iPortals and CMTM

Dap

Prototype Operations Guru
This thread is focused on implimenting CMTM or some version thereof with the use of iPortals. If you are not familiar with CMTM, a description follows.

I'd like to get a better understanding of how players are using their iPortals, and what you would expect from CMTM.

Thanks for your input.



CMTM ( Car Movement & Traffic Management) is a destination database that automatically gives every freight car (that is either on a route when the session begins, or arrives on the route during the session via a Portal) a series of destinations. It does not depend on AI nor does it preclude its use. It could care less if you are driving your trains in person with DCC or Cab, or have them running with driver commands. One thing it does not do is automatically direct a car to its destination. That is up to you.

This third release of CMTM has several enhancements suggested by N3V and users of earlier versions.

The heart of CMTM is the SwitchList Window. It is a window on the left side of the screen (works best with a wide screen display). At the top of this window are four options that enable player interaction.

Delivered - when a car is delivered, it is so noted by clicking on this item.

Add record to vehicle - for putting an empty car into service

Find Vehicles Ready for Pick-up - all the cars on the route that have completed their load/unload cycle and are ready to be picked up, sorted by location.

Toggle Switchlist Display - toggles display between all cars in train to only car on which camera is focused, making window much smaller.

The lower part of the CMTM window displays the reporting mark, car number, destination and load status for every car in the consist on which the camera is focused with the current camera focused car highlighted in bold print.

The window is closed by clicking on the x in the upper right corner or by hitting the ESC key.

Cars can be given multiple destinations in sequence for more prototypical operations such as scale track, clean-out track, RIP track, icing station and other extra destinations for your freight cars. There is no known limit to the number of destination for a given car.

Supports seven continuous days of operations with capability of different mix of trains and traffic patterns each day. Seven day pattern repeats if you keep operations going.

No interactive industries are required. Any spot on your route can be an industry. Delivery locations are identified with a Track Mark.

Supports load/unload time of up to 99 hours, that is 4 days 3 hrs. If you move a car before it’s load/unload time has completed, you will be notified with a pop-up window to replace the car and again note that it has been delivered. The Load/unload cycle will continue from the point at which it was interrupted.

System accommodates empty car storage tracks for cars with no current destinations. Requests for empty cars to industries are issued on session start-up and are assigned to specific cars by Player. For multiple day operations, new empty car requests are issued shortly after midnight or whenever, using QuickDrive, you set the clock to the next day .

Time advance allows jumping forward in time if there are no activities for an extended period

Sessions can be saved and restored with no loss of data.

In order for CMTM to display the reporting marks and car numbers, some train cars may need to be modified with an addition to the extensions table. This is covered in the manual. Several prolific train car makers have already started to make these changes. All of Majekears cars with auto numbering have been modified to work with CMTMSystem3 - that’s over 1200 train cars at last count with more coming all the time. A big thanks to Majekear for making this happen and to Ed McNally who did a bunch of the work required.
And many thanks to the Beta testers that put System3 through its paces and found every last problem. We hope.
 
Im going to quote my self here, just so any one else reading this can see where I started with my idea.

So I have been thinking about it, and I think I may have come up with an idea on how CMTMS or at least a variant of it could be used with iPortaling. Of course, with my idea it would have to be a new system. And I know its not easy to make. I know nothing of programing, so I dont know how hard this idea would be to implement. But I tried to come up with the best way to do proper car forwarding with iPortals and other players.

First off, rather the be based on records like CMTMS is, it would be based on orders. Each player would have their data soup where they would input every thing about their railroad. Players would have to have an identifier, or a way for the system to recognize their route from others. This would be a name that they input. The system would also change how industries are loaded in the the soup. Rather then put in just the name of the track mark, other data would be input. Such as what is produced/consumed, how long its load/unload time is for a product, and car type. there would have to be an entry for each product for each industry. So if a industry loads box cars with good, and unloads tank cars of oil, you have a entry like this:

IND1 "unload,Oil,XT,4"
IND1 "load,Goods,XM,5"
CM1 "load,Coal,XHB,2"

Or alternatively, each industry could have one long sting, like this:

IND1 "unload,Oil,XT,4,load,Goods,XM,5"

The first idea seams like it would be easier and less likely to be goofed up by a typo.


