in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 28, 2017, 02:23:28 PM
fam621, I can't rebuild everything on my version *and* your version - obviously that is twice as much work. You are welcome to maintain your own version of the map, but the consequence is that you won't get my future updates on your version. I think we're blockage-free for now, but if you can find others then I will always fix them.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on January 28, 2017, 03:51:42 PM
http://www.mediafire.com/file/vqrs3agvo190egj/TheBritishAmerturePAK.rar (http://www.mediafire.com/file/vqrs3agvo190egj/TheBritishAmerturePAK.rar)

Here you go, not everything is there, i've taken a lot out majorly stuff i'm not happy with.

Also the 421's wont work on Carl's new map




Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 28, 2017, 04:14:07 PM
:DDDDDDDDDDDDDDD THANKS LEWIS!
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 29, 2017, 10:38:37 PM
Got around to rebuilding Gatwick Airport today. Screenshot below (full size here (http://i.imgur.com/oTmEjcB.png)). I think I'll add some domestic flights to the map at some point, but they'll be for show only (i.e. they won't carry any passengers to avoid distorting the rail network passenger flows).

(http://i.imgur.com/oTmEjcB.png)

I'm also thinking about adding some non-passenger trains to the map (finally). A railhead treatment train (which I think this (http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/H02321/2017/01/30/advanced) is) looks like an easy starter.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 30, 2017, 05:34:27 PM
Good ideas but they will kind off cause blockages in the passenger traffic areas.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 30, 2017, 09:37:54 PM
A little bit of repetition. I've never tinkered with the default airport runway/taxiway graphics so I thought I'd have a go at that today. Also altered the airport car park and added a new 'ground square' to fill the blank space at airports. I made it as bright as I could stand, but the real thing seems to be even lighter in colour (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.1562795,-0.1769641,2749m/data=!3m1!1e3). Below is the same screenshot from yesterday with the changes made.

I uploaded the changed png files - here (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/airportstuff.rar). The taxiway and runway are adaptations of the original pak64 graphics. Attribution to Timothy Baldock for the runway, if the dat files are to be believed.

(http://i.imgur.com/qQrg0hE.png)

fam621 - non-passenger services could cause problems, but I'd only use real time tables - so those would hopefully be designed to avoid interfering with passenger workings. We'll see!
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 31, 2017, 05:36:03 PM
Okay :)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: mspljd1990 on January 31, 2017, 09:25:39 PM
Any possibility of adding Kirkstall Forge and Apperly Bridge, and Grand Central services? Also updating East Coast trains to the new Virgin livery? :)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 01, 2017, 10:24:12 AM
Yes, those are all on the list :)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Kage Acheron on February 02, 2017, 05:23:35 AM
I'm been following this project for a while. I'm really impressed, and am glad that you're revisiting this project! I found a few bugs in the network, and I just wanted to share them with you.

The Up stopping platform at Newark Northgate is missing a bit of electrification at the junction, which causes trains booked to stop there to run through the station then reverse.

Convoy (1629) on the London LST - Norwich (Fast) line has one extra coach, which makes it keep generating a message saying that it "is too long for the next stop".

There is a Pendolino stopped at one of the underground platforms at London Euston with no schedule.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 02, 2017, 06:48:15 PM
Hi Kage, welcome to the forum and thanks for your kind comments. Glad you like the map. Well done for spotting those details! To take them in turn:

- The missing electrification on that tile in Newark is intentional because I want to avoid non-stop trains trying to go through that platform while another train is waiting there. However, I've moved the Edinburgh stopper to the other platform so it doesn't reverse.

- That convoy is indeed one coach too long. However on my map it's still only 7 station tiles long (convoy window > details) so I'm not getting any of those errors. Strange that you are. At one time I had the wrong graphics on those trains - maybe that problem persists in the version you have?

- Well spotted on the Pendolino. Coincidentally I found and deleted it earlier this week. I think it's a leftover from when I last changed the Birmingham fasts (when the Wolverhampton terminating service merged with the Birmingham to Scotland one).

Thanks again!
Title: [Updated savegame] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 04, 2017, 09:20:51 AM
Time for another savegame update. The most notable change this week is that we have our first non-passenger train! It's the route I mentioned last week from Eastleigh to Tonbridge with a convoy like this (https://www.flickr.com/photos/chris_livings/30708913691/). Upon load you'll find it at Eastleigh. I've also added Dollands Moor sidings near Folkestone, which will serve as the base for some future freight.

You can [https://www.dropbox.com/s/mjtv3breez5fmxu/UK-Feb17.rar?dl=0]download the savegame here[/url]. I think we are blockage-free at the moment. Let me know if you find anything wrong.

Full changelog:

- Railhead treatment train from Eastleigh to Tonbridge added. Runs once per 'month' (12 hours) via Redhill & Guildford.
- Lea Bridge station added in London
- Kirkstall Forge & Apperley Bridge stations added in West Yorkshire (This area will be imrpoved further eventually. I was surprised to see that Forge only has an hourly service right now. I wonder if that will change?)
- Updated intercity road graphics
- Updated a few airport graphics
- Updated Class 465 graphics (major)
- Updated Class 395 graphics (minor)
- Dover, Folkestone & the Romney Marsh area in Kent rebuilt/added (+2 bus lines)
- Ashford to Tonbridge towns rebuilt (+ 1 bus line)
- Tonbridge to Redhill towns rebuilt
- Gatwick Airport rebuilt (+ 1 bus line)
- North Downs line towns rebuilt (+1 bus line)

Here's a screenshot of Dover, which was revamped this week. It shows the busiest point in the hour. Two terminating services from Victoria and Charing Cross wait as the High-Speed East Kent circular service calls at Dover Priory in both directions in turn.

(http://i.imgur.com/Z3qSaU4.png)


The Eastern Docks could probably still stand to be improved.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on February 04, 2017, 04:55:35 PM
(https://i.imgflip.com/n0gny.jpg)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on February 04, 2017, 05:43:57 PM
Nice updates, BUT! There are blockages which are not solved, the common blockages are at Edinburgh, Cardiff, Doncaster, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Preston and Chester. I can not think of anymore ATM. I will notify you when there are blockages. :)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on February 04, 2017, 07:34:55 PM
Very Nice!

Could you possibly release an updated source file please, ive got plans for the 73, might try and turn in into a 66 (MIGHT)


Thanks
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 05, 2017, 09:54:53 AM
Sure Lewis, here's the source files for that (I'll do a full set again at some point) https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/73etc.rar
It's all in one image but you'll be able to extract what you want easily enough.


fam621, I think most of those are old problems that are now solved. I ran the map for a good long time when setting up the RHTT train and didn't find any issues Let me know if you find any, though!
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on February 05, 2017, 12:16:19 PM
Ok.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on February 05, 2017, 01:48:00 PM
Thanks!
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on February 05, 2017, 02:47:41 PM
Lewis, can you also compile the RHTT for pak128-Britain please? :) I'd be ever so grateful. Its for my Fictional UK Map.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on February 05, 2017, 09:03:34 PM
That's up to Carl.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 05, 2017, 09:26:33 PM
Go ahead - feel free to use those graphics as you wish.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Kage Acheron on February 06, 2017, 12:04:19 AM
Quote from: Carl on February 02, 2017, 06:48:15 PM
Hi Kage, welcome to the forum and thanks for your kind comments. Glad you like the map. Well done for spotting those details! To take them in turn:

- The missing electrification on that tile in Newark is intentional because I want to avoid non-stop trains trying to go through that platform while another train is waiting there. However, I've moved the Edinburgh stopper to the other platform so it doesn't reverse.

- That convoy is indeed one coach too long. However on my map it's still only 7 station tiles long (convoy window > details) so I'm not getting any of those errors. Strange that you are. At one time I had the wrong graphics on those trains - maybe that problem persists in the version you have?

- Well spotted on the Pendolino. Coincidentally I found and deleted it earlier this week. I think it's a leftover from when I last changed the Birmingham fasts (when the Wolverhampton terminating service merged with the Birmingham to Scotland one).

Thanks again!

Reinstalling a fresh version of the pak did solve the "train too long" message popping up. The train is still one coach too long, not sure if this is intentional or not. I got another "train too long" error for convoys 2344 and 2346 on the Manchester Pic - Bournemouth/Bristol line, and they are overhanging the platform at Manchester Pic. It looks like 8 car Voyagers were used for those two instead of the 5 car Voyagers.

Looking at the RHTT, it makes several strange 90 degree turns entering and exiting Redhill, probably because the track layout doesn't have a straight route between the platform and the lines that it enters and exits from.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 06, 2017, 06:25:27 PM
Thanks Kage. I'll sort those in due course.

Redhill is tricky - it's a very sharp turn into the Reigate line, and very hard to arrange the tracks so that there isn't a 90 degree for some routes. I'll take another look at it.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on February 06, 2017, 07:41:10 PM
I would like a RHTT for my fictional UK map for pak128.britain-Ex-0.9.2 please Carl.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 07, 2017, 11:41:59 AM
I only really deal with pak64 size graphics but you're welcome to adapt the files above as you like.
Title: [New trains, new graphics, New cities] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 11, 2017, 10:28:17 AM
Quite a lot to share this week. Here's an [https://www.dropbox.com/s/mjtv3breez5fmxu/UK-Feb17.rar?dl=0]updated savegame and pak folder[/url]. Here are a few things that have been added to the map, including one that was a bit of a spotaneous creation.

(http://i.imgur.com/G2YdQRJ.png)

Changes this week:

- Eurostar services added: two lines, Paris and Brussels, both of which operate two-hourly. They go through part of the Channel Tunnel and then stop at the edge of the map. Class 374 (e320) has been added to support this. It's altered a bit to fit the constraints of the map: only 12 coaches/6 tiles.
- Canterbury rebuilt (+4 bus lines), along with Sandwich and Deal
- Thanet towns, Margate/Ramsgate/Broadstairs, rebuilt (+2 bus lines), along with Herne Bay, Whitstable & Faversham
- Added new city buildings and updated old ones (see above). They are all adapted from existing graphics - some pak.128, some elsewhere and are designed to blend in with the existing style.
- Added three new IND ground squares to use for building farms. Two of these are above.
- Adjusted the ocean colour tone

Screenshot
Above is a screenshot of Thanet, showing Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate (full size (http://i.imgur.com/wF7vORu.png)). This is the easternmost part of Kent. three highspeed services to London St Pancras operate each hour - one from Margate via Canterbury, and two 'circular' services - one which goes London - Medway - Thanet - Dover - Ashford - London, and one going the other direction. You can also see the closed Manston airport.

(http://i.imgur.com/wF7vORu.png)

Graphics to-do list
I'm trying to gradually update the map's graphics as I go along. Here's a vague to do list of what I want to change. This is long-term - don't expect all this in the next week or month!

Ways
- Update road bridges
- Update rail bridges
- Update elevated rails
- Update motorway/major road graphic
- Update rails (and fields) to have optional tree linings (like this (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.3446267,-0.0970614,1049m/data=!3m1!1e3))

Vehicles
- Update and expand bus graphics
- New trains for freight services

Buildings/ground squares
- Farm squares (IND) for nursery, solar farm, and fields with plastic sheets (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.3075811,0.9143617,312m/data=!3m1!1e3) (fruit?)
- Field squares with paths/tracks (or a path square with a field in the background?)
- Create ground object/building to simulate surface lakes (I know these are a feature in newest versions)
- More updates to city buildings
- Golf course?! There are an awful lot of these in GB. Would be good to have some graphics.

Other
- Make the trees more uniform (less light coloured ones)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on February 11, 2017, 12:55:48 PM
Well i am working on the class 360! not as big as the new game save though.  ;)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 12, 2017, 03:25:27 PM
Some progress on graphics this weekend. Tree linings for rail tracks and sprucing up the roads that I'm using as motorways/dual carriageways. Both are shown below. Will upload some pngs they're a bit more complete.

(http://i.imgur.com/tRD5uNG.png)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on February 12, 2017, 04:53:08 PM
Something you need to know Carl, press i on your keyboard on the save, then click on signals on left then watch over time how signals go onto the right side of the track.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 13, 2017, 09:25:49 AM
That's not a bad idea, thanks. I didn't realise that was an option.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on February 13, 2017, 10:27:14 AM
No problem.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on February 13, 2017, 11:00:20 AM
.... BUSES!!!!!
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 13, 2017, 11:28:52 AM
Nice! Stagecoach is the big gap in the current offering. I think the next step for those (and the other graphics above) would be to vary the colour tones slightly on different areas of the vehicle, which helps to give them a smoother appearance. Generally the roof colour wants to be different to the sides. Also some slight change in tone at the top and bottom of the sides makes a big difference. Take a look at some of the more recent pngs that I posted yesterday (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11781.msg159226;topicseen#msg159226) to get an idea of what I mean.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on February 13, 2017, 12:35:23 PM
Ik.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on February 13, 2017, 05:16:21 PM
Yeah ill start doing that....


..... MPV anyone?
Title: [New updates] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 18, 2017, 01:58:06 PM
Quite a bunch of additions this week, including Medway & Maidstone, updated train graphics, new tree lining and lake graphics, and another non-passenger service added. [https://www.dropbox.com/s/mjtv3breez5fmxu/UK-Feb17.rar?dl=0]Here's the savegame and pak folder[/url]. Note that these use the legacy Simutrans Experimental and haven't yet been tested with the new Simutrans Extended.

Some screenshots:

Tonbridge (http://i.imgur.com/LeruDdB.png), with the line branching off south to Tunbridge Wells. You can see the new blue Class 375 and the rail tree linings, both of which were added this week.
(http://i.imgur.com/LeruDdB.png)

Maidstone (http://i.imgur.com/J2vlz3O.jpg). High Speed 1 is on the right of the shot, and a Eurostar train passes. The new lake graphics are used here in Mote Park. The east-west line here runs from Ashford to London, and the north-south line runs from Strood (for connections to highspeed services) and Paddock Wood.
(http://i.imgur.com/J2vlz3O.jpg)

Medway Towns (http://i.imgur.com/UO3qYZu.png), including Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham. Again, High Speed 1 passes to the left of the shot, alongside the M2 motorway. Highspeed trains run on conventional lines through Medway before joining HS1 after Gravesend. You can see one at Gillingham, on the right of the shot. The city versions of the new lakes are used for the docks in Gillingham.
(http://i.imgur.com/UO3qYZu.png)

Full changelog:
Graphics:
- Surface lakes added as IND tiles. Saves having to lower ground everytime for surface water (which tends not to look very good).
- Tree linings for railtracks added as wayobj. There's one version with catenary and one without.
- Motorway graphics updated (these are also used for dual carriageways and other 'highways')
- Blue Class 375 added and incorporated in many routes
Cities
- Maidstone & the Malling area rebuilt (+4 bus lines)
- Medway Towns rebuilt (+3 bus lines)
- Sittingbourne, Sheerness & Sheppey towns (+1 bus route)
- Hoo Peninsula built (+1 bus line)
Schedules
- Added a circular railhead treatment train from Tonbridge West Yard, via Ashford, Ramsgate and Sheerness (schedule here (http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O72019/2017/02/10/advanced)). This one is limited to 50mph because that seemed to best fit the timetable.
- Fixed class allocations for some lines (mostly - adding more Class 465s)


Lewis: Good stuff, an MPV would be a nice addition! Any idea what kinds of routes they typically run?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on February 18, 2017, 04:29:41 PM
no idea what routes they run, from pictures it looks like RHTTs in the south west and diffrent engineering trains.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Vladki on February 18, 2017, 05:40:51 PM
I really like the hedges along the track. What addon is that?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 18, 2017, 06:05:25 PM
I made it this week. Glad you like it! Here's the dat and png for them: https://www.dropbox.com/s/mwmnoimbquvnntj/TrackHedges.rar?dl=0 (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61716/TrackHedges.rar)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Ves on February 19, 2017, 10:42:47 PM
I downloaded the pak and savegame, and it appears to load fine in the new Simutrans-Extended! First time I look at it in game, it is really very much impressive! :)
However, there appears to become some funny  happenings, since:
a - signals does now not forbid driving the other direction, so trains will start use the wrong track, and
b - trains starting from platform will go in drive by sight mode, driving way to slow also risking deadlocks with other trains. Trains with a clearance from a signal appears to go in track circuit block mode.

So, from the initial point of view, to futureproof the save, all you would need to do is put signals on the platformends and an immense number of one way signs! :)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 20, 2017, 05:48:13 PM
Great, thanks for checking it out in Extended! I'm a bit worried about some aspects of the new signalling system, but I'll take questions on that to the main board. Did the 'wait for 400% load' timetabling features function right, or will that all have to be changed too?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Ves on February 20, 2017, 06:33:58 PM
The trains appeared to wait for 400% and leave when their time was up, so that didn't seem to be an issue!

Also, the two block signals and long block signals need to be altered or checked, since the two block signal has become a proper distant signal, and the long block signal is just a normal signal but also creating directional reservations.

But you might consider wait a bit changing over anyway, since the save game might become corrupt with the nightly builds and that would really be a shame!
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 20, 2017, 07:38:56 PM
Thanks. Yes, I plan to wait for a while - not least because the task of making the required changes is daunting. Also 11.34/35 are more sufficient for my purposes so there isn't huge pressure to switch over until the new build looks suitably stable.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 20, 2017, 10:15:13 PM
I think this was covered here (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=16767.msg159653;topicseen#msg159653); but the technique is to build a tunnel entrance (ctrl+click), then use the 'lower land' tool to take it low enough to go below the ocean; then drag the tunnel until it connects with the other end. We should keep discussion of that to the other topic to avoid getting off track.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: planestrainscomputer on March 01, 2017, 08:28:56 AM
It would be really nice to see some laxed allocations (e.g. non Gatwick Express trains turning up on Gatwick Express vice versa or 455's to Reading) Enjoying the updates and can't wait to see the 700's mix in with the 377's on the Thameslink lines.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on March 01, 2017, 03:21:13 PM
Thanks ptc! There are already a few lines running with mixed stock on the map, e.g. CrossCountry routes with both Voyagers and HSTs, and some Southeastern routes with both 465s and 375s. The challenge with doing this is making different kinds of stock run to a common timetable. (This was actually pretty difficult for the CrossCountry routes.) I expect it would be fine for Gatwick Express and for Reading 455s. Do 455s get to Reading very much?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: planestrainscomputer on March 01, 2017, 06:35:47 PM
Quote from: Carl on March 01, 2017, 03:21:13 PM
Thanks ptc! There are already a few lines running with mixed stock on the map, e.g. CrossCountry routes with both Voyagers and HSTs, and some Southeastern routes with both 465s and 375s. The challenge with doing this is making different kinds of stock run to a common timetable. (This was actually pretty difficult for the CrossCountry routes.) I expect it would be fine for Gatwick Express and for Reading 455s. Do 455s get to Reading very much?
Yes, it happens on most days when 450's are needed on the Windsor line with the 458/5s playing up. The 455's usually run in 8 car formations. Same thing with the Hounslow lines which get the 455/450/458/5 all running at the same time like in your London map.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on March 01, 2017, 07:48:02 PM
Hmmm.. just a quick look on google and I cant seem to find anything about a class 455 to reading apart from someone going on about the toilet problem.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: planestrainscomputer on March 01, 2017, 09:54:49 PM
Quote from: Lewis on March 01, 2017, 07:48:02 PM
Hmmm.. just a quick look on google and I cant seem to find anything about a class 455 to reading apart from someone going on about the toilet problem.
I had a look on the internet as well and found this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05Ig7PNeAfM   ;D So it does happen enough to be uproar about it, even now that the 450's live on the line.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on March 01, 2017, 09:58:18 PM
Haha, I cannot believe that actually exists. Well, that seals it. I will add a token 455 on the Reading route :) I need to repaint the 458s too, now I think about it.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on March 21, 2017, 07:37:11 PM
Class 124? if they still ran today. What about a Class 126?
Title: [Updated savegame] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on March 25, 2017, 06:39:59 AM
Took a month off working on this - went on holiday for a week and since then have been engrossed in Path of Exile, Elder Scrolls Online, and Caves of Qud. Back to Simutrans now though!

