Driver Grading

[oakpalms]

Sabrina,

MSTS includes a driver grading at the end of each activity. What improvement has been made in connection with KRS? What new features in driver grading has been placed into KRS?

I am hoping that nothing automatically stops the activity for infractions. For example, 3dTrainStuff came out with the Cajon Pass route which has an instantly ends the activity for the failure to blow the horn sufficeintly for a road crossing. That is a very drastic approach for teaching the train driver to keep alert!

The bad part of that is, if you shift to the rear of the train camera view or an interior view of a passenger car or caboose, or the side of the train view, or the outside front of the train view, and you cross over a road while in those camera views--you still get penalized for not blowing the horn even though you can't see! It turns a really beautiful route into a "do I really want to run this or not" experience.

Please--no activity ending infractions with KRS!

Bob Edwards

[mrmike]

To do away with infraction penalties would destroy the realism.
Perhaps it could be coded with a user interface to turn on & off the various infractions. Then this would satisfy all.

Mike
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[oakpalms]

Mike,
Turning on and off infractions would be great. I like the idea of having more user ability to control the simulation. However, Cajon Pass comes out with the control contained in the route and it is time consuming to go through and make the changes to do away with it. If it affected only the engine view then there would be no problem.

I just hope KRS does not come out with items that are not easily changed.

Bob

[mrmike]

Bob,

Unfortunately it is to late for MSTS. The first route I saw this feature used in was on payware German Trains #1, The Seventies - Along the Bigge Lake.
At the time I was not even aware that this option existed.

Mike
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This smile says it all

[CajunRon]

But we need realism in the penalties also If a driver passes a red he may be fired but his train isn't transported Star Trek style back to the beginning of the route so that the "next" driver has to start all over again.

[mrmgp]

Maybe routes can be set up where communities have horn bans in place, and if you blow your horn at a grade crossing, you get penalized. I have to wonder how many engineers have been fined for horn usage, and had no idea the town they were going through had a horn ban.

[ricksan]

My own preference would be a cumulative grading/scoring system in which successful completion of activities would eventually lead to "promotion" to a series of higher levels. Any infractions along the way would delay such promotions. Isn't that the way it works in reality?

Sure, anybody could write a simple activity, run it over and over again and eventually be conferred with the title of chief executive. But we already know who those people are. The rest of us will stick with the honor system, thank you.

"Please--no activity ending infractions with KRS!"

Absolutely!

Rick Grout

[djt]

“I have to wonder how many engineers have been fined for horn usage, and had no idea the town they were going through had a horn ban.”

Oh boy wouldn’t that be realistic?

In reality engineers are informed of locations that prohibit horn usage in their time table special instructions for that territory and is part of getting qualified. You don’t just go along wondering if you have to protect crossings or not.

If anyone gets in trouble (rules violation) with something related to horn usage it’s usually for not blowing at all.

[kujuSabrina]

In Rail Sim we will still feature this (Called – Operational Errors), but it is in a more forgiving form that doesn’t remove realism.



Things like running out of fuel or derailing will cause the simulation to end as before (Game Over Errors), but things such as passing a red light (SPAD – Signal Passed At Danger) or breaking a coupler are now considered ‘Major Errors’ on the players achievement sheet, but they will not end the simulation. There is also a 3rd level of error that contains things like speeding and failing to complete a task, which will affect your achievement, but in a minor way.

[OTTODAD]

but things such as passing a red light (SPAD – Signal Passed At Danger) or breaking a coupler are now considered ‘Major Errors’ on the players achievement sheet, but they will not end the simulation. There is also a 3rd level of error that contains things like speeding and failing to complete a task, which will affect your achievement, but in a minor way.

Many thanks for all that, Sabrina ! :7

I have mentioned that all long time ago, being annoyed by a route aborting just because I have passed a red signal ! x(

After all a driver does not get chucked out of his cab every time he passes a signal and realizing that slams on his brakes, which seems to be happening often enough on UK train operators routes.

However, the automatic alerter should slam on the brakes for him, letting him take appropriate action, such as reversing the train back to the signal, which is what is happening in reality !

Take care, O t t o.

[djt]

“After all a driver does not get chucked out of his cab every time he passes a signal and realizing that slams on his brakes, which seems to be happening often enough on UK train operators routes.”

“However, the automatic alerter should slam on the brakes for him, letting him take appropriate action, such as reversing the train back to the signal, which is what is happening in reality !”


In reality when an engineer passes a stop indication (all red absolute signal, also known as a control point signal or interlocking signal) the engineer would be removed from the train along with the conductor. They don’t back the train up and start over again. In the U.S. just like most of the world passing a stop indication is considered a major rules violation.

[OTTODAD]

I suppose that in the States dispatchers can see trains passing a RED, but how do they change such a train's crew in the middle of a dessert or in the mountains, miles from anywhere ?

This is the state of such incidences in the U.K.:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/traincrash/Story/0,,432403,00.html

O t t o

[djt]

“I suppose that in the States dispatchers can see trains passing a RED, but how do they change such a train's crew in the middle of a dessert or in the mountains, miles from anywhere ?”

The railroad will send an official, most of the time by company vehicle to relieve the crew. If it’s in a very remote location the relief crew can be brought in by rail. The railroad official or officials will also download the event recorder on the locomotive. The crew that committed the violation will then be drug tested and then taken out of service until an investigation is made into the incident.

Of course a signal malfunction (signal dropping in the engineers face) is not considered a rules violation.

[Matt Vince]

Otto - that article was FIVE YEARS AGO. Since then SPADs have decreased, with a continual improvement through better training, improved signal sighting times, and TPWS fitment. In reality, most SPADs are low-risk, in that the red signal was passed but the train stopped within the 'Overlap' - a 200yd section after each signal included for the very reason of reducing SPAD-risk. Most SPADs are also drivers simply misjudging their braking, especially in damp, slippery conditions. Please try to use up-to-date facts, and not tabloid innuendo.

Speaking of TPWS - will KRS include things like TPWS - such that hitting the overspeed sensor above the limit will incur an 'intervention'?

[SurvivorSean]

I just like the fact that more options will be available to allow a player to continue to run, yet it will be recorded etc.

Thanks

Sean

[OTTODAD]

Is this more recent, Vince ?

http://www.rssb.co.uk/pdf/reports/SPAD_Report_July_06.pdf
http://www.rssb.co.uk/natini_spad.asp

O t t o