Activity Editor

[dforrestc]

Is there a tutorial anywhere on running the Activity Editor included?

[R. Steele]

Is there a tutorial anywhere on running the Activity Editor included?

Yep, Pete Willard ( THANKS, Pete!!! ) put together a TSRE manual and you'll find it on GitHub...the AE part of the manual is incomplete...but it is the best explanation to date.

https://github.com/pwillard/TSRE5-Document/blob/master/book.pdf

[amtrak115]

Pete's manual is valuable....here's the steps I follow.

Trackviewer - Create Player Path (add passing sidings)
TSRE consist editor, Create Player consist.
Open TSRE, under tools, select Activity. (Activity panel should open on right side of screen.
Create new Activity. Edit settings, name, start time, descriptions, (you'll be able to modify all of this information as you go through activity development.
select service editor
Create new service, for player. Define player consist and path (select station stops if wanted or needed.)
Save activity.
Test run.
back in trackview, create path for AI train(s)
back to TSRE consist editor, create AI consist.
open activity editor of TSRE,
Select activity you want to edit.
select service editor.
Create AI train service for each AI train.
once all AI trains services are created.
open traffic editor, create new traffic file for activity.
add all AI Trains as traffic and specify starting times for each.
Close traffic editor. Save activity.
ensure activity is selected, player train selectied, select traffic file.
open settings (There is a bug in TSRE's activity editor, and this is the work around.), Add like 1 sec to start time. then save the activity. (if you don't modifiy the settings for the activity the traffic file will not be added to the activity. conversely if you change anything in the traffic file you should also modify the activity settings before saving the activity.
test the activity. (you can use the dispatcher screen to watch AI trains spawn, and you can also use the Cntrl-Alt-PageUp to speed up the simulation in your test, Cntrl-Alt-PageDown will slow the simulation speed down.)

if you got questions, give me a shout.

later

Amtrak115

[jonpd]

I have been working on a manual for activity editing using TSRE. Life keeps intervening, but I hope to have it out sometime this summer.

Jon

[cn bala]

That would be great to get the manual for activity editing using TSRE. Look forward to get this when you are ready to upload yours to the file library so we can download from there.

[CSRX]

Biggest thing I was the AE portion of TSRE had, was the test feature that the MSTS AE had. That way you didn't have to close out, open the activity in ORTS and test it, every. single. time.

Rather frustrating when creating a decent size activity, and trying to get train meets just right..

[jonpd]

Biggest thing I was the AE portion of TSRE had, was the test feature that the MSTS AE had. That way you didn't have to close out, open the activity in ORTS and test it, every. single. time.

Rather frustrating when creating a decent size activity, and trying to get train meets just right..

I hear you. Especially when you have a longish activity and are getting near the end, you have to run through all the bits you already tested to get to the part you want to test.

At least ORTS has the autopilot and the fast forward features that allow you to skip over the parts you already did when you run it.

Jon

[CSRX]

I hear you. Especially when you have a longish activity and are getting near the end, you have to run through all the bits you already tested to get to the part you want to test.

At least ORTS has the autopilot and the fast forward features that allow you to skip over the parts you already did when you run it.

Jon

Unfortunately with the autopilot and fast forward, it's doesn't give accurate speeds and meets. When I did the autopilot, the player train was literally right at track speed the entire time, which isn't accurate at all pulling almost 10k tons up the hill between Helena and Blossburg. When player controlled, 20-30mph max is all you can really get, until you reach the 20mph speed, then it's constant 7th and 8th notch to keep a decent pace.

So sadly once again I have to test as the player itself versus autopilot.

Not sure if MSTS's AE went with realistic pulling/train handling, but it's clear ORTS doesn't in autopilot mode.

[Vince]

Unfortunately with the autopilot and fast forward, it's doesn't give accurate speeds and meets. When I did the autopilot, the player train was literally right at track speed the entire time, which isn't accurate at all pulling almost 10k tons up the hill between Helena and Blossburg.

Re:Testing activities;
What I did to avoid this in autopilot was to turn autopilot off when accelerating or pulling a grade.

regards,

[CSRX]

Re:Testing activities;
What I did to avoid this in autopilot was to turn autopilot off when accelerating or pulling a grade.

regards,

Makes perfect sense to me!

[jonpd]

Yes autopilot can be misleading as it "cheats" it can use nonexistent power settings e.g. notch 2 1/2. I use it mostly for long boring stretches of track. It gives you the ideal so that if you are creating a passenger schedule you have to keep that in mind and allow a little slack for the fact that a real engineer will not be able to achieve those timings.

Jon