Light rail modding help

[the7trumpets 10]

Date: 10/19/2004 6:45:47 AM
Author: lakeyboy

I have an idea which may help. Reducing the stations to 1x1 instead of 1x3. It's basicly 2 squares wasted. To fill in the texture gap between the stations and the TE lots, will a RUL file place a tramway texture between the 2 lots? Is this possible?

P.S. PLEASE USE THE ANT FOR THIS WHEN EVERYTHING IS FINISHED. The textures would be wacky and no great looking tree lined tram tracks. You said that you may not use the ANT but please use it in the end.

quote>


Sorry, RULes cannot act based on the existence or position of a transit enabled lot. Therefore, using RULes to change the texture next to a station is impossible.

Concerning the ANT, I'm sorry I haven't gotten it up and running yet. Real Life has really been insane lately, but eventually I'll get to it, because I, like you, am very excited about the possibilities. One note about using the ANT, if you want tree lined tracks, that's still entirely possible, by putting flora props on type 21 exemplars associated with the transit tiles.


I'll report back later, hopefully with some working RULes

[Daeley 46]

ah so we hear from the ANT Master

 

take your time T7T... the result will be worth the wait

[mikeseith 457]

Hello everyone,
I have some items for you to download and inspect as a part of the light rail beta. Hopefully Daeley will also grab these and incorperate them into the next version when there are more improvements.

I have 4 color modern trams (no night light effect yet). They are compatable with the latest version. You must pick either the modern tram or the track checker tram(older looking style). If you have both of them in the plugin folder while playing the game, the track checker tram (older looking style) will override the modern tram.

Also there are 4 color medium tram stations 3000 capacity.


I have also included a sub-transfer station and a bus station that I designed for the light rail mod. Due to the unusual nature of the stations (putting different color line stations directly next to each other results in trams on the wrong color lines) I made these so I could have large centers to conect the lines.

To use the sub and bus stations with the medium light rail stations place one of the sub or bus stations down. On either side of the building will be space to put your medium stations, or a road for busses or anything else that might fit underneath the overhang.

I am planning to make an el-rail station in the future.

Here is the link to the files >> Modern trams, Medium stations and sub/bus stations
*EDIT* The original link did not contain the bus stop and sub station. It now does.

[Synergy 0]

Wow !!!

This looks absolutely awesome!

[Daeley 46]

looking good

It seems there still is a bug in v0.02TE I have released... after about half an hour or so I get random crashes in any of my cities and this appears to be the mod, but I am not certain of it... I really need more testers for this.

[friedbrice 0]

in the current version, sims can drive to the tram stations and then board a train. since there's no parking at the station, can you change the next version so that sims have to walk (or bus) to the station? that would be more realistic.

[mikeseith 457]

Date: 10/25/2004 4:49:44 PM
Author: friedbrice
in the current version, sims can drive to the tram stations and then board a train. since there's no parking at the station, can you change the next version so that sims have to walk (or bus) to the station? that would be more realistic.

quote>

I think that may be doable friedbrice. I have been working on and off on a suburban station that has a small parking garage.

[threeswept 12]

Date: 10/25/2004 4:25:10 PM
Author: Daeley

looking good

It seems there still is a bug in v0.02TE I have released... after about half an hour or so I get random crashes in any of my cities and this appears to be the mod, but I am not certain of it... I really need more testers for this.

quote>

You know...this is weird. As mentioned in a prior post, I've never had the game crash. Then, after the initial BETA download, I mentioned that the game would crash to desktop after about 15 minutes of playing. I downloaded the next version and same thing. So, I removed the mod and the game seems to still crash back to desktop. I want to keep testing this, but need to look some more into the crashing.

EDIT: Hmm...I just realised that it 'may' have something to do with the Marrast diagonal stations that are also in testing.

[Thunderman 30]

I am following the progress of this project and I began to wonder something...

 

If this modd becomes finished for use, will it co-exist beside the normal trains and tracks? So we can use this both in our city's?

Or will it overwrite the trains and its tracks???

 

Greetz Thunderm@n

[Speedy 0]

Date:10/26/2004 6:31:30 AM
Author:thunderman

I am following the progress of this project and I began to wonder something...

