Free Roam and AI

[drivertime61]

With a good deal of help from the very patient experts here, I have finally begun to create my own scenarios – all free roam, so far. Baby steps.

I had to see for myself why no AI in free roam so I tried it with a simple freight scenario I created from a clone of the NEC "Acela from Phila." scenario. I set it up to be generated from a portal and exit at another one. The AI ran perfectly once I set the switches for it. I had it set up on one of the two otherwise unusable tracks that parallel the Powelton Yard and in no way play into normal operations. But, as you guys undoubtedly know, you then can’t select any other engines for a player – no mouse pointer hand – nothing available to drive.

No way around this right? Or did I miss something somewhere in all my reading?

I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone here for all your help getting a rookie started. Especially Chacal and Buzz456 in Scenario Creation.

And a huge thank you to Bob Artim. I had your Scenario Creation video tutorials on the screen while creating (in windowed mode of course) and they were enormously helpful. In fact, of all the video tutorials from different sources I’ve watched so far, for me yours are the best – clearly enunciated, thoughtfully described, carefully demonstrated, thorough from start to finish. No lightning moves or gloss-over assumptions that can leave a newbie dazed and confused. Just what's needed to get started!

[mrennie]

With a good deal of help from the very patient experts here, I have finally begun to create my own scenarios – all free roam, so far. Baby steps.

I had to see for myself why no AI in free roam so I tried it with a simple freight scenario I created from a clone of the NEC "Acela from Phila." scenario. I set it up to be generated from a portal and exit at another one. The AI ran perfectly once I set the switches for it. I had it set up on one of the two otherwise unusable tracks that parallel the Powelton Yard and in no way play into normal operations. But, as you guys undoubtedly know, you then can’t select any other engines for a player – no mouse pointer hand – nothing available to drive.

No way around this right? Or did I miss something somewhere in all my reading?

I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone here for all your help getting a rookie started. Especially Chacal and Buzz456 in Scenario Creation.

And a huge thank you to Bob Artim. I had your Scenario Creation video tutorials on the screen while creating (in windowed mode of course) and they were enormously helpful. In fact, of all the video tutorials from different sources I’ve watched so far, for me yours are the best – clearly enunciated, thoughtfully described, carefully demonstrated, thorough from start to finish. No lightning moves or gloss-over assumptions that can leave a newbie dazed and confused. Just what's needed to get started!

I did a free roam scenario for the AT&N Consolidation package. It has lots of AI and works fine - you just have to wait for one of the AI trains to go past before the Connie you select can venture onto the mainline.

[drivertime61]

Thanks for your reply. It's both encouraging and exasperating. I'll have to go back and see what I may have done wrong.

After creating the AI and testing it, I think I exited Build, then selected Drive- Free Roam and went back into the scenario, where I was unable to select any engines to drive - no mouse pointer "hand" when I ran it over any of the normally available engines. The only thing that ran was the AI I had created. And the scenario did not open at the normal start point. Rather, it opened at the portal where the AI I had created emerged.

But perhaps I only clicked the big orange arrow on the Build screen to get the scenario running and could then not select any engines from there. I'm in the learning stages for every little thing that has to be done, so I sometimes get confused. I'll have another go at it, making sure this time that I exit Build completely and go back in through the Drive menu - then try selecting engines to drive.

I appreciate your help.

[mrennie]

Thanks for your reply. It's both encouraging and exasperating. I'll have to go back and see what I may have done wrong.

After creating the AI and testing it, I think I exited Build, then selected Drive- Free Roam and went back into the scenario, where I was unable to select any engines to drive - no mouse pointer "hand" when I ran it over any of the normally available engines. The only thing that ran was the AI I had created. And the scenario did not open at the normal start point. Rather, it opened at the portal where the AI I had created emerged.

But perhaps I only clicked the big orange arrow on the Build screen to get the scenario running and could then not select any engines from there. I'm in the learning stages for every little thing that has to be done, so I sometimes get confused. I'll have another go at it, making sure this time that I exit Build completely and go back in through the Drive menu - then try selecting engines to drive.

I appreciate your help.

Did you make sure to put a driver icon on all the locomotives that you want to be able to select?

[drivertime61]

Yes all engines have driver icons.

Well, I went back into the scenario and set up the AI again. I then started the scenario from the Drive menu and lo and behold, all engines are now selectable. The scenario runs normally and the AI train passed by me right on schedule! A nice sight to see for the first time.

Many thanks for your responses to my post. Had you not done so, I would have abandoned the attempt to set up AI with Free Roam.

Al

[OpenRailer90]

I remember the Castle Rock BNSF free roam has an AI...so it's possible.