My AI drivers are getting a case of brain lock at a complex block of junctions

J

JonMyrlennBailey

Well-known member
at the east end of Mojave yard. I am trying a couple things.

I canned all the mechanical levers for machine switches.

I put a few additional markers in a few spots.

I am assuming the machine switches aid drivers in navigating complex junction blocks in yards more smoothly, but time will tell...
 
I am also trying using Drive To/Via vs Navigate To/Via. DRIVE is a more firm and direct command than NAVIGATE. I also wish there were commands to specify whether the driver moves the train forward or reverse.
 
You will find by using AI, you need to place thousands of trackmarkers on a route, like leaving many, many breadcrumbs through a complex interlocking ... or AI Drivers will get lost.

Forget about driving AI Control ... unless you really do enjoy allot of migraine headaches
 
Ain;t that just the truth. I have worked for some considerable time on a design for a "swiss" type model railway layout that will cover some 30 x 30 feet overall. It is designed to be run automatically via the signalling system in TS12. What a mightmare. I have a full automatic branch line running on it, but it took a lot of work to get the signalling to work and handle multiple random trains, but the main line is a relal nightmare as I want trains to auto switch each other in a hidden switch yard, so different consists appear on the layout all the time. The times that the AI just simply GETS IT TOTALLY WRONG are driving me insane.

Example: - Tell driver session to driive via xx and TO YY, and then wait for a trigger from ANY TRAIN. Pretty obvious isn't it ? NO IT ISNT, the time the relevant consists just ignore those track markers, and end up as wild cannons on the main layout is endless.

I wish there was a really good into/tutorial as to hw to make TS12 behave in these situations, they drive me nuts a lot of the time just trying ot work out why they have done what they have done ?

Any input on these types of issues would be more than welcome ?
 
Hi chopperaddict

Have you considered using portals instead of the switch yard? I often use what I call background activity in my sessions. These run randomly to support the main action and are totally self contained.

An example is on the GCR route by pflindley. Peter has included other companies tracks at the northern end of the route and I run the LMR lines automatically. I use the "Un-Portal 2" Rule by "tram_" kuid:400260:100645 which allows you to use a trackmark, placed anywhere on the route, as a portal. There are 8 different trains for each portal which are emitted randomly when a train hits a trigger placed down the line. Emission of trains is controlled by the "CPC: Emit Train on Trigger Rule". The Schedule Library is used to hold the commands which are copied into each trains schedule after creation. Once a train has completed its run it is deleted using the "Delete Train" driver command.

Trains run at different speeds controlled by the SetMaxSpeed driver command depending on what type they are e.g. an express will run at the line speed of 70 mph while a loose coupled coal train will be restricted to 30 mph. This, coupled with the random generation, means that each time the session runs it is rarely the same.

Regards

Brian
 
Sometimes in a mile of track you need a detailed series of 10 or more trackmarkers, or AI gets lost, sort of like you, if they threw you right out on the main, in the middle of the night, driving a train, with no experience, no training, and no one to help guide you through a complex series of switchs, yards and interlockings
 
Hey cascaderailroad

Yeah, you could just be right of course, but my main line actually equates to some 12 miles of real track that takes most consists some 10+ minutes in real time to traverse back to the "through" station. I certainly do not have that density of trackmarks you suggest to let the consists going around the long twisting and convoluted main line, but there is basically nowhere else for them to go, it is a long, looping, reversing, tortuous mainline, but they have no options but to go around it.

When it comes to the through station, there are loads of trackmarks to try to stop them taking a really dumb SHORTER route, which I know the AI does automatically.

My problem is trains going through to platforms that are already in use, despite all of the platforms having ENTRY and EXIT trackmarks that the session rules tell the consists to go through. However, they seem to have a mind of their own, and pass the station entrance STOP/GO signals with impunity, even though the next scheduled trackmark is not accessible.

Therefore it seems like maybe it is TS12 signalling issue rather than an AI issue ??

Any input you guys out there with way more experience than my piffling 4+ years playing with TS will be very well received to sort out these conundrums, but I have been writing complex raw "C language software for business for many years, and can understand absolutely how these problems can come about !. It would be good however to see them fixed in this scenario?

I bet I am doing something real dumb, but .......

Ian
 
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