 

If this modd becomes finished for use, will it co-exist beside the normal trains and tracks? So we can use this both in our city's?

Or will it overwrite the trains and its tracks???

 

Greetz Thunderm@n

quote>

I wonder the same thing... Will regular train still work?

[abcd 5]

in my cities the regular trains still work but i don't know about the tracks in the futur

[Daeley 46]

well it is the intention to make them coexist peacefully with trains but we'll need T7T for that, and as he's busy with some other stuff at the moment I might take a while before we get there...

 

but for now I'd like to make sure the current version is stable... I have had a PM ask a question what to test for, well the answer is simple: clean your plugins of all other files that may cause crashes (preferable ALL files) and play the game for a while, say an hour at the least. If enough people can confirm they can play the game with this mod for at least an hour I think the chance of it being stable are fairly large.

[Metrotrainboy 0]

When you use the term co-exist does that mean they will share the same tracks, or will there be a new set of tracks?

If they do exist on the same tracks will that be a problem with three different types of trains running together (Freight, Passenger, Light Rail)?

[Daeley 46]

well as it isn't completed yet and not fully functional an answer to that question does not exist yet...

[LBraden 14]

I have not experienced such a problem, after about an hour the game freezes and is un-recoverable, yet there is a lot in my plugins folders, so if someone else can have a look in a clear game

EDIT: I removed the BSC Rail props and that seemed to fix it, so if anyone wishes to try that, on another copy of SC4 Deluxe they can

[Thunderman 30]

Ok guys, I've tested this mod for about an hour without any lots or mods installed en have concluded that there are NO problems found or encountered!

The only thing I've discovered that I couldn't use any of my normal trains together with this mod, but I think it was the purpose so we could test this mod for the future...?

May I suggest for new tracks, such as the track molded in concrete!
Because in real life it is everywhere that those tracks are molded into the concrete in cities...

Also want to suggest to add a new line in the Dataview map, so we can easily separate train tracks & tram tracks...

I hoped I could be of any service

Greetz Thunderm@n

[Thunderman 30]

Oops! Double post! please delete!

[nonessentialnoodle 2]

Hey i think another dataview is a great idea but i guess that could be quite hard to do

On the concrete thing i remember that was discussed a while ago i cant remember what the outcome of it was though i might have imagined the whole thing

[Daeley 46]

thank you thunderman... that was very helpful

 

As I said above, for now I have removed most of the functionality of normal train automata. Sims can still take the train, you just can't see them take the train. As for the datamap thing, I'm afraid that's not possible as trams are not a different kind of traffic... they just look that way, but when you look at it with the route query you will see it actually still counts as train traffic.

 

as for concrete pieces... when T7T can have a look at it to use the ANT, we will no doubt be able to reskin the ANT to our own liking.

[Thunderman 30]

Date: 10/26/2004 5:25:29 PM
Author: Daeley

thank you thunderman... that was very helpful

As I said above, for now I have removed most of the functionality of normal train automata. Sims can still take the train, you just can't see them take the train. As for the datamap thing, I'm afraid that's not possible as trams are not a different kind of traffic... they just look that way, but when you look at it with the route query you will see it actually still counts as train traffic.

as for concrete pieces... when T7T can have a look at it to use the ANT, we will no doubt be able to reskin the ANT to our own liking.

quote>


Glad I could be of any service!
Oh, and I didn't read the whole message you wrote, so shame on me

Ok, I will monitor this project, and if you need any help on testing or some other things, don't be affraid to page me!

Greetz Thunderm@n

[+Guest]

I find this project really promising.
And i have one little question. Is there any plans to get rid of railway crossing signs in the future?.. I think that trams should have no, or may be another crossing signs.. without a crossing gate thing..

[lakeyboy 12]

!POSTS!100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100!POSTS!

 

As for the finished product, if it's going to be on the ANT, how are we going to mod the lots to make the tram tracks go thru it?

 

I think that the ground texture should stay concrete.  Here in Melbourne, every single tram track is covered in concrete. Not True. There is some which are unpaved inbetween the tracks.

