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The Trent Valley desk - is this reality or your home setup?

However, the benefits must be negated somewhat by the constant need to turn one's head to see all the screens.

The train controller sims I have enjoyed most of all are those I've been able to fit onto a single screen, even if this means reducing its scope.

If the man in the signal box could ask for the most ergonomically efficient display, it would probably be a large single screen with the utmost attention paid to the user interface.

SimSig should be no different. Being a game and not reality inevitably requires that some compromises be made. Let's not fool ourselves; this is just a game - we are not controlling real trains.

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Eastleigh does not have an ARS - but you do! It has been programmed to handle most of the main passenger workings, with the exception of call-on routes, shunt routes, and any routes into sidings, yards, or goods lines.

Not realistic at all - but much more playable.

many minor but frustrating bugs (such as TDs suddenly disappearing, trains becoming unaccountably stuck) these would probably not be tolerated in a real life training sim.

Bearing in mind that the user alternates frequently between keyboard and mouse (to interpose TDs, for example), the number of keypresses and clicks should be reduced to the minimum. One solution is for more things to happen when one hovers over an object with a mouse.

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How's that TD suddenly disappearing? Is it location-specific?

From memory it occurred with some goods trains in some yards getting "xxxx" in their TDs or sometimes losing their berths completely. I didn't note down the details, but will keep a lookout next time. Thanks for asking.

So I guess in real life too one can speed up time, remove a train or shorten its length so it will fit in a siding?

Extreme measures

to be used only as a last resort!

Remove train - if there is absolutely nothing else you can do with a train that is blocking something, then this option can be used to remove the train from the area. You may need to cancel the train description if it is left behind.

Adjust length - if you have put a train into a platform that is too short, you can shorten the train so that it fits.

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and crazy methods of control (right clicking on a train then selecting the route to set?!!).

Thanks for your vigorous feedback. I can see this will be a long and difficult apprenticeship.

Before getting myself into hotter water I see I'll need to spend more time making sense of the interface and conventions that you gentlemen seem to take for granted. From the viewpoint of a programmer with a particular interest in software usability (read playability here), SimSig's interface and documentation still leave much to be desired, maybe because playability has been compromised for realism.



The Trent Valley desk - is this reality or your home setup? No matter, it's impressive and thanks for posting it. The key feature here, justifying the expense of all these monitors, is that the eye is faster than the mouse wheel. I don't know which causes more eyestrain, jerky scrolling or multiple page views. The best solution is neither, as Trent Valley shows. However, the benefits must be negated somewhat by the constant need to turn one's head to see all the screens. The train controller sims I have enjoyed most of all are those I've been able to fit onto a single screen, even if this means reducing its scope.

Before getting myself into hotter water I see I'll need to spend more time making sense of the interface and conventions that you gentlemen seem to take for granted. From the viewpoint of a programmer with a particular interest in software usability (read playability here), SimSig's interface and documentation still leave much to be desired, maybe because playability has been compromised for realism.

Newbies and devil's advocates have a lot in common They are usually on the other side of a tall fence from software and website developers.

Firstly, the raison d'etre of SimSig is realism. That argues against adding "usability" features just because they make it easier to play. As others have said, the operation of SimSig is very close to a real IECC.

One of the most annoying features of a messagebox can be that many programmers rely on the user to close it, instead of making it disappear spontaneously after a set time.

The third problem with popups is that not enough care is put into its text to ensure that the message explains the problem adequately and points towards a helpful solution.

Thanks Clive. I'd like to chat with you guys over a beer but as I live in Melbourne Australia this kinda makes things difficult.

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Firstly, the raison d'etre of SimSig is realism. That argues against adding "usability" features just because they make it easier to play. As others have said, the operation of SimSig is very close to a real IECC.

Spoken like a true masochist (only joking). From what I have seen in pics others have posted, I think we simmers have it worse than in real life. We have to switch pages or scroll whereas they have a panoramic view across multiple displays. .

We are constantly alternating between mouse and keyboard with ill-placed keys such as the arrow keys, whereas they seem to have trackballs they don't have to use, so can confine their hands easily to the keyboard and touch type merrily all day without having to look at their fingers .

They can see signal numbers instantly. We have to fiddle windows until we find the manual page or signal PDF file.

For this reason I suggested elsewhere that a special fictitious tutorial sim be created, where all the necessary spoonfeeding can be done (a kind of "nursery"), and to which new features can be added as they appear in sims based on real localities. .

Assuming you hadn't already thought of this....Can you add certain set up items as well? Just the little things we all take or granted such as unchecking the right click cancels route box and showing shunt signals etc etc