What would you like to see in Version 1.0 ?

[motormaster532]

Taking a sort of poll here.Since I dont want to start out under false pretenses,I am stating that due to my limited computer skills,I am NOT associated with the Open Rails Development Team.Having clarified that,I am interested in creating an area where members can express their desires concerning the next releases.For myself,I would like to see the Trainline Brake Release made better.I also would like to see the ability to change precipitation made more dramatic.For Example,We could run everything from a light rain shower to a heavy downpour with high winds as well as light snow to blizzard.An interactive CTC board like they have in Run8 would also be great as that would result in real-time dispatching and route selection.I want to state at this point my appreciation and deep thanks to those that are working so hard to give us a more realistic experience in Railroad Operations simulation.I also think that we in the community also deserve applause for our collective suggestions,creativity and assistance to,not only the Developers who we must remember have given us this great product absolutely FREE of charge but to each other,so that all could really enjoy it

[defect_detector]

I'll preface this with the fact that I completely appreciate all the hard work the guys have done for the community and the fact that they're working to keep a branch of simulation alive that most have given up on. I look forward to seeing a 1.0 from the guys and the comments below are nothing personal nor attacking them or OR itself.

1. Environment

By far the biggest drawback to OR currently. The clouds aren't really clouds and doesn't generally resemble much if anything close to foul weather (except when at 100% cloudy).

The sun needs a lot of work as well, I'm not sure where the red/purple/pink sun comes from at sunset with a ring around it but it's just weird.

2. Headlights - Even during the day if you're out trackside you can still see the bright pronounced and defined headlights.

3. Better camera control, not really sure why there was a need to change the way that cameras were controlled from MSTS to begin with as at least for me that wasn't a part of MSTS that is "broken."

That's just what I can think of off the top of my head, I think they've made tremendous progress and applaud the effort and time they've spent on it.

[motormaster532]

I'll preface this with the fact that I completely appreciate all the hard work the guys have done for the community and the fact that they're working to keep a branch of simulation alive that most have given up on. I look forward to seeing a 1.0 from the guys and the comments below are nothing personal nor attacking them or OR itself.

1. Environment

By far the biggest drawback to OR currently. The clouds aren't really clouds and doesn't generally resemble much if anything close to foul weather (except when at 100% cloudy).

The sun needs a lot of work as well, I'm not sure where the red/purple/pink sun comes from at sunset with a ring around it but it's just weird.

2. Headlights - Even during the day if you're out trackside you can still see the bright pronounced and defined headlights.

3. Better camera control, not really sure why there was a need to change the way that cameras were controlled from MSTS to begin with as at least for me that wasn't a part of MSTS that is "broken."

That's just what I can think of off the top of my head, I think they've made tremendous progress and applaud the effort and time they've spent on it.

I agree with you wholeheartedly about the camera controls.Very unwieldy and too complicated.Thanks for the reply. Brian

[snappy]

I agree, cumbersome camera control needs work in ORTS. I think MSTS pretty much had it right as it was easy to use and pretty much everything I wanted except it needed the detached camera.

[EricF]

I agree on tweaking the camera controls. In particular, if shifting from cab to head-out could be kept on the simple arrow keys, it would help some with my MSTS muscle-memory in my fingers...

I mentioned in another thread that it would be great if the F5 HUD could be made repositionable and allow for a more minimal display, again similar to MSTS. The current one is a bit big and obscures cab signals in some cabs. It doesn't have to be draggable, just allowing for selecting the origin to place it top-left, top-center or top-right is probably sufficient. Also the ability to at least change the color, if not font weight, would be great. The white display is functional, but awfully bright and dominates the display in night views.

Another item I mentioned elsewhere is the cab instruments font. MSTS already has cabs that need smaller fonts for the instruments than the default ones. OR introduces more possibilities for higher-resolution cabs -- it seems important to allow for more variation/selectability in cab display fonts to cover the possibilities. One-size-fits all cab fonts don't work. At least in MSTS I can swap font sizes with a batch file. Can there at least be a pull-down selection for this in OR's main menu, or at least expose the fonts file in OR to allow edits and batch-file swaps to accommodate cabs with different font-size needs?

I'm not saying that OR should stay like MSTS -- But MSTS does provide a good baseline for many features. It's so entrenched in train-simming that it's hard to get away from MSTS de facto "standards" without risking reinventing the wheel.

