First off, let me thank all those that write activities for routes. Without you guys we'd just be driving big heavy tour buses HOWEVER... (you KNEW there was a however, didn't you)I have a request to make. MSTS was very kind/wise to include Mile Posts in a handy little box for us to follow while operating the train. These mile posts are EXCELLEWNT for locating destinations or letting the engineer know when things are going to happen. But for some strange reason, very few activity writers make use of them. Here's an actual example from a real activity:
"You are coming through Philadelphia heading south for Wilmington. A power plant just north of Wilmington is getting low on coal, so you are to drop off your existing consist on a siding beside Wilmington Industrial Siding 5. All of the switches are automatic and will be handled for you, but be sure to move far enough past the REVERSE POINTS to trip them, and move sufficiently past switches in order for the activity to work properly.
"You will need to pull forward after you drop your existing consist off, and reverse again into a spur that contains your coal cars. Couple and pull forward onto the mainline until the REVERSE POINT has tripped then make a long Revese move towards the North end of Wilmington..the power plant will be on your left. You will recieve a message to slow down so prepare to STOP just before the spur North of the Power Plant where your activity will end."Not ONE Mile Post in the whole desciption. Instead, we get references to buildings and structures and compass points. Two problems with that method of identifying things...#1 If you've never been on this route, you haven't the foggiest notion
where these items are at, or what they look like. The above-mentioned power plant is a group of circular buildings that looks more like oil storage facilities. Even worse, there are NO smokestacks that a coal-burning power plant would have, nor is there a coal drop off point for this power plant. This isn't the fault of the person who wrote the activiy. But without any items that even remotely resemble a coal-burning powerplant, the engineer has to guess what and where things are.#2 Directions...train tracks are notorious for twisting and turning and winding around. You can be on an area of track heading straight South, that is actually a track heading North that goes from Florida to Canada. Many times I've checked compass references against the activity directions and found them to be off by huge amounts. A person could go in the wrong direcion for MILES if he doesn't check the Mile Posts for verification. That's why Mile Pots should be used as frequebntly as possible to describe destinations as well as locations. Dep
Don't be an "elitist". We need moving maps in MSTS!!!
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