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rockisland (81 posts)
Feb-02-02, 02:09 AM (EST) "AI trains passing Player trains" Is it possible to have an AI train pass the player train from behind? I want to create a situation where my player train has to wait at a red signal for a couple of oncoming AI trains, (at a point where two tracks converge to single track) and then continue to wait after they have gone by for another AI train to pass from behind. So far, I've only been able to keep the red signal until the oncoming trains are by and then I get a green.
Has anyone been able to make a similar scenario work?ROCK
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Subject Author Message Date ID RE: AI trains passing Player trains rgarber Feb-02-02 1 RE: AI trains passing Player trains lnghairedwizard Feb-02-02 2 RE: AI trains passing Player trains rockisland Feb-03-02 3 RE: AI trains passing Player trains rgarber Feb-03-02 4 RE: AI trains passing Player trains lnghairedwizard Feb-03-02 5 RE: AI trains passing Player trains lnghairedwizard Feb-03-02 6 RE: AI trains passing Player trains rgarber Feb-04-02 9 RE: AI trains passing Player trains lnghairedwizard Feb-04-02 10 RE: AI trains passing Player trains henry3 Feb-20-02 17 RE: AI trains passing Player trains Euston Feb-04-02 7 RE: AI trains passing Player trains lnghairedwizard Feb-04-02 8 RE: AI trains passing Player trains rockisland Feb-16-02 11 RE: AI trains passing Player trains highball5 Feb-16-02 12 RE: AI trains passing Player trains lnghairedwizard Feb-17-02 13 RE: AI trains passing Player trains rockisland Feb-17-02 14 RE: AI trains passing Player trains CNfavorite Feb-18-02 15 RE: AI trains passing Player trains lnghairedwizard Feb-18-02 16 RE: AI trains passing Player trains CNfavorite Feb-20-02 18

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rgarber (1241 posts)
Feb-02-02, 10:03 AM (EST) 1. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" I got an email from a EMRR buddy who says he got it to work in his activity. I haven't seen the activity so maybe you could try what he suggested when I asked him how he did it and get back to us on this. Here's what he wrote in response to my question:
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"Well, after a bit of study it was really simple.First -- analyze the real world situation. In this case it was a passenger train moving from East Metro Station to Big City Station.Second -- Passenger trains take precedent, therefore they main line all the way. Set up the AI train so that is the case.Third -- All indications on Train-Sim say make sure there is at least a 3 signal separation between train start point time and point of driven train at that same time.Fourth -- Edit path of driven train so that it MUST take siding passes, not main line, at all possible points on AI route.Fifth -- Set times correctly. With the passenger having the right of way on main it will take precedent and essentially keep moving unless it is on a double track section and the driven train enters a single track section one block before it. But the likelihood of this happening is very slim since the EMRR is mainly single line. If this does occur the passenger train will stop before reentering the single line and let the freight pass it on the passing siding. But, if my calculations are correct that will only happen about 8.5% of the time. Not bad odds. It sure is pretty to see the F7 and Budd cars whiz by while my logger freight sits on the passing siding and waits."
=====================================================Rich Garber Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
lnghairedwizard (702 posts)
Feb-02-02, 10:31 AM (EST) 2. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" I did a activity for the Eastmetro called Hot metal train where you drive a train of hotmetal cars at restricted speed from titan city to smallville tool and die. along the way you your forced to take a siding and wait for a hot autoparts trains to overtake you. I successfully got this to work but admittedly it took some trial and error (the first time i tried it the other train would overtake you but the signal stayed red and never changed). I have since got it to work properly and I am releasing a version of this activity this weekend which will be a "retro-metro" version based on the steam/diesel era.I also have an activity where you take a siding and wait out first a coal train, then a passenger train passes you, although i have never done an activity where two trains pass then 1 overtakes you.....It would probably require waiting on the siding for a lot longer than most peoples attention span would allow....lol.Longhairedwizard Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
rockisland (81 posts)
Feb-03-02, 03:43 PM (EST) 3. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" >I also have an activity where
>you take a siding and
>wait out first a coal
>train, then a passenger train
>passes you, although i have
>never done an activity where
>two trains pass then 1
>overtakes you.....It would probably require
>waiting on the siding for
>a lot longer than most
>peoples attention span would allow....lol.