Then players would communicate with each other the number of car's and type of car they need for each industry. Player's would then input the other players orders into there data soup. They would put in the player's identifier that they where shipping too, the product that needed shipped, the car type, and the industry on the home road that the car needed to be loaded at. The last part would be the number of time the order could be repeated at one time, or per day. Meaning that if I wanted to ship 10 cars to some one, rather then making 10 orders, I could just put in a 10. Then once 10 orders have been assigned to 10 cars on the route at a time, it would stop assigning that batch of orders.

So for example lets say that I had a coal mine, and I named in CM1. And that I was shipping 10 car loads of coal to Bob and his identifier was just "Bob." My order would look like this:

"Order1 "Bob,coal,xhb,CM1,10"

Now this data would be sent via iPortal to the next player, even if it wasn't Bob. This way a car could move many, many miles before reaching Bob.

Once the car reached Bob, the system would recognize that the car is meant for him and look and see what industries required coal loaded in a bottom dumping hopper car. The system would see that Power Plant 1 is listed as consuming coal. So in Bob's switch list, it would say to send that car to Power Plant 1. Once empty, the car could be assigned an empty car order. This would be the same as the original order that sent the car to Bob from me, but rather then say "coal" it would say "empty." And Bob could make empty car orders sending the car back to me, or to some one else who has a coal mine.

Now when a car arrived at some ones railroad and it wasn't meant for them, in the switch list it would show the route identifier as the destination. In the case of the above the switch list would say some thing like "Froward to Bob."

If some thing like this where to be cooked up, I think it could quite possibly make for some of the best simulation of freight movement ever. The only draw back I see to it, is that players would all need to implement this system on their routs. And I dont know what all data could be sent via an iPortal. So i dont know if the forwarding data could be sent.

I bring this up because a few of us do iPortaling from time to time. The hard part is deciding where to send a particular car. I might have a box car full of goods, but have 4 or 5 people who consume goods on the list. Who do i send the car to? What happens if I say I want the car to go to Player 3, but on its way Player 2 decides to take the car? I think a system like what I described above, would do the trick for us.

And then going on from there:

That said, my first reaction to your system is that it requires getting information from lots of other people, which can be less than reliable. My thought is player 1 sends trains through the portal to the receiving route (player 2). Here the software will cull through the cars that arrive and match them with industries needs, tagging them accordingly. Any cars left over would make up part of a train going to the next portal (player 3), to which player 2 would add cars from his route.

Each route would have an industry manager module that would keep track of industries needs.

First, I see what your saying. I was thinking that the only data that would be sent between players would be a line that says "Send to "Bob"" attached to the data that is sent to a player via iPortal. Then again, i am not sure what all is sent via iPortal. I know car type, and load status can be sent.

Also, what your saying is all most exactly what I was thinking. Just worded and implemented differently.

As for identify the iPortals. They have a few perimeters that need to be set in them in game. First you need to know the player you are sending a train too. Second, you need to know which portal they want the train to come out of. For example, if you wanted to send me a train you would need to put in "Jib228" in the user field. And "JCSX1" in the destination portal ID. Then the last thing that you need to set up is what your portal ID is so players can send you trains.
 
I am an iPortal user and was part of Jibs group, they are not hard to use. They do have a few quarks but not unmanageable. As far as I know the only data sent is the consist data including the car load commodities. I have no CMTM experience but would like to implement it including iPortals.
 
I'm trying to think outside the box, since there is likely little that be passed vie the iportal. BUT... There are other ways to skin the cat. As a programmer I use and share files from people all over the world. We use a site that set up shared files. A simple system can be employed here. Example: say there is a site called trainz-cmtm-routes.net. on it could be a very simple directory structure. Map/Session/UserID. OK. I want to send 10 cars to "Bob's"(Via Jib228) coal mine and 10 boxcars to "Jib228" I could make up a train and send it the iportal. I would then have some sort of soup ready file I would upload to the trainz-cmtm-routes.net site in the appropriate place. "Jib228" would download the file and import it into his CMTM and retrieve the train. He would make up a train for "Bob" and upload to the "bob" site. for "Bob" to download. I don't know the guts of CMTM4 (dap hint hint) but I am willing to make a simple interface that could be used to make an orders file. I would have boxes and drop downs to create the orders sheet which would be uploaded. A similar one could be used to take the downloaded sheet (or sheets) and create a drivers task list for the session. I do interface programming for a living so making something like this is right up my wheel house. Just to show good faith I created trainz-cmtm-routes.net so if DAP or anyone else wants to experiment and collaborate, its very doable. I really enjoy CMTM. making it multiplayer portable might very well be the future. Lets do it!
 
