SouthEast - route in progress

As is often said

"All good things are worth waiting for!"

Hi Danny,
Don't break a leg and rush it through whatever you do! You can sometimes mess things up!! We're all a patient bunch.... I'll be ready as and when it is released! Come next May if I have to!
Cheers
Andy

It's OK, there won't be any unnecessary rush - it's taken years to get this close so there's no point in pushing too hard now. It's all unkown territory in any case, so I just have to feel my way with each operation - making plenty of back-ups of course!  

Nice to see you are adding passengers to the stations. I have always cringed when running routes with empty stations. Some of the early routes like Thames Mersey, Dorset Coast, to name just two, are what I call Ghost Routes (no people on stations and empty fields with hardly any cattle or sheep to be seen).
I know it takes time to add people and livestock to a route, but it makes them much more lifelike and enjoyable to run on. Over the years before I got involved with the SCP, I made my own copies of these routes and added life to them, so most of my routes have been modified by adding people to them.
So well done Danny for adding passengers, like Don and I did with the SCP.
Keep up the good work, it is getting towards the end now and although it's been a long hard slog, it's worth all the effort when you know that others too, can enjoy it, especially for those who have not got the skills to produce a route to these standards.
Another thing to bear in mind Danny, it is the route and stock builders, that are still keeping MSTS alive, as without all these routes and ever growing amounts of stock, i'ts doubtfull whether the sim would have lasted this long.
Even if we don't see any more major routes being made, we have enough to keep everyone happy for as long as we have computers that can still run MSTS. So don't get rid of you old PC, because 10 years from now. MSTS will definately not run on modern equipment.

Hi Geoff, pleased to see you're still taking an interest in MSTS. Unfortunately I'm having to take a forced break from the route, and won't be getting back to it until November at least. I'm making seasonal textures though, so there is still a little progress being made. I would guess completion would be early next year......I'm quite disappointed with the delay, but sometimes real life can get in the way!

Hi Danny, thank you for your reply, yes I am still in to MSTS, but just enjoying the running side of things these days. I doubt whether I will ever get involved with route building again, as I don't seem to have the time these days. Sorry to hear that your route has to be put on hold for a while, but like you say, other things in the real world have to come first. Nice to see your Coronation Loco's released for download and thank you for letting me have KGV1 before it was released, I have had hours of pleasure running it on many routes.
I just love your MN Class loco's and the many reskins that have evolved from it. Anyway, I am still looking forward to your route getting finished, something I have been eager to run on for a long time. Take care and keep us all posted when any more news crops up.

The route is now finished apart from activity testing. Since last posting, the route has been extended to include Dunton Green and the Westerham branch line.

That's good to hear. Obviously the question is if you are looking to make it available to the wider community will it be via download? Perhaps divided up into route and activities similar to Clive's TT_V2?
We are now all aware of the time constraints for UKTS issue of CD/DVDs, and the current backlog of NWE_V3 and DC_V6!
Anyway I along with others will wait with patience to hear of your decisions in this respect.

The plan has always been for the route to come out on a DVD. When ready I'll have a chat with Pete P and then go from there.

Hello Dee 4141,well on the one hand I will be much happier for your route to come out on DVD,it does appear that PP may be a little overwhelmed.I have been following the posts and screenshots from the start,and it certainly looks to be fantastic.Thanks in advance for whatever you decide.....Roger.

Hi Danny,
Glad to hear you have finally got the route finished (apart from testing). It's been a long hard slog for you, but worth it in the end. I look forward to its release, when Pete can finally get to check everything before we can all enjoy it.

I also am very pleased to hear that this is almost complete and congratulate in all who have bean involved in producing it.

I wonder when (in 2016) we will see this released.

I sincerely hope that it would be released this year sometime, but I can't say anything further until I speak to Pete P.

Hi Danny
Well done on finishing the route I was always looking forward to running it but now thanks to windows 8 I will not be able to,as my old windows 7 computer

Hi Mike,
Your message seems to stop very abruptly!! Hope everything is OK.

MSTS will run under Windows 8.1, but you MUST be using an NVIDIA graphics card.
Please come back if you need further advice

Cheers,
Ged

Hi Ged
I'm using my android at present,the rest was to say I had just come out of hospital because of my bad knee,which means I will have to have a knee replacement.
Which means I will have to get a new computer which is in my price range and they don't come with NVIDIA cards
Mike

Hi Mike,

I have replied to your thread over on UKTS. Let me know what the problem is with the old PC and I will see if I can help or advise in any way?!

