Yes, it is possible and some people are doing it... however, since TTD wasn't really designed to do that, we decided to stick with standard sizes for this set.
I personally would have liked to draw trains like you did (they look more realistic), but the glitches they would incur into when on slopes or curves put me off (you would have wagons that bend in curves, or that get clipped so much that they would look as if they were derailing at each curve).
So, if you want your creations to be included in the set, you should follow standard measures... as for shading and detailing, they will come with experience you should just start working on them.
On the other hand, I think following TTD's palette is a must for everyone... isn't it?
The French Narrow Gauge Train Set is now released! Get it here
Well, there was a Russian one that tried to experiment with doing what you're talking about. It did not work too well. The game just isn't designed to work that way.
Development Projects Site: http://www.as-st.com/ttd
Japan, American Transition, Planeset, and Project Generic Stations available there
krtaylor wrote:Well, there was a Russian one that tried to experiment with doing what you're talking about. It did not work too well. The game just isn't designed to work that way.
I recall the CSSet also had most coaches and 'MU at a non-standard length. Some of 'em even used two slots to let a coach have a passenger and mail compartment at the same time. A very intelligent way to do things IMO.
However, I think the French set is better off with standard lengths.
That's because the "long" locos are actually two or even three separate pieces. Watch them when they go around corners - they split in half. You could do the same thing with a passenger car if you wished, but it would look strange.
Development Projects Site: http://www.as-st.com/ttd
Japan, American Transition, Planeset, and Project Generic Stations available there
The way we did it in the NARS with the Centennial was to code it as a multipart (3 unit) loco, but have a single sprite. The clipping isn't bad at all, and it actually looks pretty normal for TTD. I'm all for longer vehicles, especially if it works like this... but it would be a big step in TTD evolution, that's for sure.
Attachments
Hills and curves look relatively normal
Hill-curve-1.jpg (52.24 KiB) Viewed 4476 times
A little bit of brief clipping on curves, nothing major
Clipping - a bit.jpg (35.51 KiB) Viewed 4474 times
Going up an incline, looks rather normal, no clipping
The clipping isn't really that bad, only a little bit on the slopes.
The only big problem atm. is coupling this trains with carriages from other normal sets. When I do this they will attach in the middle of the loco instead of the end.
DanMack, your locomotive is interesting! I guess you technically coded it as a 3-part vehicle, but only assigned the sprite to the first (or middle?) part, right?
So far, the FRSet only has one locomotive that's longer than the standard length: it's the 2CC2 3400 of 1929, almost 24 meters long. I drew it as a two-part articulated engine, intended to be coded in two separate sprites therefore bending in half in curves, but DM's good results show that there might be a better way of coding it.
Theoretically, one could extend this to passenger carriages as well. What I would like to avoid for this set, is to have engines of the same length as carriages (very unrealistic). Perhaps drawing a 40-pixel-long pax carriage and code it in a similar way as DM suggested might have acceptable results in terms of proportions and looks in curves and bends. It might not be perfect, but I guess it could be worth a try... What do you think?
Of course, this would make it problematic to use different train sets at the same time. But that's a whole other can of worms. This set will not be intended to work with other sets as well (of course people will be able to use it like that, but at their own risk).
MB: Yours is a good point. I also hesitated a bit when it came to setting my electric locomotives' height. When you say inconsistent, you mean that not all of your locos have the same height, right? This is something I do with my steamers... I usually define different combinations of boiler and cab height to give the overall impression of how large and hefty the engine is. I'm attaching a sketch that shows three different sizes for different locomotives. Shunters and NG locos are even smaller, btw.
As for electrics, the variant you proposed probably gives a better idea of the proportions of the loco (it correctly looks longer), but then I guess the panto would need to be redrawn, because it wouldn't probably touch the catenary wire anymore. Another thing that put me off is that, by lowering it by one pixel, the sides would become 5 pixel high instead of 6. That's a 1/6 reduction in drawing area, which constraints even more the shading and detailing possibilities. And with crocodile-shaped engines, this would be even trickier. Do you have any particular criteria you use to set the height of your engines?
This issue is of course is strictly connected to defining the height of wagons, as well...
Attachments
Large (231C), medium (230D), small (140A)
threesizes.png (2.03 KiB) Viewed 4418 times
The French Narrow Gauge Train Set is now released! Get it here
Some of the articulated locomotives such as the Challenger, Big Boy, etc. had the front section on a separate frame. On a sharp curve, it would actually leave the boiler hanging out to the outside of the curve. If you were drawing one of these as a three-part, if you kept the boiler as part of the middle sprite and let it "hang out" over the running gear, that would actually be accurate.
ostlandr wrote:Some of the articulated locomotives such as the Challenger, Big Boy, etc. had the front section on a separate frame. On a sharp curve, it would actually leave the boiler hanging out to the outside of the curve. If you were drawing one of these as a three-part, if you kept the boiler as part of the middle sprite and let it "hang out" over the running gear, that would actually be accurate.
Also done in NARS, with the Challenger and Mallet.
trainboy2004 wrote:
The only big problem atm. is coupling this trains with carriages from other normal sets. When I do this they will attach in the middle of the loco instead of the end.
You need to make it articulated, and not multihead. I can help you with that if you want to
Apart from windows and doors black highlighting, it's perfect, with an original curved look
If I can help you improving your English :
Mister Me wrote:Hi, I'm french, and i live in eastern of France. I was draw an AGC (Automotrice à Grande Capacité=DMU hight Capacity) with colors of Franche Comté.
I live in eastern France.
I drew an AGC (High Capacity DMU) with Franche-Comté colors.
(i can draw but i don't now code a .nfo file!)
I can draw it but I don't know how to code a .nfo file.
Though you're artwork looks pretty nice, unfortunately the sprites are too big for Transport Tycoon. Please read my drawing tutorials (link in sig) for info about sprite sizes, color palette and lighting effects.
Your scale is unfortunately completely off - more than twice as large as they should be. The width-length proportions are also not TTD-ish. In TTD the length will always have to be compressed, not realistic. See comparison picture:
you should just start working on them.
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