Yard Submission Procedure Modification

Ok guys,I now realize that the process of submitting yards needs to change slightly. I would like you to submit your image BEFORE doing the track work. There are 3 reasons this is important:1) I can asses the value of the map before you spend time doing the track work. A couple of the maps submitted just don't really work well in Yard Duty. 2) Some maps really should be rotated to vertical or horizontal, to save on image size and to make it easier to draw trackwork. Currently, I would feel silly asking someone to redraw all the tracks, just because the image needs to be rotated.3) It gives me a chance to resize it and color it with water and a nice border, before doing trackwork.
Basically, I don't want to reject a map after you have put significant amounts of work into it. So when you submit an image, and I return it to you in a polished form, you know that you have the green light to get it posted on the server.Hope this makes things go smoother,
Jim

Yard Duty, The National Freight Yard Simulation - http://groups.msn.com/YardDuty

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RE: Yard Submission Procedure Modification., Auzze, Dec-02-02, 03:05 PM, (1) RE: Yard Submission Procedure Modification., romanrails, Dec-02-02, 05:11 PM, (2) RE: Yard Submission Procedure Modification., KingJPW, Dec-02-02, 05:25 PM, (3) RE: Yard Submission Procedure Modification., romanrails, Dec-02-02, 06:11 PM, (4) RE: Yard Submission Procedure Modification., KingJPW, Dec-02-02, 06:27 PM, (5) RE: Yard Submission Procedure Modification., romanrails, Dec-02-02, 07:17 PM, (6) RE: Yard Submission Procedure Modification., KingJPW, Dec-02-02, 08:05 PM, (7) RE: Yard Submission Procedure Modification., romanrails, Dec-02-02, 10:28 PM, (8)

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Hi.
May I suggest a small "How-To" and should us how to clean up the maps..I'm happy to do that but I'm still waiting for my donnar pass image, I know you are busy but it's now been about a week.
Auzze

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yardduty/

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That sounds like a great idea. I was wondering how someone would take it if they spent a lot of time on a map and then had it rejected for inclusion. Sounds like a good way to lose a player/member/customer for life and probably would not help to endear this game to other simmers. I might also humbly suggest that you ask for some input on what we, the players, think would be good maps for inclusion. Perhaps a dedicated thread on suggestions or use the 'who's building what' thread that is already up. While it is your game and it will be your final decision, it is going to be the guys who are playing it that will make it a success and I think that getting a lot of opinions and giving them serious consideration can only help the game get better and be more popular. I personally would love to see a few dozen trains to choose from for download and to have enough players to make this a true nationwide system. That's why I have been working so hard on maps myself, to try to do my part. I am self-employed and make my living through what I create, and I know that sometimes what other people want (like, enjoy) is totally different than what I had assumed they would want (like, enjoy) or what I enjoy. Weird that everyone doesn't have my good taste - but it can't be a perfect world I suppose Here's to the growth of the game and the number of those who are playing. Alan

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Thanks Roman,I think there is a thread and a poll about what maps people want. I'll be monitoring that.Point is well taken about the success of the game being what the players want. Overall people seem to be happy with the gameplay and I'm always open to suggestions. Also, please realize that the Yard Duty you have in your hands right now, is not 100% the way I want it or would have done it (maybe 90%) I have thrown in some features that users requested, although I'll never use them.As an example, long ago someone suggested that the 'trains on server' list should show all trains, regardless of yard (the list used to only show the trains for the selected yard) At first I thought this was silly, but I see now how wrong I was! I changed alot of coding to make that work.And just the other day I resisted adding a key for Chris Lee to switch to the previously selected car (this will be in the next version) but after coding it and testing it, I don't know how I ever lived without this feature.Jim

Yard Duty, The National Freight Yard Simulation - http://groups.msn.com/YardDuty

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Well, I think it is certainly great the way it is now and am sure that it is only going to improve. This is something that is totally original and gives me exactly what I want out of a rail-sim. I don't mind admitting that since I downloaded this, I haven't opened MSTS once and have totally quite working on my NS route - but in the mean time have created ... what .... 6 or 7 maps! I could see this being really popular with a big segment of the railfan population. God knows it is addictive. Alan

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Wow, I take this as high praise. Thank you very much.I'm sure many people will look at the graphics in YD and laugh when comparing them to MSTS, ...but graphics alone do not make a fun game."...with a big segment of the railfan population".
Yeah, but that's still not very many people. lol
It is like saying 99% of 2%, which is still about 2%.Jim

Yard Duty, The National Freight Yard Simulation - http://groups.msn.com/YardDuty

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Graphics Smaphics. I get so aggravated with MSTS when someone uploads and stupid flatcar who's texture files are about 3 or 4 megs alone! I just built Inman hump yard ... the complete 4 mile long yard with all hump tracks for my MSTS NS route. Took me one week. And guess what. As we all know ... you can't realistically hump, there are so many tracks that it kills my frame rate when I drive into the yard with a single engine with it empty of cars! If I put in a few cars, like a single realistic 60 or 70 car train ... forget it ... I am in single digits. I can build an entire realistic hump yard in yard duty and fill the damn thing up with trains and cars! I don't care about reading the car number off the side of the car or looking at some cool 3D trucks or being able to read the serial number on the car frame.MSTS just wasn't meant as a realistic simulation of modern freight railroading ... at least for switching and yard activities. I enjoy this sim, yard duty, so much more even without the graphics because I am simulating operating a railroad and forwarding cars and making switchlists and solving switching puzzles. I am not simulating riding in a train (which MSTS doesn't do a great job of anyway) or looking at a train (something I don't need to simulate since I can do it easily anyway).I think anyone who would look at the graphics and laugh is missing the point of the game. It's not to look at or to make pretty pictures and eat up every single once of power from that expensive graphics card. I think I have gotten some of the most enjoyment from games that just good sims and not graphically powerful (or overwhelming in the case of MSTS). While on the subject though, the one graphic that does give me trouble is the North American map. I like to color codes and all that and the map itself. It is just that the labels are impossible to read unless you zoom in and then you somewhat lose the effect of being able to put where you are in perspective.
Is there perhaps a way to have a mouse-over window pop up when you point at at dot that is a yard or junction? Is that hard to code? The pop-up could have the name of the yard or junction and perhaps a little other info (like the name of the author!). Just a suggestion. Alan

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"...is there perhaps a way to have a mouse-over window pop up when you point at at dot that is a yard or junction?"Currently, you will notice that the name of the yard is presented (in the lower left of the North America window) when you hover over a point on the map. I rarely, if ever, use the map text labels.Jim

Yard Duty, The National Freight Yard Simulation - http://groups.msn.com/YardDuty

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You know, I just noticed that for the first time a few minutes ago. Thanks

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