Emperor Jake's Graphics - Development Thread

[Emperor Jake]

Hi everyone,
This is the development thread for my train grf's.
There is the Austrian set (ATS); it will include Austrian Federal (OBB) Railways trains in real liveries.
The Generic European Train set (GES) includes various European locomotives in 2cc.
The Generic European Freight Car Set, which are freight cars for use with both sets.

If you have any suggestions for improvement, bugs or good ideas, please tell me.

Feel free to make your European set to be compatible with my freight cars in the future! You won't have to make your own freight cars and draw all the loading stages etc...
I plan for the freight cars to be in partial company colours like PikkaBird's Project 1000. There will be many random liveries on each carriage, so no two trains look the same. It will also have ECS, PBI and FIRS compatibility.
The Austrian set will use many of the same graphics as the GES, just recoloured.

The set I've been working on most lately is the Generic European Train set.
The Generic European Train Set release thread http://www.tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=47097

Thanks and Enjoy,
Jake

(This is now the development thread for all 3 trainsets, release threads will be made when I make a release.)

[Sensation Lover]

Very nice looking graphics! Can't wait to test it this evening (or even earlier)!
Thanks!

[Jimbow]

This looks like a very nice set!
For a long time there has been missing an ÖBB set!

Please show more sprites or screenshots.

I really like your idea about a Generic European Freight Car Set! The freight cars looks pretty much the same all over europe, so it's a bit stupid that all sets have freight cars that looks about the same.

[andythenorth]

I have drawn some sprites for locomotives and passenger carriages, using my models as er... models.
I don't know much about coding, so I would appreciate help with advanced parts like push-pull trains and stuff.

Jake, they're nice. Using models as models is probably a pretty good route, it helps visualise which details can be eliminated. I'm sure Lego is a massive influence on my pixel art for this reason

You should talk to DJ Nekkid, he'll probably be along here in a bit anyway...the code for the 2CC set is what you need. You'd need to GPL your set, and use a repository on the OpenTTD Coop Devzone. Both are good things.

[DJ Nekkid]

As saied in both a PM and by Andy, im codeing the 2cc set, and that is _soon_ done. Basicly some playtesting and adding the few last missing pieces left.

When this is done will i start doing a Dutch Trainset version 2, and it is probably not hard to add this set to along the same lines, as most stuff from the dutch set then can be more or less copy/pasted into this set

[Emperor Jake]

Ok, here's what I'm doing. I'm making 3 separate sets:
1: An ÖBB trainset composed of Austrian trains from 1900 to 2050 with real life liveries. (WIP)
2: A generic Central European Train Set with many locos from Austria, Germany, Switzerland and other parts of Europe, in Dual Company Colours. Will include trains from 1840 to 2050. (WIP)
3: A generic freight car set to complement both sets, which will be in part-CC and part brown, because most European freight cars are brown or their respectiv colours. This set will hopefully be new industries compatible with ECS, PBI and FIRS, and have many different livery variations. (Planning stage)
4: An Italian Trenitalia Set in real liveries (DO NOT ask about this please, it's just speculation for now.)

I would like to ask you, which do you prefer: Real liveries or Company Colours?

Another thing, would someone please tell me how to code push-pull trains like in the NARS2? I would appreciate it very much. I do know some grf coding, but I still need to learn a lot of the advanced stuff.

Thanks,
Jake

[PikkaBird]

would someone please tell me how to code push-pull trains like in the NARS2? I would appreciate it very much.

Simple trickery; the locomotive gets a carriage-like graphic, and the last carriage gets a locomotive-like graphic.

[Emperor Jake]

would someone please tell me how to code push-pull trains like in the NARS2? I would appreciate it very much.

Simple trickery; the locomotive gets a carriage-like graphic, and the last carriage gets a locomotive-like graphic.

Yes, I know how your set works, Pikka. But I don't know how to code these advanced things. Is it at all possible in GRFMaker or do I have to do it "by hand"?

Also, how exactly do I GPL my set?

Thanks,
Jake

[PikkaBird]

Yes, I know how your set works, Pikka. But I don't know how to code these advanced things. Is it at all possible in GRFMaker or do I have to do it "by hand"?

It's possible in grfmaker, but you have to know how to do it by hand (and, imo, if you know what you're doing at all, coding by hand is both faster and easier than grfmaker).

Technically, it's a var2 testing variable FE/FF.

Also, how exactly do I GPL my set?

You release it under the GPL. This is a legal requirement of reusing code released under the GPL (the licence is "viral" in this way), unless you get the original author(s)'s permission to do otherwise.

[Snail]

4: An Italian Trenitalia Set in real liveries (DO NOT ask about this please, it's just speculation for now.)

Ahem

That's my long-term project as well. I've already started a tracking table behind the scenes, and have also drawn a couple of small steamers in my spare time.
I was planning to start it after I finish the French Set (which I am still, and continuously, working on almost daily). It might take a few years to finish the FRset, though. Anyway, an Italian set would be *much simpler* than a French one, so it would take less time to complete (and I was planning to use the French freight wagons I'm currently drawing for the Italian set too). But if there is enough interest, we could start jointly doing it, or at least planning it.

[Emperor Jake]

4: An Italian Trenitalia Set in real liveries (DO NOT ask about this please, it's just speculation for now.)

Ahem

That's my long-term project as well. I've already started a tracking table behind the scenes, and have also drawn a couple of small steamers in my spare time.
I was planning to start it after I finish the French Set (which I am still, and continuously, working on almost daily). It might take a few years to finish the FRset, though. Anyway, an Italian set would be *much simpler* than a French one, so it would take less time to complete (and I was planning to use the French freight wagons I'm currently drawing for the Italian set too). But if there is enough interest, we could start jointly doing it, or at least planning it.

