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Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental

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

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Carl

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:


Click here for fullsize


Randy007

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?



jamespetts

Which version of Simutrans-Experimental are you using?
Download Simutrans-Extended.

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Randy007

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



TurfIt

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.

jamespetts

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.
Download Simutrans-Extended.

Want to help with development? See here for things to do for coding, and here for information on how to make graphics/objects.

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Randy007

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  :-[

jamespetts

You could always run the 64-bit version, which should work.
Download Simutrans-Extended.

Want to help with development? See here for things to do for coding, and here for information on how to make graphics/objects.

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Randy007

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

cousjath

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

jamespetts

The config settings should be saved with the game, but I am seeing no route indications, too.
Download Simutrans-Extended.

Want to help with development? See here for things to do for coding, and here for information on how to make graphics/objects.

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Carl

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, and the LAA build also seems to work fine with this save. Thanks James!

Carl

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... :)

jamespetts

Download Simutrans-Extended.

Want to help with development? See here for things to do for coding, and here for information on how to make graphics/objects.

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Carl

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:


Simidoodler

Hi Carl,
I wanted to ask why you use simutrans-Experimental, why not simutrans or OpenTTD?

Carl

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.

Sarlock

Bravo!  I look forward to your updates.  Well done as always!
Current projects: Pak128 Trees, blender graphics

kierongreen

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)... Not that the fast face is used much.

Ends pedant mode...

Carl

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!



Junna

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.

Carl

I've finished the local routes around Glasgow - of which there are many! Below is a screenshot of the Glasgow area:


Click here for fullsize

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...

jamespetts

Download Simutrans-Extended.

Want to help with development? See here for things to do for coding, and here for information on how to make graphics/objects.

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kierongreen

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).

Sarlock

Wow.  That is beautiful... must've been a lot of work.  Nicely done.
Current projects: Pak128 Trees, blender graphics

Carl

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?


Actually, I notice that my first image doesn't even extend as far northwest as Dalmuir.

kierongreen


Carl

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:



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!

jamespetts

Download Simutrans-Extended.

Want to help with development? See here for things to do for coding, and here for information on how to make graphics/objects.

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kierongreen

Nice to see some of the Queen Street services in already too :)

Carl

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:



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...

kierongreen

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.

Junna

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!

Carl

It is finished!*.

The map with all lines added:
(Click here for the full size version, ~4000x3000px, which shows you all the detail.)



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.)