Two questions: transporting wares and reversing a line

[lilleskut]

1) Is it possible to transport wares between two points along different routes in parallel. E.g. could I have both a passenger train running from A to B and a passenger plane from A to B?

2) Is it possible to reverse the direction of a truck/bus/train/... on a line without creating a new line? Say if I have a circular line with transport running clockwise. Can I easily make half the trucks/buses/trains run counterclockwise or would I have to create a counterclockwise line? I don't like the idea of the additional line as I would like to see line statistics for the combined clockwise and counter clockwise "lines".

Mod note: please use meaningful topic titles. Make your topic titles descriptive so that readers may know what is in the topic before opening it.
~IgorEliezer

[Lmallet]

1) Yes, I do it all the time.  I'll have bus shuttles on some very busy train lines.  Keep in mind that you might run into a case where the train is profitable but the plane is not (or vice versa).

2) Unfortunately, you will have to create a new line for the counterclockwise line.  I was trying to think of a way to use the "Promote to line" button, but since you are changing direction, it would probably be easier to start the line from scratch (could be an interesting extension request).

[Zeno]

2) Is already a proposed extension request. Even it's a considered extension request, IIRC.

[Ters]

1) It is possible to have to parallel routes, but only one will be used in either direction if they don't have the same endpoints. Passengers may choose one route in one direction, and the other in the other direction. If the routes are similar enough, the preferred route may change at random when routes are recalculated.

2) Just reversing a line isn't as simple as it sounds, especially for trains.

[lilleskut]

Thanks.

Do I understand correctly that for 1) I need to have identical endpoints, i.e. when I define the routes, I have to click on the exact same coordinates?

May I add two more questions:

3) Why if I send a train to a depot all its wares disappear? Is this a feature?
4) Why do the coordinates for a certain point in the landscape change if I rotate the view? Is this a feature?

[Lmallet]

1) Not coordinates, but stations.

3) Simutrans has always done this IMHO, there are times I wish it didn't

4) I have no answer for that one, I would have expected the coords to remain the same.

[Combuijs]

Do I understand correctly that for 1) I need to have identical endpoints, i.e. when I define the routes, I have to click on the exact same coordinates?

Not necessary, as long as they belong to the same station.

3) Why if I send a train to a depot all its wares disappear? Is this a feature?

Don't know really, I always put them on "unload only" and retire them.

4) Why do the coordinates for a certain point in the landscape change if I rotate the view? Is this a feature?

Yes, that is a feature. Rotation came late to Simutrans and while it works without any problems as far as I know, it is necessary to change the coordinates. I think if it this feature had been developed from the beginning it would have been designed differently...

[lilleskut]

Thanks.

Not sure I understand the "unload only" for "3". All I want to do is add a car or two to a train in the depot. I don't want to retire it.

[sdog]

Combuijs likely uses the "retire" button in the extended convoy dialogue. Clicking it sets a vehicle to "no load", that means no new load is loaded, and sends it to the depot automatically as soon as it is empty. A similar function sells vehicles as soon as they are empty.


The loads on convoys are removed when they enter the depot, to reduced the states a vehicle can have in depot.



rotation does not rotate your view, but the world itself. (this is also the reason it can not be used in multiplayer games.)

[Fifty]

Combuijs likely uses the "retire" button in the extended convoy dialogue. Clicking it sets a vehicle to "no load", that means no new load is loaded, and sends it to the depot automatically as soon as it is empty. A similar function sells vehicles as soon as they are empty.

I'm pretty sure that "retire" just sells it once empty, and does not send it to a depot when empty (Though sometimes this would be nice!) "Sell Now" sells vehicles even if they are loaded. This button is located in the "details" dialog. "No load" will keep empty but you need to manually send to depot.

It should also be noted that when you send vehicles to depots, you get paid for transporting whatever goods/pax to the depot that are loaded (even if they don't want to go there).

[Ters]

As for 3, trains rarely if ever enter a depot loaded in reality, though most trains don't have to go to a depot to add more wagons either. And while I sometimes wish Simutrans wasn't that realistic in this regard, it is also so that Simutrans doesn't know why you send a train to a depot. There is no guarantee it's coming out again anytime soon, and it would be mean to send passengers into a depot and leave them there. For fresh food, it would be rather disgusting after a while. You get paid for the distance you've taken the passengers/cargo to the depot almost as if it was a station, though I'm unsure they/it will actually carry on towards their/its destination somehow.