Here's the updated savegame (https://www.dropbox.com/s/usnfhzto624surb/UK-Mar17.rar?dl=0). Dropbox killed all its public links this week, so previous links may not work. I've updated a few of the recent ones, but I'm not going to go through all 30 pages of the thread!

Screenshot of Southend and Rochford. At Southend,the lines from Fenchurch Street (heading west) and Liverpool Street (heading north then west) almost meet.
(http://i.imgur.com/dXon8BH.png)

Full changelog:
- Class 321 (Greater Anglia) graphics (major update)
- Updated Class 357 Graphics (minor update)
- Gravesend & Gravesham rebuilt (+1 bus line)
- Tilbury and docks rebuilt
- Southend & south east Essex rebuilt (+5 bus lines)
- Clacton-on-Sea rebuilt (but not its surrounds, yet)

I've left Kent behind for now. It's all been rebuilt except for the areas surrounding London. As I mentioned above, I'm giving London a fairly wide berth for now as it will be the trickiest area to rebuild. So I've covered up to and including Gravesend and Tonbridge, but have left Dartford and Sevenoaks for later. Now it's time to fill in the gaps in Essex, and then move up to Suffolk.


Nice work on the DMUs, Lewis!
Title: [Update] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 09, 2017, 09:54:45 AM
A little more progress to report with an updated savegame (https://www.dropbox.com/s/usnfhzto624surb/UK-Mar17.rar?dl=0). It's mostly Ipswich and north Essex that have been updated this time. My Suffolk geography has improved and I now know which part of the world Babergh District Council governs...

This screenshot (http://forum.simutrans.com/Since%2025/3%20-%20Clacton%20surrounds%20and%20Harwich%20(+5%20buses)%20-%20Ipswich%20and%20Felixstowe%20rebuilt%20(+buses%20to%20Sudbury,%20Melton,%20Felixstowe,%20Colchester)%20-%20Updated%20livery%20for%20Class%2090%20and%20Mark%203%20carriages%20(Greater%20Anglia)) shows Colchester (left) and Ipswich (right), with the respective branch lines to Clacton and Felixstowe. The Sudbury line heads off-camera in the top left. On the top right are the lines heading to Norwich and Lowestoft.

(http://i.imgur.com/efWr4NL.png)

Looking at this screenshot makes it clear to me that the normal road bridges are the graphical priority to improve. The bright white doesn't look great.

Full list of changes:
- Updated train livery for Class 90 and Mark 3 carriages (Greater Anglia)
- Clacton surrounds and Harwich rebuilt (+5 bus routes added)
- Ipswich rebuilt (+buses to Hadleigh/Sudbury, Melton, Felixstowe, Colchester, and the Shotley peninsula added)
- Felixstowe rebuilt
- Sudbury to Haverhill bus route added

Next up? The remainder of Suffolk, before moving up to my childhood home: Norfolk. And now that Felixstowe is done, I'd better look into some more freight routes...
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on April 10, 2017, 08:49:15 AM
Freight!!!!  ;)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on April 10, 2017, 05:10:21 PM
Oh yeah! Freight Baby. #Freight4Life
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on April 16, 2017, 01:42:23 PM
Or maybe some Loco-Hauled passenger trains like the WAG Express or the class 37s used by Northern and Greater Anglia.  ;D
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 19, 2017, 09:36:00 AM
Yes, that's a good idea! I'll be doing the Great Yarmouth line soon so that would be a nice place to start. It'll probably be a while before I hit Cumbria or Wales.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: railh on April 23, 2017, 12:02:25 PM
That's an impressive game. Have you got the UK map as ppm file (or is there any way to extract it from the game)?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 23, 2017, 03:33:19 PM
Glad you like it! You can find the ppm here:
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=9124.msg85150#msg85150
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: railh on April 23, 2017, 03:42:33 PM
Unfortunately, the dropbox link does not work.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 23, 2017, 03:59:42 PM
Sorry about that - try now. The new dropbox link sharing system seems a bit hit and miss.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: railh on April 23, 2017, 04:35:20 PM
Thanks a lot!
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 20, 2017, 08:26:35 PM
Why is it that my map isnt has famous has your's? :(
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 20, 2017, 08:36:17 PM
You could try more screenshots and videos?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on May 21, 2017, 06:51:37 AM
I suppose fam621 that your map is less ambitious and exciting for people to look at then Carl's is.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 21, 2017, 11:59:10 AM
Yes, but the pictures are too big and over 64KB.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on May 21, 2017, 12:13:42 PM
You could upload them here (https://files.simutrans.com/index.php/login).
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 21, 2017, 12:25:18 PM
Are the login details for there the same or do you have to make an account for there James?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on May 21, 2017, 12:35:54 PM
I suspect the latter - you may want to ask Isaac about that.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 21, 2017, 12:51:50 PM
Carl, when I (try to) load the pakset, it crashes for some weird reason, can it be looked at please asap.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on May 21, 2017, 01:12:24 PM
Thats most likely to be your version.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 21, 2017, 01:17:54 PM
I redownloaded it and even so, it still crashes. I think still, its the software which does not like it.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 21, 2017, 10:11:13 PM
Which version of Simutrans?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 22, 2017, 06:18:15 PM
Extended.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 22, 2017, 06:53:28 PM
I haven't tested the map with Extended at all, but I understand that some people have had it working before. If the freshly-downloaded version doesn't work, then that suggests something has changed in Extended.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 22, 2017, 07:48:04 PM
Thats right.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on May 22, 2017, 10:50:56 PM
Is the source code of this pakset available? If so, then Fam621 could compile it afresh with the latest Extended makeobj and get it working that way.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 23, 2017, 03:40:30 PM
No, not really. Some of it is from pak64 and related addons; much of it has been adjusted over the years, and most of the trains are built from scratch. It's not a pakset in the traditional sense (as I keep saying), but simply the folder associated with this single map.

The British Trains for Pak 64 download contains all the new trains, at least:
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11781.100

Am I to understand that no pak files compiled with old makeobjs will work in Extended?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on May 23, 2017, 11:52:06 PM
I have not specifically tested this - I am afraid that I have quite a queue of bug reports and other development work with the result that backwards compatibility issues are rather lower down the list of priority than, say, balancing or crashes when a current pakset is being used.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Ves on May 24, 2017, 08:50:27 AM
I tried a map of yours with pak.ngb in Extended a couple of months ago, and then it worked.

Fam, I think the first thing to check if it does not work:
Open config\simuconf.tab and change the value singleuser_install= to the opposite number of what it is (if it's a zero now, change it to one. Or if it's a one now, change it to zero). Whenever the game doesn't load properly for me, it's because that value has been changed (I use the one value, but James has the zero value on github), which it occasionally do when updating.

But I might be wrong and the pakset really isn't working in extended, I will test when I get home in a couple of days.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 24, 2017, 04:09:20 PM
Tried both and it still crashes.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on May 24, 2017, 04:43:28 PM
If you can't get it to work, then resort to using a legacy Experimental setup.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 24, 2017, 06:46:45 PM
What is that?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on May 24, 2017, 07:52:41 PM
Old releases, Simutrans Experimental 11.35, the one before the new Extended.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 24, 2017, 07:55:18 PM
But the thing is that the map I'm making wont work on it.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on May 25, 2017, 06:20:06 PM
Keep it in a separate installation then.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 26, 2017, 05:18:25 PM
I actually realized, really its the trains which I renamed which were renamed using Microsoft Word which crash the pakset. Link to the pakset which crashes: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bzy63vjRdV2_RUxjN3c3c2Q0cXc. Also, do you use Word to rename the trains or Notepad? (Also, all the trains (excluding the Class 172 Chiltern) needs to be updated to allow overcrowded like on the other trains.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 26, 2017, 06:31:52 PM
Do you mean altering the dat files? I do that in Notepad++.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on May 26, 2017, 06:42:09 PM
The trains you've put are not Carl's they're made by me. They dont support overcrowding as I dont know how to do it.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 26, 2017, 06:43:20 PM
You want a line like this:
overcrowded_capacity=50

Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 26, 2017, 07:28:55 PM
Quote from: Carl on May 26, 2017, 06:31:52 PM
Do you mean altering the dat files? I do that in Notepad++.

Yes and the Chiltern Class 172 was made by Carl. Also, where do you put that line in? Also can you fix them for me please? :)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on May 26, 2017, 08:02:42 PM
Thanks Carl, once i have finished my GCSE's ill get around to doing it.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 27, 2017, 08:14:34 PM
Quote from: Lewis on May 26, 2017, 08:02:42 PM
Thanks Carl, once i have finished my GCSE's ill get around to doing it.

Start of with my trains please. xD
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on May 29, 2017, 05:49:22 PM
Just having a quick test however
It seems it does not want to be overcrowded.

using:

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
obj=vehicle
name=Class 142 BR Provincial -1
copyright=CB
waytype=track
freight=Passagiere
speed=121
payload=55
overcrowded_capacity=50
cost=21000
weight=25
sound=2
RunningCost=20
bidirectional=1
comfort=90
power=1720
gear=50
tractive_effort=350
brake_force=38
rolling_resistance=13
min_loading_time=35
max_loading_time=60
intro_year=1985
intro_month=3
retire_year=1997
Constraint[Next][0]=Class 142 BR Provincial -4
EmptyImage=Class 142 BR Provincial .0.0
EmptyImage[E]=Class 142 BR Provincial .0.1
EmptyImage[SE]=Class 142 BR Provincial .0.2
EmptyImage[SW]=Class 142 BR Provincial .0.3
EmptyImage[N]=Class 142 BR Provincial .1.0
EmptyImage[W]=Class 142 BR Provincial .1.1
EmptyImage[NW]=Class 142 BR Provincial .1.2
EmptyImage[NE]=Class 142 BR Provincial .1.3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 30, 2017, 09:45:30 AM
To check - are you compiling this with the Experimental/Extended version of Makeobj?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 30, 2017, 09:48:18 AM
Lewis, if that work's, can you do the same for the trains that I linked in an earlier post please? :)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on May 30, 2017, 10:08:25 AM
Thats where my problem is, I am only using the normal Makeobj. I'll get the experimental version and try that.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 30, 2017, 01:16:17 PM
*Extended.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 30, 2017, 02:27:25 PM
I think that British Trains for Pak 64 (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=11781.100) would be a more natural home for most of this discussion.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on May 30, 2017, 05:29:39 PM
I agree - now, moving on to the GB map, and what has been progressing so far.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: IgorEliezer on June 02, 2017, 11:49:54 PM
(this post is related to removed off-topic posts)

Fam, you -- probably -- aren't aware of a golden rule in every forum on the Internet: If someone opens a thread to discuss "X", then "X" must be discussed. Otherwise, it will be considered off-topic and, if persisting, spam (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=4529.0#post_item4f).

I've removed the off-topic posts. Please don't derail topics.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on June 03, 2017, 05:34:59 PM
Carl, just a quick question, how did you build the Channel Tunnel for the Eurostar trains, because I am trying to more or less the same thing and it wont work, can you give me some tips please?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 03, 2017, 05:48:17 PM
Once you have a tunnel entrance, you have to lower the tunnel further in order to take it below the sea. Do this by using the 'lower land' tool on the end of the tunnel.
http://imgur.com/l5j3pFh
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on June 03, 2017, 06:22:28 PM
Ik that but it wont build the track when lowered.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 03, 2017, 06:26:08 PM
Difficult to know what to suggest without seeing the specific situation. You could try in a more general thread.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on June 04, 2017, 05:43:41 PM
Carl, (when you have the time and the patience to) can we talk about the signalling please in another thread when you have time because I am really interested in finding out if the signalling will be updated to work in Simutrans Extended.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 04, 2017, 09:50:41 PM
From what little I have read about the Extended signalling, it sounds like a pretty daunting task - and a lot of work for comparatively little benefit. I doubt I'll be doing it any time soon, I'm afraid.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on June 05, 2017, 07:27:18 AM
:(
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fsxfsx on June 09, 2017, 01:27:58 PM
Carl, ive tried about 30 times to download your maps but the links does not work, especially the dropbox links. Could u please post somewhere its possible to download from?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 09, 2017, 01:29:43 PM
The most recent dropbox link should work:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/usnfhzto624surb/UK-Mar17.rar?dl=0

Dropbox has recently changed its link formats, so earlier links will no longer work.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fsxfsx on June 09, 2017, 01:34:27 PM
Where do i extract the different files?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 09, 2017, 01:46:01 PM
What do you mean?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on July 16, 2017, 03:27:24 PM
Can we have an update please?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 16, 2017, 07:45:59 PM
Not too much to add at the moment. I've not done very much since the last update. Working up the East Suffolk Line - will re-upload when that's finished. The next couple of months should give me a little more time. Will be nice to get an update on here though, because the last one is buried behind a lot of posts.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on July 17, 2017, 03:35:38 PM
Ok.
Title: [update] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 18, 2017, 08:28:34 PM
After a break, some more progress to report. East Suffolk is approaching completion and I'm moving into Norfolk now. For those just joining - this map was originally completed in 2014. The current project is to update it to be more attractive, more realistic, and up to date. This involves a mixture of rebuilding cities, adding bus routes, and updating graphics.

Savegame link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/jlyc941tl4oiz4o/UK-Jul17.rar?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/jlyc941tl4oiz4o/UK-Jul17.rar?dl=0)
As ever, this will only work in Simutrans Experimental.

Ipswich. Two mainline services from Norwich to London pass. A Lowestoft train waits to depart in the northernmost platform, while a stopping service to London waits in the southernmost platform.
(http://i.imgur.com/gBwjoyl.png)

Beccles. Two East Suffolk Line trains from Ipswich to Lowestoft pass on this largely single-track route. The Class 170 shows updated graphics; the Class 156 has not yet been updated. Beccles has a bus service to Diss and will eventually have additional routes to Great Yarmouth and Norwich.
(http://i.imgur.com/YqUdm59.png)

Full list of changes:
- Updated Greater Anglia Class 170, and added it to East Suffolk line diagrams
- Bury St Edmunds rebuilt
- Lowestoft & Waveney rebuilt
- Great Yarmouth rebuilt
- East Suffolk line rebuilt
- Diss rebuilt and GEML realigned between Stowmarket and Norwich
- Bus routes added: Bury St Edmunds-Sudbury, Haverhill-Sudbury, Saxmundham-Aldeburgh, Ipswich-Stowmarket, Lowestoft-Southwold, Diss-Beccles, Diss-Debenham
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on July 19, 2017, 08:56:47 PM
Nice, About time I get back to Simutrans and play it again.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 19, 2017, 10:12:05 PM
I'm currently rebuilding Norwich from scratch. This one means a little more than most since I grew up there. Here it is in progress...using a bit of local knowledge to gradually build up the main roads radiating from the centre, before adding in minor roads.

(http://i.imgur.com/wCeFlIk.png)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 20, 2017, 08:51:42 PM
And is Norwich, 1,376 buildings later. Not bad for an evening's work!

The road labels were useful as reference points for building, but I might leave them as they are.

(http://i.imgur.com/enXORQu.png)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on July 24, 2017, 10:03:12 AM
Spectacular!
Title: [Norfolk update] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 26, 2017, 06:29:20 PM
Here's an update covering Norwich and most of Norfolk. Lots of rebuilding, lots of towns and buses added, and an updated train. The savegame and pak folder are here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/jlyc941tl4oiz4o/UK-Jul17.rar?dl=0), for use with Simutrans Experimental.

This screenshot shows a broad view of Norfolk & Waveney: you can see Norwich at the top of the image, and Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth at the bottom. The brown road around Norwich is the NDR (https://norfolkcc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=f17e763c0f0242ea894f989fb7f18722), which is currently under construction IRL. As you can see, this screenshot is at the end of the map - Lowestoft is the eastern-most point in the British Isles.
(http://i.imgur.com/4vw3qJQ.png)

Here is North Norfolk - specifically, Cromer and Sheringham. A Bittern Line train is about to arrive at Cromer from the south, where it will reverse before heading to Sheringham. The line west of Sheringham is part of the heritage North Norfolk Railway. I've been building heritage tracks where they connect to the national network, but not running any trains on them.
(http://i.imgur.com/JUNTTht.png)

Full list of changes:
- Greater Anglia Class 156 graphics updated
- Norwich and surrounds rebuilt
- Many towns and villages added in Norfolk and Waveney   
- Major water changes, with the Bure, Wensum and Waveney rivers rebuilt/added
- Bus routes added: Norwich>Loddon>Beccles>Lowestoft; Great Yarmouth>Caister>Hemsby>Martham; Great Yarmouth>Bungay; Norwich local buses to: Poringland, Horsford, Long Stratton, Mulbarton, Wroxham, NNUH, Wymondham, Blofield, Stalham, Taverham, Cromer, North Walsham, Sheringham, Aylsham, Holt
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on July 26, 2017, 08:35:16 PM
You never disappoint. In a couple of years a class 142 on the heritage line wouldn't look out of place, apparently they've almost all been bought by heritage railways.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: jamespetts on July 26, 2017, 09:56:57 PM
Quote from: Lewis on July 26, 2017, 08:35:16 PM
...apparently they've almost all been bought by heritage railways.

Interesting - they are finally being replaced? I am sure that I saw some 143s in Cornwall only last month, but those are not quite the same as 142s, of course.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on July 26, 2017, 11:58:31 PM
The 143s are set to go as well. I think it's the once they've been faced out they'll transfer over. Which has to be done by 2020. I haven't heard of any plans for the 143s or 144s. Even then the 142s being bought is coming from a gaurd.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 27, 2017, 09:26:20 PM
I think that Northern's forthcoming new trains are due to replace many Pacers, though I don't know if that leads to them all being taken out of service.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on July 28, 2017, 09:49:12 AM
QuoteThe Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Interoperable Rail System) Regulations 2008 require that all public passenger trains must be accessible by 1 January 2020. No Pacer trains (except the prototype Class 144e) currently meet this requirement. Porterbrook has proposed an extensive refurbishment of the Class 143 and 144 units in an attempt to meet this requirement, although this would reduce the number of seats. Bidders for the next Northern rail franchise must not operate any Pacer trains after 31 December 2019.