 

As with the crossing arms, I think there should be just a stop line before the tracks and with just one traffic light on the driving side before the tracks. (except with One Way Roads & Avenues which should have one on each side of the 2 lanes on the waiting carrageway before the crossing)

 

(Picture hosted)

[vlaz 2]

no.. not all. Whitehorse road trams have a section of track where there is no concrete and the base is the road. also, at Box Hill nearing its end station, the base is grass.

i'm sure there are many other areas where there is no concrete base

[lakeyboy 12]

Date:10/29/2004 3:56:29 AM
Author:vlaz

no.. not all. Whitehorse road trams have a section of track where there is no concrete and the base is the road. also, at Box Hill nearing its end station, the base is grass.

i'm sure there are many other areas where there is no concrete base

quote>

I haven't been around Box Hill since they extended the tram line from Union Road but you got me thinking. I think there isn't any concrete along the old Princes Highway (Dandenong Road) around windsor. (Those tracks were put in a while ago.) Most around Melbourne have a concrete base.

[theyeti2001 0]

Haven't the tracks around Box Hill still got concrete over them but there is a grass verge between the tracks and the highway on each side? And you are right Lakeboy, I'm pretty sure that the tracks on Dandenong Road from Chapel Street through to Kooyong Road are normal train style tracks with visible sleepers, but then they are running down the middle of a nature strip and not actually on top of the road.

[JohnB 66]

Amazing!!! This is one of the best mods to sc4 I seen so far. Trams were definetely missing in sc4. It makes no sense why Maxis didnt put them in. I tried the beta version, and was amazed. The trams are incredibly realistic and so is the UI in driveable mode. So you mean it is possible to create a model in BAT and then make it driveable or flyable? Also you can add your own sounds to the lot? And add different sounds to the driveable menu? I love that announcer that says which tram is arriving. It sounds French or German to me. I didnt even know its possible to add sounds like that. This is wonderful, I have to find out how to do this. I can only mod very small things for now, like the hover names of props, but I really want to learn. I can BAT pretty good I guess. I have been batting for 8 months now, so if you need my help, I'm always available. I know that you want to make the mod perfect and add even more features to it, but in my opinion the light rail mod is perfect the way it is now. I can't wait for a final version.

[bloo 0]

Date: 10/29/2004 3:08:45 AM
Author: lakeyboy

I think that the ground texture should stay concrete. Here in Melbourne, every single tram track is covered in concrete.

quote>

Man how can you say here in Melbourne, are you sure you have driven around the place. There are many places where there isnt concrete, think of dandy rd, stkilda light rail section, the box hill extn, etc. Anyway my point is that usually when the trams dont share the same roadway as the cars the tracks are not surrounded by concrete.

On another point where did you get that image?

[lakeyboy 12]

Date:10/30/2004 9:22:03 PM
Author:bloo

On another point where did you get that image?

quote>

 

I got the aerial photos off this website:

http://www.aussoft.com/OnlineMapping/Custom/AusMap/AusMap.asp?view=0

This only covers the City of Whitehorse.

 

http://www.knox.vic.gov.au/Landscape/Pages/Directory.asp?cookietest=1&&map=1&layer=0&streetsearch=1

This link does the City of Knox. Both sites use the same software but Knox has more info in there.

 

And the box hill extension concrete/grass issue, Here is the evidence:

Zoomed In:

This should clear up everything now and I take back saying that all of Melbourne's tram tracks are paved. (I forgot about the Sth Melbourne Light Rail when the converted it in the 80's or something.)

[Thunderman 30]

anyway, I find it very realistic if this comes with a grass and an concrete ground texture of this mod, because everywhere you look at trams they'd have that...

Greetz Thunderm@n

[eangulus 3]

Why not make it dynamic?

Similar to the way Roads get different footpaths for different zoning, why not make it so that the tram lines will have concrete between it and road only. If no road along side then its grass. If you get a road along both sides it would fill in completly with concrete.

Also if possible it would at least look visually sweet if your rich zones could affect the concrete to a pavement or something. I know the zones wouldn't touch the rail and therefore won't work but heres a thought....

The roads footpaths change with the sims wealth. There for the road must have a dynamic value to show what wealth value it should be and therefore show the trees and paved footpath etc. If you can detect that value from the tram lines then it too could be a matching pavment. Low wealth you have plain concrete and high wealth could be paved.

Sorry to waste everyones time if it is not possible to do, just my thoughts on the issue.