US Set Development Thread

[lobster]

I keep saying that I'm never touching the stuff agin, but I always seem to once the bartender sits a shot and a lemon in front of me.

you know, a bottle or even a glass of plain Absinte will solve any drinking problem.

i love the stations, will those be included in the JC's industrial stations? and why is there only one file left for download on the USSET website last time i checked?

[krtaylor]

I would expect that the new stations would be included in the Industrial Stations set, or the US Stations set, as appropriate.

I just looked at the website and it has all the usual downloads, what were you looking for?

The ATSF SD40-2 looks nice but very similar to the RSD Alligator.

Speaking of files, what's the news on the US town names, and the US roads?

[krtaylor]

Oracle, I finally got to the end of my temperate game, and I found several structural issues that I'm surprised nobody noticed. I'm not sure what the right solution is but I'm open to suggestions.

1. Bilevels. We lose the Genesis around 2010, and after that there's no diesel passenger locomotive that can haul bilevels. The JetTrain works nicely but doesn't like bilevels. Should we draw bilevels for it? I can't think of a reason why it wouldn't actually have them, after all Bombardier makes them both.

2. Electric freight haulage. We lose the E60C in 2012 and the new electric loco isn't ready yet. We should bring it back earlier to 2010, or let the E60C live longer. Or another imaginary electric loco as a bridge?

This is why playtesting is so complex I guess. Mostly everything else seems well balanced in the Arctic and Temperate. Now, on to Tropic...

[Oz]

Dan: I though so. The big freighters from Minnesota would pull up and the cranes unload them. I'm assuming that the grates underneath the track are for the hoppers to unload to the bins where the conveyors gather and take the ore to the furnaces (I'm planning on using the conveyors in my mill when I start drawing it.) It'd be really nice to use this depot if the mill is close to a port for the total effect, but either way, I think the hoists should work fine for an ore unloading station.

Astath: There's one problem with absinthe in the U.S. It's slightly illegal. Well, the drink isn't, but the wormwood essence is. People have said you can order it via the internet, but I really don't the U.S. Customs service knocking on my door. I'd love to try it, and hang out like Toulouse-Lautrec, et. al. used to. Hey, we can buy absinthe "flavored" liquor, though.

Thanks, again, everyone for their kind comments!

Hey! Anyone wanna code a trestle? I have to tell you fellas, drawing this was nowhere near fun. In fact, it was a b**ch. I really like the higher bridge feature, but it plays hell with trying to draw bridges that look right. Comments, concerns, questions welcome.

Cheers!

[DanMacK]

1. Andrew... those are SD45 sprites you painted, not SD40-2 =>Below is a pair of SD40-2's using my newest spriteset. RH unit is a "snoot", LH unit is standard. No, they're not that detailed, they're only about half finished...
2. B52 - the nose on that SF SD40-2 looks too long
3. Oz... OMFG WOW man! Finally, a REAL steel bridge Absolutely gorgeous man!

[The Irish]

Oz,

Great work man, absolutely fantastic. I like your big cranes and steelmillstations.
And that trestle might be the best bridge graphics I have seen so far.
Keep it up.

[uzurpator]

Frankly, I think it is a little bright, what do you think?

If being too bright was the only thing that is wrong with it...

Oz: Great work

DanMacK:

pretty good, albeit too bright imho. Anyhoo - I'm trying to understand something here.

1. Why are you always drawing the hood 3-px wide? Imho it makes it seem that the porch around the loco is only on one side...

2. The window seems to be a bit too high - it looks like the window is right at the level of the roof, without the sloping part.

3. Regarding just this sd40 - long hood is too low - should be 4 px armour yellow, 1 px black/grey

[Born Acorn]

Hey! Anyone wanna code a trestle? I have to tell you fellas, drawing this was nowhere near fun. In fact, it was a b**ch. I really like the higher bridge feature, but it plays hell with trying to draw bridges that look right. Comments, concerns, questions welcome.

Cheers!

They rock!

[uzurpator]

1. Bilevels. We lose the Genesis around 2010, and after that there's no diesel passenger locomotive that can haul bilevels. The JetTrain works nicely but doesn't like bilevels. Should we draw bilevels for it? I can't think of a reason why it wouldn't actually have them, after all Bombardier makes them both.

No bilevels for Acela/Jet. I'd rather draw another "diesel" psgr loco, although I see no reason not to add f59 as a final "bilevel" loco. After all commuter agencies will run those to the ground, then rebuild and run to the ground once again ^^

2. Electric freight haulage. We lose the E60C in 2012 and the new electric loco isn't ready yet. We should bring it back earlier to 2010, or let the E60C live longer. Or another imaginary electric loco as a bridge?

E60 in ex NdeM livery?

[krtaylor]

The US set doesn't have any bridges at all in it. I'm not sure if we want to add any. I also don't know if Oracle knows how to code them. That said, I do like that trestle and it would be nice to see it in the game somehow.