QuoteAll 94 Class 142s will be withdrawn by the end of 2019, as their owner, Angel Trains, does not plan to have them extensively refurbished to comply with the Persons of Reduced Mobility Technical Specification for Interoperability (PRM-TSI).
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 28, 2017, 10:38:49 AM
And I assume these are the new trains that will allow that to happen:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_195
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on July 28, 2017, 11:12:19 AM
As far As I am aware yes.

And the class 331s are to be used on electric services around Manchester and West Yorkshire:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_331

Along with converted 319s to make them diesel and are reclassed as 769s:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_769

And class 170s will join the fleet on top of further class 150, 156 and 158s.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_(train_operating_company)#Future_fleet
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 24, 2017, 02:38:42 PM
There's a huge blockade at Birmingham New Street on the underground platforms, at in-game time 11:59:42, where convoy 2187 is using the same platform that convoy 1172 wants to use, and convoy 1949 is using the same platform that convoy 1285 wants to use, and convoy 1208 is using the same platform that convoy 1207 wants to use, and the resultant blockade has resulted in trains stacking up as far as Long Buckby, Sandwell & Dudley, Longbridge, Leamington Spa and Coleshill Parkway, with roughly 50-odd trains blocked.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 27, 2017, 12:26:22 PM
Thanks, I'll check that out and try to fix it. I've been a bit distracted with other games recently but will make some more progress here soon.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 27, 2017, 09:32:16 PM
I shall look forward to that. I've also started a map of my own. I give you full credit for inspiring me to do it.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 30, 2017, 11:51:37 AM
On my first attempt to reproduce that blockage, I wasn't able to do so. Convoy 2187 made it through Birmingham unscathed. What version of Exp/Ext are you using, and do you have any further idea about where it triggers? (I ask because Birmingham blockages are often/usually a symptom of a problem somewhere else, rather than a root cause, since routes from all over the country meet there)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 30, 2017, 07:22:41 PM
I had modified the WCML so the Northampton avoiding line was shut and then I reopened it so it probably was a byproduct of that.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 31, 2017, 09:59:49 AM
Ah, that might explain it then!  :)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 14, 2017, 12:31:21 PM
All quiet on this front recently as my attention has been diverted by other things. I expect to return soon, and when I do, there is a lot waiting for me. A very small part of the to-do list:

- Thameslink changes including full fleet change to Class 700s
- New franchises - South Western Railway and West Midlands Trains/London Northwestern - though not too much practical impact of these yet except for the new class 707s
- Ordsall Chord opening

This is a promissory note, but expect to see some action in the coming weeks and months.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on November 14, 2017, 04:20:19 PM
Glad to hear! :)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on November 14, 2017, 06:30:36 PM
I am pleased to hear it.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on November 19, 2017, 01:35:28 PM
I have done the SWR Class 444 (attached below)

If anyone wants to do it, it's quite simple as there are only 2 colours and it roughly follows the old SWT livery.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 19, 2017, 03:09:07 PM
Good stuff, thanks! I think that's based on an older version of the base 444 - this one's probably the most recent.


I think you could probably also use a little less contrast on the colours (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V_0JqEQ9BA)

Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on November 23, 2017, 08:02:40 PM
Welcome back everyone after are quiet 3 months!

Could we possibly see  updated source files whilst your updating other things?  ;)
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 23, 2017, 08:05:29 PM
I'm not sure if there are too many updates to the British Trains source files since the last update, but I'll take a look this weekend.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on November 23, 2017, 08:40:06 PM
Nice ok
Title: [Long-awaited update] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on December 03, 2017, 11:37:19 AM
A long four-month wait, but here's a new update! Updates to Suffolk and Norfolk are now done, and I've made a big dent in Cambridgeshire with an update to Cambridge - including adding the new station, Cambridge North.

Download with save file and pak folder:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9z3qkyv9mdx97vg/UK-Dec17.rar?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/9z3qkyv9mdx97vg/UK-Dec17.rar?dl=0)

Cambridge
(https://i.imgur.com/pVADwPs.png)

Thetford Forest, Thetford, and Brandon
(https://i.imgur.com/GyUgwCj.png)

Changelog:
- Updated Great Northern Class 365 graphics
- Added Cambridge North station. Only the GA Norwich service calls here at the moment. In order to add the Kings Cross and Liverpool Street services I need to make major changes to the ECML/WAML diagrams. I'll do that next.
- Areas without train service added, like Mildenhall and Lakenheath, with buses
- Places rebuilt including: Cambridge, Kings Lynn, Dereham, Swaffham, Hunstanton, Thetford, Attleborough, Newmarket, Wymondham
- Bus lines added including: Kings Lynn to Wells and Gayton, Thetford to Bury, Wymondham to Watton, Cambridge to Haverhill, Newmarket to Bury, Mildenhall to Thetford. More Cambridge buses to come (including deciding what to do about the busway).

The one thing I still want to add in Norfolk is a loco-hauled service to Great Yarmouth.

How to use the download
Add the save file to your Simutrans/Save directory. Add pak.ngb folder to your paksets location.

As ever you will need a  legacy Simutrans-Experimental executable (11.35) (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=1894.msg19644#msg19644) to run this. I know I ought to make the map compatible with Simu-Extended at some point. I'll need an abundance of time to make that happen, however, and so far the idea of doing that has always seemed less attractive than just updating the map.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on December 03, 2017, 11:53:40 AM
Yay, update! I love the new towns and cities and the Trees! We need golf courses next!  ;) Also be quick with the Loco Hauled Services, GA doesn't want to keep them when they get there new fleet.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on December 03, 2017, 08:21:53 PM
I'd love to do golf courses! They get everywhere they make up 10% of Woking (https://twitter.com/undertheraedar/status/886844530233888769?lang=en-gb), for example! But they are not at all simple to pull off in a satisfactory way in Simutrans. Maybe I'll figure out a solution one day.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on December 04, 2017, 08:30:15 PM
Hows it going Carl, also, when will my liveries be implicated for the routes that are on the GB map?
Title: [Update] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on December 17, 2017, 12:09:22 PM
Time for another update, in which we make progress in renewing Cambridgeshire and Essex, and move to Hertfordshire.

Download link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9z3qkyv9mdx97vg/UK-Dec17.rar?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/9z3qkyv9mdx97vg/UK-Dec17.rar?dl=0)

This screenshot shows Hertford in the top left, with Great Northern lines passing through Hertford North and the West Anglia branch terminating at Hertford East. Harlow is in the bottom right, and Broxbourne and Hoddesdon are in the middle.
(https://i.imgur.com/W8hWoFx.png)

Full list of changes:
- Greater Anglia Class 317 updated
- Greater Anglia and Great Northern timetables updated at Cambridge, to include Cambridge North terminators
- Cambridge to Stansted service added
- Several non-railway towns added with buses: including Soham, Chatteris, Sawston, Cottenham
- Many west anglia towns rebuilt, including March, Harlow, Bishop's Stortford, Hertford, Broxbourne, Ware, and Hatfield
- Stansted Airport updated

The plan now is to work my way back up the East Coast Main Line towards Cambridge and Peterborough, and thereby eventually finish the rest of Cambridgeshire.
Title: [Update] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 13, 2018, 09:15:52 AM
Time for a bumper update. The rest of East Anglia, including Peterborough, is now rebuilt and updated. This update also brings a repaint for the East Coast Class 91/Mk4 trains into the Virgin livery. I have to admit this comes with some regret for me, as I do like the old GNER navy livery, and it reminds me of travelling to and from university.

Next up? the rest of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, then on to Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. While I'm heading into Thameslink land next, I won't be updating the routes and trains until the big Thameslink timetable revolution later this year. Same goes for the Great Northern 387s.

Save game link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ersafev0as4zqb2/UK-Jan2018.rar?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/ersafev0as4zqb2/UK-Jan2018.rar?dl=0)

This screenshot shows Peterborough, which is (in my view) larger than you'd think...
(https://i.imgur.com/YKMDYR9.jpg)

This screenshot shows a large portion of Cambridgeshire, with Cambridge in the bottom right, and the East Coast Main Line running along the top, from Biggleswade to Huntingdon.
(https://i.imgur.com/naEoBEx.jpg)

Here's the full changelog from this update:
- Class 91/Mk4 updated into Virgin East Coast livery
- Doncaster station - new platform added
- Towns rebuilt include: Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Letchworth, Royston, Sandy, Biggleswade, St Neots, Huntingdon, Cambourne, St Ives, Peterborough, Wisbech, Bourne
- Bus routes added include: Hertford-Royston, St Neots-Huntingdon, Cambridge-Cambourne, Cambridge-Huntingdon (including busway), Huntingdon-Ramsey, Peterborough local routes, Peterborough-Huntingdon, Norwich-Peterborough, Norwich-Lowestoft, Peterborough-Bourne. Some of the bus routes in Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire need to wait until I've rebuilt St Albans, Luton and Bedford.

As a bonus, here's 3 shots of Peterborough station showing the range of trains that pass through. We see East Coast, Great Northern, CrossCountry, Hull Trains, and East Midlands Trains. Also one Greater Anglia train per two hours, though that's not in these images.

(https://i.imgur.com/85FYp6T.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/Zl8ZLSd.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/TC5Ih7P.jpg)

Peterborough had actually already been rebuilt once - after I finished the map in 2014, I added a few bus routes in this area. But I deemed this not good enough, so the town didn't escape a second rebuild...
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 13, 2018, 12:14:17 PM
No link Carl?
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 13, 2018, 12:30:21 PM
Well spotted - fixed! Thanks.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 13, 2018, 12:58:31 PM
No probs.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 13, 2018, 01:23:11 PM
So after this update, will you be looking into the new GWR IET/387 services?
Title: [New Video] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 15, 2018, 06:12:39 PM
Here's a new video! In contrast to older ones, this shows a fairly unrealistic fictional scenario.
https://youtu.be/gtBDHwf969I (https://youtu.be/gtBDHwf969I)



This is the first video in the series that shows the lines from Hitchin to Cambridge and Cambridge to Norwich. While we start in King's Cross, the rebuilt towns start only at Hatfield.

This video has text info rather than a voiceover. I don't really like doing the voiceovers, and they're probably the main obstacle to me making more videos due to the time they take. I'd be curious to know whether you think this alternative approach works.

I've only been averaging about one video a year recently, but I have ideas in the pipeline for some on this map and the Balkans map. Let's see if the rate improves!


The script is below, and is also displayed in the video.

Script
We're following the 11:04 from London King's Cross to Norwich - most unusual one-off service. In this fictional scenario, Norwich City are hosting Arsenal in the FA Cup Semi-Final. Due to huge demand for tickets from away fans, Greater Anglia decided to put on some special trains.

However, the Great Eastern Main Line was closed between Stratford and Colchester. There weren't nearly enough rail replacement buses to handle the load. So they took the unprecedented decision to run two trains from Kings Cross to Norwich, via Cambridge. East Midlands Trains loaned two Class 222 'Meridian' trains for the day.

The first football special left King's Cross at 10:00 and ran fast, calling only at Cambridge, Ely, and Thetford. But there was high demand for travel to the game from stations outside London. So the second train, leaving King's Cross at 11:04, had to stop at many intermediate stations. Yes, even Potter's Bar, Knebworth, Baldock, Waterbeach, and Brandon... So the second train was scheduled to take 2 hours 40 minutes to get from King's Cross to Norwich.

Because of this, most people took the fast train - it was packed to the rafters. The second train left London King's Cross almost empty. Those who couldn't make the 10:00 departure instead opted for the rail replacement buses via Ipswich. The train had filled up by Norwich. There were eighteen stops, and it was only a five-car train.

The 11:04 was only 20 minutes faster than the rail-replacement bus via Ispwich, and far more expensive. Nobody was happy with the outcome. Everyone agreed that the experiment was a failure and would not be repeated.

(Norwich City lost the match, of course.)

Partial timetable:
King's Cross .. 1104
Stevenage  .. 1142
Cambridge .. 1225
Ely  .. 1246
Thetford .. 1312
Norwich  .. 1345



fam621 - Yes, when I get to Berkshire and Oxfordshire, I'll be updating the GWR lines with the IET and 387 services that are now operational.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Kage Acheron on January 17, 2018, 05:28:11 AM
Small issue I've noticed with Peterborough station: the lines on the southern end are misaligned, any fast trains passing nonstop through Peterborough need to slow down and change tracks, which I assume shouldn't be the case.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 17, 2018, 09:00:55 AM
Well spotted! In this case it's because the whole line bends west after crossing the River Nene. So what looks like changing tracks is actually the central lines moving left one square. However, it looks like trains passing through shouldn't have to go below 100mph (160kph) - I'll check later on whether they're being slowed much below that.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Kage Acheron on January 17, 2018, 04:16:27 PM
I took a look at the train speeds, northbound trains slow down to 150 kph, while southbound trains are limited to 100 kph. One solution would be to shift everything in the station one tile to the southeast, but that would definitely involve a lot of work.
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 17, 2018, 04:21:24 PM
150kph is what I would expect after the cornering penalty, but I may raise the linespeed to 177 to account for this. 100kph is definitely too low, though, so I will check what's going on there and alter the relevant linespeeds accordingly. Thanks for noticing!
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Kage Acheron on January 17, 2018, 04:33:36 PM
Thanks, and keep up the great work! It's very impressive what you've been doing with this map!
Title: Re: Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 17, 2018, 07:30:23 PM
Many thanks!
Title: [Update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 21, 2018, 11:02:19 AM
Today's update sees a good chunk of progress with several large towns and cities covered: Luton, Bedford, St Albans and, most notably, Milton Keynes. I've also been making preparations for adding the first real freight lines to the map. Nothing's operational yet, but a Felixstowe to Daventry route is not far off and may be the subject of a video in the not-too-distant future.

Save game download: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qyy10b2kkrqit52/UK-Jan2018.rar?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/qyy10b2kkrqit52/UK-Jan2018.rar?dl=0)

Here's a screenshot of Milton Keynes. This is an unusual city and was difficult to build. Unusually in the UK, it's laid out on a grid system (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Keynes_grid_road_system). However the grids mostly run on compass diagonals, meaning that if I wanted to represent them in Simutrans, I had to break my rule of not using diagonal roads in cities except where necessary. I've tried my best to capture the way that the grid divides the city into discrete 'neighbourhoods', with (I think) only moderate success. On this screenshot, Bletchley station is in the bottom left, with MK in the top left. The M1 motorway makes an appearance at the right of the shot.
(https://i.imgur.com/aSuG6af.png)

This 'second pass' on the GB map is progressing nicely. The map below shows which areas have already been rebuilt and expanded (in colour) and those which haven't (in black and white). When revisiting areas I'm doing the following: (a) rebuilding all towns to fit the GB map aesthetic; (b) adding towns and villages not connected to the rail network, and key bus routes, and (c) adding real roads (where possible) and important geographical features like rivers and forests.
(https://i.imgur.com/D2p8H2Z.png)

Full list of changes since the last update:
- 'City bridge' graphic updated - the old one was a bit of an eyesore in screenshots
- Class 150 (London Midland Livery) updated
- Towns rebuilt/added: St Albans, London Colney, Hemel Hempstead, Harpenden, Luton, Dunstable, Bedford, Berkhamsted, Tring, Leighton Buzzard, Milton Keynes, Bletchley, Newport Pagnell
- Bus routes added: Hemel Hempstead-Stevenage, Hemel-Woodhall Farm, St Albans-Dunstable, Luton-Dunstable, Hemel Hempstead-Luton, Locals in Luton & Bedford & MK, Hitchin-Bedford, Luton-Bedford, Bedford-Biggleswade, Bedford-MK, Cambridge-MK, Luton-MK, MK-Olney

Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on January 21, 2018, 03:45:06 PM
Noice, good luck doing London that will be a challange to do.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 21, 2018, 10:34:18 PM
It will - it's no accident that I haven't returned there yet. I'll get to it eventually - after all, I built it once before, so I know it's possible...
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on January 22, 2018, 03:33:05 PM
All above ground though?  ;) ;D
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 22, 2018, 04:24:22 PM
Sadly that's definitely impossible at this scale! I'll make some changes to the track layout where possible/desirable, but I suspect most of those mainline terminal platforms will have to stay firmly under the dirt.

The London-only map I did in 2016 was mainly inspired by the fact that I couldn't totally do London justice on the full GB map:
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=7367.msg155604#msg155604
Title: [Freight video] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 29, 2018, 07:09:30 PM
Here's a new video showing the first freight route on the map, from Felixstowe to Daventry via London. This has been a long time coming!

https://youtu.be/Y-4G7LQmgm8 (https://youtu.be/Y-4G7LQmgm8)

(https://i.imgur.com/n8ShHhh.png) (https://youtu.be/Y-4G7LQmgm8)

Here's a screenshot of Felixstowe Port:
(https://i.imgur.com/C2NUR1D.png)

I'm also posting regular image updates to twitter now: @sim4transport (https://twitter.com/sim4transport).

There have also been quite a lot of updates to the savegame (link below):

Graphics: Class 315 update (TFL and LO); Class 378 update; Class 66 and container wagons added; Major Elevated Rail/Bridge update (based on Fabio's graphics) - this one took some time. Rails are fiddly!
Towns: Aylesbury, Chesham, Amersham, Northampton, and smaller towns nearby
Bus routes: Aylesbury-Berkhamsted, Aylesbury-MK, Northampton locals, Northampton-Bedford

Savegame link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/x055v59auorknpw/UK-Jan2018.rar?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/x055v59auorknpw/UK-Jan2018.rar?dl=0)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on January 29, 2018, 10:57:29 PM
 ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Enviro400Taco on January 30, 2018, 08:18:30 PM
Hi, I downloaded the latest version of the map and when I launch that savegame, it comes up with an error message that says 'FATAL ERROR' and then crashes me out of the game. I am using Simutrans on Steam. Would I need the experimental version or something? Many thanks, Ross
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 30, 2018, 09:43:12 PM
Yes, you'll need the legacy Simutrans Experimental exe from here: https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=7367.msg170257#msg170257
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Enviro400Taco on January 31, 2018, 05:06:13 PM
Ok, any version in particular?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 01, 2018, 05:58:14 PM
Sorry, I posted the wrong link. Try this:
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=13772.0

11.34 or 11.35 should work fine.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Enviro400Taco on February 04, 2018, 11:02:27 AM
Ok, I will try this. Thank you very much for your help.
Title: [IET Update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 07, 2018, 07:07:53 PM
Another large update today, with additions including the Class 800 IET trains on GWR, Class 387 trains on GWR, revised GWR timetables, and the rebuilding of Reading, Maidenhead and Wycombe.

