Real Highway (RHW) - Development and Support

[Alfred.Jones 2]

Great work everyone!!

@Mjig_dudy, Those 2way rhw pieces look awesome!! Keep it up

@Tarkus, good luck with those pieces

[Swamper77 90]

Originally posted by: Tarkus

The paths still don't show up under "DrawPaths" and it doesn't show up on the transit map, but obviously I got something working right, as the route query registers it as "Rural Highway" . . . getting closer still . . .quote>

Tarkus, there are two Group IDs for pathfiles. 0x69668828 is for texture-based networks and 0xA966883F is for model-based networks and transit-enabled tiles on lots. Try changing the Group ID of the pathfiles and see if this helps.

-Swamper77

[Tarkus 6,932]

@Swamper77:  Thank you so much!  It completely solved the problem for me.  I cannot thank you enough!

Here it is in the Traffic data view with the DrawPaths cheat turned on:

It looks like I may get this done after all.

-Tarkus

[Swamper77 90]

Tarkus,

I'm on ST at least once a day, so if you need technical assistance, just ask. I will get the message eventually.

-Swamper77

[bwatterud 7]

One way around the RHW-FHW transition is to lay one tile of avenue or one way roads leading up to the transition. It may mess up the speeds, but it looks a little better.

[Pixelrage 34]

Originally posted by: IdeaWorld Umm, how can I say this? When I use the RHW, the sims don't use them. So I fuigred maybe because They allready have jobs near by. But, when I was in UDI, my car would disapear when I tryed to get on it. Can you help me?quote>

I'm actually having this same problem. I demolished & replaced them with single lane highways, and those are getting some action now.

[Olasz 0]

just wondering of the 2-lane/5-lane conversions: IRL 5 ways could be converted to 2x 3 lanes, or 4 lanes to 2x 2 lanes without blocking any lane. This is not the case for 5-lane->2-lane conversions

[mjig_dudy 11]

included with this post is a .zip file containing the 2way rhw. It is at a stage where it could be quite usefull too some people. It has a street connection for straight pieces and textures for straight and diagonal pieces.

twoway RHW1.zip

[Ryan B 35]

That's not bad at all! The only thing I would improve on is the straight - to - diagonal transition. Is there any way to make it more of a rounded curve, and not so sharp?

[bri3d 4]

Wow! Great job. I'm glad this project has kept going so long, and not died like the others. This highway is a lot more realistic than Maxis ones.

[LivingInThePast 364]

Other projects dead? Like what? (besides SimMars, of course)

[MaybeMemories06 0]

Like HSRP? Like NAM? I appreciate that these people have RLS to deal with, but afaik neither of them have experienced any major work in months. It seems like they are just saying that they have made progress without actual evidence to support it. This reminds me of something...what was it? Oh, yeah. The War in Iraq and basically everything else the republican party has done. This site really is a microcosm of real life!

[bwatterud 7]

Check out the long post by Andreas Roth here. NAM is far from dead. And HSR actually had a release, and thus got a lot farther than most projects. Especially if it's "dead".

[MaybeMemories06 0]

I have read the long post by Andreas. It tells everything we already knew. It does not showcase anything new or give insight into when the next nam MIGHT be coming out. I credit everyone that was working on it, but we have been asking for weeks for just a showcase of whats to come. Anyone on the development team can place an update in the NAM Showcase but we still have nothing, because everyone would rather post huge posts about why it isn't out yet, hoping to quiet us, when they could just as easily place as long of a post on the NAM showcase, with NEW stuff, and we WOULD just shut up.

[vester_DK 477]

MaybeMemories06: Time is the problem. Remember people have a life beside SimCity.

I for one, would rather have that they use the time on making the NAM, than spending it on making up pictures for you to see what might come.

... and why didn't you use the proper thread for this ?

[Sim shady 12]

ick page flip bug

[Sim shady 12]

seems to be alot more of these recently...

[MaybeMemories06 0]

@Vester I was replying to LITP, who posted here. That is why this is in this thread. And I agree that people have a life besides sim city. I have one too. But the problem is no one is using the time to do anything. they are all just blaming it on one person who had something happen in RL. It would be different if they looked like they were doing something, but everyone says its all done and just needs to be compiled, then show us some of whats done while you are waiting to compile it. I'm tired of hearing how ungrateful I am when anyone that can read should see this *****.

[mjig_dudy 11]

MaybeMemories06: If you are tierd of wait for somthing, do it yourself. But you probably dont know how to do it, so you can't. well learn. Instead of wasteing your time complaining that people aren't working enough on these use that time to learn to modd your own transit networks then you can make exactly what you want, and you will know how annoying it is when people keep asking you when it will be finished.

