Hello, I was wondering if there is a general issue with AI not showing up in quick drive or (as is more likely) I am doing something wrong. I cloned the Huddersfield line and gave it a new name, as I wanted to make a quick drive using my own consists, to try and make some as realistic as possible quick drives. I used TS Tools to make the consists, I have assigned them to my cloned route, I have set the era to 1950 to 2050. The consists I created so far are "commuter" ones. They are in my specially created PreLoad folder in a folder I created in the Assets folder. This is all as per a Youtube tutorial. I have placed one AI spawn marker just at the Leeds end of the first station outside Leeds, I forget its name. It is pointing in the right direction and I have set the destination to one of the Leeds platforms, accessible from the Huddersfield line. I have set it to spawn a commuter train at a probability of 0.9999. I have used the AP class 142 and 158 enhancement pack. The player train routes okay but the AI train never appears. I did notice though when routing the player train, the first time it tried to send me wrong line which I had to amend also it wouldn't let me select Marsden platform 2, I had to fly out to the station to select it. I loaded up the standard Huddersfield route, which also has a AI spawn point at this station and ran one of the supplied quick drives and interestingly the AI also didn't appear there. In the editor that spawn point has two posibilities a regional and commuter train both set at 0.5 so something should have appeared I would imagine. I was just wondering if quick drives were still working as they should or if maybe there is a problem with the Huddersfield line in particular? Any pointers would be gratefully appreciated.
First make sure you haven't selected the "Player Train Only" in the Quick Drive menu. Where exactly is the PreLoad folder located?
Thanks for your reply. I'm pretty certain it wasn't ticked but I'll look again tonight. The folder PreLoad is in a folder called theorganist in the assets folder. I noticed in the bin file for the quick drive consists that there is no reference to the route, or not that I can see which I thought there should be.
To check if it's a routing issue try spawning between 2 intermediate stations. You could also put a couple of consist spawn points on empty platforms or sidings to see if it's a problem with your custom consist. As an alternative you can add default AP consists to your route using Tools by going into Route Building Tools-Check QD consists and fragments. In the assets column choose AP or AP Waggonz then the stock you wish to use. Highlight and click on PreLoad then on the top menu select Check all QD Consists. You can then choose the consist you wish to use, add it to your selected route and save. On a few enhancement packs if there is no PreLoad option you would have to look under the base DTG stock used. If you edit the designation or dates of the consist then the changes would also be applied to any other route shown on your grid.
One further thought. Your own PreLoad folder should also appear in the assets column of the Check QD consists option allowing you to edit your own consists. If they don't show up that would at least indicate where the problem lies.
Possible causes. Make sure the consist isn’t exceeding the lenght set in the spawn point? Does the propulsion system match the tracks? Does the era in the consist fall within the the value set in the scenario?
Hi, thanks for your message. I have set the length of the spawn point to around 2000 and am only using two or three car Sprinters/Pacers. The propulsion system matches, diesel on a diesel line. The consist ear is 1950 to 2025 and the scenario is set in 2010.
I have checked and it does appear. I have tried a simple scenario between two intermediate station and it still doesn't appear. I can't quite see how to put the AP consists in my pre-load folder but I will look again over the weekend. I might try and make one on a different route over the weekend. My route appears in the consist bin files.
The AP consist doesn't need to go into your own PreLoad folder. You simply highlight the consist you wish to edit for instance 158 Cummins Ex NR then at the top hit edit selected QD consist. You should then get a grid with routes on the right hand side. Highlight your cloned route, check the date and consist type in the bottom grid are OK then hit Add Selected Route and save. You can change the dates and consist type if you need to but the changes would also apply on any other routes the consist gets allocated to on the left hand side of the grid. If you are doing another quick trial you could try an AI spawn point at Morley platform to Cottingley platform as this is definitely working on my own QD for the route. Can I also just check in the Tools option menu under PreLoad folder did you highlight where your folder is located so that Tools can find it?
That's great thanks for the information and help. I'll have a look over the weekend and do what you've suggested. I did try one QD from Cottingley to Morley and it wouldn't work, it's obviously something I've done or haven't done. I am sure I did highlight the folder it but I'll double check. Thanks very much again.
