Real Highway (RHW) - Development and Support

[Tarkus 6,933]

@simzebu:  Glad you like it!  I'm looking forward to it too. 

@ryanb_sc4:  Oops!  I've been away awhile and I forgot that I need to convert everything over to JPEG so the IE/Safari people can see it.  My most sincere apologies.

Here's the links to the PNGs (if they still don't work, let me know, I'll be happy to fix them.)

The RHW Ground-to-15m Transition

http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/295/groundeltrans2cb4.png

The Dual-Decker RHW (2 screenshots):

http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/9617/dualdecker1dz4.png

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/9350/dualdecker2bj6.png

The Quadruple-Decker RHW:

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/3776/quaddeckerqk9.png

The TLA-7 (Turning Lane Avenue, 7 lanes):

http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/9263/tla71ao5.png

The RHW-18:

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/8263/rhw18testvd6.png

Hope that helps!

-Tarkus

PS--I may have figured out some things with the RUL character limit issue--it appears to be imposed by the Reader, not the file format.

[vester_DK 477]

Tarkus: PNGs, doesn't show in Internet Explore, not even the new one. You can use IrfanView, which is free, to convert the files to jpg. Your last file has in PNG a file size of 347 KB As a jpg its ONLY 20 KB, with the save quality setting set to 60%. I can't see much different on those two.

[wild_horse_in_the_sky 2]

Tarkus,

Hate to ask but any idea as to when verison 17 will be out. Thanks

[memo 1,473]

The character limit is only a problem with the Reader indeed. You can simply save the RUL file as decoded file and edit it with an Editor. Later you can use Insert & compress file.

Why do you use Road-Street Intersections to build those 3 tile avenues? Is it a restriction of the Rule Overrides? Maybe you can also use another RUL file (e.g. 0x00000008) for that because you cannot only describe one adjacent tile, but all tiles surrounding a particular tile (up to 24 tiles). You wouldn't need the intersections then and therefore it could go up hills.

[Tarkus 6,933]

@vester_DK:  I'll switch the PNGs out for JPEGs a little later.  Sorry again for putting the PNGs up; just had a little brain lapse there . . .

@wild_horse_in_the_sky:  Unfortunately, I don't know when v17 is coming out.  It's mainly been qurlix's project.  I can tell you that the puzzle pieces and some stuff for the RHWMIS will likely be done sometime in February, possibly sooner depending on how smoothly things go with RL and the modding process.

@memo:  Thanks for the confirmation about the RUL character limit being Reader-imposed.  The reason why I am using the Road-Street Intersections right now is so that the three tiles are connected and vehicles can pass between them.  I haven't really looked at 0x00000008 yet, but I will now that you suggested it--thanks!  The slope problem is the big issue with these, so if I can get that fixed, the wider networks will be done quite a bit sooner.

-Tarkus

[LivingInThePast 364]

This was created some time ago, unfortunatly, Tarkus was gone. This would allow people to safely exit the RHW to access roads (represented by access roads). Although I need to get more shots of other exits, access roads provide accessibility to perpendicular roads, avoid costly cloverleafs, and allow businesses to be right near the highway. Some older access roads are 2-way (represented by roads), but that's another time. Eventually, I'll reshow my RHW-4 plan where when placing two RHWs side-by-side create a double-bar line, so that when someone slows down in the left northbound lane, to turn left, cars pile up. Or when someone swings into another lane from pulling out.

That's several pages back.

[bri3d 4]

Yeah! Tarkus is back. Wow, great progress on the RHW...I like the quadruple-decker. May be somewhat unrealistic, but still, useful in those tight spots...

Those avenues are just amazing...this shows what can be done with RHW technology.

HINT FOR INTERNET EXPLORER USERS (such as me): Try using the quote button if you want to see those PNGs .

[mightygoose 92]

woaaaaaaaaaaaaah that is awesome...

[Tarkus 6,933]

@LivingInThePast:  That's a good request for the RHW/OWR parallel interchange, and once I get some of the initial work on the RHWMIS done, I'll get working on some stuff to make that functional.  With the RHWMIS pieces, that should only take one custom 1x1 piece to work (the advantage of going modular).

@bri3d and mightygoose:  Thanks for the compliments!  Well, bri3d, there are some quad-deckers around, particularly short sections at interchanges with double deckers (though generally, they aren't all going the same way like that). 

