OpenRails Dispatch, Client, and Switches

[Jib228]

So I had this idea today and have been working on some of the ground work for said idea. I have a second PC that I use to host a dedicated Run8 server on. And I thought, "Could I host an Open Rails dedicated server?" Early tests are saying yes I can. I have steps in place for insuring everyone and the host has the same content and hope to have some switch list made up for operations.

However I have ran into two snags.

1. By default only the host can throw switches. This wouldn't be an issue if the host pc is manned and can give clients permission to change switches. But it wont be. Its effectively a headless PC running on a shelf. (It runs JMRI for my model trains and my RUn8 server) This means that when a player joins, they cant really change any switches.

So I am wondering if there is anyway to change this? Is there a way to make it so everyone who joins has full control of switches all the time? Digging though the manual I did find this, "Players can throw switches by pressing <G> or <Shift+G>, and the switch state will change for all players on the server. The server has a choice to disallow clients to throw switches manually." But I don't see any mention of how. (Pressing CTRL + 9 as client brings up the dispatch menu but I still don't have any control of turnouts.)

2. When I join the server things are fine. If I leave the server, things are still fine. But if I try to rejoin the server with a new train, I find myself back where I left in the old train. (The second PC has a 100% copy of the OR folders as on my main PC is its not a lack of matching content.) Is this normal? Is there a fix to this?

[csantucci]

1. From the manual "The Dispatcher can choose a player and give the player right to throw switches and change signals, by
clicking the button Assist. The right can be revoked by click the Normal button." This way the player can throw all switches through the Dispatcher Window, and not only the ones just in front or behind him. I must say that I have seen cases where this didn't work any more well after some game time.
2. This is done to allow to re-enter the game in the same place and with the same consist as before the player exited the game, in case he had a crash. However there is a timeout for this. If the player re-enters the game when the timeout has expired, he will re-enter the game with the new consist and in the new position. You can check this also in the dispatcher window of the server (maybe also in the dispatcher window of the remaining players): A player that left is greyed, and enters into a "zombie state", from which it can return alive again if the player restarts the game. When the timeout expires (after 10 minutes, which was a time requested by multiplayer users) the greyed player will disappear from the dispatcher window and will die completely.

[Jib228]

1. From the manual "The Dispatcher can choose a player and give the player right to throw switches and change signals, by
clicking the button Assist. The right can be revoked by click the Normal button." This way the player can throw all switches through the Dispatcher Window, and not only the ones just in front or behind him. I must say that I have seen cases where this didn't work any more well after some game time.

I saw that, and I saw how to get it working in that manner. But I was wondering if there's a way to set it up so any one that joins has that authority with out having to be on the host machine.

From my experience with my Run8 crew, a setting like this hasn't caused that many issues. And they are the same people who I intend to run a more dedicated OR server for. But if I have to grant dispatch to everyone that joins that defiantly hinders the idea of a more dedicated server setting.