I agree with you 99% dstelley. But lets think one step further out side of the box. We keep saying iPortal, and I feel that implies using the old stand buy iPortals. Maybe we needed a new dedicated portal that dose the same as thing as an iPortal, maybe a CPortal? I know some one else a while back was working on a new version of his own iPortal, called hPortal. I never tested it out, cause the project got scraped after I found out about it.


Now I'm thinking DS, that a new portal would be set up to send files to a server or site, the same as you said. But rather then us having to exit the game and download a file, maybe this new portal could do it for us. This way it could eliminate one of the ify things with iPortals. We, or at least I'm, not 100% sure they work when only one of the two players are online. Meaning if you wanted to send me a train DS, and I wasn't online, I might not ever get it. Some thing that looks at a dedicated server for its files might mean that is could upload your train on Monday, then on Tuesday I could download it. This is one other "train sim" that dose some thing like this. Feright Yard manager allows players to control a yard, then send trains forward to other players. If said other player isn't online, then the train is stored on a server until they show up. They still have to download the train to run it, but it some thing that is done in game.

Just adding my thoughts and ideas, as I said above, I have no programing experience. And I know what I'm saying might be a lot to try, but I'd rather get my ideas out there, then never know if its possible
 
Since were are so far out of the box, lets go one step further. Someone creates a CMTM/MP Portal. Why not it should be doable. A bunch of things need to be decided up front durig the programming but in theory it would add a sense of dispatcher duties to the player. Example: I still want to send my train to Jib and Bob(via Jib) right? I could in theory make my train and drive into the portal. The portal could pause the game and bring up a dispatcher sheet that is prepopulated to an extent. It would know the game, the session, the version, the consist, the loads etc right? It could bring up a dispatcher sheet that simply has the end user items to be filled out. If there were 20 cars and a loco there would be 21 lines. Each with that car's info. The dispatcher would finish filling out the sheet and submit. The portal could create the soup file, establish contact with the internet server, upload to the proper location, resume the game. Heck there could even be a "Woops, I sent the wrong train, give it back" button that would return the train back to you! Why not? What would be the hardest part? I'm sure the portal could create some sort of soup file as a train enters to work with. Now for the receiver portion. Say I start a session. I could click on the portal, or it could be automatic or something but it could go to the internet server, look in the map/session/userId folder and see if there are any existing trains for him. Same thing in reverse. Game pauses, dispatcher sheet pops up with a list of what's waiting to come in with an accept/schedule button. fill out the needed info if any and resume. game comes back online and off we go. Lots of details to work out, but really this is all doable with existing technology.
 
File sharing has been tried, there is an ePortal 1.5 on the TPR site that creates a file and includes a GUI program. It has not been upgraded as it looks like it is for TS2004. Maybe worth looking at for ideas at least.
 
One thing you could have the system do, and this might be a real stretch, is send orders to the server, then other players could fill them.

How it would work: You'd have a menu you could bring up. This menu would have 2 main rows. The first row you would put in the name o every industry on your route, what it produces, what car type it needs to load, and how long it takes to load. The second row would be the same, but for every thing you consume.

This data would be uploaded and updated on a database on a server and shared with other the players.* At this point the system would look at the server, see what you produce and have cars on your ECS track(s) for. Then it would make records for them. So lets say I produce automobiles, I can load 40 auto racks a day and I have 60 on my ECS track. You, DS, need 20 auto racks a day and have 10 on your ECS track. And Bob needs 10 auto racks and has 20 on his ECS tracks. With this idea, my system would see your request and give me the option to fill it. I would click on your request for 20 cars and the first 20 auto racks on my ECS track would be assigned to your industry. I would do the same for Bob's order.

Id move the cars about like normal, then send them through a portal with would upload the consist data to the server for when you and bob are on line. Now those empty auto racks that you and Bob have would randomly get assigned to other auto industries amongst our players. So your 20 might all get sent to me, or 10 to me and to to another player that produces automobiles.

This system wouldn't worry about routing from player to player. So portals could be set up to go from Player A to Player C. Though I like the 2 connection idea, where each person would have a North and South portal (or East and West), any why could work. Though a system could be put in place to limit who a player is connect via portal with.

*Now the real beauty of this idea. The server I mentioned above, could be set up two ways. A global server, where any one who installs this asset has access to the system. Meaning 40 of my auto racks might have to be split up amongst 40+ other players. Or a local system, where it just meant to move cars between 3 or 4 players. OR, both.


