Marks Activities.

I have wrote many activities over the years, but up until now, only for my own use.

I am just in the process of finishing an act for NWE_v3, which involves driving a Northern rail class 142 from Southport to Manchester Victoria via Wigan Wallgate stopping at all stations, it is a fairly straightforward activity with no hold-ups or shunting, however there are lots of stations on this route so the player will be kept busy throughout, the activity will last around 1hr 40min, timings are based on what I achieved running it in ORv1, but these are liable to change when tested in MSTS (or 2 versions, one for each sim could be made if necessary).

I still have a few minor tweaks to do and some more testing but it is almost complete, thanks go to Andy, Ged and Bob for their advice RE: reducing passenger numbers on minor station stops which was a great help in getting the timings right.

Once it is complete and packaged up, could I please have some volunteers to test it before I upload it?

Thanks, Mark.

Hi Mark,

You have a volunteer although it will probably have to be in OR only, as at the moment the route refuses to work in MSTS; maybe I did something wrong when creating the mini route version. OR itself runs fine - I'm still using the experimental version with its weekly updates. Like you I had created lots of activities for my own use and I was very nervous couple of years ago when I offered my first upload. I will be glad to offer any help that I can.

Regards,

Stephen

Thanks Stephen, that's very kind of you.

I created a miniroute for mine too, it works better in the miniroute than in the main MSTS set-up.

When I'm happy with it and have it packaged I'll upload it to dropbox and PM the link to volunteer testers.

Thanks again, Mark.

Hi Mark,
You have another volunteer
My NWE v3.0 is in what I call a "normal" MSTS installation, but it's the only route installed, other than the defaults. Is that what others call a "mini-route"?
I don't normally use Train Store, except for Dorset Coast!!

I'm not happy enough with Open Rails, in its current state, to use it seriously, but will give it a try if required.

Cheers,
Ged

Hi Ged.

Thanks, someone to test it in MSTS would be ideal

If it is a standalone MSTS installation with just the one route, you could call that a miniroute, but in general a miniroute also has a loader that performs a similar function to trainstore, but is much more efficient as it doesn't store anything outside the route, but rather has an off/on function for files, you can unstore everything in a miniroute as you would in trainstore but the action is instantaneous as no files are being moved.

I suspect that you already know that, but it is useful info for anyone that is unsure what is meant by a miniroute.

Thanks, Mark.

Hi Mark,

You will have another tester as and when I get round to setting NWE up as a mini-route.

Cheers

Andy

Thanks Andy, much appreciated

Hi Mark,

I will now be able test in MSTS as well as it has now decided to work.

Regards,

Stephen

Thanks Stephen.

I have now finished the act, all traffic and static consists are in place, everything is running in OR as it should, now to test it in MSTS, If I have to make any major changes to make it rum in MSTS, I'll make two versions, though I don't see any potential problems. once I am happy with it in both sims, I'll package it and distribute it for testing.

I have tested it in MSTS and it ran perfectly, from Southport to Wigan the timings are very easy to keep to, after Wigan towards Manchester the timings are a little tighter, (intended and worked perfectly) still fairly easy to keep to but not as much time to play with. will do a couple more tests then package it ready for volunteer testing.

One quick question before I package it.

I have used consists that were already included in the route throughout, is there any copyright (or other) reason not to use the included consists? or should I make my own? (they would be exactly the same as the included ones anyway)

Thanks

Hi Mark,
If you unpack many activities, using either TSUnpack or APKExtractor (unashamed plug!!), you find that some of the consists, and paths are reported as already existing. Therefore, I don't think there is any problem including them in your activity as others have done it before you!! I'm sure there's nothing in a consist file that can be declared as copyright - you can't do much with it without the necessary rolling stock.

Cheers,
Ged

Thanks Ged, I'll go ahead and package it

I have never packaged an act before, but I'll give it a go.

I have clicked on "package activity" but there is nothing in the window to select (no files match your search) Any ideas?

