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Lets see how this is received...

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Lets see how this is received... 09/12/2011 at 19:59 #24792
BoxBoyKit
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Don't know how well this will go down, and probably only a tongue in cheek suggestion, but it's definately not on the no go list...

The Island of Sodor

Potentially 10 Signalling areas, lots of freight and passenger workings...and free for the imagination to run wild in the creating process :cheer:

http://pegnsean.net/~railwayseries/map-sodor-symbolized-amoswolfe.jpg

Any possibility? Or total no go zone...

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Re: Lets see how this is received... 09/12/2011 at 20:09 #24793
DaveHarries
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Sounds pretty cool to me as far as imagination is concerned.

Dave

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Re: Lets see how this is received... 09/12/2011 at 20:12 #24794
mfloyd
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189 posts
Will be worried if this clashes with a real project!
Ripley, Derbyshire
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Re: Lets see how this is received... 09/12/2011 at 20:15 #24795
headshot119
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4869 posts
Why not.
"Passengers for New Lane, should be seated in the rear coach of the train " - Opinions are my own and not those of my employer
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Re: Lets see how this is received... 09/12/2011 at 20:37 #24797
derbybest
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Going off topic a little but if a steam engine is reffered to as 'her' then why do they have boy's names
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The following users said thank you: headshot119, sunocske
Re: Lets see how this is received... 09/12/2011 at 20:39 #24798
maxand
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"Sodor is a fictional island in the Irish Sea used as the setting for The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and later used in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series." (Wikipedia)

The appeal of Sodor (or any fictitious location) to me is that layouts can be designed for player comfort rather than many real ones we know that grew like Topsy to accommodate local industry and sprawl and seem illogical in places. The disadvantage of course is that creating a fictitious layout, particularly a large one, would divert resources at the top from simulating or updating real areas. If it were a simple matter of writing layout plugins for a central code engine, anyone with a talent for simple programming could indulge himself/herself to their hearts' content. But as each sim is a compiled exe, all the majority of us are able to do in SimSig is write timetables for existing locations.

Besides, there might be the delicate matter of copyright...

Nice idea especially for multiplayer but I can't see it happening any time soon.

Last edited: 09/12/2011 at 20:57 by maxand
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Re: Lets see how this is received... 09/12/2011 at 20:44 #24799
Steamer
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3985 posts
Any TC lengths, etc?
"Don't stress/ relax/ let life roll off your backs./ Except for death and paying taxes/ everything in life.../ is only for now." (Avenue Q)
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Re: Lets see how this is received... 09/12/2011 at 21:19 #24800
UKTrainMan
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Not sure how the operation of this potential simulation would work...based on some episodes I've seen, there appears to be multiple flagrant breaches of the rules. Signals passed at danger without permission, setting back without permission, and many many other breaches. :angry:

You'd also need to introduce a new train delay reason - train refuses to move from tunnel due to being scared of the rain (or something like that)

Still, could be interesting.

Any views and / or opinions expressed by myself are from me personally and do not represent those of any company I either work for or am a consultant for.
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Re: Lets see how this is received... 09/12/2011 at 21:36 #24801
birchy74
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" said:
Not sure how the operation of this potential simulation would work...based on some episodes I've seen, there appears to be multiple flagrant breaches of the rules. Signals passed at danger without permission, setting back without permission, and many many other breaches. :angry:

You'd also need to introduce a new train delay reason - train refuses to move from tunnel due to being scared of the rain (or something like that)

Still, could be interesting. :)
Don't forget those very naughty wagons, they would probably cause havoc :evil:

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Re: Lets see how this is received... 09/12/2011 at 21:44 #24802
Steamer
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" said:
Don't forget those very naughty wagons, they would probably cause havoc
What about "Station Pilot unavailable, and main line engines refusing to shunt" scenario!

Or a 'engine racing helicopter' TT.

"Don't stress/ relax/ let life roll off your backs./ Except for death and paying taxes/ everything in life.../ is only for now." (Avenue Q)
Last edited: 09/12/2011 at 21:45 by Steamer
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Re: Lets see how this is received... 09/12/2011 at 22:12 #24803
Sam Tugwell
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You could probably make up the TC lengths like Clive did with Drain (sorry if this is wrong info but im going with what ive heard.)
"Signalman Exeter"
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Re: Lets see how this is received... 09/12/2011 at 22:45 #24804
maxand
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I wondered where on earth the name Sodor originated until I came across this:

Quote:
Sodor and Man is a diocese of the Church of England. Originally much larger, today it covers just the Isle of Man and its adjacent islets.

The Norwegian diocese of Sodor was formed 1154, covering the Hebrides and the other islands along the west coast of Scotland. The name in the original Norse was Suðreyjar (Sudreys or "southern isles"), in contrast to the Norðreyjar, the "northern isles" of Orkney and Shetland. The Isle of Man was included in with these southern isles. This diocese was a suffragan of the archdiocese of Trondheim. Norway controlled all these islands until 1266, when they were ceded to Scotland. (Wikipedia, again)
The Reverend W. Awdry, who created Thomas the Tank Engine, would have been quite familiar with all the dioceses in his area.

