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| Wembley Suburban Signal Box 20/04/2014 at 22:24 #59167 | |
madaboutrains
316 posts |
I was wondering if SimSig could have keys buttons to bring up the signal and track circuit numbers because I think it would make SimSig more realistic to the real IECC type signalling and for anyone wondering what Wembley Suburban looks like in real life find links to the pictures attached. PS. Could SIMSIG feature the same things? This text is hidden because you are not logged in. RIP Feltham Panel 1 Log in to reply |
| Wembley Suburban Signal Box 20/04/2014 at 22:31 #59168 | |
JamesN
1607 posts |
The issue (as previously discussed) with the track labels is they take up a huge amount of space. IECCs (and similar) have 'Detail Views', which include these labels - WS is a small and uncomplicated area and still requires 3 times the screen space as the 1 'view' in the Simulation.
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| Wembley Suburban Signal Box 20/04/2014 at 22:36 #59171 | |
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TomOF
452 posts |
It certainly is possible but whether or not the developer would want to do so is another matter. The reasons being are that on a real workstation labels are only usually shown on detail views which Simsig isn't really intended for. If, as a developer you are going to include all three types of labels then you might have to put a large amount of spacing into the layout. A sim such as King Cross, for instance would probably be unacceptably large if labels where accomodated. Unselecting 'right click cancels route' and then right clicking on the signal head will tell you the identity of a signal which is all you will need to know for average play. The better option is to use the small mouse symbol in the incident control panel if you are really curious as to the identity of each item. PS looks like James beat me to it there. Last edited: 20/04/2014 at 22:37 by TomOF Reason: grammar Log in to reply |
| Wembley Suburban Signal Box 20/04/2014 at 22:38 #59172 | |
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madaboutrains
316 posts |
The first bit of Kings Cross is huge see in the diagram attached.
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| Wembley Suburban Signal Box 20/04/2014 at 22:45 #59175 | |
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Muzer
718 posts |
" said:It certainly is possible but whether or not the developer would want to do so is another matter. ...how on earth did I miss the Incident Control Panel? That's quite cool, thanks! Log in to reply |
| Wembley Suburban Signal Box 21/04/2014 at 13:19 #59211 | |
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maxand
1637 posts |
I wouldn't need to know the track segment IDs very often, but the signal IDs would be handy to display. The only sim I know that does this is Euston but you have to select whether you want them shown before you start playing. There is no way to turn them on or off during a session. Not only that, but despite all the extra hours the developers must have put in to add the signal IDs, the final result still looks a bit clunky and cluttered due to the necessarily large font used. However, my hat's off to them for at least giving it a try. If that is the smallest font available, then what we really need is a fast way to toggle them on/off during the game, incorporated into F3 options, or using a single hotkey. One solution might be to have an extra, hidden copy of the View window with no trains on it, only the tracks, signals and signal IDs, all static text. Then when the user wants to see the signals in the current area (assuming a scrolly is being played), these coordinates are transferred to the signal ID map, and the screen is refreshed with it (or a separate window). No more fiddling around with inverse colour signal maps displayed in a PDF reader! Maybe a simpler option is to have a separate "signal ID" window opening off the context menus of the Train List and Telephone Calls windows. Similar to the Timetable List window, this sorts signals by ID and provides a lookup table giving its broad location, e.g., between Station A and Station B. Nothing to stop an enthusiastic player from compiling his/her own, but the extra work takes a bit of fun out of it. Yet another possibility is to provide a Detailed View window, just like the big boys have. Pressing a hotkey or menu option would bring up a small window of that part of the panel, with signal IDs, track segment IDs AND LENGTHS. It wouldn't help you track down the location of a signal that's outside this window, so a lookup table would take care of that. Last edited: 21/04/2014 at 13:20 by maxand Log in to reply |
| Wembley Suburban Signal Box 21/04/2014 at 13:25 #59212 | |
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welshdragon
315 posts |
This is where you should read the manuals in detail, and if necessary print off (or save locally) the signalling diagrams that are produced by volunteers for each sim.