Savegame download link is here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/jai9hql712eh3ip/UK-feb2018.rar?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/jai9hql712eh3ip/UK-feb2018.rar?dl=0)

Here's a screenshot of the Class 800, Class 387, and revised Class 458 waiting at Reading Station. I've added a few IETs to some routes to reflect current implementation - a handful on the Cotswold route, and a couple each on the South Wales and Bristol routes. Green GWR livery has also been added for HSTs and Class 165/166 - these are currently co-existing with the old liveries, as in real life.
(https://i.imgur.com/Xc5yHsO.png)

Here's a wider screenshot of the rebuilt area from Reading (top) to Wokingham and Twyford.
(https://i.imgur.com/pKn3iup.png)

Full changelog:
- Graphics: Class 800 GWR IET added; Chiltern Class 172 updated; GWR Class 387 added; GWR Green Class 165/6 added; GWR Green HST added; SWR Class 458 updated to blue from its old red/white livery

- Rail network changes: electrification to Didcot; Added Paddington-Hayes & Harlington half-hourly service; revised Paddington metro services; revised Greenford service to terminate at West Ealing

- Towns rebuilt including: High Wycombe, Reading, Beaconsfield, Bicester, Buckingham, Thame, Maidenhead, Marlow, Wokingham, Henley

- Buses lines added: Aylesbury-Buckingham, Wycombe-Chesham, Wycombe-Thame, Wycombe-Reading, Reading Local, Bracknell local, Aldershot-Reading

The bi-mode Class 800s do present a challenge. I can't differentiate between their performance under electrified and non-electrified conditions. They are faster than HSTs on routes they share (e.g. South Wales) - and I'm not entirely sure whether that should be the expected result or not.

I had a couple of blockages on the WCML/Birmingham New Street this week, so don't be surprised to see a recurrence of those if you open the savegame.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on February 08, 2018, 09:16:52 PM
Nice to see GWR Finally appearing on the map! I like the Mix of GWR and FGW Liveries.
Title: [New video] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 12, 2018, 05:40:23 PM
Here's a new video showcasing the North Downs Line between Gatwick Airport and Reading - with a quick trip to Henley-on-Thames to finish off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjWQdZP4DvM



Here's an image of Gatwick as featured in the video:
(https://i.imgur.com/hNYAACa.png)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Lewis on February 13, 2018, 11:26:53 AM
Very nice! The quality of the videos has increased dramatically as of recently.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 13, 2018, 12:19:29 PM
Thanks Lewis. A little work on overlays and transitions goes a long way, I think.
Title: [Update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 25, 2018, 10:27:02 AM
Today's update covers most of Oxfordshire, as well as connections to neighbouring counties. I'm occupied with other things for a couple of weeks now, so there will be a lull in videos and updates.

Savegame download:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jai9hql712eh3ip/UK-feb2018.rar?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/jai9hql712eh3ip/UK-feb2018.rar?dl=0)

Screenshot of northern Oxford, where the rail line to Banbury (left) diverges from the line to Bicester and London Marylebone (right).
(https://i.imgur.com/k4mKtEa.jpg)

Full list of changes:
Title: [TEASER] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on April 01, 2018, 01:06:51 PM
A new station is coming soon in the next update.

(https://image.ibb.co/c8bYQS/simscr21.png)

Happy April Fools Day! :)
Title: [Update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 21, 2018, 11:53:27 AM
Time for an update after a bit of a break. Swindon, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Stroud have been revisited in this update. Timetables need changing in this area, but I'm saving that for the big timetable update in May. That will lead to quite a lot of work - with Southern/Thameslink/Great Northern, Northern, and some other operators making large changes to their timetables.

Savegame link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/s51uuy0acsq2y2f/UK-apr2018.rar?dl=0

Here's a screenshot of Stroud and the Five Valleys in Gloucestershire, with two HSTs passing through en route to Cheltenham and London Paddington. The crosscountry mainline from Bristol to Birmingham is shown in the west of the shot.
(https://i.imgur.com/aQ23PZG.jpg)

Full list of changes:
- Rail network: redoubled the line between Swindon and Kemble
- Towns and cities: rebuilt Swindon, Gloucester, Stroud, and Cheltenham; added Cirencester, Chalford, Churchdown and other small villages
- Bus routes added: Oxford-Swindon; Swindon-Cirencester-Cheltenham; Stonehouse-Chalford; local routes in Swindon, Gloucester and Cheltenham

Further work on Gloucestershire and Wiltshire will follow. I'd like to find time to work on the USA East and Balkans maps soon too - but time always seems to be short. In particular, I'm going to Romania in the summer and would love to fill in the Romanian network on the Balkans map before then...
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on April 21, 2018, 08:18:11 PM
Hi Carl, just so that your aware. Passenger generation has changed for some reason? Why is it that passenger numbers have reduced?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 22, 2018, 08:23:54 AM
No change that I've noticed. The finances window will show some lower numbers because I've accidentally clicked the "skip a year" button a few times. In the Line Management window most lines do show lower numbers in the past three months, that's true. I could try fiddling with the generation options in Settings again. The passenger factor has always been set to '1', but maybe it could handle '2' if I also reduce the proportion of long distance passengers accordingly.

Have you spotted any other indicators elsewhere?
Title: [QUESTION] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on April 22, 2018, 02:48:07 PM
Other than that no. Plus when will work on making this map Extended compliant start (even though I know that you have already planned to do so)? Also, how do you increase passenger factor setting ingame?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 25, 2018, 06:36:24 PM
I ran for a full month and the passenger numbers were higher than they had been previously - so I don't think there's an issue here.

Extended compliance isn't a priority and - frankly - is a lot of work for not much gain. At best it will be after the whole map is re-built. But it's more likely that I would simply start any new projects in Extended rather than Experimental.
Title: [Update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 12, 2018, 09:57:35 AM
A host of improvements to the South West of England in today's update, including the rebuilding of Bath and a bunch of new towns in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. Filling in Wiltshire and heading down to West Dorset will probably be next. The big IRL May timetable change is coming very soon, which will be my prompt to revise Thameslink services and add Class 700s. However, this is going to be a bit tricky at first, because I understand that Thameslink/Southern/Great Northern are implementing their new timetables gradually. So I may focus on changes elsewhere at first until the Thameslink issues iron themselves out. Lots of other operators have large changes coming next week, too.

Here's a screenshot of Bath, including Bathampton junction to the east. Trains heading east go to London Paddington (twice per hour), while those bearing south head to Bradford-on-Avon and Westbury (again, twice per hour). To the west, all trains head to Bristol.
(https://i.imgur.com/RBeooT7.png)

Savegame download with pak folder is here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/32wfst99wdzz92u/UK-May18.rar?dl=0).

Here's a full list of changes since the last update:

Rail network:
- Fixed Manchester-West Wales trains (which were getting stuck at Shrewsbury),
- Fixed rail alignment between Wootton Basset Jn and Thingley Jn,
- Fixed rail alignment around Bath (mainly due to sorting out the River Avon)
- Fixed Box tunnel rail alignment

Towns added or rebuilt:
Bath, Chippenham, Corsham, Bishop's Cleeve, Nailsworth, Cam & Dursley, Cinderford, Coleford, Tewkesbury, Stow-on-the-Wold, Burford, Tetbury, Royal Wootton Bassett, Malmesbury

Bus routes added:
Cheltenham local, Gloucester-Forest Green, Stroud-Dursley, Gloucester-Dursley, Gloucester-Coleford, Cheltenham-Tewkesbury, Gloucester-Tewkesbury, Witney-Burford/Woodstock, Cheltenham-Moreton-in-Marsh, Stroud-Tetbury, Swindon-Royal Wootton Bassett/Malmesbury, Bath-Corsham-Chippenham.
Title: [QUESTION] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 12, 2018, 10:29:54 AM
Carl, has the passenger generation been fixed?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 12, 2018, 01:02:20 PM
I think it was fine anyway - as I said, I ran the game for a full month and passenger numbers were at the expected level.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on May 13, 2018, 11:37:02 AM
Kk
Title: [Update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 17, 2018, 07:34:52 PM
Further updates in Wiltshire and Somerset today, including some new GWR liveries for DMUs. I said before that I was hoping to add in all the new timetables after May. But as you may have heard, the timetable change hasn't been going so well (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/may/29/train-delays-commuters-cancellations-second-week). I will need to wait until the various emergency timetables stop before I know what to exactly to implement in this simulation!

The savegame and pak folder can be downloaded here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/94nd75hcw99hf7u/uk-jun18.rar?dl=0). As ever, the legacy Simutrans Experimental (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=13772.0) exe is required.

This screenshot (https://i.imgur.com/JhmyjAg.png) shows Frome (left), Warminster (bottom), and Westbury (right). At Westbury, the line from Bristol to Salisbury intersects with the line from London to Taunton and Exeter. Westbury and Frome also have avoiding lines which fast trains use - most GWR express trains don't stop at these stations. Dilton Marsh station, south of Westbury, causes unique problems on this map. It's only served by occasional ad hoc services and not by any 'clockface' trains. To get around this, and to make sure the station gets some kind of service, I have a couple of the GWR services that terminate at Westbury go slightly further and reverse at Dilton Marsh. Since lots of these trains run south of the station to reverse anyway in real life, this isn't too much of a stretch.
(https://i.imgur.com/JhmyjAg.png)

This screenshot (https://i.imgur.com/798B5oT.png) shows a GWR Class 166 Turbo in service between Westbury and Gloucester. These trains have recently moved west - they used to be used for London area suburban services but have now been displaced by electrification.
(https://i.imgur.com/798B5oT.png)

Full list of changes:

- Trains: GWR liveries for Class 150 and 158 trains have been added. Class 166 trains are now in service on some routes in the South West to reflect changes in real life - more to come later.

- Rail network: improved the rail alignment around Bradford-on-Avon, Westbury, and Frome

- Towns added or rebuilt: Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, Melksham, Devizes, Frome, Westbury, Warminster, Shaftesbury. Plus a few villages throughout this area

- Bus routes added: Bath Local, Bath-Devizes, Bath-Frome, Bath-Warminster, Gillingham-Shaftesbury
Title: [Bristol update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 14, 2018, 09:37:56 AM
I have a large update to share today! Most of the work has been in rebuilding the Bristol area. This is the first core city (https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-8322) that I've got to in my 'second pass' of this map - it was a lot of work to build but I'm happy with how it turned out. There are also quite a lot of significant towns without rail connections in this corner of the world, so this part of the map is now much denser than it was before. Weymouth and Yeovil were also rebuilt since the last update.

The savegame and pak folder can be downloaded here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/acbg57xubu81l6v/UK-Jul18.rar?dl=0). As ever, the legacy Simutrans Experimental (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,13772.0.html) exe is required.

The first screenshot shows the wider Bristol area, including South Gloucestershire, Bath, and parts of North Somerset and North East Somerset. If you squint (or click here (https://i.imgur.com/gmqqtMd.png) for the full-size version) you might be able to spot the Port of Bristol, the airport, the M4 and M5, Cribbs Causeway, and the disused Filton Aerodrome.
(https://i.imgur.com/gmqqtMd.png)

The second screenshot shows Bristol Parkway and Filton Junction, where the line from London to South Wales divides and heads south into Bristol. Two services from Cardiff to Portsmouth are passing in the north/south direction.
(https://i.imgur.com/ZrdSXBN.png)

Full list of changes
Cities & towns added or rebuilt: Bristol, Yeovil, Dorchester, Weymouth & Portland, Midsomer Norton, Shepton Mallet, Wells, Street, Glastonbury, Wincanton, Sherborne, Keynsham, Portishead, Thornbury, Clevedon

Bus routes added:  Bath-Wells, Street-Wincanton, Yeovil-Shepton Mallet, Yeovil Local, Sherborne-Wincanton, Weymouth-Portland, Bristol local, Bristol-Yate, Bristol-Portishead, Bristol-Glastonbury/Street, Bristol-Thornbury, Bristol-Clevedon

Road/rail changes: More GWR Turbos added to routes around Bristol; Both Severn bridges rebuilt

What's next?
I'll be gradually heading south west towards Devon & Cornwall. I'm still keeping an eye on the Thameslink situation (https://twitter.com/TLRailUK/status/1017445998380150784)... I don't really want to make large timetable changes if they are all going to change again soon anyway. The new interim timetable that launches tomorrow might make it worthwhile to finally add Thameslink changes to the map.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: passengerpigeon on July 18, 2018, 03:22:55 AM
Dear Carl,
Where did you get the elevated way and gap-filling track addons? Are they from the Japanese site or did you draw them yourself? I am planning to draw elevated ways and better tracks/roads for my own addon (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=17316.0 (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=17316.0)) and have been trying to find images to use as an alignment template.
Thank you,
Passengerpigeon.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 18, 2018, 06:23:38 PM
Hi there,
The elevated rail and road are adapted from other people's addons (although the rail one is, I think, far enough removed to be considered my own work).

The double tracks are my own work and are available here: https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,12225.0.html

Let me know if you need any of the related files.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: passengerpigeon on July 20, 2018, 12:19:46 AM
Quote from: Carl on July 18, 2018, 06:23:38 PM
Hi there,
The elevated rail and road are adapted from other people's addons (although the rail one is, I think, far enough removed to be considered my own work).

The double tracks are my own work and are available here: https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,12225.0.html

Let me know if you need any of the related files.

Dear Carl,
If you have worked on the elevated track addon, could you please send me the source files if possible? I promise not to distribute your work with my pack and will only use the image as a template to "trace" over.
Thank you,
Passengerpigeon.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 20, 2018, 06:40:15 PM
Here are the pngs and dats for the elevated rail. Feel free to put these to any non-commercial use that you want.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yhp1zj5tfzd86tb/rail_track_160_elevated.png?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/eondzmbo0qcqnl4/rail_track_160_bridge.png?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hzqotmrwxrgf0y3/rail_track_160_bridge.dat?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/frceiqdr5e1atdi/rail_track_160_elevated.dat?dl=0
Title: [QUESTION] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 11, 2018, 06:39:06 PM
Carl, I would like to know why is it that towns/cities cant be spawned on pak.ngb when using heightmaps on Simutrans Extended?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 12, 2018, 02:50:27 AM
I'm afraid I'm not sure what you mean. I haven't used Extended at all so can't comment on any interactions there.

It could be something in the config files? City growth is set to effectively zero.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 12, 2018, 04:03:40 PM
I mean that like when you load the pakset (in Extended), you load a map (heightmap) a flat one and spawn the map and then the town/cities don't spawn.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 12, 2018, 04:07:18 PM
Ok, I think I understand. Pak.ngb isn't a maintained pakset (but rather just  the means to run a particular map), so I can't really bugfix its interaction with Extended - also, it hasn't been used with Extended at all so there are bound to be some errors. You could ask someone who knows about Extended what the cause might be, though again they may be reluctant to bugfix an interaction with a pakset not designed for Extended.

Also, I'm out of the country for 4 of the next 5 weeks, so it'll be a while till I can load up Simutrans at all :)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 13, 2018, 01:14:55 PM
Ah ok
Title: [Suggestion/Question] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on November 17, 2018, 06:34:34 PM
Suggestion (and question): The livery scheme feature on Simutrans Experimental (now Extended), I am suggesting that, instead of having duplicate trains of different liveries. Put the liveries into the livery scheme feature which is featured on Experimental (now Extended) and maybe do like a neutral livery and then all the liveries which the train carries. Place them into the livery scheme under that livery name like for example the Great Western Railway livery could be called 'GWR' under the livery scheme. The picture shown of where you can change the livery scheme of the trains, buses, trains you name them! xD

(https://image.ibb.co/bDnx6V/wdbdb.png)

P.S. also how are you and when is the next update due?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 17, 2018, 06:37:22 PM
It's a possibility, but I confess that I always found the livery system more fiddly than just creating multiple vehicles. It would have the advantage of not cluttering up the depot window.
Title: [Update question] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on November 17, 2018, 06:52:44 PM
Any updates otherwise?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 18, 2018, 09:30:25 AM
Nothing to report at the moment - I've been spending my free time on other things.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: ScotRail170434 on January 15, 2019, 01:10:46 PM
Will we get any updates like: Central Scotland Electrification? Class 385s?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 15, 2019, 01:19:04 PM
I've returned to this map recently so there will be a large update soon - focusing on the Thameslink Programme and the avalanche of changes required as a result of that (i.e. every schedule changed for Southern, GN, SE, etc... plus Class 700s). Watch this space!


Updates like Class 385s and electrification in Scotland will likely wait until I reach Scotland in my broader 'regeneration' approach. Currently I'm on Somerset.
Title: [Update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 20, 2019, 09:30:39 AM
After a six-month break I've returned to working on this map. Here's a bumper savegame update with a lot of adjustments. The main changes are:
Savegame and pak folder can be downloaded at this link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/zikz8ykfnndqx06/UK-Jan19.rar?dl=0). As ever you will need a legacy Experimental exe (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=13772.0) to run this map.

Screenshots below, followed by a full changelog:
(https://i.imgur.com/bq7jj0i.png)
Full size image here (https://i.imgur.com/bq7jj0i.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/xFJyQUM.png)
Full size image here (https://i.imgur.com/xFJyQUM.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/GY1dAmc.png)
Full size image here (https://i.imgur.com/GY1dAmc.png)

CHANGELOG

- Rail services: all Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern and Great Northern services re-timed
- Rail network: OHLE removed from most of the south London areas where third rail is used. This tidying up should be mostly finished now.
- Train graphics: Class 700 added; Class 387 (GN) added, Class 376 graphics overhauled, minor updates to Class 455 (SWR) and Class 375 (SE).
- Towns rebuilt or added: Somerset (Weston-Super-Mare, Taunton, Bridgwater, Cheddar, Burnham-on-Sea, Minehead, Wellington, Somerton), Dorset (Bridport, Lyme Regis), Devon (Axminster)
- Bus routes added: Bristol - Midsomer Norton, Weston-Burnham, Weston-Wells, Taunton-Burnham, Taunton-Minehead, Taunton-Chard-Axminster, Taunton-Yeovil, Taunton-Wellington, Weymouth-Bridport-Axminster
Title: [Q] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on January 20, 2019, 11:40:38 AM
It seams that only the 8 car version of the Class 700s are available. When will the 12 car versions be added?
Title: Re: [Q] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on January 20, 2019, 12:04:13 PM
Quote from: mammothim2906 on January 20, 2019, 11:40:38 AM
It seams that only the 8 car version of the Class 700s are available. When will the 12 car versions be added?
I doubt that there's enough room for the platform extensions needed for 12-car trains.

Also, great to see this back again!
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 20, 2019, 12:31:31 PM
Yep, NoMorePacers is correct.  It's not possible to have 6-tile platforms at City Thameslink, Farringdon, etc - meaning that I can't use 12-car Class 700s. I had to rebuild part of the Sutton loop to even fit 8-car trains there! It will be quite easy to adjust the .dat file to make a 12-car train, though, when I upload that.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Ali on January 22, 2019, 06:53:34 PM
Class 700 looks absolutely fantastic Carl! Will these be available as .pak files for standard at any point in the future, like the original British trains addons?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 22, 2019, 08:34:29 PM
They will! I'll put together the full set for download soon.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on January 22, 2019, 08:58:58 PM
Quote from: Carl on January 22, 2019, 08:34:29 PM
They will! I'll put together the full set for download soon.
Hopefully good enough to turn into a 707 and/or a 717? ;)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 22, 2019, 09:01:15 PM
Yes! I should probably just do those before uploading it - the 707s are already in service and the 717s aren't far away...
Title: [Devon update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 02, 2019, 04:50:21 PM
Another big update today: I've updated the whole of Devon and made a start on Cornwall. This includes adding new places like Ilfracombe, Tavistock and Sidmouth which have only bus connections. The GWR Class 143 has udpated graphics, and the SWR class 707 has been added to the map. I haven't yet added Class 802s to GWR Main Line services - I'll save those changes for the upcoming GWR timetable recast.

