How does the AI in Driver select its route to the next destination other than traffic

[LordGeoff18]

Hi All: I've got a simple one way main line thats a circular route with industries branching off left and right. All track is signaled and speed limits in place, 60mph for the main and 40 or less for industries. When I set a passenger local to repeat station stops, all stations are on the main, I noticed the AI will often take a side industrial yard and then return to the main line. Is the AI trying to get from A to B by the shortest route? How do I keep the local to the main?

BTW: Thanks for all the tutorials and user guides you guys have provided. I could not have gotten this far with the Auran Manual.

Geoff

 

[Ricke82]

"How does the AI in Driver select its route to the next destination other than traffic?" I wish I knew. After 2+ years it's still a mystery. If the automated idots do take the shortest route (as I've read a number of times) then they must exist in a non-Euclidiean universe. To get around their penchant for sight-seeing, place a track mark on your mainline after the junction for the siding and use a "Navigate Via Trackmark".

 

[Kon1786]

I am pretty sure track priority markers will fix this, if not use the markers and name ex.P 1 them then command them to drive via p1 p2 and so forth, i have a lot of completed loop routes too and that worked.. use pen and paper if need to map a diagram

 

[Travlar]

Someone pointed this out to me a few years ago and it really helped my AI stay on track. (Sorry for the horrible pun). In some cases, it matters how the track was laid. The AI prefer to travel in the direction that the track is laid and since I can control this on routes that I have created, I usually only have issues with routes I download. As Kon1786 pointed out, you can use priority markers in some cases to help the AI. On routes that I have downloaded, I have gone in and fixed the areas the AI has problems with by using priority markers, direction markers, and/or actually deleting a section of track and laying it back down in the direction I want the trains to travel. (This is of course on sections of 2-track).

On single track that have sidings, I use priority markers or track marks to force the AI past the junctions. I have noticed on circular tracks that I have created, I have always had to put a track mark between the "last" stop and the "first" stop to keep the AI flowing in the correct direction. Hope this helps.

Travlar

 

[danny5]

I also used priority marking on tracks that i don't want a passengers trains to take. Passengers train are priority 2 by defaul setting tracks that you don't want the passengers trains to take set then eighter 1 or 3. Now if you want a frieght train to go to a IND it will go without being set to a 1 or 3 priority.