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Post by Jimi on Nov 8, 2021 19:05:16 GMT
On the money Johnny. We felt about 1982, driving one of the last R49s in service ex-Richmond heading into town. And absolutely West Ken. The footbridge leads left towards Ashfield House (LUL training). There are whistle boards just to the east, around the area where new LUL recruits are first shown how to safely cross tracks and live rails.
This was an interesting scenario to create as we got to use the pre-corp versions of both D78 and C69 appropriate for the time.
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Post by Jimi on Nov 9, 2021 14:18:15 GMT
I thought you might be be interested in the scenarios we've created for Phase III, and the thought process and ideas behind them. There are 5 that will ship with Phase III release, with more planned later including a new Emma Clark-voiced T/op Man set - maybe for Xmas :-) Here's the summary of the 5 scenarios, taken from the new Route Guide:
1. Phase III – R49 Training. Time 30 mins. It’s 1950 and the red R49 has recently been introduced, replacing the existing Standard Stock. This training scenario puts you in the position of Motorman under the supervision of an Instructor, operating a service from Wimbledon to High St Kensington. Then, under instruction, you will stable the train in Triangle sidings for a debrief. 2. Phase III – The show must go on. Time 52 mins.It’s 1982 on an early evening in mid-summer at Richmond, and the new D78 Stock is gradually replacing the R49s. You are driving one of the last silver R49s on a service from Richmond to Whitechapel, which is popular with theater goers. It is rush hour and there is a lot of traffic to deal with, and you will need to keep an eye on the schedule. The new D78 has higher performance and braking, and you need to push your old girl a bit to keep up. Are you up to the task?
3. Phase III - R49 Heritage Tour. Time 140mins.Imagine Museum DM 22679 could be a full train and run a tour. Drive the R49 from Ealing Common Depot Alps road. It's mid-morning initially overcast, clearing to sun by the time you exit the Circle tunnels. A lot of AI traffic and meets/signals to watch for. Drive slow (30 mph or less as needed) else you will be stopping a lot. You are on a tour driving an old train surrounded by stopping service trains. 4. Phase III - District or Circle? Time 80 mins.District D78 very early morning under hazy sun. Parsons Green sidings to Earls Court then an easy run to Whitechapel, but less easy coming back west. Your progress against timetable is measured about every 5 stations, but you can make the schedule with careful driving and well within speed limits. Watch signals ahead and drive smoothly. 5. Phase III - Circle or District? Time 30 mins.A variation on the above with largely the same AI traffic, but you are now a Circle C69 driver running the Inner Rail High Street to Aldgate behind what was the above scenario player D78 that is running to Whitechapel. So you get to see the Lower Circle run from the viewpoint of both DR and Circle operators. Every station is timetabled and it will be tougher to maintain your schedule. After 18+ months work, we obviously wanted to show off the R49 and the new section of track. It's only 12 route miles (bi-direction) and almost all in dark tunnel. Might sound boring to someone used to driving at speed on long stretches of open air on the NR tracks. But there's a LOT to keep you occupied. Realistic and accurately placed signals appearing out of the gloom, colors changing that tell what is happening around you. A total of 14 new bespoke highly detailed and unique stations. The Lower Circle is a very dense section of track through the city. AI (DR and Circle) traffic all around you running typical headways of only minutes apart. And you are in the middle of all that, trying to maintain your schedule and not hold up the train behind, and not SPAD a signal in front. And in addition to the 5 authored scenarios we extended the Quick Drive scenario capabilities to include the key Lower Circle stations, including bay platforms where appropriate. Quick Drive is good for a, um, quick drive and has some AI traffic, but a scenario can put you in a complex situation or even tell a story. We put the R49 into 3 different time periods - you training in it in 1950 as it came into service replacing the Standard Stock, later driving one of the last Silver trains in 1982 as the D78 began to take over, and last an imaginary (and long) Heritage Tour in present day. As you know, the Lower Circle is shared by District and Circle services, supposedly getting in each other's way at key flat junctions like Minories (Aldgate) - and that sparked an idea. Write a scenario with a player D78 going to to Whitechapel and back among all the other traffic, including competing Circle trains. And then take that scenario and change the player train to be one of the Circle C69s running Inner Rail High Street to Aldgate. Now we can experience a typical Lower Circle working from both sides. Does the previous player train, now AI, now get in your way? And to make it harder we will make all the stops timetabled :-) It won't be much longer until you can see these. Scenario test will finish today and then we're into installation kit build and test, and a very brief Beta test. Everything (route, assets, R49, scenarios, docs) looks good. We've taken more than 18 months to get this far, so please understand when we take great care over the last few steps to make sure you get a rock-solid Phase III.