>
>
>Longhairedwizard
"As real as it gets", eh Wiz? That is my goal with this activity. Ideally I would like to stretch this thing out to about 8 hours. Still not a full 12 hour, dead on the hog law, run, but long enough to bore the socks off all but the hardcore foamers. (of which I am one) LOLThanks, to you and Rich for the input. I have an idea that might work now if I ever get the time to try it out.ROCK Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
rgarber (1241 posts)
Feb-03-02, 04:39 PM (EST) 4. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" Bill,So you got it to work too? This is interesting. Very interesting. I wasn't so sure it could be done. I did have some inkling it could work because one of my activities does 'something' like it but you're coming from two different tracks. I'm referring to the one activity where you are doing work in Smallville and have to take the load down to Metro City. I think it's #16.So I'm thinking... what you could do is force a player to pull a simulated heavy train by lowering the player performance? Then max out the AI player train so it's running at top route speed. Is this what you did too? I'm just curious how you all get the player to drive slow.Thanks!Rich Garber Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
lnghairedwizard (702 posts)
Feb-03-02, 07:08 PM (EST) 5. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" You want secrets eh?.....well...On my Hotmetal train activity the player is instructed to go no faster that 25mph (as opposed to the 35mph route speed). On the vcr playback I set the player serive to 50% as opposed to 70 or 75 %. This timed out the player train about right. I also have the player train set to take the sidings. this type of meet is real tricky to get to work (its mostly witchcraft I believe), but I got lucky with my Conrail Hotmetal train version. I took that version and replaced the consists with East metro diesels and steam engines so I can release the activity early in a "retro metro" version. when I replaced the consists, the train that is supposed to overtake and pass yours from behind no longer did this.......all I did was change the consist and it is overpowered so its not a matter of speed.....then it dawned on me.....the overtaking train follows the player train through one siding and passes it on the next (at least in the original version)...the reason ?....siding length!!!!the second siding is shorter than the original overtaking train!!! it seems that when i modified the overtaking train into a steam power train...I had shorteded it, so I lengthened it so it was longer than the siding. this must be the keY!!!! Try orchestrating a couple trains as you suggested with the AI fasther than the player...and time them so they "meet" as a siding that is shorter than the AI train itself.Longhairedwizard Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
lnghairedwizard (702 posts)
Feb-03-02, 07:14 PM (EST) 6. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" Oh yeah and as far as slowing the player train down..... you can make him a little underpower and the AI overpowered, you can route the player through differnt parralell track (such as sidings) and drop restricted speed zones in there!!! You can use location events to simulate dipatcher messages instructing the engineer to obey a restricted speed (other than 15mph of course) or if your using a caboose...simulate a call from the conductor in the caboose to stop to let him oil a hot axle bearing or some other reason.bill Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
rgarber (1241 posts)
Feb-04-02, 03:31 PM (EST) 9. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" Siding length? If that's true, we're in trouble! Well, like that's really new. I dunno. On the Metro that might be harder to determine, the length of a siding that is. The reason I say this is because in many sidings I didn't alternate the switches. So many of those sidings should be equal length. Besides, all those sidings should be longer than most trains you run on the route anyway. *sigh*More mysteries.Well, Sniper's gone and spouted off that goofy theory of his with signals to some poor chap. The guy should be in the looney bin soon enough for sure. Boy if Sniper gets wind of this comment my route is doomed for sure! heh heh... oh oh.. *hears f-16 fighters above* SnnIIIPPeeeRRRR!!!!!*static* Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
lnghairedwizard (702 posts)
Feb-04-02, 09:47 PM (EST) 10. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" Yeah, makes allota sense don't it?....if your train goes into the siding with an AI train that will fit into the sidiing approaching it from behind, the dispatch will not stop you at the siding, but yet if the AI is longer it stops you and lets the long train though...you would almost think it should work the other way!!!I'm tellin ya rich...youve done an excellent job on the activity tutorials and all, but I still think its mostly witchcraft that gets it to run the way ya want it to!!!In fact when I did those activities on Unsignalled PO&N ver4 route.....I had to pull my computer desk out into the center of the room and consecrate a magic circle made of salt around my computer whilst I opened up the Activity editor and summoned some unholy spirits to assist me!!!!Things are much better for the East metro...I only have to use a Ouija board when I get stuck trying to arrange any complex meets....LOLLonghairedwizard Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
henry3 (622 posts)
Feb-20-02, 11:09 AM (EST) 17. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" Hi 'Wizard!I ran through that activity last night and was very pleased. I was waiting at the signal and could hear the train coming, but couldn't see it. (I had lost my external views trying to use #3 while my caboose was still in the tunnel!)It was a surprise and a pleasure when I "looked" to the right and saw that train overtake and pass me.I don't know how you did it, but great job!Henry Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Euston (854 posts)
Feb-04-02, 01:48 PM (EST) 7. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" On one of my DCC activities, the player train sometimes gets passed from behind by an Acela, no idea why it happens, seems to occour at random when you try the activity different times.
