Track Viewer - Activity Editor

[OTTODAD]

Hi, they look to be camera coordinates, such as tile x and tile z. Comparing TrackViewer to MSTS, at least x and y camera coordinates are used as well.

Yes, but not real world longitude and latitude co-ordinates .

However, it has retained most MSTS Driver Aids, adding more of its own and still has the 0 Compass Coordinates window.


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[seagoon]

What ORTS could do with is a sizable / movable overlay window when running a route which shows where the player is, like Trainz and Railworks have !

No, it doesn't need a map.
Use the F6 key and you'll know where you are.

[James Collins]

What ORTS could do with is a sizable / movable overlay window when running a route which shows where the player is, like Trainz and Railworks have !

I disagree, sorry. Thats why we have mileposts and F6.

[smiljacc18]

Dispatcher veiw serves as a track map with your location and progress

[OTTODAD]

I disagree, sorry. Thats why we have mileposts and F6.

If you do not know the route then you would need the Activity Editor map to show you where the mile posts and the F6 locations are and even if you do know a real world route you would not know where they are on any map !

Having 2 computers linked to my one keyboard and show MSTS on my only monitor, as only one Train.exe can be run on one computer at the same time, not like other programs can, I simply switch from one to the other when running a route.

That also helps when working in a MSTS Route, having to find another location I need to move to in its Route Editor and edit something else in the same session, I had to do frequently when modifying many MSTSBin routes for use with my re-named to X-Tracks DB-Tracks !

When running a ORTS route I would like to see not only where my player is but also where other trains and loose consists are, like shown in this Railworks Freeroam PLAY mode action video, an AI passing the Player at Whitefish:

http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/video/railworks-freerroam-trains-actions-map.wmv
Alt-Enter to view Full-Screen.

That transparent panel on the left would show related to that scenario information.

Not playing any Simulator On-Line, nor being interested in Multi-Player, the ORTS Ctrl+9 Dispatcher map does not display here !

Minor observation, displaying the ORTS F1 window it can not be scrolled in with the Mouse Wheel nor with any Cursor Pad key !

Being mainly a Freestyle / Freeroam user of Train Simulator, I am sure many others are too, I am happy with what MSTSBin and Railworks have to offer, having modified them to my liking, but can not run Freestyle activities with short paths in ORTS, nor quick-release train brakes with one key press !

Having been a programmer for over 30 years, a hacker of MSTS routes since the New York & Jersey route in 2002 and a creator of some since 2006 you can not appreciate what I am doing with computers and Train Simulators !

Until there is a Train Simulator that can display all in full 3D, does not rotate flat rotating trees, showing them all in 3D and I have a i7 64-bit, 16GB RAM Desktop computer with a top nVidia graphics card that can handle them then I am happy with what I have got !

Problem is that I am too old to see that happen !

Many ORTS users do not seem to post much in its forum like I occasionally do to supply my feedback to its programmers, I think mainly to avoid unhelpful comments from ORTS "Supporters" like the ones I just had !






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[baldwin]

The ORTS Ctrl+9 Dispatcher window opens in single player mode, but is minimised and can be found hiding with Open Rails main icon on your taskbar when running.

[OTTODAD]

The ORTS Ctrl+9 Dispatcher window opens in single player mode, but is minimised and can be found hiding with Open Rails main icon on your taskbar when running.

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[James Collins]

Having been a programmer for over 30 years, a hacker of MSTS routes since the New York & Jersey route in 2002 and a creator of some since 2006 you can not appreciate what I am doing with computers and Train Simulators ! [COLOR=#000000]

I think its great you were a programmer for over 30 years. Maybe join OpenRails and make much of what you want a reality yourself?

Until there is a Train Simulator that can display all in full 3D, does not rotate flat rotating trees, showing them all in 3D and I have a i7 64-bit, 16GB RAM Desktop computer with a top nVidia graphics card that can handle them then I am happy with what I have got !

What do you have now? 3D trees are a waste of resources from afar and this is form someone who goes on and on about trees. What is your top nVidia card? i7 is known more for video processing, could have saved some money there. When have you ever used 16gb of RAM?

Many ORTS users do not seem to post much in its forum like I occasionally do to supply my feedback to its programmers, I think mainly to avoid unhelpful comments from ORTS "Supporters" like the ones I just had !

Sorry you feel that way and I generally agree with you. Many routes come with guides, track profiles, grade profiles ect. so if youre really interested in where you are, then maybe do a little studying of the route youre about to drive on?

