Which routes would you like to see produced?

[Basherz]

Kuju or whoever built the RS version. would have been better advised taking the route on westward.

I cant help feeling that Kuju took optimum advantage including the Didcot-Oxford stretch, so that two expansions could be achieved relatively easily - 1/. Onward to Swindon, at least,(more options there as well) and 2/. Oxford-Birmingham (only another 35odd miles).

I expect every one of us could say "if only", but we have what we have.

[bigvern]

Paddington to Oxford was probably chosen as it fitted a logical service group, whereas if you go to Swindon the majority of services continue to Avon or South Wales. In operational and scenic terms, Didcot to Swindon is pretty much a desert best traversed while engrossed in a book or sudoku puzzle.

I suspect time considerations also came into the choice - going on to Swindon would have increased the build time and while a professional working full time in the (then) Kuju studio will be able to make quicker progress than homebrewers working in spare time they probably didn't want to bite off more than they could chew.

Any sensible route builder is always going to temper their ambitions with reality and have both a sensible cutoff point where enough is enough and a fallback position if it all gets too much.

Also at the moment with regard to the WCML there appear to be several different people building seperate portions with Leafy Suburbs (Harrow etc.), Trent Valley and I believe someone working on north of the Border. Unfortunately there is no facility in Railworks to join or merge independently started routes into a single coherent whole which would make the whole concept of big routes much easier. In the longer term and ongoing development of RW I believe this is something RS.com need to get their coders looking at along with means to facilitate quicker route building. Maybe even take a look at some kind of World of Rails type of system similar to what MSTS2 was going to have.

The other question, going forward on the question of big routes, is what kind of trade off would end users be prepared to accept in order to get (say) the 400 miles from Euston to Glasgow? It probably wouldn't take that long to lay all the track through DEM'ed terrain relative to scenery placement, but would a few free standing bridges, one terrain texture, no lineside fencing along with generic stations, the odd house, church, factory and scattered tree do the trick?

[GWR03]

Hi tp add more Basingstoke has a good set up also the london waterloo staition that would be the best route with that station in please please lol Also how about the UnderGround system that would be awsome.







pete

[pspvoyager220]

I know it's the same old song from me again, but anything Southern would do me, preferably the Waterloo-Weymouth/Bournemouth stretch.

[Darpor]

That last point is interesting Vern. Many, many questions from wannabe route builders come regarding track placement and it seems many fall at that hurdle anyway. Rather than having to do this, if someone was genuinely interested in doing a route but didnt feel capable of doing track, maybe one of the more "senior" routebuilders could create the template, get the DEM up and the track down in order for the person to fill in the scenery. Yes, scenery can be tedious but if it gets more routes started and more people involved then it might just be something to look at.

[bigvern]

That last point is interesting Vern. Many, many questions from wannabe route builders come regarding track placement and it seems many fall at that hurdle anyway. Rather than having to do this, if someone was genuinely interested in doing a route but didnt feel capable of doing track, maybe one of the more "senior" routebuilders could create the template, get the DEM up and the track down in order for the person to fill in the scenery. Yes, scenery can be tedious but if it gets more routes started and more people involved then it might just be something to look at.

This has cropped up before and is a good idea but the big issue is still one of workload, in that for a fully detailed route every hour of infrastructure placement probably equates to about 10 for scenery etc. The big danger of this system is that you could still end up with an unfinished/cast aside route at the end of the day.

I occasionally load up the old TD3 Euston to Glasgow for a spin as even though it is minimalistic and simple graphics compared to contemporary sims, I find the suspension of disbelief still utterly convincing. Still the only sim that allows you to drive the complete Euston to Glasgow! I guess the best test would actually be to do a RW route on this basis and see what the reception/download count makes of it.

[Darpor]

I am fully aware of the time it takes although I am starting to develop new methods of building which are speeding up the process for me as well as breaking the tedious nature that route building sometimes brings. If such a plan is to work, possibly start small as a test? If there is a working, driveable route with the correct gradients and surrounding topography, what is to say that any member wont have a go at trying to fill it in. It is certainly something to look at, especially for those who lack the patience to actually lay the track because they find certain elements difficult.

