What Makes A Good Activity

Vikingbrit · Post by **Vikingbrit** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 2:38 pm

Iam currently making a 1970s activity for the Carlisle to Settle route what shall i put in so people who use it wont get bored? when they drive from carlisle to settle?

Its my first try at an activity u just learned how to pick up consists yesterday:D

37413 · Post by **37413** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 4:44 pm

A good activity should consist of the user having to use his brain and think things through rather than just sit there and let everything happen for you which is boaring. A typical example is on the Cannock Chase branch with Don Hinton's Darlaston Puzzler activity. In my opinion taxing but most enjoyable.
Hope my opinion helps.

Alan.

Vikingbrit · Post by **Vikingbrit** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 4:56 pm

you mean things like make loads of pickups and dropoffs?

kevarc · Post by **kevarc** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 5:11 pm

It can be. I get hammered for not giving enough information on how to switch an activity (Philly Docs for NECV4, even though I did include a map). My response was, here are your pickup and set ups, you are the engineer\conductor, figuring out how to do it is your job. The funny thing is I know of no 2 people who did the activity the same.

But getting a extrememly heavy train up and down the hill can be just as taxing.

It just depends on what the end user wants, some like switching, some like heavy trains and others (don't know why) like passenger trains. Do what you like, I do, and some will like them and others will not. You cannot please everyone, so if you please yourself, at least 1 person is happy!

Vikingbrit · Post by **Vikingbrit** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 5:18 pm

hey kev i remember you off trainsim.com forum you helped me out a few times then. Well am starting slowly to understand how to make activity like i put in my first thread i finally sussed out how to make the loco pick up trucks

jjules · Post by **jjules** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 6:14 pm

I enjoy a long, fast passenger service run. Believe it or not, running a 43 up the full length of even the default NEC is fun, so long as there are some stops. That said, I did an activity once which involved driving from Washington to New Carrollton (poor spelling, I know), as a previous service had failed. You then had to drive about 99 miles (I think) to Philadelphia to continue the service. Driving at linespeed as much as possible was the goal of the day. Although there was one corner which refused to let me go round it (I think it was a 125MPH corner) without de-railing. So I cheated and turned de-railments off. That was a fun activity.

As Kev said, you can't please everyone. I reply to his comment on passenger service runs with this: How come doing a freight run is so fun? Or for that matter a shunting run?

kevarc · Post by **kevarc** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 7:06 pm

Personally, I like be heavy trains, controlling them is a challenge. Nothing like running an 18000ton coal train on very rolling terrain, or trying to control a 10000 ton train on Cajon, Sandpatch, etc. And not just going down either, going up the hill if the activity designer throws a few AI's in the "wrong" spot where you have to either slow or stop can be a huge challenge. I have set more than one up that is on the edge of losing control.

Switching activities - they are ok, the challenge there is getting the job done in a few moves as possible, the end user needs to really look at the map (I try to provide one to at least give them a chance to plan things out) and decide how to do it. The ones who like these are puzzle solvers.

Edit:
My point is to make what you like, it will be a far better activity in the long run. If you make one on something you do not like, you will not put the effort into it that it deserves.

saddletank · Post by **saddletank** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 11:22 pm

VikingBrit, may I suggest you get a freeware route from UKTS (downlaod or CD) and write activities for that? Hardly anyone here drives the default routes anymore so your hard work on a default Settle-Carlisle activity would be mostly wasted.

A superb 1970s-1980s period route that has buckets of actvity potential is MidEast. Or if you want lovely gritty Northern atmosphere, electrification and steep hills try Woodhead v2.

Vikingbrit · Post by **Vikingbrit** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 11:30 pm

whats a good gritty one here to download? with lots of industry and dirty old engines?

, what would you recommend?

37413 · Post by **37413** » Tue Feb 10, 2004 12:03 am

Why not experiment with mid east v1.3 for the moment and in just a few weeks there will be a steam route out called Cannock Chase V 4 where you can try lots of dirty old steam engines and plenty of freight

Alan.

Vikingbrit · Post by **Vikingbrit** » Tue Feb 10, 2004 12:25 am

is mideast uk a CD or download?

TOMMO79 · Post by **TOMMO79** » Tue Feb 10, 2004 12:51 am

Mideast is on the CD ordering page. I've had mine for ages and there was an extention to Kings X which I downloaded although this might be included on the CD now. If you order now it won't take long to arrive and in the meantime you can download lots of appropriate stock to run and the extention too if you need it.

Lad491 · Post by **Lad491** » Tue Feb 10, 2004 7:53 am

i like passenger runs to - with a number of station stops but also some fast running. Timetables should be very tight, but with an occasional slack or two to enable you to catch up if you do slip behind. This also enables you to get up and make a cup of tea if you arrive early without using the pause feature (which i never do since you cant pause life ). Another train running in front to act as a blocker from getting too far ahead is also a good idea and adds realism.

If i need to use the loo i make a station stop, carry out the necessary function, and set off again and if that makes me late then I either have to drink less or use my skills to catch up. Likewise i never save an activity part way through since if you can go back and have another go ( after derailing for instance) that defeats the object of a simulation in my view.

saddletank · Post by **saddletank** » Tue Feb 10, 2004 10:11 am

Woodhead and Cannock v3 are both quite gritty, more so than MidEast. But if you want steam then the Skipton-Carlisle version of the default route by Pat Dalton which is set in the 20s has plenty of that. I think Woodhead is downloadable, the others via CD. Skipton, Cannock and ME all come with stock packs so you don't need to download much at all to get cracking with activities.

jimmyladd · Post by **jimmyladd** » Tue Feb 10, 2004 11:45 am

37413 wrote:Why not experiment with mid east v1.3 for the moment and in just a few weeks there will be a steam route out called Cannock Chase V 4 where you can try lots of dirty old steam engines and plenty of freight

Alan.

Hi there
Just to say, Alan, that Cannock Chase Route is both steam and diesel, supposedly set in the late fifties, early sixties. CC4 will have 2 activity packs with some steam and diesel activites, both passenger and steam.

Just to show you the difference between passenger and freight, I uploaded a passenger activity and a freight one at the same time, the download count on the passenger is at 178, and the freight is at 430 ish, when I last looked. That may give you some idea to what will be more popular.
Cheers, Jim