Brakes on Class 455/9 from Steam?

[davejc64]

I bought the Class 455/9 in the steam sale and tried one of the included scenarios, whenever I use the brakes using an Xbox controller they go from 0% to emergency with no setting in between?

[JLD95]

Hello,
I have also this bug and I reported this problem to RSC

[nigeltouatievans]

I also reported this to RSC shortly after the release of TS2013.

[carlan2uk]

455/9 Manual-
Page 3.4 Drivers Cabin items 1&2 in red explain this.
David

[davejc64]

I've read the manual, but it doesn't really explain why when using the Xbox controller the brakes go from 0% to emergency with no steps in between, does it, or maybe I'm reading a different manual.

From manual:

Train Brake Lever – Note: To create a prototypical brake setup
and pressures when using the mouse or keyboard this control
does not move when driving with the on-screen HUD controls.

[carlan2uk]

I believe that the x box controller(I also use it!) replicates the on screen hud.
Only way to brake is to use mouse or keyboard.

[davejc64]

Considering how much RSC promoted Xbox compatibility, you would have thought they would be make sure that all stock sold via steam was compatible with it.

[Jacko]

I bought the Class 455/9 in the steam sale and tried one of the included scenarios, whenever I use the brakes using an Xbox controller they go from 0% to emergency with no setting in between?

Same here, Dave - exact same thing - I bought my Class 455 last night in the sale in order to play a Workshop scenario and discovered the bug today.

And as you rightly point out, it's nothing to do with the graphic Train Brake Lever not moving in a display-sense on the cab dashboard; it's the practical effect of moving the XBOX controller brake control (default RT/RB) even a nanometer, which causes the physical train brake to go from 0% to 100% with no graduation. I'm guessing there is a presumption in Thomson's input-data that the 'brake' button is a digital on/off button (i.e. as found on a PC keyboard), and no concept that it might be tied to an analog axis, as you'd find on the XBOX controller. There would be (presumably) no way you could play a career scenario with the XBOX controls in this state - you would simply *have* to resort to using the mouse+keyboard and sliding the HUD-brake manually. Not insurmountable, but as you say, it behoves RSC to have checked that the Class 455 was actually tested and passed with the XBOX controls, given that they've made so much song and dance about them. I know some folks will consider them a bit 'toy' or 'mickey mouse' but I have come to enjoy using them - precisely because they DO give you some analog precision that's an improvement on PC keyboard button-banging.

I have had a look at the Inputmapper bin files, and reckon if worst came to worst I could hack something together using the 'CombinedThrottleBrake' and 'ThrottleAndBrake' fields and a hex-editor, working from a similar electric unit, to produce something that might at least work - but of course it would be a kludge (and I've not tried yet, so may be talking rubbish!) I'm also not sure of the legalities of this, which is another thing entirely. I feel the answer must lie in these files somewhere, though.

With luck, RSC will approach Thomson Interactive about it and get it fixed - it can't be that hard to do, and a Steam update could be rolled out in moments, presumably. I will report it properly to RSC as soon as I am finished in this scenario and can get to a PC with my mail-client on it! I am currently 'tabbed-out' with the sim in pause mode, Googling and trying to find out if this was a known fault - so thanks muchly for raising it, Dave! It is good to know it's not just my rig!

[davejc64]

Thanks for the explanation Jacko, and if you can find a solution that would be much appreciated, but I still think it's a problem that needs to be addressed by RSC and/or Thomson, all we can do is report it, to them and wait and see if they do.

[Kariban]

I'd say "look at the Oovee 150", but that has scripting in the braes - not sure the 455 does, I'm not in a position to look at it until my exploded PC gets replaced. It is a little peculiar, there's no reason why the lever itself shouldn't work with F4 ( and by extension the xbox control I guess ), it just needs four notches.

What you can't do is have more than one notch called GraduatedSelfLap, which is why HSTs have scripted brakes now too. The 455 needs something like this for a control setup:

Control name: VirtualBrake

• Interface type: notched lever
• 4 notches
• Rest in notch: true

Control name: TrainBrakeControl

• Interface type: irregular notched lever
• Notch: name Release, value 0
• Notch: name GraduatedSelfLap, value 0.05
• Notch: name FullService, value 0.75
• Notch: name Emergency, value 1
• Rest in notch: false

and to tie it together, the top of Update() in the script:

Code: Select all

local gnPTBrake = 0

function Update( p_nFrameLen)
    local lnTBrake = Call("GetControlValue","VirtualBrake",0)
    if lnTBrake ~= gnPTBrake then
       Call("SetControlValue", "TrainBrakeControl", 0, lnTBrake )
    end
    gnPTBrake = lnTBrake

.... other stuff
end

You can make it more sophisticated to check if the control handle has fully reached another notch instead, but that's the basics for westcode brakes.

[deltic009]

I have just got this addon as part of the heavily reduced PDL and rolling stock pack. Using the keyboard mine goes from 0%-58% and then down. I can use my mouse on the HUD to brake perfectly well, so all is not as it should be I suspect.

[Jacko]

I have just got this addon as part of the heavily reduced PDL and rolling stock pack. Using the keyboard mine goes from 0%-58% and then down. I can use my mouse on the HUD to brake perfectly well, so all is not as it should be I suspect.

I noticed this too, Matthew, but have a feeling that might be intentional. I *think* there may be some attempt at 'notching' the brake when using the keyboard to control it. The first press seems only to take it out of the 'release' notch; you seem to have to release it and re-press it to actually make it engage up to 58%... I'm wondering whether a second release-and-re-press might allow you to whack it into the 'Emergency' notch, maybe? I never actually tried this yesterday, but will give it a go later today.

I have reported this to RSC by email as promised, anyway. Along with some other observations of things with the L2B route and Steam Workshop things generally. I can only hope they're in the mood to take them on board and get them fixed (either themselves, or by referral back to the developer, Thomson Interactive). As it stands, I don't think I'm confident enough (or have the tools) to go where Kariban is pointing (though I might still try a bit of cut-n-paste in a backup copy of my bin file with a hex-editor, though I'm sure this will probably fail!). We'll see!

Certainly there are some 'tricks' going on behind the scenes (as evidenced by the manual's comments about HUD-control of the brake not causing it to move on-screen, but it moving perfectly okay if the mouse or keyboard is used to control it, and the HUD is hidden). The stated aim is for better representation of the pressures - which was maybe fair enough in Railworks 2 days, but now (given that it's still on sale for TS2013) that's not really fair anymore if it doesn't work with TS2013's 'standard kit' - which it doesn't. I notice that some DLC items (e.g. Up the Junction, the Class 08 set) are no longer available on Steam - so clearly, they must have had a clearout of the old, supposedly incompatible items. The Class 455 is (imho) a really nicely implemented EMU, excellent to run - apart from this one XBOX controller problem, so hopefully it will be fixed, rather than just removed from the available DLC collection! Especially given that I have just bought it!

[JLD95]

Hello,
I noticed another problem with this Class455: there is no attenuation of sounds in the cabin, you can hear external noises too and at the other end of the station, we hear the ringing of the closing doors of class455.
may be this is due to the new sound system of TS2013 ?