JT Met Line

[august1929]

The Ness Bridge in Kyle comes to mind. In reality it's a red plate girder steel bridge, but it was modelled as a sectional concrete bridge, yet one of the linear objects included in their asset library is a red plate girder bridge!

Not such a simple job - The red plate girder bridge is a single side loft item, purely a steel plate, with no track bed and handrail. There is a steel section bridge (not modern or red), with a handrail and trackbed which could be placed in multiple sections on top of the x2 loft sections.

The problem is that any curve in the loft to match the slight curve in the track makes the "handrail" bridge poke out of the side and the handrail definitely would not curve with the loft.

Spent a "happy" hour and a half lining up a straight loft x2 then inserting and resizing 8 sections of the handrail bridge. The net result wasn't too bad, especially from as slight distance, and with resized bridge supports - but I reckon it would have taken me about another hour of so of fiddling to get it anywhere near presentable, and then I would have had to revisit the raised sections each side of the new bridge as well...

Do you know what, the number of TS users in this country or world wide to whom this would make any real difference could probably be counted in the tens - can completely understand why JT or any other producer would take the easy option.

JT has to look at return for investment - this inevitably will mean that certain things end up slightly generic. Re criticism of lack of clutter etc. the producer also has to consider playability across a wide range of computer specs. What is essential for one end user (clutter, fully detailed scenery, accurate large poly models etc.) could make a route completely unusable to many.

JT always provide copious screenshots of their routes - the screenshots cannot cover every linear mile, but they are certainly sufficient to give a really good impression of what you would be buying.

What I have seen of the Metropolitan route might look a bit clean - but at least it will have been modelled and made available. Grub and clutter can be applied by the end user and is a particularly good way of getting to learn how to use the editor!

I like their "cartoon" franchise

Rod

[IronBidder]

The Ness Bridge in Kyle comes to mind. In reality it's a red plate girder steel bridge, but it was modelled as a sectional concrete bridge, yet one of the linear objects included in their asset library is a red plate girder bridge!

Not such a simple job - The red plate girder bridge is a single side loft item, purely a steel plate, with no track bed and handrail. There is a steel section bridge (not modern or red), with a handrail and trackbed which could be placed in multiple sections on top of the x2 loft sections.

The problem is that any curve in the loft to match the slight curve in the track makes the "handrail" bridge poke out of the side and the handrail definitely would not curve with the loft.

The trick is to do it all as lofts: red girders, decking and handrails. Then it's relatively simple and in my view quicker than using multiple placed assets. While you're at it you can replace the oversized and incorrectly sized and placed masonry piers with concrete ones, that although aren't correct in shape are more like the real thing. I accept that relatively few users will know what the real bridge looks like, but it takes no longer to make it close to prototype than it does any other way.

I think clutter and junk are an important part of the immersion factor and can easily be switched on or off using the scenery density setting, so processor power is no reason to leave them out.

Incidentally, one thing I like about Kyle is that the regimented lines of trees seen in other routes are largely absent.

I'll reserve judgement on the Metropolitan line until it's released, JT's Cornish mainline is a significant imporovement over previous, so that's encouraging and if it links with Chiltern Mainline then that would be a definate plus.

[august1929]

The trick is to do it all as lofts: red girders, decking and handrails.

I agree completely, but I couldn't find handrails nor appropriate deck within the Common/KL assets. Can you point me to the handrails and deck (from the photos of the bridge looks like U cross-section reinforced concrete with handrails above).

Rod

[gptech]

I'm wondering what the first *complaint* about the tunnel sections of the Met will be......."the wrong shade of dark has been used...." perhaps?

[smarty2]

Seems like Deano55 is another example of a hit and run troll.

[gptech]

The trick is to do it all as lofts: red girders, decking and handrails. Then it's relatively simple and in my view quicker than using multiple placed assets.

That's far removed from your original claim that there was already a suitable asset in the JT library, and that the reason it wasn't used instead was because of poor decision making, isn't it?
What makes you so sure the bridge you're seeing was actually available at the time of the Kyle Line being released?...I don't have a red girder bridge matching your description so it may be a more recent addition, completely independent of Kyle.

Anyway, as interesting as this discussion/argument/investigation has been, still is, and will continue to be, might I suggest that a new thread be opened relating to the search for a resolution to the bridge issue?. That would leave this thread to focus on what it was opened for--discussion, argument and investigation into the forthcoming Metropolitan line from JT.