Can that APKExtractor of yours be used to package acts Ged? I already have it installed and have used it to unpack acts.

Thanks

Hi Mark,
No, I'm sorry, APKExtractor is just a one-way conversion!

That message (no files match your search) is normal.  It means that there are no apk files in that folder; just fill in the "Filename" with the name you want to give to your apk file, then click on the Save button. Your new file should be in the ACTIVITIES folder.

Cheers,
Ged

Thanks Ged, that's done it

Just unpacked it into my main MSTS folder, I'll give it a run from there and make sure it unpacked OK

Thanks.

I have now uploaded it to drop box and sent a PM with the link to all volunteers, if there is a problem downloading it from dropbox, let me know and I'll email it to you as an attachment.

Thanks, Mark.

I know that it's a bit late... ... BUT! .....Thrusts hand in air...

Hi Terry.

No problem, the more the merrier

I'll PM you the link.

Thanks, Mark.

From the feedback I've received so far, when leaving Wigan Wallgate station running it in MSTS, it is necessary to fully release the brakes and slap on 100% throttle to get up that gradient out of the station, that class 142 is very forgiving and you won't get wheel-slip doing that, not had any feedback from running it in OR as yet.

I will add that tip RE: leaving Wigan Wallgate into the readme, I will also add acknowledgements to all the people who helped.

UPDATE:

Following some excellent feedback from a couple of testers, I am making some changes to the timings to make station stops shorter at around 1min each, but not too tight as to make the timings difficult to keep to.

A little more traffic around Manchester and Southport has also been suggested, I'll try and add one more AI service at Southport, and a couple at Manchester.

Once done I'll repackage for testing.

Apologies for not updating earlier but have had a few problems over the weekend which left little time for MSTS.

Thanks for the feedback so far.

Hi Mark,

Apologies for not getting back to you sooner, but have been manic with work, plus filling out my first ever online Tax Return! What a headache that was!!...

The testing I have done so far I too have found some times a little tight. But at least I did manage to do my first ever Mini-Route. It wasn't all plain sailing mind! For some reason it left out some stock and the headcode folder for NWE V3. But I soon resolved that little issue!

Cheers

Andy

Hi All, apologies for taking so long to update.

Update to my activities..................

I have had trouble with updating the timings which along with poor health and problems with the MSTS editors led to me giving up on it for a while, so when I release the Southport to Manchester act, it will be released as it was originally, and update it if I can get round to solving the timing issue.

The MSTS editors are working again but very slowly and prone to crashing, I have created some simple acts using Alec's LNWR coaches and they went well, so now I can resume creating some activities.  

I intend to release the Southport to Manchester act as part of an activity pack, using only the stock that is included with NWE v3.

I have just created a new Act set in the BR blue era, which involves driving a light loco from Springs branch to Wigan NW to pick up a failed DMU and pilot it for the rest of its service to Liverpool Lime St. the timings for this act are spot on, and there are some reversing points and cab changes to make it more interesting.
I intend to start work on the return activity where the DMU is piloted on the return service to Wigan, when all the passengers are unloaded, the act will finish off with shunting the dead DMU into Springs branch depot for repairs.

I have tested the new act in OR where it works exactly as intended, I have still to test it in MSTS yet, after which I'll put it out for testing.

I have a few more acts in the pipeline including a nuclear flask run from Sellafield and a few others.

Thanks.
Mark.

I tried the new act in MSTS, it doesn't work in the same way as it does in OR, MSTS always gives priority to the player train, so the main line trains stop to let you go, which isn't what I wanted.
But in OR you are held at a red signal till the AI trains which have priority have passed, after which you tab your way into the station to connect to the DMU, you then wait for another service to pass before you are cleared to proceed.

I may have to release this latest act as an OR optimised Activity, with the proviso that it will work in MSTS but the results will not be consistent.

Good to hear that your activities are progressing.

Hi Mark,

I'm glad to see that your activities are back in production.

