SNCF : French Trainset

[MagicBuzz]

Hello

As probably any french player of Transport Tycoon I was waiting for many years... (almost 30 ) to play at last with a french set and build the trains I use to see around.
After some nice promises, I was a bit frustrated to wait for more that 10 years (15 ) about the "Standard Gauge French Set" and seeing almost nothing moving on.

We all got the nice surprise to see the superb Snail's "Narrow Gauge French Set"

But I have to say it's pretty frustrating to plays as the narrow gauge collapse after 60s and give place to standard gauge trains. After a few decades there is really a lack of powerfull trains to transport loads of goods.
And finding another set to play with is complicated as most of them propose better standard gauge trains before the first one is available in the french narrow gauge set, making the set useless...

On the basis of all this, I concluded that it was time to stop waiting, but time to act .

I'm not a graphist (at all, I can't even draw a circle on a paper or write my name without making a scratch, I won't draw trains pixel by pixel...)
I'm not a train specialist. I know trains as usual passenger. I like trains, I got some HO models when I was young, then I discovered Transport Tycoon and that's all.

But I'm a programmer and after some hours I was able to write some NML code without copy/pasting tutorial anymore (almost).

Then I decided to "clone" or "fork" the available materials from the French Trains Set - freight rolling stock needs drawing topic.
I'm not the author of those materials, and I really gratefully thanks everybody who shared this work on this topic.
I asked to some of the authors and all of them who replied allowed me to use their graphics.
I still wait for some answer, especially Snail's one as he was the "second father" of this project and because I use the Excel sheet he created to set characteristics of the trains.

I don't aim to "steal" the project. If Snail or some other original author want to finally release the original set, I'll remove mine, or propose merging as I may have already added some stuffs not present in the Snail's sheet.

The project source code can be found at this repository : https://github.com/SylvainDevidal/SNCF

Feel free to fork it and propose additions or fixes.
You can also report any issue or idea in this topic.

I'm currently focusing on several goals :
- Be compatible with the Snail's narrow gauge set : prices and introduction dates keeps adapted to make game a real challenge to play with both tracks types.
- France uses mostly 2 current types : 1,5 kV DC and 25 kV AC 50 Hz, but it's open to neighborhood so engines often can use also 3 kV DC or 15 kV AC 17,3 Hz (some engines like the CC40100 can even use fourth!). So I naturally want to support track sets providing those different currents. But the set remains compatible with simple "ELEC" rail type for people who prefer the straight way.
- I prefer providing as most as possible engines rather than advanced features such as the weight control Snail introduced in his narrow gauge set. I try anyway to respect limitations such as consists structure or number of coupled EMUs when it's not too time consuming.

The project is still in development, and mostly need :
- cost and capacities balance
- graphics!

I still need more graphics.
Any new french train statistics since 2011 is also welcome as the original set's forum thread didn't contained any most recent.

If you are interested in participating to the effort, you can find all the required stuffs here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... share_link

frset_0208.xlsx => Original Snail's document with the French Trainset project vehicles
Green ids are implemented in the current set.

French set wagons.xlsx => Original Snail's document with the minimum required wagons.

Graphics folder contains graphics I found on the original thread and still not implemented.

Current graphics and code can be found on GitHub there : https://github.com/SylvainDevidal/SNCF

sncf_vehicle_list.png

(59.76 KiB) Not downloaded yet

Update 24/02/2023 : new vehicle list and GRF preview
Update 03/04/2023 : new GRF preview. Still many sprites offset to fix and some trains to add.
Update 04/04/2023 : first version available on BaNaNaS! Feel free to test it and give feedback here or in the GitHub repository!
Update 29/04/2023 : new version on BaNaNaS! I had to remove many graphics due to copyrights restrictions. I also added wagons and parameters to allow graphic-less vehicles and enable selectively each engine power type (steam, diesel, electric and wagons).
Update 26/05/2023 : new version on BaNaNaS! Now the set can use OpenGFX sprites for most engines and some wagons until their is no specific sprite in the set.

[Argus]

Well, the glory that the ice would finally move?
French narrow gauges are nice, but really not very useful. It cannot be made into a Paris-Prague high-speed train. And so the Dutch, Czech and Swiss trains have to go through France, as if the French were incapable. That is, with the exception of a few trains from the 2cc set.

[Argus]

Wagons are not available yet, but the ones from the 2cc set don't look bad.
I acknowledge that this is an unfinished kit, however this train - CC40100 - has a problem with hills disproportionate to its massive HP

[MagicBuzz]

Hello,

I did some test and I don't see particular problem (it's possible the engine should be more powerfull, but at my side it can climb a 8 tiles long hill with a fill passenger train (9 coaches) and a single engine at 180 km/h. I don't think it's specially low.

Can you give me your settings for climb multiplier and weight multiplier ?
Are you using original or realistic acceleration model?

[Argus]

I think original, I didn't move the multiplier. Maybe it was just my impression that it takes as long as a weaker locomotive. I'm using the JGR Patchpack, maybe there's a dog buried there too? Also, the second thing, it wasn't a "clean game" and the set was added to a running game... I'd rather try it in a new game. (I was very curious )

[Argus]

After the test, the train is fine, maybe it was caused by the use of non-standard wagons - i.e. from a different set. Specifically 2cctrains in NML.