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Post by Xavier on Nov 9, 2021 19:15:37 GMT
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Johnny
Station Staff
Posts: 15
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Post by Johnny on Nov 9, 2021 19:37:56 GMT
I really liked the video but I was hoping to see more of the new extension!
The R stock looks very impressive but the one thing that really stuck out for me personally was how fantastic Sloane Square’s lighting is.
I also love the scenarios in Jimi’s post above; I was hoping you’d do a ‘mixed stock’ run.
Very well done to the team.
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Post by Jimi on Nov 10, 2021 14:05:06 GMT
Johnny, you'll see more when you get to run it :-) It would be close to impossible to show any real level of detail in a video clip. Likewise, when you're in a scenario hitting the platform end at 30 and concentrating on braking to a smooth stop at the mark, you won't see detail either. Only that diamond on the sleeper. And the starter signal. And the timetable :-)
One good way to look around is to use QuickDrive and make a scenario from (say) ECT to WHI, any train although D78 likely has best visibility, and then stop at each station and go into the "8" view (walk around) and wander around the platforms. Every one of the 14 new stations is different, has on-platform detail and often stairways or passages to other areas. Get a close look at the stop points and signals. You can also practice your approach braking - platforms are different lengths and may have the stop point and starter in a different location. And the different trains brake and accelerate at varying rates.
Thank you also for your kind comments. And when driving the R49, don't forget to wait for the Guard's bell before you take off. Miner doors!
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Post by Jimi on Nov 10, 2021 18:06:52 GMT
VDL Phase III – v3.0 pre-requisites (updated to match the list on the VDL download site)
NOTE addition of Vulcan Productions Asset packs (freeware) requirement for VDL Phase III.
The VDL leverages signal assets from the Just Trains Metropolitan Line, and requires that route be installed. VDL Phase III requires the Met route be updated to v1.03 (or latest JT update). Update downloads are available on the Just Trains site. If you do NOT yet have the Met Route, then JT has an offer (bullet below) that will save you money: The Vulcan Productions Track Pack, Track Expansion Pack and the 3rd rail Texture Patch (all freeware). Download all three from their Assets downloads page: The TS London Transport Heritage Stock DLC can be downloaded from Steam: In addition we strongly recommend (and require for the v2.1 T/Op Man and other Scenarios) the following free downloads from Alan Thomson Sim that enhances the JT S7 + 1 stocks operation and appearance: • S7 District Destinations - alanthomsonsim.com/downloads/district-line-s7-destinations/• S7 Circle Line Destinations - alanthomsonsim.com/downloads/circle-line-s7-destinations/• S7 Ham & City Destinations - alanthomsonsim.com/downloads/hammersmith-city-line-s7-destinations/We have also used the Armstrong Powerhouse Sky & Weather Enhancement pack in our scenarios, which adds a whole range of realistic sky and weather patterns dependent on season and desired weather. You can find more information at the AP Product Page. If you already have this product, please check on the product page to see if you need to download an update. For any other prerequisites please see the details listed on the VDL Download Site.
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Post by trabantdave on Nov 11, 2021 9:11:02 GMT
The sense of anticipation is palpable Jimi..........
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Post by Jimi on Nov 11, 2021 15:50:22 GMT
And in the team too Dave! Installation kit creation and test went superbly, all credit to Xavier. He has devised a new installation process that is much smoother than previous (no batch copy) and looks very professional. On my fairly quick system (with SSDs) it installed cleanly in 2.5 mins where I had previously removed the route, assets, etc.) acting like a new user. Similar for Eddie who was installing over v2.2 acting as a previous user. It will also NOT mess with any scenarios you may have downloaded (e.g. the EC set). As so much has changed since v2.2, we are only doing a full v3.0 installer. Not worth the time/effort to do an incremental.
