What would you like to see in Version 1.0 ?

[eric]

The ability to define a forest region by a polygon, as opposed to a rectangle... allowing four to N points would be ideal, but a fixed number of points could work just as well.

[pschlik]

Since I found this, I might as well post my interests. Sure, it is an old topic, but I want to share this and I see no other way to do so. I'm not using Open rails much, I prefer to use MSTS over it as of now, I would be using Open Rails if it had this:
1: Activities need to be worked on for compatibility, speed restrictions do show in the newest release, but the flag objects that point them out isn't there, there are no evaluations, the briefing to the scenario doesn't automatically display, and the game doesn't force you to quit after finishing it, the button does say "End Activity" but it just resumes the game.

2: Brake physics need work, the biggest problem is that the brake cylinder takes too long to release, after releasing the brakes, the brake cylinder should quickly release its pressure, but in Open Rails, it doesn't empty completely until the brake pipe is recharged, totally unrealistic.

3: Lighting is horrible, smoke needs a bit of improvement, yet. Simply put, I'd like to see an option to use MSTS smoke or not and an option to use MSTS lighting or not. The smoke could be improved by giving it more upward momentum, on longer and thinker smoke trails, the smoke pops out of the exhaust and gets caught by the wind a bit too quickly. As for the lights, they could really use some changes to work with the variables in the .eng file of a locomotive instead of using the exact same light for every locomotive. The light should use the variables to define its range, width, and brightness. Also, the light source seems to be inside the locomotive instead of in front of it, and it makes some really weird effects.

4. Another major thing I remembered is that animation compatibility needs to be worked on a lot, for example, the wind turbines at Sunken Island on Sea View 5 would normally be constantly spinning, but in Open Rails, they spin once, sit idle for 5 seconds-ish, then rotate just one time again, repeating the cycle. Another example is the Jet Train's turbine, which doesn't animate at all in Open Rails.

Here are some other, minor things I want.

1. More options for driver aids, choose which ones I want to automatically turn on, right now that's none, I also want to be able to change the textures they use, and I'd like to be able to choose the position of the F5 display.

2. Better camera controls, the focus should be the center of the locomotive instead of the coupler.

3. Interface improvements, still needs a bit of work on the clunks of it, but it is getting better.

4. Fps limiter, I get massive FPS and I really don't need all of it.

5. Derailments! There is currently no way to derail in Open Rails, and that is a little annoying.

6. The bogies of trains do have a bit of jitter on them, this could be worked out.

7. This is a more random thing that isn't very noticeable, but on extreme gradients, the train seems to shrink in size vertically, it looks pretty weird, but is only noticeable on crazy routes like the Mega Coaster.

That about covers my basic wishlist for OR. But I doubt anybody cares about this thread anymore, even though it should be a big topic... Oh well...

[northeastern292]

Since I found this, I might as well post my interests. Sure, it is an old topic, but I want to share this and I see no other way to do so. I'm not using Open rails much, I prefer to use MSTS over it as of now, I would be using Open Rails if it had this:
1: Activities need to be worked on for compatibility, speed restrictions don't show in Open rails, plus the flag objects that point them out there are no evaluations, the briefing to the scenario doesn't automatically display, and the game doesn't force you to quit after finishing it, the button does say "End Activity" but it just resumes the game.

2: Brake physics need work, the biggest problem is that the brake cylinder takes too long to release, after releasing the brakes, the brake cylinder should quickly release its pressure, but in Open Rails, it doesn't empty completely until the brake pipe is recharged, totally unrealistic.

3: Smoke and lighting are horrible. Simply put, I'd like to see an option to use MSTS smoke or not and an option to use MSTS lighting or not. The smoke could be improved by making it do things similarly to Railworks/Train Simulator; Make it start thick instead of a pinpoint, give it some upward momentum so it doesn't make a straight line, and reduce its lifespan, it lasts way to long. As for the lights, they could really use some changes to work with the variables in the .eng file of a locomotive instead of using the exact same light for every locomotive. The light should use the variables to define its range, width, and brightness. Also, the light source seems to be inside the locomotive instead of in front of it, and it makes some really weird effects.

Here are some other, minor things I want.

1. Some locomotives have a parameter that makes the bell turn on with the horn, Open Rails doesn't recognize this, and it really should.

2. More options for driver aids, choose which ones I want to automatically turn on, right now that's none, I also want to be able to change the textures they use, and I'd like to be able to choose the position of the F5 display.

3. Better camera controls, the focus should be the center of the locomotive instead of the coupler.

4. A real interface, I assume this is already planned for 1.0, but I thought I'd mention it.

5. Fps limiter, I get massive FPS and I really don't need all of it.

6. Derailments! There is currently no way to derail in Open Rails, and that is a little annoying.

7. The bogies of trains do have a bit of jitter on them, this could be worked out.

That about covers my basic wishlist for OR. But I doubt anybody cares about this thread anymore, even though it should be a big topic... Oh well...

Ditchlights that activate when you sound the horn, I know the feature is in MSTS (or might not, not sure) but that might not work as some locomotives don't have working ditchlights, just static ones that light up but don't alternate in flash. I actually thought v2000 would be 1.0, but not.

And as for the FPS? I actually enjoy having 150FPS plus in ORTS. I can't even get that in MSTS, or even FSX!

[neyland]

Correct UK signalling operation. This idea of all starter signals at designated station stops being set against the player consist.

Is absolutely crazy and not prototypical.

[pschlik]

Ditchlights that activate when you sound the horn, I know the feature is in MSTS (or might not, not sure) but that might not work as some locomotives don't have working ditchlights, just static ones that light up but don't alternate in flash. I actually thought v2000 would be 1.0, but not.