Tarkus: i would just like to say what i great job you are doing with these puzzel peices. I know how much effort must be going to creating these things and i am very thankfull to you are adding such a great thing to RHW.

ryanb_sc4: yeah I will make the turn better, it does look too sharp currently, thanks for the advice

everyone: if anyone has any other textures that they think might be usefull for the 2way rhw i would be very gratefull. my texture creating skills are not great, most of what i have done so far is editing the orginal 2way rhw texture with some noremal rhw textures. but pieces such as road connections are harder as there is not already a road connection for rhw

[Haljackey 17,354]

Liken whats happing! I don't really know or care what has been happenig in the last few posts, but I can say that the current progress of the RHW is outstanding! I am baffeled at the fact that tarkus got the road to appear elevated, and mjig_dudy, awsome job on the 2 way RHW! But I too, like Ryanb_SC4 stated, that a smoother angle between straight and diagional sections should be considered. Awsome job everyone!

What I like about these two things is that they have an emergency lane on each side, completly removing the sidewalk from the left side of the current RHW. I think that Tarkus' elevated RHW (without the sidewalk) should replace the default ground texture because of the sidewalk elimination. Anyone else agree???

[qurlix 20]

mjig_dudy:  Here, this chunk of my picture array has the diagonal transitions and one of the new road textures...

Tarkus:  You're really doing great with the puzzle pieces...once you get to the start/end pieces I have a special trick for implementing them and making sure the connection is going in the right direction...but you don't really need to do anything different, so I don't know why I even bothered to mention it.

haljackey:  Well, I'm kind of wary about eliminating the transparency, because otherwise it doesn't look quite like a divided highway when side-by-side.  Unless someone has some nice barrier props.  (One of the original goals was for it to be a "divided" highway in all instances)  Of course releasing multiple textures isn't too difficult...I do already have a couple of textures with full emergency lanes on both sides.

-qurlix

[bri3d 4]

Wow, great job on the new road texture! I'll be glad when it comes out because the RHWs look bad when they revert to default ANT textures.

What I meant earlier on when I said projects were "dead" were lots of little projects like the Urban Brick Roads (well, it seems) and the Turbine Interchange. I know the NAM isn't dead, in fact I read Andreas Roth's post a couple days ago . And I think SimMars is having a little comeback.

Didn't mean to start a whole argument, now back on topic...

[LivingInThePast 364]

Oooo...I like it. Doesn't look the traffic is hijacked either. When can you drag a road across it? Also, what's the best median divider: grass, trees, railroads, or GLR?

[roy_mustang 0]

personally, i would say GLR for single spaces/edges of inner-city. allows mass transit to use the same routes as cars and makes MT more appealing

but railroads and trees may be a better choice for suburbs

[packerfan386 3]

good old, grass and trees

No sidewalks

[Tarkus 6,932]

Well, I managed to figure out how to make a compound model out of S3D groups in Reader, and got the support columns and jersey barriers added to the model.  But obviously, I must have messed something up with a texture instance or had too many model groups (though it didn't look anything like this in the Reader) and the RHW 15m Elevated piece, when imported into SC4 looked . . . um . . . festive . . . (that's putting it mildly):

I'll probably mess around with it more when I have more time.  The support posts are sticking up into the road surface as well, which will need to be fixed. (It's blatantly obvious in this pic!)  I have also made some other really interesting discoveries with some of my modeling/modding experiments that I may show later which involves the exact opposite process of the above puzzle piece . . .

Also, thanks again to everyone for your support, encouragement, constructive feedback, suggestions and assistance!  It has helped me to keep going with this project and figuring out this modding stuff.  As far as specifics go:

@mjig_dudy:  Again, excellent work with the 2-lane RHW texturing!

@haljackey and qurlix:  Having seen the texture files and figured out what they actually do (by simple trial and error in modeling), I would concur with qurlix that the piece with the transparency is best for the ground RHW.  It would not look right on an elevated RHW though, which is why I used the other texture without the transparency.  But, if we do eliminate the transparency, I have the jersey barriers essentially ready, in case we want to use them as props.  They may need a little work since the whole way the Reader does models kind of messes things up more than I anticipated  (Furthermore, I'm not sure how to make them work as props yet . . .)

The RHW/Road intersection texture looks great as well . . . it may become a puzzle piece . . .

@bri3d:  While the official Turbine Interchange project may be dead, the concept will be assimilated into the RHW mod with a new interchange system I am planning, the "RHW Modular Interchange System"  (RHWMIS, if you must).  Basically, instead of full-on, single-piece interchanges for the RHW as there are for the Maxis highways (FHW) in the game and in the NAM (the cloverleaf, T-interchange, etc.) that you just plop down, there will be a series of ramp puzzle pieces. 

