Locomotive mode: Manual with assist

dudebro420 · Post by **dudebro420** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 7:59 pm

TL;DR

A mode for the locomotive called "Manual with assist" which is similar to manual, but will automatically stop you when a rail signal is yellow or red.

What ?

Detailed description:
This mode will allow the player to drive the train similar to manual mode. Whenever the train sees a signal that is yellow or red, it will slam on the brakes in time to stop at the signal. It will try prevent a player from going into a block with another train.
Here is a situation in this image:

A player is controlling train A with "Manual with assist" mode and is going full speed. The player is holding the 'W' button so their original intent is to go straight. If the player continues holding 'W', they will go straight just fine. But let's say the player changes their mind and hits 'D' just before the intersection, now the player wants to go right. The train will see the red signal and initiate an emergency stop, which will bring the train to a complete stop even if the train passes the red signal. This will hopefully prevent a collision with train B. Now let's say the player was holding 'W' and 'D' long before the intersection, so their original intent was to go right. The train would see that red signal and will have plenty of time to stop at the signal.
This concept would work better with the higher tiers of the "Braking force" research. In fact, it would be nice if this mode had its own research within braking force.

Why ?

Having this mode enabled will prevent a player from driving into a block with another train and thus preventing a collision.
Players will be able to drive around the track manually with much more confidence.

BlackKnight · Post by **BlackKnight** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 5:21 pm

I really support this proposal. How often do I cringe when thinking about whether to use manual (high risk of collision) or automatic (have to find/set a destination).
Great Idea!

To tag on an aside suggestion. I would really like a hotkey to toggle a train between manual/auto. A mod had it as J and I found it super useful not having to go through the menus everytime.

Optera · Post by **Optera** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 6:39 pm

It's a step in the right direction, but not enough for me to consider using manual mode in my busy networks.
Automatic trains will still crash into manual trains that enter a reserved block.

Semi auto or assisted manual mode should prevent trains from going inside reserved blocks in the first place and reserve blocks like automatic trains.
That would mean players would have to tell the train where it should go with enough time for the game to reserve that block or stop the train.

Tekky · Post by **Tekky** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 8:18 pm

Related thread:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=42694 Half automatic / half manual train driving

dudebro420 · Post by **dudebro420** » Sun Jun 18, 2017 3:13 am

Tekky wrote:Related thread:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=42694 Half automatic / half manual train driving

I guess I am not the first person who thought of this.

Hannu · Post by **Hannu** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 6:56 am

That does not work in practice. Braking distance is too long and train will run always through red signals or have to break for worst case -situation which makes driving too slow and annoying. Maybe if there was super fast brakes but I think that current acceleration and deceleration are already far overpowered. In my opinion trains should be much slower (100 km/h) and have much larger capacity like in real world.

Proper manual driving would need massive overhaul to train control system. There should be distant signals with unique colors. I would like to have it because it could simulate much more realistic schedule based rail transport with proper pathing, switching work, circulation of locomotives and wagons etc. However, I do not believe that devs and huge majority of players would be interested in such complex and laborious overhaul.

bobingabout · Post by **bobingabout** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 7:46 am

I'll fall back to my previous example.
Does your car automatically break for you when you approach a red light?
Maybe you want to plough through the vehicle in front of you.

Hannu · Post by **Hannu** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 10:12 am

How should block allocation work? Normally the game calculates the point at which train stop if it brakes. When that point comes to a signal it check the next block. If the next block is allocated (signal is red or yellow) train begins braking. If next block is free (signal is green) it is allocated to the train (signal becomes to yellow).

Normally it works because the game knows the path of the train. But if player controls the train and track branches the game can not know which branch should be allocated. Only possibility to avoid collisions is to allocate all possible blocks. And if anyone of them is allocated, begin to brake. If there are complex railyard, there may be tens of blocks allocated for nothing (so many other trains are disturbed) and many other trains also slows player's trains even they have fully separated path. It may also be quite hard load for CPU, if there are many branches at front of the train.

Assisted manual driving is suggested many times. But it is very difficult thing to implement properly with current train control system. There are always severe trade offs which ruins the whole idea. Massive overhaul of the whole system is probably not realistic in this phase of development, especially because current train system is simple to learn for new players, works flawlessly and can handle huge item flow if built correctly. In my opinion the best solution to work trains would be that player could make a temporary target by clicking of map. Temporary target would act as a train stop but deleted when the train arrives to it.

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