And as for the FPS? I actually enjoy having 150FPS plus in ORTS. I can't even get that in MSTS, or even FSX!

Well, 150 FPS is a little wasteful, you don't really need it and it still takes up CPU power to run at 150. As for ditchlights, I was mainly thinking about the bell going on with the horn, locomtoives that usually do that in MSTS neverdo it in OR.

[Rikidee]

In single player mode, milepost column in Dispatcher lines for player and ai trains would be helpful.
Rick

[twpol]

That about covers my basic wishlist for OR. But I doubt anybody cares about this thread anymore, even though it should be a big topic... Oh well...

Wow, what a list! I am curious, though, from some of the items whether you have tried the weekly experimental releases or you're just using the 0.9 release? Many, many things have improved significantly since 0.9 was released so, if you are using, I'd strongly suggest you try out the experimental release.

[pschlik]

Wow, what a list! I am curious, though, from some of the items whether you have tried the weekly experimental releases or you're just using the 0.9 release? Many, many things have improved significantly since 0.9 was released so, if you are using, I'd strongly suggest you try out the experimental release.

Whoops, I am just using 0.9 :P I will have a look at the experimental release, then. In the experimental: OK, I must say, that new smoke is totally awesome! The interface is better, and I did see those evaluation settings, but they don't seem to work exactly properly. However, the lights do still start from inside the train.

[Rikidee]

As the program changes so often I should have listed the version. X2007 is the one I have been using.
It is good that the activities are able to be completed. It is a bit of a problem there is little acknowledgement of this. So far I have not seen activity messages except on the station window in passenger scenarios.

[Traindude]

How about operating feed valves? This way freight locomotives can be used as helpers in passenger service and vice versa. Previously, this kind of flexibility required two .eng (and tender .wag) files--one with "passenger" brakes and one with "freight" brakes.

[James Collins]

5. Derailments! There is currently no way to derail in Open Rails, and that is a little annoying.

OpenRails doesnt have derailments because real trains dont derail, so dont expect derailments thats as real as it gets.

3: Lighting is horrible

Probably always will be.

6. The bogies of trains do have a bit of jitter on them, this could be worked out.

What? OpenRails is perfect and does no wrong. You must have OR installed wrong.

Point is, forget these wishlists. What you see is what you get. They decide what they want to see and do and you enjoy the fruits of that. The only opinion that matters is those of the team and outsiders are simply outsiders. I wouldnt worry too much though. It will be another eight years or so before this project is anywhere near "the future" of railroading sims.

[cjakeman]

Hi James,

Point is, forget these wishlists. What you see is what you get. They decide what they want to see and do and you enjoy the fruits of that. The only opinion that matters is those of the team and outsiders are simply outsiders.

Your post sounds a bit negative.

The developers do indeed read this forum and we are indeed influenced by what our users ask for. (I'm an OR developer.)

Some things we are not keen on, such as derailments, but others depend on where we've got to in the development and how much benefit we can achieve for our effort. I don't think any of us ignore what our users want and most of us are users too.

Chris
OR Dev

[EricF]

Re: derailments -- Train wrecks are not what the simulator is about. But, in real life, wheels do go "on the ground" but not in a disastrous way for various reasons -- Washouts, bad track, picking a switch, slack run-in on a bad spot... What might be useful is some way for the sim to to offer to recover gracefully from a derailment situation with consequences, rather than a simple end-of-session or reset and continue like nothing ever happened.

For comparison, ZDSimulator has an option to implement something like this. If the train is derailed due to mishandling, the sim will show it mildly on the ground and present the option to resume. Resuming will require restarting the locomotive's systems and dealing with getting the train under way. A heavy train on a steep grade is an unintended challenge to get moving again...

ZDSimulator's current implementation just assesses a penalty, puts the train back on the track, and lets you deal with trying to get everything back under way. But for a minor wheels-on-the ties derailment consider that sort of behavior being expanded upon, such as a simple appropriate advance of the in-sim clock to approximate the crew response time to get a crew out to re-rail the offending car(s) and send the train on its way, with the attendant effects of backing up other (AI) traffic; some sort of realistic operational consequences for a real-life "bad day at work" incident. Broken knuckles on couplers could be much the same. Break one, and have the option to continue with the appropriate time delay to haul the spare back and change it, along with having to re-couple, re-charge the air and move on -- and possibly have to double the train if the break happened on a steep grade. Again, a reset of the train condition with relevant operational side-effects. That's somewhat in the direction of Run 8; no reason why OR can introduce some of the same operational realism in its own way. Just a thought...

[pschlik]

All I mean about derailments could be something as mundane as original MSTS, even if it were just derailments going off the end of the track, it's just a little thing that I'd like to eventually see, but the lack of it isn't keeping me away from the game. I'd like to see people going into requests for this game with an open mind and respect, not everybody wants the same stuff, and that's no reason to get mad at them.

[Komachi]

What I'd like to see is a 2nd freeroam cam, for the #5 passenger view. Know I've said it before, but I'll say it again! If anyone is familiar with Trainz, it's basically like adding the option -freeintcam to it. Allows you to move the interior cam about. Eg, walk about a passenger car from say, the coach, to the diner. Obviously this would need a 'reset' key too, to put the view back as some passenger view files are meant for one viewpoint only, so if that's the case then hey, press say, CTRL+9 and ta-da, back in the 'seat' so to speak. Either way, for passenger nuts like myself, who are also disabled and can't get about and thus (Again as I've said before in a old thread) we 'travel the rails' so to speak via V-scale, it would add a whole new level of realism for us, be it using Amtrak cars or some of the fantastic, phenomenal BLW/ZT stuff.