The savegame and pak folder can be downloaded at this link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/c2uhxv51igj6fpe/UK-Feb19.rar?dl=0). As ever you will need a legacy Experimental exe to run this map. Screenshots below followed by a full changelog:

Devon: the main line snakes along the coast from Exeter (top right), branching off near Torbay (bottom left) to travel through Newton Abbot and on to Plymouth. You can also see Exmouth on the right bank of the Exe estuary.
(https://i.imgur.com/EZIRt4G.png)
Full size here (https://i.imgur.com/EZIRt4G.png)

Plymouth: a rebuilt city, showing a GWR service to Penzance heading westbound and a Crosscountry train waiting in the platform between services.
(https://i.imgur.com/MVlGcuH.png)
Full size here (https://i.imgur.com/MVlGcuH.png)

Full list of changes:

Rail network:
- Class 143 GWR and 707 SWR added
- Rail network updated/improved around Exeter, including new stations at Newcourt & Cranbrook

Towns and cities:
- All settlements in Devon rebuilt or added (where previously absent)
- Significant places rebuilt include: Exeter, Plymouth, Torquay, Paignton, Barnstaple, Newton Abbot, Teignmouth, Honiton
- Significant places added include Sidmouth, Tavistock, Ilfracombe, Kingsteignton, Bideford, Okehampton, Brixham
- Some towns added/rebuilt in East Cornwall: e.g. Launceston, Bude, Liskeard, Looe

Bus network
- Bus routes added from Exeter to: Sidmouth, Seaton, Honiton, Tiverton, Cullompton, Newton Abbot, Okehampton, & city buses
- Bus routes added from Plymouth to: Dartmouth, Paignton, Tavistock, Bude, & city buses
- Other bus routes added: Axminster-Beer, Ilfracombe-Barnstaple-Westward Ho!, Newton Abbot-Brixham, Torbay locals
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on February 02, 2019, 05:01:31 PM
Isn't the 802 just an 800 with an uprated engine?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 02, 2019, 05:05:47 PM
Yes - preparing the pak files wouldn't be any work. But I'd rather not spend time replacing lots of the convoys now, only to have to do the same again when the timetable changes shortly.
Title: [Cornwall update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 08, 2019, 05:05:59 PM
Cornwall has now been fully updated, meaning the South West region is finished. A good opportunity to upload an update, even though it hasn't been long since the last one. As mentioned before I'll be updating the GWR fleet in this area once the new timetable (http://travelwatchsouthwest.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Travelwatch-Presentation-October-2015.pdf) is in place. The savegame and pak folder can be downloaded at this link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/c2uhxv51igj6fpe/UK-Feb19.rar?dl=0). As ever you will need a legacy Experimental exe to run this map.

What's next? The West Midlands. I have a few more videos planned, but I'd rather only include areas where the cities have been rebuilt (since they look so much better than the older versions). This means I can only cover certain areas - and getting Birmingham rebuilt will open the way for several videos. It'll be the biggest city I've revisited so far.

Screenshots followed by a full changelog. Full size versions are here (https://imgur.com/a/sn6dLxY).

West Cornwall, showing Penzance, Land's End & St Ives. This is the bottom-left extreme of the map.
(https://i.imgur.com/nmeOkiq.png)

Minimap view of Cornwall & South Devon
(https://i.imgur.com/uFDbQYu.png)

Route network of buses and trains in Cornwall & South Devon. (I don't build every bus routes in existence - that would be crazy. As a rule of thumb, I build bus routes that run at least hourly in real life, unless they duplicate a rail route. I will build bus routes that run less often if they link a substantial town (~5,000 people) that wouldn't otherwise be linked to the network. The website bustimes (https://bustimes.org/) is an invaluable resource for this.
(https://i.imgur.com/RVFfYUY.png)

Camborne and Redruth - with a CrossCountry train to Penzance passing through
(https://i.imgur.com/Z9J4AjY.png)

Changelog

Rail network: some of the remaining FGW liveried vehicles updated to GWR livery

Towns and cities: rebuilt or added all towns & substantial villages in Cornwall. Significant places rebuilt include St Austell, Bodmin, Newquay, Truro, Falmouth, Camborne, Redruth, & Penzance. Significant places added include Helston. Also rebuilt Evesham (Worcestershire).

New bus routes: Plymouth - Bodmin - Padstow; Fowey - St Austell - Mevagissey; St Austell - Newquay; Truro to Bodmin, Newquay and Falmouth; Penzance to Helston, Truro, St Just & Land's End; Camborne to Lizard & Portreath; Barnstaple - Great Torrington; Cheltenham - Winchcombe; Evesham - Tewkesbury
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Jack Rudd on February 16, 2019, 09:32:39 PM
Ah yes, the Barnstaple - Torrington bus route. I use that route to go from Bideford to Exeter.
Title: [Birmingham mega-update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on March 09, 2019, 11:47:22 AM
After some serious clicking, I've finished updating Birmingham and the surrounding West Midlands metropolitan area. It contains an astonishing 15,000 buildings, and that's not even including satellite towns outside the metro area. Rail lines, train graphics, and timetables in the West Midlands have also been updated, as well as Herefordshire & Worcestershire.

Here's the Birmingham area looks at the widest zoom level. For context, Redditch is in the bottom left, Birmingham Airport is near the bottom right, and Wolverhampton is in the top middle.
(https://i.imgur.com/4MWLYNq.jpg)
(Larger version here (https://i.imgur.com/4MWLYNq.jpg))

And here are some new/updated West Midlands/London Midland-liveried trains from the area. This includes the West Midlands Metro trams, whose network is newly-added to the map:
(https://i.imgur.com/EB4aedv.png)

In addition to rail & cities, the motorway network is also present. You can see them in this minimap shot - you can probably also spot how some of the outlying towns haven't been rebuilt yet.
(https://i.imgur.com/Jolom4w.png)

One more screenshot showing stations in the centre of Birmingham
(https://i.imgur.com/vH78viu.png)


A fuller list of changes:

Trains
- Class 170: London Midland livery updated and West Midlands Railway livery added
- Class 172: LM livery updated and WM livery (orange) added
- Class 323: LM livery updated and WM livery added
- Urbos 3 tram (West Midlands Metro) added

Rail network
- Added West Midlands metro tram network. It goes underground in central Birmingham and Wolverhampton because of the density.
- Revised CrossCity timetable (including Bromsgrove additions)
- Revised Snow Hill lines timetable
- Many lines branching out from Birmingham were re-aligned for greater accuracy, including freight-only lines

Cities & towns etc
- All West Midlands metropolitan boroughs rebuilt (Birmingham, Solihull, Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall, Wolverhampton)
- All of Herefordshire & Worcestershire also rebuilt (Worcester, Malvern, Hereford, Ross-on-Wye, Leominster, Bromsgrove, Droitwich, Kidderminster, Redditch)
- Rivers Wye, Avon & Severn substantially rebuilt in this area

Bus network
- Worcester buses to: Evesham, Great Malvern, Bromyard
- Gloucester buses to: Hereford, Newent
- Hereford buses to: Ledbury, Leominster
No Birmingham area buses yet.

The savegame and pak folder can be downloaded at this link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/h3rq3sfp59gb08b/UK-Mar19.rar?dl=0). As ever you will need a legacy Experimental exe to run this map.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: mspljd1990 on March 14, 2019, 01:11:14 PM
You never stop working Carl! :D

Would there be any possibility of adding Grand Central routes?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on March 15, 2019, 08:01:43 PM
Yes, I expect I will add them at some point.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on March 15, 2019, 09:34:02 PM
Carl, I was just wondering if you still had a copy of that London heightmap kicking around, because I wanted to perhaps use it. If you don't, then it's fine. Thanks either way.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on March 15, 2019, 09:49:11 PM
i think it's the one in this zip file - let me know if it doesn't seem right.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rg1fck6f5tve1hi/londonsource.rar?dl=0
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on March 15, 2019, 10:41:30 PM
The map you linked seems to be working fine, thank you! Although I do not wish to constantly request things, have you got a copy of the actual map (with lines and trains placed)? I just want to use it to give a better idea of the orientations of train lines on the map.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on March 16, 2019, 07:29:23 AM
No problem- this seems to be the most recent version. It hasn't been updated since 2016.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h17vwcgtnvr6r11/London-Oct16.rar?dl=0
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on March 16, 2019, 10:53:14 AM
There is a slight issue with that map - I opened it and it said Class90GA-long, Class90DVT-long, GWRHST-front-long, GWRMk3-long, and GWRHST-back-long were missing. I checked the pak.ngb folder supplied with the save and these files were missing.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on March 17, 2019, 11:29:11 AM
Yes, I remember why that happened - I misnamed some of the long pak files and had to overwrite them when I went back to the normal map.

It should be fixed in this version:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h17vwcgtnvr6r11/London-Oct16.rar?dl=0

Title: [Teaser] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on April 01, 2019, 03:55:11 PM
A quick teaser of a rebuild Chelmsford which will be in the next update (sadly the last one before I leave Simutrans)

(https://i.ibb.co/R348XfB/simscr09.png)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 01, 2019, 04:52:12 PM
Sorry to hear you're leaving Simutrans.

Btw, did you get the wrong thread? This would probably fit better following on from one of your previous discussions.
Title: [April Fools Day] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on April 01, 2019, 07:14:01 PM
Quote from: Carl on April 01, 2019, 04:52:12 PM
Sorry to hear you're leaving Simutrans.

Btw, did you get the wrong thread? This would probably fit better following on from one of your previous discussions.

The first part is true, the second part is for you know what! APRIL FOOLS DAY BOI!
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 01, 2019, 07:25:21 PM
Haha. You got me! :)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on April 02, 2019, 04:34:14 PM
Quote from: Carl on April 01, 2019, 07:25:21 PM
Haha. You got me! :)

Definitely did.

Note: This is my last post on this topic before I leave the Simutrans community.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on April 14, 2019, 03:32:03 PM
I have found there to be a blockade at Gloucester, with large tailbacks on the Cross Country Route, which I think is caused by trains being sat in the platforms for too long.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 14, 2019, 03:41:45 PM
Thanks - I'll take a look. Gloucester is an unusual place for a blockage to arise, but stranger things have happened!
Title: [Bants] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on July 03, 2019, 07:43:20 PM
I'm not going to lie, I forgot this map/topic even existed and what I worse forgot about was that this isn't my project. But, I'm keeping people hoping for light at the end of the tunnel for an update. ;)

(https://i.ibb.co/Qb7kc8f/Picture1.png)

Note the Scotrail MK2 DBSO. ;) That DBSO was not relivered into Intercity livery as it was cascaded late as one set was still in service in Scotland on the EGIP line (Edinburgh - Glasgow (Queen Street) line) and was finally cascaded in 1992 (almost 2 years later than planned).

Picture taken: April 1995.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 03, 2019, 08:51:30 PM
Haha - yes, 4 months since the last update is a rather long time. I burnt out a bit from the large Birmingham project. I'm confident I'll get back to it over the summer...
Title: Re: [Bants] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: ScotRail170434 on July 04, 2019, 10:36:55 PM
Quote from: thegamer7893 on July 03, 2019, 07:43:20 PM
I'm not going to lie, I forgot this map/topic even existed and what I worse forgot about was that this isn't my project. But, I'm keeping people hoping for light at the end of the tunnel for an update. ;)

(https://i.ibb.co/Qb7kc8f/Picture1.png)

Note the Scotrail MK2 DBSO. ;) That DBSO was not relivered into Intercity livery when it arrived in 1992, as it arrived late as one set was still in service in Scotland on the EGIP line (Edinburgh - Glasgow (Queen Street) line) and was finally cascaded in 1992 (almost 2 years later than planned).

Picture taken: April 1995.

Is that the E&G between Haymarket and Saughton?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on July 05, 2019, 01:44:03 PM
No, its a fictional map.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 06, 2019, 11:19:25 AM
All I can say is have fun with the new West Midlands/LNR and Northern/TPE timetables.  :P
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 06, 2019, 03:40:50 PM
Yes, I was reading about how poorly the new LNR timetable is going and wondering how it'll go in-game...
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 06, 2019, 06:39:05 PM
Quote from: Carl on July 06, 2019, 03:40:50 PM
Yes, I was reading about how poorly the new LNR timetable is going and wondering how it'll go in-game...
So many splits and joins in that timetable, it'll be interesting in-game and no wonder it's going wrong in real life...

With the 2014-ish Northern timetable that there is now on the map, the Castlefield corridor gets frequently clogged up. Now there's about twice as many going through that same section, and in my own attempt to put it in, there were absolutely huge blocks on it...
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 28, 2019, 03:46:06 PM
Back to work, then...not loads to show yet, but nice to be back after a break.

(https://i.imgur.com/r08ZwFy.jpg)
larger (https://i.imgur.com/r08ZwFy.jpg)
Title: [Banter] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 02, 2019, 06:31:16 PM
Again I have forgotten that this isn't my project. But then again, I'm giving people hope for a eventual update.

(https://i.ibb.co/5Lsdzyp/SP.png)

In the picture above, you can see that at Barnshore Junction station, I have simulated it having a short platform as per real life (if this station was really to exist). This directly means that HST's and any trains longer than 2 cars have to overhang the platform, therefore making the guard use the SDO system when opening (unlocking in a HST) doors at this station. An example of a service which overhangs this station is the hourly VWC (Virgin West Country) service from Stepford Central or Worcester Forgate Hill. The HST's have to stop at the signal (not on the platform but at the furthest HST stop marker (2+9 marker)) and the guard has to inform passengers of the short platform at this station and unlock the rear doors (the rear 6 coaches of the set irl (1 and a half coaches as simulated ingame)) to allow people to alight at Barnshore Junction station. This is however automatically carried out GPS as the class 170's (operated by Midlands Trains) have GPS controlled SDO fitted to the train and the PIS (Passenger Information System) system will announce that this station has a short platform and passengers would alight from the rear 2 coaches (would fit onto the platform irl) of the train. This is one of the many changes that people should look forward to in the next update. ;)

Picture taken: March 1999.

Note to viewer: This is not a feature in the forthcoming update and this was written for entertainment and for boredom satisfying purposes. xD
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 02, 2019, 09:42:22 PM
Thank you for keeping the punters entertained  ;)
I do have an update in the works, you'll be pleased to hear, and it contains new train liveries, timetable changes, cities, and bus routes - the full works. It'll be here before long  :)
Title: [Savegame update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 04, 2019, 08:07:32 PM
After a long wait, here's another savegame update! It features more changes in the West Midlands The savegame and pak folder can be downloaded at this link (https://www.dropbox.com/s/sf1pd5jdwugq3vg/UK-aug-19.rar?dl=0). As ever, you'll need a legacy Simutrans Experimental exe to run this map (see here (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=13772.0)).

A pictorial guide to the update below!


I've implemented the London Northwestern timetable recast: adding all the new convoluted routes, including the through trains from Rugeley Trent Valley to London Euston via Birmingham. Running these services, the Class 350 has been updated - I've added new London Northwestern livery and updated old London Midland livery. I've swapped around half to the new livery.
(https://i.imgur.com/SxXvfTd.png)

Class 230 (former London Underground D-stock) added to the Marston Vale line from Bedford to Bletchley

(https://i.imgur.com/JIJ7W1G.png)


Class 390 - added the new Virgin livery to these Pendolinos. I've swapped around half to the new livery.


(https://i.imgur.com/CfiWulC.png)


New stations and more timetable updates: stations added in Kenilworth, Coventry Arena and Bermuda Park. Coventry to Nuneaton trains updated to run on to Leamington Spa via Kenilworth.


(https://i.imgur.com/5HS4OiZ.png)


Cities and towns added or rebuilt include: Coventry, Rugby, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Daventry, Kenilworth.


Coventry


(https://i.imgur.com/oQulajp.png)


Warwick & Leamington


(https://i.imgur.com/oxqJFcb.png)


Bus routes added: Stratford-Redditch, Redditch-Evesham, Stratford-Evesham, Redditch-Bronsgrove, Stratford-Leamington, Daventry-Banbury, Rugby-Daventry-Northampton, Rugby-Leamington, Local buses in Birmingham, Dudley, Stourbridge, Wolverhampton, Coventry & Solihull.


I still have some bus routes to add in the West Midlands urban area - especially around the north of the conurbation. After that, I think I'll move onto South Wales for something a bit different.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: ScotRail170434 on August 04, 2019, 09:29:44 PM
Is the 221 done in flowing silk?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 04, 2019, 09:43:31 PM
Quote from: ScotRail170434 on August 04, 2019, 09:29:44 PM
Is the 221 done in flowing silk?
In real life only 1 has been repainted so far, so I wouldn't think so. Over half the 390 fleet's been repainted I think, so it makes more sense to include that.

Also it would've been nice to have the WMT 172/0s done but again, I suppose it depends on when the Aventra gets made!

Good job with the new timetable!
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 04, 2019, 09:57:29 PM
That's right - since only one 221 was painted in that livery I didn't think it worth it.

I had forgotten about the WMT 172/0s - will consider doing those! Looks like they would be easy to paint since they are just a WMT purple/livery on the body that looks very similar to the Class 170.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 05, 2019, 07:43:26 AM
There's an error at Birmingham New Street - the platform is too short to fit XC HSTs.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 05, 2019, 08:44:14 AM
Ah, I know why that's happened. Thanks for spotting!
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 07, 2019, 09:55:36 AM
Also, unsurprisingly, I got a large blockade at New Street at the north side, with the WCML blocked up to Crewe. Probably really hard to try and fix with this new timetable, but I'm just letting you know. :)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 07, 2019, 12:58:04 PM
Thanks - yeah, I fixed a bunch of issues before, and ran the map trouble-free for half a month, but I suspected that more might crop up afterwards given the sheer scale of the changes.
The only problems I saw at New Street were around reversing services on the north-end underground through platform - I wonder if that has recurred.
It's possible that the root cause is at Crewe, though - that junction tends to be a source of trouble and has caused more issues than New Street recently. The TfW northbound Manchester trains have baffled me a bit recently and might be the cause. Sometimes they arrive 10 minutes ahead of schedule and sometimes it's 30 seconds. Something's happening to them between Hereford and Crewe - it could be related to the occasional Heart of Wales services coming off Craven Arms junction but I thought I fixed that.
Anyway, I'll look into it later. Let me know if you spot any likely offenders.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 07, 2019, 02:15:22 PM
I have had the TfW Manchester services have a nearly 2-hour wait at Wilmslow, which suggests that they are losing time. There also was a large number of trains waiting to use Platform 5 at Crewe on several occasions, and the amount of times I have seen blockades in the Manchester area are too high to count! :p

The blockades at Manchester Victoria I experienced were from the Victoria-Liverpool and TPE Newcastle services being sat in the same platform heading in conflicting directions, which caused a stalemate and long gaps, and Piccadilly also seemed to have issues with the through platforms causing problems (although this area is due to be updated to the most recent timetable change, I am aware).

