DTG Gatwick Express Class 73

[749006]

Meanwhile, after speaking to Gary, the sound mods I've been working on will be released along with his fixes.

Hoping for two versions, one which adds the Armstrong Powerhouse Class 20, Mk2, and Mk1 run sounds to the set, and another for those without the AP sound packs.
There are various other sound tweaks I've made; sound balancing, and I've fudged the DC motor sounds so they (hopefully) sound a little more realistic.

Could something be done with the AWS horn which is difficult to hear - I might copy the sound from a.n.other loco - and the Hair Dryer blocking out the motor sounds which are not too bad.
In the \Class73Pack01\Audio\RailVehicles\Electro-Diesel\Class73\Exterior\Sounds\TractionBlowers folder
I have renamed the DTGClass73TractionBlower01.dav to DTGClass73TractionBlower01.dav.old to see if that would remove the sound but no luck.

Peter

[gptech]

Peter, if you've renamed a file that you've extracted from the .ap, the game will then revert back to using the one inside the .ap archive. Only extracted files of exactly the same name, in exactly the same directory structure override those in the archive.

I know we all have different perceptions of sounds, but to me the AWS is fine with all the modifications applied, so could you just hold on till the revision pack is released and then see what you'd like amending?--nothing to prevent a revision to the revision being produced
even as an optional tweak for those who'd prefer it.

[chrisonline]

Does anyone know how to alter the loco physics so the utterly ridiculous & unrealistic emergency brake app on hitting Weak Field can be removed? It truly needs removing from the game. Ya know Id love to meet the person that come up with that daft idea.

I agree that by all reports (apparently), applying the emergency brakes for overloading the current is not a feature of the real thing. But . . . I'm not sure whether you are aware, but the emergency brakes are only applied if you move to Weak Field BEFORE the system has worked through opening most of the resistors, indicated visually by the large R in the display changing to a black square. So while you see an R, stay out of Weak Field (full explanation on page 8 of the Manual). Once the R turns to a black square, you can safely move to Weak Field.

I do agree however that especially in Parallel mode, it is far too easy to accidentally jump into Weak Field, which is the next notch on the handle, or on the HUD. For that reason I have been sticking to Serial mode before moving into Weak Field, though I suppose that makes keeping time much more difficult where quick acceleration is required

In terms of how to change the behavior of the emergency braking, it seems that is part of the scripting. So someone would need to be able to unencrypt and alter the .OUT file, which seems to be limited to a very few people "in the know" at the moment since DTG stopped using LUA (unencrypted) files

Thinking aloud, I wonder if it would be possible to rework the InputMapper and/or bin files so that to move into Weak Field would require using an additional key (e.g. holding SHIFT), without which it would not move beyond Serial or Parallel? Maybe not, but just a thought? After all, there are some steam locos that won't allow you to move the Reverser with holding the E key. Or maybe that is also all scripted?

So Gary . . did you realize you were doing a complete rebuild?? LOL!

Chris

[DaveDewhurst]

In terms of how to change the behavior of the emergency braking, it seems that is part of the scripting. So someone would need to be able to unencrypt and alter the .OUT file, which seems to be limited to a very few people "in the know" at the moment since DTG stopped using LUA (unencrypted) files

If you go onto the old steam forums, there is a thread about the Maglev, in that thread Adam Lucas is wishing that modders and devs would work more closely together, so perhaps he would send you the lua versions of the scripts.

Dave

[chrisonline]

In terms of how to change the behavior of the emergency braking, it seems that is part of the scripting. So someone would need to be able to unencrypt and alter the .OUT file, which seems to be limited to a very few people "in the know" at the moment since DTG stopped using LUA (unencrypted) files

If you go onto the old steam forums, there is a thread about the Maglev, in that thread Adam Lucas is wishing that modders and devs would work more closely together, so perhaps he would send you the lua versions of the scripts.

Dave

That would be excellent, but I thought I read somewhere here (a few months ago) that the OUT files were considered "system files" and had no permission to be hacked or otherwise edited, which is why encryption was invoked in the first place? Perhaps that was speculation though.

[73cheavyhaul]

Does anyone know how to alter the loco physics so the utterly ridiculous & unrealistic emergency brake app on hitting Weak Field can be removed? It truly needs removing from the game. Ya know Id love to meet the person that come up with that daft idea.

I agree that by all reports (apparently), applying the emergency brakes for overloading the current is not a feature of the real thing. But . . . I'm not sure whether you are aware, but the emergency brakes are only applied if you move to Weak Field BEFORE the system has worked through opening most of the resistors, indicated visually by the large R in the display changing to a black square. So while you see an R, stay out of Weak Field (full explanation on page 8 of the Manual). Once the R turns to a black square, you can safely move to Weak Field.

I do agree however that especially in Parallel mode, it is far too easy to accidentally jump into Weak Field, which is the next notch on the handle, or on the HUD. For that reason I have been sticking to Serial mode before moving into Weak Field, though I suppose that makes keeping time much more difficult where quick acceleration is required

In terms of how to change the behavior of the emergency braking, it seems that is part of the scripting. So someone would need to be able to unencrypt and alter the .OUT file, which seems to be limited to a very few people "in the know" at the moment since DTG stopped using LUA (unencrypted) files

Thinking aloud, I wonder if it would be possible to rework the InputMapper and/or bin files so that to move into Weak Field would require using an additional key (e.g. holding SHIFT), without which it would not move beyond Serial or Parallel? Maybe not, but just a thought? After all, there are some steam locos that won't allow you to move the Reverser with holding the E key. Or maybe that is also all scripted?