It may require a little bit more work for the player than simply plopping an interchange, but it will provide everyone with a multitude of custom interchange possibilities without them having to go through all the trouble of modeling, modding and pathing.  It will also allow interchanges larger than the 16x16 maximum written into SC4, and if I'm not mistaken, will even be easier on system resources.  I do plan on making ramp pieces specifically for making Turbine Interchanges in the RHWMIS.  I don't know exactly how soon I'll get started with it (depends on how the other puzzle pieces and RL go), but it will be sometime in the near future. 

Hope that answers your question.

@LivingInThePast:  As far as medians go, whatever you want.  The RHW is a more flexible network than the FHW.

-Tarkus

[MaybeMemories06 0]

@Mijg Dudy: I'm not complaining that they aren't working on it. I'm complaining because they aren't doing ANYTHING on it. I realize life hits hard sometimes and i can appreciate that. I just wanna SEE what has been done on some of these projects. I'm not pushing for a release, it can come out when it comes out. I just want to see what can be done with the new pieces. And anyone that works on the NAM can give us a showcase. They don't have to wait for the member that is dealing with life. Just post pictures of what you have ready and I'll be quiet. Why is this so hard to understand! I have attempted this myself and failed at it, and I know how difficult it is to do, but if there is no one doing any work, and just waiting for it to be compiled, why can't they put out pictures for us? WHY!?!?!?

[Ryan B 35]

Ooo, purty! Could this be a preview of a release date, too? Sure'd be one heckuva Christmas present.

[Swamper77 90]

Originally posted by: Tarkus Well, I managed to figure out how to make a compound model out of S3D groups in Reader, and got the support columns and jersey barriers added to the model.  But obviously, I must have messed something up with a texture instance or had too many model groups (though it didn't look anything like this in the Reader) and the RHW 15m Elevated piece, when imported into SC4 looked . . . um . . . festive . . . (that's putting it mildly):

<image removed>

I'll probably mess around with it more when I have more time.  The support posts are sticking up into the road surface as well, which will need to be fixed. (It's blatantly obvious in this pic!)  I have also made some other really interesting discoveries with some of my modeling/modding experiments that I may show later which involves the exact opposite process of the above puzzle piece . . .

-Tarkusquote>

Tarkus, check the Group ID of the images that are on your supports and barriers. The Group ID should be 1ABE787D. Also check to make sure the images are specified properly for each group. If you still need help, send the files to swamper77(at)gmail(dot)com [change the text in the ( ) to the corresponding characters].

-Swamper77

[Tarkus 6,932]

@MaybeMemories06:  I understand you are frustrated with the apparent lack of visible progress on the NAM, but unfortunately, posting complaints about the NAM Team not doing "anything" won't help the situation.  From what I've gathered in the recent posts, smoncrie, who is especially afflicted by RL right now, did a lot of the work on the new NAM.  And as far as I know (someone correct me if I'm wrong), no one else has those files.  So it's not just that it  hasn't been compiled.  It also makes it a bit difficult to show some of this stuff . . . they actually do have to wait for him.  There are also some features that will be in NAM 20 that will also appear in a future RHW release (likely the next), like 30m Elevated Puzzle Pieces. 

Also, qurlix posted some stuff over on one of the NAM threads (though he's not certain if some of that stuff will end up in the new one), and if you want to see more signs of life among the transit modding community here at Simtropolis, keep watching this thread, the Ground Light Rail (GLR) Project, or check out blahdy's Boston Arterial/Big Dig project, which are all still active. 

By the way, I almost forgot: the RHW is also planned to be included as an optional plug-in for the NAM, so in fact, this thread is visible progress on the NAM.  (Same goes for GLR.)

@ryanb_sc4:  ROFL!  As far as a release date for the next RHW with the new puzzle pieces, I'm not entirely sure.  It is only the 8th of November, it's certainly possible, but I can't guarantee anything.  We'll see . . .

@Swamper77:  Thanks for the suggestion and your continued assistance!  I'll take a look at the files sometime within the next day or so to see if I can get it fixed.  Edit: It fixed the problem.  Thanks again!

Another Edit:  I'll have the finished (well, essentially at least) version done soon with pics.  It still needs shorter support columns that don't poke through, and rotated versions need to be done in the Reader (so you can see everything from every angle).  And if anyone wants the "Psychedelic/Festive Elevated RHW" . . . let me know.

-Tarkus