N3V Needs to Fix Their Mess

[JCitron]

The real issue is that AI in every single game is trash. I've yet to play one game in my 47 years of gaming where AI does what I want it to do. AI is only as smart as the person that codes the script in the first place. I used to space my signals every 4 to 7 miles unless there was a junction or some other oddity. Now I usually go a mile to a mile and a half for signal spacing. So when I send an AI driver to point X or Y, it just works. One way markers are useless because a lot of folks use multiple mainline tracks, and only in a rare location are they useful. Priority is something I tried and it works fine, but it isn't perfect. KISS is a thing for a reason (and I'm not referencing the band).

In the 80s we had "One to Grow On" and "The More You Know" during Saturday morning shows and cartoons. Sound advice.

Like in old Operation Flashpoint, aka Arm 3 today. The AI soldiers all marched to a single corner in a game scenario my brother and I created causing the game to hang and crash. We couldn't figure out why everything became a slide show until we found them all stuck in a corner. This only happened once but it goes to show what AI can do.

Back to Trainz...

I tend to keep my signals close together because I run mostly short fast commuter trains. With my short blocks, I've never had many issues with the AI drivers except stopping at greens over time. More recently, I've had them stop at a station and not proceed. Placing a drive via track mark <name> in between these particular stations and that solved that problem.

Speaking of track marks and direction markers. Direction markers serve as one-way signs and can be used to prevent the AI drivers from using sidings. They also work to force right-hand driving because by default the AI use left-hand driving because the developers used the Australian/UK driving rules by default.

Track marks are helpful as waypoints to guide the AI through complex track and to prevent them from taking short-cuts through yards. I use them at wyes to ensure they drive through and don't perform screwy back up moves as I've witnessed on some routes.

Some route builders do go overboard with track marks. I have found having too many of them can cause performance issues due to the AI hunting and seeking routes and checking each and every track mark for the correct route.

 

[skittlekicks]

Kind of getting the sense that N3V is offended that the folks on Plus find the issues before they do.

 

[skittlekicks]

Like in old Operation Flashpoint, aka Arm 3 today. The AI soldiers all marched to a single corner in a game scenario my brother and I created causing the game to hang and crash. We couldn't figure out why everything became a slide show until we found them all stuck in a corner. This only happened once but it goes to show what AI can do.

Back to Trainz...

I tend to keep my signals close together because I run mostly short fast commuter trains. With my short blocks, I've never had many issues with the AI drivers except stopping at greens over time. More recently, I've had them stop at a station and not proceed. Placing a drive via track mark <name> in between these particular stations and that solved that problem.

Speaking of track marks and direction markers. Direction markers serve as one-way signs and can be used to prevent the AI drivers from using sidings. They also work to force right-hand driving because by default the AI use left-hand driving because the developers used the Australian/UK driving rules by default.

Track marks are helpful as waypoints to guide the AI through complex track and to prevent them from taking short-cuts through yards. I use them at wyes to ensure they drive through and don't perform screwy back up moves as I've witnessed on some routes.

Some route builders do go overboard with track marks. I have found having too many of them can cause performance issues due to the AI hunting and seeking routes and checking each and every track mark for the correct route.

A thing I can't stand about trackmarks is the AI will slow down at it makes it's way through it (the radi to less than 1 meter). This happens despite using invisible speed boards, and all of the commands I have tested still have the same results. I can confirm that trackmarks lag the heck out of my system when I've driven in others sessions. It's the same thing with too many TRC close triggers being used (one per track is all that is needed, and just place it in the middle of the crossing with your distance set).

If we create a route then we should have the ability to have set the track the train will choose and not leave it to N3V to default to UK/AUS rules. This could be in the route settings under Imperial or Metric measurments.

 

[JCitron]

A thing I can't stand about trackmarks is the AI will slow down at it makes it's way through it (the radi to less than 1 meter). This happens despite using invisible speed boards, and all of the commands I have tested still have the same results. I can confirm that trackmarks lag the heck out of my system when I've driven in others sessions. It's the same thing with too many TRC close triggers being used (one per track is all that is needed, and just place it in the middle of the crossing with your distance set).

If we create a route then we should have the ability to have set the track the train will choose and not leave it to N3V to default to UK/AUS rules. This could be in the route settings under Imperial or Metric measurments.

The slowdown doesn't seem to be there at least not as bad as it used to be in the past when hitting track marks. I noticed that too with TRC crossings. I suppose it's due to the extra scripting that's running. A few here and there is fine but when areas get cluttered there's a lot more going on and that bogs down the already busy threads.

I agree with you. That would make things so much easier without shoehorning right hand drive using workarounds. People recommended making that change way back in the early days, but it was never implemented.

 

[skittlekicks]

The slowdown doesn't seem to be there at least not as bad as it used to be in the past when hitting track marks. I noticed that too with TRC crossings. I suppose it's due to the extra scripting that's running. A few here and there is fine but when areas get cluttered there's a lot more going on and that bogs down the already busy threads.

I agree with you. That would make things so much easier without shoehorning right hand drive using workarounds. People recommended making that change way back in the early days, but it was never implemented.

The slowdown is definitely there for me, but maybe it is not a thing for Plus players? I think the AI get's too confused when too many TMs are on the map, which says it needs an overhaul again.

Most times I just set up a "fake" crossings with no traffic roads, or if it is a rural area it might be just crossbucks, a stopper and close trigger if I use invisible roads. That's a pretty lightweight use case. A busier industrial area might get the full compliment.

 

[JCitron]

The slowdown is definitely there for me, but maybe it is not a thing for Plus players? I think the AI get's too confused when too many TMs are on the map, which says it needs an overhaul again.

Most times I just set up a "fake" crossings with no traffic roads, or if it is a rural area it might be just crossbucks, a stopper and close trigger if I use invisible roads. That's a pretty lightweight use case. A busier industrial area might get the full compliment.

There's no difference in the underlying engine between Plus and other TRS versions. The difference is in the extra offerings such as more downloads, an FCT, and access to the beta.

I've experienced track mark slowdowns but not recently. It could be a number of things including hardware differences. I'm running on an i9-12900K with 64GB RAM and an RTX3080.

I do the same with crossings. If I'm concerned about vehicles, I'll use no-traffic roads and place a couple of static vehicles on the road if I want to see any street traffic. My busier areas do have a number of crossings and in some areas, I've done some crossing separation projects.

 

[skittlekicks]

I've noticed that the shape of the radius is similar to the crescendo and decrescendo hairpin symbols used in music. That seems to be the problem as it approaches and departs. The slowdown happens at the apex center of TM, and only gradually increases speed just past the center most point. To me that's a bad design. Switches have round 20 meter radi and never slows a train down, and I'm now thinking the TM should be designed with that in mind. I am not a script writer (don't have the smarts or patience), but it seems logical.

 

[davesnow]

If I'm concerned about vehicles, I'll use no-traffic roads and place a couple of static vehicles on the road if I want to see any street traffic. My busier areas do have a number of crossings and in some areas, I've done some crossing separation projects.

Ewwww! I have to have moving vehicles in my route!!