French Trains Set - Narrow Gauge: Translations needed!

[Bob_Mackenzie]

Ive just tried the set with the latest nightly and it still doesn't work I'm beginning to think Ive got a duff version of the rails GRF - Snail would it be possible to send me the latest version?

[Snail]

Of course! I'm actually developing a new version of both the trains and rails GRFs, which will address the shortcomings founds so far and will add a few more features. I'll send it to all playtesters, including those who applied a few days ago. It will probably be ready a few days after the weekend!

[The Irish]

Hi Snail,

Question on the rails set. I haven't really understood the speed limits of the tracks yet. There is no engine doing more then 60 km/h, but there is a high speed track set allowing 130 km/h. In addition, wagon speeds for freighters are limiting most trains to 40 km/h. So where is the reason for me to ever build a high speed track? I would suggest that we reduce the track speed of the normal track to say 50km/h and use high speed from 50 upwards.

Just some thoughts from my side.
Looking forward to the next version.

[kackofant]

dont forget that there is probably more to come:

http://www.passion-metrique.net/forums/ ... &start=765

look at this pics and maby you know than why there are 130kph rails .

[Snail]

It seems Kackofant could read my mind That's exactly it, the modern AMG800 will have two settings: one with high TE and a max speed of 100 km/h, and another one with lower TE and a max speed of 130 km/h, just like in reality. Even some railcars from the Eighties will be able to break the wall of 80 km/h, requiring the concrete-sleepers tracks to run at full speed.

We'll just have to wait a bit. Version 0.103 of the testing GRFs is being wrapped up; it will include no new vehicles, but some bug fixtures and a few added features (both for the trains ad the tracks). After that, I'll draw the remaining rolling stock to release the full NG set. All in due time

[michael blunck]

Speaking of CP, how about including a German-built DH?

http://www.tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php? ... 8f#p705924



regards
Michael

[Snail]

Oh yeah, the Henschel BB1200!

It's an interesting engine. The problem with it is a quite high axle weight, that doesn't allow it to travel at speeds higher than about 30 km/h on the CP tracks. For this reason, it's rarely used in reality...

[Coxx]

Wtf.png (98.18 KiB) Viewed 856 times

new type of harvester?

A question about the trackset: could SG and NG cross each other at the same level? (blue circle, this is not a working solution of course)

[michael blunck]

Wtf.png

158 kN?

regards
Michael

[Coxx]

CFD, 28th Jun 1913.png

(96.65 KiB) Downloaded 2 times

158 kN?

regards
Michael

Ah yes, the small Mallet has two times the TE of the big Mallet (158/80kn). The 230T got even more (163kn).

CFD, 28th Jun 1913.png

(96.65 KiB) Downloaded 2 times

[Eddi]

A question about the trackset: could SG and NG cross each other at the same level? (blue circle, this is not a working solution of course)

you cannot have two railtypes on one tile, so this needs a "universal" railtype that is compatible with both standard and narrow gauge rail. also, it currently couldn't adapt the sprite to the surrounding tiles, so showing narrow gauge and standard gauge on different trackbits is not possible (needs more varaction2 variables, which raises a few performance concerns)

[Snail]

Wtf.png

new type of harvester?

Congrats! You're the first one to spot my easter egg Hope you like it!

A question about the trackset: could SG and NG cross each other at the same level? (blue circle, this is not a working solution of course)

As Eddi pointed out, this is not possible. My assumption is that the tile would get the tracktype that was last built. You'll need to build a bridge or a tunnel for SG and NG tracktypes to cross each other.
This OTOH won't prevent us from having multiple gauge stations; it'd be sufficient to build two (or more) adjacent platforms with different tracktypes, and you'd get a station served by both types of trains at the same time.

Ah yes, the small Mallet has two times the TE of the big Mallet (158/80kn). The 230T got even more (163kn).

Yep, that's a bug that will be addressed in version 0.103.

[Coxx]

...You'll need to build a bridge or a tunnel for SG and NG tracktypes to cross each other.
...

Sad, dualgauge would look much better

220px-Voie_Plourivo.jpg (28.45 KiB) Viewed 3427 times

I noticed a small capacity bug - CdN bogie-33pax, 2-axle 40pax. I posted the pic a while ago.

