Minimalistic Long Routes

[keithmross]

Carlisle to Preston may be on my to-do list
I'm thinking the Lune Gorge and Grayrigg with super-elevation could be rather nice.
These things take time tho

[bdy26]

Keith

I'm starting a pre-1974 version of the WCML from Lancaster to Carlisle, I've done a few days reasearch and got track textures and some new ground textures done and will start tracklaying over the weekend. It wouldn't be difficult to do a post-74 version... if you have the heart to build the M6 through the Lune Gorge.

The more the merrier though.

B

[paulz6]

Just made my mind up and voted NO!!!!
Who wants to create a five hour scenario with five hours of scenery? The quality will go hand in hand.

[bigvern]

Actually that is a good point Paul. Even testing Blackpool Tramway got tedious and that was just over an hour's drive, but do that and nothing else 10 times each way and you're fed up with the sight of the thing! Then of course if you find any issues and fix them, it's back to the scenario start to test it again. A long route still has its appeal of course, but I do think this goes some way to explaining certainly where individual projects are concerned we have seen a tendency towards shorter more intimate routes.

Certainly been an interesting discussion and going back to the OP's original premise at TS.com, it does make you wonder where we found all the stamina to do the long routes for MSTS - my Far North and Inlandsbanan come to mind. I mean, I spent an entire month just tracing contours for the latter in TS Tools, something I wouldn't even begin to contemplate now!

[michaeldono]

I think its because the camera is restricted to being very close to the train- so only lineside scenery was needed.

[conireland]

I agree in part with the points being made here, that I like to be able to look out of the cab, in the direct vicinity of the train and see something interesting and I'm not particularly bothered if I can see scenery for miles around. Having said that, I generally drive the preserved lines (KWVR, NYMR (Heartbeat Moor), Llangollen etc) anyway, long enough routes to have an action packed scenario whilst still having quite a bit of detail.

[gswindale]

Oxford to Birmingham seems like a bit of a weird one. Not sure what that would add really

Why? Gives a bit more running for cross country services.

Gets us into brum as well which would be a very useful area for others.

[TransportSteve]

Hmmm, unsure about the wording for the Poll to be honest, as far as I can remember there are only 3 routes in the UK over 300+ miles from end to end. ECML, WCML, GWML. There are quite a few routes of 100+ miles though, as reading some of the locations thrown into the hat already I'm sure we could chuck in a hundred more suggestions.
I personally have 2 reservations on your OP, I am a freight man more than a passenger fan, so, to capture my interest you would need to make any route as interesting as possible for us end-users to play with, which will be a test with a route from say Inverness - Wick/Thurso for example, as there are no freight yards north of Inverness and you'd need to create something artificial at nearly every station to keep folks interested operationally speaking, I know that after a week, or, so, I would be bored running just pax trains up and down that particular line.
The other thing is what your interpretation of the word minimalistic is, someone stated that they thought Edinburgh - Glasgow was minimum scenery, which had me aghast, as I think it's fully scenerised, textures and trees, for 1/4 mile either side of the tracks, unlike GARL, which Thomsons intimated when the route was released that it was created for cab driving preferentially, so, ground textures were kept to a very bare minimum, to me personally, I found that unfortunate, however, I'm delighted with the way they've designed and textured the E - G, it's beautiful, so, it depends on how much texturing you're considering doing and how far back from the tracks are you going to do it.

I've ended up not voting at the moment, as I like both long routes and short routes, to me it depends on how much gross area scenery and texturing is completed, and how interesting the route is, we're all different simmers Vern, as you so rightly know, what one person thinks is a nice route, the next person may not find it suitable to their tastes, and only feedback after releasing a route will you know what gets the most votes. And not to upset everyone of course, it also depends on how resource hungry the routes will be, if 1/2 the community may not be able to play on anything after it's been built as their low/middle - end laptops can't take the strain.

Cheerz. Transport Steve.

[FoggyMorning]

Oxford to Birmingham seems like a bit of a weird one. Not sure what that would add really

Why? Gives a bit more running for cross country services.

Gets us into brum as well which would be a very useful area for others.

