Things I've Learned

[davesnow]

Things I've Learned Making Routes:

I'm sure not everyone will agree with my observations, but these are things I have learned during my years of building routes. My only wish is that these will perhaps help others.

1. Don't make passenger trains "Wait for..." before loading and unloading. They may not stop at the right place and they may not load or unload. Also, it's better to UNLOAD first, then LOAD.
2. You can use as many "Baumgruppe1" tree bunches as you want and they won't significantly affect frame rates. You can even place them next to the tracks and they look good.
3. The "Fence Corregated 1942" will really slow down frame rates if you use too many in one place.
4. More than 40-50 cars in a consist will slow frame rates.
5. You can add a lot more vehicles to the region config and they will show up. I have one region with about 30 different vehicles.
6. Believe in MARKERS to direct A.I. trains! They can make or break a session.
7. BEfore saving a session, PAUSE it, and check to make sure no train is LOADING. Save only when no A.I. train is LOADING product. This will keep you from getting the "Drive to before load" error message when you load the session later.
8. About 9 A.I. consists to a route is the maximum you should run unless you have a supercomputer. More than 9 and frame rates will suffer.
9. Besides the "Baumgruppe1" trees, pick out 4-5 other trees and use on your entire route. I use the Linden's.
10. Fields of crops look better when surrounded by a barb wire fence.
11. Highways and Roads look much better with a little sandy colored dirt on each side.
12. A lot of different fences in the same area will kill frame rates.
13. Most telephone (telegraph) poles look very good along rails and roads and don't seem to significantly affect frame rates.
14. Place Relay Boxes near signals and junction switches. They look especially good near overhead signal gantrys.
15. You can make great displacements using Photoshop.
16. Water looks better with a sandy colored bottom.
17. Shorelines look better colored sandy, too, like a beach, especially if they are gradual shorlines and not steep.
18. Don't turn Cabooses around after placing them. They might cause an A.I. train to suddenly go in reverse.
19. An A.I train might pick up and deliver product perfect 100 times, and then, for no apparent reason, completely screw up. Just one of those things I guess.
20. Junction Switches just will not work sometimes for an A.I train... so you have to go and throw them yourself.
21. No matter what you do, you're going to get some "SPADs" once in a while on an A.I. session.
22. Big Yards kill frame rates.
23. SAVE YOUR ROUTE AND SESSION OFTEN!

 

[OldBarney]

Thanks for those tips, Dave. It's great to have some helpful hints when laying out a route. Especially welcomed the bit about frame rates when using trees. Cheers Mate.

 

[44Smith]

Thank you, Dave. Very helpful tips. Especially about the trees on my chugging computer. Ralph

 

[Dap]

Dave,

Great tips. I like the one about fences. Gusss it is time to add some to my layout.

 

[jytte]

Except for the one about the fences around crops (in most of Europe that I'm familiar with, they have NO fences around their crop fields), I loved your tips, will try some of them out.

Okay, you will probably all shake your heads now, but I have to ask:
What is an A.I. train ? (I did look everywhere, but found no answer to that question) Even the manual for 2006 happily talks about AI trains on every other page, but never bothers to tell me what that IS.

 

[hert]

Okay, you will probably all shake your heads now, but I have to ask:
What is an A.I. train ? (I did look everywhere, but found no answer to that question) Even the manual for 2006 happily talks about AI trains on every other page, but never bothers to tell me what that IS.

An A.I. Train is a train with the driver doing commands that you give either during or before the session starts. They run without anyone driving it.

I also hope that A.I. Trains get a little smarter in TRS 2009
and thanks for the tips.

hert

 

[jytte]

AHA! I've done that many a time, to have trains or ships or whatever run around without me having to drive them. So that's what AI means.
Thanks so much for clearing that up for me.

 

[freightcar2]

Thanks for the tips.

I too hope the A.I. will be smarter in TS2009.

 

[lewisner]

2 more 1) Splines will only join up if you don't want them to.
2) when you try to delete a spline it will refuse to go, and instead a spline a hundred yards away will disappear...

 

[Euphod]

Except for the one about the fences around crops (in most of Europe that I'm familiar with, they have NO fences around their crop fields), .

Fairly rare in the USA too, most farmers will protect a crop by planting an undesirable crop around the perimeter (such as "horse" or feed corn).