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Re: Lets see how this is received... 09/12/2011 at 23:00 #24805
UKTrainMan
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Just realised something which may put all or almost all of the brakes solidly on for this idea. I recall from a chat with someone at one of the heritage railways (I couldn't name which even if you paid me as I've completely forgotten) that the cost of the licensing required to do a Thomas The Tank Engine (TTTE) event is very high. One can easily see that some form of license would also be required for this too, which would no doubt also be high - this would either make this idea undoable, or doable but with a very high price just to download or get a license for (as in a player/user license).
Any views and / or opinions expressed by myself are from me personally and do not represent those of any company I either work for or am a consultant for.
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Re: Lets see how this is received... 09/12/2011 at 23:24 #24807
Steamer
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I think there were also issues with Railways having to get every volunteer on duty CRB checked, (not just staff who deal with customers but Drivers, Signalmen and the like) which would be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. I think the conditions may have changed back now- I remember the East Lancs changed to a 'Family Engines Day' a few years back, but this year they've re-started Day Out With Thomas.
"Don't stress/ relax/ let life roll off your backs./ Except for death and paying taxes/ everything in life.../ is only for now." (Avenue Q)
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Re: Lets see how this is received... 10/12/2011 at 06:47 #24814
BoxBoyKit
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This went down better than I imagined it would...but didn't think of the copy right issues... I have heard stories of HIT being not very happy with Train Simulator persons for creating models of the engines etc.

On a side note, what really gets me about the TV series, is that there seems to be plenty of signals without signalboxes and signalboxes without signals...so we probably wouldn't have had much to do on a sim anyway

Last edited: 10/12/2011 at 06:48 by BoxBoyKit
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Re: Lets see how this is received... 10/12/2011 at 07:54 #24815
Peter Bennet
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There's loads of Thomas stuff on UKTrainSim for MSTS, not quite sure how that fits in with copyright. I started doing something for the "TOC game" with Sodor but only got as far as an April fools upload.

Peter

I identify as half man half biscuit - crumbs!
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Re: Lets see how this is received... 10/12/2011 at 09:58 #24819
headshot119
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" said:
I think there were also issues with Railways having to get every volunteer on duty CRB checked, (not just staff who deal with customers but Drivers, Signalmen and the like) which would be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. I think the conditions may have changed back now- I remember the East Lancs changed to a 'Family Engines Day' a few years back, but this year they've re-started Day Out With Thomas.
The CRB check is exaggerated, usually only key members of staff / volunteers; Firstaiders, event organizing staff need CRB checks.

" said:
This went down better than I imagined it would...but didn't think of the copy right issues... I have heard stories of HIT being not very happy with Train Simulator persons for creating models of the engines etc.

On a side note, what really gets me about the TV series, is that there seems to be plenty of signals without signalboxes and signalboxes without signals...so we probably wouldn't have had much to do on a sim anyway ;)
Well we don't have to worry about HIT anymore, not since the buy out.

"Passengers for New Lane, should be seated in the rear coach of the train " - Opinions are my own and not those of my employer
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Re: Lets see how this is received... 10/12/2011 at 11:03 #24821
mfcooper
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" said:
Well we don't have to worry about HIT anymore, not since the buy out.

Yeah, now we just have to worry about Mattel...

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Re: Lets see how this is received... 10/12/2011 at 19:29 #24835
BoxBoyKit
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I was unware there had been a buy out! Well, I think we would have a long wait for such a sim anyway... by which time anything could have happened! Nice to see some support for it though
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Re: Lets see how this is received... 10/12/2011 at 22:37 #24842
headshot119
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" said:
" said:
Well we don't have to worry about HIT anymore, not since the buy out.

Yeah, now we just have to worry about Mattel... :unsure:
My first impressions are that Mattel are ever so slightly better to work with than HIT.

"Passengers for New Lane, should be seated in the rear coach of the train " - Opinions are my own and not those of my employer
Last edited: 10/12/2011 at 23:27 by headshot119
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Re: Lets see how this is received... 12/12/2011 at 14:12 #24979
GoochyB
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" said:
Not sure how the operation of this potential simulation would work...based on some episodes I've seen, there appears to be multiple flagrant breaches of the rules. Signals passed at danger without permission, setting back without permission, and many many other breaches. :angry:
I think Rev Awdry's original stories were largely written to be fairly prototypical, seeing as he generally knew what he was talking about, it was Britt Allcroft's TV adaptations that paid little attention to realism.

I believe that he said that having seen what they did with the stories he regretted selling to Britt Allcroft.

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Re: Lets see how this is received... 12/12/2011 at 14:17 #24980
BoxBoyKit
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Have to love the original books for their attention to detail...even trains having actual headlamps in suitable positions, whereas now they all go round as unfitted freights. Ridiculous...

Saw a clip of a recent episode recently where Gordon keeps getting to "forks in the track", and asks a passer by whether he should go left or right... oh it did annoy me. Anyhow...

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Re: Lets see how this is received... 12/12/2011 at 14:33 #24981
Peter Bennet
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Does anyone remember the 7inch records narrated by Johnny Morris? I have a couple at my mums house. I did contact HIT (or whomever it was at the time) 5 or so years ago asking if they had the originals or any plans to re-release - from memory they said they had some contact with the rights owner but nothing came of it as far as I can see.

Peter

I identify as half man half biscuit - crumbs!
Last edited: 12/12/2011 at 14:34 by Peter Bennet
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Re: Lets see how this is received... 13/12/2011 at 13:26 #25084
clive
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" said:
You could probably make up the TC lengths like Clive did with Drain (sorry if this is wrong info but im going with what ive heard.)
It's roughly right; I didn't have access to TC information (but did have signal and overall distances) so put plausible track circuits in.

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Re: Lets see how this is received... 13/12/2011 at 14:45 #25125
GoochyB
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" said:
Does anyone remember the 7inch records narrated by Johnny Morris?
I had a couple of cassettes with the Johnny Morris stories on, I think they were stories from the first 3 or 4 books.

Brian

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