After discovering SpoorplanOnline which at the time had all the track plans in the Netherlands, (these days it also has Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria) I started to build my dream layout. Once I had placed my track and signals, just like the real thing, I found that I didn't have drivers, like the real thing. Now the AI drivers are pretty good as long as you don't overload them with too many choices. In the real world, there are central controls that help guide the drivers around obstacles and resolve access conflicts to keep things running smoothly. In Trainz, if I setup the instructions correctly, I could just sit back and enjoy the show. Until things go pear shaped and I have to untangle a host of conflicts.
One of the problems is that the real track plans have a lot of options, multiple cross overs in long stretches of double track, massive amounts of double slip switches at the entrances and exits of major stations which allows the real world to use just about any platform for any route but causes Trainz to just about freeze from overwhelming choice. So now I've decided to simplify the stations, keep all the platforms but reduce the amount of track to a bare minimum.
Instead of this (thanks to https://www.prorail.nl/projecten/utrecht/nieuws/wisseltruc-op-utrecht-centraal)
I only place the main lines and skip most of the interconnections. Perhaps not as realistic but this way the AI doesn't get too confused.
The great thing about the new combined Surveyor/Driver interface is that debugging can be done interactively while the consists are finding their way from A to B. Where they get stuck, I can apply corrections to the tracks and signals and see right away if the AI understands.
One of the problems is that the real track plans have a lot of options, multiple cross overs in long stretches of double track, massive amounts of double slip switches at the entrances and exits of major stations which allows the real world to use just about any platform for any route but causes Trainz to just about freeze from overwhelming choice. So now I've decided to simplify the stations, keep all the platforms but reduce the amount of track to a bare minimum.
Instead of this (thanks to https://www.prorail.nl/projecten/utrecht/nieuws/wisseltruc-op-utrecht-centraal)
I only place the main lines and skip most of the interconnections. Perhaps not as realistic but this way the AI doesn't get too confused.
The great thing about the new combined Surveyor/Driver interface is that debugging can be done interactively while the consists are finding their way from A to B. Where they get stuck, I can apply corrections to the tracks and signals and see right away if the AI understands.