There was also a blockade at Exeter St Davids with 2 Exmouth-Paignton/Barnstaple trains also being in the same platform heading in conflicting directions to one another again causing long blocks.

I appreciate this is a long list, but I thought I would bring up several issues at once, rather than one-then-another-one-then-another-one-etc.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 07, 2019, 02:57:00 PM
Thanks for reporting!

I think that the Exeter issue has been fixed - I moved some platforms around before the last upload which fixed a problem just like the one you described - let me know if it still occurs in the most recent version.

I think I've removed the timing point at Wilmslow now so that should be gone - the timing point is now at Crewe so if something's going to go wrong it will be there.

I don't think I've seen those Manchester Victoria issues at all but will watch out for them. The issue with two trains occupying the same platform seems to occur when one train is reversing at the far end but leaves enough space for the following through service to occupy the middle of the platform. I had similar issues at both New Street and Gloucester but I think they're fixed now (let me know if you see them again). This is the same as the Exeter issue.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 07, 2019, 05:48:40 PM
I've had a closer investigation of the New Street block, and it seems that a Euston-Liverpool (the standalone one in the lines list) service is sat in the 2nd-from-top underground platform for almost an hour, and this is blocking a Rugeley TV-Euston service from entering the station, and causing a blockade that's ever-increasing in size. Possibly the Liverpool service is missing it's timing point because of congestion somewhere else?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 07, 2019, 08:47:18 PM
Thanks for looking into it further. I also had just spotted that one with the Liverpool train! That route had been given too little time to get from Coventry to Birmingham, so the timing point was vulnerable. It now has 5 minutes leeway at Birmingham which seems to be sufficient.

The Euston - Crewe via Birmingham was causing similar issues and has also had a timing point removed to help with this.

I've been investigating Manchester too. While I didn't see any blockages, I've fixed a few little niggles that could possibly have caused them in the future - tweaking a few timings that looked marginal. Let me know if you can pin down any trouble-makers in that area. It's made a bit more difficult by the fact that I can't access the 2014 Northern timetables anymore...the rework in this area can't come soon enough.

Here's an updated savegame - it runs for a while with no issues. No doubt further problems will arise but hopefully they'll take a little longer to appear now!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sf1pd5jdwugq3vg/UK-aug-19.rar?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/sf1pd5jdwugq3vg/UK-aug-19.rar?dl=0)

Edit: fixed another silly issue at Reading.

Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: ScotRail170434 on August 07, 2019, 11:32:37 PM
Quote from: Carl on August 07, 2019, 08:47:18 PM
Thanks for looking into it further. I also had just spotted that one with the Liverpool train! That route had been given too little time to get from Coventry to Birmingham, so the timing point was vulnerable. It now has 5 minutes leeway at Birmingham which seems to be sufficient.

The Euston - Crewe via Birmingham was causing similar issues and has also had a timing point removed to help with this.

I've been investigating Manchester too. While I didn't see any blockages, I've fixed a few little niggles that could possibly have caused them in the future - tweaking a few timings that looked marginal. Let me know if you can pin down any trouble-makers in that area. It's made a bit more difficult by the fact that I can't access the 2014 Northern timetables anymore...the rework in this area can't come soon enough.

Here's an updated savegame - it runs for a while with no issues. No doubt further problems will arise but hopefully they'll take a little longer to appear now!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sf1pd5jdwugq3vg/UK-aug-19.rar?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/sf1pd5jdwugq3vg/UK-aug-19.rar?dl=0)

Edit: fixed another silly issue at Reading.

What's the next area to be done?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 08, 2019, 07:43:07 AM
Quote from: Carl on August 07, 2019, 08:47:18 PM
Thanks for looking into it further. I also had just spotted that one with the Liverpool train! That route had been given too little time to get from Coventry to Birmingham, so the timing point was vulnerable. It now has 5 minutes leeway at Birmingham which seems to be sufficient.

The Euston - Crewe via Birmingham was causing similar issues and has also had a timing point removed to help with this.

I've been investigating Manchester too. While I didn't see any blockages, I've fixed a few little niggles that could possibly have caused them in the future - tweaking a few timings that looked marginal. Let me know if you can pin down any trouble-makers in that area. It's made a bit more difficult by the fact that I can't access the 2014 Northern timetables anymore...the rework in this area can't come soon enough.

Here's an updated savegame - it runs for a while with no issues. No doubt further problems will arise but hopefully they'll take a little longer to appear now!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sf1pd5jdwugq3vg/UK-aug-19.rar?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/sf1pd5jdwugq3vg/UK-aug-19.rar?dl=0)

Edit: fixed another silly issue at Reading.
There is actually a 2014 Network Rail Working Timetable here (https://www.dpsimulation.org.uk/timetables.html) if you need it (scroll to the bottom for it), although I doubt you'll need it for much longer.  :P

Agreed about the rework! ;)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 08, 2019, 09:09:45 AM
Fantastic! I knew there was a timetable archive hiding somewhere on the internet but couldn't remember where. Thanks.

Quote from: ScotRail170434 on August 07, 2019, 11:32:37 PM
What's the next area to be done?

Once West Midlands buses are complete, the current plan is to do South Wales next. Then I'll gradually fill in northwards in England: the remainder of Northants, then Leicestershire, then Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire & Shropshire (in some order).

Despite what I said above, I plan to hold off a bit before revising Northern-land because they seem to be in a transitional phase with both timetables and rolling stock. Once the December 2019 timetable has passed I think it'll be safe to update that area. Similarly, the GWR rolling stock and timetable situation will now wait until after the December 2019 recast to be updated.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 08, 2019, 12:29:17 PM
I've also noticed that the slow lines between York and Thirsk have 2 unconnected pieces of track halfway between the two. Was this intentional?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 08, 2019, 02:38:53 PM
Yes - although it was so long ago that the exact reason escapes me. Presumably to stop something from using the slow lines when it should be using the fast lines - although that's not usually a problem.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: ScotRail170434 on August 08, 2019, 07:34:06 PM
The flowing silk 390 Pendolinos don't show up in the depot - any reason why that could be?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 09, 2019, 09:00:45 AM
It would need to be an electrified depot with the year 1996 or later (I know that's not the real intro date but it's what's in the dat file). It shows up next to the original 390 on my depot window.

If not then check that BR-390-new.pak is in your pak folder.

Title: [QUESTION] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 09, 2019, 01:38:55 PM
Quote from: thegamer7893 on August 02, 2019, 06:31:16 PM
Again I have forgotten that this isn't my project. But then again, I'm giving people hope for a eventual update.

(https://i.ibb.co/5Lsdzyp/SP.png)

In the picture above, you can see that at Barnshore Junction station, I have simulated it having a short platform as per real life (if this station was really to exist). This directly means that HST's and any trains longer than 2 cars have to overhang the platform, therefore making the guard use the SDO system when opening (unlocking in a HST) doors at this station. An example of a service which overhangs this station is the hourly VWC (Virgin West Country) service from Stepford Central or Worcester Forgate Hill. The HST's have to stop at the signal (not on the platform but at the furthest HST stop marker (2+9 marker)) and the guard has to inform passengers of the short platform at this station and unlock the rear doors (the rear 6 coaches of the set irl (1 and a half coaches as simulated ingame)) to allow people to alight at Barnshore Junction station. This is however automatically carried out GPS as the class 170's (operated by Midlands Trains) have GPS controlled SDO fitted to the train and the PIS (Passenger Information System) system will announce that this station has a short platform and passengers would alight from the rear 2 coaches (would fit onto the platform irl) of the train. This is one of the many changes that people should look forward to in the next update. ;)

Picture taken: March 1999.

Note to viewer: This is not a feature in the forthcoming update and this was written for entertainment and for boredom satisfying purposes. xD

For anyone who took up interest in this post, would you ever like to see this map released as I can tell you, its a very good one. ;)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 09, 2019, 03:54:29 PM
The rolling stock graveyard - designed to commemorate those trains in pak.ngb who gave their lives to build this map to what it is today.

We will remember them.

(https://i.imgur.com/ND6oq9F.png)
Title: Re: [QUESTION] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: ScotRail170434 on August 12, 2019, 12:22:47 AM
Quote from: thegamer7893 on August 09, 2019, 01:38:55 PM
For anyone who took up interest in this post, would you ever like to see this map released as I can tell you, its a very good one. ;)

Would be nice to have it as a release.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: fam621 on August 12, 2019, 04:32:29 PM
Quote from: ScotRail170434 on August 12, 2019, 12:22:47 AM
Would be nice to have it as a release.

Maybe I will start a new topic and possibly might release the map
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 14, 2019, 11:00:11 AM
Quote from: NoMorePacers on August 09, 2019, 03:54:29 PM
The rolling stock graveyard - designed to commemorate those trains in pak.ngb who gave their lives to build this map to what it is today.

We will remember them.

(https://i.imgur.com/ND6oq9F.png)
This is great :D

Those Class 442s might be making an appearance again after a repaint! And before long we'll get 319s in the north...
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 14, 2019, 12:16:06 PM
Quote from: Carl on August 14, 2019, 11:00:11 AM
This is great :D

Those Class 442s might be making an appearance again after a repaint! And before long we'll get 319s in the north...
Of course. But those liveries are now gone forever... :P
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 14, 2019, 01:50:33 PM
Indeed! It's nice to look at these and see some progression in quality over the years, at least.

There will soon be some ATW units to add to this graveyard, too...
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 14, 2019, 02:06:22 PM
Quote from: Carl on August 14, 2019, 01:50:33 PM
Indeed! It's nice to look at these and see some progression in quality over the years, at least.

There will soon be some ATW units to add to this graveyard, too...
Although some, like the RHTT trains, are actually quite new, relatively speaking at least - they just haven't been used recently.

I find the current contrast between a modern 2018/19 setting in the South and a 2014 setting in the North an interesting abstract take on the North/South divide personally.  :D
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: passengerpigeon on August 18, 2019, 02:59:12 PM
Hi Carl,
Thanks for sending me the elevated railway image and data files earlier. Since I am now working on my addon pack again, I was wondering whether you had any platforms with footbridges in 64x64 scale that you could send me the source files to, so that I could use them as an alignment template.
Thank you,
Passengerpigeon.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 18, 2019, 03:05:38 PM
Sure - the one I use is from the wa_platform set which you can find about 3/4 of the way down this page:

http://japanese.simutrans.com/index.php?%A5%A2%A5%C9%A5%AA%A5%F3%2Frailtool
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: passengerpigeon on August 19, 2019, 01:42:36 PM
Quote from: Carl on August 18, 2019, 03:05:38 PM
Sure - the one I use is from the wa_platform set which you can find about 3/4 of the way down this page:

http://japanese.simutrans.com/index.php?%A5%A2%A5%C9%A5%AA%A5%F3%2Frailtool

Thanks; I never realised those Japanese addons came with the sources. That's good to know.
Title: [Cardiff & valleys update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 20, 2019, 04:57:57 PM
Here's another large update, covering Cardiff & the South Wales valleys. It includes new & updated trains and renovation of a large chunk of the map. You can download it here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/sf1pd5jdwugq3vg/UK-aug-19.rar?dl=0).

New trains

All of the Arriva Trains Wales/Transport for Wales trains have been updated, with several new liveries added. The collage below shows the updates (from top left): ATW Class 150 (dark green) - new; ATW Class 150 (turquoise) - improved; TfW Class 175 - new; TfW Class 158 - new; ATW Class 142 (turquoise) - improved; ATW Class 143 (dark green) - new; ATW Class 175 - improved; TfW Class 153 - new; ATW Class 153 (turquoise) - new.

(https://i.imgur.com/rpzIxfB.png)

This includes the first ever Class 153 to be added to the map! You can find them operating on the Cardiff Bay line, the City line, the Heart of Wales line and the Crewe-Shrewsbury line.

Some other trains have been improved too: FGW and GWR Class 150; GWR Class 143; and CrossCountry Voyager.


Map updates

The whole towns & cities covering Cardiff, Newport and the Valleys have been rebuilt from scratch. The image below shows how it looks now (larger version here (https://i.imgur.com/S5laZEF.jpg))

(https://i.imgur.com/S5laZEF.jpg)

And the image below shows how it looked before the update - where little had changed since 2013 (larger version here (https://i.imgur.com/hOqlKnv.png)). This difference should hopefully show what I'm trying to achieve by revisiting every area of the map. Towns and cities are now built to their proper proportions, and towns that don't have a rail service are added. Forests have been added too. It's a much more ambitious project than simply 'built a town next to the train line' which was essentially what I did first time round.

(https://i.imgur.com/hOqlKnv.png)

Here's an image zoomed in on Cardiff (larger version here (https://i.imgur.com/amuBopR.png)). I moved Cardiff Central to elevated rail in order to allow for the bridge over the River Taff. I also moved Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Bay. Often when I revisit large cities I fix the rail alignments to make them a bit more accurate. You can also see this with the curve at Carleon (north of Newport) - compare the before/after images above.

(https://i.imgur.com/amuBopR.png)

Other changes

The Kidderminster area received an update, with the towns of Stourport and Bewdley added including bus routes.

I updated the Filton Bank (Bristol) to have 4 tracks, in preparation for something exciting that you'll see soon.

Bus routes added:

- Kidderminster: routes to Bewdley and Stourport
- Walsall: routes to Sutton Coldfield and Wolverhampton
- Wolverhampton to Bloxwich
- Lydney to Coleford (Gloucstershire)
- Chewpstow to Monmouth
- Newport: routes to Blaenavon, Monmouth, Chepstow, Brynmawr, Caerphilly, Abergavenny, Blackwood, Tredegar
- Merthyr Tydfil to Abergavenny
- Some other local Welsh valley routes. There's still more to do here.
Title: Re: [Cardiff & valleys update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 20, 2019, 07:45:03 PM
Quote from: Carl on August 20, 2019, 04:57:57 PMI updated the Filton Bank (Bristol) to have 4 tracks, in preparation for something exciting that you'll see soon.
I think I've spotted it. :D
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 20, 2019, 07:49:03 PM
Haha, oops - I didn't mean to leave that clue, but very well spotted  :D
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 21, 2019, 09:15:13 AM
Quote from: Carl on August 20, 2019, 07:49:03 PM
Haha, oops - I didn't mean to leave that clue, but very well spotted  :D
Don't worry, I won't spoil it for anyone else. ;)
Title: [New video] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 25, 2019, 12:34:51 PM
Here's a new video for you to enjoy - travelling from Birmingham to Paignton in Devon - the 'English riviera'.

But this being the British railway, not everything goes to plan on the journey...

https://youtu.be/Eb_mkzuWkFo

(https://i.imgur.com/8OUr96H.png) (https://youtu.be/Eb_mkzuWkFo)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 25, 2019, 05:38:45 PM
Knew it. :P

Nice video, although I'll admit to slightly preferring your voice-overs, since I personally find your voice quite pleasant to listen to.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 25, 2019, 07:48:08 PM
Glad you liked it!

I agree voiceovers can work well, but I find them quite stressful to do, and I don't like watching back over the videos with voiceovers.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on August 25, 2019, 08:40:53 PM
Quote from: Carl on August 25, 2019, 07:48:08 PM
Glad you liked it!

I agree voiceovers can work well, but I find them quite stressful to do, and I don't like watching back over the videos with voiceovers.
I have the same issue really, I can't watch anything with my voice in it. I don't like it either. So I understand. :D
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Vladki on August 27, 2019, 07:27:26 PM
Quote from: Carl on August 20, 2019, 04:57:57 PMHere's another large update, covering Cardiff & the South Wales valleys. It includes new & updated trains and renovation of a large chunk of the map.
Oh, very nice screenshots. I've just returned from vacation in UK, and part of it I spent traveling in the South Wales (of course by train where possible).
Title: [Swansea update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 31, 2019, 04:06:23 PM
Today's update brings another big chunk of progress in Wales, plus more new and updated train graphics. You can download it here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/sf1pd5jdwugq3vg/UK-aug-19.rar?dl=0) (as ever you'll need a legacy Simutrans Experimental exe to run this map).

First, those new and updated trains. The collage below shows most of them, and a list follows (larger here (https://i.imgur.com/1KcI91V.png))

(https://i.imgur.com/1KcI91V.png)

New trains added: Class 717; 710; 345; 195; 331
New liveries added: Class 222 (EMR), Class 319 (Northern), Class 159 (SWR), Class 442 (SWR), Class 378 (TFL black)
Trains improved: Class 700

As well as updating some London area trains & liveries, I added a couple of new & updated Northern trains. The Class 331s are running on Leeds to Doncaster locals. Both the 195 and 319 will have to wait until I update the timetable to be added fully, but for now you can find one of each running on the Liverpool to Manchester Airport route.

The Class 442s make a return in a new livery, working Portsmouth Direct Line services for SWR.

Crossrail's Class 345 trains are added - currently working both Liverpool Street to Shenfield and Paddington to Hayes & Harlington services.


Map updates
Another big part of the map has been updated, with the following towns & cities added or rebuilt: Swansea, Bridgend, Port Talbot, Neath, Llanelli, Porthcawl, Maesteg, Ystradgynlais, Pontarddulais, and Brecon.

This screenshot shows the dense Swansea area, including the Swansea District Line which diverges from the main line just south of Neath. Larger version here (https://i.imgur.com/v8516Gi.png).

(https://i.imgur.com/v8516Gi.png)

Here's the area around Ammanford, a town north of Swansea. You can see newly-added IND graphics for solar parks, as well as the new Mynydd y Betws wind farm. South of Ammanford, a freight-only line for coal trains to Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen diverges. Larger version here (https://i.imgur.com/i973omI.png).

(https://i.imgur.com/i973omI.png)

Finally, here's the area around Bridgend. If you squint you'll see the other new city building I added this week - the caravan park in Porthcawl. Both this and the solar park have been added in a few places across the map. Larger version here (https://i.imgur.com/MrpInWR.png).

(https://i.imgur.com/MrpInWR.png)


Other changes

The North London Line timetable was updated to include 4tph from Stratford to Clapham Junction.

A few IND graphics were tweaked.

Buses routes added:
Cardiff locals
Cardiff-Caerphilly, Tonypandy, Beddau, Bridgend
Bridgend-Aberdare, Barry, Cymmer, Blaengarw, Nant-y-Moel, Porthcawl, Neath
Aberdare-Glynneath, Merthyr Tydfil
Port Talbot-Cymmer
Swansea-Glynneath, Mumbles, Dulais Valley, Ystradgynlais, Pontarddulais, Llanelli, Brecon
Hereford-Brecon
Abergavenny-Brecon
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on September 02, 2019, 09:10:07 AM
Just a little one here.

