Real Highway (RHW) - Development and Support

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Interesting idea.  What happened when you tried it out in your sandbox?

[CaptCity 4,752]

Originally posted by: A Nonny Moose

Aowgh!  You have two sets of mis ground to elevated ramps with guidelines on opposite sides.  All nicely color coded with neat checker boards, to, I am sure distinguish them.  I don't remember seeing how to interpret this in the documentation.quote>

When you say "checker boards." do you mean green, red, and black colored squares? If so, this was a "hiccup" in the files that was fixed and updated shortly after the new release. You might need to download again to get the newest one with the fixed files.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Originally posted by: CaptCity

Originally posted by: A Nonny Moose

Aowgh!  You have two sets of mis ground to elevated ramps with guidelines on opposite sides.  All nicely color coded with neat checker boards, to, I am sure distinguish them.  I don't remember seeing how to interpret this in the documentation.quote>

When you say "checker boards." do you mean green, red, and black colored squares? If so, this was a "hiccup" in the files that was fixed and updated shortly after the new release. You might need to download again to get the newest one with the fixed files.

quote>

OK.  I hope no one else got this one.  It is enough that you have to engage in civil engineering to level areas for interchanges and such, without secret textures.  Hope you do better next time.

{Post hoc:} Problem fixed, thank you.  I don't remember seeing textures like those colored squares in gmax, so I guess you are using some other package.  Which one?  I like your art work, and some of the things you do are beyond the pale of excellence.

BTW, on the EMIS elevated intersection to road, if you invert the piece for use on the other side ramp, the road lines don't quite match up.  It maybe needs a little tweaking in the next release.  Can you do anything about the minor levelling problems?  I leveled the area I was using with the god mode tool, and I still had to fix a few grid squares.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I hate to be a nuisance, but I have found something odd.

Here is a completed overpass with ramps.

And here is a closeup

The RHW-4 has been changed to RHW-2 at the ramp points.  I created this ramps by the dragging method to connect to the highway.  Did I so something I shouldn't have, and should one always use the appropriate ramp tool?

[MandelSoft 2,769]

"Draggable Ramp Interfaces: UR doin' it wrong."

Seriously, you have a improper setup for DRI's. In the ReadMe you can find the proper dragging method.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Originally posted by: mrtnrln

"Draggable Ramp Interfaces: UR doin' it wrong."

Seriously, you have a improper setup for DRI's. In the ReadMe you can find the proper dragging method.quote>

1. The jump in the read me is wrong.  It takes you to the Flyable stuff
2. The notes on dragable ramps were written by a programmer and are very weak
3. "UR doin' it wrong" is something I already know, and I have read the documentation.  Let me suggest you become a little more forthcoming when I go to the trouble of editing pictures.  I am not pleased by your off-hand remarks which did not solve my problem.
4. I think a better response and an explanation of the error is needed.  And try a little respect.  I am old enough to be your grandfather and I don't like this kind of thing thrown in my face.

[CaptCity 4,752]

Originally posted by: A Nonny Moose

The jump in the read me is wrong.  It takes you to the Flyable stuff quote>

You're right... The DRI section is actually above it. There is an image that shows the layout...

If you drag the curving section away from the straight section the indicated number of tiles, it should be created automatically. You can use the same method for the other types of RHW networks (RHW-4, etc,)

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I gave up and used the pieces in the ramps menu.  I completed the interchange, and it is working just fine.  My mouse is somewhat broken, but I'll try and place the picture here for you all.  I think the drag idea needs more work, or be made to go away.  The interesting thing is the rough terrain.  I had to smooth quite a lot of it to place the puzzle pieces and the ramps.  So RHW is a success for me.  RWH 4 is probably as far as I will go with my playing style.  I don't go in for populations like LA or Toronto.

UPDATE: August 22nd, 4 p.m. est.