I am quite amazed with what the RHW technology has to offer myself, and I've got probably half a dozen other ideas of how to further extend the networks in that way.  (If anyone wants to do an LA-style city or CJ, you'll be in good shape on the transit end in the near future . . .)

@everyone:  Expect an initial preview of the RHWMIS within the next week (possibly by the end of this week if RL cooperates), now that I've got the RUL character limit issue figured out (thanks to qurlix and memo).

-Tarkus

[XL 19]

@Tarkus: You have no idea how much I love the pieces you've been working on.  I'm really looking forward to using them at some point.

I do have a small request.  Where I live, there are a lot of 3- and 5-lane roads/avenues (with a turning lane in the center.  I'd like to see something of a scaled-down version of the RHW-10, such as a RHW-3 and RHW-5.  I didn't see any similar requests being made in previous posts, so I guess this might be the first one

[jplumbley 5]

Hello XL.

Tarkus and I are currently exploring the possiblities of some new systems. Like a "Suicide Lane Avenue" (a 5-lane avenue with a common left turn lane). It has been found to make it possible and functional left turn, but the problem we are incurring right now is the way we have done it, it cannot conform to slopes. We are looking at other avenues of the modding to find a way to allow it to be slope conforming, but we are not there yet. This is only EXPERIMENTAL right now, so dont expect anything soon!!

JPlumbley

[Tarkus 6,933]

@XL:  Thanks for the compliments!  Theoretically, it would be possible to produce an RHW-4 with a center turn lane, but as jplumbley pointed out, we're still dealing with the slope issue. 

As far as getting some sort of 3-lane setup (whether it be a Road or an RHW-2 with a center turn lane added), that's a little trickier--they are very prevalent, but the problem is that the way in which we are creating the center turn lane involves creating mirrored T-Intersections between two Road tiles.  (Streets are currently being used to connect the roads, so as not to conflict with the NAM Roundabouts). 

The thing is that while it is theoretically possible to squeeze a 3-tile network into a single tile, as far as I know, it can't be accomplished through the method we are using without having to totally overwrite the Road network, since there is nothing to connect it to.  Some time in the near future, I would like to mess around with adding turn lanes at intersections to the RHW-2 (like the Road Turning Lanes) as well, but from what I can tell, that's the only instance where it can occur.  I may try some things out in the near future, though, as I wouldn't mind having some 3-lane (two+center turn lane) roads or RHWs either. 

[Filasimo 1]

Good work you guys on pursuing this project and i hope it turns out great and btw Welcome to Page 46!

[rickmastfan67 0]

Originally posted by: vester_DK Tarkus: PNGs, doesn't show in Internet Explore, not even the new one. You can use IrfanView, which is free, to convert the files to jpg. Your last file has in PNG a file size of 347 KB As a jpg its ONLY 20 KB, with the save quality setting set to 60%. I can't see much different on those two.quote>

 

I don't know what version of IE you have, but my copy of IE6 allows me to view PNG's in it.  All I have to do it click on the links that show up and I get to see the picture.

Oh, on another note, Tarkus, you want some shots of 8 lane (4 each way) I-77 just South of Charlotte, NC in SC?  Just recently took a picture from the SC Welcome Center thinking about this project.  I also took two pictures of it losing lanes to go back down to 2 lanes in each dirrection. 4 > 3 > 2.  If you want me to send you the pictures, sent me a PM with your e-mail address and I'll send them out asap.

[bearmans 0]

Hehehe oh this so looks like its going to be awesome!!! I personally dont use the RHW yet. I've played around with it but decided i'd wait until a few more puzzle peices came out. Now that is happening I'm getting very excited. Good work guys

[memo 1,473]

@Tarkus: I'm not sure, but I don't think that the intersection itself allows cars to switch between the tiles, rather the paths on these intersection tiles. So you could add some extra paths on adjacent straight road tiles instead of using road-street-intersections. Maybe?

This is what I mean:

[jplumbley 5]

Memo,

That is very interesting. I was actually going to try that, but incidentally havent gotten around to it. This may actually make our work alot easier!! We were under the impression that we would only be able to get the paths to work if we had intersections. But I was going to try it anyways like this. That means my OWR-5 setup right now will work if I fix the pathing!! Yay!!