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| Wembley Suburban Signal Box 21/04/2014 at 15:01 #59217 | |
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Stephen Fulcher
2078 posts |
Signal IDs actually displayed on the panel would have their advantages, as trains call in from signals and state the signal number. If you have a siding which does not have a TD berth, you quite often have to go around right clicking on signals in an area until you find the right one, at least until you get to know the sim, or where you have a train booked to reverse at a particular signal, but do not know where that signal is. In my experience of computer based workstations, the Signallers tended to leave the signal numbers turned on more or less all the time, and they knew the area like the back of their hands of course. They know where most (if not all) of the points are, but are not quite as "aware" of the identity of each track circuit. Point and track circuit numbers only tend to get switched on when they are actually needed. I agree with Max here, the track and point numbers are unlikely to be of much use to the average SimSig user. Even if one fails then as you don't have to report the failure to anyone (ie the Technician just turns up and fixes it) you do not really need to know its identity. Signal numbers are of significance to everyone however as trains phone up from them, and the TD is not always reliable (ie signals with no berth, fault conditions where the TD step has to be done manually etc.). If you do not know the area, then it would be far more convenient to be able to look on the panel for the information as to where a signal is, rather than have to consult a diagram stored somewhere else on the internet. You cannot use real signalling plans either as there are quite a lot of cases where signals in SimSig are not numbered exactly as they are in reality. Reading the manual is unlikely to tell you in enough geographical detail exactly where a signal is located to be of significant use. The main problem would be that most of the sims would be too cramped to easily add in such information in a manner which would be coherent, so a lot more monitor space would be required. Log in to reply |
| Wembley Suburban Signal Box 21/04/2014 at 15:07 #59218 | |
jc92
3685 posts 
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how about an option where the driver calls in and the message indicates the interlocking or geographical area to narrow the search right down for the user. eg. driver of train 2J41 standing at red signal S150 (Sheffield Station area) and for siding entries without TD's or track circuiting: Driver of train 5S00 standing at red signal XYZ (Made up Carriage Sidings) "We don't stop camborne wednesdays" Last edited: 21/04/2014 at 15:09 by jc92 Log in to reply The following users said thank you: maxand, Signalhunter |
| Wembley Suburban Signal Box 21/04/2014 at 15:15 #59219 | |
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Stephen Fulcher
2078 posts |
Joe, I have some vague recollections that the latest sims do tell you what area a train is in when the alert appears in the message box as to when a train is standing at a red. Only minor issue there is that interlocking boundaries are not always logical, and some would be extremely difficult to locate on a sim - for example Witham Interlocking at Westbury PSB. Log in to reply |
| Wembley Suburban Signal Box 22/04/2014 at 02:30 #59272 | |
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maxand
1637 posts |
I like jc92's suggestion a lot, particularly his use of the word area. Yes, now I notice that in Exeter v4 the area corresponding to the signal IS mentioned in the phone message, which enables me to avoid scrolling the Train List for this purpose. Looking forward to seeing this feature applied to all sims! It is definitely the simplest solution - as long as one knows where each "area" is!
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| Wembley Suburban Signal Box 23/04/2014 at 12:10 #59393 | |
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clive
2789 posts |
" said:the signal IDs would be handy to display. The only sim I know that does this is Euston but you have to select whether you want them shown before you start playing. There is no way to turn them on or off during a session.That was me. You made the suggestion about the time that I was finishing development, so I stuck it in at the last minute. I didn't have the time or energy to redraw the entire diagram just to fit them, so they're squeezed in wherever there's space. Quote: Would you accept a button on the main view? Reading your email, I realized that I can do that very simply and with very little effort. I can also divide the sim into areas (e.g. the two workstations) and have each area capable of being turned on and off separately. Log in to reply The following users said thank you: maxand, LucasLCC |
| Wembley Suburban Signal Box 23/04/2014 at 12:13 #59394 | |
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clive
2789 posts |
Also, way down on my to-do list is a better way of displaying signal numbers - I have some preliminary ideas.
Log in to reply The following users said thank you: maxand, Firefly |
| Wembley Suburban Signal Box 23/04/2014 at 13:47 #59402 | |
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maxand
1637 posts |
Quote:Would you accept a button on the main view? Reading your email, I realized that I can do that very simply and with very little effort. I can also divide the sim into areas (e.g. the two workstations) and have each area capable of being turned on and off separately.Being able to turn signal numbers On/Off during a session by pressing a button would be GREAT, thanks Clive. I wouldn't mind big fonts like the ones in Euston if I could turn them off. If you have any ideas for making the numbers smaller that would be even better! Log in to reply |