I give up.  The RHW is too delicate for me.  All this business of not working on irregular surfaces is just too much work.  I just spent five hours trying to build an interchange on the surface, without an overpass.  I succeed in getting one MIS off-ramp to connect to one of my service roads.  The terrain is similar to that above, but in a neighbor city.  If you require all this civil engineering to be done before the package can be used, then God bless you, and goodbye.  I may look at this again in the next major release, but you know what they say about fool me once.

[sirdanilot 8]

I give up. The RHW is too delicate for me. All this business of not working on irregular surfaces is just too much work. I just spent five hours trying to build an interchange on the surface, without an overpass. I succeed in getting one MIS off-ramp to connect to one of my service roads. The terrain is similar to that above, but in a neighbor city. If you require all this civil engineering to be done before the package can be used, then God bless you, and goodbye. I may look at this again in the next major release, but you know what they say about fool me once.quote>

I can imagine it's extremely annoying in the beginning. In fact, I still find it annoying. But you can't say it's unrealistic; in real life road building, the terrain is flattened first, and that is exactly what you should do in sim city as well. First, flatten it a bit with the mayor level tool, then completely by placing single road pieces on your entire work surface (don't drag). If you want to make a heightened track, use the Ground Lifter tool and expand the heightened part with single road pieces.

[deanej 2]

But why can't SimCity intelligently flatten terrain itself? Personally, I use RHW so I can determine highway size and build custom interchanges, not to have an exercise in civil engineering.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Since I am not making a CJ, where all this work would be necessary, I don't need to spend hours and hours getting the appearance of highways just right.  No one else is likely to see what I do, and, frankly, I am not prepared to do all the fiddley fussing that this requires.  I have unloaded this package, and will probably not revisit it unless I have a compelling reason.

Overall, my test showed that you are doing excellent work, and I am sure there is some demand for it.  Looking through this thread, I find some of the requests rather unimaginative, as many of the questions are simply answered with a combination of the parts already there.  A great deal of thought has gone into the package.  The graphics are extremely good, and the art work that preceded the actualization must have been guided by someone who is actually an engineer building highways.

I use SimCity 4 as a time absorber, being alone and retired.  However, there is such a thing as tedious, and I find this to be in that class.  For what I get out of the game, I am not prepared to do all that work.  However, it is a job well done.

[Vahr 341]

But why can't SimCity intelligently flatten terrain itself?

quote>

SC4 has tile terrain rules that it follows (how certain tiles can be deformed, what kind of slope vectors are associated with certain tile edge flags (direction and magnitude), that are hardcoded into the exe. They're pretty basic and usually work well, but they can't possibly cover everything.

[chrism328 0]

hey! i need help pls, on realhighway mod, i stil can't make my sims to go to the neighbor city using the highway 8-s. pls help me get it to work properly please?

[Pabbicus 0]

I've been trying to build an overpass with MIS to fully connect my RHW to an avenue not too far behind this picture. I can't get anything to work, and I feel like I'm missing something very simple that I can't figure out. I'm just trying to make sure my RHW is properly connected by elevating one side to do a simple overpass/underpass for the inside exits. How should I be doing this differently?

---

Edited image size. Please use 800x600 max.

-CaptCity

[1stcontact2035 0]

I'd be curious to know, is there a how-to guide or manual for how to use this mod, other than the read me which basically glosses over any sort of useful info on how to use this, and where would this very critical how-to guide be. Because there's no possible way I'll ever be able to figure out how to use this mod without the thing ruining SimCity for me. Too complicated and too frustrating, very useful, but it needs a good how-to guide provided. I'd say the same is true of Network Addon Mod and anything that comes with it, but in this case this is so frustrating its useless without it.

Coming from someone who's working on their PhD in aerospace engineering, by the way.

[Tarkus 6,932]

Pabbicus, sorry for the slow reply.  The best way to go about that would be to build the ground level network first.  The EMIS-over-RHW-4 diagonal pieces rotate and flip to create all necessary combinations, including the ones you'd need there.  The trickiest part there is going from orth-to-diag on the EMIS . . . I'd try dragging the EMIS over, leaving a diagonal stub just before the EMIS-over-RHW-4 crossing, and using one of the EMIS Diagonal Filler Pieces (at the end of the TAB Loop on the Starter Pieces button) over top to finish the connection.  I notice you have the two "halves" of the RHW-4 going the opposite direction of the normal flow . . . that is probably the only way to accomplish a setup like that for the time being, as there are no "Inside" exits on the ERHW-4 as of the current version.