But just ideas and fancy dreaming. If I new programing, I'd more then gladly chip in.
 
I like it but I'm not sure I get quite how it might play out. Would the CMTM system download orders and upload needs to a central server?
 
Short answer, yes.

The CMTM would run as an external application, ether on a web server or as a server on a dedicated host PC. This would be the hart of the system. Your request for loaded auto racks you be sent in to the server and be filed under "orders to be filled." The system would then look to the produces list and see that I can load auto racks. It would generate a set of car moments and assign them to any auto racks on my ECS track(s) that have no records when I loaded up my route and session.

All data values for each player would be stored on the server side. The players personal data values would be stored on their computer.

So when you put in every thing you produce and where. And every thing you consume and where. It would be shared with every one who connects to that server. This way if lets say you, Dap and I where all sharing trains. Ken could join in a week after we start, and the system could adapt to the new player.

The server would also store consist data, this way if Ken send a train to me and I'm not online, I'd still get the train next time I hop on. I kinda would want this to be a seamless system, with out having to manually upload and download files.

A few other things the server might need.

An update mode. This would be how it sends and receives data form players. Here's why its important. A player picks up an empty car from one of their industries, it could be assigned to an ECS track or to another player needing that car type to load. For this example, we will assume it going to an ECS track. Once there, the player could click on it and have the option to find new orders for the car. At this point, the system would look on the server for any user's who need this car type as an empty to be loaded. So if its a box car it would look for any industry listed as loading XBG, the assign the record to it. But only when the player click "find new orders." This would be the manual mode.

The other mode would be auto. In this mode once a car has been unloaded, spent the required amount of time at an industry, rather then be sent to an ESC track it would be assigned to the next industry. This mode would require the system to talk to the server more often, but would work much the same as the manual mode in finding orders.


Now above I said user's personal data would be stored on their computer. This would be all active records for all cars on the rotue. This would allow a player to only have to connect to the internet when getting new orders and sending or receiving trains. Once the orders have been downloaded they would be saved. This way player dont have to be online to run trains and work their industries. If not on line the system would just assign cars to ECS track(s) when being picked up as empties. Once the player was online, they would hit the "find new records for all" button to get new records for all cars on any ECS track(s).
 
This might be doable.... We would have to draw out a flowchart. forget the coding, forget the difficult stuff. If you/we can invent a workable flowchart that covers all possible scenarios... then dap/whomever can begin designing the "CPortal". With a flowchart I can begin working out how to program the "server". I have enough access to enough servers to invent the online portion, but only if there is enough interest. One interesting aspect is in your scenario, we don't all have to be on the same map... I can send a train from Wanaka to someone in Detroit... It could work
 
Can I please ask a few questions here about portals, I have never really used them neither do I know much about them .

1) When a train and crew disappears into a portal (or when the 'delete train' command is used ) does the game keep any memory of that train or is it gone totally.

2) Does traffic that has gone into a portal or that is scheduled to come out of portals affect framerates.

Thanks beforehand.
 
I still have several questions concerning the use of iPortals. For example, if my route is the C&NW Railroad and your route is the Rock Island and I send you a train, do you send the engines back to me as part of a train or light without any cars? How many users of iPortals have different routes of the same railroad where each route is a separate division? Do both players have to be operating at the same time, or does the arriving train get sent to a mailbox or queue somewhere waiting for the receiving player to start a session?

Here is my take on this thus far. First, I want to keep CMTM as prototypical as possible. I'd also like to keep it as invisible as possible. Once in Driver mode, you should not have to think about it. It also does not need to be complicated.

How about a system where the iPortal interfaces to CMTM in the same way a traditional portal does. It uses the CMTM library for the receiving route. It ignores any products that the sender may have had loaded. It loads the inbound train with the products that the receiving route's waybill library says to expect on the given day of operations. And any cars in the arriving train that do not have a destination for a local industry would be put into a through freight headed to another player or just off the route.

If players will keep others apprised of any industries they have that require any specialized cars such as auto transports, those types of cars can be included in any trains sent their way. Otherwise, each local route will be at the mercy of the random inclusion of the cars they need. Lends a bit of unpredictability which makes a bit more prototypical. It also make iPortal with CMTM capability a no brainer. Like Einstein said, "make it as simple as possible and no simpler."

David


 
Can I please ask a few questions here about portals, I have never really used them neither do I know much about them .

1) When a train and crew disappears into a portal (or when the 'delete train' command is used ) does the game keep any memory of that train or is it gone totally.

