NECV4 Any good/bad updates, news, and status?

[dedwa15237]

Hey Vince-

How's the NECv4 make out on the Beta trials? We would like to hear!

I hope you didnt break out your bottle yet... :+)

Dave

"the NEC addict"

[kevarc]

Patience is a virtue. It is a huge route.

[dedwa15237]

Okay....

Now its time for the NECv4 news. I hope Vince's Beta Team has found some bugs to get rid of.

So, whats the mini news here?

Dave

[chucksc]

Vince was still chasing a last min. signal script bug as of a couple of days ago!
We still don't have the route...

Chuck Schneider
(Virtual) CEO
North American (Virtual) Locomotive Works
http://www.trainsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3d27c65e12399724.jpg

[kevarc]

Yep, hopefully if will get worked out and then we can play with it.

[Motley24Crue2]

Now that I have my System completely upgraded :)

Asus P4T-E (Intel 850 Chipset)
Intel Pentium 4 1.7 GHz
1GB Rdram (Rambus)
120 GB 7200 Hard Drive
ATI Radeon 8500
Sound Blaster Audigy
52x/24x/52x CD-RW Drive (For Route Backups)
Windows XP Home
(Built by me) :)

Now that this is all done :)

I've been downloading Rolling stock until I get my little hands on the Northeast Corridor V4 :)

oh and also Shoveling out of 26 inches of snow is also keeping me busy "For the time being anyway" :+

(**EDIT** Spelling)

[Vince]

A note on that map in the preceeding post;

It does not show the many sidings on the route. I'ts just the "big picture". I plan to break the map into maybe three sections with more detail. This is just something I threw together to help the beta testers find their way around the route. One of these gentlemen is an activity guru and I hope it will help him a bit. Have fun K.

[kevarc]

Yep, a good map makes things a lot easier. Esp with a route with a lot of track going hither and yon. Makes it easier to see what you want to accomplish. A train lineup is also a big help, that was the great thing with the Indy route.

[dedwa15237]

I am glad, that Vince and the team is working really good! This is what we (the simmers) would love to know!

Few questions came to mind.

1) Will there be some default equipment included or I have to download them from the Sim Library? I have downloaded quite a bit of locos and freight cars from the Sim Library and filed it there.

2) Is the NECv4 will be in the Downloads section or will be on a CD for purchases?

3) Will the signal configuration be an "manual" configuration or will be an "unexpected" signal change? like on MSTS's "Riding the Yellows" game (meaning that when I operate on an certain speed I see a green signal ahead and unexpectedly dropped into an yellow 4 miles ahead and so on)

4) As for the default equipment, would anyone mind telling us the most useful equipments used on Train Sim? so I can go over and see what we have andwe dont have..

Thanks for the help!
Dave

[Vince]

(A1.) All default equipment used for testing and initial release.
(A2.) Will be in file library for download. Free.
(A3.) Prototypical operation. Not sure what you mean by "manual."
(A4.) All the default equipment available in the original Microsoft release is available for the route
(as it is for ANY route that is on a users system)

I'm not sure what you mean by "useful equipment".
To me, all the rolling stock and engines are useful if the user is happy running them on a route.

[kevarc]

For the CSX lines I think that very little default equipment will show up there. BNSF just would not be right. I think quite a few activities could be made with the B&O Heritage Pack and the Sandpatch equipment for this route. I am having problems doing activities for the LV route. Just can't get into them for some reason. Writers block, whatever, I just can't "see" the activities like I could for other routes. And the ones I have started for it, just don't feel right. Beats me, guess a little burnout.

[rd4man]

Maybe he wants to know if the turnouts can be operated manually in any activities that come with the route. Sometimes this is very useful.....even though it might go against the activity designer's plans.

[GaryH2]

Excellent work Vince! I look forward to downloading it!

Gary

Edit: Spelling. Fingers are getting tired.

[dedwa15237]

Close... Pretty close.

What I was hoping for, a real "remote" control. Like the dispatchers (the computer itself) opens or closes the switch(es) and regulates the signals. like If I was on the number 2 track, going westbound, theres 2 eastbounds coming at the same track, the DS has to put me in the "hole" until the trains are cleared, and so on. So, that way you wont have to fiddle around with the mainline switches. Wouls be nice to make everything like the real thing.

Dave

[kevarc]

yes but the AI dispatcher is an idiot.

[rd4man]

Well...there IS a simulation out there called Dispatcher something; can't recall now, that lets YOU be the DS for all kinds of routes. Plus you can 'create' your own routes. I had it some time ago, but have long since deleted it to make room for MSTS!

[davereage]

Wow, looks great Vince! That map makes my head spin (in a good way of course). I can't believe the variety this route will allow, frieght, high spped passenger, commuter, rapid transit.....I can't wait to see all the activities people come up with!

[kevarc]

Amdud - naw don't think so.

[Vince]

Oops. . . I just noticed a mistake on the map. Item (7) should read "Bowie Wye & Popes Creek Branch" not Port Road Branch.
Sorry 'bout that.

[Vince]

OK, been working up activities so the testers have something to run with.
Also been working on the installer. Can't get it to put the consist files in the consist directory...they end up in the root of the route directory.
Hopefully, (and it looks good) will get it to the testers this week....hang in there.

[Vince]

It's all worked out Kevin.

The "signal problem" was not caused by the signals, it was caused by ME! Somehow my using the same consist in two different activities caused an amazing foulup in one of the activities where an AI train was waiting at a absolute red signal until his preceeding AI passed the next absolute...12 miles down the line! With 11 permissive signals between the two absolutes!
Drove me nuts for two weeks.
Then in building the installer there were several missing night texture files that caused a crash, and some minor problems with the batch file.
I have ONE more test to run tomorrow, checking the installer on Denny Taphorn's WinME system.
Tested out OK on my Win98SE machine.
Also tested on a virgin default install on my old 500Mhz P2 with old ATI PCI video...worked great if you like frame rates in the 7-10 range. :+

I then uninstalled the Sim from the old machine and re-installed in a non-default location; C:\Games\Trainsim to see if the installer and batch file could handle it.
Completed this last in-house test 5 minutes ago and am happy to say it worked slicker than snot.
The installer does a complete install in under two minutes with no un-zipping, copying, pasting or trying to figure out which temp folder you put the unzip files.
Just tell the installer where your sim is installed if in a non default location and it sets everything up.

If your Sim is in the default location you just click GO and in under two minutes you're driving trains.
Bout' doggone time I say!
Well actually it does take an additional 2 minutes 30 seconds to generate the terrain buffers but only the first time you run the route.

The installer self extracting executable is 29 megabytes. This will be the download size from the file library.
The full installed route folder size is 165 megabytes.

I will be mailing the CD's to the beta testers tomorrow if there are no problems with the install test on Denny's machine. I don't expect any as he has tested the installer previously, just not the version with all the bells and whistles.

George in Philadelphia: Please send me your address!!
edit: Add route map jpg