My Experiment in tunneling

[psteverific 8]

This sounds neat... I'm guessing I should take the old one out if I was to download this? ( y'know, when it comes along ... no hurry)

[pekeboo01 3]

Am looking forward to this Modd very much. Good work! I don't take my tunnel mod out either. No problems so far.

[SantoS 0]

[bEGINQUOTE]

3/21/2004 8:02:06 PM[/quoteDATE]

[/quoteAUTHOR]

::snip::

Try it for yourself, and tweak to suit your eye. It's pretty cool for realism freaks. If it's OK, I'll post my modded tunnel mod for those who want to do it the easy way. If not, it's easy enough to change with iLive's Reader, only takes a few minutes, and then you can mod it YOUR way.

[/quoteMESSAGE][/bEGINQUOTE]

Yes, please post or PM me!https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/1.gif>

[BigRedFish 24]

OK, I just PM'ed the author of the original tunnel mod as a courtesy.  As soon as my other half is done playing Frozen Bubble on my machine,  I'll give my slope mod a final test and then turn it loose.  Look for it in about two or three hours from the time of this post.

 

To answer the question that was asked, yes, you will have to remove the TunnelMod.dat file and replace it with mine.  I didn't change anything from the original, only added the slope tweaks, so all the easy-tunneling you know and love will still be there, I promise. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/1.gif>

 

And congratulations again to CSQ for the awesome tunneling discovery!https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/9.gif>

 

[BigRedFish 24]

Here, as promised, is my Realistic Slope Mod to csq246's Tunnel Mod.  CSQ hasn't posted since 7 Feb., so I don't see a reason to wait.

 

** I would like to credit csq246 for the research and TunnelMod.dat file that made this mod possible! **

 

To install, just place the BRF_TunnelAndSlopeMod.dat file into your MyDoc Plugins folder.  ** If you are using TunnelMod.dat, remove it! ** 

 

This does everything TunnelMod.dat does, plus adds more realistic network slope limits as I described a few posts ago.  Like the TunnelMod, this can be removed or installed at any time, without messing up existing cities.  It only affects how the road and rail laying tools work, and does not save any data into your saved game files.

 

Here are a couple of pictures to show what it does with rail, when used in conjunction with the Bridge Height Mod from the Mods section.  ** No hand-terraforming was performed to make these! **

 

 

Let me know how it goes, either here or in PM.  I am also now very familiar with the original TunnelMod, so I can help with that one too.

 

I better hit submit before my browser crashes again.

 

[psteverific 8]

Well, that was quick
Thanks altot, BRF, and thanks again to CSQ 246 for getting things rolling!
I can't wait to see how it works
\

-Later that week-

Ok... so I've been playing with this in all week, and if there is one thing I can say, this does not make your game any easier. For that use the tunnel mod on its own. But for added realism, this is real nice.
And as BigRedFish and others have noted, you can always take it out!

Thanks again to the above, this has enriched my game, and I hope others give it a try.

[xiziz 11]

Nice, both of you to (csq246 & Bigredfish) am gonna try it out tomorrow if i can stay awake long enoygh after school, gonna hit my bed soon since its aproacing 0300 hours over here, and im supposed to be on a bus at 0720

 

Thanks and Cheers

[BigRedFish 24]

[bEGINQUOTE]

3/22/2004 1:23:48 AM[/quoteDATE]

psteverific[/quoteAUTHOR]

one thing I can say, this does not make your game any easier<:shake:>. For that use the tunnel mod on its own. But for added realism<:nod:>, this is real nice.

[/quoteMESSAGE][/bEGINQUOTE]


True words - it's an ease-of-play vs. realism issue; as I messed with it I discovered why Maxis lets networks climb at such angles.

Some pointers: If you need to cross a network that doesn't slope much (like crossing railroad tracks, in particular), if it won't let you build, it's probably because it's trying to adjust the tracks to match the road, but it can't because that would exceed maximum slope.  In such instances, demolish the more picky network (the rails in this example) for a few tiles each way from the crossing, draw the more tolerant network in (the road), then re-lay the rails.  The rails can move the road a whole lot more easily than the road can the rails. 