I find that it is best to decide which simulator is the main user for a particular activity. As you said each one prioritises the trains in different way - one of mine I actually had to produce two different versions to keep the activity working as intended. The other advantage with Open Rails is that you can make use of new functions such as weather changes, ai shunting and working turntables for example. Once an engine is set up correctly its performance is also more realistic with Open Rails.

Regards,

Stephen

Hi Mark,
Great to hear that we're getting some activities from you

As I still primarily use MSTS, can I ask if you've tried using a double reverse point to hold the Player's signal at stop while the AI trains run through?

I'm not speaking from personal experience as I've only published very few activities, but have played some which use that facility.  Conversely, I don't know if Open Rails treats double reverse points the same as MSTS!

Cheers,
Ged

Hi Ged,

Open Rails will normally treat double reverse points in the same way; for ai trains sometimes a short waiting point is sufficient to alter priorities.

Regards,

Stephen

Thanks all.  

I'll give the double reverse points a go and see if that helps, I'm not promising anything though, I'll keep the current act as it is for OR and try a copy of it to edit with the extra reversing points, otherwise I may make a more MSTS friendly version with a different AI pattern.

Hello Mark,
Before you start toying with reverse points, open up the Activity in AE and just check the AI services in the Traffic pattern in turn and take a look at the timetable performance levels.
If they are set to 75%, then change those to 100% and re-calculate.
MSTS does take those levels into account when generating AI traffic, but I think that OR 'treats' everything as if they are set at 100%, irrespective of the value.
Therefore, if the timings are "correct" in OR, I suspect that they will also now run the same in MSTS.
I'd be interested to learn how you get on.
T

Hi Terry.

I gave the affected AI services a 100% performance, but the player service a 75% performance, but MSTS still gave the player train priority, it would have been an easy fix had it worked.

I have been tweaking the the Wigan to Liverpool act.

I have replaced the broken down DMU with 3 mk2 replacement carriages, plus the brakes on the class 40 were not very responsive, so I have now replaced it with a class 47, that makes the whole act run more smoothly and is easier to achieve the timings, the dead DMU is seen in the sidings along with the 08 shunter that brought the  3 carriages and removed the DMU from the platform.

In MSTS it still stops the first northbound AI "container train" to allow you to pass, the second AI "southbound passenger train" runs as normal, but after you have crossed its path, I have no problem with that, but the third AI a "northbound main line passenger" still gets stopped to allow you to pass onto the Liverpool line, so I have increased the time in Wigan station which doesn't affect the OR times, but may allow the northbound passenger through in MSTS, I haven't tested it in MSTS yet, will get back when it is tested and fixed.

If I cannot fix the 3rd AI in MSTS the act is still perfectly runnable in both sims, I hadn't realised how much difference there would be between the two sims when making the player train cross the paths of AI trains.

Hi,

One of the things I use to get AI working as expected is the invisible engine/blocker.

Giving this item strategic paths & use of waiting points allows you to block the player service until all of the AI has taken their paths as required and it then disappears to allow the player service to continue.

I've used this successfully on a few activities on the Glas-Car route at Motherwell where I've wanted services in both directions to pass through to/from Hamilton when the player has been coming up from Carlisle.

I don't seem to be able to access UKTS at present to give the file id of the one I use though :-(

Thanks, I'm not sure how to do the invisible engine blocker, and am not sure it would work with this act due to the position of the signals and AI traffic, it will work in MSTS but you have to tab past the red signal right away to enter Wigan station, rather than wait for the two AI trains to pass as you would in OR.

The activity is ready to be packaged and tested now, see the thread in the OR section for more details................
https://tsforum.forumotion.net/t1220-marks-or-activities#15884

I am going to go back to rework the Southport to Manchester Victoria activity and then hopefully have it re-tested and released this time.

The Wigan to Liverpool act has been uploaded to the TSSH download site, thanks to Stephen (StephenRWells) for his help and testing.