Cheers

Andy

Hi
Just to say I will now be able to run this marvellous route after finding a Toshiba computer that has windows 7 pre installed,It arrives Tuesday
Mike

Hi Mike,
Pleased to hear that you have a new "MSTS" computer on the way.

Marvellous route? Perhaps a bit premature - but obviously I'll be disappointed if it's not well received. Many contributors have made an input into both stock and route objects, so at the very least, I'm hopeful that it will provide a boost to all interested in Southern Region steam.

dee4141 wrote:

Marvellous route?  Perhaps a bit premature - but obviously I'll be disappointed if it's not well received. Many contributors have made an input into both stock and route objects, so at the very least, I'm hopeful that it will provide a boost to all interested in Southern Region steam.

It Certainly will be from this part of the world Danny,Looking forward to its release.
Glad that you have managed to sort your computer out Mike.
Cheers
Andy

Thanks Andy.

Here are a couple of pics from an activity - 1740 from Cannon Street - this ran on weekdays and ran fast to Knockholt before stopping at all stations to Ashford. Hither Green shed kept a single King Arthur Class mainly for this duty. The pics show Sir Hectimere at Sevenoaks.

Hi

Looking good!

Looks fantastic Danny! I most definitely can't wait to run on this route!!

Thanks for sharing the teasing screenshots!!

Cheers

Andy

Looks like something doesn't like my android
What I meant to say was I'm looking forward to the route
My Dads office in London and over looked the line from Charing Cross and the line from Canon St,I used go on a Saturday morning with him and watch steam trains going to the Kent coast
Mike

I have also posted this on UKTS... Pete Peddleston is hopeful of completing route testing by the end of the month with DVD issues following early in December.

Excellent news. Roderic.

Very pleased to hear the news, and I look forward to its arrival in the next couple of months.

This really is excellent news! Looking forward to purchasing this route!!!...

Hi
Looks like we might get a nice Christmas Present
Mike

Very good news.

I must plan set set a considerable period of time aside in January to run an enjoy it!

Just downloading the route from UKTrainsim on my other computer. What a nice Christmas present, its been well worth the wait. I would just like to thank you Danny, for all the hard work you have put into building this route and all the work you have done in producing the locos to go with it. It is a great contribution to this age old sim and something you should be proud of. It's no mean feat creating a route and spending countless hours on something you sometimes wish you had never started. But it is all worth it in the end, to see your creation up and running and being enjoyed by others and most of all, that you have helped to keep MSTS alive. I look forward to spending many hours running this route, like I have with all others and it's nice to know that we have another route to run those Bulheid Pacifics.
Well Done Danny and a Merry Christmas to you and All!

Thanks for the kind words Geoff. I do hope that everyone likes the route, I must admit to having "first night" nerves.....It's quite strange to privately work away on a project for 5 years or so and then suddenly let everyone take a close look!

Like Geoff I'm very grateful that you have allowed us to share in your "magnum opus" and you can rest assured that I will derive great pleasure from driving on it. Although the Bulleid 59ft "shorties" that I created never ran in this area, I will still enjoy running them.

Alec that's the advantage of simming on your own...you can run whatever you like and no-one knows but you!

Will have to wait till next week (pay day) to buy some premium download, then I can download the route, really looking forward to seeing and driving the route.

SR is not realy my area of prefered interest.

But i downloaded and installed your excellent route earlier.

I only run OR, but it all works well and looks brilliant.

A great achievement on your part, many thanks for sharing.

Mike.

Hi Danny,

I've just Installed this fab route and although the FPS is slow on all Acts that I have had a quick go at; it's a very nice looking Route!

Now maybe something has gone astray or my Laptop is too slow to load this particular Activity, but when I try the act "Tunbridge Wells Goods" in MSTS, it bombs out during loading...... This is the only Act it hapens on so far! It loads fine in OR, which tells me everything is in place and where it should be; I hope? I have tried setting all my display settings to their lowest in MSTS, but to no avail!

Has anyone got any ideas please to get this act to work in MSTS and even to improve my FPS?

A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

Cheers

Andy

Mike, Thanks for your comments - much appreciated considering you don't normally favour Southern!