@uzurpator

- OK, we make the F59 a terminal loco that doesn't ever die - please note, Oracle. Makes good sense to me.

- Keep the E60C an extra decade, just make more recent ones (2000+) a different livery to indicate they are ex-NdeM refurbs? Sounds like a great plan to me. uzurpator, I take it you'll draw it?

[DanMacK]

Uzurpator - I use the 3 px width because I found if I use 2, the hood looks too square , and GM hoods are noticably angled, and they look wrong if I do 2 px (trust me, I tried). I admit it looks a bit odd with the taper, but they look worse IMHO if I don't include it.

As far as the brightness goes, yes, it is bright, why? Because it was a quick repaint. The hood's i px too short due to the 3px wide roof. As I said, I prefer drawing 3 px wide, it looks better overall IMHO

[uzurpator]

Uzurpator - I use the 3 px width because I found if I use 2, the hood looks too square , and GM hoods are noticably angled, and they look wrong if I do 2 px (trust me, I tried). I admit it looks a bit odd with the taper, but they look worse IMHO if I don't include it.

As far as the brightness goes, yes, it is bright, why? Because it was a quick repaint. The hood's i px too short due to the 3px wide roof. As I said, I prefer drawing 3 px wide, it looks better overall IMHO

So you are sacrificing the _whole_ locomotive silhouette to represent one small detail (angled front and back), that even then does not look right since at this scale it seems that the loco is all curvy - like F7 or somesuch... intresting approach

5 px tall hood is NOT an option - its a necessity - 8px side/4 px roof (with 1 px trimmings on each side for road switcher) is dictated by how the whole TTD loco graphics is drawn - and in effect - most of the sprites in USset.

BTW - basic physics - windows are black, unless there is strong light shooting at them. Take a look at photos from TTD-esque angle.

[DanMacK]

Dude, I've been drawing them like this since I started last year, and after several dozen different units and even more paint schemes, you tell me NOW they're not up to your standards... Give me a f*** break here. Yes, it looks a bit low, but it was a choice between looking right on the top and looking right on the side. I chose looking right on the top, and IMHO, it looks fine.

Feel free to redraw any of my sprites to your standards, I really don't care anymore. You expect me to redraw every hood unit I've drawn up to this point just because you say I should have a 2px wide hood? Know what? Go to Hell... I however will not change things because personally, I think the 2px wide hood looks TOO narrow. You want 5px tall hoods? Great... Draw them yourself... I quit.

I've got the Canadian set and the Finnish set to draw for, You, Andrew and B52 can finish up this set, I really don't care anymore.

[Raichase]

I'm sorry to see you leave the set Dan, I really liked your vehicles done for it. However, it will be nice to see more of your work in the Canadian Set, and the Finnish Set.

[DanMacK]

Well, I'm not stopping ALL drawing for this set, but I refuse to draw or repaint any more roadswitchers. I will eventually get around to the other steam and F7's I promised, but for now, I need to concentrate on my other commitments.

[krtaylor]

I firmly believe, as I've said several times, that we don't need any more redrawing of the sprites already drawn. They're fine, for goodness' sake. If uzurpator wants to redraw things, then fine, but I don't think it's necessary. Just keep on doing your excellent work, Dan, and don't worry about it. And of course, uzurpator's work is excellent too.

[B52]

Sorry to see you leave Dan, I can't wait to see that F7. We are really going to miss you.

On other news, "GE imagenation at work," WORKED. They just came up with the 90jet. A more fuel effeciant engine. I got this from Time magezine, and a commercial on the telli.

[DanMacK]

I think I can swing the F7... main thing is, my drawings will continue to be done as I've drawn them the last year. If certain people deem that they prefer a 2px wide hood to a 3px wide hood, that's fine, they're welcome to redraw anything of mine they want to fit their standard. I prefer the 3px wide hood, and all of my locomotives will continue to have it.

Anyone has a problem with that... as I said, they can redraw them. I was extremely pissed off after a bad call when I wrote that last post. I am however taking a hiatus from drawing for this set for awhile, as I have some other pressing projects that need to be worked on. The USSet is in a VERY playable state right now, so livery variants are something that can be worked on at a leisurely pace.

Currently, I've got another locomotive to draw for the Dutch set, a bunch of freight wagons and locomotives for the Finnish set, as well as the Canadian set, which I hope to have a teaser release for that soon. I've put A LOT of effort into this set, and as I said, there's still a bunch more to be drawn, I will get to it eventually... even the roadswitchers, just give me some time to get other things caught up.

[Thrakki]

Been a while since I've done anything, so I decided I'd try doing a Conrail livery for the SW1500. Of course, I don't know how many people even use the engine, so I might not finish it. A preview:

[krtaylor]

Well. I use the switchers frequently in the Tropic environment, but I don't think that the Conrail livery is most appropriate there. Nothing wrong with adding another livery though, and I think Conrail is a particularly attractive one.