Assemble Train function doesn't work in OR (X3447, 3DTS Tehachapi Pass II, 3DTS_TEH2_2-L_BK_BK_1-05 [Part 1])

[James Bradley, Jr.]

In the Tehachapi Pass route by 3DTrainStuff, there is an activity which requires the player to assemble a train on UP Yard 1. In MSTS, this would require that the cars are not only on the specified track, but that they are in the specified order. The activity would then complete.

In OpenRails, the program doesn't appear to recognize when a train has been assembled on the correct track. It recognizes pickups and drop-offs with no problem, but doesn't appear to know when a train is assembled in the correct order or on the correct track.

I have been using OpenRails for several months, but have not come across this issue previously. The main reason for this is that I have not attempted any activities that require the "Assemble a train" as part of the work order.

Is this function enabled and supported by OpenRails? It doesn't cause a crash, but it doesn't cause the activity to complete either. Nothing at all happens.

Thanks,
--James Bradley, Jr.

[James Bradley, Jr. (jbrad1974)]

This bug can be cancelled. I found the problem, or rather, series of problems--most of which are not OR related.

1)The way the activity is built, the player locomotives are not considered part of the "Assemble Train" event, and thus must be uncoupled from the train in order for the event to trigger. The briefing mentions nothing about uncoupling from the train. It only states to "move forward after assembling your train". This is an activity issue, and not an OR issue.

2)The "Activity Complete" point is beyond the end of the player train's path. The player can not reach the "Activity Complete" point without first switching to manual mode. Any player attempting to reach the completion point in auto mode will put the train into emergency. This is both an OR and an activity issue. OR did not exist when the activity was written, and MSTS did not require a player to switch between manual and auto modes. The activity writer could not have anticipated that a completion point beyond the player train's path would cause any issues. OR should be able to recognize that the completion point is beyond the end point of the player train's path and compensate accordingly by extending the player train's path to the completion point.

--James

[Carlo Santucci (carlosanit1)]

James,
thanks for precise analysis.
I think a completion point beyond the path end is not good activity development policy, not even in MSTS (the track monitor would anyhow show that you are off path, so you couldn't know what to do).
Moreover it's the first case I read about this, and modifying OR for this would be a not trivial effort for a quite rare case.
So I think that there won't be (at least from my side) a change to OR in order to cope with this.
I hope you understand.
Carlo

[James Bradley, Jr. (jbrad1974)]

Thanks Carlo. This route is an older route, and I've noticed a few issues with the way the activities were written. It would be a neat function of OR to compensate for these activity errors, but can understand if that particular function is not a high priority for the OR team (if at all).

Thanks again for your response.