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[REL/WIP] UK Station Pack v1 (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 13:58
by G-TANK-G
UK Station Pack v1 (formerly known as BR Station Pack)

Before I continue (and before someone asks), I'm not sure if Grudz will be working on this with me. So as far as I know it is just me, which is also the reason why I have a new topic for this project. This way wont make me keep bugging him to edit the first/this post for information updates. If there is any way moderators that moderators would think of a better solution to this (like locking the old topic -again) then fair enough, but I'd like this to be the place to go to for the station pack.

Introduction
Many of you guys probably are young enough to remember the BR Station Pack and it's epic failure. For the past couple of weeks/months, I've slowly been getting back into redoing (again) the BR Station Pack. Every now and then I keep on thinking how I've just got an unfinished project with many people excited for its completion. So I thought I'd brush the dust off the ol' pack and get on with it.

For those who don't remember, or don't know what the BR Station Pack was it was a project me and Grudz had started and didn't complete (you can look at the old topic if you like, but please dont post there). The basic idea was from the station pack by RobinH (if i remember correctly) and a few other people in the Locomotion-Fanpage. It is a new track which is specifically used for making larger looking stations. Its mainly a graphical boost mod for the game, but there might be some gameplay advantages to it (like expanding the catchment area by 1 square, but thats about it, no big difference really). This pack is just my take on the idea of it, adding a different style and different way of constructing it.

All/most of the old stuff are gone. So this pack as been a total re-work. At the moment I may have enough for its first release. Only problem is making it slightly compatible with the base game. I've made one too many stations for the Standard Railway Track (traskst) to also compensate the stations I made for that track. So if there is an original station that nobody/very few people use, do tell me. Otherwise I provide a backup of the original trackst file, or you back it up yourself (I cant stress enough about backing things up, trust me, I've been a victim of not backing up too many times).

At the moment I've only done passenger station looking buildings. Plus the buildings are in one style/look, with some company colours features (as you'll see in the screenshots below). I'm going to start on the freight stations later (once I have an idea for a design, or perhaps a better way of producing the graphics other than using Gimp). Whether I shall make a first release before or after the freight stations I don't know.

I'll keep you all posted with the updates of this pack and screenshots of what I've been doing. If any of you guys have any ideas that you want to see in this pack, please do share. A bad idea is an idea not spoken... or something like that.

Thank you for your time reading this and fingers crossed I'll get this done soon (christmas is coming, after all).



Screenshots
(hope they're not too big)
Screen1.png
Screen1.png (209.09 KiB) Viewed 13699 times
Screen2.png
Screen2.png (287.87 KiB) Viewed 13699 times

Download

Version 1
UK Station Pack V1.rar
Version 1 - read the Readme.txt for installation/uninstallation and a breif guides for usage. WinRar is required to open this file.
(244.21 KiB) Downloaded 1759 times

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 15:57
by bonekrusher
looks very nice =) 8)

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 16:48
by kingmush360
I like that allot, that has a tick in my book of awesomeness.

Maybe you could make it so when people appear on the platform they are sitting on benches!

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 07:43
by EirikhO
Looks great!

The track (where the train is) presumably has a station to allow (un)loading, is this an invisible piece of station, or is it a one-sided platform?

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 11:36
by noofnoof
it's the line between the tracks, you can see it.

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 14:38
by Kevo00
Looks neat, especially with the yellow line - although the third one looks a bit purple to me?

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 15:05
by G-TANK-G
The black line on the tracks are the station parts for the trains to actually stop at the stations. I though instead of making it invisible I made it a small track decoration. Plus it makes it easier to remove.

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 20:28
by rdrdrdrd
8)

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 08:26
by EirikhO
Quite clever system, can make crossovers on the platforms etc

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 10:40
by G-TANK-G
I could do more things to the track itself. The only problem is the limit of stations i can have on a track. The limit is up to 7 stations. Anymore than that and the game fails to run, which leaves me two maybe three choices:
  1. As the game originally has 5 stations for the standard track, I can only place an additional 2 stations for this track piece. This way the trackst file is still compatible with the original stations, meaning old save games with these stations would still work (in theory).
    OR
  2. I remove the code for the original stations in the trackst file and replace them with what I've done for the track's station pieces. Giving me more room to create more station stuff for the track itself.
    OR
  3. I create the files using the same names as the original station files and overwrite the originals. Similar how the station pack in the loco-fanpage website works. The only problem is every station that has already been put into place (this includes the stations in the small background video sequence in the main menu) to be the station pieces I've made which could make old save games look odd if the stations are replaced with the invisible ones, but they should still function as normal. This also means you'll have to back up the station files yourself.
I'm tempted to go for the 2nd option, as I can do things like a crossover and other stuff you get on tracks. Plus I've made one too many stations for the trackst file with the original stations in it and I hate having to eliminate stuff off the pack. If I do decide that option you must backup the trackst file you already have in you objdata file and then copy it back in the folder when you don't want to use my pack anymore. I might, if you're lucky (and if I'm aloud), provide a backup of the original trackst file for those who don't like to backup.
Don't worry if all this sounds confusing, I've never had the gift to explain things. However, once I've decided what I'm to do I'll write guides in the readme file for installing and uninstalling.

