Checklists

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by davidh0501, Oct 9, 2020.

  1. davidh0501

    davidh0501 Well-Known Member

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    The most frustrating aspect of Tsw2 is not the minor bugs and glitches, it’s those moments when you sit in the cab and wonder why you aren’t moving.

    Sometimes you just want to jump in and go.
    Instead you sit scratching your head.
    What have you missed, forgotten or overlooked?
    Do you really have to go over it all again :(

    Most older cabs are not a problem, but some are downright convoluted with dials, knobs and switches stuck in any old corner.
    Pilots and surgeons have checklists before they start.
    We need them as well.

    Just a simple list at the back of the the manual for example.
    A single page you could print out for reference without having to slog through irrelevant pages of a pdf.

    How about a webpage of reference lists for modern loco’s?
    Since routes come with one or two locos it would be easy to add a checklist to the page with each new release.
     
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  2. longo239

    longo239 Well-Known Member

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    Good idea, however that would require a manual, which seem to have fallen out of favour over recent releases.
     
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  3. michael hooley

    michael hooley Well-Known Member

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    How about just a single button that sets up the loco ready to go, for the easily confused like me.
     
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  4. Dejin

    Dejin New Member

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    The new Microsoft Flight Simulator does a great job with checklists — it would be great if Dovetail could do something like this. You can bring up the checklist on screen, and each of the items has a little “eye” icon that if you click on it, it turns the camera to the specific control associated with the checklist item and highlights it for you.

    You can also ask it to autocomplete the checklist items for you.

    Did a quick search on YouTube, and this looked like the best example video of how this works that came up — this one is from a pre-release version of the game (and shows a few bugs), but gives a good idea on how this works on a very complicated aircraft. Actual checklist use starts 30 seconds into video:

     
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2020
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  5. breblimator

    breblimator Guest

    I love to set everything from cold and dark but a simple choice between ready to go or switched-off (like in many other games) would be OK.

    The checklist is a cool proposal! :)
     
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  6. Rudolf

    Rudolf Well-Known Member

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    It may be a good idea. I will put it on my list, but not with a very high priority at the moment. I think there are a few loco's that are hard to setup:
    The Sandpatch engines, the ECW Class 66, the ICE and the BR155. The others are more or less straight forward, especially in service mode. The V100 has some interesting details as well that are helpful, e.g. set the brakes to freight mode.
     
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  7. Alexandra

    Alexandra Active Member

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    I think it's already there, isn't it? The first time you use a locomotive the program sort of walks you through the start up process . . .

    e.g. "Turn the Reverser to NEUTRAL" and highlighting the reverser.

    It's been a long time, so I don't recall whether this guidance is only in scenarios, or tutorials or what. But my point is, the guided startup process is already there -- couldn't that be a setting so players could choose whether or not to have guided startup?

    n.b. Written checklists would be grand and easier to do -- but it's important they come with the programs so new players see them. Surprisingly, some players never come here to the Forums :o
     
  8. davidh0501

    davidh0501 Well-Known Member

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    Training walk throughs are all very well but they frequently use terminology we are not familiar with.
    For example 'traction force selector'.
    I can guess what it does, but why have a range of settings when we have no idea when and where to use them correctly?
    Some times players want to do a cold start or engage pzb, other times we just want to kick the tyres and light the fires.
    Grip it & rip it to the professionals.

    A straight forward semi transparent screen like the 747 one above would be great.
    Even better just imagine one of those in cab vdu's with a call up check screen.
     
  9. Jannerdunk

    Jannerdunk Well-Known Member

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    There was a brief mention on one of the DTG streams that Sam thought some kind of printed full colour manual / book about each loco might be something that could be produced that we could buy as some kind of more expensive collectors edition. Obviously only a ideal, so I expect we won't see this.

    Personally, I would have no interest in these, both from a cost and storage space perspective, but I did think at the time that some A4 Pdf's that we could print out to make our own Drivers Handbook would be very useful. I know in most cases there are manuals, but having a double-sided A4 sheet for each loco that had the start up, shut down, emergency brake release procedures would be extremely useful, perhaps along with the annotated cab view. I can never remember how to reset the PCS on some of the American stock, especially when in involves waiting for a set period of time!

    Given the lack of place names on the in game map, DTG could also issue a series of annotated route maps that we could print and refer to. Even trying to create a simple end to end run in the scenario planner is very much trial and error ay the moment if you don't know the route and stations.

    Given that most of the artwork presumably already exists, it would be something that could easily be done. DTG could even flog us the folder to put them in!
     
  10. globbits73

    globbits73 Member

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    A series of A5 booklets with a ring binder would be in keeping with how British Rail used to deliver their instructions to crew, so there would be a precedent if DTG wanted to go for the immersive route. working_instructions.jpg

    I know this wouldn't be something that everyone would want, but I'd absolutely be happy if DTG did a basic form of these as PDFs for people to download with the relevant instructions and checklists, as well as expanded printed "Collectors Editions" with the ring binder for hoarders like me to buy. Obviously the ring binders would need to be produced in advance, with the risk of a box full of unsold ones sitting in a warehouse somewhere, but the books themselves could be handled by one of the many "print on demand" services at minimal risk to DTG (beyond the cost of a Docs person / designer to produce them).
     
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  11. montes_1234

    montes_1234 Well-Known Member

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    I would like to have them sitting somwhere on the train desk and when you click on them you pull them over. It would in my opinion add to the immersion.
     
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  12. rat7_mobile

    rat7_mobile Well-Known Member

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    In many locomotive, there is a clipboard or a holder where the checklist could be held and click to be used from
     
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  13. Crosstie

    Crosstie Well-Known Member

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    A checklist would be fine but I actually enjoy setting up a locomotive or MU's/DPU's so let's not make it too simple.
     
  14. rat7_mobile

    rat7_mobile Well-Known Member

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    I mean a list of thing to setup according to the service, maybe be able to put a check mark on it, but not to actually set the system from the checklist just being able to show a mark that it was done
     
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