Thanks for the step forward!!

JPlumbley

[qurlix 20]

I was somewhat weary of doing it that way because in past tests it was sometimes unusable. The automata would travel correctly, but actually getting sims' trips to use the connection was often difficult or impossible without the tile flags actually signifying a connection. Though, now that I think about it, those tests were done long ago when I was very inexperienced so we should really look into it again.

[Tarkus 6,933]

@memo:  Thanks a million!  Like jplumbley, I had wondered about that too.  That solves the sloping issue entirely.  I was using my own custom paths anyway, so the only thing I'll really have to do (at first) is change the 0x10000002 overrides. 

There's still a lot of work beyond that, though--getting the diagonals (shouldn't be too hard) and the intersections to work, adding a turning lane setup in (a bit more difficult) and creating puzzle pieces.  The 7-lane network I showed on the last page will dual turn lanes at some intersections. 

@Filasimo and bearmans:  Glad you like it!

@rickmastfan67:  Thanks for your offer on the pics--I might take you up on that. You could also post a few here on the thread, too, as they are certainly relevant to the topic.  However, as far as I know, though, the only way in which the RHW-10 will narrow down to the RHW-4 will be through a splitter, where the center lane disappears and the outer two lanes on either side diverge as dual RHW-4s (see a couple pages back where some prototype textures were shown).  The reason is primarily due to RL engineering considerations, as merging right from 5 lanes down to 2 would cause some serious problems.

Personally, I'd like to see a gradual lane-droppage from RHW-10 to RHW-4 as well (I think almost everyone probably would), but it would be a little difficult as the transition would have to cover a very long distance (we'd be talking probably a dozen tiles or so, which would kind of mess things up if you had interchanges along the way) to actually make any engineering sense the way  things have to be set up.  In addition, there's not any really easy way to make a decent RHW-6 or RHW-8 (it is technically possible, but it would take up just as much room as an RHW-10, defeating the purpose).

-Tarkus

[Gaston 0]

Tarkus,

    Thanks for all the cool pics.    That is some sweet looking stuff.   I am really looking foreward to being able to use RHW again.

---Gaston

[Tarkus 6,933]

@Gaston:  Thanks!  Glad you like it.  There's more where that came from as well . . .

I just tested out memo's suggestion of using just straight network tiles instead of intersections, and it worked way better (images are JPEGs, so you should be able to see them, IE users)

Here's a TLA-5 on a fairly steep grade:

Here it is pathed.  I still have to fix a couple things with the turn lane pathing--it works, but there's some really funny jagged edges in there.  UDI-tested as well (with snap-to-roads turned on):

Here's the TLA-7 as well--still have some work to do on the conversion between TLA-5 and TLA-7.

And a rather curious glitch that resulted from my incomplete conversion when I bulldozed either side of the TLA-7:

Yes, that's a TLR-3 (Turning Lane Road, 3 lanes), something XL requested on the previous page (though for the RHW).  There's unfortunately no sidewalk textures attached (it was designed as a center portion of a wider network) and the center lane is slightly wider than the thru-traffic lanes, but it does actually function (including the center lane).  I don't know if it will still be replicable once I actually get the texture override fixed for the TLA-7, but it does appear that there are ways . . .

-Tarkus

[wild_horse_in_the_sky 2]

Tarkus,

Good pictures and the ones yesterday were also funny I have I E and never had a problem seeing the pngs.

[hamsterTK 93]

That TLR-3 is awesome, most of the roads in my town are like that

[Tarkus 6,933]

@wild_horse_in_the_sky and hamsterTK:  Thanks!  I've wanted TLR-3s for quite awhile too, so if I can get things worked out there . . .

Here's another sign of things to come--still needs some work (something weird is up with the texture on the top part with the striping), and of course, more modeling details and pathing:

Yes, that's a TLA-7 over one side of an RHW-4.

-Tarkus

[Ryan B 35]

Tarkus:  Wow.  Just wow.  This is simply amazing . . . . . . I never thought I'd see my Two Way Left Turn Lane textures develop into anything more than what I did.  A heartfelt 'thank you' goes out to you and whoever else may be working on this.