http://clix.to/trainsim Lanserat East RR - 31% complete see images on my website. Now with 4 custom locos. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
lnghairedwizard (702 posts)
Feb-04-02, 01:57 PM (EST) 8. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" Which route is this happening on euston?....is the acela passing you from the same track your on causing you to take a siding or is it passing you on a parrallel track. either one shouldnt be to difficult to setup if the train your driving is a diesel or steam engine as you'll have a much lower top speed than the electric trains.LHW Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
rockisland (81 posts)
Feb-16-02, 01:05 AM (EST) 11. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" I finally got it to work!!!!!!!!!!!
After 2 weeks of playing around it finally works. I got my player train to meet two oncoming AI trains at Blackfoot on MP3 and then continue to wait for a hotshot doublestacker to pass from behind. I didn't even have to use the double reverse point trick. The trick was to put the player train in Blackfoot siding, run the two AI trains straight through on the main and put a Begin Passing Point at the siding. To get the train to pass from behind, I used another path and made a passing point from Piegan to the beginning of single track at Blackfoot.
All this takes about 30 minutes to transpire but it sure beats seeing only green signals for the whole trip.ROCK Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
highball5 (107 posts)
Feb-16-02, 08:48 PM (EST) 12. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" Now that's sounding about as real as it gets. I recall on duty times of 2 hours and a total distance traveled of about 15 miles, sitting on a siding waiting to meet Amtak, then the Z train, then waiting for all them to clear behind you so you could wait for the already late auto train to overtake you so you could run at half speed on his yellows for the next 60 miles. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
lnghairedwizard (702 posts)
Feb-17-02, 00:44 AM (EST) 13. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" Way ta go Rock!!! You gonna release this one???....curious to see how your technique (for getting AI trains to pass from behind) differs from mine!!! If we could get this down to a science, then this would be good news for trainsimmers indeed!!!Longhairedwizard Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
rockisland (81 posts)
Feb-17-02, 01:07 AM (EST) 14. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" Yeah, I'll release it when I finally get to Whitefish. It might be a while down the road, but this was a big breakthrough and progress should move along a bit more rapidly now.ROCK Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
CNfavorite (39 posts)
Feb-18-02, 02:05 PM (EST) 15. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" I think one of the SEPTA routes in the NEC v.2 (northbound express?) had the Amtrak that shot by me from the back side as I was doing the drop off's to Philly? Scared the begesus out of me, and I heard it coming too - didn't know what the heck it was at the time! Kudo's to Bill for such a great route! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
lnghairedwizard (702 posts)
Feb-18-02, 04:51 PM (EST) 16. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" actually CN, we're refering to a train that overtakes you from behind on either a single track main or at least on the same track forcing you to take a siding and wait for the other train to pass and get far enough ahead before you get a green signal(very difficult to arrange). Having a train pass you on different track of a 2,3 or 4 track mainline is no problem at all, although its still kewl!!!Longhairedwizard Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
CNfavorite (39 posts)
Feb-20-02, 01:30 PM (EST) 18. "RE: AI trains passing Player trains" Ooops! My bad! So what you guys are proposing, that would take a long time for a player? But it would be realistic as well.
So to have an automatic switch to a run around siding with red signals at the end to hold you back while the AI shoots through, got ya! It's too bad there couldn't be animated people that could be placed as well - swinging lanterns at night, or even 'manually' operating the switches in front, or even in behind! Now that would be cool! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

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