Highway crossings can sometimes do this too, but only if the highway is on a pretty steep grade.   And if you have a *very* steep road section and want to convert it to an avenue, you'll sometimes have to demolish the road first.

Lastly, it's really nice for laying down that first rail and road system, then you may well want to take it out for general play, and only put it in for when you're going to lay a major highway through the hills or something.  Then take it out again. 

 

 

[+Guest]

This is really necessary???? I made without any mood
>

[BigRedFish 24]

[bEGINQUOTE]

3/30/2004 10:27:07 AM[/quoteDATE]

etsab[/quoteAUTHOR]

This is really necessary???? I made without any mood > [/quoteMESSAGE][/bEGINQUOTE]

The purpose of the original Tunnel Mod was to reduce the height difference required to make a tunnel, so that people didn't have to spend as much time and money terraforming.

To this, I added another mod that made highways and networks only able to climb realistic grades (have you ever seen real railroads climb hills as steep as the one in the photo?  They can't.), and made it so the game would auto-terraform the slopes for you for free.  Otherwise you'd spend an hour clicking with that silly circle-tool to make a nice gradual slope for your trains.  And it would cost a small fortune.

No, you don't NEED either of these mods to make tunnels, but the Tunnel Mod helps, and my Slope-mod add-on to it saves time and money if you want to make realistic gradual slopes.  That's all.

 

[csq246 20]

I see Big Red fish did some digging through old posts, and found my tunnel mod! I am off to try utilising your additions to it, and see how well you did.

Sorry for the long absence, but real life, and my sister giving birth a little over a month early has really cut my net time back.

[cerulean 15]

this looks awesome!!!

[xiziz 11]

im using the mod 24/7 the realistic one, and i find the new towns too look a lot better, thanks for making/posting  it and the discovery is great,

 

the only prob i have is since im building a very onteneus region, the new and old rails dont want to connect, so ive had to fix that with taking the mod out just to de the connections...

 

All hail

 

Cheers

[+Guest]

That looks cool.

[jcabassa 20]

I have no idea how you create such perfect tunnels. Wow!

 

-jcab

[Yugioh 3]

this is better than have to drive your cars over the train tracks

[+Guest]

Ok I download the tunnel Mod but I have no idea where to find it.So how do use it?.Thanx

[BigRedFish 24]

Blackbeard:  CSQ's Tunnel Mod is not a plop, there's nothing in the menus to find.  You make the tunnels by terraforming, the same way you would without a mod.  What CSQ did is make it so you don't have to dig as deep as you used to have to, so it's easier and cheaper to make tunnels - the tunnels will appear on more gentle slopes than they used to.

 

The exact depth to use is at the beginning of this thread, in CSQ's description of his original mod.

 

Edit: No, it isn't.  Darn.  So, where's my cheat-sheet... here it is:

Rail tunnels: 7 clicks deep

Ground hwy: 9 clicks deep

Road/1-way/Ave: 11 clicks deep

monorail: 17 clicks deep

 

[+Guest]

Thanx so much that will help alot.

[Yugioh 3]

i still like this idea

[Norwegian Neko 12]

[bEGINQUOTE]

1/15/2004 2:12:23 PM[/quoteDATE]

Trolca[/quoteAUTHOR]

I merely changed the minimum slope to start figure from 40 to 5. I searched for the ones for road and rail tunnels too, but either I missed them or they aren't in the Dat files, but hard coded to the execute.

Hopefully the same can be found for roads and rail tunnels.

One thing about this mod is it wouldn't have to be left in the plugin folder all the time. Place it when you want to tunnel on a shallow slope then remove it when you're done. At least it seems like it'd work.

[/quoteMESSAGE][/bEGINQUOTE]

You could always build a road DOWN the hill, which wouldn't trigger tunneling.  Then when you build UP the hill, it would.

Easy solution!

