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dphorton (52 posts)
Apr-17-02, 09:42 PM (EDT) "ORRR Activities" I would like to post this in an effort to thank Skyrat for developing three activities, ORRR-0800, ORRR-1000 and ORRR-1100. I for one have enjoyed playing these activities and the challenge, frustration and joy I have felt. Yes sometimes during ORRR-0800 I had to start over because I didn't save often enough, lol. I think that we who are not as talented as other should pay tribute to those who give us such enjoyment. Best regards to each and everyone.Dave Horton Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
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Subject Author Message Date ID RE: ORRR Activities SkyRat Apr-18-02 1 RE: ORRR Activities bewdley Apr-19-02 2 RE: ORRR Activities SkyRat Apr-20-02 3 RE: ORRR Activities jalsina Apr-20-02 4 RE: ORRR Activities SkyRat Apr-20-02 5 RE: ORRR Activities jalsina Apr-20-02 6 RE: ORRR Activities SkyRat Apr-20-02 7 RE: ORRR Activities dphorton Apr-20-02 8 RE: ORRR Activities jalsina Apr-20-02 9 RE: ORRR Activities gatrainfan Apr-22-02 10 RE: ORRR Activities jalsina Apr-22-02 11 RE: ORRR Activities jalsina Apr-22-02 12 ORRR Activities straccaletto Apr-23-02 14 RE: ORRR Activities gordon60 Apr-28-02 15 RE: ORRR Activities Stumbl Apr-22-02 13 RE: ORRR Activities Sleepwalker May-01-02 16 RE: ORRR Activities SkyRat May-01-02 17

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SkyRat (146 posts)
Apr-18-02, 00:32 AM (EDT) 1. "RE: ORRR Activities" Thanks much for your kinds words! Very much appreciated!SkyRat
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bewdley (42 posts)
Apr-19-02, 07:40 PM (EDT) 2. "RE: ORRR Activities" I've only just started looking into them, but what I have seen of them so far has looked good. There are interesting 'meets' and 'passes' and enough complexity in the work order to make it challenging. The maps too were a welcome addition. Thanks SkyRat for providing them to us. BTW, I was pleased to see that they weren't packed. That way I had a chance to look at them and see what engines and freight they required before they got into the sim. For the experienced user this is a more convenient way to get an activity (IMHO).A huge thank-you must also go to Rich Garber for creating this route. It is excellent in layout and detail and will, I'm sure, be a real pleasure to explore. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
SkyRat (146 posts)
Apr-20-02, 06:06 AM (EDT) 3. "RE: ORRR Activities" >A huge thank-you must also go
>to Rich Garber for creating
>this route. It is excellent
>in layout and detail and
>will, I'm sure, be a
>real pleasure to explore.
Yep, Rich has a gift about making routes that are both operationally sound and provide a good ride through the country side, which allow for activities of all sorts; complex operational scenarios where if the driver is 5 minutes off, everything is messed up to more leasurely long-hauls where timing and/or ai trains don't play such a dominate role in the activity. Rich's routes, ORRR and EMRR are an activity creatures dream come true!SkyRat
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jalsina (18 posts)
Apr-20-02, 02:32 PM (EDT) 4. "RE: ORRR Activities" LAST EDITED ON Apr-20-02 AT 02:36 PM (EST)I am not so happy with the activities
I am probably doing something wrong, but I never experimented in Marias Pass activities (or other's) the problems I find in ORRR activities.Mostly the issues I find are:1) I get stopped by a signal and the dispatcher will never give me free way upon requesting permission(or the signal will go green). I tried one for half an hour to wait if a train was coming. No luck!
