"Routes" primary way to handle traffic

[Scay]

Starting off with a small disclaimer; I've searched the forums but couldn't find anything that completely resembles my idea, feel free to correct me!

I've tried the latest nightly, I've seen groups and timetable. Also gave Simutrans a shot to see some differences. What is common to both sims is that they don't allow you to handle lots of routes/groups/vehicles easily. I would suggest a whole new approach to handle traffic instead of adding features here and there to current game.

My (or someone elses if I missed it) idea will make "Routes" the primary way to handle your vehicles. There can be groups that contains several routes to make it easier to get an overview but what is important is to get rid of the micromanagement of individual vehicles.

This is the idea how the workflow should be for starting a new route (example in italic):
1. Find your desired route
A nice wood to papermill route
2. Build necessary tracks, stations, depot & signals
Two stations, one in each end, with a train depot. Double track a waypoint and some signals.
3. Click on the route icon in the toolbar
4. Route window opens which shows already assigned routes and group of routes
5. Click "New route" and select a name for it (This can be adjusted later as well, you can just press enter if you want to)
6. Assign orders to the route (instead of vehicle) as usually, the route editor will check according to the first point that this route willl only be able to use track/trains
Goto Wood (Full load)
Go non-stop via Wood DELIVERY
Goto Paper (Unload)
Service at Wood Depot
7. Select home/start depot for the route
Click on the depot closest to get started collecting wood
8. In the current route windows vehicle tab choose "New vehicle set"
9. Construct the type of train that will use this route, there can be several different train setups in use
One good engine with 5 wood wagons
10. Select number of sets of each train setup
Select 2 sets of the wood-train setup
11. Click "Apply", a red window opens with the cost of the current changes, confirm or cancel
Everything looks fine, money well spent. Clicking "Yes"
12. Trains are bought, they start at the home depot and immediatley start carrying out the orders

Changing a route (example in italic):
1. Click on the route icon in the toolbar
2. Route window opens which shows already assigned routes and group of routes
3. Select the route you want to adjust and click "Edit route"
4. Do necessary changes
Change engine of the current train setup and add an extra wood wagon, also change to 3 sets of that train setup
Add another train setup with the old engine but only 2 wood wagons and select 1 set of it
Change the name of the route from "Route 1" to "Super WOOD route"
5. Click "Apply", a red window opens with the cost of the current changes, confirm or cancel
Everything looks good, the cost is what I expected, go for it...clicking yes
6. Changes are carried out, new train setup starts at home depot and the others are changed when they pass the "Service" order

There should also be more fetures, for example:
Choice to spread all/each vehicle setup(s) evenly or by a minimum number of days (timetable)
Stop/start the entire route, delete the route
Group several routes together to get a better overview (For example: "Wood and Goods to City Group" containing one route for wood transport and one route for Goods transport)
Give specific priority to route
Ability to still go for a global route upgrade of specific vehicles
Choice to set individual vehicle in Auto or Manual mode to take control and solve possible problems that could be caused (don't know if this would be a necessary feature)
When clicking on a vehicle the usual "train window" opens with ability to expand the route window underneath
Copy route

A big pro would be that it would be much easier to change setups and number of the trains instead of having to deal with each vehicle set. Be able to see stats for entire route, including profit and loadlevel. No more need to share orders.
Cons, can't really think of one at the moment.

Some feedback please!!

[Tom0004]

there is away of doin this using a nightly build, i like to call it the Shared Orders, and Name Grouping of Vechiles. (SONGV for short)

1. basicly you build your line, make a train, give it orders,
2. go into the Advanced Vechile list, Trains this case. create a group, IE Wood Route 1.
3. Move that train into this newly created group.
4. Clone the Train, using the "CTRL" key while clicking clone, to give it shared orders.

and you done.

we use shared orders, so we can change/add/remove a order, from a large number of vechiles at once.

i know this doesn't answer your suggestion, but prehaps, this is a method you could adapt to you game, as it does basicly the same thing your asking, untill someone is kind enough to make a patch for this

[Scay]

Yes, I'm very aware of the current capabilities of OpenTTD since I've played it for a long time. Though I've had a long break for some time now and just have tried out the timetable and Groups.

But the problem, or annoying thing is still there.
You want to do the following:
Change vehicle setup for all trains on shared order = send all to depot, rebuild one, sell the rest and reclone the entire group or rebuild each one of them.
Withdraw or add a train is more clicking than necessary to do what you want, it's hard to get a good overview. It would be great if I could say "I want x number of trains with this setup on this route" and just click x in a box and get what I want.
I can't really see the need to handle each vehicle more or less individually when they are mostly used in groups with several vehicles doing the same thing. Unnessecary to micromanage every train individually when you want to change a setup etc.

I don't think the current implemantation of groups adds anything special in terms of user friendliness, it's still just individual trains and shared orders however you group them. I would very much prefer routes and route setups, and for overview be able to group routes instead. Simply to get rid of all micromanaging.

[l_Blue_l]

so many of your ideas you have stated here are ideas i am or have been planning on developing but as i study full time at University i have had little time to further work on these ideas but over the summer (christmas) holidays i will get back into it and see what i can finish. If you would like more information on this have a look here. If you got any further question relating to this feel free to ask me.

Edit: I like the routes window you have made something along the lines of that would go nicely with all the changes.

[Scay]

Thanks for the feedback...and of course the compliments on my excellent Photoshop drawing skills

It's a really rough sketch but shows what an compact and expanded version of a route >could< look like. The green is to show if it's running or not.

[Scay]

I've been away from OpenTTD for a while, but having noticed recent patch development I'd like to bring this 5 year old suggestion up again.

Patches sort of working towards this:

Template based train replacement r24093: http://www.tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=58904
"Routes": http://www.tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=62006

[YNM]

Actually you give a new suggestion here, average loading time and profits counting. (There's one in Lomo, but thats another game)

I hope OTTD devs could give a light on this ?