2) Does traffic that has gone into a portal or that is scheduled to come out of portals affect framerates.

Thanks beforehand.

Just give them a try. And let's keep this thread on focus of iPortals and CMTM. Thanks.
 
I still have several questions concerning the use of iPortals. For example, if my route is the C&NW Railroad and your route is the Rock Island and I send you a train, do you send the engines back to me as part of a train or light without any cars? How many users of iPortals have different routes of the same railroad where each route is a separate division? Do both players have to be operating at the same time, or does the arriving train get sent to a mailbox or queue somewhere waiting for the receiving player to start a session?

Here is my take on this thus far. First, I want to keep CMTM as prototypical as possible. I'd also like to keep it as invisible as possible. Once in Driver mode, you should not have to think about it. It also does not need to be complicated.

How about a system where the iPortal interfaces to CMTM in the same way a traditional portal does. It uses the CMTM library for the receiving route. It ignores any products that the sender may have had loaded. It loads the inbound train with the products that the receiving route's waybill library says to expect on the given day of operations. And any cars in the arriving train that do not have a destination for a local industry would be put into a through freight headed to another player or just off the route.

If players will keep others apprised of any industries they have that require any specialized cars such as auto transports, those types of cars can be included in any trains sent their way. Otherwise, each local route will be at the mercy of the random inclusion of the cars they need. Lends a bit of unpredictability which makes a bit more prototypical. It also make iPortal with CMTM capability a no brainer. Like Einstein said, "make it as simple as possible and no simpler."

David




I like kinda that too. I think DS and I are dreaming big to then boil down to some thing more workable. My only problem, and why I'm suggesting a server type system is that How do you include more people? In the examples that DS and I have used, routes would be linked in a loop like a modular railroad. So a train going from Player A to Player C would have to pass though Player B's route. With the system just sort of going how it dose now, I might have a box car say its going to player C, so I send it to Player B to be forwarded only to have Player B's CMTMS assign it a new record.

But as for some of your questions. Maybe answering these will help better expand on my ideas.

"For example, if my route is the C&NW Railroad and your route is the Rock Island and I send you a train, do you send the engines back to me as part of a train or light without any cars?"

That's up to you and who ever your sending too.
In some scenarios we've run them as through trains. So your locomotives would go from you, to me, then to another player, then back to you. In this case each player represented a railroad and was linked in a loop style. Much like a moulder railroad. Cars would be added and removed form a train as players needed them. Most likely, I'd send them back to you with a new train. But in the end, that's some thing that would have to be agreed on by the player's.


"
How many users of iPortals have different routes of the same railroad where each route is a separate division?"

This is hard to say. Every time I have iPortaled with other players, we each represent a different railroad, and a different location in the US. The iPortals where used to represent the much longer and un-modeled lines linking our routes. So each of us where actually on different routes, and railroads. I know one member did take a large route, and break it up into a small chunk and use that. And another player was going to do the same. In my current set up with a very limited number of people, my sefl and one other player both run CSX. But he runs some where out east, and I run in Michigan.


"Do both players have to be operating at the same time, or does the arriving train get sent to a mailbox or queue somewhere waiting for the receiving player to start a session?"

This is unknown. In testing I have been unable to conclude 100% weather or not players need to be on line. We have had mixed results. From trains not showing up, to trains showing up shortly after the player started their session, to trains showing up weeks after they where originally sent. This is why DS and I where talking of a new portal, that would send trains and data to a server of some sort. Where they could be safely stored and accessed when ready.


Now when I say server, I do mean a external program. But this would only need to be run by a host machine or web site. The portal asset could, in game, be configured to connect to that server. So you would install the CMTMScPortal Rule, tell it to connect to trainz-cmtm-routes.net. Then tell your portal to send trains to player: Jib228 Portal ID JCSX1. Then the rule and portals would interact with the server though Trainz. This would mean that once the initial set up is done, there would be nothing else but to run trains. The buttons that I mentioned above, would be in our switch list that we have now. Just replace the "Assign Records" with "Find Records."


This might be doable.... We would have to draw out a flowchart. forget the coding, forget the difficult stuff. If you/we can invent a workable flowchart that covers all possible scenarios... then dap/whomever can begin designing the "CPortal". With a flowchart I can begin working out how to program the "server". I have enough access to enough servers to invent the online portion, but only if there is enough interest. One interesting aspect is in your scenario, we don't all have to be on the same map... I can send a train from Wanaka to someone in Detroit... It could work

I'll try to work on some thing. It might be crude and rude, but I can see what I can brain fart out. But that is the exact idea, send trains from point A, to point B. In theory, you could but one box car on a route. And as long as no one derails it and the system never loses the car, it could travel thousand of miles, just like a real car would.

