Far end, near end or middle?

[hawaiipersson]

Hello

I'm playing OpenTTD 1.0.1 and was wondering one thing about train orders. In the orders window, you can choose were the train should stop on the platform (as I understand it). The choices are "Far end" (default), "Middle" och "Near End".

What's this function for? Does it make and difference? I was hoping this could enable multiple trains at the same time on one platform..

Thank you.

[Brumi]

This function doesn't enable multiple trains on one platform, it only affects the game if the platforms are longer than the trains. Try what happens if you order a train to go to a station which has a much longer platform than the train. You will see that the train will stop at the beginning, at the middle or at the end of the platform based on this setting.

[Vitus]

It's mostly useful for eye-candy stations. Here's simple station to illustrate this.

With careful planning, you can make the train stop in the main part of the station.

[Chrill]

Brilliant example of how to utilize that setting, Vitus

[Drury]

I always use it for passenger trains, it's more realistic when trains stops near station building.

[SwissFan91]

I always use it for passenger trains, it's more realistic when trains stops near station building.

Indeed. This usually means the middle of the station, although terminus stations are usually 'far end'.

[Dave]

I recently asked about this too - it'd be nice if the system could recognise the request and only reserve a path as far as required. Obviously this raises several issues so I'm not going to pretend to be an expert ... but something for 2.0?

[supermop]

There is some (marginal) functional value to this feature which I use in my games; for stations longer than the train, choosing where to stop affects where the train will do most of its acelleration and decelleration. A short train entering a long platform to stop at the far end will pass trough the station throat at a higher speed than the same train set to stop at the near end. The difference is small, but for busy junctions, every extra second of clear track can help. This is most useful for stations where the train terminates and leaves through the same throat it entered, at through stations I choose stop at middle to compromise between space for decelleration on arrival and space for accelleration on departure. Occasionally you will have a through station that seems to have one throat more congested than the other, and here you can optimize the stopping location of trains to help mitigate the situation.

For very long stations with very slow, short trains, it might be worth using to opposite practice to minimize the total travel time.

To hawaiipersson, welcome to the forums!

Best,

[Lord Aro]

I recently asked about this too - it'd be nice if the system could recognise the request and only reserve a path as far as required. Obviously this raises several issues so I'm not going to pretend to be an expert ... but something for 2.0?

can't code myself etc., but i shouldn't think this would be too hard...
unless of course you need to rewrite the map array tomake it work or something (i don't think so)

[Chris]

I recently asked about this too - it'd be nice if the system could recognise the request and only reserve a path as far as required. Obviously this raises several issues so I'm not going to pretend to be an expert ... but something for 2.0?

I like the idea above, although I don't know a thing about coding .

[openttd_rulez]

for those who got bad vocabulary here's a more simple graphical explanation

an extrapolated explanation.png

far end, near end or midle.png (13.01 KiB) Viewed 15432 times

[audigex]

I like to use it with some random variation, just for a bit of eye candy.

In fact, I was thinking about writing a patch where the train stops slightly more randomly within the station - I haven't looked into it yet, but since this near/far business is already in place, I would've thought a "random" setting would be easy enough to add.

[clarklawson]

It's mostly useful for eye-candy stations. Here's simple station to illustrate this.

With careful planning, you can make the train stop in the main part of the station.

Wowiee, beautiful station. Thats what you can do with all of those squares. I should make mine look a little better.

[odalman]

The feature can actually accomplish something in the following example.

There is a station (Do) at 2 coal mines where the trains wait for full load. Before the trains go there, they pass a station (Bi) at another mine and pick up anything waiting there. This gives some extra cargo. First problem is when a train is almost full from Bi and comes to Do where a train is already loading. One would hope that the fullest train gets priority to load (and even load something from the less full train). But that is not the case. It is the train that first started loading that keeps its priority.

The first attempt to solve this is to order the trains to first unload everything, then load full, in the hope that all cargo will go to the already waiting train until it is full. But for some reason the unloading train snatches a few items of cargo. Maybe because there is suddenly som much cargo that the prioritized train can not reserve it all for some reason even if it would fit into the train. That might be the cargo that was missing for the prioritized train the get full and leave and making room for another train at the station.

The second attempt is to have two orders at the same station, one to unload and another to load full. But then the train thinks that it has to travel between the orders and starts rolling empty towards the power station.

Next atempt is to tell the train to unload at the beginning of the platform and load full at the end. Unfortunately, the train still thinks that it has to travel between orders and does not realize that it can just fulfill it at the spot.

Final attempt is to make the station 1 tile longer. Now the unloading train is unable to snatch a few pieces of cargo because it is busy traveling 1 tile and when it arrives, the prioritized train had time to reserve all it needed.

Remaining problem is the rating at station Bi, which is unacceptably low even when a lot of trains are picking up anything waiting there frequently and a statue stands in the town. If only it was possible to leave empty cars at a station and let the next train pick them up.

[odisseus]

The trick with the additional station tile is brilliant! Thank you so much, odalman!

It allows to introduce a delay between two different orders that use the same station. With very tight timetables, I think it can be used to implement two-way transfer on a single interchange station.