SurvivorSean

Yep they call everyone here fanboys too. Apparently one blocked me because I disagreed with him or something (honestly I have no idea). But eventually we all blocked each other. Thanks Sean

If I understand correctly what you are saying is you want to be able to use your main monitor to explore the 3D station, and have a tablet showing the dispatch display and being able to operate it? Might be toughter on the bigger boards. Thanks Sean

Yeah I'm used to it.

If you have the mouse over the lever you'll see where it is. Thanks Sean

So in other words the system rule needs to be enforced by the software which I agree with. Thanks Sean

You could also have a message show up when playing another desk when other desks become available and/or taken. Thanks Sean

So once you calibrate it in Run8 that is good? I just can't find the calibration application for the folder mentioned in the docs. Thanks Sean

There was something in before but it was very annoying becasue it would activate durring lull times. I believe they made it smarter for trains, but the DS portion was just discontinued as far as I know. I think one way to solve this is that AI trains or even player trains contact the tower for a signal. If the tower doesn't respond in 60 seconds boot them. Even the busiest desks have lull times that can be used to be AFK for a few minutes. For players perhaps similar to dispatch you have the option of chat vs command so that when you are in a train you can try a command and it would provide commands for the next signal box you are approaching. I'm not sure how the 1 and 3 radio keys work in regards to contacting a player in a box. I guess it just makes that radio noise but I never know if it's for me or somoene nearby. Thanks Sean

I can't stand Facebook 🙂

I'm wondering if and when these become available for spotting cars. I've seen some areas with more grass and others clean like this. I'm not familiar with Europe but my understanding is that most of the cargo in Poland if pretty much unit trains now. Though I have seen places by SP where there are container IM cranes. You would think those would be active. Thanks Sean

Just to add on to this it would also be good to have a mini map for current locations of equipment when you select them to consider running. Right now the only way is to do it externally with the varous server maps (which are better than nothing). But something integrated in the future would be very cool. Thanks Sean

First thanks for your work on this. I'm trying to set it up now. I had RD support that was native for Run8 that does have a calibrator. However I can't find the calibrate option in the PI Engineering folder mentioned in the ReadMe. I just installed Marcroworks at that link provided in doc and that is the only application showing in that folder. I'm going to continue to try it out anyways and perhaps even try out some of my own macroworks commands. I'm just not sure how to calibrate other than using Run8 calibration. Thanks Sean

Yeah I was noticing while running SG tonight the cornfield meet as I brought a train around the bend. So I'm trying to understand something because I have been on the beiner server and it seems to be running fine and has plenty of players. What I do like in one of the previous updates was the AI asking what train just left. So it enforces the procedure of verbally advising of the train. What needs to happen is a logic issue. If SG is electronically letting me send a train around the bend (I think it screwed things up as well on that server) then it should put a similar restriction where it DOESN'T accept a train that has no track available. It also has to apply that same logic to the AI handshaking if SG is under AI control. The rule of thumb for dispatching an entire mainline is clearing a train every 15 minutes for 30 minutes of track to a point where the direction of the opposite track is capable of receiving a train in the opposite direction. The overlap is a check sum method that I use in order to create redundancy in dispatching and avoid cornfield meets. Of course my example here is for North America dispatching (so while some things apply as far as track open and opposing movements) obviously you can only control one tower and set it up accordingly. The AI from what I've witnessed will refuse a request for single track verbally (I guess I should be doing this moving forward). It should also NOT blindly accept anything without this verbal request. In other words that is what the procedure says, so the AI needs to go by it and have a command line option "what train are you looking to send?". This also has to be checked by AI to AI signal boxes regardless of the schedule. Schedule should only be used for priority purposes in dispatching not preventing cornfield meets. For those that do not know a cornfield meet is when a train faces one another at a red signal on single track. It can also be used when more than 1 track is blocked and there is no exit available because both tracks have opposing trains (or 1 train needs a particular track that is occupied in the opposite direction). Thanks Sean

