Train autorenew map

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description below...

[follow]

Hello.

I know that idea of auto-renew feature was heavily discussed on the forum.
But I even then I would advertise my proposition.

I am thinking about something I called 'renew map'.

Idea is to allow player to specify what kind of engines should
be replaced, with what engines, and when.

So basically this would be mapping between every kind of engine
(even outdated) and available engines.

I have visualized (with gimp only for now) how it could look like.

Features:

• dragging engines from left column to right to add mapping
  (eg. drag SH125 from left to space near Manley-Morel DMU at right
  to add auto-renew rule of all Manley-Morels to SH125)
• dragging may be hard to implement because of scrollbar
  some other mechanism need to be applied than (click+click, dropdown list or so)
• selecting time of renewing (with < > buttons *):
  • now (go to depot ASAP and replace)
  • depot (renew engine when it goes to depot by itself)
  • 1 2 3 5 10 20 years (fixed renew time after engine is at least n years old and go to depot by itself)
  • old (when engine is getting old and go to depot by itself)
  • never (mapping is configured, but never applied automatically, some manual action required)
• using fixed time option will allow to keep having young fleet (you may exchange engin with the same type, but new)
• engines that are outdated are gray in left column, so you know you should exchange them
  (and they cannot be dragged)

Feature should additionally include:

• refit the loco being exchanged so it has same cargo as this being exchanged
• handle multiheaded trains (watch out for different engine types among)

Feature may additionally include:

• some support of automatically rebuilding trains that use other kind of track
  (need ideas how to accomplish this)
• support for other vehicles
• support for train wagons
• * space near engine details may be used for buttons for all time options (now, depot, 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 20, old, never) to avoid multiple clicking of cursors. Or maybe dropdown lists?

Other wishes:

• support for getting rid of some wagons if resulting train is longer than initial
• what to do with cargo that was in exchanged vehicle (ideas?)
• allow exchange of one engine train with multihead one
• allow situation where multiheaded train (eg. 3 engines 1200hp each) is replaced with one engine (10000hp) (good GUI ideas needed)
• CTRL-click on GoToDepot icon of train window sends the train to depot for immidiate replacement (according to the mapping). Other engines of that type are still replaced according to rules given in mapping configuration (eg. when are old). If no mapping is given, engine is replaced with new one of the same type.
• sending for immidiate replacement could be also done directly from train list window. This could be especially useful with Sort train list patch ( http://www.tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php?t=9111 )

sorry I have no time to implement this now

Jan

[dominik81]

Looks good. I would propose to keep it as simple as possible. Maybe just two colums that map the old vehicle to the new one. Than a global "renewal" setting would be enough. You could set it to "never", "vehicle is old", "vehicle is very old" or any amount of fixed years. i don't think it's really needed to be able to change it for each vehicle type.

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i don't think it's really needed to be able to change it for each vehicle type.

I think there are reasons why per-engine time option is useful.
When new 200kmh 6000hp engine just became availble,
you may want to renew all 100kmh 3000hp engines soon, while you can wait
with exchanging 180kmh 5000hp engines while they became old...

PS.
Of course 'defaults' should be kept simple. (This can be empty list + 'when old' on any newly added mapping)

[lucaspiller]

One thing though, does everyone choose certain trains to renew the current ones with? I usually upgrade to the best if I have enough money and I should think this is what a lot of other people do.

[follow]

Ok, so in this case maybe one more option to the time field: NEVER.

So still you can configure mapping, but it will be never applied automatically.

But CTRL-clicking on the depot (I just added description of this to wishes above) will exchange this particular engine with the configured one.

[follow]

Another proposition of configuration window look.

Options selected by dropdown lists.

[lucaspiller]

Yes I think the idea of ctrl clicking would upgrade the train, that will save loads of time, but most people will want the most recent and nothing but.

[NCarlson]

I love that system, if it could be implemented it would be almost perfect. It completly avoids the manual replacement and allows you to use things other than the most recent engine (I always use whatever is most effective by stats, which means I often have older engines on freight).

[follow]

(...) but most people will want the most recent and nothing but.

Choosing of most recent engine will fail for three reasons:
- not everybody likes having engines that has low reliability in early years after being available
- there are new low power engines introduced that cannot haul big cargo loads (eg. Dash 120kmh, 700hp in 1984)
- exchanging simple engine with (most recent) multiheaded one can lead to troubles

[lucaspiller]

Ummm, suppose, by most recent I meant the best - which usually is the most recent, well in later years it is.

[NCarlson]

I still much prefer the flexibility of the system that allows you to select the settings.

[jules]

I am thinking about something I called 'renew map'.

I Love you follow.

some support of automatically rebuilding trains that use other kind of track

Erm, why not make it so if a railway depot is next to a monorail railway, they act as one depot, go in the railway depot, change, come out the monorail one

what to do with cargo that was in exchanged vehicle

Dopesnt really matter that much, just bin it.

allow situation where multiheaded train (eg. 3 engines 1200hp each) is replaced with one engine (10000hp)

If the dual headed engine had cargo, then build the new engine and a carrage of that type, otherwise just the new engine.

sorry I have no time to implement this now

Cries

[Dribbel]

some support of automatically rebuilding trains that use other kind of track

Erm, why not make it so if a railway depot is next to a monorail railway, they act as one depot, go in the railway depot, change, come out the monorail one

Why not convert a train when it is in a depot and you do TrackConversion on that depot?

[follow]

some support of automatically rebuilding trains that use other kind of track

Erm, why not make it so if a railway depot is next to a monorail railway, they act as one depot, go in the railway depot, change, come out the monorail one

Why not convert a train when it is in a depot and you do TrackConversion on that depot?

Problem is that all trains on that line must go to depots before conversion can occur.
Otherwise you will be left with not converted trains without any depots they can go into.
(fast fix: build one depot per train :-P )

But I like these ideas, and I think jules' one could be easiest to implement.

• You configure new track type and the engine type, and if train enters a depot that has depot of the new type next to, conversion is made.
  Otherwise old train continues journey, until it gets to such depot pair.
  And this is user responsibility to wait until all trains get converted, than convert track, connect new type depots to it, and start the trains.

edit (2 minutes later)
Oh, Dribbel, I misunderstood you I think...
You mean you stop all trains in depots, than click TrackConversion on it, and all trains get exchanged to new type according to the mapping then? Yeah, good idea ;)
And this mapping could have a 'default' change-to rule, not to have to define
exchange rule for every old-type engine.

[lucaspiller]

ChrisCF worked on a patch that upgrades new trains when newer ones are available by sending them to the depot to be upgraded. If there was a thing to upgrade your whole network something like this would be used to upgrade the trains, and then the tracks would be upgraded when all the trains are in the depot. Ok so it would require a lot of work.

One thing to note though, wagons for different types of railways have different capacities - so you may want to upgrade these too.