A question about a session.

H

HiBaller

19 Years of Trainz
I'm in the testing stage of one of my routes and have come up against something i should know but have forgotten. Throughout the route are several isolated loops which run trains on parallel tracks to add to the general feeling of a busy route. These are completely AI driven. Working within the session, I've assigned drivers and given them all a simple "Drive" command. The consists have no other duties other than drive around their individual loops to create activity.

What I cannot figure out is how to make them auto-start when I run the session. Each and every time I am in surveyor and edit the session, assigning drivers and whatnot, then save the session. When I go to run the session, the drivers are gone and there are no commands in the window. Running build 90948. Is there some sort of trick go auto-starting consists that is broken in this build?

Even with some sort of saving problem, I still need to know how to auto-start AI consists.

Bill
 
A stupid suggestion to someone of vast experience, are the AI consists on the route layer? duck......
 
As I said, I am working on the session. Editing the session, not the route. I can't seem to make the changes I make save properly Every time I open the session, I have to go back and reassign drivers and set commands for them to follow. When I save, all that goes away.

My big question is how to auto-start consists withough running madly all over the route starting AI consists.

Bill
 
Another stupid question. How are you actually giving the drivers their commands?

The normal method is in Surveyor in the Session Editor, Driver Setup rule. The driver commands are saved in the Session when the Session is saved and will be "auto started" as soon as the Session is loaded into Driver.
 
HiBaller said:
As I said, I am working on the session. Editing the session, not the route. I can't seem to make the changes I make save properly Every time I open the session, I have to go back and reassign drivers and set commands for them to follow. When I save, all that goes away.

My big question is how to auto-start consists withough running madly all over the route starting AI consists.

Bill
Click to expand...

Bill, I often run sessions like you mentioned. To ensure all my background consists start up and run, I make sure that I first create and 'name' the session specifically, so that I can readily identify the one that I'm working on.

My background consists are always spawned from a named portal and I use 'Copy Commands' associated with 'Schedule Library' which are all managed by 'Central Portal Control'. It is here that I can set the start-up of various consists, when they are spawned and how often.

All driver commands are entered into the Schedule Library, so that I don't need to keep writing new ones. They can be edited and modified as I wish. They can also be used in additional sessions by 'copy and paste' method.

Make sure all portals are 'connected' to track (sometimes they can disconnect at spline point) and with a relatively long lead-in track. This gives the consist time to spawn, drive a short distance, switch headlights on, raise catanery, adjust destination board, view signals, before hitting the main or branch line. Make sure every consist and named driver can follow your commands, and not get held up at a red signal, then exit a portal. Some people don't check this part out in detail, but it's important to ensure smooth running.

These changes are made within 'Edit Session' and saved in the same session name - If it asks to save in the route also, then do so. If you do not save in the route as well, then you could be missing some vital assets.

When you want to run in Driver mode, don't go to 'Quick Drive' - Exit, then select the route, then View Sessions, select and then 'Drive Session'. It may seem fiddly, but I've found my sessions load more rapidly and fully than from Quick Drive'.

Good luck,

Cheers,
Roy
 
Last edited:
pware said:
Another stupid question. How are you actually giving the drivers their commands?

The normal method is in Surveyor in the Session Editor, Driver Setup rule. The driver commands are saved in the Session when the Session is saved and will be "auto started" as soon as the Session is loaded into Driver.
Click to expand...

I edit the session and use the driver setup link. It's pretty basic. Since the consists are on an isolated loop I only issue a "Drive" command. The speed is regulated by occasional speedboards, but the consists aren't supposed to stop. They provide 'color' to the route, but don't interact. When I save and reload a session, the commands and the drivers themselves are gone and I have to redo them again. I have to e doing somethign wrong.

Bill
 
Thanks for your input, Roy. I am not using portals, but I think the priciple still applies. I'll enter the commands into the Driver Setup Rule and see if that helps.

Bill
 
Check the status of the boxes in the Driver Setup dialog. One of them deletes all the drivers, or something like that.
 
pitkin said:
Check the status of the boxes in the Driver Setup dialog. One of them deletes all the drivers, or something like that.
Click to expand...

I did. I checked three specific drivers, assigned them to specific consists, and left the rest unchecked. When I saved the session and ran it, I ended up with three different drivers and no commands.

I'll figure it out eventually I think. I seem to remember a post concerning the saving of sessions and things not being saved during the process. Mayby it will all be fixed when the next SP comes out.

Bill
 
Roy3b3 said:
Bill, I often run sessions like you mentioned. To ensure all my background consists start up and run, I make sure that I first create and 'name' the session specifically, so that I can readily identify the one that I'm working on.

My background consists are always spawned from a named portal and I use 'Copy Commands' associated with 'Schedule Library' which are all managed by 'Central Portal Control'. It is here that I can set the start-up of various consists, when they are spawned and how often.

All driver commands are entered into the Schedule Library, so that I don't need to keep writing new ones. They can be edited and modified as I wish. They can also be used in additional sessions by 'copy and paste' method.