Well, I was planning to make the Italian set to go with the generic European freight cars, the idea is to have one unufied set of freight cars for all European sets. I understand if you don't want to do this, but how about if you skip the freight cars in the French set and make it compatible with the GEFC set, which will go well with any European set. I would also be happy to help draw and/or code Italian trains for the Trenitalia set

Basically, all you would have to do for the French set is draw MUs, locos and pax/mail wagons, and leave IDs 82-115 free for the freight cars. Just speculation. The Italian set would be the same.

What do you think?
- Jake

[michael blunck]

[...] generic European freight cars, the idea is to have one unufied set of freight cars for all European sets

That´s a weird idea and I don´t think any author of a serious European train set will support it. Firstly, each set needs early freight waggons (i.e. late into the 60s!) which are generally quite different, and secondly, even in modern (UIC) years, the freight waggon scheme is still too different within Europe.

BTW, that´s not the first attempt for such a "generic freight waggon" set. Try the search function.

regards
Michael

[Snail]

Jake, I understand your point of view, and as Michael said, this would not be the first attempt to create an international freight wagon set.

As for me, I tend to share Michael's doubts about this. In the early years, the French set will have such a wide variety of freight wagons that each type of wagon will have to change livery and looks according to the engine it is attached to. This means the freight wagons will have to be specifically drawn and fully integrated with the rest of the set.

As for the Italian set, it will be a simpler one (train-wise, Italy has never even been close to have such a wide variety France had) but still, I think the best result would be achieved if the freight wagons are developed together with the set. I was thinking about deriving them from the French ones, so that it would take less time to do them, but they would eventually need some "italianization" process.

However, if you draw some freight wagons, they still can be used as a base to speed up the process!

The idea of developing together an Italian set is intriguing I wouldn't mind doing all the drawing (I would actually enjoy it), but I'm not a coder. However, this would be a long-term project...

[andythenorth]

Jake - I don't find the idea weird. I've travelled around Europe by train. Also, I knew a *lot* about trains when I was a kid. Except to the expert eye, many freight wagons of many European countries look similar.

The differences that do exist will also be significantly less relevant at 32px. I'd say carry on.

[Emperor Jake]

Jake - I don't find the idea weird. I've travelled around Europe by train. Also, I knew a *lot* about trains when I was a kid. Except to the expert eye, many freight wagons of many European countries look similar.

The differences that do exist will also be significantly less relevant at 32px. I'd say carry on.

Thanks for the encouragement, Andy. I appreciate it

Jake, I understand your point of view, and as Michael said, this would not be the first attempt to create an international freight wagon set.

As for me, I tend to share Michael's doubts about this. In the early years, the French set will have such a wide variety of freight wagons that each type of wagon will have to change livery and looks according to the engine it is attached to. This means the freight wagons will have to be specifically drawn and fully integrated with the rest of the set.

As for the Italian set, it will be a simpler one (train-wise, Italy has never even been close to have such a wide variety France had) but still, I think the best result would be achieved if the freight wagons are developed together with the set. I was thinking about deriving them from the French ones, so that it would take less time to do them, but they would eventually need some "italianization" process.

However, if you draw some freight wagons, they still can be used as a base to speed up the process!

The idea of developing together an Italian set is intriguing I wouldn't mind doing all the drawing (I would actually enjoy it), but I'm not a coder. However, this would be a long-term project...

I'd be happy to code the Italian trains later on, especially since I've now formed a routine I use to code vehicles, using a mixture of Pikkabird's sprite templates and GRFMaker.

Also, the GEFC set is "representative", similar to, for example, the way the Type 4 in the UKRS is representative of all British type 4 locomotives. Even though there were rather large differences in appearance between the classes 48, 44 and 50, they are all represented as one locomotive type in the UKRS. However, every wagon in the set will have several random livery variations, so nno two freight trains will look the same.

Thanks,
Jake

[SwissFan91]

Having tried the set, here's my view:

1) I don't know anything about graphic drawing, but are the carriages a little close together?
2) Is the lack of DMU/EMU trains for a reason? Are just just focusing on the locomotives or are you going to draw some EMUs?

Don't take this the wrong way, as it is a very good set in the making

[Emperor Jake]

Having tried the set, here's my view:

1) I don't know anything about graphic drawing, but are the carriages a little close together?
2) Is the lack of DMU/EMU trains for a reason? Are just just focusing on the locomotives or are you going to draw some EMUs?

Don't take this the wrong way, as it is a very good set in the making

1) They overlap each other slightly in the depot view, but on the track they look like the link in my sig.
2) Yes, the GES set will include some DMUs and EMUs eventually; but if you want to use this together with the 2cc set for more MU's etc. feel free. I encourage use of the engine pool.

[Emperor Jake]

Here is a tracking table of the GEFC set. It includes all cargo definitions and specs. Please comment, post ideas or criticisms that you may have.
Thanks,
Jake

[trainboy2004]

I don't know or it's possible to code articulated wagons. If so, then these would be a good candidate for the High-Speed Container Wagon:
http://www.aae.ch/upload/dokgattung/SDGGMRSS-T-PB.PDF
http://www.aae.ch/upload/dokgattung/SFF ... -ME-PB.PDF

Btw if you need sites with cargo rolling stock data, let me know.

[DJ Nekkid]

articulated rolling stock is no problem