[jplumbley 5]

Awesome work Tarkus!! Im holding off to wait for the updated version of RHW so I can add my stuff and work from the latest version instead. I should PM qurlix and find out what I can get from him

[rickmastfan67 0]

@ Tarkus:  Well, here are those pictures.  I only had time to take three total of that area, but I'm also providing links to the exact area in Google Maps.

Taken from the SC Welcome Center going SB on I-77 of 4 lanes going SB and 4 going NB:

http://maps.google.com/?om=1&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=35.07975,-80.94247&spn=0.004381,0.008261&t=k

Taken when I-77 goes from 4 lanes SB to 3 lanes:

http://maps.google.com/?om=1&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=34.914678,-80.981566&spn=0.00439,0.008261&t=k

Taken when I-77 goes from 3 lanes SB to 2 lanes and a full grass center: (move the sat image a tad South to see the end of the pavment of lanes 3 & 4 turn to grass)

http://maps.google.com/?om=1&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=34.907675,-80.984945&spn=0.00439,0.008261&t=k

I can provide the HR images if you PM me your e-mail address.

[MaybeMemories06 0]

Tarkus and Quirlix: Love the work! I can't wait to get this for my cities. The TLA-5 and the TLA-7 are amazing, as are the new RHW systems. I'm sure this has already been answered, but please just to amuse me... Whats TLA? I do have a couple questions though. Any chance the TLA-5 and TLA-7 will be zoning compatible so that I can get buildings to populate on them, and use them as true arterials? Is there any way to get a TLA-7 that would have an open median so that I could make it into a true boulevard? I doubt it but figured I'd ask. I need a main strip for my city, complete with palm trees in the median and everything lol. Will it have dual lefts at the intersections? Or triple lefts, like we have at some intersections here in town? Those would be less likely but still cool. Any news on the other special project you guys had in the works? I'm still working on the new HOV textures for the RHW, but I can't really get anything done, with my lack of artistic skills, and school. Updates when (if) I get time.

[Tarkus 6,933]

@ryanb_sc4:  Thanks for the compliments, and I'm really glad I could help realize your vision for the TWLTL.

@jplumbley:  Thanks!  The way I figured it with the puzzle pieces and new network expansions I've been working on, I can always just Copy/Paste them into qurlix's new RULs when he's ready.  

@rickmastfan67:  Those are some nice pics!  Thanks for posting . . . I still might take you up on the hi-res.  That first pic really does look like an RHW . . .

@MaybeMemories06:  Glad to hear you like what we've been up to.  TLA stands for Turning Lane Avenue.  The name is a little misleading, because while it looks like an Avenue, the current implementation I've been using on it actually involves placing Roads side-by-side--2 for the TLA-5, 3 for the TLA-7.  There is also a 4-tile TLA-9 in the works, and if anyone wants anything wider than that, it probably wouldn't be hard to expand it further. 

They are fully zoning compatible since they are based on the Road network (I've already got a couple TLA-5s operating in the commercial areas of one of my cities), and of course, the center lane actually functions as a two-way turning lane (you won't have to drag any connection between the two sides of the TLAs like you do with the Avenues). 

As far as getting one with a median barrier like the Maxis Avenues, that's certainly possible, but that will actually be a separate network from the TLAs.  I haven't exactly figured out how I'm going to implement it, but 6-lane and 8-lane Avenues (AVE-6 and AVE- with medians will eventually be done.  With the turning lanes with the TLA-7 (and AVE-6), my plan actually was to have dual lefts at certain intersections, and triple for the TLA-9 (and AVE- as you had suggested.

In terms of other special projects and what we're planning on this end, there's going to be further implementation of the RHW technology for network widening.  jplumbley has already been working on a 5-lane One-Way Road (OWR-5, see a few pages back), and we definitely have some other things up our sleeves--I've already started on an RHW-18 (see the previous page) and there's several other projects we've been considering that will eventually be revealed.

I'm not sure how these projects are going to be released yet (if they'll be integrated with another mod or released separately) or when.  I would say that the completion on the TLAs will accelerate quite a bit now that the slope issue is solved.  Whatever ends up happening, there will be a lot of new, wider networks available to everyone in the near future.

Hope that answers your questions, and I'm looking forward to seeing your HOV textures as well (when you get around to them, of course)!

-Tarkus

[tommiej 0]

tarkus, you've really made some great progress!! really looking forward for more work!! you really use the ANT's potential,

keep it up!!