MSTS : How do you play yours?

[Timcourt1]

You will find the signalling on Mideast (the new one) far better than the past, although editing the route will be a pain since all the tiles are compressed!

[nigelgresley]

I mainly make activities for myself, I have found that placing a train on the same route as you, but 10 minutes in front is a good exercise, asyou can soon catch up with it and get double and single yellows, especially if it's a stopping service.

[JohnEyres]

I enjoy doing tat too. I place a 101 DMU infront so I get held up then once I get onto four tracks I'm away and overtake it!
You think you have a good speed to judge the yellows until you reach a long section between signals and end up pleading with the signal to turn to yellow as you approach it then the brakes are wacked on full.
Sometimes if you put on the emergency brakes for a red you may find the slow train infront gets away from you by the time the brakes have been released, then you have a green!
I like riding the yellows on relief lines or two track 3 aspect lines but I hate doing it on the fast lines on a four track main line, especially when you are a very fast train with no reason not to do top speed!

[montylowe2]

HI all!
hmmm how do I play mine? Well I build routes, create dodgy actitvities, begg modlers to make me objects for my route! Try to create accurate traffic etc.
Many Thanks
Richard Lowe

[XPTE]

I now spent most of time on MSTS creating my own activities, testing them and playing them, and uploading them to here. Its very rewarding when you notice the download count for some of your activities are two or three hundred plus, and you get emails from people saying how much they enjoyed playing my activiites. Can't wait till the new Mid East UK CD is released. Expect to see one of my activities as amongst the first to be uploaded for it.

Oh ye, and also am creating a route too, Bristol Parkway-Weston Super Mare. Haven't said much about it recently, but it is progressing at quite a slow rate. I aim to get it completed provided I don't any of those darn send/dont send error messages.

[jklnonesuch]

I've messed around with all of it without really geting to grips with any of it. So, apart from driving various routes, I've made some half-finished activities, messed about with TSM and re-skinning, and built about 3 miles of a route.

Enjoyed all of it, but not made enough of an effort to see anything through.

[rabid]

All games get dull quickly without any goals to achieve and MSTS is no exception. For the vast majority (of the public) who don't create but play the game as was intended, activities are the heart and soul of MSTS. I count myself as one who has recently returned to the game because of the great add-ons which are appearing. These beauty of these new add-ons is that they are complete; realistic route, appropriate rolling stock, and lots of varied activities. I would love to see such an add-on with a UK theme that can match the quality of Kicking Horse Pass, Biggetal or Cajon Pass; such gems extend the life indefinitely of this great simulator. I look forward too to the new RailDriver console which according to their site should appear towards the end of the year.

David.

[phat2003uk]

when i press play in the activity editor when i've made an activity nothing comes up just the time goes bye.
Is it possible to actually see the AI trains go past with out driving anything.

[Fodda]

Well I'm an end-user. I download other people's work, use it for a while and then get seduced by the next great upload.

Seriously... I love running trains in good busy activities. I've made and uploaded only 1 activity... that's all, and that in the 'other place' too! But my knowledge of railway working is very very small. I'm not confident enough to be able to make prototypical activities, I don't know what engines were uses where and when... I don't know how a stretch of the ECML would have been used prototypically either.

Rather than get it all wrong and annoy people, I just make wee little activities for myself that don't work properly. Mostly Deltics, 37s 101s and some big steam like A1s A4s and 9Fs.

What I need is a knowledgable person to tell me what trains would run at the same time as the player train. Or summat... I'm just rambling now...

[asalmon]

when i press play in the activity editor when i've made an activity nothing comes up just the time goes bye.
Is it possible to actually see the AI trains go past with out driving anything.

That's the classic mistake - when you press play you're starting from midnight, unless your activity starts then it's pretty boring.

Either drag the slider along, manually enter the start time, or tools|Verify starting position - then press play!

-Alan

[asalmon]

But my knowledge of railway working is very very small. I'm not confident enough to be able to make prototypical activities, I don't know what engines were uses where and when... I don't know how a stretch of the ECML would have been used prototypically either.

Rather than get it all wrong and annoy people, I just make wee little activities for myself that don't work properly.

Really, don't worry about that - my knowledge is probably the same as yours, that's never stopped me!

So go on, upload your wee activities; I know what activity you're talking about "over there" as I tested it for you - I'm happy to test anything else if you're relucant to release it to the world untested.

-Alan

[phat2003uk]

but can you graphiccally see the trains go by?

[asalmon]

Yes, providing you have "service information" enabled on the view menu, have set up a traffic pattern and are previewing from a sensible time.

-Alan

[Blaster]

I don't do anything with msts at all at the moment coz some unscrupulous
B*****D burgaled our house!!!all computer stuff CD's the lot!!Had to go out and buy all new puter gear while my insurance claim is prossesed.
But back to a lighter note i tend to just drive routes in explore mode and am still attempting to build a route.I had just finished an activity for LGV Med called "English Takeover" but unfortunately i have no external back up!! (B******S) ah well back to the drawing board!
Phil

[qzdcg8]

Route Building and Tram Building is my forte.

Not being a massive train freak, activities have sort of passed me by at the moment - tried a few stop-start commuter ones on the Tokyo Route and got bored.

Incidentally, I picked Tram Building because it there was plenty of info available and their shape is fairly easy to model in TSM.