Allow setting yellow rail signal with circuit network
Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2020 9:55 pm
by sorahn
TL;DR
Allow yellow signals set to yellow by the circuit network to work like signals set to red, but trains can pass through them with out them having to be opened again.
What ?
Currently you can set a signal to red with the circuit network and it will add a penalty of 1000 to the train pathfinder logic. But when doing this at some point you have to open the signal to allow the train to actually come through. My suggestion is to allow the circuit network to set the signals to yellow, which would add the same penalty, but still allow the train to path through it once it decides to go there anyway.
Why ?
With the new train stop limits trains became easier than ever to use and manage (mega) bases, but the one thing that's missing is priorities. This is somewhat manageable by using the circuit network to close signals based on the amount of resources in the buffer at the station, but still has the problem of needing a way to re-open all the signals when a train actually arrives. By allowing a yellow signal to add a path finding penalty but still allow the train to cross it, it would help the ability to manage these stations even more.
Re: Allow setting yellow rail signal with circuit network
Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2020 10:25 pm
by Yoyobuae
sorahn wrote: Mon Dec 07, 2020 9:55 pm
But when doing this at some point you have to open the signal to allow the train to actually come through.
Just open the signal when a signal in front of it turns yellow, like so (video):
The signal is closed all the time until a train reserves the previous signal, at that point it opens to let the train thru and closes again once the train passes. Note the rail signal "state" value on the right side which specifies when signal is closed by circuit network.
Re: Allow setting yellow rail signal with circuit network
Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2020 10:39 pm
by sorahn
Thats easy to do with one signal like that, but harder when you are using the circuit network to close the signal otherwise. Not impossible because we're doing it, just more complicated than it would be if you could just set the signals to be yellow.
Re: Allow setting yellow rail signal with circuit network
Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2020 6:30 am
by ssilk
Sorry, I think this is a basic misunderstanding how the signals work. The signals explain a coming train the state of the next block.
A red signal: don’t pass into the next block.
A green signal: the next block can be occupied by me.
A yellow signal: the next block is occupied for me and turns all other signals into that block to red.