Im not saying youre wrong and maybe its me only being around train simulators since 2003, which is laughable I guess. I was simple pointing out there are other ways to see where you are other than some overlay screen. Why have mileposts when we can just pull up some screen?

[seagoon]

Not playing any Simulator On-Line, nor being interested in Multi-Player, the ORTS Ctrl+9 Dispatcher map does not display here !

Perhaps you should spend some time reading instructions and delving into the game aspects before making such throw-away statements.
You do not need to be online in order to use the Dispatcher screen.

Being mainly a Freestyle / Freeroam user of Train Simulator, I am sure many others are too, I am happy with what MSTSBin and Railworks have to offer, having modified them to my liking,

"Having modified them".
In other words, you aren't satisfied with what the developers have done/are doing unless you can change the product to suit your particular tastes.

Simple solution, in that case: As you are a programmer of 30 years experience, stop complaining and get to work modifying Open Rails to do what you want it to do.

Many ORTS users do not seem to post much in its forum like I occasionally do to supply my feedback to its programmers, I think mainly to avoid unhelpful comments from ORTS "Supporters" like the ones I just had !

I think that most of us who don't publicly supply feedback to the programmers are actually doing so via their excellent bug-reporting system rather than placing long-winded, graphically-saturated complaints in this forum.

[baldwin]

Otto,
The Dispatcher window is not a separate icon on your task bar. Once you have pressed CTRL+9 it becomes minimised as a child of the Open Rails icon on the task bar. Hovering the mouse over it makes the selection possible, just like multiple explorer windows.

[lindsayts]

Perhaps you should spend some time reading instructions and delving into the game aspects before making such throw-away statements.
You do not need to be online in order to use the Dispatcher screen.

I do not believe this is a fair comment, all discussion on the Dispatcher has lead me to believe it it is a multiplayer item. Second point is in freeroam mode opening the dispactcher does not appear to do anything.
If a program;s interface control does something it should do so obviously, if it does not most uses willl assume it dos not work.

If a program starts minimised, the interface should CLEARLY state it starts minimised.

Both of the above has certainly lead "this little black duck" to assume it only works in Multiplayer mode, and I for one are not interested in this way of using a train sim.
I would dearly like a "map " mode where one could set up switching in advance in freeroam, from memory MSTS did have something like this.

Lindsay

[seagoon]

I do not believe this is a fair comment, all discussion on the Dispatcher has lead me to believe it it is a multiplayer item. Second point is in freeroam mode opening the dispactcher does not appear to do anything. ....

In that case, Lindsay, you have not read all that there is to read on Dispatcher.
Bear in mind also that Open Rails is a constantly-evolving program (weekly) unlike the static TS2014 and Trainz, so what is there today may be subject to modification tomorrow.

[smiljacc18]

Dispatcher view definitely works in single player mode,I use it all the time,read Baldwin's post above.It displays a 2D track map with consist location and progress in real time.

[Shawmut]

Dispatcher view definitely works in single player mode,I use it all the time,read Baldwin's post above.It displays a 2D track map with consist location and progress in real time.

I do too, mostly because I run trainsims to actually run an activity/scenario, not just drive around looking at trees, and right now OR does not mimic precisely MSTS. This means that activities do not, for the most part, run the same way they do in MSTS. Unless, I found out, you use the dispatcher view. This allows you - in single-player mode, mind you - to set paths and signals so that you *can* get the same kind of experience with a given activity that you could in MSTS.

Of course, you first have to run the activity in MSTS to know how the act is supposed to play out; once you've done that you can force the experimental version of ORTS to do the same thing. Very enjoyable!!

Cheers,

Dave

[OTTODAD]

The Dispatcher window is not a separate icon on your task bar. Once you have pressed CTRL+9 it becomes minimized as a child of the Open Rails icon on the task bar. Hovering the mouse over it makes the selection possible, just like multiple explorer windows.

Tried it once more, this time using a NEC-4 proper activity, running at the ORTS Video setting of 1024x768 in windowed mode.

The Open Rails icon in the Task Bar is all I can see and there is nothing else minimized showing in it. Hovering over it does nothing.

Tried it again in Multi Player Client mode as user OTTODAD and got the same !

P.S.: Did a Google search for Open Rails Multi Player and found nothing of help. The latest 2013 user manual had a problem with my installed Adobe 10 PDF reader after loading it !


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