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

What is an A.I. train ?

Artificial Intelligence.

It is definitely artificial, but there is debate about the intelligence.

 

[bernhart_lossiemouth]

Fairly rare in the USA too, most farmers will protect a crop by planting an undesirable animal around the perimeter (such as a "horse").

Horses are not usually defensive though. For many centuaries they have been bred to be docile and non aggressive. Their speed is an advantage however, and also their survivability across most warmer climates.

Other examples of animals used to defend crops can be see on the African continent where the water buffalo is placed within the field shortly before harvest, when the crops are at their ripest and most vulnerable. Attempts have been made to utilise the hippopotamus although its uncontrollable nature and riparian habitat has hindered its potential.

Because of changes in laws introduced over the last century, using animals to defend crops is becomming less and less common. Arable farmers of the future are looking into building 8-12 foot walls to enclose their crops.

Trainz route builders need to take into account the forecast changes in our landscapes and consider how different our fields will look in 50 years time.

The agricultural site of Bernie :wave:

 

[QR1408]

Generally frame rates will improve by, cutting down the number of different splines of any type. That is the minimum different road, fence, power poles etc. really this goes for other objects too. There is a range of low poly trees by lothar hake that are good. Also NZ low poly houses, these are great for most US and Oz routes. I managed to up frame rates by 50% using these method for a route I uploaded to the DLS in TRS2006 and TC versions. Did use a fair number of tree types though, but using as many tree groups as I could. Find that AI has a mind of it's on even on correctly laid and signaled track. Needs at least direction markers to work in a reasonable way.

 

[Euphod]

Horses are not usually defensive though. For many centuaries they have been bred to be docile and non aggressive. Their speed is an advantage however, and also their survivability across most warmer climates.

Other examples of animals used to defend crops can be see on the African continent where the water buffalo is placed within the field shortly before harvest, when the crops are at their ripest and most vulnerable. Attempts have been made to utilise the hippopotamus although its uncontrollable nature and riparian habitat has hindered its potential.

Because of changes in laws introduced over the last century, using animals to defend crops is becomming less and less common. Arable farmers of the future are looking into building 8-12 foot walls to enclose their crops.

Trainz route builders need to take into account the forecast changes in our landscapes and consider how different our fields will look in 50 years time.

The agricultural site of Bernie :wave:

Funny stuff Bernie, but I don't like how it's going to affect wolverine futures on the big board!

 

[davesnow]

FENCES AROUND CROPS

Yes, I know most crops don't have fences around them... but to me, they still look better in TRAINZ with fences around them!

 

[themnax]

also the splines you least want to join to each other will do so, and cause surveyor to crash when they do. (2006) (this is especially true of different kinds of driving ways, more so then scenery splines, or is it just my install that does this?)

fence splines will prevent track placed between and after them to stop where you want it, to set a vertix point, unless you zoom in really close, or else run the track way off to the side somewhere, then move the virtix to where you want it, then add the next bit.

the way to specify a vertix hight is by clicking on where the vertix hight is shown and then entering it. this, if it is documented anywhere, i could not find and finally discouvered more or less by accident, after forever fiddling arround with raising and lowering then reading back where it was.

for ground textures, the spinner "[" or "]" is your friend. (though why more of them weren't made tile-able to begin with is beyond me. it's not that complicated to make an image texture that IS tile-able, really)

=^^=
.../\...

 

[jytte]

Yes, I know most crops don't have fences around them... but to me, they still look better in TRAINZ with fences around them!

Plant as many fences as you like, it is after all our own fantasy worlds we're building, and we can do as we bloody well please

 

[bernhart_lossiemouth]

Plant as many fences as you like, it is after all our own fantasy worlds we're building, and we can do as we bloody well please

Yes, we'll even use those awful wooden toytown pieces (you know the ones) that litter the DLS.

 

[davesnow]

^ Okay. Place HORSES around your crops if you so desire.... even cabooses or bicycles.... see if I care.:hehe:

 

[jytte]

Well Hello Bernhart,

I can see why you got Trainz, you probably needed a chance to travel on something other than those wonderful little icelandic horses of yours (which I admire intensely) :hehe:.

Are you going to build us a route from Beautiful Iceland? As you can see, we have poetic license here, so you can put trains on your island, for the rest of us to drive

Sorry, I guess I'm in a giddy mood this morning.