MSTS wish list

Here we go with some ideas for the new MSTS (Microsoft's announcement on 19-Jan-2007).

Since webDotTrainSim is currently developing activities for Wupper Express 10.1 (let's call it WE10 for typing purposes), he's constantly working with the MSTS Activity Editor (i.e., webDotTrainSim is constantly at loggerheads with the AE - sometimes he wins, he has widened his vocabulary, he still has his hair but wonders about the grey matter). So the items below relate mostly to how the new MSTS needs to make activity creation a far better experience.

Another point to bear in mind is that webDotTrainSim currently (as of 22-Jan-2007) has 331 (yes, three hundred and thirty-one) paths on WE 10. Each of these paths has a corresponding service. So the points below relate to creating, editing and managing these paths and services. By the way, webDotTrainSim continually wonders if MSTS has a limit to the number of paths/services - he'll certainly let you know if he finds it.

Backwards compatability

There has been too much time and effort by people over the years to discard all the work they've contributed to MSTS. There is a huge knowledge base of how MSTS works - and doesn't - that has come about through people using their own time and resources with the sole aim of improving the first version to give us all the most realistic train driving experience.

webDotTrainSim only wants to mention one person, Bob plainsman Boudoin, who puts so much into improving the physics of rolling stock. There's no easy way to do this job (he must have lines of ENG and WAG file code scroll past in his sleep). We want to make sure the new MSTS is backwards compatible with ENG and WAG files and the only area which may not be so is the dynamic braking section (the new MSTS should correctly interpret and simulate parameters in this particular ENG file section).

New activity editor

Here are some ideas for a new Activity Editor:

• the principal aim of new tools for activity creation come down to removing the huge amount of time required to, firstly, create an activity, and, secondly, to test that activity. In relation to passenger activities, testing is mostly concerned with traffic timings, i.e., ensuring there's traffic at particular locations when the player/driver train arrives. Tools in the new MSTS have to be able to make activity creation a more efficient process and, in turn, the new MSTS itself have some in-built functions such as obeying service priorities and a simple event scripting language.
• bring it up to date to the standards of modern Windows applications
• the file open/save/save as dialogues should follow Windows standards
• the Activity Editor can only work with activity (.ACT) files so we only need to be asked to choose the Route and then be presented with the Activities folder for that route
• separate editors for paths, services and traffic - see below.
• in the light of the previous point, webDotTrainSim will have to work out the function of the (new) Activity Editor... thinking...
• one job for the new Activity Editor will be to bring together a particular activity's services and traffic files and enable them to be saved.
• give up on the present Activity Editor's activity packing function. webDotWizard much prefers the method of packing up an activity as done by Mike Simpson's Route Riter because the end-user can see which files are involved.

Path editor

Ideas in brief:

• set start and end points for a path and the editor makes a best-fit path which the author can edit to refine to what is really required. The reason for this is to save the author contracting RSI - the first 50 or so paths are ok but after that...
• there's no reason to have the path editor as currrently implemented - all that's required is the route and its properties and to wait while the current AE checks everything is a waste of time
• for some reason known only to the original authors, when the Leave path editor is clicked after creating/editing the first path in a session of path creation, it seems that most of the other paths are also saved. webDotTrainSim just checked and found that most of his 350+ paths had been saved after he made a small edit to his wDTS-frgtplyr-W-Langerfeld to DU-Rheinhausen path (dates of other path files were same as the one changed).

Services editor

Ideas in brief:

• a separate tool for creation, editing, management
• as for the new path editor, there's no need to carry out a huge check of every piece of rolling stock at this stage. If the author has created a service, a consist must exist and let's give the author the benefit of the doubt that the required rolling stock is available to MSTS. Leave a full, final check until later because at this stage the activity author's head is taken up with one job when it's all said and done - scheduling (and that can take up lots of grey cells).

Set service priority, scripting

Some ideas in brief to start off:

• Activity authors need to be able to set and adjust priority of all services (incl. player/driver train) to eliminate stand-offs and be able to add realism to the manner in which real trains interact (e.g., passenger has priority over freight, or vice versa, depending on the railway system; certain passenger/freight types of services have priority over other passenger/freight types).
• A scripting facility to force events to occur. For example:
• When player.Distance from Dusseldorf = 10km, then Start service.DU-ICEg17, service.D-GerASG4, service.HIasg2

Traffic editor

Ideas in brief:

• scheduling tool
• graphical representation of timings for traffic services
• be able to reset the time for an activity and thus times for all traffic making up the activity

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• Email me at info AT webDotTrainsim DOT com if you have questions or comments. I'll try to answer as best I can. Certainly post me if any step-by-step instructions on various how-to pages need clarification.