On a different note, anyone got any ideas for what they'd like me to add. I was thinking of making different brick-styles to the buildings. Similar to the ones I've created before. Just so its not all one style but there's a variety :D So if you have any ideas then please do share :)

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 18 Dec 2010 21:27
by EirikhO
Well, for the station buildings (non-track), you could make a special type of track and add the platforms to that (or are the same type of platforms used for all RR track? This would make this suggestion useless).

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 19 Dec 2010 00:35
by G-TANK-G
EirikhO wrote:Well, for the station buildings (non-track), you could make a special type of track and add the platforms to that (or are the same type of platforms used for all RR track? This would make this suggestion useless).
That is what I have already done, sorry shoulda satated that on the first post. The station buildings is a seperate track, I just haven't changed the graphics of it yet which, by making me think of it, you have reminded me to do. So your suggestion wasn't as useless as you thought :D

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 19 Dec 2010 01:01
by cards525
G-TANK-G wrote:
EirikhO wrote:Well, for the station buildings (non-track), you could make a special type of track and add the platforms to that (or are the same type of platforms used for all RR track? This would make this suggestion useless).
That is what I have already done, sorry shoulda satated that on the first post. The station buildings is a seperate track, I just haven't changed the graphics of it yet which, by making me think of it, you have reminded me to do. So your suggestion wasn't as useless as you thought :D
If it is its own track, Why not make some vehicles for it? For example, maybe plobable maintanence vehicles

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 19 Dec 2010 11:20
by jonnie47
possibly option 2 looks more like the right answer there

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 12:04
by G-TANK-G
The only problem with vehicles on the platform track is they will clip through the buildings especially when it goes through a wall. However I could make small dummy vehicles where they just stay there and look pretty, or make do without.

Sorry that there isn't any new updates so far. I'm try to workout the dimensions I need so I can do this all on sketch-up. Doing it just on Gimp can get complicated (I'm not so good at isometric drawing). Once I've got Sketch-up working then I can do the funky stuff that I plan to do :P So if anyone know the dimensions of one square in locomotion then awesome, if not then I'll keep playing around with numbers and reading forums :D

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 18:17
by cards525
G-TANK-G wrote:The only problem with vehicles on the platform track is they will clip through the buildings especially when it goes through a wall. However I could make small dummy vehicles where they just stay there and look pretty, or make do without.
You could add a small brick beneath the vehicles as to simulate the station height. IE: Make a Cart then place a block the height of the station under it, but that would only work if each station has the same height

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 23 Dec 2010 15:29
by G-TANK-G
cards525 wrote:
G-TANK-G wrote:The only problem with vehicles on the platform track is they will clip through the buildings especially when it goes through a wall. However I could make small dummy vehicles where they just stay there and look pretty, or make do without.
You could add a small brick beneath the vehicles as to simulate the station height. IE: Make a Cart then place a block the height of the station under it, but that would only work if each station has the same height
Hmm, I dunno. Well once I've gotten the hang of the Sketchup Rendering stuff then I'll have a look into it.

Just a quick update. I just decided that I'm going to release what I've done once I've gotten all together what I want to release. The long wait is almost over.

Re: [WIP] UK Station Pack (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 23 Dec 2010 17:49
by cards525
Your doing bloody amazing. Just keep it up :D, no rushes either. Take as long as you need.

Re: [REL/WIP] UK Station Pack v1 (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 16:12
by G-TANK-G
UK Station Pack v1 is now released. Goto the first post of this topic for the download. Any problems or issues please say so.

For the mods & admins, hope its okay to host the file here. If not then I'll move it to loco-fanpage or somewhere. If it is okay, then thanks :D

Enjoy.

Re: [REL/WIP] UK Station Pack v1 (Formerly BR Station Pack)

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 17:10
by James90012
I liked the modern nature of the previous attempt, don't suppose that could be another focus? I really like how it's organised, especially the fact that lights and crossings will now, seemingly, be able to bisect platforms. Second question is regarding the Signal Gantries which were being experimented with previously, any chance of these showing up to a British design?

Nice to see the project running again