Andy, there is a problem with this act - it's caused by the ST 4 loco. I don't know the reason yet, but I have found an alternative St4 that does work. This was first raised on UKTS so you might like to check there.

Hi Danny,
I have replied to your post on UKTS, but to update this thread, I found that the problem with the Standard Class 4 Tanks is caused by the cvf file.  In particular, the ENGINE_BRAKE LEVER entry; if this is omitted, the loco doesn't crash MSTS.  I'm afraid I'll have to leave it to others, more versed in the ins and outs of cabview creation, to sort that one out!

Cheers,
Ged

EDIT : Update : The Position entry for ENGINE_BRAKE LEVER is shown as ( 0 0 0 0 ); changing this to the same values as that for the TRAIN_BRAKE LEVER entry solved the problem.
What's required now is for the correct values to be determined, but, as it uses the blank.ace texture and the entry is looking for 12 frames, will anything show?

WR fitter, through and through Danny.

But it would be remiss of me to overlook such an marvellous effort.

Mike.

WOW! What a Masterpiece,The various screenshots along the way looked very impressive indeed but I have been on a route learning trip from Dunton to Deal with Andy's Hastings DEMU which incedently has red blinds for and aft but thats bye to bye.
I have explored the Redhill, Maidstone and Rye Branches and got hopelessly lost at Dover. The Marine station brought back memories of sea crossings to Oostende.
The entire route is absolutely stunning, There is no other way to describe it. The attention to detail of scenery, station fittings and furniture is great.
The hop fields around Paddock Wood are authentic as are the trees and lineside vegitation.
But for me, the best part is the Semaphore signalling and signalboxes, it all looks so life like, and whats more Its the Southern Region!!!
I was only nine or ten when the Kent Coast electrification moved all of the newer Steam locos West to Hampshire Dorset and Devon.
Thankyou Danny for all of the various new Locomotives and stock and to everyone that has been involved.
As I said at the beginning. Truly an Absolute Masterpiece.
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Andy Moody

Oh yes....and wasn't it great this morning to see wall to wall MSTS on the UKTS front page!

Andy, thank you for the nice comments. It's rewarding to hear that downloaders are pleased with the route. The signals were all modelled and installed by Geoff Forrest and I agree he's made a fabulous job of them.

As for the Red Blinds they shouldn't be there! If you buy the DVD then they should be numbered. I added the numbers some time ago, but the necessary changes to slim down files for upload caused a few glitches. I had noticed this problem, but unfortunately having just moved over to Windows 10 I found difficulty in getting files to open etc ( I still haven't managed to get Route-Riter working) so in the end decided to let this one go. I can probably include the change in a patch in the next week or two.

Andrew has said it all. It is a masterpiece, all of it, especially the buildings and the signals. Thank you so much. What a priceless gift to us.

Thanks Roderic, your comments are very much appreciated.

Hi Danny,
You're hard work was worth the wait. I've only run one of the Arrow activities but it looks a very nice route.
Merry Xmas.
Clive

Thanks Clive. Are you still route building or taking a rest for a while? Hope you have a nice Christmas too.

I am to blame for the red blinds.
I've sent Danny a fix.

dee4141 wrote:Thanks Clive. Are you still route building or taking a rest for a while?  Hope you have a nice Christmas too.

Hi Dany,
Yes I'm still working on the route and may post a few screenshots sometime soon. Nearly reached Millers Dale. A couple of health scares over the summer made concentrating on MSTS and doing much to it a bit difficult but, I've had fairly good news after all of the tests so my head is a bit clearer now .
I posted on UKTS about a problem with the 'mm' shapes missing.There  seems to be a gremlin in the file 35025, where the shapes may, or may not, get downloaded.  It might be that the shape names have some German characters in their names that's causing the problem. ( mm_baum_gruppe_groß.s).  Maybe a patch with just those shapes might be a good idea so that people can see the files and check they have all of them.
I spotted it because I ran the route through RR 'check Route'. 12 were missing on the first download attempt. 2nd download attempt and only 1 was missing.
Cheers
Clive

ianmacmillan wrote:I am to blame for the red blinds.
I've sent Danny a fix.

Ian, something strange is happening with some freight animation textures. Several of these do not show when the stock item is viewed in Shape Viewer but seem to show OK in MSTS. Any comment? It appear that perhaps you were aware of this as you have generally made thumbnails of the stock items as you normally do, but not of the stock with this problem.