Topic: Great Britain simulation in Simutrans Experimental

[Carl]

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?

[Jack Rudd]

I might download this entire save when it's done and use it to see how well my Somerset metro idea would work.

[siefc]

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

[kierongreen]

If vehicles you want to include are in pak64 you can copy over the pak files from that.

[Carl]

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.

[greenling]

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.

[Carl]

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?

[Pottsy]

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.
 

[Carl]

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:




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.

[kierongreen]

Impressive getting New Street working with timetabling! Love the bit about Wales "...and places I won't even try to pronounce"

[Carl]

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.

[Sarlock]

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!

[Carl]

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:


click for larger, and here 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.

[Sarlock]

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.

[Carl]

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) 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.

[kierongreen]

Glasgow could be tricky...

[Carl]

Ah yes, the Scottish central belt -- and Glasgow in particular -- will be the other remaining crowded area once Northern England is done.

[sdog]

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.

[Carl]

Of course; feel free to use anything I post here for any (non-commercial) purpose you like!

[Carl]

Here's a new screenshot, this time of Crewe station:



I've updated to the latest version of the 'wa_platforms' set, which can be found on this page. 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.

[Carl]

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:

[Milko]

Hello Carl

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

Giuseppe

[greenling]

Hello Carl
The Photo looks very cool out. But i can in moment not play with your pakset there i must sort simutransdata.

[Sarlock]

Another wonderful update, great work!

[kierongreen]

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...

[Carl]

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...

[Carl]

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.



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.

[kierongreen]

Nice

[jamespetts]

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...

[kierongreen]

Hahaha. Not that always chooses the best route (or not the one I would anyway)!

[jamespetts]

It'd be interesting to work out whether Knightly's algorithm is better than that used by the National Rail people...

[kierongreen]

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?

[Carl]

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)

[jamespetts]

Splendid!

[Sarlock]

Wonderful... your map just gets better and better!