9F/Evening Star Review

[stephenholmes]

Hello everyone
The 9Fs without doubt are a credit to Paul
One of my favourite features are the headlamps appearing or disappering when not required
Kind regards Stephen

[Sly401]

Hiya

Yeah the windows was one...

The other is a little obtuse so I will mention it.

One of the problems with particle effect is that when the particle is released it has no forward motion, this makes it very difficult to maintain a stream when travelling at speed.
As every particle is separated depending on speed.
Sure you have all seen the string of beads effect.
The main exhaust is not too bad as generally you have plenty of particles and the chuffs disguise the string of beads.

Smaller emissions such as the safety valves are much more problematical.

On the 9F up to 12 mile an hour the SV particles do have a forward speed and therefore maintain their shape till then.
This was done manually by putting in a series of emitters each operating at a different speed.

It was done to prove a concept that, there is a parameter for initial velocity in the emitter blueprint and if it were activated or a control parameter made available , much more realistic smoke and steam effects could be achieved..

The guys at RS have seen the results and I have high hopes that the necessary controls will be available to devs soon..

While playing with this via Lua I could achieve some really nice FX, but the manual stepped method was far too cumbersome to put all the 9F's FX in.

Its brightning uP !

Sly

[ogwilliam]

Sly, was the other "unmentioned" item the footplate rocking at speed? (as my daughter would say ("it goes shaky shaky!"). I'm sure I haven't seen that before. I've travelled in the first coach of a 9F double-headed train on the Watercress Line and can vouch for it's authenticity!

Without wanting to sound too gushing, this is without doubt the best add-on I've purchased for Railworks. Truly excellent, and your attention to detail is outstanding.

I wonder if Railworks will go the way of my other time-thief passion, FSX, and improve slowly over time like a good red burgundy....

Oh and I nearly forgot, you have pushed forward the boundaries of activity design too. Summer Saturday is very imaginative - for the first time I actually felt like I was on a real railway. More power to your elbow sir.

[Acorncomputer]

Hi Sly

Smoke and steam effects have improved dramatically since Rail Simulator. Remember that there was not even a whistle effect initially.

Your experiments and those of RS.com and others are really showing us what this simulator can do. Even now we seem to have only scratched the surface and I think that even the RS.com team do not really know exactly what can be achieved. Indications are that the sky is the limit (perhaps not as you can fully program the weather as well )

Thanks Sly for the detail that you have put in this model, which can take some of us a long time to fully appreciate.

[RobertM]

I have noticed if you start to wheel spin you see sparks coming out the funnel

[kirkheath]

I have noticed if you start to wheel spin you see sparks coming out the funnel

I noticed this too and a nice addition I might add, not look properly to see if this happens when full regulator is open too

[Acorncomputer]

I have noticed if you start to wheel spin you see sparks coming out the funnel

I noticed this too and a nice addition I might add, not look properly to see if this happens when full regulator is open too

I must try this at night.

[antonyperks]

If you listen carefully you can hear some muffled shouts. Perhaps Sly has kidnapped Derek, hidden him in the tender and we have to find out how to get him out

Nah you have to have manual fireman on and dig him out of the coal...................after all he's usually up to his neck in it!

[black8]

.... Summer Saturday is very imaginative - for the first time I actually felt like I was on a real railway. More power to your elbow sir.

I had the same feeling with this scenario. You can press 8, free camera view, and actually 'fly' to see ES sit at the shed exit signal, waiting for it to clear, and 'stand next to it'. In the meantime you can see the express it will take over from the black 5 coming in from the Templecombe line in the distance; then you see the signal clear and ES move out and back in to the station. You almost forget to hop back to the 9F in the headshunt ...So, yes some real railway feelings here.

Happy driving folks
Jos

[kirkheath]

Mentioning the particles again. Not sure if it is me but i seem to notice that the whistle particles actually appear in sync with the whistle sounds. I.e. The whistle sound clip has a small pause and then a finally "toot" so to speak. And even though I am still holding the spacebar throughout the whole sound clip, when theres a gap in the sound file, the whistle particales won't show until the whistle has kicked in again.

Again this is a great add on love all the little things and the huge details hehe it's great and deffinatly get that powerful feeling that you get when these beasts or at full cry

[maddog989]

had my first try on summer saturday, love the busy-ness at the beginning, but for some reason there was a black five stopped still outside a station! i guess i was running early!