Kings Cross - Ely services are portrayed as being Class 365-operated in the map, but as is shown here, (https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/frequently-requested-diagrams.170615/#post-4100672) they only run at peak times now, and 387s are running on that service now I believe.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 02, 2019, 09:12:35 AM
Good call - I hadn't realised there were so few GN 365s in service now.

I also note that the SWR 442s have been withdrawn today, just days after I added them to the map...
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/swr-class-442-diagrams.182639/#post-4184869
Title: [Mid & West Wales update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on September 27, 2019, 06:44:25 PM
Evening all - time for another map update. This one covers Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Powys - including some of the sparsest and most rural areas of Wales. Part of Shropshire is also rebuilt and improved.

You can download the pak folder and savegame at the following link. As ever, you'll need a legacy Simutrans Experimental .exe to run this.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/q8pm6wcsrt99i43/UK-sep19.rar?dl=0

The screenshot below shows towns and rail lines in Pembrokeshire (see the area on Google maps here (https://www.google.com/maps/@51.712031,-4.9684467,28940m/data=!3m1!1e3)). I added trains to the Fishguard branch in this update. In real life it only has a very sparse service so I've had to engage in a bit of fiction to make it work - here it has two-hourly services connecting with the eastbound Milford Haven service at Clarbeston Road. The coastal area around Pembroke has several power stations and refineries that I've tried to represent as best as possible, but it wasn't easy.
(https://i.imgur.com/4zDZjLS.png)

The screenshot below shows Builth Wells (https://www.google.com/maps/@52.1591288,-3.410836,4952m/data=!3m1!1e3) in Powys. it is served by Builth Road station - you can see a Class 153 making its way eastbound in the shot. This is on the Heart of Wales line which receives only 4-5 trains per day (3-hourly frequency in-game). The town is served by buses between Newtown and Cardiff (which run only as far as Merthyr Tydfil on this map as I usually try to avoid bus routes that duplicate rail routes). North of the River Wye here is the Royal Welsh Showground.
(https://i.imgur.com/lliuJj8.png)

Finally, here's Shrewsbury (https://www.google.com/maps/@52.7084347,-2.7361603,6418m/data=!3m1!1e3) town centre which I've rebuilt this week. I've moved the station to one level above ground in order to manage the complex pattern of the River Severn here. It wasn't really possible to represent the junction south of the station in its full detail. In the station are two WMR Class 170 trains and a TFW Class 153 waiting to run on the Heart of Wales Line. By coincidence I visited Shrewsbury a couple of weeks ago - it';s quite a nice little place, and there are good value flexible tickets from London if you go via Chiltern or London Northwestern. The station is unusual in that the lowest-numbered platform is 3.
(https://i.imgur.com/UWrbA8C.png)

Towns rebuilt this time include: Carmarthen, Aberystwyth, Pembroke, Milford Haven, Haverfordwest, Tenby, Cardigan, Lampeter, Newtown, Llandrindod, Ludlow, Shrewsbury, Oswestry.

Bus routes were added around all of these places too - as well as a couple from Kidderminster, Swansea and Hereford to places that were added.
Title: [New video] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 03, 2019, 11:54:37 AM
I've published a new video today titled 'Pembroke Coast Express'. It follows a Class 800 IET train on its journey from Newport to Pembroke Dock in West Wales.

This service runs on summer Saturdays only. Before 2019 it was operated by HSTs - I believe that this summer's specials were the first IETs to visit the Pembroke line in passenger service.

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIQTb6qndIw



Title: [Save update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 09, 2019, 11:56:43 AM
Today's update adds a bunch of new trains, updates some old liveries, and overhauls another large section of the map. You can download the savegame and pak folder here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/m7thwhwhau3u66y/UK-nov19.rar?dl=0). As ever you will need a legacy Simutrans Experimental (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=13712.0) exe to run this.

I sometimes post updates on twitter (https://twitter.com/sim4transport) too so feel free to follow there.

New trains: the following vehicles have been newly added: Class 800 for LNER (5/9 car) and for GWR (9 car); TPE class 350; TPE class 185 (new livery); Northern classes 170 and 158 (new livery), and Scotrail class 158 (new livery). There are also graphic updates for a few old vehicles: TPE class 185 (old livery), and Northern classes 323, 142 and 158 (old livery)

Class 800 LNER
(https://i.imgur.com/xx58S7Y.png)

Map updates: the West Midlands has seen more progress. Shropshire has been completed. The Trent Valley and Cannock Chase areas of Staffordshire & Warwickshire were also updated - including Stafford, Tamworth & Nuneaton - meaning that the built-up 'ring' around Birmingham is now finished. Next up: eastern Northamptonshire, then Leicestershire.

Nuneaton & Bedworth: the West Coast Main Line crosses the Birmingham to Leicester line here. We can also see the branch line heading into Coventry (which is in the bottom left) and the M69 motorway. (larger (https://i.imgur.com/iQNzia3.png))
(https://i.imgur.com/iQNzia3.png)

Tamworth: here the WCML crosses the Crosscountry route from Birmingham to Derby. We can see two Voyagers and a Pendolino passing. (larger (https://i.imgur.com/YkDBfqS.png))
(https://i.imgur.com/YkDBfqS.png)

Telford: this sprawling New Town has a lot of areas away from rail stations so has a few bus services too. We can see a TFW class 158 and a LM class 170 passing through. (larger (https://i.imgur.com/Fpg014y.png))
(https://i.imgur.com/Fpg014y.png)

List of towns added: Telford, Stafford, Tamworth, Cannock, Lichfield, Nuneaton, Rugeley, Burntwood, Bedworth, Wellingborough, Rushden, Bridgnorth, Wombourne, Newport (Shropshire), Whitchurch, Market Drayton

Bus routes added include: Wolverhampton-Bridgnorth, Wolverhampton-Wombourne, Kidderminster-Bridgnorth, Shrewsbury-Market Drayton, Shrewsbury-Whitchurch, Telford-Stafford, Wolverhampton-Cannock, Stafford-Cannock, Lichfield-Cannock, Lichfield-Rugeley-Stafford, Walsall-Lichfield, Tamworth-Sutton Coldfield, Nuneaton-Coventry.

Title: Re: [Save update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: ScotRail170434 on November 13, 2019, 07:44:14 PM
Quote from: Carl on November 09, 2019, 11:56:43 AM
Today's update adds a bunch of new trains, updates some old liveries, and overhauls another large section of the map. You can download the savegame and pak folder here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/m7thwhwhau3u66y/UK-nov19.rar?dl=0). As ever you will need a legacy Simutrans Experimental (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=13712.0) exe to run this.

I sometimes post updates on twitter (https://twitter.com/sim4transport) too so feel free to follow there.

New trains: the following vehicles have been newly added: Class 800 for LNER (5/9 car) and for GWR (9 car); TPE class 350; TPE class 185 (new livery); Northern classes 170 and 158 (new livery), and Scotrail class 158 (new livery). There are also graphic updates for a few old vehicles: TPE class 185 (old livery), and Northern classes 323, 142 and 158 (old livery)

Class 800 LNER
(https://i.imgur.com/xx58S7Y.png)

Map updates: the West Midlands has seen more progress. Shropshire has been completed. The Trent Valley and Cannock Chase areas of Staffordshire & Warwickshire were also updated - including Stafford, Tamworth & Nuneaton - meaning that the built-up 'ring' around Birmingham is now finished. Next up: eastern Northamptonshire, then Leicestershire.

Nuneaton & Bedworth: the West Coast Main Line crosses the Birmingham to Leicester line here. We can also see the branch line heading into Coventry (which is in the bottom left) and the M69 motorway. (larger (https://i.imgur.com/iQNzia3.png))
(https://i.imgur.com/iQNzia3.png)

Tamworth: here the WCML crosses the Crosscountry route from Birmingham to Derby. We can see two Voyagers and a Pendolino passing. (larger (https://i.imgur.com/YkDBfqS.png))
(https://i.imgur.com/YkDBfqS.png)

Telford: this sprawling New Town has a lot of areas away from rail stations so has a few bus services too. We can see a TFW class 158 and a LM class 170 passing through. (larger (https://i.imgur.com/Fpg014y.png))
(https://i.imgur.com/Fpg014y.png)

List of towns added: Telford, Stafford, Tamworth, Cannock, Lichfield, Nuneaton, Rugeley, Burntwood, Bedworth, Wellingborough, Rushden, Bridgnorth, Wombourne, Newport (Shropshire), Whitchurch, Market Drayton

Bus routes added include: Wolverhampton-Bridgnorth, Wolverhampton-Wombourne, Kidderminster-Bridgnorth, Shrewsbury-Market Drayton, Shrewsbury-Whitchurch, Telford-Stafford, Wolverhampton-Cannock, Stafford-Cannock, Lichfield-Cannock, Lichfield-Rugeley-Stafford, Walsall-Lichfield, Tamworth-Sutton Coldfield, Nuneaton-Coventry.


What's next to be done?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 16, 2019, 10:55:03 AM
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.
Title: [Leicestershire update] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on December 09, 2019, 10:29:46 PM
Today's update is mainly focused on areas around Leicester. You can download the savegame and pak folder here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/qtegearf2czwq71/UK-dec19.rar?dl=0).  As ever you will need a legacy Simutrans Experimental exe (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,13712.0.html) 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.
(https://i.imgur.com/lNmi2NO.png)

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 (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Leicester/@52.518448,-1.2278714,9414m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x487742ab49b76c73:0x9a151d2a6fb49cb8!8m2!3d52.6368778!4d-1.1397592).
(https://i.imgur.com/ABJKknd.png)

Leicester itself: here an EMT Class 222 and an XC 170 pass at Leicester station.
(https://i.imgur.com/7Dye1KH.png)

Rutland Water: away from the hustle and bustle of Leicester, here's the area around the largest reservoir in England.
(https://i.imgur.com/ciGF80n.png)

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

Title: [New video] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on December 21, 2019, 11:27:03 AM
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.

(https://i.imgur.com/bAnLLqe.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/1XmUxOl.jpg)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on December 22, 2019, 09:43:39 AM
Nice work!
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Mariculous on December 22, 2019, 03:25:38 PM
Just came here to call you crazy!
That map is impresive!
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: ScotRail170434 on January 05, 2020, 01:03:31 AM
Any idea when the recent progress will be released?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 05, 2020, 07:04:29 PM
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.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: ScotRail170434 on February 05, 2020, 08:43:24 PM
Are the 397s, 68s and 802s due to be added?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 06, 2020, 03:21:11 PM
They're "due" in that they'll be added with the Northern/TPE update, yes, but I haven't made them yet.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: mspljd1990 on March 01, 2020, 09:31:21 PM
Would you also be able to update the Northern 333 liveries?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on March 02, 2020, 09:43:09 AM
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.
Title: [Northern/TPE/GWR updates] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on March 21, 2020, 06:01:05 PM
Finally, an exciting and long-awaited update!

Download the save and pak folder here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/54zthevtpv1nn2i/UK-Mar2020.rar?dl=1)

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 (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,11781.msg185537.html#msg185537).

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 (https://www.google.com/search?q=IET+gwr&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB766GB766&sxsrf=ALeKk03eo5rcukmNRMW09zdSFJiuDWZeTA:1584808765150&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjq_-7bgKzoAhUMHcAKHW7VBngQ_AUoAnoECBkQBA&biw=940&bih=899). You can still find HSTs on the Exeter-Penzance line.

Screenshot: Leeds
(https://i.imgur.com/4qgFiMs.png)

Screenshot: Manchester
(https://i.imgur.com/WWmMxOS.png)

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 (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,9467.0.html) which has fallen by the wayside over the last couple of years. Bucharest and Sofia, here we come...
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on March 21, 2020, 07:13:55 PM
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. :)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 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?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on March 22, 2020, 09:50:16 AM
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.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 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?)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on March 22, 2020, 10:43:37 AM
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).
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: ScotRail170434 on March 22, 2020, 08:03:26 PM
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.


Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on March 22, 2020, 09:02:11 PM
Thanks for the list, and I will get to it in time.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: mspljd1990 on April 12, 2020, 05:41:25 PM
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.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 18, 2020, 02:30:00 PM
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 (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,9467.msg185918.html#msg185918)).
Title: [Map update: Nottingham & Derby] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 09, 2020, 03:27:30 PM
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

(https://i.imgur.com/LSjEC6f.png)

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.

(https://i.imgur.com/nvqOtMa.png)

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.

(https://i.imgur.com/EIf52rs.png)

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.

(https://i.imgur.com/iOG8PXf.png)

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).

(https://i.imgur.com/bWQVU7L.png)

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.
Title: [Video: South Wales Valleys] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 16, 2020, 09:37:52 AM
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

(https://i.imgur.com/mpLMA7M.png) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTye13h0HcY)

And here's a map from the video itself:
(https://i.imgur.com/BMNzj0H.png) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTye13h0HcY)
Title: [Video: Hastings to London] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on May 30, 2020, 09:19:53 AM
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

(https://i.imgur.com/0vDqHOv.png) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZO84JIppS4)

Here's the route map... (click here (https://i.imgur.com/OarSfBT.jpg) for full size)
(https://i.imgur.com/OarSfBT.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZO84JIppS4)

...and here's a screenshot from Hastings at the southern end of the video.
(https://i.imgur.com/bnET4j0.png) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZO84JIppS4)

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!
Title: [Map update: Scotrail etc] Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 06, 2020, 09:45:36 AM
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

(https://i.imgur.com/me1K2IY.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/TMTIfBD.png)

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:

(https://i.imgur.com/3NRS7nr.png)

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

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.

(https://i.imgur.com/7ndDzl0.png)

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.

(https://i.imgur.com/dxkSi9D.png)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on June 08, 2020, 01:44:07 PM
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.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 08, 2020, 05:23:24 PM
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?

(https://i.imgur.com/kKNUvWH.png)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on June 09, 2020, 11:45:41 AM
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.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 09, 2020, 11:47:41 AM
I use 11.34:
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=13712.0
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on June 09, 2020, 01:14:17 PM
I can confirm that 11.34 works a treat - no undef markers.
Title: [NEW VIDEO: Derby to Skegness] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 13, 2020, 09:17:24 AM
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).

(https://i.imgur.com/5HfHLRT.png) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoZJT8wt-NA)

Below are screenshots of Derby, Nottingham and Skegness, along with the inset maps featured in the video itself (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoZJT8wt-NA).

(https://i.imgur.com/hyViJPN.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/KwubJyl.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/rUEn04v.png)

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.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on June 18, 2020, 04:43:13 PM
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.

Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on June 18, 2020, 06:48:25 PM
Thanks KneeOn, glad to hear you liked it!
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 02, 2020, 04:52:47 PM
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.
.
(https://i.imgur.com/ikdK40q.png)

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.

Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on July 03, 2020, 07:33:06 AM
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.

Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 03, 2020, 09:36:33 AM
These are around 11-13 pixels from ground to the base of the roof.

Good idea - I'm very happy for you to take and adapt these as required, as I know they might not all fit your style. Also I'm not as diligent on the rotations - I don't bother changing the light and shade. I know some people find that a big deal.

I'll upload the sources when I've ticked off a few more and made a few edits.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on July 03, 2020, 10:05:09 AM
I'll scale them, fit them up with colours and neaten them up and release them as part of the pak with your copyright on there - that'll save me so much work because half the problem is trying to imagine a new building and then actually implementing it!


I rather hit a rut with the city buildings so this extra set of eyes and imagination is most welcome. Thank you!


Rotations and colours are the easy bit for me, I've gotten a lot smoother at chucking those extra bits out so you've really done the hard bit for me by coming up with new building types.




Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 03, 2020, 10:57:52 AM
That sounds like an ideal division of labour then! :)

I've been getting my inspiration from looking at Google Satellite's 3D view in British cities where it's available...

(https://i.imgur.com/s00hSxo.png)
Title: [Video: Edinburgh to Inverness] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 11, 2020, 09:16:13 AM
A new video today: our first in several years to visit Scotland! We travel 175 miles from Edinburgh to Inverness, traversing the Highlands and climbing as far as 450m above sea level.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXrbr3ClO24

(https://i.imgur.com/HqNxa7F.png) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXrbr3ClO24)

The journey follows one of Scotrail's recently-acquired HST trains. It features several different types of climate and terrain as we travel through the Cairngorms National Park.

Here are a few more screenshots - and, of course, a map!

(https://i.imgur.com/eMCR42u.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/wRWu2EW.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/YWrvneN.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/jDxRV8k.png)

Next week I'll post a savegame update with another big chunk of the map updated.
Title: [Map update: Liverpool/N Wales] Great Britain in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 18, 2020, 08:22:27 AM
A new savegame update today! Areas of the map updated this time are Liverpool & Merseyside, North Wales, and a few bits of Scotland as seen on the Inverness video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXrbr3ClO24).

Download the savegame at the following link. As ever you will need a legacy Simutrans Experimental exe (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=13712.0) to run this.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2wx1afvh9ioayib/UK-Jul2020.rar?dl=0

Here are the sources for the new city buildings (https://www.dropbox.com/s/re05ld3no0fzzmg/new_british_res.zip?dl=0).

(https://i.imgur.com/reG2Sks.png)

Rebuilding the Merseyside area involved placing around 11,000 buildings. Several rail lines have also had their alignments fixed. I've also updated the Class 507 Merseyrail train graphics.

(https://i.imgur.com/7MAwPGd.png)

Wales has now been completed. This update covers the North Wales coast, Anglesey, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, and other bits left over from previous updates.

As well as the map changes, this update also includes several of the redrawn city houses/buildings as shown a couple of weeks ago. They brighten up cities quite a lot!

(https://i.imgur.com/A7FeruR.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/sdyl42v.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/ifUZFDS.png)

List of towns/areas updated: Flint, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno, Dolgellau, Barmouth, Caenarfon, Bangor, Anglesey / Liverpool, Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside / Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy, Perth, Inverness

Bus routes:
Chester-Crewe,Mold,Wrexham,Runcorn,West Kirby
Flint-Mold
Wrexham-Rhyl
Chester-Holywell
Rhyl-Llandudno
Wrexham-Barmouth
Bangor-Aberystwyth
Pwllheli-Nefyn,Aberdaron
Liverpool local
Liverpool-Kirkby
Birkenhead-West Kirby,Wallasey
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on July 18, 2020, 06:05:07 PM
Just so you're aware, the download for the latest save seems to supply the pakset for the Balkan map instead of the British map.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 18, 2020, 08:18:20 PM
Oops - thanks for spotting. Fixed now.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on July 24, 2020, 06:23:33 PM
Lovely stuff!

