Steam Tram, got it running! tnx to mart3p.

[Eelco]

A While ago I found out about steam trams and I thought that it would be nice to have some of them in OpenTTD. I opened a topic (http://www.tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=41545) and had reactions from different members around here pointing at different GRF's but it were normal trains or trams but without smoke effect.

Last week I discovered the Narrow Gauge Track. This was also the kind of track the early 20th century Dutch Steam Trams uses so I decided that I was going to create one myself that would run on that kind of track. So in Essence it had to be a Maglev train.

I started with using the sprites of the steam Tram from the UKRS add-on set, with the intention to convert it eventually to a green dutch version.

I found a tutorial about how to create you're own GRFs and started on writing a NFO.

But at the moment I'm stuck. I actually have no clue of what I am doing and it's all Greek to me.
It's all a bit dazzling, with 'actions' and hexadecimals

Can someone help me with the technical bit of developing the Engine or does anyone know where i can find a good proper explanation of making a Engine???

This is what I got so far..but it's basicly 8 sprites and a ID

[DaleStan]

Only if you tell us how far you've gotten on the tutorial and what unexpected behaviour is appearing.

[Eelco]

Sorry I was editing the post and the back-up kicked in.

I found the tutorial on the TTD-Patch Site and I got to 'The First Vehicle'
After that I just don't get it anymore.

The behaviour is no train, but that's how far I understand possible because it isn't finished.

http://wiki.ttdpatch.net/tiki-index.php ... rstVehicle

[xerxesdaphat]

I, too, was a bit put out by no nice puffy smoke coming out of my steam trams (from various sets), until I did a bit of reading. Turns out that in most places in the world, trams and other inner-city steam vehicles were banned from emitting visible smoke/steam and sparks etc. To this end they burned coke (I think, can't quite recall) and had the steam exhaust piped through a condenser to turn it back into water to feed the boiler again. If there was no condenser then they used superheaters on the exhaust to turn the steam invisible.

So most steam trams and vehicles and indeed some proper steam locomotives that were used exclusively in cities didn't produce any visible smoke/steam.

[Eelco]

But the Trams I am mentioning smoked, they were used in the country side to connect smaller towns to bigger with railway connection so they were allowed to smoke.

[Eddi]

you should get your terminology straight, "steam" and "smoke" are two entirely different things.

steam is boiled water, in a steam engine, it is used to move the pistons. steam is usually released on the lower sides of a steam engine. the problem with emitting steam that way in crowded areas is that it might be hot.

smoke is residue from burning coal, it comes from the firebox and is usually released on the top of a steam engine. the problem of smoke is the air pollution it causes.

[Eelco]

Ok, i meant the smoke effect from the chimney that's also applied on steam engines.

But to come back on the topic, can someone tell/teach me more of the creating of trains or has a good tutorial??

This is the code of my NFO file that I've got so far. My understanding is on such level that i know now what most represents, the belonging PCX file is loaded and the defining of were the actual information is for the sprites and that it has it's own ID and that I somewhere stated it is going to be a train. I understand that there are a couple of pseudo-sprites still missing and that in those sprites the information about speed power and stuff is gonna be defined but I simply don't understand what to do.

Code: Select all

// Automatically generated by GRFCODEC. Do not modify!
// (Info version 7)
// Format: spritenum pcxfile xpos ypos compression ysize xsize xrel yrel
    0 * 4	 00 00 00 00
    1 * 8	 08 06 "EV" 08 02 00 00
    2 * 4	 01 00 01 08
    3 sprites/steamtram.pcx 66 8 01 18 8 -3 -13
    4 sprites/steamtram.pcx 82 8 09 16 20 -11 -10
    5 sprites/steamtram.pcx 114 8 01 12 28 -9 -8
    6 sprites/steamtram.pcx 162 8 09 16 20 -1 -7
    7 sprites/steamtram.pcx 194 8 01 18 8 -3 -7
    8 sprites/steamtram.pcx 210 8 09 16 20 -17 -7
    9 sprites/steamtram.pcx 242 8 01 12 28 -19 -8
   10 sprites/steamtram.pcx 290 8 09 16 20 -7 -10
   11 * 9	 02 00 00 01 01 00 00 00 00
   12 * 7	 03 00 01 16 00 00 00
   13 * 7	 00 00 01 01 16 12 FD

[mart3p]

You need to extend your action 0 to add the other vehicle properties and you need an action 4 to set the vehicle's name. Something like this:

Code: Select all

  13 * 56	 00 00 15 01 16
			00 00 00 // intro date (1930 for TTDPatch - see 2A)
			02 \b10 // reliability decay
			03 \b23 // vehicle life
			04 \b65 // model life
			05 02 // track type - maglev
			06 07 // climate availability
			07 \b4 // load amount
			08 01 // ai flag (1 for passenger service)
			09 \w40 // speed
			0B \w100 // power
			0D \b30 // running cost
			0E 30 4C 00 00 // running base cost
			12 FD // sprite id
			14 \b30 // cargo capacity
			15 00 // cargo type - passengers
			16 \b16 // weight
			24 00 // weight (high)
			17 \b6 // cost factor
			19 00 // traction type - steam
			22 15 // visual effect - steam
			2A B4 8F 0A 00 // long format intro date (1895)

   14 * 16	 04 00 7F 01 16   "Steam Tram" 00

Warning: untested code.

You can of course change the property values as desired. I have set the ‘track type’ to maglev to run with narrow gauge rails replacing maglev. Note though, the Narrow Gauge rails can be set to replace any rail type depending on the parameter (see the readme file). Maybe you should consider using the monorail slot.

[Eelco]

THank you very much, it helped me a lot. I now starting to understand how it works. I've inserted the code and it worked, but only as a double headed train and it had a passanger capacity and the engine was to long so wagons were hauled with a 30 yard distance, LOL but i managed to edit it so far that it now works as a fully functional steam tram engine.

I know that the narrow track is adjustable for replacing all kind of tracks. But the canadian and serbian set allready have narrow gauge using the maglev slot as well and i use metrotracks with the 2cc set on the monorail tracks.

But I can consider the make the train also switchable by a parameter perhaps.. sow everybody can use it when it's finished.

I'm currently going to change the appearance of the train so it isn't a copy of the UK steam tram anymore.

[Eelco]

It's ready so far. You can download it above.

For now it is only a Engine so if you want to use it i've succesfully tested it with the Canadian and Serbian Set and Narrow Gauge tracks set Parameter to 4.

This is what i want to do furhter..

-Create PAX wagons
-Create Mail and Goods Wagons
-Create a station/stop
-Create different types of Engines.

[Eelco]

Update allready, this is starting to get serious.

-Passenger Car added
-Mail Car added
-Extra Engine with other specs, appearance soon to be chanced.



Pleeze, test it, and I need some feedback/help.

[Eelco]

Found a video of the steam tram. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaAm-IbgC_g

I have is similar sound effect but i want to add it in my GRF, dows someone know how. I checked it on other GRF's but i can't figure out how to insert it.

[Comm Cody]

Talk to Pikkabird. He got custom sound in UKRS. He could help you.