When you cloned the route you would have been given a new route number … about 13 digits from memory. Make sure your AI has that route number added in either TS Tools or RWE Enhancer. i find it easier to start the AI a fresh, rather than using AI from other routes.
Well I think some progress has been made. Firstly when I go to option-tools-preload folders it just takes me to the assets folder, I highlight my folder but when I check again it again just has the main assets folder highlighted. However I added an AP class 142 quick drive consist to my route and it showed up. Thank you for all your help. I will have to try and find out why TS Tools is not linking to my preload folder but at least I can add some quick drive consists now.
Glad you got it working. I only play Quick Drives so being able to add third party consists was a game changer for me as it gives much more variety and a chance to put in random conflicting traffic and delays. I spend a few hours making custom Quick Drives whenever I get a new route which is a tedious process but saves time in the long run as once it is tested I can just jump in and drive knowing I have all the required stock and it's not going to crash on me. I would publish the scenarios to save other people the chore but have no idea how to package them and the specific PreLoads. With regards to your PreLoad folder I can't remember why but I placed mine inside the Kuju PreLoad folder alongside other folders for Oxford Paddington etc. You could try putting it in there and see if it shows up in the Tools options. Also I know it sounds obvious but do make sure you have named it correctly as PreLoad. One tip when making your scenario, swearing at the Spawn Points doesn't make them any easier to use but I still find it helps.
I always overlooked quickdrives. I have/had largely moved over to TSW but I thought about all the stuff I had bought over the years for TSC and thought that really I should make use of it. Then I came up with the idea of making some "realistic" quickdrives which means I can jump in a drive, similar to TSW without having to make scenarios (which I have tired of) or downloading them. Although making quickdrives isn't quite as quick as I expected. I am looking forward to installing some of the routes I haven't touched for years and driving them again. It is odd about the PreLoad folder, I have definitely spelt it right. I have just checked again and the path does go to the correct folder. It won't matter for now but when I want to do some steam routes in this way, some of the stock, especially some of the Victory Works locos don't seem to have many quick drive consists, not with the available coaching stock at any rate. Thanks again for your help and information.
Make sure you have a folder structure like this: Asset\theorganist\Addons\PreLoad (and not Assets\theorganist\PreLoad) https://tscdevdocs.co.uk/reference-manual/content-basics/provider-product-setup/developer-setup.html I recommend working for Blueprint Editor 2, just create a consist blueprint and add the path to the rolling stock you want.
Depending what region you are looking at Stainmore comes with 100+ consists and the stock to go with them also the Port Road if its just for AI. For more modern routes I did trial a few Quick Drive scenarios on the workshop a while back for WCMLN, Weardale and Riviera line which you can add whichever stock you wish to if you unpack the routes to show up in Tools. You can also augment default Quick Drives with extra stock for instance adding 314 or 318 stock to Suburban Glasgow using the same designation as the 320 s. Cloning a route gives you a clean canvas to work with but I normally just add new scenarios to the original route using unique names for the departure points and unused consist designations.
Thanks for that, I will take a look at the blueprint editor. Regarding the PreLoad folder, I only need one folder I assume as I can't point the path to more than one folder?
I do like all regions, Stainmore is one route I am keen to get reaquianted with. I tend to use the Calendonian works, Victory works and Precision/Bossman loco's with Matrix carriages.
If you search your Assets folder you will find many PreLoad folders for different types of trains. I wanted the Class 92 to pull the Tesco Containers so I picked the default preload loco+train and amended it. Since then I now have the Tesco train pulled by different types of loco - not all British But the Preload is a variation of a default loco with different stock
You only need one for creation. BUT after you have created your consists, you are actually free to have preload folders anywhere you want. Or even subcategoriea within your preload folder. Eg one for short freight trains, one for long etc etc. it’s very handy not just to have 200 consists in one heap, no matter how strict you are with naming conventions.
Many thanks all for your help. I have set my PreLoad folder as suggested above and made some consists and all appears to be working now.
Good ! I’ll add a bit to what i said above. The preloads you’ve created can also now be moved freely. As long as they are in a preload folder, or a subfolder in a preload folder, they will work. The reason is that everytime you start a QD scenario, TS scans your entite assets folder for preloads. In that way they are not tied to a particular path.