1stcontact2035, welcome to ST, from one Ph.D student to another!  (I'm getting mine in Music Composition.)  The sheer amount of content contained in the NAM and RHW can be a bit overwhelming at first, to say the least.  There actually have been a fair number of tutorials and guides written about the RHW--the largest depository of them can be found over at SimCity 4 Devotion.  There's an index [link] of them over at the RHW development thread there, including links to some rather nice YouTube RHW tutorials that some of our users have produced.

Here's a few "in a nutshell" main points to consider when using the RHW:

-The base network built with the RHW network tool is the RHW-2--a 2-lane, 2-way road.  The "starter pieces" allow conversion to the different widths and elevations.  Most networks are named based on the number of lanes required to build a full, symmetrical two-way setup.

-Unlike the default Maxis highways, interchanges are modular (rather than simply being "plopped") and largely involve the "Modular Interchange System" (MIS) ramps.  The "ramp interface" pieces connect the various RHW networks into the MIS ramps, which you can then intersect with your surface street system (i.e. Roads, One-Way Roads, Avenues).

-Use the transitions to get between different widths and to go from ground-to-elevated (currently, only the RHW-4 and MIS Ramps have elevated forms).

Hope that helps!

-Alex (Tarkus)

[DCMetro34 576]

Originally posted by: paulmc

In the region ( transport map) view RHW appear as park, not as transit system as maxis highway or avenues, for example. Is it right or there is something I am missing? Is RHW functional or purely eye-candy? I have the latest version, Real Highway , and the latest NAM as well.

quote>

I think it will show up as parks, unless you have this  mod installed. And yes, RHW is functional, the region transport map is the only exception...but this mod should fix it. 

DC

[paulmc 391]

In the region ( transport map) view RHW appear as park, not as transit system as maxis highway or avenues, for example. Is it right or there is something I am missing? Is RHW functional or purely eye-candy? I have the latest version, Real Highway , and the latest NAM as well.

[MandelSoft 2,769]

Jondor's mod is the first mod that shows the RHW in the transport map. If it appears as a park in region view, then I assume that the RHW is surrounded by park lots...

[x493x 446]

On the region view my RHW doesn't even show up at all.

[VicRusty 74]

Hello!

Just say congratulations to make this game beyond! You are awsome mates!

I have been looking in forums, youtube, etc... and I learned more about the RHW and NWM neighbour connectors.

Reggards from BCN

[Tarkus 6,932]

As part of the continual refinement of the RHW, the mod's default textures are once again getting a facelift.  The new set, nicknamed the "V5-Spec" set (as it's leading up to Version 5.0), features a less "squeaky-clean" look for the networks, in addition to further refinements to the scaling and smoother geometry, the latter made possible through some developments by bighead99999 (superhands over at SC4D) and toja, with additional help from SimFox.

A sampling of the new look for the mod and a few new features as well:

All the networks--including the wider ones--are getting fully-draggable diagonal/curving functionality:

Optional "neutral area chevrons" (as they are called in the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) are planned as well, something for which many of you have been clamoring:

The V5-Spec textures will, despite the name, actually be debut in Version 4.2, the next planned RHW release.  Euro/International versions of the V5-Spec set, along with some different road surface coloration options (Concrete and Dark Asphalt) are also in development.  Also in the mix for new Version 4.2 additions are several new ramp interfaces/splitters and transitions.

As with all NAM Team projects, there is no scheduled release date, nor is there a specific timeline for RHW Version 4.2 or any V5-Spec texture sets.

-Alex (Tarkus)

[Timmystwin 201]

wow, looks awesome.

