RHW - Highways - NAM, where to start?

[simlacroix 274]

First of all, thanks in advance, the thing is, I'm trying to build cities that look more realistic and in order to that I want to try the RHW, so far I've avoided for good reasons, I read a lot of people complaining about how difficult it is at first but now I feel it's time, where should I start? Are there good tutorials available? For example, I still cannot understand how you connect them to other cities, etc.

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

I confess I don't know the first thing about it. (Well, that's not quite true. I do know what the acronym RHW stands for.) Anyhow, this is from @rsc204's signature: New to the NAM? Check out my tutorials on YouTube. Latest upload: How to: RHW - Basic Diamond Interchange using Flex Pieces. (Nov 16).

I have no idea what's in what, but he's one of the NAM experts and he's quite thorough on written tutorials so I expect his vids are excellent too.

[simlacroix 274]

Perhaps I haven't explained myself in the best possible way, I want to use NAM highways, the acronym for that is RHW, that's the name it shows when you click them but so far I haven't managed to make it right.

[PaleoCardio 150]

You will want to check out a short youtube series by Asteconn on RHW junctions and basics of using the RHW. Then you will want to watch haljackey videos, starting with building a city from scratch. He goes a little fast, but there are some important points of using the RHW in there.

Then as mentioned already by CorinaMarie, rsc204 has some good videos. 

You should also read the NAM RHW handbook which is provided in your documentation folder in the NAM folder. Although a long and sometimes confusing read, there are some good aspects to remember in there. 

Finally, just throw yourself into it, start to use the pieces and make mistakes and learn from those videos and soon you will have some junctions and some RHW to play with. 

[APSMS 1,892]

If you want a conceptualization of the NAM with extremely outdated techniques, you can check out Asteconn's videos on the RHW (back when it was called the Rural Highway Mod).

More relevant videos (updated, most recent NAM, plus newer techniques) can be had in videos made by Haljackey. You should be able to find him easily (here at ST or on YouTube). His highways aren't really to my style, but he makes excellent freeway systems.

 

EDIT: Ninja'd

  Edited February 22, 2017 by APSMS  

[simlacroix 274]

6 minutes ago, APSMS said:

If you want a conceptualization of the NAM with extremely outdated techniques, you can check out Asteconn's videos on the RHW (back when it was called the Rural Highway Mod).

More relevant videos (updated, most recent NAM, plus newer techniques) can be had in videos made by Haljackey. You should be able to find him easily (here at ST or on YouTube). His highways aren't really to my style, but he makes excellent freeway systems.

Thanks, I'll start that way and yes, it's really odd sometimes and no matter how you do you start doing a lot of mistakes and yes, I'm building a whole region around this highways for I want to appears as real as possible, I'll come back with further questions for sure.

[rsc204 21,808]

Whilst the last two videos I've made do cover RHW, that's really something I've barely touched upon, both are quite specific too. I would recommend the latest one about building an interchange. Because this is bang up to date using Draggable Ramps and other Flex Pieces. If you use the flex pieces, you'll find RHW much easier to learn. By the same rationale, you should avoid the older videos/tutorials, because so much of what you see will be out of date.

In the end, you need to work out a few basics:

• How to start building a network in the first place. The RHW tool draws RHW-2, which is a faster version of Road without zoning support.
  Override this with a starter-piece to make the various different width/lane/height networks.
• How to make basic Interchanges. Once you've got the hang of that, you can use the modular system to make more complex ones.
• How to transition between heights/widths. Super easy for heights, use the FlexHeight pieces. This includes on-slopes and ramps, nothing extra-ordinary there.
  Widths still require puzzle pieces, but there's a dedicated button for them.
• Ramps... use either the FlexRamps or drag your own ramps using the Draggable Ramp Interface (DRI) patterns. See here (I'd download it and keep it as a reference).
  Then check this playlist on my channel: "RHW DRI (Draggable Ramp Interface) by Ganaram". It will help you to understand the basics.

Of course there is so much more too. But once you get these basics out of the way, you'll have the confidence to push the limits. Half of making RHW is being able to conceptualise what you want to build. So don't start making things in existing cites. Open up a blank region and simply muck about, it will help you to see what is and isn't possible.

[jeffryfisher 2,176]

20 hours ago, rsc204 said:

Open up a blank region and simply muck about, it will help you to see what is and isn't possible.

Also known as a "sandbox". For some experimentation, the Maxis tutorials are useful because there's something there to work with and around, and they can be reset to a known state.

To connect to an adjacent city, I think you drag your highway of choice over the edge. You should then be offered the option to establish a connection. If that's not happening when you try it, then a special piece might be required to provide a functional, two-way connection for some widths.

[PaleoCardio 150]

54 minutes ago, jeffryfisher said:

To connect to an adjacent city, I think you drag your highway of choice over the edge. You should then be offered the option to establish a connection. If that's not happening when you try it, then a special piece might be required to provide a functional, two-way connection for some widths.

This is correct, to connect to an adjacent city then you simply drag to make a connection like with all other connections. However, anything above RHW 2 in size, a neighbour connector should be used to establish a "working" connection between tiles, otherwise freight is the only thing that uses the connection. Neighbour connectors are found further down in the RHW UI button.

[rsc204 21,808]

Yup, RHW must have such neighbour connection pieces (NC) or it simply won't work. This means you are limited to using straight sections only for NC's. Additionally, if there are gaps between lanes of a multi-tile RHW, you must use the special "invisible loop connector" between them.

[simlacroix 274]

On 23/2/2017 at 7:55 PM, rsc204 said:

Yup, RHW must have such neighbour connection pieces (NC) or it simply won't work. This means you are limited to using straight sections only for NC's. Additionally, if there are gaps between lanes of a multi-tile RHW, you must use the special "invisible loop connector" between them.

Thanks for all the info, is there a video available on how to do this?

And also, when he places the rail all the electrical details on the railroad appear automatically, does anybody know how to do that?

[PaleoCardio 150]

58 minutes ago, simlacroix said:

Thanks for all the info, is there a video available on how to do this?

I haven't seen a video, but the relevant information for using them is in the NAM documentation. Basically you just need to make sure you place the neighbour connector on the final tile with the yellow line correctly orientated with the yellow line of the RHW piece. 

Also, you need to use the appropriate connector piece for the appropriate RHW piece, so RHW 10s with 10s connector piece etc...

 

[Tarkus 6,932]

I'll add that the Neighbor Connectors are going to be undergoing revision sometime within one of the next few NAM releases.  The network-specific pieces are all going to get replaced with a single FLEX piece that will dynamically change to match the RHW network.  The Loop Connector itself is most likely going to stay a static puzzle piece, as there's nothing to gain from FLEXing it.

To answer your question about the catenaries/electrical details on the RealRailway, that's rivit's RUM for RRW.  You'll also need to have plundere's Catenary Essentials in order for those details to show up.

-Tarkus

[simlacroix 274]

Thanks a lot for all the time you took to advice me, and also yes Tarkus, I started making combinations until I got it.