Great thank you. I'll do so to tidy things up a bit as I'll be doing this for lots of routes. I'd always dismissed quick drive in the past but you can make it realistic and still drive trains to a timetable.
Oh I didn't know that. How do you manage that? It is a shame you can't set priorities. I had a "fast" service leaving Waterloo alongside my stopper and held up the fast train at Clapham Junction. It did overtake me later when it was on the fast line.
I’ll write a short how to later. If i forget, please bump the thread. Got a lot of music projects bouncing around at the moment.
Yes that would be great thanks. Look forward to reading about it. What sort of music projects are you doing?
I hope this drawing makes sense. There is a method both for two track lines, and for single track lines a method for emulating train crossings. For two track lines i use an invisible ai train as the “blocking train”. There is a little TS “hack” you can add that will let you add portals in the scenario editor. Do you have that? For the two track mainline spawnpoints i usually set the spawn probability to approx 10-15%. for train crossings between 30-40% And boom, you have randomized signalling. Now for the OT part. I am a guitarist and i play in quite a few cover bands, so there is always material to learn for the next gig. Sometimes many. Also currently writing stuff for the tenth Anubis Gate album (my progressive metal band). You can check it out anywhere if that is your sort of thing. And currently i also have a gig as a keyboard player in a Peter Gabriel tribute band, and i am still some songs short of the whole show.
Thanks for taking the trouble to explain and produce the drawing. I will try some experiments this week. I have added portals to routes before but not to scenarios. It is good to see another musician on here, I will look up your band, it isn't so much my type of music but I am very open minded when it comes to music.
When running an AI consist ahead of your train you can also obviously run it off into an adjacent loop or empty platform so you can see what has been causing you grief. For added annoyance on a fast service make the AI train a local stopper halting at intermediate stations as well. Local knowledge helps with setting the probability rate. Approaching Glasgow Queen Street pre 2020 for instance the chance of something running ahead of you at the Cowlairs bottle neck would be around 70 or 80% and not much less at Newbridge towards Edinburgh.
You can BUT the dispatcher code doesn’t like it as much as my solution. You will have more crashes, and more switches that wont switch back to the route of the player train. Believe me, i did that, and wrestled with it for a couple of years, untill i hit upon the method described above. Also your brain will know where the spawn points are, if there is only one between each station. With my new method you can have a probable ai train spawn behind every main signal on open track. And then you will literally have a scenario with over a million possible permutations.
Works fine for me over 50+ routes. I was simply offering a more nuanced option to consider allowing chasing yellows over an extended stretch of track but clearly your way must be far superior and the only option to consider. In my mind it is more realistic to have genuine reason to explain why the train is being cautioned to a halt. Whilst being vigilant at all signals train drivers being human must also subconsciously be aware where they are most likely to encounter a caution. Given the number of minutes in a day, variations in stopping patterns and the vast back catalogue of TSC rolling stock I suspect even the most basic quick drive offers over 1 million possible permutations. That is why I find it a far better concept than the TSW timetable mode.
Its just a shame that its not easily possible to share Quick Drive files. I have the entire routes now set up for ECML, WCML, GWR, MML for Quickdrive, for modern day and 1989. This means I can drive 2 different eras with realistic AI, plus I normally put 3 or 4 blocking AI with a low probabilty of them spawning (depending on route length). This means some drives with be a cruise under greens, some will have the odd yellow, and some days will be a complete nightmare with consistent reds / yellows. Often thought if DTG wanted to make some cash out of TSC, then doing some Quickdrive packs, say with 2 or 3 different Eras of AI, would be a reasonably straight forward way to bring every route back to life / generate sales.
It’s not that difficult to share them. I have quite a few over at Rail-sim.de Just search for filebase entries by me. In regards to chasing yellows. Actually i managed to work around that as well. Sometimes you will chase a yellow, sometimes you wont. You can start with the one for the Frankfurt Koblenz route. https://rail-sim.de/forum/filebase/entry/9817-real-drive-advanced-frankfurt-koblenz-complete/