[trixin 2]

I seem to have a problem with wider RHWs crossing under elevated networks. When I tried to drag an elevated highway across an 8S RHW, this is what happened...

I had the same problem with the HSRP.

Am I missing puzzle pieces or am I not dragging the networks correctly? I am running the latest version of RHW and HSRP. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

[Tarkus 6,932]

Originally posted by: trixin

I seem to have a problem with wider RHWs crossing under elevated networks. When I tried to drag an elevated highway across an 8S RHW, this is what happened...

I had the same problem with the HSRP.

Am I missing puzzle pieces or am I not dragging the networks correctly? I am running the latest version of RHW and HSRP. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!quote>

Currently, there isn't a way to drag an RHW-8S under a Maxis Elevated Highway or HSRP--the functionality doesn't exist yet.  In the current RHW release, only the MIS Ramps, RHW-2 and RHW-4 can pass under the Maxis Elevated Highway, and only in fully orthogonal (as opposed to diagonal) situations.  With the current HSRP and RHW releases, only the RHW-2 and RHW-4 can go under the Elevated HSR track, and only in fully orthogonal situations.

This functionality is planned to be eventually added, but it is uncertain as to when that will happen.  The Maxis thing is easier to take care of and will probably happen first.  As the HSRP-over-RHW stuff is contained in the HSRP and not the RHW, it would require the HSRP mod to be updated, and that may take a longer.

-Alex (Tarkus)

[trixin 2]

Thanks so much for your help! I await the next update of the RHW very eagerly

[Wiimeiser 444]

Problem with adding ramps, I get a lot of black boxes and I can't link elevated roads with non-elevated ones. I also can't build overpasses with anything except the small onramps, they revert to at-grade intersections. For the no-ramps issue the construction vechiles seem to use the road normally, which shows it's probably continuous, but ramps still won't appear.

Eh, I found the ramps, but I'm still having problems with bridges

[Madri 3]

Will there ever be a RHW-12 or RHW-14? Or maybe stack interchanges between wide RHW highways like RHW-10 to RHW-8? Please tell me if these are possible? And making wide-RHW elevated that would make it more realistic. Will anyone mod these ever?

[Tarkus 6,932]

Originally posted by: Wiimeiser

Problem with adding ramps, I get a lot of black boxes and I can't link elevated roads with non-elevated ones. I also can't build overpasses with anything except the small onramps, they revert to at-grade intersections. For the no-ramps issue the construction vechiles seem to use the road normally, which shows it's probably continuous, but ramps still won't appear.

Eh, I found the ramps, but I'm still having problems with bridgesquote>

The ability to cross over the RHW-6S, 6C, 8S and 10 with the ERHW-4 and EMIS (the ramps) was added in Version 4.1.  If you're unable to successfully build them, it is likely that you have an outdated NAM Controller file somewhere in your Plugins, which is interfering with the proper functionality. 

Originally posted by: Madri

Will there ever be a RHW-12 or RHW-14? Or maybe stack interchanges between wide RHW highways like RHW-10 to RHW-8? Please tell me if these are possible? And making wide-RHW elevated that would make it more realistic. Will anyone mod these ever?

quote>

"Ultra-Wide RHWs" beyond the RHW-10 have been discussed as potential additions down the road (no pun intended).  However, there's no official plan yet, and we're still working out the "pre-modding" logistical details, however.

With regards to stack interchanges, those will become possible once we add in the Multi-Height (MH) Elevated RHW system.  The current plans are to implement that functionality by Version 5.0.  (The current release is 4.1, the next will be 4.2.)  The implementation will be modular, like the existing RHW interchange components, and we will not be making pre-fab Maxis Highway-style stacks for the RHW.

Elevated Wider RHWs have been planned for years and will definitely make it into a future release.  However, they have to be model-based rather than texture-based.  Because of that, elevated networks require quite a bit more work and time to put together than their ground-level counterparts, and that's the main reason you haven't seen them yet.

-Alex (Tarkus)

[Madri 3]

Thank you for the information. is there any teaser to when the next release could be?