Once I've drawn the remainder of the attractions I want to do (these multi-tile buildings are slow to make!) I'll get on to looking at the sources. The screenshots look wonderful!
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: TheAmir259 on July 25, 2020, 04:04:07 AM
Newcomer here, and maybe more praises won't be of any help but its just marvelous! As one who attempted something kinda similar, i know how much time, work and dedication it needs to do something of such a scale. Well the good thing about this game is the size of the map so this kind of approach, in such a scale is certainly doable. The one i did in another game was about the british railway network as a whole, at its peak, which is before Dr. Beeching came and axe everything. The limitations of the map in terms of size meant that i eventually had to deviate from accuracy so i couldn't implement every route and the alignments and orientations of the lines and stations were also not historical. It would be great though if such a thing is possible here. Not that i'm asking for one, so please don't mind me.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: kierongreen on July 25, 2020, 10:46:32 AM
Quote from: TheAmir259 on July 25, 2020, 04:04:07 AM
Newcomer here, and maybe more praises won't be of any help but its just marvelous! As one who attempted something kinda similar, i know how much time, work and dedication it needs to do something of such a scale. Well the good thing about this game is the size of the map so this kind of approach, in such a scale is certainly doable. The one i did in another game was about the british railway network as a whole, at its peak, which is before Dr. Beeching came and axe everything. The limitations of the map in terms of size meant that i eventually had to deviate from accuracy so i couldn't implement every route and the alignments and orientations of the lines and stations were also not historical. It would be great though if such a thing is possible here. Not that i'm asking for one, so please don't mind me.
It certainly would be - Carl's heighmap covers all area reached historically by the UK network although for several months now I've been working on a heightmap that would take in the whole of Britain and Ireland (well actually also a fair chunk of France) to allow simulation of cross channel and Irish Sea Ferries (provides a reason for Holyhead, Fishguard, Stranraer and the numerous Channel Ports to have better services). I'd envisage the early 30's as the ideal time to do such a game - A3s and A4s cruising up and down the East Coast, EMUs starting to spread across the Southern Railway, Newcastle and Liverpool. It would take a long time to get every branch line in place, and also timetables of that era aren't exactly easy to read (you can obtain them with a bit of searching). Prototype operation with slip coaches, significant freight workings which probably don't have records kept and lots of shunting at termini stations would be some difficulties I could see....
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on July 26, 2020, 03:09:38 PM
Thanks for the kind words TheAmir529!

A historical version would be incredible. As well as timetables, I suspect it may be hard to come by info about track layouts in different areas? Or maybe that's also documented somewhere.

I also have an updated heightmap in the works, though probably only covering Great Britain and a slice of Ireland, rather than the whole of Ireland.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on August 03, 2020, 01:34:20 PM
I've finally gotten around to looking at those city buildings in detail, they're very high quality and once converted for scale and style will be much valued additions to the pakset. Thank you for the sources Carl.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: mspljd1990 on August 09, 2020, 02:28:10 PM
Quote from: TheAmir259 on July 25, 2020, 04:04:07 AM
Newcomer here, and maybe more praises won't be of any help but its just marvelous! As one who attempted something kinda similar, i know how much time, work and dedication it needs to do something of such a scale. Well the good thing about this game is the size of the map so this kind of approach, in such a scale is certainly doable. The one i did in another game was about the british railway network as a whole, at its peak, which is before Dr. Beeching came and axe everything. The limitations of the map in terms of size meant that i eventually had to deviate from accuracy so i couldn't implement every route and the alignments and orientations of the lines and stations were also not historical. It would be great though if such a thing is possible here. Not that i'm asking for one, so please don't mind me.

Quote from: Carl on July 26, 2020, 03:09:38 PM
Thanks for the kind words TheAmir529!

A historical version would be incredible. As well as timetables, I suspect it may be hard to come by info about track layouts in different areas? Or maybe that's also documented somewhere.

I also have an updated heightmap in the works, though probably only covering Great Britain and a slice of Ireland, rather than the whole of Ireland.

I've always wanted to do something similar to this as well, but during the turn of the century so a few years after privatisation, when we'd have the likes of Arriva Trains Northern, First North Western, Central Trains, GNER, Midland Mainline, Virgin Trains, Wales And West, etc. operating on British railways. A sort of nostalgia thing, but I wouldn't know where to begin with making paksets.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on August 15, 2020, 07:32:40 AM
I am currently doing exactly this - making a Pak set. I want to give Carl's expansive train collection a proper game environment.


Start with what interests you, paint a few trains? Lots of the trains in the time period you want to do are still in service - 313, 319, HST, Pacers etc.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: mspljd1990 on August 17, 2020, 03:36:01 PM
Quote from: KneeOn on August 15, 2020, 07:32:40 AM
I am currently doing exactly this - making a Pak set. I want to give Carl's expansive train collection a proper game environment.


Start with what interests you, paint a few trains? Lots of the trains in the time period you want to do are still in service - 313, 319, HST, Pacers etc.

What sort of liveries are you making?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on August 18, 2020, 12:58:15 PM
Quote from: KneeOn on August 03, 2020, 01:34:20 PM
I've finally gotten around to looking at those city buildings in detail, they're very high quality and once converted for scale and style will be much valued additions to the pakset. Thank you for the sources Carl.
Bit late on this as I've been away, but just to say - glad to hear they work for your project!
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on August 19, 2020, 02:07:09 PM
@mspljd1990
[/size]
I'm not right now, I'm doing the buildings and everything else, then fixing day files for the existing trains before I eventually add historic trains - that's work in the order of years. If you were to draw trains to fit a different era, I'd be happy to help out with some guidance. I'd also love to use any historic trains you paint!


@carl, I was doing the first village hall the other day and wanted a sloped pointed roof, your pngs helped massively!
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: mspljd1990 on August 22, 2020, 11:53:14 AM
Quote from: KneeOn on August 19, 2020, 02:07:09 PM
@mspljd1990
[/size]
I'm not right now, I'm doing the buildings and everything else, then fixing day files for the existing trains before I eventually add historic trains - that's work in the order of years. If you were to draw trains to fit a different era, I'd be happy to help out with some guidance. I'd also love to use any historic trains you paint!


@carl, I was doing the first village hall the other day and wanted a sloped pointed roof, your pngs helped massively!

I'm not really sure where to begin to be honest! I intend to just edit the liveries of trains that I already have.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on August 28, 2020, 07:04:24 PM
Download GIMP if you haven't and learn to use it if you don't know. It's quite easy to pick up.


For livery editing I suggest starting with a PEP unit - 317/315/313. They're diverse and you could do a BR and NSE livery.


Lets say you do BR. Identify a colour palette for sunlight facing parts - BR Blue and BR White, and put these in a separate image so you can keep your colours consistent between units.


Then identify what colour changes on your existing unit on the livery are the actual livery and what are shading which give it shape. By this I mean sometimes on a unit you will see what appear to be darker parts towards the bottom or top of a unit. These give it definition. So lets pick the blue. We have our main blue shade already. If the colour darkens, darken the BR blue and fill in as you go using the existing shading to guide you. Don't get caught up in major changes in colours, just identify where the shades change.


Repeate for the train views which face away from the sun, darkening your base BR blue.


It's a lot of trial and error. I've been painting for years on and off, and its only recently I've been particularly happy that my work looks 'polished'.


Rip open the dat files, zoom right in, start painting and don't forget to zoom out every once in a while - sometimes you'll be obsessing over a pixel, wishing you had an extra one to fit in and actually either way it wouldn't matter!
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on November 15, 2020, 06:51:54 PM
Hi all, just wanted to check in here as I haven't updated in a while. I haven't spent any time playing Simutrans since July so there's no update to the map for now. It increasingly seems like I will binge Simutrans for a few months at a time, before taking a few months off, and the starts/stops are quite unpredictable.

Work has been quite busy since the summer (if you're interested in the COVID-19 situation in the UK you may be interested in some of my work-related tweets here (https://twitter.com/carlbaker).) Most of the time left for gaming since July has been spent playing FFXIV (https://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/) with my wife.

It's likely I'll be back on Simutrans before the end of the year, but as I said, I find these phases unpredictable. There are some challenges with how to approach the GB map at the moment too now that the pandemic has ravaged the normal timetable.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: mspljd1990 on January 10, 2021, 09:09:37 PM
Quote from: Carl on November 15, 2020, 06:51:54 PM
Hi all, just wanted to check in here as I haven't updated in a while. I haven't spent any time playing Simutrans since July so there's no update to the map for now. It increasingly seems like I will binge Simutrans for a few months at a time, before taking a few months off, and the starts/stops are quite unpredictable.

Work has been quite busy since the summer (if you're interested in the COVID-19 situation in the UK you may be interested in some of my work-related tweets here (https://twitter.com/carlbaker).) Most of the time left for gaming since July has been spent playing FFXIV (https://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/) with my wife.

It's likely I'll be back on Simutrans before the end of the year, but as I said, I find these phases unpredictable. There are some challenges with how to approach the GB map at the moment too now that the pandemic has ravaged the normal timetable.

Take your time, but can I request updating EMR and the East Midlands region as a priority for when you're back? :)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: 123abc on March 26, 2021, 04:02:19 AM
Any update on this?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 06, 2021, 08:55:15 AM
Sorry I've only just seen that message.

Nothing to update at the moment. The IRL British rail network being in limbo right now (in terms of service patterns and timetables) has been undermining my motivation to work on it. There's still some additions I can do in the meantime, but it's likely I'll wait a while longer until the dust settles.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: NoMorePacers on April 06, 2021, 10:44:19 AM
I don't know if this would help at all, but you can find data for services going back around 2 years (so before the pandemic struck) on this site: http://www.charlwoodhouse.co.uk/ (http://www.charlwoodhouse.co.uk/)

It's somewhat clunky and slow to use but it's about as detailed a free data source for going back in time as you can get at the moment.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 06, 2021, 07:22:29 PM
That is useful, thanks!
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on April 08, 2021, 10:39:47 PM
Carl, it's good to see you back, even if only for a short update! I hope you're not having to use the network right now - it's an absolute state. My last train is around 2235, but on Saturdays it's 0100 - why?!

Where would you see this project going if service intensity does return to below pre-covid levels? You've put in major timetable changes already - do you see yourself moving with the times or keeping this project as a preservation? Similarly your train set - new units are arriving/have arrived. Would you maintain this?

I suppose the nuclear option would be to go for a 3rd edition when the time is right to use an "extended" feature set - do you see your self ever doing that?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 10, 2021, 11:39:56 AM
Hi KneeOn - nice to see your updates recently too. I haven't had to commute since March 2020 so am at least able to avoid the real-world issues with the network!

If the network settles into a permanently lower level of service then I'd update the map with that. The key word is "settles", though - I don't want to add (for example) the topsy-turvy summer 2021 timetable only to have to change almost everything again in December. It might be a while before it's clear where the dust will settle on this.

Adding new vehicles is something I can do in the meantime though, when I get around to it, and there are some overdue ones.

I began to have a look at Extended last summer before my current hiatus. I actually got as far as putting together some assets for a "micro-project" focused around the Hudson line which I doubt will ever see the light of day. I definitely think that any Extended work from me would be in new projects and not existing ones - so the question is whether, one day, I'll think it's worthwhile or doable to restart the GB project again in Extended.  I found there was a lot of fiddly work transposing things to half-height - it would require a lot of pakset graphic adjustments.

For now I'm thinking a little about projects that don't depend on real-world timetables like my Eastern USA one - was looking at rebooting that with a new heightmap, albeit probably not in Extended because (again) I can't be bothered to do all the work required to prepare the pakset for Extended.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on April 10, 2021, 05:31:56 PM
I can't say I'm surprised about any of that. Within the commuter belt are a large number of shift working commuters and I think the summer 21 timetable is going to be disappointing for those who can't quite make work or have curtailed last trains. Obviously there are dozens of people who do these time table changes and more still who assign units. It would be an impressive feat if you could even have a summer timetable change put in!


There is something fun about a fantasy, but simulation/realistic map and in a free play, model railway environment this removes some of your constraints.


I did a roadmap for what will be in each release for Pak.64GB. I found not having a long term list makes preparing a set really tiresome and I imagine that's exponentially amplified when making a bespoke set and then implementing with the detail you require for your maps. Would you move to 128/192/256 tile sets? I know they have a European/American/Asian following that means they could be more ready to go.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on April 12, 2021, 12:08:48 PM
I've always found 128-pixel (and larger) paksets a bit offputting. Obviously the graphics are better, but I like to be able to zoom really far out and get a wide overview of an area. I think it's still the case that 128px paksets allow you to see much less on the screen at once, even at higher zoom levels. And some things that look good at 64px level won't also look good at 128px level.

The other issue is that my art skills aren't up to making high-quality 128px assets, and I'll always want to be adding and adapting rather than only using what's already part of an off-the-shelf pakset. My 64px skills have gotten better over the years so maybe this particular barrier isn't insurmountable.

Having a bespoke set for a particular map does give a bit more freedom than maintaining a whole pakset, because I only have to care about whatever I need to add/implement right now. So other gaps don't matter so much. This is ultimately why I haven't developed the set into a proper pakset.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on April 15, 2021, 09:32:14 AM
I agree on the 64px scale being the best overall, even if graphically the larger sets have better looking components. I like playing big map, big network, multi-city games so having the far zoom is hugely helpful.

I've also found my 128px drawing is never going to be good enough - I did try 96px once and made an alright(?) looking 377 or 313 - I forget which. Ultimately I like having a freedom to make the user imagine how the asset will look rather than spoon feeding a curve or a detail because it hides the fact I can't draw curves or details very well.

Going slightly off topic, I wonder what graphics size gets played the most? With multiple ways to get the game (steam, direct download, I'm pretty sure there's some Linux terminal magic), tracking usage is difficult and the lack of discussion on any particular forum makes it even harder. Searching #simutrans on twitter, instagram or facebook gives a mostly Japanese following! I suppose its the same debate about different gauge scales on a model railway.

You've achieved many train-spotters dream here, by re-creating the entire network with real units. I wonder if the UK trainspotting community saw this, would they get involved or become active players? The lack of detailing individual bits is easily offset by them making their own graphics or the sheer scale of maps they could be building - very different to a metro (at best) scale Cities: Skylines map or the hyper detailed but ultimately painstakingly difficult Train Simulator.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: neil on January 09, 2022, 07:19:02 PM
Help! I'd like to run this GB Simulation myself
.
I have the latest build of Simutrans Experimental running happily with Pak128.Britain-Ex.

If I try to use pak.ngb instead, Simutrans runs for a couple of seconds then vanishes.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on January 10, 2022, 08:23:20 AM
Neil,

This requires an old version of Simutrans Experimental.

Scroll back to the last release of the save and it'll be linked there :)
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 10, 2022, 12:42:10 PM
As KneeOn says, you'll need the older exe which you should be able to get here:
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,13712.0.html

That said, it should work with 11.35 too, so if it isn't then the problem may not be the exe.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: neil on January 10, 2022, 09:58:30 PM
 I downloaded Experimental 11.35 but when I tried to run it, it crashed asking for various Windows DLLs. I downloaded and ran vcredist_x64 from Microsoft but Experimental  is still looking for MSVCR100.dll

When I set Extended 14.16 up I didn't have the grief with DLLs. The .exe file is much much bigger than the 11.35 .exe - is that because the DLLs have been statically linked into the 14.16 .exe?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on January 10, 2022, 10:10:35 PM
From memory, the older Experimental releases don't work on their own.

The file structure and exes need putting in the root simutrans standard folder.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: neil on January 11, 2022, 07:21:56 AM
Oh well, that'll give me something to confuse myself with this afternoon  :D
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 11, 2022, 08:24:36 PM
Here are the dlls I have in my Simutrans folder, in addition to the ones that come in the 11.34 download. I couldn't say which are required to run experimental:

mgwz.dll
msvcp100.dll
msvcp110.dll
msvcr100.dll
msvcr110.dll
SDL.dll
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: prissi on January 12, 2022, 04:56:54 AM
The microsoft runtime libaries are different for each version of MSVC. Assuming it was either MSVC 2017 or 2015, you need to download the older ones from Microsoft. (Yes, well done Microsoft ... )
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: neil on January 18, 2022, 10:03:26 PM
Thanks for the answers and explanations, chaps.

There comes a time when you have to give up and move on to something more achievable ... like herding cats!  ;D
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 27, 2022, 05:59:28 PM
I've adjusted the file archive so that it now contains Simutrans Experimental 11.34 and the dlls I have. I'm hoping that this will make it easier for people to run the map.

Let me know if this works, neil.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v0xwqfhlx50iscz/UK-Jan2022.rar?dl=0
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 13, 2022, 01:58:55 PM
To help with the above problems I'm publishing a new version of the GB map which also includes Simutrans Experimental 11.34 and all the files required to run it. I've tested this on another PC and it worked, so I'm hoping it will also work for others.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/64xbvyjetqs1prp/GB-in-Simutrans-full-Jan2022.rar?dl=0

Instructions:

1. Transfer the content of the "my docs" folder to the Documents folder on your computer.
2. You can put the "Simutrans folder" folder anywhere.
3. Run "Simutrans Experimental 11.34.exe" from "Simutrans folder". If you have multiple paksets installed then you'll need to select "pak.ngb"
4. Load the GB save game (e.g. "UK2020-13.sve")

I think this is all ok licencing-wise, but please let me know if not.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: KneeOn on February 14, 2022, 01:31:47 PM
1. I can confirm that it works, downloaded and run according to the instructions - I opened the Simutrans folder in my downloads directory so it definitely works as a stand alone
2. I forgot how impressive the save is!
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on February 19, 2022, 01:09:07 PM
Thanks for confirming that KneeOn, glad to hear it works.

It's been a while since I gave an update on this thread. Some thoughts below. TL;DR: the state of the railways in Britain is too bad right now to make updating this map very appealling.

If you've been following info on the British rail network you'll know that things are not good right now. Many rail frequencies have not yet returned to pre-COVID levels, and in some cases even the reduced service that is running is performing poorly. It's unclear whether some lines will ever return to their pre-2020 level of service.

People are concerned that we're in for a period of managed decline, especially in London, and encouraging greater use of public transport doesn't seem to be on the national agenda at all. On top of all that, future rail plans for HS2 and high speed rail in the north of England have recently been cut right back.

This is in contrast to the previous decade or which mostly saw growth, new services, and improving frequencies.

All of this is a strange and somewhat depressing backdrop against which to be making a simulation of the British rail network. Apart from the ongoing timetable uncertainty, I don't really relish the idea of doing big updates to this map which are mostly reductions in train services.

So what's the alternative? The map could stay as a snapshot of history from early 2020 timetables (and planned May 2020 ones in some cases e.g. Northern). And I could just continue to update it on that basis - a kind of "what might have been" scenario.

But for now, I don't think any major updates are on the horizon.

I'm not spending much time on Simutrans at all, but what time I have spent is on fantasy maps (e.g. Balkans (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,9467.50.html) and a new version of USA East (https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,14711.0.html) at a bigger scale) - projects where I can ignore the post-COVID world and the resulting disinvestment from public transport.
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Donald C. on December 27, 2022, 01:23:13 PM
I found a typo on the intro year for BR700 and BR707. It should be year 2000, right?
Title: Re: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental
Post by: Carl on January 19, 2023, 07:16:01 PM
Hi Sandbox Player, well spotted. I suspect I meant it to be 2000, but obviously that's not accurate for the real-life introduction date. I haven't made those true-to-life.