What makes a good scenario?

[Acorncomputer]

Hi all

I get very little time to run scenarios as I prefer to spend my spare time in improving my skills in route building and scenery creation. I am now aware, however, that some of the limitations of the dispatcher can be overcome with careful route planning and some forethought as to how scenarios could be written for your route. The Route Building Challenge taught me many things, one of which is that there needs to be a lot of clear paths for AI traffic to travel on away from the player train path and routes need to be designed with this in mind.

I have written a few scenarios and I actually quite like the process of building up instructions on the locos and it is clear that the more you do this the easier it gets. The main problems are hit when the dispatcher will not let you do something that you want to do and there is no apparent reason why not. It is possible that the problem has nothing at all to do with the dispatcher but it is often not obvious.

Working on the basis that we need to work more with the dispatcher, the first thing to do is build dispatcher friendly routes. Not really a problem if considered from the outset.

The next bit really needs comment from people who like to play scenarios. What makes a good scenario? What activities are you looking to do? Do you like seeing how well you have done?

Is the Free Roam Scenario with a set of external instructions as enjoyable as a 'normal' scenario. With a scripted free roam scenario there is almost limitless scope for instructions, including jumping from loco to loco and location to location. Is this as good as a traditional scenario or is it essential to have the instructions coming up on the screen?

Some comments from passionate scenario players would help to disclose the secrets of writing good scenarios.

[g0fthick]

Personally I like scenarios that keep the player's attention throughout.

There's a shunting scenario I recall testing some time back in which you take a Class 08 shunter and assemble a rake of Mk3 Coaches for a HST consist. This requires the player to continually start and stop, altering paths on the way to access the various coaches, in the right order too!

This took something like half an hour to finish and kept me occupied throughout. Now personally I find this level of involvement much more interesting than that same half an hour being spent driving from point A to point B. But what makes a good scenario for each of us will be something completely different, no doubt all relevant to our specific interests.

Not that I fancy spending my days shunting coaching stock around depots..

[dean1986]

I think the scenario needs to be realistic. Take the activity which came with the class 60. You are running on the fast line in to London Paddington during rush hour with a loco thats capable of 60mph. Thats not realistic. It should have been on the slow line with HST's and 165 passing you on the fast or being put in to loops to let other trains past.

Dean

[ckmemphis]

It is a bit difficult to actually say what type of scenario is the best. From time to time a good passenger service is a voyager is quite good, but i feel there isn't really a route for it, or the routes that are available are too short. I personally love a good shunting scenario, but not really the type of yard shunter. What i truly love, is a long shunting scenario, based on real life operations, basically like the Long Hopper on the default Newcastle to York(the old one). I'm working on my own one, using the Modern version of the route, but it's a little tricky, as I do not live in the UK, so I have no idea what the real life operations are on these types of trains. So if somebody can create the ideal route for a Voyager trainset, or any other UK trainset, with scenario's based on real life operations, as the last user commented, I think it will be more appealing to a wider range of RailWorkers. If the game is focused on being realist, the trains both default and payware being so so closely matched to their real life counterparts, then the scenario's should follow the same process.

Regards,
Craig K

[dean1986]

Craig wales and borders will be out soon thats a very good route with loads of gradients and lovely scenery.

Dean

[ckmemphis]

Great stuff, that sounds extremely exciting. Tell me one thing, can you point me in the direction of the thread about this route, or maybe you could tell me: from where will it be available? is it payware or freeware(i prefer payware, don't ask me why). will it be using any other routes assets and so on...

Regards,
Craig K

[Acorncomputer]

Great stuff, that sounds extremely exciting. Tell me one thing, can you point me in the direction of the thread about this route, or maybe you could tell me: from where will it be available? is it payware or freeware(i prefer payware, don't ask me why). will it be using any other routes assets and so on...

Regards,
Craig K

http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic. ... 02&t=97378

Great stuff indeed.

[kirkheath]

For me mainly, My interest seems to be modern steam day charters and modern freight wrokings that put u at a lower priority than passenger services, Which would mean more signal checks and the player having to be looped and inserting wait instructions acting as water stops, as this gives you chance to watch the signals and incorporate the development of AWS in steam locos so there is a creation of awareness and watch where your going but also enjoy the beauty of steam. Similarly with freight, having to be stopped to give way. Also I think a Really interesting scenario would be again a steam charter but part of the scenario traveling in light engine to either pickl up the stock or to turn the loco ready for the return trip and then be able to drive back to the destination in one scenario rather in parts. But of course these all require good AI interaction. I think it would also be good if you could get an AI shunter i.e. a class 08 to assemble a rake of ragons and then a player service say a class 37, to take the rake ready to the destination then.

