NWM progress

Hi everyone,

TSC is still around and work has been, and still is, progressing slowly on improvements to NWM.

Back in December 2015 I finished an update to NWM, but did not release it because I kept finding errors during some very late testing sessions before Christmas 2015. It was obvious that I had been trying to rush it out and I was suffering from 'flu, so I decided not to release. 2016 began and I started looking for the errors in ernest, and the more you look the more you find!

I eventually found the source of the errors, but was not satisfied because there has been something that has annoyed me for years. One of the biggest mistakes that I made right at the creation of NWM - when I didn't know much about BVE - was that I started Maybank at position 0. It didn't matter much then because it was 2003 and BVE did not have external views. Once externals became the norm, it was very clear that when viewing a train departure from Maybank it showed that there was only a few meters of station scenery. It has stayed that way ever since, and I have always known that the only way to cure this problem was to insert a few thousand metres into the code. As any route developer knows it's not easy, and that meant that every route diagram had to be modified. It was quite a task, but most of it only took three months.

I added 10,000 metres to all route files, so that I had some extra room to model more scenery preceding Maybank. Now THAT has taken some time, because I have been building an EMU/DMU servicing area, and this still needs scenery. I have also increased the size of Maybank to four platforms and lengthened the station throat. It is now possible to drive out of the TMD area and into the station. The goods loop at Maybank has been moved back to a location adjacent the MTD sidings.

There is still some work remaining on the OLE, and the scenery around the MTD needs to be added. With any luck I hope to get a working WIP for the 2001-2005 era released within a month or so. After that, I will release the 2006-2010 era, followed finally by the 2011-2015 era.

An extension from the main line at Cilfton Greenbridge is also under development, but this is another lengthy project and will only be worked on once the whole of Maybank is finished.

I don't expect to say more, but I thought that it was about time that I gave you a progress report.

All the best for 2017.

Excellent news, looking forward to this!

Great to see work is continuing on these excellent routes.

You will also find all those route objects I've been making in the last few years for NWM when it's released.

New Class 47, 56, 57 and 70.

Also a RGH20C rail grinder and many wagons.

Plus anything else I've forgotten that I have made!

Good to know you're still with us Tony, and working to keep the NWM route up to date. 

Great news. NWM has always been the route that sets the standard!
                                                                           Regards  stu

Brilliant to see an update from you guys!
Is it possible for you to PM me an email address for Steve Green by any chance? I tried to track him down a year or so regarding permissions but had no luck.

Hiya Dexter,
Yes, I know you did, and I used it to add the extra 10km into all 1700+ NWM route files! I would still be doing it now were it not for the utility.

Tony

Congratulations Tony
I know all too well that pain, although in my case it's primarily been renumbering objects after adding '00s of the things where there were none before!

You may possibly be interested in this little toolbox app I wrote:
http://www.bvecornwall.co.uk/downloads/beta/DTBeta.zip

The object manipulation part is unfinished, but it does these in routefile manipulations:

• Changes the index number for railtypes, walls, freeobjects & cracks.
  
• Automatically applies RSG standard cant based upon curve radii and speed limit. (Not particularly smart, but it was extremely useful when I discovered the cant calculation I'd been using for 10 years was completely broken.....)
  
• Moves routefiles, including relatively smart handling of $Include files.
  

It's also got a bunch of what I consider to be useful calculators and unit convertors in the first two tabs.

If you're interested, I'll try and finish the object tools.

Please do let me know if you spot that I've broken anything with regards to NWM in my builds of the main program ( http://openbve-project.net ).
I'm relatively certain I haven't, but that's what I'd term famous last words  

Finally, let me know if there's anything (simple at least) I can do with my builds to make NWM better/ easier.

Cheers

Chris Lees

Hi Chris,

Thank you for telling me about your toolbox app. I'm sure that it will be very helpful. Well done, and thanks.

I have been so busy with route building that I have not had much time to try your OpenBve builds.   Even testing the route by driving it seems to take up so much time. But I promise you I will load up your latest build and see if NWM will run.

Regards,
Tony

By the way, the website that hosts the network west midland files is down. I used the way back machine to try download the files, because I remember enjoying playing this route at night because it felt so great speeding during the night like Birmingham cross city south. However, I was only manage to download the route file. I tried to launch the route with the updates files shown here but it looked very dull just grey blocks and a track.

Here is the website: 
https://goo.gl/g3KNjv


Here is the current:
https://goo.gl/PTH4yE

If any can give me access to the original files or the same files found on Steve Green' site I'll be happy. 

That also goes with the Northern Line files.

This is an old post. Why do you not start with a new one?

I will answer your query about old NWM files, but don't bother to post back because I'm not too happy about old TSC releases being held on 'rebel' websites that you have mentioned.

None of the various NWM releases have been updateable or interchangeable. They each HAVE to be replaced completely by a full component suite to work correctly. Some of the old NWM objects had permissions removed when the authors of the objects had a disagreement with the BVE community. If these 'rebel' websites are going to release these affected files, I would think that they will be breaking the law.

Will the mods please watch this post. Ta.

We are, Tony. Please notify me if you stumble upon a link to illegitimate NWM files.

Hi. It’s good to hear that the NWM route is getting updated. Most of the British routes are pretty good quality nowadays and I know that this new one will live up to the standards of other routes. I loved the old one and I still use it now to test out my D stock train I’m currently making. The only thing I’m wondering about is Anthony’s class 322. The one with the interior. It’s been a while and I haven’t heard any updates about it. So I’d like to know if there are going to be more trains with animations and interiors made in the future; I’m making one now and I hope Anthony’s 323 isn’t dead. Thanks

Sachin (SP1900)