Make sure all portals are 'connected' to track (sometimes they can disconnect at spline point) and with a relatively long lead-in track. This gives the consist time to spawn, drive a short distance, switch headlights on, raise catanery, adjust destination board, view signals, before hitting the main or branch line. Make sure every consist and named driver can follow your commands, and not get held up at a red signal, then exit a portal. Some people don't check this part out in detail, but it's important to ensure smooth running.

These changes are made within 'Edit Session' and saved in the same session name - If it asks to save in the route also, then do so. If you do not save in the route as well, then you could be missing some vital assets.

When you want to run in Driver mode, don't go to 'Quick Drive' - Exit, then select the route, then View Sessions, select and then 'Drive Session'. It may seem fiddly, but I've found my sessions load more rapidly and fully than from Quick Drive'.

Good luck,

Cheers,
Roy
Click to expand...

This is my method exactly, which I've been using since at least TRS2009. It maybe methodical and pedantic, but it works 99.99% of the time even today.
 
HiBaller said:
Thanks for your input, Roy. I am not using portals, but I think the priciple still applies. I'll enter the commands into the Driver Setup Rule and see if that helps.

Bill
Click to expand...

Bill,

I just thought, the 'Drive' command in Driver mode is only used when 'you' want to manually set the consist in motion, then away it goes.

But, I think you'll find that in Surveyor mode the 'Drive' command is not available to build into a workable schedule.

If you just want a simplified system for the background consists, then why not set up 3 or 4 trackmarks on those lines. Then it is easy to set a small program 'Drive via TM 1, 2, 3, 4' and if there's a loop, add 'Repeat' .

I would still run them spawning from a portal for continuous running.

Cheers,
Roy
 
HiBaller said:
I did. I checked three specific drivers, assigned them to specific consists, and left the rest unchecked. When I saved the session and ran it, I ended up with three different drivers and no commands.

I'll figure it out eventually I think. I seem to remember a post concerning the saving of sessions and things not being saved during the process. Mayby it will all be fixed when the next SP comes out.

Bill
Click to expand...


The boxes are not for each driver, they are at the end of the dialog.
 
It's easy to tell I create routes, not run them except to verify the trackage is linked and stuff like that. I've only created ONE session, and that was years ago.

I've now managed to save a session with drivers assigned to the right consist, so that's been fixed. When I drive the session (not in Quick Drive), the consists start off fine but when they reach the trackmark I've specified they REVERSE and go back to their starting point. I've tried "Drive VIA" and "Drive To" and both do the same thing. These consists are in a loop, totally isolated from any other trackwork on the route (and each other). There are two loops. I've tried Direction Markers, but they don't work. The consists reverse in the face of the Direction Markers and run against them. I thought that wasn't possible, but I gues I was wrong.

Now, I'm in the process of changing every one of the loops to an end-to-end configuration with a portal at each end--one emitting and one consuming. I hope this works because I'm out of ideas on how to make this whole mess work. For two cents I'd give up and forget creating incidental traffic altogether.

Bill
 
Bill,

It’s been years since I made a session, but seem to recall being told that in a closed loop without junctions and signals, a loco will “see itself” as another loco on the track ahead and refuse to go around the loop. I think the answer was to insert a junction or two to create some blocks that the loco can always see as empty. It could be complete BS, but would be easy to test if your current loops have no junctions.

~Deane
 
I thought of that, Deane. I added several junctions to short stubs and broke the loops into secveral blocks. Everything runs swimmingly until the consist hits the "Drive To" or "Drive VIA" marker, then they reverse and go back to the start point. Darndest thing I ever saw. It has to be a loop so I can use the "Repeat" command to keep them going.

Maybe the portals will work better.

Bill
 
There is an easier way to run closed loops. Find/use a driver command called "AutodriveViaTrackmark" <kuid2:131986:1055:1>. This little bugger will give you the results you need. AFAICT This one blocks some of the AI self decision codes and all the train does is move foward until you manually intervene. Don't play with JCNs, Dont reverse, dont change directions, dont "reroute" itself. Just movesfoward like it is in manual exept the AI controls/adjusts for speed zones and signal limitations.
 
maruffijd said:
There is an easier way to run closed loops. Find/use a driver command called "AutodriveViaTrackmark" <kuid2:131986:1055:1>. This little bugger will give you the results you need. AFAICT This one blocks some of the AI self decision codes and all the train does is move foward until you manually intervene. Don't play with JCNs, Dont reverse, dont change directions, dont "reroute" itself. Just movesfoward like it is in manual exept the AI controls/adjusts for speed zones and signal limitations.
Click to expand...

Great! I'll download and check it out today.

Thanks, Bill
 
Hmm. I gave it a try just now. Neither consist moved. I tried every trackmark along the loop, yet the consist never moved. The initial signal remained red--never went green-- for both consists. I wonder if it is the build I'm using (90948).

Bill
 
Ah. I found the reason. The description specifies a NON-AI consist. This means I have to set the switches by hand. But, since all of them are FOR the correct path, and the signal is green, why won't the consist move? Odd.

There was another autodrive rule called "Autodrive VIA Trackmark List" which I downloaded that should have given me a list of trackmarks to drive through, but there was no list given even though the other autodrive rules provided the relevant trackmarks. So I suspect this rule isn't for SP2.

I'm about to give up on trying to populate my route with traffic.

Bill
 
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