So that's another major step checked off. The kit is now with our small group of Beta testers, and we anticipate a live or recorded first-look stream from Alan Thomson and something from Tom (TrainSim_TV) in the next few days. More news on that as we firm up schedules.
So far so good...
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Post by Jimi on Nov 11, 2021 18:36:22 GMT
Some thoughts on signals. I originally wrote this 2+ years ago, but I felt it worth re-doing so our newer members got to see it.
Ed and I were chatting one evening as we were testing scenarios - some of which are quite complex with a lot of trains and conflicting moves. And we were debating a situation where the player has to wait a few minutes at a red (WB5 on the way from ECT to OLY for the curious) because it doesn't clear until any train on the single track from OLY has cleared onto the dual track. So sometimes there's a wait - and you can't see the other train and may wonder why you're waiting... And Ed opined he'd bet some users who were used to "other" signals (or routes) would wait 2 minutes and them try to TAB through thinking it was broken. And I had to agree. So I thought I'd briefly update you on the Phase III signals and how they are different from what you may have seen before in other routes, so as to set your expectations. We've used a combination of JT's Met LUL (surface and tunnel) signals and UK Pro for the NL sections of the route. Both are very well constructed, look the part and best of all act the part. Personally I'm very impressed with JT's LUL signals, as LUL signal practices are not likely familiar to those who mostly inhabit the Real Railway TM. (To that end, I deliberately wrote a multi-page section in the Route Guide describing LUL signals and their operation - so you will have NO excuse for not knowing what a Green over Yellow signal means). So they work very good, and we have been very careful to place and "wire them" correctly so they exactly mimic their real life counterparts - location, type, purpose, plate number. This means they behave as they should. And you can expect to discover a few red signals in the new Phase III scenarios.
And the message that you should take away is simply - believe what they are trying to tell you.
There is a practice when determining the likelihood of something called applying Occam's razor. Simply stated it says that when faced with multiple possibilities, choose the one that has the least number of assumptions, or the simplest. If you hear hoofbeats behind you, tend to think horses not zebras. So to apply this to the signals, if you see a red one the most likely cause is not that it's broken, but that there's a train in the track section ahead (e.g. WB5 approaching OLY). Or that the route is set against you at a converging junction because another train is scheduled ahead of you or has priority (e.g. OB31 approaching Minories Jct waiting for an Outer Circle out of Aldgate). It may be unusual for you at first after your other experiences, but trust the signals and look ahead so you build a mental picture of the likely traffic around you and what it might do - and what you might have to do. The District is the busiest of the LUL lines, and the traffic density can be high. And there's a lot of signals. OK, exactly the right number. It just looks a lot :-)
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Post by markhazeldine on Nov 11, 2021 18:59:17 GMT
This is all very exciting. Can I just ask, with the requirement for the London Transport Heritage pack, is that still just for scenarios, or have you used any assets for the route? I kind of want to wait until the next Steam sale before I buy it, but I don't want to wait to get v3. If it's just scenarios, I might hold off and just do Quick Drives.
Talking of scenarios, I understand why you'd want to do a lot of R49 ones, but as I was only born in 1982, I don't have any memory of them in my lifetime, whereas I was a regular commuter from Richmond to Mansion House and back on the D-Stock back in the early 2010s, so I would love to see some more D-Stock scenarios come out when you do your next scenario pack!
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Post by Xavier on Nov 11, 2021 19:12:29 GMT
This is all very exciting. Can I just ask, with the requirement for the London Transport Heritage pack, is that still just for scenarios, or have you used any assets for the route? I kind of want to wait until the next Steam sale before I buy it, but I don't want to wait to get v3. If it's just scenarios, I might hold off and just do Quick Drives. Talking of scenarios, I understand why you'd want to do a lot of R49 ones, but as I was only born in 1982, I don't have any memory of them in my lifetime, whereas I was a regular commuter from Richmond to Mansion House and back on the D-Stock back in the early 2010s, so I would love to see some more D-Stock scenarios come out when you do your next scenario pack! LT Heritage is just to cover the couple of scenarios that include 1938 stock. Every other scenario should play fine. We anticipate looking at producing some further scenarios using the Emma Clarke announcement soundset, which will most prominently feature D78/C69/73TS.
