Run through option for stations

[Zatnikitelman]

In OpenTTD, I enjoy building long rail networks with fast run-through stations. However, when I have a particularly busy station due to being a junction of two lines and decide to add a third track to the station, I have problems routing trains.
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd23 ... estion.jpg
In the picture above, trains approaching from the right and terminating can pick any track, then turn around and proceed on their way. However, if a train needs to run through the station, sometimes it picks the uppermost terminating track and has to get turned around somehow either taking a 90 degree junction, or being manually turned around. I currently solve this by adding 3 tiles worth of extra tracks between the right crossover trackage and staggering 3 waypoints and scheduling run through trains to only use the two lower tracks (which usually means they can only use one platform instead of either of the two lower ones) and terminating trains to only use the uppermost track. However, this takes a lot of extra space and adds complexity to what I have to do. What I'd like to see in OpenTTD is a way to tell trains to stop, then run through the station where it checks to make sure it can leave the other end of the station in its path selection.

[Rubidium]

If you show us the actual savegame we might be able to give a better answer than: how have you set up the orders? Because I think it can easily be solved by using different orders. I'm also not understanding why you would need three waypoints.

[Zatnikitelman]

Well, ok, it's attached. I used CargoDest and several NewGRFs so keep that in mind, I'm not sure how OTTD handled different versions like this. It's quite a bit contrived, but demonstrates my point very well. The problem is at Chathaven Common East (CCE). I have trains running the length of the "network" through CCE and then a train going down the branchline. Before I placed the three separate waypoints and ordered the through trains to only use the middle platform when going toward the left and bottom platform when going right, through trains heading left would frequently use the top most platform and have to go all the way down the branch line and make a 90 degree turn at the crossover, then go through the CCE station. With the current solution using the waypoints, it works, but A. takes up a lot of space and B. somewhat defeats the pupose of a multi-platform station. With just one through line and the branch line, you might ask why I'd want multiple platforms and have trains on the same route overtake each other, but I've used this configuration before with junctions to branches farther down the line on each side of the multi-platform station.

[Eddi]

Well, ok, it's attached. I used CargoDest and several NewGRFs so keep that in mind, I'm not sure how OTTD handled different versions like this.

you must give us the link to the exact binary you downloaded.

[Zatnikitelman]

http://bundles.openttdcoop.org/cargodist/g4dd2678f/ <- That one, Windows 64 bit (the .zip)

[Nite Owl]

The solution is proper station design for what you want to achieve. Have a look at THIS THREAD for some ideas.

[kamnet]

Introduce a waypoint that your drive-thru trains must take.

[Expresso]

Introduce a waypoint that your drive-thru trains must take.

That's a workaround, not a solution. Yes, waypoints are part of openttd. I had my fair share of stations where I didn't have the space for a waypoint and wanted to add a terminal track (or the other way around).

A better solution would be if openttd was able to figure out that a particular platform is a terminal (making the pathfinder figure this out looks best to me) and introducing a "take the terminal" order flag; this would be a much cleaner solution.

Just for your information: I have had stations which were attended by over a hundred trains to which I wanted to add a few terminal platforms but decided against it becuase adding orders for a waypoint for over 100 trains is way too cumbersome. And no, shared orders were not applicable for those trains.

Now, a station could keep track of whether it's a terminal, partial terminal or roro by simply looking at the tiles right next to its platforms.

[Edit]
Just thought of it: programmable signals able to check orders of the vehicles arriving near them would be a nicer and better solution.

[AndersI]

a station could keep track of whether it's a terminal, partial terminal or roro by simply looking at the tiles right next to its platforms.

How so? It can have rails going out at the other end, but going nowhere. It could be a turn-around loop. You'd have to check for connectivity with some other station to say it's non-terminal.

[Zatnikitelman]

a station could keep track of whether it's a terminal, partial terminal or roro by simply looking at the tiles right next to its platforms.

How so? It can have rails going out at the other end, but going nowhere. It could be a turn-around loop. You'd have to check for connectivity with some other station to say it's non-terminal.

Why not leave that up to the network builder? I play OpenTTD because I can realistically build transportation networks, not so I can sit back and let a computer make all the decisions. People who want to build terminal stations are not likely to have rails just shooting off at the end.

[Eddi]

i've seen a lot of people putting depots at the end of terminal stations.

[Dave]

Not a solution but I used to make the platform ends separate to rest of station and just made sure I told the train to route through.

[Frank327]

Maybe this is too simple, but would it work to just not include the station in the orders at all? The imagine in your post suggests the station is on the route to the next station anyways, so as long as you don't have the "always non-stop" option turned on, stopping at the station you described becomes an implicit order, and maybe the pathfinding will be better.

And otherwise, maybe not order the train to go "to" the station, but "through" or whatever "via" means in english.

Also it might help to make it impossible for trains to go in the terminus lane, then come back and make a 90 degree turn. It just takes a bit of extra space for the junction.

[broodje]

I actually agree with the first poster, he did use an horrible topic title though so around 50% of the replies has nothing to do with the problem he/she has. I wonder how many people just skip this topic (like I did) thinking it is made by a noob not knowing how to use the non-stop orders.

It would be really nice if the pathfinder was able to decide if a train should go via a trough platform, or can use a terminal platform. I often have stations that have both terminal as trough platforms and it doesn't look very nice to have waypoints for all the platforms, just to help the pathfinder with finding it's way. As already has been said, adding waypoints (or adding differently named stations for that matter) are just work arounds. Maybe an option 'terminal/trough' could be added, next to the middle, front, end options there already are for stopping locations? That way the pathfinder only has to look if a normal track tile exists after the platform tiles.