An observation

[seagoon]

After more than three hours into v3, there's one particular thing I've enjoyed which may (or may not) be of interest to others.

Firstly I want to say that my preference in any train sim is for mainline running; I am not a shunt/switch, yard-work person. My like is to move the freight from point A to point B and then let someone else do the switching stuff.
(In fact, if in real-life, this would also be my preference.)

So what I tried this morning was to climb aboard a west-bound (to LA, I think) UP loco on the eastern side of Barstow (part of the v3 default World supplied with the sim), switched Otto to "automatic for all routes" and then did not......NOT......refer to any Despatcher screen for the next hour or so to when I saved and exited the sim.

Operating in this way, not knowing what other traffic was doing or where it was located, was hugely satisfying for someone like myself who tends towards mainline running. And to approach a red signal and beep Otto for clearance added an extra touch.

Great stuff!

[WesternDivision]

Bruce, you haven't posted a Run8 video on your YouTube site for about a year now. I enjoyed your mainline run from Fresno to Seligman videos that you did in Run8 v2. How about doing it again in V3 in the opposite direction or if the distance is to long perhaps something like UP Yermo Yard to Bakersfield.

Cheers

James

[SurvivorSean]

That is the best way to run is not to look at the DS board. It's one of the benefits of running in MP. Signal indication as the DS would say and it's the most realistic way to run in CTC. In fact if I recall when I was hosting you couldn't see the DS board for that very reason as it was blanked out.

Thanks

Sean

[seagoon]

Bruce, you haven't posted a Run8 video on your YouTube site for about a year now.......if the distance is to long perhaps something like UP Yermo Yard to Bakersfield.

Thanks for your comment, James.

Yeah...I could do that and with a scenario/activity which you suggested in 2019....the coal drag from Yermo to Wasco. And would you believe I have just started it in v3?!

What I am testing is the use of the manual despatching (Otto "off") to start out and set a path and then switching Otto "on" and see what happens; will he run me through to Wasco or will he stuff-up somewhere along the way? Interesting to find out.

So I'll dump the save I've made and start again, recording as I go.

One thing is confusing me with regard to spawning a train at a spawn location; I keep being told that the spawn point has not been configured, yet it appears on the preset list. I have no clue as to why it does this because it didn't happen in v2.

[WesternDivision]

Sounds good Bruce looking forward to the videos, take your time learning the new features and enjoy .

[NorthernWarrior]

I am doing something similar Bruce, spawned in an intermodal for myself at Seligman, then spammed in some AI as quickly as the game would let me (maximum of three at a time) with the generator on too.

I will get around to working the industry but probably wait until stuff like “Busy SoCal” from The Depot has been updated for the track changes in V.3.

[seagoon]

......probably wait until stuff like “Busy SoCal” from The Depot has been updated for the track changes in V.3.

I'm looking forward to some of the old favourite Worlds being done for v3.

[NorthernWarrior]

Longer term I want to set up an emulation of the old SIAM Tehachapi despatching game set in 1991. I’ve made a start on converting the old style headcodes or whatever the train reporting numbers are known as in the States. However as the SIAM game only covered the Mojave Sub I then need to calculate where and at what time the incoming traffic will need to be spawned. Of course anything that isn’t already on the area at midnight will need to be dropped in manually at an appropriate time. I know we got some nice new features with V3 but an actual scenario editor where you could pre-define what time trains and where they spawn without player intervention.

[seagoon]

......an actual scenario editor where you could pre-define what time trains and where they spawn without player intervention.

Yeah, that would be a nice touch. Maybe in v4, Vern?

In a similar vein - and this should not be read as a negative criticism of what the team have given us - is something which came to me as I was setting up the "Coal to Wasco" run: the ability to pop your train down at point A (using the TMU) and then going to the destination at point B (on whatever despatcher's screen it may be located), clicking on something and thereby telling Otto "This is where I want to go....so get me there!"

[Logan37]

From what I’ve seen and heard about, as long as your train is tagged appropriately then OTTO should route you through although it still may have you wait in a siding if there’s an oncoming AI train with higher priority (which makes sense and is realistic.) Of course, when you get to the point of having to use throw switches, you’d have to request mainline control when you’re within that block. I haven’t tested it myself on trains with local destination tags as far as OTTO goes (mainline trains like Q-BARLAC or whatever work that way at least), so I’m definitely interested in seeing how it all turns out.

I’ve only done some work with the Y-BK50 local near Bakersfield, but that was pretty simple because there were no AI trains around at the time, and I just needed OTTO to route me through to the point where the industries are. Then, I just had to request mainline authority once I got there so I could do some switching. I’d have to try something more complex later, but then again I also want to try the AI humping feature too. There’s so much to do.