Depots - servicing on exit

[zozo_ii]

Dear developers
Many of us use so called "buffer depots" near stations. These depots usually hold only 1-2 trains but when a new line is built, or in times of recession they can hold 20-30 or even more.
When someone builds a 500+ tiles service arround say 1940, the first 64km/h top speed trains' round trip can last for more than a year, definitelly more than the service interval of an early time locomotive.
As "started" trains in the depot are considered running, their reliability starts dwindling from the time of purchase, resulting in horrendous reliability by the time they leave the depot.
This issue can be adressed by buying the trains only when they are capable to leave the depot (there is an empty track at the station), but after a while this isn't feasible, as many lines can be built in short time (while paused), and keeping an eye on 10-15 lines simultaneously when the game is resumed is just impossible.
In order to keep the reliability at a higher level, I'd like to suggest to consider the depot exiting time/date of a vechicle as the time/date of the last service, not the entering time. This would also make the game a bit more realistic.

[Auge]

Hello

I'd like to suggest to consider the depot exiting time/date of a vechicle as the time/date of the last service, not the entering time. This would also make the game a bit more realistic.

Also building more depots for the complete network, even near intermediate stations (not only at the ends of the lines), makes the game more than a bit more realistic (related to the development of the real world railway systems). Not, that setting the latest service date to the starting time of a vehicle is a crude idea in itself. But firstly the vehicles (especially trains) are started when waiting for a free path to leave the depot – their servicing time is set to the point before they started to wait for a free path and they would be able to drive their way when a way/path was available – so the game behaves as you want it to do. And secondly your problem could easily be solved with more depots in the network [1] without changing the behaviour of the game.

Sometimes it is better to follw the rules of the game rather than bend the rules to suit you.

Tschö, Auge

[1]: I myself also try to build my network with as few depots as possible. On small maps (from 64x64 up to 256x64 tiles) I sometimes get by with only one or two depots but sometimes I need five, six or more.

[odisseus]

Does the proposed change make the game less realistic? I think not. The behaviour of depots (unlimited storage space on a single tile) and the reliability system (especially how its upper limit changes with time) are already far removed from reality.

Is this change really necessary? I think not. When you have noticed that a lot of trains are waiting inside the depot, just click the "Renew all vehicles" button to reset their reliability (and also their age).

Does it actually solve the problem? Well, not really. The usual cause of trains accumulating in the buffer depot is a decreased supply of cargo at the adjacent station. In such a situation, the train is likely to wait a long time at the station itself, and its reliability will be significantly decreased by the time it leaves the station.

[LaChupacabra]

(...) resulting in horrendous reliability by the time they leave the depot.

Basic question: What version of the game are you using? It must be very, very old.
For a long time now (always??), it works exactly as you describe: vehicles leave the depots with maximum reliability.

Perhaps the change should be so that this reliability doesn't decrease while in the depot, because it only confuses players and it just doesn't make sense since the vehicle is leaving at max value anyway.

[Auge]

Hello

(...) resulting in horrendous reliability by the time they leave the depot.

For a long time now (always??), it works exactly as you describe: vehicles leave the depots with maximum reliability.

To be exact, the restart with the maximum reliability, but …

Perhaps the change should be so that this reliability doesn't decrease while in the depot, because it only confuses players and it just doesn't make sense since the vehicle is leaving at max value anyway.

… the problem seems to be, that the trains wait eternal time for free paths.

It might be possible to change the game behaviour by changing the game code. For the player it is just as possible to change the own strategy, in this case to spread the maintenance orders of the vehicles over more depots. Both options should be considered.

Tschö, Auge

[odisseus]

Well, if the reliability decay happens inside the depot but its effects are ultimately nullified, it makes sense to just turn it off, if only to avoid giving the false impression that the player needs to act in order to mitigate an undesirable effect.