AI Engines in ORTS

[OmenRotcod]

Is there any purpose or benefit to including AI engines in ORTS (let's say 1.6 and on) Activities or Consists?
David

[dcarleton]

AI engines are unnecessary in ORTS. The concept was only invented due to the limitations of MSTS.

[OmenRotcod]

Good to know. Thank you.
David

[dougbrow]

The concept didn't even make sense in MSTS, as any drivable engine could be used in an AI consist. It also made for some unrealistic scenarios, such as an LNER locomotive running on a Midland route, while an appropriate Midland loco was stuck as an undrivable AI unit, and a freight locomotive leading the Orient Express through Austria, while a suitable passenger loco was left AI. Fortunately, the community later made the AI units drivable, all they needed was to complete the eng files that the developers left incomplete.

[dcarleton]

The original MSTS was limited as to how many lights it would display and how many sound streams it could play. AI specific engines were apparently intended spare some resources by using fewer lines of code, displaying fewer lights, and playing fewer streams. Ultimately the community figured out how to work around those workarounds.

[OmenRotcod]

There are some TU designated locomotives around. Do they have a special function, with special features or characteristics?
David

[dcarleton]

Those were Trailing Units, without cab views or cab sounds, and without certain lights, all to save resources. But if your computer can run ORTS, you are nowhere near that resource poor. Further, ORTS is smart enough to know which resources to use. TU engines are just as obsolete as AI engines in the ORTS universe.

[trs666]

There are some TU designated locomotives around. Do they have a special function, with special features or characteristics?
David

IIRC Diesels West sometimes designates particular locos as "TU" (Trailing Unit) in the Name line of the ENG file, indicating that the loco has no crew visible in the cab ... as opposed to units with a crew, not described as "TU", intended to be "Lead" units.

[yellowdog]

TRS has it. Various companies (3DTrains, Dekosoft) created 3D crew member models that could be added to the cab with a FA line in the eng file (or via editing alpha channel on a texture file). Those same companies would designate non-crewed locomotives as "Trailing Unit" or TU or T. Sometimes those units are even reversed, sometimes designated R.

[OmenRotcod]

Finally then, a TRAIL unit (for example, from TrainSimulations) would be an engine at the end of a consist (not the last in a set of leading locomotives)? What special features does it have - lights, cabview?
David

[dcarleton]

Trailing Unit - not the lead unit, maybe second or third or further back, but not the leading unit. Same type of thing as a TU.