[msey0002]

It is something I certainly would look into, Darren. The only thing stopping me from route building is that as much as I try, and as much as possible I never give up, I find it extremely hard to make hills and lay tracks. I can make a straight and a curve, and a platform by it's side, anyone can do that. But when it comes to complex track work and gradients, then i am completely lost.

[Trainzer1400]

One of the few good points of RW is the fact that RS.com allows extension, modification and release ( freeware ) of the default routes.

If someone laid the track as an extension to the Paddington route, i for one would certainly try to "fill it in".

But first we have to get passed all the "this is my such and such and no-one is allowed to alter it" mentality.

regards,
Dave.

[92212]

How about another route building challenge? But this time perhaps have a selection of routes prepared with DEM, decals and track laid. Then for the challenge - perhaps a bit longer this time(2 weeks........a month?) - the challengers spend the challenge laying terrain and stations. I'd certainly take on the challenge! Well? Regards Matt(92212)

[jimmyshand]

West Highland Line it simply has to be.

There is no other route like it in the country. So much more interesting, scenic and challenging than say the long, flat straights of York to Newcastle or Oxford to Paddington. Some of the routes being suggested on this thread are a bit boring in my opinion, Railworks needs a real barnstormer of a route to lift it to a new level and there is no other better candidate I can think of than the West Highland Line.

In fact I've pretty much given up on York to Newcastle. Don't get me wrong it's a good model of the route but by crikey it's become boring as hell!! especially the Darlington to York section where it's just set the throttle and then stare at straight track whilst making minor throttle tweaks every now and then for 30 minutes!! That's why I've fallen in love with more quirky routes like the Port Road and the new Phorum Penninsula, so much more interesting.

[Darpor]

I think Vern has had ideas on that route many times, the only obstacle being the vast swathes of unavailable DEM terrain which leaves huge holes. If this can be overcome, I think Vern fancies it, unless I am thinking of a different route.

[jimmyshand]

For the next major route release I think it's time to try something a little different.

As nice as the West Coast Mainline or East Anglia etc would be, it would pretty much be just more featureless, flat, straight-line running. Most mainline routes are only really enjoyable or exciting around the main stations like Newcastle or Paddington etc. Once you are a few miles out then it gets a bit boring. The WCML would be great around Liverpool Lime Street, Crewe and Euston but not much fun for the other 200 miles of empty countryside and straight track!! Just Trains are doing Exeter to Bristol and as welcome as that will be, again it's an incredibly dull stretch of line with more straight line running and no major features or landmarks outside of the main stations. Exeter to Plymouth or Penzance would be much more scenic and engaging I think.

Here's my list in order:

1. West Highland
2. Exeter west into Cornwall (Teingmouth sea wall, Devon banks, Royal Albert Bridge, endless Cornish branchlines too), I know we have a sort of Devon Banks but it's a bit basic and dated now.
3. North Wales Coast
4. Cumbrian Coast
5. Strathclyde network

[bigvern]

No you are correct, West Highland does have holey DEM particularly on the Mallaig extension, also some issues with elevations between Beasdale and Loch nan Uamh which have been severely averaged thus that the gradient profile doesn't really work.

At the moment my thoughts are turning to the idea of the TD3 style minimalistic long route and how that might be most effectively accomplished but will have to wait until the Northern Heights and a TS2010 project are more advanced. As I said on the route building diary on my site, I've got enough ideas to easily take 3 - 4 years building in one sim or another and that's just the relatively short stuff.

[jimmyshand]

I guess my way of looking at it is what route would I prefer to drive if I were doing it for real as a job each day?? (maybe our resident drivers Pacerpilot and co. can give their opinion!!)

Would I want to drive the East Coast Mainline everyday?? Personally I think I'd need 3 flasks of black coffee, 10 packets of cigarettes and 30 litres of Lucozade Sport to keep me awake staring at endless miles of straight trackand flat, featureless terrain!!

or would I like to drive the West Highland Line everyday?? rolling past Loch Lomond, thundering through forest cuttings and meandering up winding hillsides.

No contest for me!!