Cheyenne 1869 extension

[mrennie]

I put them only at Red Buttes and Laramie together with the CC platforms. All the CC stuff is only between Sherman and Laramie and in the beta the platform at Sherman is still the one included in the route without any entry/exit things. I just replaced it today.

Here's a screenshot at Buford I've sent you over two month ago showing the problem. The only thing that I didn't know at this time was, that these glitches had something to do with the (non existent) passengers

Screenshot_1 Cheyenne to Laramie 1869_41.12233--105.29769_11-01-07.jpg

Was it fixed at Buford in the beta? I can't see the glitch when I go there now for a look.

Anyway, the route extension is indeed looking really good and I'm playing with it as a way of relaxing when I get tired of putting telegraph poles in the Promontory route

[DanSSG]

Well, it isn't 'really' fixed, but I found a little workaround.
If you double click on the platform, you'll find a button to generate these blue pins. I've placed them outside of the platform asset. You can see this as random lines next to the platform in the editor. It's funny, some of the pins move at normal speed others move at hyperspeed

I'm glad to hear that you're working on the Promontory route again. I'll also have to place thousands of telegraph poles soon While I'm waiting for some more assets and working on the weather blueprints for the other seasons I'm also laying some more tracks to the north.

[mrennie]

Well, it isn't 'really' fixed, but I found a little workaround.
If you double click on the platform, you'll find a button to generate these blue pins. I've placed them outside of the platform asset. You can see this as random lines next to the platform in the editor. It's funny, some of the pins move at normal speed others move at hyperspeed

I'm glad to hear that you're working on the Promontory route again. I'll also have to place thousands of telegraph poles soon While I'm waiting for some more assets and working on the weather blueprints for the other seasons I'm also laying some more tracks to the north.

Sounds exciting!

[DanSSG]

It's time for some new tracks

Leaving Laramie City in northbound direction

Screenshot_1 Cheyenne 1869 extension_41.31544--105.59654_11-21-56.jpg

After about two miles, we're crossing the Laramie River

Screenshot_1 Cheyenne 1869 extension_41.33433--105.59856_11-24-00.jpg

Screenshot_1 Cheyenne 1869 extension_41.33584--105.59785_11-25-12.jpg

We'll be running in parallel with the river for about the next 30 miles. Sometimes with more, sometimes with less distance

Screenshot_1 Cheyenne 1869 extension_41.34593--105.59872_11-26-44.jpg

Screenshot_1 Cheyenne 1869 extension_41.32172--105.59581_11-23-02.jpg

I've also started to create some quickdrive scenarios and some normal ones will be following as soon as I've figured out how to create them

@mrennie: Is there a way to prevent your rolling stock from running away on a downhill grade as soon as I uncouple it from the locomotive (hand brakes are on)?

[mrennie]

It's time for some new tracks

Very nice indeed!

@mrennie: Is there a way to prevent your rolling stock from running away on a downhill grade as soon as I uncouple it from the locomotive (hand brakes are on)?

Unfortunately, no. It's the wacky physics in TS. They will come to a stop once they get a certain distance from the player loco. At that point, the game completely stops applying physics to them (to save on CPU), so they stop moving. But if you approach them again and get to within that magic distance, the physics are once more applied and they resume rolling.

[mrennie]

It's time for some new tracks

Very nice indeed!

@mrennie: Is there a way to prevent your rolling stock from running away on a downhill grade as soon as I uncouple it from the locomotive (hand brakes are on)?

Unfortunately, no. It's the wacky physics in TS (static friction isn't modelled, among other things). They will come to a stop once they get a certain distance from the player loco. At that point, the game completely stops applying physics to them (to save on CPU), so they stop moving. But if you approach them again and get to within that magic distance, the physics are once more applied and they resume rolling.

[DanSSG]

I was just wondering because if I do the same with the connie the cars didn't run away as soon as I've uncoupled them.
Maybe TS doesn't handle the hand brakes as brakes if the cars are uncoupled

By the way, is it just me or is there something buggy with the piston damage of 119 after the last patch/update? I was trying to 'catch' these runaway cars, got piston damage from speeding but not more than 50%

[mrennie]

I was just wondering because if I do the same with the connie the cars didn't run away as soon as I've uncoupled them.
Maybe TS doesn't handle the hand brakes as brakes if the cars are uncoupled

Oh yes, I'd completely forgotten about that one! You're exactly right. The Kuju progammers must have assumed that there would always be either air brakes or vacuum brakes on all rolling stock and for some reason they didn't bother to consider the handbrakes on uncoupled cars. It's damned annoying. Right up there with my other pet peeve - the inclusion of a windscreen wiper button on the F4 HUD for steam engines but no button for the firebox dampers

By the way, is it just me or is there something buggy with the piston damage of 119 after the last patch/update? I was trying to 'catch' these runaway cars, got piston damage from speeding but not more than 50%

Yes, that's a new bug! Thanks for spotting it. I'll get onto it now. If I can fix it today, the patch might get released by Christmas.

EDIT: I found the error. In the engine blueprints, the max value for PistonDamage is set to 50. It should be 100. I'll probably hold off fixing it until I've got a slot for doing a couple of other things on the engines, so that they can all be included in one update.

[DanSSG]

I was busy over the last couple days with reading docs and watching tutorials to create some scenarios for the route. I have now two scenarios finished and also added quickdrive to the route. I wish it wouldn't take several hours to test every scenario...

