Transport Tycoon Forums

GarryG wrote:Might need object sets to over come the problem with tunnel entrances, signals and switches

Or a special station tile that overlaps in the direction of the tunnel. It may glitch when a vehicle passes through it but I think that would be a minor consequence.

Done a quick test using Quast65 Golf lawns using them as overlaps.

This is what I plan to place underground .. platforms, signals, switches and the tunnel entrances. When place overlaps along the high level get this result. The railway line closes not a problem as the over lap goes to the back.

However the far track needs overlap to front and can see signals, overheads and platforms.

Coding to my knowledge does not allow you to set the overlaps to any heights so they will cover things properly. Especially for the overlap if in front of the main tile.

Making overhead buildings and parks above the platforms not a problem except for the overhead wires, but I think I can overcome that.

But covering the signals, switches and tunnel entrances haven't got a good answer for that yet when 2 or more railway lines are used.

And this what happens with a single track. The signals stick out of the grass. This will not be a problem if have buildings as they be hidden behind the buildings.

GarryG wrote:Coding to my knowledge does not allow you to set the overlaps to any heights so they will cover things properly. Especially for the overlap if in front of the main tile

You can't shift the sprite offsets?

kamnet wrote:You can't shift the sprite offsets?

I know how to do that with objects but not with the stations.

Will try with objects to hide signals, tunnels etc .. but not got time to try for a few days.

Cheers

Quast65 commented on this a few years ago in my idea box thread:
viewtopic.php?p=1175418#p1175418

Thanks kamnet for that link .. that gives me some ideas.

Cheers

I'll throw in another possible idea to do this here - it'd use NRT, though:
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=75637&start=80#p1185160

Pyoro wrote:I'll throw in another possible idea to do this here - it'd use NRT, though:

Thanks for that link .. the link you and kamnet given me will help with ideas.

Problem now is me finding time to work on it more but will see what I can do.

Thanks

Garry

kamnet wrote:Quast65 commented on this a few years ago in my idea box thread:
viewtopic.php?p=1175418#p1175418

Yep, the best thing to do is to use a railtype that has at least full tile covered tunnel exits/entrances (that doesnt have any catenary).
That way you avoid issues with wires like you had in your first shot of an underground station idea a couple of posts ago.
If that railtype also has full tile covered graphics for everything, you will avoid the later issues when you tried to cover up the catenary with overlapping tiles.
As I mentioned in the link from Kamnet, Foobars Metro Track Set has both and is perfect to use in combination with underground stations.
I do believe though that that set still had some issues with signals poking out, so maybe you can come up with a railtype with lower/smaller signals, then you will have everything covered up and have no need anymore for overlapping graphics.

It would be great if it is possible to have more interesting graphics than just the full concrete or grass that the MetroTrackSet has.
But that may be very difficult to achieve, as I dont think you can get (randomly) different graphics for railtracks....
So, for more interesting graphics (like parks or rows of houses), I think you may need a couple of different railtypes and then mix those manually to get a more visually appealing effect.

But this may go a bit off-topic now...
I would advise for the moment to just test out your underground stations with the MetroTrackSet and see if they look good in combination with that.

I think I'm winning with subway idea .. under all that rough grass is signals, overhead wires and a station.

The train travels under the grass and no glitching.

The grass is objects. I hope not to use it over stations as like those to be actual station graphics. Main objective with the Objects overheads is to cover the tunnel entrances, and railway tracks between the tunnel and stations. Making it wider for 4 tracks is next challenge .. once I workout what the limit is for the overlaps using the simple grass idea I should be able to add buildings and lower the car parks so they will all match up.

I tried 4 and 6 tracks, but 4 tracks will be the limit. If overlap using the 3 tiles object grass get glitching along the middle 2 tracks.

If overlap using the 4 tile object so that they overlap each other .. the only glitching I get is 2nd track from left when the sparks from the train show in the grass.

I got a bit of time spare to work on this today .. but Tuesday to Friday have other commitments with medical appointments and Friday hope to go watch a steam train in action.

If like to experiment what I done here the file containing the objects.

Quast65 wrote:Yep, the best thing to do is to use a railtype that has at least full tile covered tunnel exits/entrances (that doesnt have any catenary).That way you avoid issues with wires like you had in your first shot of an underground station idea a couple of posts ago.

That could be an option but not every one who uses my stations might not use my railway tracks.

To cover all overhead wires with the objects, I increased the height of the bounding boxes .. but doesn't work real well when I do the same with the platform tiles. Some wires poke out at one end as can see in this image. The rough grass is object tiles and the mowed grass is platform tiles.

Just an idea there might be a answer for.

With non track tiles a person can disable the poles and disable overhead hires

(Part of non-track code)
4299 * 88 00 04 05 01 E7 08 "ASSW" 11 00 14 FF 15 FF 09 02

Platforms can disable the poles, but can we also disable the wires?

(Part of Platform Code)
4110 * 376 00 04 04 01 DC 08 "ASSW" 11 00 0B 0F 09 08

I tried adding 14 FF and 15FF after 11 00 in platform code but got error messages.

Wonder if you know what I could do if it can be done?

Another way around is make the platform grass 16 pixels high but they not line up properly with the object grass unless I make it 16 pixels high as well.

Cheers all

You only have to add Property 14 (Dis/Enable Wires, indeed with value FF) after Property 11.