[flarrfan2]

An interactive CTC board like they have in Run8 would also be great as that would result in real-time dispatching and route selection.

There's lots to look at in Run8 for the continuing development of OR. I would love a true CTC board, but it's probably not practical...since OR runs hundreds of routes, each one would need a newly designed board and signal and switch links. Last time in OR I ran a red signal in an activity and saw the activity end, just like old MSTS. I would like to see the Run8 style incorporated in OR, where you can run past signals, which are often wrong in activities anyway, and then stop and backup, as we do in Run8 if a signal is missed. Even better, find some way to allow the player in an activity to view the dispatch screen to check for the location of other trains and to change paths and signals as necessary, though this might necessarily involve a lot of changes in the way activity AI trains run. It would also be good if every situation in which an activity is prematurely ended was eliminated and the activity allowed to continue with some kind of prominent text warning. This would include collisions and derailments, allowing the player to rectify the problem without having to worry about saving an activity constantly.

[baldwin]

I wonder why that activity ended. I have run past red signals before and got an emergency brake application for it. Release and back up and the activity continues. Not done that since the v0.9 release though.

Edit: Just tried it again, ran through the red, emergency brakes were applied, activity did not end. Using version X1695.

[Traindude]

One thing is for sure, in general, I'd like to see them introduce new physics tokens that reflect what MSTS/Kuju had neglected or overlooked (especially in the steam department--not all steamers are hand-fired coal burners!). I also had an idea for multiplayer options: "Crew Mode": instead of a single player controlling a single train, multiple players can become a "crew" of a single train. Example: Player 1: Engineer, Player 2: Fireman, Player 3: Brakeman, and so on....

[flarrfan2]

Just tried it again, ran through the red, emergency brakes were applied, activity did not end. Using version X1695.

Ah, Mervyn is correct, and my memory was wrong. Still non-prototypical on most American RR's without automatic train control.

Bottom line remains...the more the OR developers copy what the Run8 developers have done, the better.

[dcarleton]

I would like to see the Run8 style incorporated in OR, where you can run past signals, which are often wrong in activities anyway, and then stop and backup, as we do in Run8 if a signal is missed.

In real life if you pass a stop signal without receiving authority you're in big trouble. But if you do pass a stop signal without authority and then back up without authority, you're fired!

In OR you can get authority by stopping, pressing ctrl+M, and then tab. If you don't do that and you go past a stop signal, then somebody, it's actually the AI dispatcher but it just as well might be the Conductor, pulls the air on you!

It would also be good if every situation in which an activity is prematurely ended was eliminated and the activity allowed to continue with some kind of prominent text warning. This would include collisions and derailments, allowing the player to rectify the problem without having to worry about saving an activity constantly.

Those situations already shouldn't cause an activity to end prematurely in OR. You may very well get some weird and unprototypical special effects, but the activity stays live.

[motormaster532]

In real life if you pass a stop signal without receiving authority you're in big trouble. But if you do pass a stop signal without authority and then back up without authority, you're fired!

In OR you can get authority by stopping, pressing ctrl+M, and then tab. If you don't do that and you go past a stop signal, then somebody, it's actually the AI dispatcher but it just as well might be the Conductor, pulls the air on you!



Those situations already shouldn't cause an activity to end prematurely in OR. You may very well get some weird and unprototypical special effects, but the activity stays live.

Right ye are DC!I experimented with running signals on OR and the Activity didnt end.In fact,I ended up having a "cornfield"meet at 70 that didnt even cause a derailment.A few other times,as has been mentioned,the train went in Emergency.

[LightRailz90]

Some better frame rates, I notice I have to position my external cam to the roof of my surfliner train to have it actually move.

[Komachi]

What I'd wanna see is the ability in the passenger view to move the camera around. It does get a wee bit boring sitting in the same seat over and over.

[releismetrain]

Hi,
I would like to have the camera pivot in the middle of the loco-wag like in Msts.

Regards Geoff.

[captain82]

What I'd wanna see is the ability in the passenger view to move the camera around. It does get a wee bit boring sitting in the same seat over and over.

that sounds more like a free roam setting but what i'd like to see is a route/ activity editor. now that people are moving into windows 8, editors can only be used on XP and maybe vista which in a way limits Open Rails. I guess in a way, more of an independence from MSTS. In my own opinion, Open Rails could very well be the long awaited MSTS 2 once fully developed and stablized.