Well, nothing runs from Oxford to Snow Hill these days as far as I know and the only through trains to New St. are Voyagers. There would be no logical termination point for freight services at the Brum end as I don't think these are routed through New St. Plus I can see it being extremely frustrating to have a 15 odd mile teaser of the electrified route at the end of the route

Steve

[msey0002]

I personally have 2 reservations on your OP, I am a freight man more than a passenger fan, so, to capture my interest you would need to make any route as interesting as possible for us end-users to play with, which will be a test with a route from say Inverness - Wick/Thurso for example, as there are no freight yards north of Inverness and you'd need to create something artificial at nearly every station to keep folks interested operationally speaking, I know that after a week, or, so, I would be bored running just pax trains up and down that particular line.

Don't forget the pipe train to/from Georgemas Junction . There also used to be container trains to/from both Wick and Thurso until a few years ago!

[Kromaatikse]

Let me refine my opinion a little bit. I'm in favour of good trackwork and scenario flexibility, with simplified but still representative scenery. I'm particularly in favour of networks of track rather than simple mainlines, since then you can get say 4x the interest for only 2x the building cost. This is particularly true for freight traffic, since a typical freight customer is down some vestigial branch line.

Also, nobody says you have to cover the entire length of the line in a single scenario - even real drivers get exchanged after a couple of hours anyway, to keep them fresh and alert. If the line is 5 hours long, then there are many possible starting and stopping points, without ending up with a scenario that is too short. Currently if you run the Newcastle-York route, you can only realistically start a passenger scenario from Newcastle, York, or Darlington - and if the latter, you can only cover half the line's length before you have to either stop or turn around.

With that said, short and intimate routes have their own place - but they have to be correspondingly higher-detailed to hold the player's interest.

[msey0002]

Let me refine my opinion a little bit. I'm in favour of good trackwork and scenario flexibility, with simplified but still representative scenery. I'm particularly in favour of networks of track rather than simple mainlines, since then you can get say 4x the interest for only 2x the building cost. This is particularly true for freight traffic, since a typical freight customer is down some vestigial branch line.

Also, nobody says you have to cover the entire length of the line in a single scenario - even real drivers get exchanged after a couple of hours anyway, to keep them fresh and alert. If the line is 5 hours long, then there are many possible starting and stopping points, without ending up with a scenario that is too short. Currently if you run the Newcastle-York route, you can only realistically start a passenger scenario from Newcastle, York, or Darlington - and if the latter, you can only cover half the line's length before you have to either stop or turn around.

With that said, short and intimate routes have their own place - but they have to be correspondingly higher-detailed to hold the player's interest.

Agreed. Also, routes can be done in parts, if not one long route. By 2012, we would be able to travel from Peterborough to Dundee non stop, except for loading up the routes. Even Passenger trains stop for a few minutes at major stations, in this case York, Newcastle and Edinburgh

[malkymackay]

By 2012, we would be able to travel from Peterborough to Dundee non stop, except for loading up the routes. Even Passenger trains stop for a few minutes at major stations, in this case York, Newcastle and Edinburgh

While that indeed is a prospect to look forward to, the routes involved in such a journey will not be set in the same time period, which will place some limitations on multi-route scenarios. Not that it will be too much of an issue for me creating 70's & 80's journeys

[jands1]

Depends what you mean by minimal. I suuport the view that cabview is most important - so for example in open country you need to see a good panoramic view - in built up areas a hundred yards and some discrete placing of buildings trees etc works fine for me, and helps to keep frame rate up.
Does look strange from the air though.......................
So a long route with good lineside views but minimal distance works OK for me

[paulz6]

I think minimal has a whole new meaning for those who can crank up the graphics settings, especially the view distance.
Those who only model a few meters from the track will find their routes lack immersion more than they did before.
I'm warming up to semi-fictional routes though, such as re-opening long gone lines. No need to custom signal script, no need to create custom models. Just lay the track to fit the assets. If any body is going to argue, there is a railway here, not an housing estate! And use a bit of imagination so the route does not suffer the bleak view of scenarios.
The house built in a dug out is a station masters house. Some might call it an Hobbit Hole.