Though I keep saying external server, and web based is a good one. But I also had in mind a application, even if its just some thing super simple, that could be run on a computer. This way, if lets say we have one global server set up with trains moving amongst 20 players. If a few friends want to do some thing they dont have to be part of our system. They have on person load up and run a server on their computer. And connect to that for getting orders and trains.

I think this is one of those things that once its out there and people see it works, then there might be interest. I know this idea has me excited, and Ken seams to be intrested. If I assume that both you and Dap would like some thing like this then that's at least 4 people on board. But Im not goign to lie, each time we post and I read your guys ideas. And each time I post more ideas, I get a little more excited about it.
 
I still have several questions concerning the use of iPortals. For example, if my route is the C&NW Railroad and your route is the Rock Island and I send you a train, do you send the engines back to me as part of a train or light without any cars? How many users of iPortals have different routes of the same railroad where each route is a separate division? Do both players have to be operating at the same time, or does the arriving train get sent to a mailbox or queue somewhere waiting for the receiving player to start a session?

Here is my take on this thus far. First, I want to keep CMTM as prototypical as possible. I'd also like to keep it as invisible as possible. Once in Driver mode, you should not have to think about it. It also does not need to be complicated.

How about a system where the iPortal interfaces to CMTM in the same way a traditional portal does. It uses the CMTM library for the receiving route. It ignores any products that the sender may have had loaded. It loads the inbound train with the products that the receiving route's waybill library says to expect on the given day of operations. And any cars in the arriving train that do not have a destination for a local industry would be put into a through freight headed to another player or just off the route.

If players will keep others apprised of any industries they have that require any specialized cars such as auto transports, those types of cars can be included in any trains sent their way. Otherwise, each local route will be at the mercy of the random inclusion of the cars they need. Lends a bit of unpredictability which makes a bit more prototypical. It also make iPortal with CMTM capability a no brainer. Like Einstein said, "make it as simple as possible and no simpler."

David



But is it prototypical for a train to enter/leave an area randomly? "Jimmy" in Detroit manufactures cars. He needs tires and engines and aluminum though. "Bob" in Buffalo has the engines so he could route some to Jimmy. He sells cars too so "Jimmy" would send to him. Likewise "Judy" in London has Aluminum so she would send to Detroit...etc... It's be neat to design a way so that all these different people, using there own route of choice could interact. They each publish a list of what they have and what they need, CMTM assigns the waybills based on FIFO or whatever is easiest to program. Some time later "Jimmy" gets back into his route and he has Aluminum, tires and engines waiting for him and a list of dealers wanting his cars... Supply and demand!
 
Yes I would be interested, I still have my route from the TOPSIG days right now doing nothing and unfinished.
 
But is it prototypical for a train to enter/leave an area randomly?
Depends on the era and location, but yes, freight trains running on schedule is quite unusual.

"Jimmy" in Detroit manufactures cars. He needs tires and engines and aluminum though. "Bob" in Buffalo has the engines so he could route some to Jimmy. He sells cars too so "Jimmy" would send to him. Likewise "Judy" in London has Aluminum so she would send to Detroit...etc... It's be neat to design a way so that all these different people, using there own route of choice could interact. They each publish a list of what they have and what they need, CMTM assigns the waybills based on FIFO or whatever is easiest to program. Some time later "Jimmy" gets back into his route and he has Aluminum, tires and engines waiting for him and a list of dealers wanting his cars... Supply and demand!

What I am proposing will accomplish the same thing, but does not require the complication of a centralized clearing house for the data, and more importantly, will not require a re-write of CMTM. One of the "Stretch Goals" N3V is planning for the new Trainz is a "Prototypical Freight System". Hopefully, this will do away with the silly "way bill" system and replace it with something akin to CMTM. I am not willing to put a bunch of effort into CMTM for iPortals until I know what their goals are in this area of development.

If I could get the script files for the iPortal, I should be able to make the changes I am proposing in short order. It would give everyone a chance to test it out. Then we would have a basis to compare what works and what doesn't.

I assume everyone has pledged to the best of their ability on the KickStarter site. :)

David
 
I will need a crash course in CMTM since I have not implemented it yet. I can see scheduled trains since my route is PRR set in the 1950's but I am flexible.
 
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