Question on Dave Snow's Alma Valley

Forester1

Well-known member
Hi! Dave Snow used one of McGuirel's payware trees in his Alma Valley Route. I have tried cloning substitutes, but even if I try smaller substitutes (kb instead of mb), it tends to CTD whenever I try to run my own session, or if I try to take a screenshot in the default session.

SO, tonight I decided just to remove that tree altogether. Now it still looks great and it works great! I only have one issue. Dave's default session was a ridealong on an Amtrak train running AI, with a lot of other consists running AI as well. When I had to save it as my own KUID, I get the default session, but I have lost all of the AI. I can drive the Amtrak train myself, but there is no traffic whatsoever, so it kind of deflates the whole busy session.

Is there some way to get the default session in my version to run the same AI as Dave's default session? I am not familiar with programming AI, so it would have to be something fairly simple like putting a script reference in the config.txt or something.....? Thanks for any help!
 
If you clone Dave's original session then edit the config.text of the clone, replacing the "Map-kuid" with the one of your new route, that will associate the cloned session with your version of the route, which should give you what you're after.

Remember also to change the original map kuid in the kuid list at the bottom with your new one as well. It might also help you modify the "username" to make it easily identifiable from the usual default session.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,
Piere.
 
Back again. The ride-along AI default session is working well, up to a point. The passenger train goes down to a stock yard, where it turns around. On the way back, it takes another branch of track. There are two stops very close together. It stops at the first stop OK, but then when it gets to the next stop (Stag Lake Platform 2), it slows to 10mph as it comes up to the platform, but as it passes it starts to speed up again. At that point it is no longer on the schedule, as it has missed the stop. First I tried doing a stop, unload, load, but that just creates extra icons on the schedule. So I tried deleting those, but at that point, the driver would no longer respond, and the train would not move. So I replayed, and this time as it passed the platform, I just deleted the unload, load and Rand Wait icons, hoping it would go ahead and move on to the next station. It did proceed on, but at that point, it was brain dead. It went past a red light, it did not stop at the next station, and it pretty much ignored the speed limits, going at 30mh no matter what.

Once a train gets off schedule is there any way to get it back on the schedule? I was hoping to finish the session but it looks like that is not going to be possible.

Here it is pulling into the platform. It has dropped from 25 to 11 mph. As it passes the platform it slows to about 10mph, but then begins to speed up without ever stopping:
Staglake2.jpg
 
Back again. The ride-along AI default session is working well, up to a point. The passenger train goes down to a stock yard, where it turns around. On the way back, it takes another branch of track. There are two stops very close together. It stops at the first stop OK, but then when it gets to the next stop (Stag Lake Platform 2), it slows to 10mph as it comes up to the platform, but as it passes it starts to speed up again. At that point it is no longer on the schedule, as it has missed the stop. First I tried doing a stop, unload, load, but that just creates extra icons on the schedule. So I tried deleting those, but at that point, the driver would no longer respond, and the train would not move. So I replayed, and this time as it passed the platform, I just deleted the unload, load and Rand Wait icons, hoping it would go ahead and move on to the next station. It did proceed on, but at that point, it was brain dead. It went past a red light, it did not stop at the next station, and it pretty much ignored the speed limits, going at 30mh no matter what.

Once a train gets off schedule is there any way to get it back on the schedule? I was hoping to finish the session but it looks like that is not going to be possible.

Here it is pulling into the platform. It has dropped from 25 to 11 mph. As it passes the platform it slows to about 10mph, but then begins to speed up without ever stopping:

This idiotic problem was one of the reasons I gave up on Trainz. I really got pissed because of this.
 
Back again. The ride-along AI default session is working well, up to a point. The passenger train goes down to a stock yard, where it turns around. On the way back, it takes another branch of track. There are two stops very close together. It stops at the first stop OK, but then when it gets to the next stop (Stag Lake Platform 2), it slows to 10mph as it comes up to the platform, but as it passes it starts to speed up again. At that point it is no longer on the schedule, as it has missed the stop. First I tried doing a stop, unload, load, but that just creates extra icons on the schedule. So I tried deleting those, but at that point, the driver would no longer respond, and the train would not move. So I replayed, and this time as it passed the platform, I just deleted the unload, load and Rand Wait icons, hoping it would go ahead and move on to the next station. It did proceed on, but at that point, it was brain dead. It went past a red light, it did not stop at the next station, and it pretty much ignored the speed limits, going at 30mh no matter what.

Once a train gets off schedule is there any way to get it back on the schedule? I was hoping to finish the session but it looks like that is not going to be possible.

{pic removed from quote}

I've had this issue myself on my own routes, and it sounds like there's something that's interrupting the station script which was the same problem I had. In my case I had signals in some places too close the platforms. This caused the AI to speed up and whiz through the station at track speed instead of slowing down for the platforms. In other places, I had a road crossing too close causing that script to get in the way of the stations.

The station works by grabbing the AI-controlled driver and slowing it down to about 10 mph. If the consist is already going 10 mph, or something gets in the way, then the script doesn't work, or in some cases is inconsistent.
 
This idiotic problem was one of the reasons I gave up on Trainz. I really got pissed because of this.

Dave,

I understand your frustration! I too take breaks, sometimes long ones too, from the hobby because it bothers me way to much to make it fun any more. When I do trundle back in, I find I'm refreshed and ready to build and do stuff again. In honesty I do this with a lot of things including the music projects I'm working on. I'll work on something until I don't hear the music any more and only the notes making noise. At that point I put the music away and work on something else. This helps clear the mind and bring down that tendency of doing something drastic like throwing stuff out.
 
Hi Dave! I am running your session and taking screenshots in hopes of highlighting your route. And if I get a really good one I will enter it in the next competition! Glad to see you still dropping by now and again!
 
I was halfway wondering if it was getting signals crossed with the Amtrak that is already at the station, because it is probably about ready to pull away, and maybe the one I am in reads that somehow and pulls away... It would be nice to have some sort of "get back on schedule" button though... Once it loses focus it never seems to recover...
 
I was halfway wondering if it was getting signals crossed with the Amtrak that is already at the station, because it is probably about ready to pull away, and maybe the one I am in reads that somehow and pulls away... It would be nice to have some sort of "get back on schedule" button though... Once it loses focus it never seems to recover...

You hit on something. If there's already a train in the station, your train can get caught out due to the station script not recovering fast enough. This is one of things that nabbed me on my very busy Gloucester trolley route. I ended up putting some absolute signals just before and after the stations, but not too close to the platforms to ensure that any train that's in the station doesn't affect any that are coming in behind. This took some figuring out and observing. I had AI drivers that would skip stations and take the wrong branches because of this.
 
Interesting! I wondered if I started the session over multiple times if eventually I would hit enough random waits at other stations that the two would not coincide there at the same time. But being on the back half of the session that is a LOT of driving per attempt!
 
Interesting! I wondered if I started the session over multiple times if eventually I would hit enough random waits at other stations that the two would not coincide there at the same time. But being on the back half of the session that is a LOT of driving per attempt!

That's a very good point, or just become a regular Amtrak driver and leave late and not worry about the schedule. This might put some enough randomness into the schedule to spread things out a tiny bit.
 
Great idea! Unfortunately if I try to do anything manually, it seems to bump it out of the AI session. It is interesting to note though, that at a lot of the platforms there is a signal light that holds the train, but at that small station there is no light.
 
Amtrak and late go hand in hand. Usually on the non electrified freight railroads where diesel locomotives are used and speeds are about 80-90 mph max for Amtrak. It's the freight railroads that make Amtrak late by making Amtrak trains wait for freight trains.
 
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