Originally I've planed another scenario where you had to deliver some supplies to the workers at the end of the track (the first 5 miles north of Laramie are included in stage one), but unfortunately whenever the loco gets close to the freight cars, they started to move by themself and crashed into the tender I thought, that just happens to consits, that are uncoupled by the player but it seems I was wrong

Screenshot_1 Cheyenne 1869 extension_41.37732--105.60533_16-25-54.jpg

Screenshot_1 Cheyenne 1869 extension_41.38320--105.60684_16-29-12.jpg

Screenshot_1 Cheyenne 1869 extension_41.12583--105.33208_10-51-16.jpg

This will be the route thumbnail for stage one

Cheyenne-1869-extension-Stage-One.jpg

At the moment there are only two timeofday files to overwork and the new station buildings for Sherman and Laramie left until I'll upload stage one to the file library. But if the buildings won't be finished, I'll add them in stage two. The terrain and trackwork is already finished till Lookout.

[mrennie]

I wish it wouldn't take several hours to test every scenario...

That's one of the reasons why DLC usually come with only a few scenarios.

unfortunately whenever the loco gets close to the freight cars, they started to move by themself and crashed into the tender I thought, that just happens to consits, that are uncoupled by the player but it seems I was wrong

I've done some more tests on this and it does appear that the braking effect of handbrakes on cars is ignored when those cars aren't coupled to a locomotive. One amusing test is to set up a long, heavy consist facing downhill. As soon as you uncouple the locomotive (tender) from the consist, the cars start to move and push the locomotive downhill. The coupling view (F3/F4 HUD) will show the cars handbrakes applied (the default state when coupled), but greyed out. If you then click on the tender coupling to couple to the consist while it's pushing you, all the handbrakes magically start to work again and you come to an abrupt stop.

I also tried setting up some cars on a 1.0% grade and put the locomotive some distance away so that the cars would be totally inactive, and farther downhill from the cars. I then backed up towards the cars, but as soon as I got within the activation distance (roughly the length of the locomotive), the cars became active, but this time the default state for the handbrakes must have been "off" (because they were uncoupled), so sure enough, they immediately rolled downhill towards me.

Something else I tried was to add a modern 50ft boxcar at the rear of the consist, using the flat car with extended knuckle coupler to attach it. That sort of works, because the default state of the air brakes on the car must have them set (applied). This time, when approaching the consist, the boxcar held its brakes enough to slow the movement of the rest of the consist. However, as Jupiter and 119 don't have air brakes, there was no way to release the brakes on the boxcar! At which point I gave up.

Great thumbnail! I especially like the oldy-worldy "S".

At the moment there are only two timeofday files to overwork and the new station buildings for Sherman and Laramie left until I'll upload stage one to the file library. But if the buildings won't be finished, I'll add them in stage two. The terrain and trackwork is already finished till Lookout.

Excellent! I look forward to seeing it :)

[BoostedFridge]

Those are some great images! I really like the scene with the track gang placing rail.

[SAR704]

The 2nd screenshot in Dan's post almost reminds me of Back to the Future 3 where the loco reaches the bridge. Quite a difference compared to running out of track at 60MPH on a curved through a dense forest.

Nonetheless, it certainly doesn't lack in originality.

[DanSSG]

I've good news for you: The stage one release is (very slowly) uploading now, so it shoult be included in the next file library update.

I've also created a third scenario including custom weather. Here are some pics:

Screenshot_1 Cheyenne 1869 extension_41.38080--105.60603_15-40-54.jpg

Screenshot_1 Cheyenne 1869 extension_41.30884--105.59750_15-53-24.jpg

Screenshot_1 Cheyenne 1869 extension_41.22469--105.60391_16-11-57.jpg

That's a dark and snowy night...

Screenshot_1 Cheyenne 1869 extension_41.10289--105.50079_16-46-05.jpg

Screenshot_1 Cheyenne 1869 extension_41.13309--105.40038_17-21-30.jpg

The 2nd screenshot in Dan's post almost reminds me of Back to the Future 3 where the loco reaches the bridge.

It's time that somebody creates a delorean for TS

I've done some more tests on this and it does appear that the braking effect of handbrakes on cars is ignored when those cars aren't coupled to a locomotive.

I have an idea, but I don't know if it works: Have you thought about adding 'invisible' air brakes that are applied and released in sync with the hand brakes, controlled by the brakeman script?

[mrennie]

I've good news for you: The stage one release is (very slowly) uploading now, so it shoult be included in the next file library update.

Excellent! I'll keep an eye out for it.

I have an idea, but I don't know if it works: Have you thought about adding 'invisible' air brakes that are applied and released in sync with the hand brakes, controlled by the brakeman script?

There is in fact an invisible independent brake on the loco that you can operate with the keyboard or the F4 HUD, which I included just in case anyone found it too frustrating to use the reverser to stop the loco and wanted to cheat instead. I'll see if it's possible to add invisible train brakes in a similar way, that would come on when the handbrakes are applied and the speed is almost zero.

[DanSSG]

Excellent! I'll keep an eye out for it.

After three attemps, each of about 40 minutes for 100 megs, the file is up now.

Because I normaly use only the F3 oder F5 HUD, I haven't tried the independent brake. But if this also works with normal brakes, that would be great. For the stage one release I managed to flaten down the grade at Harney from 1.6 to 0.6% so I'm able to hook up a 'defect' engine without running away to fast.
Funny, if you declare an engine as broken in the scenario it still chuffs, drains the cylinders and so on but don't provides power.