A number of things I would like to see in OR............

[lindsayts]

Just some thoughts.......................

The ability to have the F5 display in other parts of the screen, two of the locos I regularly drive have the speed recorder top left and having them obscured is a bit of a pain.

Be able to save the game into a named file, OR is definitely now good enough to be able to recover various different versions of avtivities.

The last is a bit of a "long shot". In the real world all drivers know the route they are driving. this is generally not the case in a train simulator. It would be a REAL help to know what was ahead (including in explore mode) particularly the distance to the up comming grades and stations and knowing up comming speed restrictions would also be a help.

Lindsay

[twpol]

The ability to have the F5 display in other parts of the screen, two of the locos I regularly drive have the speed recorder top left and having them obscured is a bit of a pain.

Obviously you can press F5 until it turns off, but I presume you actually want some of the info from it?

Be able to save the game into a named file, OR is definitely now good enough to be able to recover various different versions of avtivities.

Yeah, OR can cope with this but we need to consider the UIs involved first.

The last is a bit of a "long shot". In the real world all drivers know the route they are driving. this is generally not the case in a train simulator. It would be a REAL help to know what was ahead (including in explore mode) particularly the distance to the up comming grades and stations and knowing up comming speed restrictions would also be a help.

This release added F6 and F7 labels (similar to MSTS) which may help with stations (F6 cycles through 4 modes: nothing, stations+sidings, stations, sidings). Speed limits still aren't implemented yet.

We have been considering ways of visualising the things you mention so it is easy-to-read and without taking up too many screen space, but have no definite plans just yet.

[koasterkidd]

how about realistic-acting smoke?

[twpol]

how about realistic-acting smoke?

Not sure what specifically you don't like about it (please be detailed!) but we're planning to hook up the smoke effects to the simulation soon, which will certainly improve the realism. Getting the smoke to collide with objects like bridges is probably further away.

[koasterkidd]

yeah, sorry to be general with that idea. in a sense, make the smoke look and act as it would in reality, such as colliding with scenery, etc.

[lindsayts]

Obviously you can press F5 until it turns off, but I presume you actually want some of the info from it?

One of the major problems in a Sim such as this is that in the real world one gets a lot of information from the way the machine sounds and specialy the way it feels (I mentioned this in a previous post). Another consideration is the current state of develpment of OR.
A number of observations related to the above statement (just a couple to get the idea), I found the force information very handy particularly (specialy the coupler force on the leading engines) on the heavily loaded iron ore trains, it being a help when one knows one is appraoching a critcal limit. Also with the current safeworking system one can conduct a lot of activities (Yandi to the Coast being one, in the BHPB to Port Hedland) as long as one knows where the on comming trains are, as the signalling can not always be relied upon to register the presence of a train. Where as the Authority system used works well.

In the locos I mentioned just being able to move the information down around 80 to 100 pixels would solve the problem, so an option say to just shift it vertically a bit just to clear a particular area.

Important note, this is NOT critcal it just being an observation.

Lindsay

[Railfan727]

Please see my previous threads with suggestions for improved implementations of crossing signals, roads and traffic, and forests and farm fields...

Also, other things I would love to see would be a way to shut down and start up the prime mover (such as at the beginning and end of an activity), random mechanical failures en route, more accurate and varied radio communications (with the dispatcher, other members of your crew, and other trains), and working defect detectors...

[Komachi]

random mechanical failures en route

And being able to switch that feature on and OFF of course, after all.. Last thing I want to do when passenger-riding, is have to take care of a stuck alerter.

[conductorchris]

The biggest thing I miss in microsoft train simulator, vs the real world, is the bounce and sway of a locomotive cab.

[twpol]

The biggest thing I miss in microsoft train simulator, vs the real world, is the bounce and sway of a locomotive cab.

You're opening a big can of worms with that. It would be lovely to do this well, though.

[enrico95]

missing feature in F5: total km and more

[CaptainBazza]

Turning it on

[q]"Also, other things I would love to see would be a way to shut down and start up the prime mover (such as at the beginning and end of an activity),"[/q]

One of the enduring urban legends about MSTS, is the reason for the lack of startup procedures for the default diesel locomotives. It is alleged that was down to it being a requirement for receiving the cooperation of BNSF. Apparently, for security reasons, the company did not want people knowing how to start up diesel locomotives.

I've been in the cab of a diesel when the driver started it up. The inertia moment build up as the starter motor turned over was quite noticible, the whole locomotive rocked on it's suspension until the main engine kicked in, then it rocked some more. :-)

Cheers Bazza

[OTTODAD]

Also, other things I would love to see would be a way to shut down and start up the prime mover (such as at the beginning and end of an activity).

Me too !

Railworks has an option to turn a diesel's engine on and off with Z but moving into one to drive it the engine is already running or the panto is up.

More important things to be considered first !

O t t o

[BNSFfan]

I'd like to see that aswell, I'm sure my start up recordings that are gathering virtual dust would too!