A question about a session.

The AI driver will choose the shortest route between points. On a loop like yours and like my test routes, that means they will run backward if it's quicker.

You have to place trackmarks at intervals on the loop to overcome that. The AI driver commands would have to include a series Drive/Navigate via trackmark. I haven't yet tried Call At, but that might be a quicker way to program the AI.

If there's more than one train on the loop, you need to place signals to separate the trains. Signals must be more than one train length apart and you need a number of signals equal to N(trains) + 1.

:B~)

Oh, I know about the shortest route. I've added direcitonal markers everywhere I can and there are signals along the route. I suspect that since it IS a loop, things are getting complicated for the AI. I pay have to go the portal route to keep from going nutz figuring out how to make a loop work. Every consist leaving a portal will have the consuming portal as a TO target (with maybe a VIA trackmark in the middle). That should work (I hope). I need to find places I can hide the portal. It's invisible in Driver, but just the same...

Bill

HiBaller said:

Oh, I know about the shortest route. I've added direcitonal markers everywhere I can and there are signals along the route. I suspect that since it IS a loop, things are getting complicated for the AI. I pay have to go the portal route to keep from going nutz figuring out how to make a loop work. Every consist leaving a portal will have the consuming portal as a TO target (with maybe a VIA trackmark in the middle). That should work (I hope). I need to find places I can hide the portal. It's invisible in Driver, but just the same...

Bill

Click to expand...

Set track marks and direction markers to guide the AI around the loop.

Use Navigate to instead of Drive to commands and see if that works, or if you are using Navigate to use the Drive to instead.

I have loops working quite successfully on a couple of routes with one being a trolley route which requires AI drivers to continuously run a circuit between stops so it does work. These loops are quite small too being balloon loops to turn the trolleys around to run in the opposite direction.

I'll keep at it, John. It is probably a matter of hitting the right combination of commands, switches, and markers. Once I get it, I'll write it in my extensive "what I learned the hard way" manual.

Bill

HiBaller said:

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.

Click to expand...

Put a couple of Trackmarks on your loop(s) and issue Driver Commands to Drive Via TMA, Drive Via TMB, Drive TO TMC

HiBaller said:

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.

Click to expand...

Do you want to keep multiple Sessions for the Route or just one?

If just one:

1. Select Route MyTown
2. Select Session MyTownSess
3. Edit Session
4. SELECT ROUTE LAYER in the Layers Tab. This will put everything* into the Route LAYER. If you forget to do this as soon as you go into Surveyor, merge the Session Layer into the Route Layer as soon as you remember. *Driver Commands will go into the Session Layer regardless of the active Layer
5. Make changes to layout - put in your loop trains, scenery, whatever.
6. Edit Driver Commands - Issue DriveVia/DriveToTm as above
7. QuickDrive - this will bring up the Save Option. The defaults should be Save Route and Session with the names shown above.
8. Drive around
9. Exit QuickDrive - Do not save (unless you want to continue the Session later).

Repeat steps 5-9

Exit Surveyor
Next time in, do steps 1 to 4 to start.

One more thing on loops. If you've set up the trackmarks and issued the Driver Commands and your trains are going backward, put an industry somewhere in the loop. It can be either something like Forestry or a Multiple Industry New. You don't have to actually reference it it Driver. Just the fact that it's there makes trains move in the correct direction. Yeah, nuts.

I have a small one baseboard test of this which I've submitted with a bug report.




ETA TANE 90945

Thanks for the info, Ecco. I think I may have it nearly licked. I've got trackmarks all over the place, but that might be part of the problem. if I get just ONE of them out of order in the command dialogue, the train will go nutz.

Bill

I've got everything working nicely now. I had to add a spur off each of the "do nothing" loops and put a portal on it. When consists were generated, they travel around the entire loop, then exited at another spur and got consumed. I just couldn't get a completely closed loop, with no turnouts, to work. I think the AI was chasing it's tail regardless of the amount of signals and directional markers I'd placed.

It took eight portals (4 emitting and 4 receiving), but I have a great deal of activity running through the main station yard. Trains swishing through from either direciton. it's great to watch. I even threw in some "crossovers" for asthetics. They appear to lead from one track to another, but they aren't connected and thus don't interfere with the AI.

Now I have to incorporate what I've learned into my 'real" route instead of the test.

My thanks to all.

Bill