Atomic Systems

I have tried to find a answer to this. When setting up AI trains in a timetabled scenario I find some will not start on time and have 'funny' destination times. For example I have an AI train due to start at say 16.20 with a destination say 15 minutes away I would expect the arrival time to be 16.35 but find a strange time of say 18.58+1. I get no set up warning. When I get to this train on my driving train after 16.20 the AI has not moved. At first I thought this was due to other AI trains set up in front but however I change the start times this issue remains. I am sure there is a simple solution but cannot figure it out.

bickley wrote:At first I thought this was due to other AI trains set up in front

That would be the most logical cause, but services coming from behind might play a part if they're of a higher service class than the one that won't move. Paths are calculated when a scenario loads, partly based on the priority of the trains running so you're static one may be held because of these.

Thanks gptech. I had not thought about trains behind which is a good point. I have perhaps ascribed more AI than the Sim provides. I had always assumed that if you set up a faster AI train behind another with say a few miles gap but with the same start time the rear train would simply be held by signals behind the slower train in front as would happen normally. In practice though it looks as if setting up like this causes the sim to go wrong.

bickley wrote:For example I have an AI train due to start at say 16.20 with a destination say 15 minutes away I would expect the arrival time to be 16.35 but find a strange time of say 18.58+1.

That 1858+1 time indicates something far amiss. Check that your service start time is equal to or later than the scenario start time.
The game is quite capable of handling fairly complex real world traffic patterns, but it depends on the route and how the signalling is set up. I've managed to recreate a late 80's run on the London to Brighton route with 50+ AI services following the real Working Timetables. I had to put a bit of effort in, but it was worth it. Have a peek at http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =266208702 If you want to get an idea what the game can do.

bickley wrote:but however I change the start times this issue remains

Once you get things more or less working, it may be worthwhile using the % value for stops in the scenario editor's 'Timetabled view' to fine tune how fast services proceed; you can get some very fine timings using this, as an example you can start an AI service early enough to 'get the road' but slow it down so that a following service (usually the player) catches up. Handy to replicate a 'chasing yellows' situation.
The hardest bit is figuring out how the game's dispatcher wants to work, and yourself working within that framework to get the right results----have you noticed how many scenario writers are either grey or bald?

Thanks both of you for your thoughts which are helpful. I will definitely have a look at the video. gptech I am not quite bald yet but clearly it is only a matter of a short time as I work on these!!!

The strange timings for AI can occur if you change the start time in RW_Tools. Failure to click the box for "all consists" when you are attempting to start later means that other trains are then scheduled to start BEFORE the scenario start time - hence the nn.nn +1 (changing the binary time back to decimal)