Pineapple Trains (10cc) - 32bpp/ez train set (1.3, July '15)

[PikkaBird]

(1.1 update):

(1.2 update):

(1.3 update):


Over the last few months, I've been working on some 32bpp train sprites. And here they are! Hopefully, this is the beginning of a number of 32bpp/ez newgrfs, and perhaps even a base set.

BAD FEATURES:
Locomotives!

• 15 fictional locomotives, introduced from 1895 to 2001 (4 steam, 4 diesel, 3 electric, 1 DMU, 2 EMU, 1 monorail).
  • 1.1 update: 5 more locomotives (2 steam, 2 electric, 1 DMU).
  • 1.2 update: 1 more locomotive (1 diesel).
  • 1.3 update: 2 more locomotives (2 EMU).
• Simple variable running costs (locomotive running costs are reduced by 75% during loading in stations or waiting at [pbs] signals).
• Custom whistle/horn sounds, but no running sounds.

Wagons!

• Single generation - you use the same wagons in 2020 as you did in 1920. It's like Transport Tycoon!
• Full (hopefully - let me know if you encounter any problems) newcargo support, including autorefit refit-in-station.
• Completely non-compulsory caboose, for those who like that sort of thing.

Overall, this is a very vanilla set. There are no consist restrictions and no changing stats (apart from the simple variable running costs).

SCREENSHOTS:
(Someone take me a screenshot or two, please!)

ASKED QUESTIONS:
(will go here!)

Now available from the in-game content. It's 140mb, so bring a book to read while it downloads!

[3iff]

These look great. I'll see if I have time to do a couple of screenshots.

Bug 1.

I have 4 coal wagons (actually 2 ore and 2 coal) carrying coal. Each can carry 28 tons which apparently adds up to 110 tons...it should be 112.

[PikkaBird]

Thanks for trying it out.

I have 4 coal wagons (actually 2 ore and 2 coal) carrying coal. Each can carry 28 tons which apparently adds up to 110 tons...it should be 112.

This is actually nothing to do with the grf. The native weight unit in (Open)TTD is metric tonnes, and what you're seeing is a rounding error in displaying the weight in short tons.
25 tonnes = 27.56 short tons, which OpenTTD is rounding to 28.
100 tonnes = 110.23 short tons, which OpenTTD is rounding to 110.

You'd see the same rounding error with any grf, or indeed the default vehicles.

[3iff]

I thought it might be that sort of thing.

I've now been 'forced' to install 32bpp files to make this work effectively (prettily!) and the eyecandy effect is marvellous. I have some AI busy building routes and I may be able to get some screenshots from them if they ever manage to build a rail line!

I like the different wagon graphics (seen on oil/tank wagons so far) I love the fact that wagons of the same type should be randomised. That's definitely a GOOD FEATURE (yes, I saw the bad feature thread).

Testing continues.

For fruit, I don't see the discrepancy. 5 * 33 ton wagons reports a total cargo of 165 tons...which is correct.

BTW, it's quite amusing seeing the AI use fruit vans to haul metal!

[3iff]

A few screenshots...probably fairly boring, well...

A Stanley Major with 2 passenger cars.

Unnamed, 27th Feb 1921.png (803.18 KiB) Viewed 62254 times

A Corvine Q1 pulling Iron Ore.

Unnamed, 2nd Mar 1921.png (722.75 KiB) Viewed 62254 times

A Stanley Major with cows.

Unnamed, 1st Jul 1950.png (789.75 KiB) Viewed 62254 times

[3iff]

And there's more

An AMF Chief and Corvine Q1 with Pax. Note the different passenger wagons.

Unnamed, 6th Jul 1950.png (540.69 KiB) Viewed 62253 times

An AMF Chief carrying clay in grain hoppers. Corvines with fruit vans waits for a load of milk.

Unnamed, 9th Jul 1950.png (407.8 KiB) Viewed 62253 times

An AMF Chief loads scrap metal.

Allan & Co., 21st Jan 1993.png (695.84 KiB) Viewed 62253 times

I'm impressed.

[m3henry]

Well, as usual you impress me with your artistic skills.
I particularly like the livery changes based on company colour. Though I'm not too for the gaps between wagons, in horizontal views, but that's me being rather too used to UKRS. :3

[Fanda666]

It looks awesome! The most beautiful train in openttd! Now the game is very few stations in 32bpp. Do you plan to paint the stations? It would be great!

[YNM]

Good to know Pikka, now you've come up with 32bpp things as well...
Anyway, is it on NFO or NML ?

[doxlulzem]

Looks awesome. But the trains look a tad bit offset from the zBase tracks and it keeps bugging me :/

[beeurd]

Just curious: Were there still plans to do a UK and US set for 10cc, or has this fictional set replaced them both?

[PikkaBird]

Just curious: Were there still plans to do a UK and US set for 10cc, or has this fictional set replaced them both?

It's all fictional now, I'm afraid.

Looks awesome. But the trains look a tad bit offset from the zBase tracks and it keeps bugging me :/

zBase isn't the tracks they're offset against, true.

Anyway, is it on NFO or NML ?

It was coded in NFO, not that that makes any difference to the end product.

Do you plan to paint the stations? It would be great!

I plan to do everything, eventually. Eventually...

[beeurd]

Just curious: Were there still plans to do a UK and US set for 10cc, or has this fictional set replaced them both?

It's all fictional now, I'm afraid.

Ah, no problem, I just remember reading in your blog about it.

[YNM]

Anyway, is it on NFO or NML ?

It was coded in NFO, not that that makes any difference to the end product.

But it make a difference to what I know didn't know NFO can handle 32bpp...

[Aphid]

The only bad thing about this kind of gorgeous graphics is that when you actually can have zoomed in pretty screenshots, you start to notice this really, really old hard to crack bug that's still in openTTD, the trains getting longer on diagonal track sections bug. There's massive gaps where you would not or hardly notice with the 8bpp graphics (because it's just a mess of pixels zoomed in this close).

I do think you should keep your graphics to scale though (e.g. proper isometric perspectives at 90, 45, 0, etc degrees from a 3D rendering tool). When the bug does finally get fixed it'll look perfect. (the other way around would be that it would look bad when it gets fixed...).

I wonder how it looks if you apply this patch: http://bugs.openttd.org/task/1063

Edit: Maybe all new graphics sets should be made with correct diagonal sizes; at some point we might switch the standard around and have that patch be the standard behaviour. (At some point in the future when 'most of the graphics sets' comply...). Or maybe just write a piece of code that automagically flattens/stretches the images. Though the aspect ratio would be off then...

[PikkaBird]

Indeed, Aphid. If more artists drew "correct" diagonals, there'd be more impetus for implementing that patch. FWIW I think the current behaviour will always be the default; corrected diagonal speed would have to be an optional setting.

[V453000 :)]

I think that for various reasons (it would break way too much, implementing it seems to be problematic on its own, ...), it is safe to assume this is not going to be fixed anytime soon (if ever) so I think the best approach is to simply adapt sprites to rather look nice instead of being "correct but strange".
I understand that this is a bit problematic to render nicely though.

[peter1138]

Actually with the appropriate patch applied from FS#1063, and this set in use, it works really well. No rendering issues.
EDIT: Scratch that, I've just noticed spacing issues which I somehow didn't have previously :S

[Phreeze]

If you draw correct <-> views, they look nice but are isometrical uncorrect it's the iso view that falsifies the sprites..
I never disliked those 'longer' <-> views as i liked the details of the trains that you can't see in /\ views

[orudge]

Nice work, Pikka, as always! Hopefully at some point in the vaguely near future I will have time to fire up OpenTTD and can give this a shot.