[Argus]

Another attempt at a French game, trains start nice early, wagons still missing in 1950, trains start 1914.... That's a really long gap to fill.

[MagicBuzz]

Yes currently I only designed the Voiture Corail (coach) and Fourgon Corail (mail van) that were introduced in 1975

I found some graphics for earlier coaches, I'll focus on them. But I still don't have any cargo graphics...

As you mentioned you'll need to use the "2CC Trains in MNL wagons" until I get some french graphics

[MagicBuzz]

Update : new preview with some new vehicles (1 diesel, 12 electric, 2 TGV and 3 coaches)

[MagicBuzz]

Hello a small bump to tell you the set is not dead.

I spent a lot of hours to try to balance the game (real introduction dates and speed are not nice to play so I added a "gaming" parameter).
I also added only 1 diesel.

I still have many sprites offset problems to fix and I still not coded some trains (especially modern trains and suburb EMUs).

I really lack wagons. Any help would be appreciated. I need graphics, I will code.

[MagicBuzz]

Update:
I had to remove some authors graphics as they didn't allow me to use them.
I added some parameters to allow grapphic-less vehicles, and enable/disable each type of engine (steam, diesel, electric or wagon).
I added default wagons for each cargo class.
I did some balance (prices, weights, capacities, etc.)

[MagicBuzz]

Update 0.0.4 :
- Fixed the railtypes table to support standardised railtypes scheme. Thanks to Brickblock1

Available on Bananas

[MagicBuzz]

Update 0.0.5:
- Now an option allows to use OpenGFX graphics for engines and wagons with no specific graphics

Please not all engines and wagons can't match an existing OpenGFX sprite, to there are some with ugly coloured box from tutorial...

[ahyangyi]

Nice! I looked at your project and am impressed how tidy the code is. Are you using the C preprocessor in your build workflow or is that part of what nmlc does?

[MagicBuzz]

Hello Ahyangyi

I'm using Visual Studio Code and the NML syntax highlighter.

I followed the NML tutorial and tried to make some reusable templates and switches.
I try to place in separate files each vehicle related code, so it's easier to maintain.

Then NMLP does the job by allowing includes, so it avoids having a big messy file

Afterward NMLP generates a big NML file and NMLC does the build. I don't do anything special there.

[Walter Novotny]

Will the SNCF: French Trainset be visually and economically compatible with the V4 CEE Train Set?

[MagicBuzz]

Hello,

I just tried to use both sets together and I notice some issues with electric rails.

Does the V4 CEE trains use the standardised system from electric rails ?

My current rails table is this one and it is compatible with the SMITS rails GRF.

Code: Select all

railtypetable {
    UNELECTRIFIED: [ SAAN, RAIL ],
    ELEC: [ SAAE, ELRL ],
    AC15: [SAAa, SAAA, SAAE, ELRL],
    AC25: [SAAA, SAAE, ELRL],
    DC03: [SAAD, SAAE, ELRL],
    DC15: [SAAd, SAAD, SAAE, ELRL],
    AC25DC03: [ SNC4, ER2S, SAAE, ELRL ],
    AC25DC15: [ SNC4, ER2s, SAAE, ELRL ],
    DC15DC03: [ SNC3, ER2D, SAAD, SAAE, ELRL ],
    AC25AC15DC15: [ SNC1, ER3a, SAAE, ELRL ],
    AC25DC03DC15: [ SNC2, ER3D, SAAE, ELRL ],
    AC25AC15DC03DC15: [ SAAE, ELRL ],
}

I see also the V4 CEE trains newgrf uses country flags and power type icons that I currently don't use.
I will try to add them later, but it will take some time.

For economic compatibility, I didn't checked, as I'm still testing and tuning my set.
Right now I'm quite happy with the economic values of my set : after 50 years I did not bankrupt, but I always still need to wait a few months to build new trains or build tracks. With ITL and ITI it looks like to be well balanced. I'm not sure I will deeply change it.

[Brickblock1]

Does the V4 CEE trains use the standardised system from electric rails ?

I am fairly sure it does

[MagicBuzz]

Does the V4 CEE trains use the standardised system from electric rails ?

I am fairly sure it does

Well, we have to rework the railtypes of my set then :

railtypes.png

(253.7 KiB) Not downloaded yet

On the top left, the list of all available engines from my set.

Most are 1,5 kV DC only and they can't be used with V4 CEE trains GRF without additional rails. Ok, it's normal.

On the bottom left, the engines buyable in a 25 kV AC depot.
=> Only the BB12000 is there. Where are the CC40100, TGV Sud-Est Z8100, BB26000, TGV Atlantique, TGV Réseau, BB27000 and Z21500 ?

On the top right, the engines buyable in a 15 kV AC depot.
=> No electric engine is buyable. Where are the CC040100 and TGV Sud-Est ?

On the bottom right, the engines buyable in a 3 kV DC depot.
=> All the DC compatible engines are buyable, regardless of the voltage. Only CC40100 and TGV Réseau should be buyable there (I have the same problem with SMITS)

When I do the same test with SMITS, I only have a problem with the 15 kV AC that allows 25 kV AC engines too, and with 3 kV DC that allows 1,5 kV DC too (it was a limitation we discussed on Discord already).

[Brickblock1]

I think that a large part of these problems are that you have xussr railtypes in you list which makes v4 think that your trains are broad gauge. You could try removing these but that would mean that your trains don't work as well with xussr rails.