[Yugioh 3]

this just get's better and better

[r3b00t 42]

I hope to see a system like in roller coaster tycoon, might be a mod, might be in simcity 5, ... But that system was so great to create bridges and tunnels. You just choose if you want to go up or down and click to add a part of the road. With that system it would be very easy to create bridges over roads, you could even select a different style for your bridges etc. For tunnels RCT could be great too, a tool to transform the ground in a simple way that you can create a tunnel for a road in only 1 tile while everything else remains the normal ground level.

[Tunafish 48]

You should put this on the mod exchange

[ed_diaz 10]

yea this should have been posted in the mods section long ago!.this is one thing i dont like about this..there are lots of people that end up making awesome mods YET you will never see there mod in the Mods Section you'll only see fimiliar names in the mods section..like Darkmatter, Tropod and Ralphealninja..if it wasnt for the Advance Usage/highway & tunnel tutorial thread i would have never found this and missed out on it!..this is a essential mod! i believe

[Tropod 144]

Just thought I'd tune in, and have a look.................

 

I don't know why you'd include Elevated Rail, but it should not be in there.

 

I've actually looked into getting proper functional Tunnels for Elevated Rail, but for some reason the game just fails on it for the Pathing. It's something a few of us have looked at, but have come up short on [for the Pathing aspect that is].

 

As for the Tunnelling in general; a few of the items could probably do with some more finer tuning. Personally though, there are some of those properties I wouldn't be touching, for the simple fact that it does require some really precise tuning. This is one of the reasons (the precision aspect) why I had decided not to do up a mod like this ages ago [i had done, and did look into doing, one, but saw that it might cause more problems than it's worth].

[caghaasnoot 11]

Date:4/9/2004 11:59:50 AM
Author:BigRedFish

 

The exact depth to use is at the beginning of this thread, in CSQ's description of his original mod.

 

Edit: No, it isn't.  Darn.  So, where's my cheat-sheet... here it is:

Rail tunnels: 7 clicks deep

Ground hwy: 9 clicks deep

Road/1-way/Ave: 11 clicks deep

monorail: 17 clicks deep

 

quote>

Fantastic thread - CSQ, BRF and all the others that contributed: two thumbs up!

Just a question to BRF: you mention the number of clicks deep for the different networks - could you please explain what exactly you mean by that? What is to be clicked?

cag

[BigRedFish 24]

Date:6/13/2004 6:07:23 AM
Author:caghaasnoot

Just a question to BRF: you mention the number of clicks deep for the different networks - could you please explain what exactly you mean by that? What is to be clicked?

quote>

Yeah, I suppose that would be helpful.

What I man by a click is one click of the mouse, using the mayor-mode raise or lower terrain tools at their default strength.  If the table says 7 clicks, that means that you'd have to click the raise/lower terrain tool 7 times on the same tile to make the necessary slope.

Does that make sense?

 

[caghaasnoot 11]

Date:6/13/2004 7:33:42 AM
Author:BigRedFish

What I man by a 'click' is one click of the mouse, using the mayor-mode raise or lower terrain tools at their default strength.  If the table says '7 clicks,' that means that you'd have to click the raise/lower terrain tool 7 times on the same tile to make the necessary slope.

Does that make sense?

 

quote>

It does make sense - now just get the knack of it!

Thanks!

cag

 

[smoncrie 44]

Hi,

 

I have created a lot that can be used to dig tunnel entrance ramps.

 

I would like to know if people are interested, and would like me to clean it up and post it.

 

Here is an example of it's use:

 

First plop the lot...

 

 

Then drag a road from the lot to one side.  This diggs the hole.  If you use

BRF's TunnelAndSlopeMod1,  you get a better slope.

 

With BRF_TunnelAndSlopeMod1

                                                                                             

    

 

Without BRF_TunnelAndSlopeMod1

 

    

 

Then bulldoze the lot...

 

 

And create the tunnel...

 

 

 

For two tile wide tunnels (e.g. Avenue), drag a second road next to and parallel to the first.  This digs the extra width. Then bulldoze both roads.

 

The digging depth can be set by modding the lot.  In the examples above,

the lot digs 14m.  It is also possible to work in reverse so that it raises up ramps above the ground.

 

So, are people interested?  If so I like like some input as to what the plop cost should be.

 

smoncrie