Tell me what you really want 🙂

OK lets be clear on someting. The AI has an advantage in that it actually knows what train is heading their direction. If you look carefully at the trains in an area you will see the semaphore and the signal indication. That being said despite being protocol for a reason, the AI system WILL accept a block and WILL NOT take it away from you because they have to request it electronically through the interlocking first. As far as a player to player signal box if not a protocol a verbal understanding is required and can help. Thanks Sean

We've had this discussion before in another thread, and I'll repeat it here. This kind of thing shoud be left to the actual simulation implementing it (which it currently does not do). Judging by the state of the sim right now they have enough issues they are trying to deal with in AI without creating more issues for them. As for playability I won't participate in player driven events period, and I dispatch quite a bit. I don't mind using the other track for operations reason such as using a 2nd track to overtake while there is a hole in opposite traffic. But making up things that happen in the real world is not simulations, it's role playing. I would be happy to see this become part of the simulation at some point. The problem is with the role playing is people get over dramatic and it get carried away. Remember this is a high speed passenger line. Maintenance is often scheduled around the passenger schedules not impacting them. As for failures they do happen but they are few and far in between. Just because we have the feature doesn't mean it has to be used or simulated. Too much drama in my opinion. There is enough delays that take place due to the human factor of getting used to dispatching and driving for many. As for my decision (option 3) it currently holds a slight majority between Yes and No combined. Thanks Sean

I've downloaded. Next time I'm running a train I'l let you know how it turns out. Thanks Sean

I almost forgot about this 🙂 I still have to find some time and read this!

I'm not going to read the link. I'm just curious if it's electronically interlocked or not. Most single track signal systems with dispatching at either end would be interlocked. I remember seeing the term relay in another post here recently describing the difference interlockings. If there is a relay, they are in place to protect any routing against the flow of traffic that as is set without acceptance. Like I said I haven't read it but I believe the telephone procedure is a formality to give a dispatcher a heads up that they can request this and be prepared to accept it or advise them it's not possible for whatever reason. Thanks Sean

As far as I know once you electronically request a signal and the AI accepts it becomes binding. In other words if you accepted a train you have to wait for that train to arrive and indicate that it has arrived for the blocking to become available. I know there are overrides for this but I find a verbal request is actually not necessary in chat to an AI dispatcher. Thanks Sean

One other thing I would add is the actual communication boxes to each signal box. I'm finding in busy places not only do they fill up fast but you wind up having too much information. I think having the info in the history is a good thing to look back on, but perhaps over time the older messages become more grey and the newest messages highlight brighter. Thanks Sean

From what I understand the dispatch system "runs time" when you drop a signal. In North America you have to contact a driver and get permission to do this. Now I know in Poland based on my observations when I change my mind the system will "run time" before allowing the route to be available. The signal in NA would drop to red but the route would not be able to be used for a period of time "NA is 5 minutes". In Poland I know you can also force this to bypass the timer. The only thing I can think of would be the AI to change their mind (but they usually don't make mistakes). I don't mean that as a joke yes the AI has issues but once those issues are resolved the AI can handle things much more efficiently than humans. For example when you request direction change the AI almost immediately will allow it. They are also quick to tell you no they can't when a train is set to run it. Thanks Sean

Fun board! Takes some getting used to. Actually find the big board a bit easier despite being much busier in traffic. Thanks Sean

So it's no longer resetting every 3 hours?

Run8 is really good at that and so will Railroader when it released soon. I don't necessarily think MP is ust for friends to play together but to have bodies that manage various aspects of an experience. The big strength for Europe vs North America is signal boxes are still very commong where as North America everything is done by central dispatchers now. Having a network of signal boxes to me is the strength of SimRail and you can be friendly with strangers and people you see online from time to time. I don't think this is going to be much of a co-op type environment. Besides there is not much else the 2nd player can do on a train as they are there for mainly safety and to assist in communications and paperwork. Thanks Sean