[Darpor]

Personally, I like a scenario to take longer than it should, I think this is generally reflected in the scenarios that I do when low priority trains are held for periods of time. On the other hand, there will be people who don't like to wait and just like to blast from "a to b" so for someone like me thinking about my next scenario, it is hard to know exactly what people want.

I have several ideas in my head for future scenarios but the next one I was possibly planning is to take a Class 40 light engine from Tyne Yard to Newcastle Central to pick up a rake of coaches that have been brought in from Heaton ready for the return leg of a railtour, I suppose slightly similar to what kirkheath has mentioned above. The question when doing these types of scenarios is always the same, do people want to do the light engine bit or would they rather just start with the full consist from Newcastle?

[dean1986]

I woud love to drive from the depot/stabling point to pick up the stock and then work the stock to its destination and then drive the loco light back to the depot.

dean

[paulz6]

A good scenario is different for differing tastes.
A good scenario will interest both the creator and consumer.
A good scenario is difficult to define.
There are not enough scenarios, but that is fine. It is called business.
A good scenario is just that.
A good scenario is one that nobody else can reproduce.
A good scenario is a productive use of one's time.
A good scenario is wealth creation.
A good scenario isn't wealth redistribution.
A good scenario is just that.

I cannot help those who consider scenarios any different. They either like them or they don't. I like a blast with the odd signal check!
A good scenario has been very well defined. Please help me shunt!

[Acorncomputer]

kirkheath wrote

Also I think a Really interesting scenario would be again a steam charter but part of the scenario traveling in light engine to either pickl up the stock or to turn the loco ready for the return trip and then be able to drive back to the destination in one scenario rather in parts. But of course these all require good AI interaction. I think it would also be good if you could get an AI shunter i.e. a class 08 to assemble a rake of ragons and then a player service say a class 37, to take the rake ready to the destination then.

You can do just about all of this in a free roam scenario, particularly using an 08 shunter to assemble a rake of wagons and then by jumping to a class 37 you can continue the scenario in a different loco.

[paulz6]

kirkheath wrote

Also I think a Really interesting scenario would be again a steam charter but part of the scenario traveling in light engine to either pickl up the stock or to turn the loco ready for the return trip and then be able to drive back to the destination in one scenario rather in parts. But of course these all require good AI interaction. I think it would also be good if you could get an AI shunter i.e. a class 08 to assemble a rake of ragons and then a player service say a class 37, to take the rake ready to the destination then.

You can do just about all of this in a free roam scenario, particularly using an 08 shunter to assemble a rake of wagons and then by jumping to a class 37 you can continue the scenario in a different loco.

Let's see how the new world order rules. There is interest in something random. How do you define a b1scu!t? A decent embroiled scenario will be captivating.

[TractorBasher]

Personally I like scenarios that keep the player's attention throughout.

There's a shunting scenario I recall testing some time back in which you take a Class 08 shunter and assemble a rake of Mk3 Coaches for a HST consist. This requires the player to continually start and stop, altering paths on the way to access the various coaches, in the right order too!

This took something like half an hour to finish and kept me occupied throughout. Now personally I find this level of involvement much more interesting than that same half an hour being spent driving from point A to point B. But what makes a good scenario for each of us will be something completely different, no doubt all relevant to our specific interests.

Not that I fancy spending my days shunting coaching stock around depots..

Might I point you to my recently released Didcot Shuffle scenario. An hour of shutning with an 08. No coaches involved!

http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic. ... 6&t=100819

[msey0002]

Personally I like scenarios that keep the player's attention throughout.

There's a shunting scenario I recall testing some time back in which you take a Class 08 shunter and assemble a rake of Mk3 Coaches for a HST consist. This requires the player to continually start and stop, altering paths on the way to access the various coaches, in the right order too!

This took something like half an hour to finish and kept me occupied throughout. Now personally I find this level of involvement much more interesting than that same half an hour being spent driving from point A to point B. But what makes a good scenario for each of us will be something completely different, no doubt all relevant to our specific interests.

Not that I fancy spending my days shunting coaching stock around depots..

Might I point you to my recently released Didcot Shuffle scenario. An hour of shutning with an 08. No coaches involved!

http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic. ... 6&t=100819

Didcot Shuffle is a truly terrific scenario, i recommend it to anyone .

However do not save and load!!!

very good scenario still