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Post by markhazeldine on Nov 11, 2021 19:20:20 GMT
Thanks Xavier!
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Post by Jimi on Nov 11, 2021 19:23:19 GMT
To expand a little on Xavier's response, the 5 new scenarios do not use the 1938TS stock so do not need the Heritage pack. If, with any scenario, you get some kind of "can't load train" error when loading (because you don't have that stock), hit F2 and click Cancel. The scenario will continue to load without that train. Which is likely OK for now, unless it's the player train... :-)
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Post by Eddie on Nov 12, 2021 13:51:54 GMT
AS far as the signals info above. The most important thing for you to remember with Phase 3 is this :
Be very careful leaving Tower Hill eastbound for Aldgate East or when leaving Aldgate East westbound for Tower Hill. You will not be able to run at line speed on those two sections and be able to stop in time if the route is set against you.
That is just as it is in real life.
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Post by Jimi on Nov 12, 2021 18:51:09 GMT
Alan Thomson is streaming Phase III tonight (Friday 12th) on Twitch TV at 19.00 pm.
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Johnny
Station Staff
Posts: 15
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Post by Johnny on Nov 12, 2021 21:47:04 GMT
Just watched the Alan Thomson Twitch stream.
The VDL certainly did not disappoint me.
The R49 stock was very good.
The stations looked every bit as good as they do in real life.
Very impressive indeed.
Johnny
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Post by catsrcool on Nov 13, 2021 6:45:25 GMT
I watched the AT Twitch stream and thought the route looked wonderful. As for the comments regarding the windows in the cab while in the tunnels I would have liked to see the same views with the cab light on as per Jimi's suggestion during the stream. I could have lived with it as is personally. What a great job guys.
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Post by patrick on Nov 13, 2021 10:59:05 GMT
Fantastic work VDL Team! Really enjoyed the stream.
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Post by Eddie on Nov 13, 2021 11:25:45 GMT
R49 window glass has been fixed. Xavier simply used the same settings that Darren applied to the C69 when the cab for that was built. Major improvement and well worth doing. That fix is now in the Master kit, so you guys will not have this issue.
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Post by Jimi on Nov 13, 2021 12:59:31 GMT
Concur with Eddie. The cablight trick is kind of a band-aid, and there is a need to be able to see clearly especially trying to spot distant signals in a dark tunnel, or even outside in bad weather. The cablight itself is great - the effect of a single dusty bulb is superb and is *just* enough light. Xavier has now implemented a really good glass compromise that has some small level of "dirt", and nice clear view through the majority of the glass, and the weather (rain) effects still work great. We're delighted with Beta test so far, and the response Phase III is getting. Thank you all for your support and patience.
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Post by Jimi on Nov 13, 2021 15:44:10 GMT
A PRECAUTIONARY HEADS UPWe've seen a few rare odd incidents after updating the route without clearing cache. Scenario AI trains not doing exactly what they should and causing AI collisions. After installing a new kit build this morning, I got a glitch at the end of the training scenario that has run perfectly before. There is a solution.
When you have installed the new kit (not long now) or an update that adds or replaces Assets, be sure to clear cache (TS - Tools menu - Clear Cache). TS will restart in 32-bit meaning you have to exit that and go 64-bit after. Clearing cache forces a rebuild of all the Blueprints.pak files (Assets caches), which means TS now has latest info about all your content - including the new route/assets you just installed/updated. Another cure for flakiness (technical term :-) if you've added new scenario content is be to delete the scenarios cache file (<TS location>/Content/SDBCache.bin). This will be rebuilt next time you start TS, and the startup will take a little longer as it does so.
After clearing cache (TS - Tools menu - Clear Cache) I re-ran the training scenario again, and no issues.
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Post by patrick on Nov 13, 2021 15:54:44 GMT
Thanks for the heads up Jimi. Can't wait!!
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