STEAM! Please

[classj611]

More steam would be great! Also how do you repaint in RS?

[classj611]

anyone?

[Dan1]

http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/showthread.php?t=268546

[classj611]

http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/showthread.php?t=268546

yeah, I saw that. It would be cool if there was some on train-sim.com! Also somme american steamwould be nice!

[Bill Hobbs]

I've had my copy of RS since late November and it took until sometime in Jan before I had any feel for how things fit together. Since the publication of additiona documentation on RS, it has become easier to understand how to set up the physics of locos and cars. I know how to modify my steam loco setup spreadsheet to cover most of the RS variables, though not quite all. I have put several requests for clarification on the RS site and have been ignored -- almost pointedly.
I haven't had enough free time to carry out some of the tests that would be necessary to finish understanding the physics (read simulation) setup requirements.
If you havne't yet tried to wade through the .bin and .xml versions of the files, give it a try. It isn't fast reading. XML formats impose a lot of visual waste on the data however much value they might have in terms of machine efficiency. For an example of what I mean, go read Sniper's posting on couplers in this forum.

Bill

[sniper297]

" I have put several requests for clarification on the RS site and have been ignored -- almost pointedly."

My experience is that usually means they don't know the answer, I suspect a bit of "farming out" went on during development. The way you can tell something wasn't developed in house is it works correctly and is efficiently programmed. :D

New steamers on UKtrainsim, downloaded, unzipped, read EULA, deleted without installing. Can't repaint and reupload without jumping thru all the permission hoops I got no use for it.

As for how to repaint, take a squint at the KRS General forum, there's an anchored tutorial on the subject. RSDL has stated in the FAQ that we're permitted to repaint and upload any of the default stuff, just make sure before repainting any third party content you have permission before you start, the whole MSTS reskinning forum is full of unanswered "how do I contact X for permission, his email is no longer valid" posts. :rolleyes:

[CajunRon]

" just make sure before repainting any third party content you have permission before you start, the whole MSTS reskinning forum is full of unanswered "how do I contact X for permission, his email is no longer valid" posts. :rolleyes:

I suggest the "public notice" approach. Reasonable efforts should be made to contact the third party after which public notice is posted on the board of the intent to reskin. If the party does not respond in 30 days, all moral obligations have been met. As far as legal, I don't think we need to worry about some shmuck hiring a high price lawyer to sue or convincing some overloaded district attorney to prosecute the repainting of a piece of content he released to the public with no desire for profit.

[grizzledbiker1]

Can't folks just make a phone call or other connection to the UK if necessary to get the answers? (use skype or similar) E-mails to tech supports have generally proven to be a waste of time for many.

[Hyce]

CajunRon is working on a PRR M1A....

[seaboardairline]

I'm not a builder but if you have the knowledge to do so it should not be hard to convert some of the British steamers to US or Canadian. Many foreign steamers were based on the Pacific locomotive, it should not be too hard to reverse engineer the Pacific's back to North American style.

[Bill Hobbs]

I've been trying to figure out how to convert a vacuum brake loco to air-brakes and think I have located the basic blocks of code in the engine and simulation file that need changing. But RS makes it difficult to use the asset editor to make such changes and so one is left to doing a cut and paste to try to get to the end result. There are several questions to which I don't yet have an answer, including whether or not the order of blocks of code is critical in the engine and simulation files. I've pretty much figured out how things cross reference in them.
If I cannot make the current cut and paste technique work, the next step will be to use the asset editor working on the example steam loco to generate the critical blocks of code that I need and that may also help with the sequence issues.
The final difficulties involve the tie in to the sound proxybin files. One should properly add air compressor sounds to the steamer instead of vacuum ejector sounds, but there we do not have a good guide to work with.

The final answer is that it is not easy because the knowledge isn't there yet and the time cost of getting it is large. It reminds me of the old recipe for cooking rabbit stew: first catch the rabbit.

Bill

[t1metraveller]

Hi Bill,

I did quite a bit of cut and pasting in both the simulation and engine files when I made the dynamic brake work-around for the US diesels. What seems to work for me is to fire up the blueprint editor by itself and see what is legitimate to have in a simulation file for that loco type. I checked the steam on just now, and it sure looks like they are allowing either brake type type to be included for a steam loco. My best guess is that you can replace the chunk of code, air brake for vacuum brake, in the simulation file, for starters.

Besides the audio area, the other area you will probably need to tweak is the engine (.bin) file to include the air brake controls, eliminating the vacuum brake controls. This may be essential in getting the sounds to work, though I'm not totally sure of the inter-connection here. I know when I dummied up a diesel to look like an electric to get the dynamics to work, I also had to include a dummy pantograph in the engine file to make things work, so there is connectivity between the two files.

Sounds are a another problem of course. I have played some with the proxybin files trying to get a diesel to transition speeds a little more smoothly. They are very complicated in my estimation, and have a great deal of interaction between elements. I'm also not totally sure how they tie in with the engine .bin files. The engine speed sounds, which for the diesel I think are four sounds (idle, lo, mid, hi), for instance, ties in with the RPM of the engine, which may be dependent on that control (RPM) being present in the engine .bin file. I suspect the air brake sounds wound be a similar setup.

Anyways, good luck on your modifications.

Bill

[Bill Hobbs]

Bill,
It seems as though we are all basically thinking in the same way.
My procedure was to go through a US deisel Engine and Simulation files, find all the blocks that related to the brakes and make copies of those blocks to a separate WordPad file, making a commentary on their formatting for my own use (will be condensed and put here eventually). I used their files to have an idea of all the blocks that they believe necessary for a properly functioning air-brake system.
Then I went through a steam loco Engine and Simulation file and did the same for the vacuum-brake blocks. The trick is now to try and make deletions and substitutions that will work.
I don't work with deisel sounds, but I think the Proxybin for steam holds a lot of promise. There is a lot to learn about how to interface the sound controls with the locomotive controls and that will just be a matter of experimenting. My first sound task remains to be that of adding cylinder cock sounds to a steamer.
Ah for more time to play....
Bill Hobbs

[t1metraveller]

A good plan. I'd keep referring back to the blueprint editor to make sure of the order of the blocks, and if they are "legitimate" in a steam loco (for the simulation file, especially).

Yes, time is becoming a problem. With the warm weather almost here, I'll have a lot less time available to do anything with this or any other game.

Bill