So Gary . . did you realize you were doing a complete rebuild?? LOL!

Chris

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the explanation in english......... Since typing my comment hours ago (sat awaiting moderation) Ive been practicing LoL For me its like going back to school, bit hard for me to ditch real world training and this WF lark has been doing my head in....... If this had happened in real life, I can imagine quite a few serious incidents taking place because of it....... I know one thing, dropping the handle on 900 tonnes of JHA wagons (Cliffe - Purley 6Y94 was regular 2xED turn) would not have been funny at all - JHA wagons are pig on the best of days, let alone with this lark going on.

I certainly agree perhaps an extra key stroke for going into WF would be a way forwards, because as we know with the slightest slip youre stuffed and bang, it drops the handle on you and you grind to halt........ I can just imagine 101 on the front of the VSOE (when it didnt blow up on us) and the handle dropping, stopping in heap and seeing the whinging punters with soup in the laps (Happened once at Clapham,got the wrong road and oooopsy stopped a bit a sharpish - sense of humour failures all round!! Well at the time I thought it was funny I must admit - but you get the idea )

As for sounds - this is probably the best lecky sounding vid Ive managed to find on youtube..........

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Im on the east coast of The Colonies, so Im 5hrs behind you guys....... tkae care & keep up the great work Gents.

Bex

[gptech]

So Gary . . did you realize you were doing a complete rebuild?? LOL!

Yes Chris, the intention all along was to turn it into a class 74....

It's more or less certain that the 'emergency braking in weak field' is controlled by scripting, and whilst .lua files are more readable than .out very few of us could actually understand or rework them, nor more importantly, foresee any negative impact a seemingly *beneficial* change could have. There are little snippets of .lua knocking about that we can utilise in conjunction with .out scripts (hide named nodes of a .Geo for example) but I suspect changing the braking/control system would be slightly more complicated.

[dp123]

In reply to the Hair Dryer sound (motor blowers), while it is wrongly intermittent and a bad sound sample, it is prototypical when the electric controller is away from the off position. It does tend to get drowned out at higher speeds though. In the prototype, it only drops in and out when you run into a con rail gap or shut the power off.

[749006]

In reply to the Hair Dryer sound (motor blowers), while it is wrongly intermittent and a bad sound sample, it is prototypical when the electric controller is away from the off position. It does tend to get drowned out at higher speeds though. In the prototype, it only drops in and out when you run into a con rail gap or shut the power off.

But the in cab volume of the motor blowers should be less than the outside.

[chrisonline]

Im on the east coast of The Colonies, so Im 5hrs behind you guys.......
Bex

Me too! Good to hear from another real life driver, you can give invaluable input (and to think that I tried to explain the run up for the resistors!)

[stevegreen]

In reply to the Hair Dryer sound (motor blowers), while it is wrongly intermittent and a bad sound sample, it is prototypical when the electric controller is away from the off position. It does tend to get drowned out at higher speeds though. In the prototype, it only drops in and out when you run into a con rail gap or shut the power off.

But the in cab volume of the motor blowers should be less than the outside.

I have split the blowers so there are separate inside and outside sounds. However they sound pretty loud in the cab ride video posted by Bex, earlier. Enough to drown out the sound of the motors for most of the time.

Bex, can you comment on the volume DTG have set, should it be reduced or is about right?



Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

[73cheavyhaul]

Good news guys, one of my old mates back home is going to scan their ED manuals for me, so I will soon have proper documentation on the Old Girls

Motor blowers, yes, the sound is perfect outside, but as discussed somewhat delayed, should be the moment the controller is opened and as mentioned by DP123, only dies off going over a gap (not every gap, just the big ones) or shutting off, but definitely needs to be louder inside somehow...... IMHO the motor whine on an ED should also be quite loud too....... just wish I had the techy stuff available today when I was on the job, would have been ideal!!!

Chris - am in Leicester, MA, just outside Worcester.

Bex

[dp123]

In reply to the Hair Dryer sound (motor blowers), while it is wrongly intermittent and a bad sound sample, it is prototypical when the electric controller is away from the off position. It does tend to get drowned out at higher speeds though. In the prototype, it only drops in and out when you run into a con rail gap or shut the power off.

But the in cab volume of the motor blowers should be less than the outside.

Not in my experience, they're really quite pronounced in the cab when on the juice. Outside they're shielded somewhat by the body work and equipment inside, they're right behind the cab bulkheads.

[749006]

In reply to the Hair Dryer sound (motor blowers), while it is wrongly intermittent and a bad sound sample, it is prototypical when the electric controller is away from the off position. It does tend to get drowned out at higher speeds though. In the prototype, it only drops in and out when you run into a con rail gap or shut the power off.

But the in cab volume of the motor blowers should be less than the outside.

I have split the blowers so there are separate inside and outside sounds. However they sound pretty loud in the cab ride video posted by Bex, earlier. Enough to drown out the sound of the motors for most of the time.

Bex, can you comment on the volume DTG have set, should it be reduced or is about right?

I wonder if the cab windows might be open which would increase the motor blower volume - the traction motors are noticeable at 1m55sec.

[gptech]

Does anyone know the details of the 73/9 TOPS plate?....RA, ETH Index etc