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| Simulation Layout 15/10/2023 at 23:47 #153677 | |
markymark2000
39 posts |
I would like to ask how did this current simulation layout come about? I don't know if anyone else feels the same but I feel like the simulation is so much harder to control because of the layout. Logically, the taff panel could and should just be on top of the Cardiff Mainline stuff and then rather than having West and East panels split with the A-A/B-B, these bits could just be put on the end. This would make the sim so much simpler to operate rather than having to worry about the mainline which is split into a top and bottom bit all for the sake of a few signals, then you have the Valleys stuff half a mile away but you also have lots of services which go between the two groups of panels such as the City Line so you're doing a bit here to the red flag, then going back to mainline to the next red flag and then having to scroll all the way back to valleys to get the train into the platform. It's a lot of unnecessary faff and I am wondering what the reason is for the poor layout as no other sim that I have noticed suffers from this sort of confusing layout.
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| Simulation Layout 16/10/2023 at 01:58 #153678 | |
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JamesN
1607 posts |
markymark2000 in post 153677 said:I would like to ask how did this current simulation layout come about? I don't know if anyone else feels the same but I feel like the simulation is so much harder to control because of the layout. Logically, the taff panel could and should just be on top of the Cardiff Mainline stuff and then rather than having West and East panels split with the A-A/B-B, these bits could just be put on the end. This would make the sim so much simpler to operate rather than having to worry about the mainline which is split into a top and bottom bit all for the sake of a few signals, then you have the Valleys stuff half a mile away but you also have lots of services which go between the two groups of panels such as the City Line so you're doing a bit here to the red flag, then going back to mainline to the next red flag and then having to scroll all the way back to valleys to get the train into the platform. It's a lot of unnecessary faff and I am wondering what the reason is for the poor layout as no other sim that I have noticed suffers from this sort of confusing layout.The layout of panels in the simulation matches how the real Cardiff Panel was laid out, because the mainline was always controlled by a different signalman to the Taff. It wouldn't be practical to have the two in-line with one another – the complexity of the West End of Central station on the Taff panel vs the Main Panel means that Central station to Leckwith is twice the screen width on the Taff as it is on the Mainline. It would also make the sim incredibly tall, which we try and avoid as vertical scrolling isn't easy where the scroll-wheel is mapped to left/right rather than up/down. You should only need to be using those part-route triangles for routes that start on Taff and Finish on Mainline. For the routes from 323 and 639 to Platforms 6, 7 and Riverside you can stay on the Taff Panel and route signal to signal ignoring the black hole. As long as you've given yourself the slot from the mainline panel the route will set through the black hole automatically. There are some panel photos available HERE Last edited: 16/10/2023 at 01:59 by JamesN Reason: None given Log in to reply The following user said thank you: TUT |
| Simulation Layout 16/10/2023 at 06:21 #153680 | |
headshot119
4869 posts |
A video tutorial explaining the slotted routes, and the half routes between the Taff and West workstations is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78flKCp_oQE
"Passengers for New Lane, should be seated in the rear coach of the train " - Opinions are my own and not those of my employer Log in to reply |
| Simulation Layout 17/10/2023 at 20:31 #153695 | |
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markymark2000
39 posts |
JamesN in post 153678 said:
I don't believe that the TAFF being on top of mainline would make the sim too tall, it would work perfectly fine if the A-A and B-B splits didn't exist and mainline as a whole was moved down, the TAFF panel would fit happily above, perhaps with a very small bit of vertical scrolling but a small bit isn't as bad as excessive horizontal scrolling. Log in to reply |
| Simulation Layout 18/10/2023 at 03:35 #153704 | |
flabberdacks
636 posts |
markymark2000 in post 153695 said:a very small bit of vertical scrolling but a small bit isn't as bad as excessive horizontal scrolling.You might be in the minority with that opinion, my friend. I found the cross-boundary route setting a little tricky at first, but it's second nature after a while. SimSig always tries to find a balance between playability and preserving the historic operation of a panel - I feel that eliminating the cross-boundary interplay here would be a loss overall. On a monitor with a large enough resolution, I always run with East/West workstations on the 'bottom' of the screen with Taff workstation in a separate view above. Works well! Log in to reply |
| Simulation Layout 18/10/2023 at 11:24 #153709 | |
welshdave257
42 posts |
You can use the number keys on the keyboard as shortcuts to navigate 'long' sims. Saves the scrolling finger. But I tend to have an Overview open. I click on that and the Main View snaps to the location I clicked on.
