Recycled Bridge Set
Posted: 18 Dec 2016 02:52
by SimYouLater
Reviving this topic as I try to gather up the sprites and code for a special bridge set. Stay tuned.
- [+] Spoiler
- I've discovered that, no matter what roadset, railset or bridgeset I use, I cannot get graphics that meet the conditions I want without graphical glitches. While trying to think of a solution, I've resolved to ask for assistance in creating BARRB, the Beautifully Awesome Roads, Rails & Bridges set. What previously took a couple dozen NewGRFs could now be able to only take one two NewGRF under the right conditions, and no more than 12 in a worst case scenario, while looking far more detailed than default or OpenGFX graphics (no offence to anyone who made them, of course).
Now that I seem to have made FicTownNames large enough for the time being, and nobody has made requests for more town names, I decided I want to try my hand at making a "perfect" graphic set for roads and rails.
1) Roads, tram tracks, rails and bridges that look more interesting than OpenGFX and TTD; all graphics will be aesthetically compatible with OpenGFX and licensed under public domain (or GPL if OpenGFX requires it)
*Roads will change from gravel/cobblestone to asphalt in 1965 by default, changeable by parameter
*Roads will have one-way signs for one-way roads and blockers/bollards on a pedestrian/bike path for blocked roads
*Roads will have crosswalks in city asphalt and in cobblestone; crosswalks will be designed to merge together when adjacent, as is the case when two intersections are right beside each other. Unfortnately the only way to make country roads work well is to not give them "stopping lines".
*Drive-through stops and bus stations/truck loading docks will have pre- and post-asphalt versions
*Tram tracks will be designed to cover up "roads" completely when they are supposed to be "off-road"; this is a graphical glitch that has always bugged me :S
2) Temperate/alpine/sub-arctic/sub-tropical railtypes in multiple speeds and track gauges and types, each type able to change maximum speeds, switch between normal/finescale, and be disabled by parameters; some of these railtypes are designed to be used with trainset NewGRFs that were originally made for one railtype, or the original railtype/trainset NewGRF of some exotic transport method
*slow, normal and high-speed standard gauge speed-limited tracks, with configurable dates of availability; 6 different depots, 2 for each railtype, with the first only being constructed before a parameter-configured date.
*1 unlimited speed broad gauge
*1 unlimited speed narrow guage ("generic" in width and compatible with 600mm track set)
*2 surface metro tracks, one with catenary
*4 "underground" omnicompatible railtypes, with "caternary" that makes them look like they are under concrete, grass, forest or fake suburban houses for making underground rail lines (think PURR Rainbow Rails crossed with NuTracks Underground Metro)
*2 monorail railtypes, one a standard monorail over grass (TTO-style, right?), and the other a "halfpipe" (off by default) designed to work with the Monolev Replacement Set's "Yarmanchuk Express".
*2 realistic maglevs to represent both trench (Japanese) and monorail (Transrapid) systems, compatible with all maglevs in spite of realism (if you want realism, just don't use trains with incorrect track types)
*2 vacuum maglevs, trench and monorail types (compatible with Brainum's vacuum trains)
*wagonways and proto-rails (called "light rail" in the Early Rail Set) compatible with the Early Rail Set
*pipelines, compatible with PIPES
*telephone lines, compatible with Wired
*electric power lines, compatible with WIRES
*2 lifted tracks; overgrown gravel railbed or rural dirt trail, no fences and abandoned depot
*1 planning track; markers and construction fences
*A maximum of 27 tracks total, well under the limit in JGR's Patch Pack. By turning off Narrow Guage, Broad Guage, Surface Metro, Yarmanchuk Express Halfpipe, vacuum maglev, Early Rail railtypes, pipelines, telephone lines, power lines and one type of lifted track, this is reduced to only 14, just under the limit for Trunk OpenTTD; the remaining track types are enough for basic gameplay with multiple track speeds including caternary, lifted tracks, construction sites (planning tracks), monorail and maglev, while eschewing the more fantastical railtypes used in the far past or near future.
3) Bridges from Year 0, with the second bridge starting from 1698; other than Famous Cars, no road/rail vehicles exist before 1698 in any vehicle set
*All bridges will be designed to work with the included railtypes in such a way as to avoid glitches with the bridgeheads
*All bridges will not have high railings on roads, to prevent graphical glitches with road vehicles and trams
*All bridges will have at least one single alternate form for maglevs and monorails, a minimalist concrete structure like in SMITS; if the code allows, more exotic types will follow
*All bridges will have at least one single alternate form for vacuum maglevs, designed like a tubular bridge but with graphics meant to mesh with the "glass" tube so it looks like a solid object
*The final bridge, which will become available in 2025, will have the maximum possible top speed, to replace Brainum's vacuum bridge NewGRF which edited the speed of the final tubular bridge
4) Waypoints
*Compatibility with UK Waypoints, Dutch Station Addition Set and Michael Blunck's New Stations, as well as any other waypoints we can keep compatibility with. By compatibility, I mean both graphically and mechanically; FRISS lacks compatibility with all of the above IIRC
*At a late stage of development, new waypoints might be a possibility for BARRB
5) Better OpenGFX-style Toyland Roads and Rails. I appreciate the toned-down graphics of OpenGFX Toyland, but the tracks look boring and the roads downright ugly. The original used 1950s-era model train tracks and 1980s-era slotcar tracks. I'm sure it would be easy to make something similar, although most of the track types in other climates will be cut from toyland.
*wooden Brio toy train tracks
*metal classic Lionel/Hornby tracks for electric trains
*Lego-style monorail tracks
*Maglev? Behold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xirz7Zm8t6w and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5el1A5B-h3Q
*sandbox dirt roads
*wooden "cobblestone" roads such as http://www.woodentoystore.co.uk/csi/172 ... 3744_1.jpg
*slot car "asphalt" roads, with care taken to ensure that all possible paths a vehicle might take (except turning around on command or dead ends at tile borders) are reflected by the slots
6) NewObjects and NewStations should be left to an external NewGRF, preferrably by other creators. Even JGR's patch patch cannot exceed a certain limit of object classes (is that the right term?) and it causes glitches as a result. That said, as public domain I'm hoping the graphics will be picked up by other creators such as AuzLandscape Objects, Dutch Road Furniture and ISR/DWE Objects.
So I have two questions... Where can I get OpenGFX graphics for roads, rails and bridges to use as a template (I understand railtypes do not use background tiles, but roads are another matter, and I'm concerned bridges will be even more complex)? Who is willing to contribute to a project like this?
EDIT: I'm off to a relatively good start, but as was seen with FicTownNames, I am unable to understand Mercurial. I need someone to sort through the files I have now, upload them correctly to the devzone, and keep said files up-to-date for me. Any takers?
EDIT (19/01/2017): I now have tentative plans to make this set compatible with NotRoadTypes, including up to 15 road types and 15 tram types. Check latest posts for info.
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Contributors
SimYouLater (me)
buttercup
andythenorth