I had a lot of fun playing with the set so far but if you try to stick with one livery for a company, there are not many choices, from 1930 onwards you will have a fleet of overaged steamers and no suitable replacements available. And this leaves you no choices but:
a) Don´t bother about liveries - (which is a sad choice, what´s the point of real liveries than? and bad choice, liveries are not just liveries, they also mean different capacities and consists (no 2axle coach, no mailvan etc.)
or
b) ignore it - disable breakdowns and disable warning for old vehicles
or
c) Abandon NG operation alltogether

Maybe you could extend the lifespann for some of the locos (at least 2nd generation from 1900). RBs 120T´s and 230T´s were in service for about 60 years.
I miss a more powerfull and bigger Railcars later in the game to keep NG a little longer in buisness. A Renault ABH, Billard A 210D or A 150D would be good choices, also the De Dion "OC" since there is no "northern" Railcar yet and why not adding a R 210 trailer, it looks allmost exactly the same as the A 80D. And why not "new" ones like the X2000 or even AMG, competition from RV´s is fierce.

Do you have an autorefit-table? It´s a really great feature, saves you a lot of freightcars but I get constanly puzzeled why cargo is picked up or not - maybe someone could point me to where I can get more detailed info about that feature.

[Snail]

All very good points.

...You'll need to build a bridge or a tunnel for SG and NG tracktypes to cross each other.
...

Sad, dualgauge would look much better

220px-Voie_Plourivo.jpg

Unluckily, we can "only" have 16 railtypes at a time...

I noticed a small capacity bug - CdN bogie-33pax, 2-axle 40pax. I posted the pic a while ago.

[x] Already fixed

I had a lot of fun playing with the set so far but if you try to stick with one livery for a company, there are not many choices, from 1930 onwards you will have a fleet of overaged steamers and no suitable replacements available. And this leaves you no choices but:
a) Don´t bother about liveries - (which is a sad choice, what´s the point of real liveries than? and bad choice, liveries are not just liveries, they also mean different capacities and consists (no 2axle coach, no mailvan etc.)
or
b) ignore it - disable breakdowns and disable warning for old vehicles
or
c) Abandon NG operation alltogether

OK, now we go into the future developments of the set
Eventually it will be possible to stick with the same company and have a good array of vehicles available for all the years of its existence. Of course, if the company in question was closed down some time in the past, you will also be forced to abandon operations in the game, or switch to another livery; as an example, the Réseau Breton was closed in the Sixties, so the last railcar in that livery will become obsolete in around 1965. No more RB vehicles will ever appear after that date.

But it's true that now, since almost no railcar has been drawn yet, the choice is quite limited. In the modern times, all you can use are the electrics ("La Mure", Ligne de Cerdagne) and the diesel locos (Provence and Corsica), which are quite expensive if used for passenger service.

Maybe you could extend the lifespann for some of the locos (at least 2nd generation from 1900). RBs 120T´s and 230T´s were in service for about 60 years.
I miss a more powerfull and bigger Railcars later in the game to keep NG a little longer in buisness. A Renault ABH, Billard A 210D or A 150D would be good choices, also the De Dion "OC" since there is no "northern" Railcar yet and why not adding a R 210 trailer, it looks allmost exactly the same as the A 80D. And why not "new" ones like the X2000 or even AMG, competition from RV´s is fierce.

Well, more than "hacking" the current (incomplete) set of vehices, I preferred to extend it. For example, in the next playtesting version the 030T will always display 8 possible liveries, so there will no more be the distinction between "old" and "new" companies.
OTOH, I still have to start drawing the railcars, so they won't be included yet in this update. They will be part of the final set. And all the railcars you mentioned will be there (well, except for the large Billards, coz I feel they're "too" similar to the ABHs and OCs).

And it's actually good to know that competition from RV's is tough, because this was exactly what led to many historical NG lines to closure! When the railcars are included, NG will be given a second chance.

All in due time I'm currently testing version 0.103 myself. It will be ready in a few days.

Do you have an autorefit-table? It´s a really great feature, saves you a lot of freightcars but I get constanly puzzeled why cargo is picked up or not - maybe someone could point me to where I can get more detailed info about that feature.