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| Simulation Layout 18/10/2023 at 11:55 #153710 | |
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Jan
906 posts |
markymark2000 in post 153695 said:
Don't forget that not everybody has > 1000 px tall screens. JamesN in post 153678 said: It would also make the sim incredibly tall, which we try and avoid as vertical scrolling isn't easy where the scroll-wheel is mapped to left/right rather than up/down.I can't try it right now, but wasn't it that holding down Shift switches the scrolling direction to up/down? That said, even so I agree, vertical scrolling still is annoying. Two million people attempt to use Birmingham's magnificent rail network every year, with just over a million of them managing to get further than Smethwick. Log in to reply |
| Simulation Layout 18/10/2023 at 18:38 #153717 | |
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Sacro
1171 posts |
Jan in post 153710 said:markymark2000 in post 153695 said:Equally, don't forget many of us (if not the majority) do. Log in to reply |
| Simulation Layout 18/10/2023 at 19:24 #153721 | |
postal
5264 posts 
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Sacro in post 153717 said:[Equally, don't forget many of us (if not the majority) do.You might be right about the serious SimSig players but I'm not sure about "majority" including all the casual SimSig players. A lot of people have now moved away from desktops to laptops as their main computer which will not usually give them a 1000px tall screen. I know I count as a minority with this statement but I haven't had a desktop since about 1990 and have been on laptops ever since. I have always found the sims with more vertical real estate than my laptop screen stressful to play and there are some of the more popular sims (Trent back in the day or New Street today) that I have never played just because I can't take the hassle of all the vertical scrolling. “In life, there is always someone out there, who won’t like you, for whatever reason, don’t let the insecurities in their lives affect yours.” – Rashida Rowe Log in to reply |
| Simulation Layout 19/10/2023 at 08:40 #153723 | |
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markymark2000
39 posts |
flabberdacks in post 153704 said:
Generally with sims which are slightly too big for the screen, it is possible to have the scroll in the right place that you don't miss anything, like Manchester Piccadilly, I can have that in the right place so you generally miss a bit of text at the bottom and a bit of text at the top but you can see and do everything else that is needed. flabberdacks in post 153704 said:
I am working with a 1920x1080 res which is probably why I find it an issue and others are saying they couldn't work with the sim if it was one on top of another. As for the separate view above, is that basically setting it up as multiplayer and trying to do it that way? That could work though I don't want to buy the sim though to find out if it works as that would be a waste of money Log in to reply The following user said thank you: bill_gensheet |
| Simulation Layout 19/10/2023 at 08:44 #153724 | |
9pN1SEAp
1180 posts |
You can open an extra window from the hamburger menu > Show > New View. Useful if the sim is long across but narrow in height like Ardsley. Thanks Jamie Jamie S (JAMS) Log in to reply |
| Simulation Layout 20/10/2023 at 02:12 #153749 | |
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markymark2000
39 posts |
9pN1SEAp in post 153724 said:You can open an extra window from the hamburger menu > Show > New View. Useful if the sim is long across but narrow in height like Ardsley. Oh nice, I didn't know it had that, Thank you. Would be a massive help if the A-A and B-B splits didn't happen though as then we could do that new view and it would fit in the screen rather than the East/West panels needlessly having a top and bottom which is what stops Taff panel fitting well at the top of the screen Log in to reply |
| Simulation Layout 22/10/2023 at 09:08 #153766 | |
Giantray
347 posts |
Interesting thread. In real life, a Signaller has very little input as to how Signal displays are laid out. I know, I have been involved in major resignalling works as a Signaller. Signallers will mention what would be ideal. You get what you are given and have to learn to adapt to it. Geoff & Co do a remarkable job creating these Simsigs. Often putting many signal boxes in one display, fitting several workstations/panels/boxes on one scrollable screen. You should see what real Life Signallers are given with some of their displays across four screens for just one workstation! Geoff & Co have to cater for everyone who uses Simsig, not just those with multiple screens with HD, but also those who have one screen. As in real life, the more you use the layout, the more you get used to it. Professionalism mean nothing around a bunch of Amateur wannabees! Log in to reply The following users said thank you: GeoffM, DriverCurran |