This particular problem happened me today with ORRR1100 going back from the river "We barge In On You Enterprises" ready to join the main line back. I found the problem in another activity, I don't remember at this moment. In that particular moment I had my Dash9 inverted pulling the set of cars from Anderson and We barge In On You Enterprises.2)I get a red light where two tracks become one, with an AI train stopped towards me that will not advance, so I can't proceed.3)Same as in 2) above but I stop in the one-track line. I have a train in front of me (with a parallel track), and the dispatcher will never allow me to cross.4) In the Ephraim coal activity, I got a train coming to me, with which I crashed. I did not pass red lights.5)This is not a problem of the activities, but the lack of a map, makes difficult to find where you are situated and where you are going, as the activities are not commented. I have bypassed this by working a few hours in a 30-pages map, stright from the activity editor pasted images, which I will probably upload soon.Other than that I love WV&O route and I love ORRR activities as they are structured. They look very real. However, something is wrong from ORRR or my side. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
SkyRat (146 posts)
Apr-20-02, 03:04 PM (EDT) 5. "RE: ORRR Activities" LAST EDITED ON Apr-20-02 AT 03:05 PM (EST)The real problem or challenge of these orrr???? activities, as i see it, and of course depending on how anyone looks at it, is TIMING. Because msts signals and ai trains are brain dead, the only thing that can work in terms of making any of my activities successful is TIMING. Once the timing is off then problems crop up such as red lights that don't turn green, the dispatcher who doesn't let you go forward, no matter how many times you press the tab key, the ai trains smash into you or sit there like a dead train. That said, I have a couple of recommendations:1. read the activity description thoroughly and write down the time table and see if you can make it. if not,2. go into the activity editor, open the orrr???? activity and remove the ai trains. this is an easy process, in the lower right corner you should see "traffic pattern," left click on that little upside down triangle to the right of "traffic pattern" and scroll to the choice "none" save the activity and quit that program. thus, that way the ai traffic is gone for the time being and running the activity is basically no longer time sensitive.3. once you get through the activity and have a better feel for the route and your capabilities, add the ai trains back in.4. pay close attention to the track monitor and watch that little white reverse arrow.5. press tab whenever you come up to a red signal, the dispatcher should let you through.I welcome all comments, suggests, criticisms, etc.. because that way I can learn to do thing better and make a better activity. of course, i can't incorporate everybody's suggestions, but will give it my best try.SkyRat Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
jalsina (18 posts)
Apr-20-02, 03:41 PM (EDT) 6. "RE: ORRR Activities" SkyRat,I told before It could be something wrong at my side I am not a fast driver in MSTS. I try to go near the speed limit, but in yards and industry sidings, my speed will be real, that is somewhat between 10-20 mph, even if the speed limit is about 50-60mph.In the ORRR1100 (a very nice one), which I played today at noon, I had the map on my side to help to know where I had to go, so I planned what to do before proceeding. Every few minutes I saved the activity, in case I lost it (low visibility makes signals hard to read on time). I believe, I may have been somewhat late, in that signal, but not too much.So, I wonder if it would be possible to design your future missions, considering these late arrivals, even if we get a message that we I am being fired out Any way! I love WV&O route as maybe the best route I have installed in my MSTS (including those default). I will keep trying the missions I have played (but I haven't been able to complete) and will play the others I haven't tried yet.Let me tell you, that I love your activities, with the atmosphere they introduce into the aactivity, so getting a red light that won't turn on green is much more difficult to absorb for me I will come back if I am succesful
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SkyRat (146 posts)
Apr-20-02, 04:41 PM (EDT) 7. "RE: ORRR Activities" Great Job! I think you will find that with the later orrr activities, i'm reducing the time factor and increasing the operational side of things. there is only one place where time is critical in orrr1100 and in orrr1145 (to be out soon) time is very much secondary to operations. As I don't like to put messages in activities, the driver of the train (activity player) can use the "next station" window (f10) to watch the time very carefully throughout the activity.Thanks for your encouraging and kind words.Enjoy,SkyRat Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
dphorton (52 posts)
Apr-20-02, 09:04 PM (EDT) 8. "RE: ORRR Activities" Hey Skyrat,Looks like everyone is getting the hang of your super activities. You must use F10 and watch the clock and not spend too much time going from one place to another. When I finish one event of the activity, I save. This helps if your frustration level is high. You can start over. I did this many times in ORRR-1100. You had to be rather speedy to get things done, so you could get the Yellow Light after picking up the cars at We Barge In On You Enterprise. Once you got that down the rest is a piece of cake. Great Activity. Can not wait for the ORRR-1145 to come out. I am sure glad some one like to do activities as much as I like to play them.Best Regards to All,Dave Horton Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
jalsina (18 posts)
Apr-20-02, 09:16 PM (EDT) 9. "RE: ORRR Activities" SkyRat,This afternoon I tried ORRR0800. Nice activity.