Property 15 is allowing/disallowing trains on that station, you dont need that for normal platforms.

Furthermore, as you add an extra property, you also have to increase the "Number of Properties" value at the beginning of that Action-0:

So this:

4110 * 376 00 04 04 01 DC 08 "ASSW" 11 00 0B 0F 09 08

Becomes:

4110 * 378 00 04 05 01 DC 08 "ASSW" 11 00 14 FF 0B 0F 09 08

As you now have 5 properties (08, 11, 14, 0B and 09).

Thats probably a cause for the error messages, also note the yellow 8, you have added 2 extra bits, so that number increases also, but that would automatically be fixed if you run your code through NFOrenum first before you compile it. But if you didnt run it through NFOrenum then that also would give an error message.

Quast65 wrote:You only have to add Property 14 (Dis/Enable Wires, indeed with value FF) after Property 11

Thank you heaps for that my friend.

That works really good.

Now comes the fun making a few different tops to go above the platforms. Also be able to lower the Car Parks now as well so they be level with everything else.

Between these stations and the objects I think we be able to make some good subway stations.

Next is to get the time to do some as be bust for a few days.

Cheers and thanks to all how offered ideas for this project.

Thank you heaps for that my friend.

You are very welcome buddy!
Look forward to what you can come up with!

Here a early taste .. making some Subway Station entrances.
The top 2 are based on St. James Station in Hyde Park, Sydney, Australia.

Cheers

EDIT: If any one would like to learn to make their own station sets .. Quast65 was my teacher while he made a Tutorial on the subject.

Go to Garry Does Stations in Simuscape at:
http://www.simuscape.net/simutalk/viewt ... c2b0e7a55e

If I can learn from his tutorial anyone can.

Under the Park and rough grass is 4 track platform, signals and tunnel entrances.

Still a few glitches to try fix.

The St James Entrance and tiles along the fence are all on slopes and have that line running left to right as if the ground is cracking.

The rough object grass to left shows toe overhead wires at one end. It was showing the Catenary poles too, so I put a platform under the rough grass.

The rough grass on other end is hiding brick fence belong to the platforms .. this might be because I have the bounding box setting to high.

I off to dream world now as morning comes early in Australia.

Cheers all.

The St James Entrance and tiles along the fence are all on slopes and have that line running left to right as if the ground is cracking.

That is normal behaviour of the foundation graphics: They show up like that on that kind of slope to show that it is a terraced slope. If those lines wouldnt be there it would give the rather strange visual effect of being flat on large surfaces.
Two options:
1. Make a little GRF yourself that replaces those parts of the foundations with more subtle graphics, or even loose those graphics (but then you might get strange visual effects)
2. Use an existing GRF and see if those already have more subtle graphics, for example, OpenGFX+Landscape and then use the "Grey stone with moss" foundation. Most of my "underground" stations have grey concrete groundtiles, with that the lines of some of the foundations are less visible/noticeable (for example with INFRA-Foundations, as that has the same kind of grey lines).

The rough object grass to left shows toe overhead wires at one end.

Yep, those wires are part of the tracks just in front of your station.
That is why I advised to use or make a trackset that doesnt have catenary...

The rough grass on other end is hiding brick fence belong to the platforms

That is the disadvantage of using overlapping tiles to "fake" an underground railway...
Again, if you used a tracktype there that has a grassy roof (like Foobar's MetroTrackSet that I mentioned often before), you would not have that issue...


These are two of the "disadvantages" of underground stations, to make them really look good you are dependant on a matching trackset and a matching foundation-GRF...
Overlapping is not always the answer...


EDIT:
The way I use my underground stations is by building them directly next to the tunnel exits/entrances (so the full roofed tile tunnels of MetroTrackSet), without any extra tracks.
My signals and switches are placed at the entrances/exits of the tunnels that are not next to the station, mostly at the city edge.
That way I limit the use of space by the tracks, leaving room for the city to grow closely around my underground station over the tunnel.
Something like this: Also, I dont really think that the City Authorities would like it too much if you dig a huge ditch right through them for the tracks that you then will overlap, but that is at your own risk

Thanks Quast65 for your ideas and support.

I will change my the OpenGFX+Landscape to make that effect look a bit better.

The brick fence not important as I made them to just see what results I get.

The rough grass will also be made same as what about the stations so the brick fence probably be better on the overlaps instead of the station pieces.

Hope to add a few buildings and the car parks eventually.

I will have a go at make up a set of tracks and see what tunnel effects I can do.

Anyway I better go .. I got a bus to catch and than a train as heading to Sydney to visit railway archives.

Cheers

Done a bit more to subway stations.

Also made another track for my AuzTracks like Quast65 suggested. Although it if for electric trains it does not have the catenary over the tracks.

This pic shows the track without the catenary and the electric train still works using that track. This track is from NuTracks minus the overheads. It is designed just for your underground network. This pic same as the one above with a station and Park and grass over the top of the stations.

The grass that covers the signals and tunnel entrances if from the object sets. There is a minor problem with the fence .. some vandals have removed some of the bricks.
The platforms are a mixture of Normal and Island platforms .. since they be hidden underground I don't think it matters what type they are. The main reason I made some island platforms is that they are 2 tiles wide which allowed me to add the 2 basketball courts.

Next post below will have the 3 files if you like to try.