So how about this Simulator Z.

[DreamSong 0]

With all this talk about Simulator ABZ, I was wondering which one to actually use.  And what ech one actually does, because when I installed the NAM I just pushed like this: NEXT NEXT NEXT.  Now I want to know how to win, with smarter sims/pathfinding, you know??

And I want my monorail to be just as good as the other transit options...I've heard that simulator Z breaks monorailz.  Or something like that...basically I want all my transport options to be valid.

[ArchangelMichael 51]

Clicking NEXT NEXT NEXT when isntalling NAM is a very bad idea.  Here's what you should do:

1) Uninstall your current NAM installation

2) Read the documentation, especially the one about the traffic simulators

3) Choose the simulator that is best for you

4) Re-install NAM, paying close attention to all available options

5) Post questions or problems regarding the NAM here for the fastest response.

Good luck!

BTW, simulator z does not break monorails, it actually increases their usage.

[tungston 19]

Moved to the Modding Transit Networks.

[z1 566]

1) It actually isn't necessary to uninstall the NAM if you're just changing traffic simulators.  But if you just went NEXT NEXT NEXT, you ended up with the default MAXIS simulator, which is definitely the worst available (that's why all the other ones were written).

2) Simulator Z, which is the newest, has been demonstrated in experiments which were published in its development thread at SC4 Devotion to have the best pathfinding of all the traffic simulators.  You can read a summary of Simulator Z's features in the first post of the NAM Traffic Simulator Z and Data View Support Thread, which is where any questions about the simulator should go.

3) As was mentioned by ArchangelMichael, Simulator Z does not break monorails, but actually makes them work better than in other traffic simulators.  Special tweaking was necessary to accomplish this.

[DreamSong 0]

Thanks dudes. And maybe dudettes. But what about those levels now. It effects every single city in the region, amIright? So what about if I want a giant metropolis over here, and a teeny farm town on this side of the map.

So, what, Low, Medium, Large or Ultra...?

[sim-Al2 4]

 Low is probably the best choice for most cities. The higher choices are for really big cities that don't have optimized traffic networks...

[longhorn 25]

Do you need to have multiple monorai/HSR stations per city in order for it to work? Nobody rides my HSR at all since installing simulator Z, but I only use it for intercity traffic. They were using it a lot before to commute between cities. Now those same commuters are taking much longer routes to get to the same location.

[z1 566]

Originally posted by: sim-Al2

 Low is probably the best choice for most cities. The higher choices are for really big cities that don't have optimized traffic networks...quote>

Not necessarily true.   The first post in the NAM Traffic Simulator Z and Data View Support Thread goes into some detail on how to choose the simulator level.  If you just want a single simulator that works comfortably for just about all cities, I would just recommend High.  The lower levels are for those people who want to closely tailor the traffic capacities to the city size, but it does no harm to use a high capacity simulator for a small city.  You can also change simulator capacities on the fly with no ill effects.

Do you need to have multiple monorai/HSR stations per city in order for it to work? Nobody rides my HSR at all since installing simulator Z, but I only use it for intercity traffic. They were using it a lot before to commute between cities. Now those same commuters are taking much longer routes to get to the same location.quote>

This is not unexpected, though it surprises many people.  What's happening is that the Sims are figuring out that it takes longer to get to the monorail/HSR stations and then commute to the border than just heading straight there over slower networks.  Increasing the number of monorail/HSR stations per city would definitely increase the usage of this network.

Further questions would best be asked in the support thread mentioned above.

[sim-Al2 4]

 I just said as other simulators use different levels and some people recommended lower capacities at first. It's all a matter of preference in the end.

[longhorn 25]

This is not unexpected, though it surprises many people. What's happening is that the Sims are figuring out that it takes longer to get to the monorail/HSR stations and then commute to the border than just heading straight there over slower networks. Increasing the number of monorail/HSR stations per city would definitely increase the usage of this network.quote>

I don't think that's what's happening in my case, at least not everywhere. In the city where I first noticed it, my HSR station is connected by Ped Mall to Subway and Standard rail. The quickest way off the map to the commercial center is HSR, and prior to using Z, there were ~8000 commuters using it. Most enter the station on standard rail lines, but the neighbor city where HSR goes doesn't have a standard rail connection. Only one ped mall tile separates the subway entrance from the HSR station. But they then take the subway across the river, then get out, walk or bus to another subway line, and take that subway line to the next city tile only ~10 tiles away from where the HSR connects to the neighbor city. Some nearby commuters actually walk through the HSR station to get to the subway station for their convoluted commute. The only thing I could think of was that perhaps commute time resets each time the form of transit changes, or that monorail is more expensive to ride. Other than killing my HSR, Z has been perfect though. Especially since commuters will now actually walk a couple of blocks to work or mass transit options. Before, many of them couldn't be bothered to walk more than 4 or 5 tiles. Also, eternal commuters have been reduced significantly.

I'll kill the subway line and see if they can be forced back onto HSR.

[z1 566]

Commute time definitely does not reset when the form of transit changes.

What you are describing sounds quite unusual; I haven't seen a case where Sims will take a route that's significantly longer than a shorter route with Simulator Z. Could you post a picture or two of your city with some route queries so we can see what's happening here?

[aaaling 83]

Originally posted by: DreamSong

Thanks dudes. And maybe dudettes. But what about those levels now. It effects every single city in the region, amIright? So what about if I want a giant metropolis over here, and a teeny farm town on this side of the map.

So, what, Low, Medium, High or Ultra...?quote>

I'd recommend Sim. Z Ultra.

[z1 566]

Originally posted by: z1

1) It actually isn't necessary to uninstall the NAM if you're just changing traffic simulators.  But if you just went NEXT NEXT NEXT, you ended up with the default MAXIS simulator, which is definitely the worst available (that's why all the other ones were written).quote>

I just read a post by Andreas stating that it is necessary to uninstall the the NAM if you want to change traffic simulators, at least if you want to run the installation automatically.  As Andreas is in charge of the NAM installation script, I stand corrected here.  However, if you know which files are involved with the simulators, you can simply remove the old ones and replace them with the new ones.  (Don't forget their associated Traffic Volume Views, though.)