I went fine in my schedule and even got to Marietta yard 6 a few minutes before. On using the Y to come back I found the west branch switch in automatic so I figured out I have to go into the south branch and back to the west branch. Computer freezed (I am having some trouble with Windows XP and MSTS), so I will continue tomorrow.Nice job, man!
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gatrainfan (1 posts)
Apr-22-02, 02:11 AM (EDT) 10. "RE: ORRR Activities" Hi Skyrat,I downloaded the orrr0800 activity and I keep getting stuck. I can get the two helper locos and get to Caldwell and get the grain cars fine, but when I am all done coupling all the cars together, I pull forward out of Caldwell grain and then reverse to the signal to back out, but I never get a green. I made sure that I picked up all the right cars, they are in correct order, and I move over all reversing points and I am ready before 0820, but still nothing. Does anyone have any ideas what I am doing wrong? I know it has to be something I am doing wrong, but can't figure it out. Anyone who has run this activity and got past this pick-up, please give suggestions. I like the route and activity and am anxious to complete this activity and get the others that Skyrat has. Any help will be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance!gatrainfan Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
jalsina (18 posts)
Apr-22-02, 08:51 AM (EDT) 11. "RE: ORRR Activities" Other than being unable to backup at Mariettathe from west branch of the Y to the south branch (switch doesn't change auto or manually), I got thru all the way down from Caldwell.
What I don't remember is that once I had all gondolas assembled, I had to backup (what for?). Once you have all your wagons proceed south to Marietta. Dispatcher will drive you along the right tracks. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
jalsina (18 posts)
Apr-22-02, 08:57 AM (EDT) 12. "RE: ORRR Activities" SkyRatORRR-1000 in my opinion has a little bug. As for the activity (see it in the editor VCR) AI "oil" train is scheduled to appear once my train has passed the stop signal after Peterson Grainery. I advanced the event time so it appears before my train gets that signal, but the AI train reaches the signal, stops and it will never proceed (not allowing me to preoceed as well). Something wrong in that signal I couldn't catch.
After that I changed the start position of the oil train to the beginning of the parallel track (after the problematic signal). Everything worked fine that way and I could complete the first ORRR activity Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
straccaletto (38 posts)
Apr-23-02, 02:12 PM (EDT) 14. " ORRR Activities" I had the same problem with the orrr10.00.
Now I hope to solve it and enjoy it as I did with the 08.00.
For me this route is better than all th others.
Tks again.
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gordon60 (1 posts)
Apr-28-02, 02:44 PM (EDT) 15. "RE: ORRR Activities" I'm stuck at the same point, have tried the 'tab' key to contact despatcher, but i'm still stuck in the siding with a red signal. Must be doing the same thing wrong as yourself. Does anyone know the answer? Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Stumbl (72 posts)
Apr-22-02, 10:00 AM (EDT) 13. "RE: ORRR Activities" i got the head on block too , all i did was back up so the AI train could go , when i backed up , it allowed the switch to change for the other train , which is what was holding it up , so i guess maybe I had stopped too close to the signal.....nice activities , as I have said before Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Sleepwalker (133 posts)
May-01-02, 08:18 AM (EDT) 16. "RE: ORRR Activities" Yeah my sentiments exactrly keep up the good work. Sorry about this I just want to comment and as I am currnetly working through ORRR 0800 I don't know the layout of the rest of the activities, but is there any chance of some more "Local" activities say a days switching in the Caldwell area using saay GE44 toners or GP7's getting cuts ready for pick up by through trains now there would be a challenge working to Skyrat's shedules. What do you guy's say ? Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
SkyRat (146 posts)
May-01-02, 08:37 AM (EDT) 17. "RE: ORRR Activities" thanks for the kinds words. i uploaded orrr1400 the other day and today i'm uploading orrr1530 and orrrtest. orrr1530 sort of follows along with your idea. the dash9 is moving back toward marietta yard and picking up consists that were prepared for him by local trains. by the time you get to peterson grain, you will have one awesome train! also, orrrtest (i really called it orrr - meanwhile) will sorely test an engineer's drop off skills and ability to solve some complex manuverings.I think we should do a local activity in caldwell after rich posts the route update, which should happen in the not too distant future.Thanks for the suggestion!SkyRat Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

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