Idea: 'maintenance'.

[andythenorth]

Several times various ways have been suggested to implement 'maintenance'. Here's another, and it could be implemented entirely in nfo. I'm not spending too long on this right now, but here's the irc transcript

andythenorth: I've just invented a way to actually implement 'maintenance'
[20:39] andythenorth: entirely in nfo
[20:40] andythenorth: it's a hack, but it could be fun
[20:40] andythenorth: or really tiresome micromanagement
[20:43] andythenorth: I create a cargo 'maintenance'. When 'normal' cargos are delivered to a station, cb 39 checks when 'maintenance' was last delivered to that station. If it's too long, no profit
[20:44] andythenorth: meanwhile player runs trains carrying 'maintenance', serving each station every so many days (timetables may actually be useful here).
[20:44] andythenorth: maintenance has two options: costs a lot of money (to help with the too much money problem), or breaks even (to prevent loss-making vehicle problem)
[20:46] andythenorth: this would apply to rail and road stations, maybe docks, not airports
[20:46] andythenorth: 'exciting' vehicles would be provided to carry 'maintenance'
[20:47] andythenorth: 'maintenance' cargo would come from a specific industry type. This could either just produce (as primary), or require supplies.
[20:48] andythenorth: Maintenance would not be accepted anywhere, just unload it and reload it on stations (so var 63 sees it)
[20:48] Eddi|zuHause: sounds very silly

[kamnet]

*ponders* What if, instead of being delivered by trains, they're delivered by specific support vehicles?

[andythenorth]

*ponders* What if, instead of being delivered by trains, they're delivered by specific support vehicles?

The idea would be to draw maintenance vehicles

[audigex]

It definitely goes with the realism aspect, and as close as we're likely to get to track-maintenance vehicles. I like the idea - as with anything else, nobody has to use it.

[Bob_Mackenzie]

*ponders* What if, instead of being delivered by trains, they're delivered by specific support vehicles?

The idea would be to draw maintenance vehicles

Well most maintenance is done by blokes in vans and there are plenty of vans about in TTD land

[Lord Aro]

seems a bit too hack-ish to my liking

[andythenorth]

Probably better for the suggestions forum, but what other nice ways could maintenance work?

Personally I'm just looking for an excuse to run track machines / snowploughs / graders I want to see some in game, and I don't like the idea of running them as loss-making eye-candy vehicles Fo me this is the main justification for 'maintenance'.

My guess is that adding 'maintenance' to trunk is not likely to get dev support.

[lawton27]

You could try implement it as a cargo carried by specially coded maintenance vehicles, it is produced at some kind of depot industry same as previously suggested but in implementation I think it could work by using a cargo stockpile feature and low usage (or high maintenance capacity's) on all buildings and industries setting maintenance as a required cargo to produce whatever. This would simulate people not using stations due to low levels of maintenance.

Would it be possible given its the same change to all buildings and industries make it automatically apply and work with all building/industry sets automatically?

And also with either my way or Andy's way I'd say maintenance should make just enough money on transport to keep the vehicle in a small profit thus avoiding annoying pop-ups.

[Ameecher]

The maintenance industry that produces it would have to very prolific otherwise your whole network could grind to a halt because the industry isn't producing enough. Strikes me as too sketchy to be worth implementing.

[kamnet]

Probably better for the suggestions forum, but what other nice ways could maintenance work?

Personally I'm just looking for an excuse to run track machines / snowploughs / graders I want to see some in game, and I don't like the idea of running them as loss-making eye-candy vehicles Fo me this is the main justification for 'maintenance'.

My guess is that adding 'maintenance' to trunk is not likely to get dev support.

Technically, though, they ARE going to be loss-making vehicles. In the real world those vehicles don't make any profit directly. Their job is to support the rail infrastructure and having them is simply a cost of doing business. But, they're not going to be much more than eye candy unless track maintenance and quality is factored into the game.

For example, if a track has not been maintained in a few years, then you're not going to be able to run trains over it at optimal speed. The longer you delay in maintaining the track, the more costly it will be to do so as time goes on. You would definitely need to do it anytime there was a crash, either on the line or at a level crossing with a road vehicle. Tracks in winter are also going to need snow removal if it runs above the snow line. Bridges have to be regularly inspected and repaired as well.

Those would be cool features to get slipped into trunk, but I realistically don't see that happening soon. And, just to be honest, that might be too much micromanagement to me and I think would work better as a configurable option.

[First ZERO]

Personally I'm just looking for an excuse to run track machines / snowploughs / graders I want to see some in game, and I don't like the idea of running them as loss-making eye-candy vehicles Fo me this is the main justification for 'maintenance'.

even just eye-candy vehicles is great and will fit to me

maybe a way to explore is how road maintenance works for towns.
-Applied to a rail section (limited bteween two stations ?)
-no benefit for doing it as tracks don't have aging or similar to take as a reference ; only cost
-eye-candy vehicles on this track during the maintenance period
-track is unusable during the maintenance period
it would make the trick (or not lol !)

[frankvw]

Other idea, unless a "track maintenance" vehicle runs on it every x units of time, the tracks see their max speed reduced by y mph.
Means that fast train tracks / passenger tracks must be inspected quite often, same goes for bridges. Lines used by freight trains would see far less inspections, and still enable the trains' max speeds.

Doesn't that sound realistic ?

Now, the implementation could be a headache..

[Eddi]

that's silly. freight routes take way more maintenance (due to increased wear).

compare to roads: one lorry of 10 times (axle) weight than a car causes 1000 times (10^3) more damage to the road surface.