Yep, autorefit is a feature of this set. It should be free if a wagon normally supports the "new" cargo the same was as the "old" (i.e. a hopper switching from coal to iron ore), and it should cost money if this implies some activity such as cleaning, adding a tarp etc. (i.e. switching from coal to fruit). When it requires a structural change to the wagon (i.e. switching to a closed van to a refrigerated van and vice-versa) instead, refit has to be performed in a depot.

[arikover]

I think I just spotted a bug!

Electric narrow gauge locomotives (3rd rail & catenary) are available in standard gauge electric depots, and can run on standard gauge tracks.

This occured with OTTD 1.2.0 RC1, on MacOS 10.4, with french rails and french NG set and DB Set as standard gauge set.

[Snail]

True, I just reproduced it myself. Another one to take care of on my list

[arikover]

Then again, this was solving the 'double gauge' problem...

[Eddi]

True, I just reproduced it myself. Another one to take care of on my list

that's a bug in the track set, not the vehicle set (and i did report that before)

[Snail]

that's a bug in the track set, not the vehicle set (and i did report that before)

That's true, the track set had "ELRL" in the electrified NG's powered list. Fixed in 0.103. Looks like I forgot to check it the first time

[Snail]

So, version 0.103 is finally out. The current playtesters already received it in their mailbox and new playtesters are always wecome (don't be shy! )

A main overview of what's new:

a. The Rails
* Support for custom tunnel portals has been added. This makes the French Set the first set ever to take advantage of this new OTTD feature Currently we have four styles of stone portals plus a more modern, concrete portal for high-speed tracks. This requires a recent nightly version of OTTD to run (I think around r23950 or something like that).
* New graphics for the high-speed tracks. The current ones looked quite flat and I tried to improve them a bit. If you guys like this result, I'll use a similar technique for the low-speed tracks too.
* Addition of urban level crossings, featuring pivoting (instead of sliding) barriers and additional protection for the old-style ones, and full gates (instead of half gates) for the modern ones. "Urban"-style crossings will appear wherever a road with paved sidewalks is crossed. The existing level crossings now appear in all of the other cases.
* Fixed the bug that allowed electric engines to appear in SG depots as well (thanks to Eddi and Arikoer for spotting that!)

b. The Trains
* Livery choice for the 030T steamer now includes 8 companies all the time (five of which appear in 1881, the three remaining ones appearing in 1900). Unlike in the previous version, year 1922 will not change the choice of historical companies anymore; the same 8 companies will be supported all the time. This way, a player can decide to stick with the same historical company for a longer timespan. Additionally, some of the new variants will display slightly different graphics and specs. I did this to stress the fact that this engine was by far the most widespread, and was built in many different variants.
* A new, cheaper and underpowered version of the 020 020T has been added. It is available for the Vivarais and the Tramways d'Ille-et-Vilaine historical companies. As a result, the 020 020T steamer now supports 5 liveries; whenever one of the two aforementioned companies is chosen, the engine will not only change the graphics, but also lose some power and TE, and become cheaper in terms of running costs.
* The late 040T steamer is now also available as a Tramways d'Ille-et-Vilaine engine, in addition to its generic industrial variant.
* I'm also testing a new feature I just programmed: automatic, random flipping in depots for steamers. A few of the steamers in the set were symmetrical, so they were sometimes used as cab-forward engines. To mimic this, three of the set's engines have now a 25% probability to flip in a depot: they are the 030T, the 020 020T Mallet, and the modern 040T. If you guys like the idea and it tests well, I can adopt this scheme for other steamers, too.
* A few minor bugs were corrected, and a few stats were changed to make the game more balanced.

c. Known bugs
* Some max speeds are still not enforced for certain engines when pulling freight wagons. Long ago, I asked the OTTD developers if they could add a switch that would make this much easier to achieve, but I still received no answer. When an answer is provided, I'll know which way to go to solve this problem.

From now on, I'll start drawing the remaining rolling stock (railcars and MUs). I consider the locomotives (steamers, diesels, electrics) and the coaches and wagons to be complete, except for the push-pull trains with the BB 600cv diesel (I'll add this in the final version).
I'm not planning to issue any new versions until the MUs are completed, unless, of course, major bugs are found with the current one.

I'm posting here the updated donotreadme. It essentially takes into account the additions I made to the steamers' livery scheme.

As usual, any feedback and new applications to playtest this stuff are more than welcome!