Are the date fields in the scenario editor dd/mm/yyyy or mm/dd/yyyy and does the scenario date affect the length of day in scenarios (summer to winter, etc). In scenarios in the Workshop, I often see the season set to summer, but a date such as 16/12/2010 etc. and I'm wondering if it matters in regard to length of day (sunrise and sunset times). Thanks! Just learning the scenario editor
The date field serves two purposes, depending on what weather blueprint you choose. If you select a 2D weather (TS core weather system) the date only affects the moon phase if supported by the route. The sun's path and dusk/dawn are then depending only on the season you choose. They are predefined and can look different depending on the route's TimeOfDay files. If you select 3D weather (and have Dynamic Clouds turned on in the settings), the date will affect the daylight time and exact path of the sun, depending on the route's coordinates. This is a 3rd party sky and weather engine called "SilverLining" which is completely independent of the TimeOfDay definitions. The chosen season will only affect the environment textures. In short: date affects days' length only in conjunction with 3D weather AND Dynamic Clouds. If you select a 3D weather with DynClouds turned OFF then TS will fallback to the core 2D weather blueprints (SL_Clear -> RW_Clear, SL_Cloudy -> RW_Cloudy, etc..) Might wanna have a look at this: https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/just-found-out-that-scenario-date-is-important.51560/
Since TSC is primarily a British product then it uses the normal standard date format DD/MM/YYYY, only them silly people over the pond use MM/DD/YYYY
The other thing the route date effects is the AI in Quick Drive . Unfortunately the TSC consist database is not very accurate, so for instance off the top of my head, HST is valid from 1950 to 2030 - (or something like that) So if you set the route date for a Quick Drive Scenario for a steam loco in 1955, and have Passenger Fast set as the AI consist type, then you may very well see a HST coming the other way in 1955! I try and set my QD scenario and consists dates into the future, so for instance 2030 = 1990's. 2040 = 2000's That way I always have era accurate AI coming the other way for which ever year I choose to drive in, and means I can utilise routes for any era I choose rather than just the year they where originally created for.
The only thing I can add: https://xkcd.com/1179/ But seriously, I've many years ago downloaded a mix dated 03/04/05, or somesuch, and the actual date remains a mistery despite trying to find the club, event, everything. Practically, if you create a scenario it has a default date, which I assume being July 1st based on being summer. Also, you can verify your choice by opening the ScenarioProperties.xml later and looking for this section: <StartDD d:type="sInt32">22</StartDD> <StartMM d:type="sInt32">6</StartMM> <StartYYYY d:type="sInt32">2012</StartYYYY>
AP Weather is 2D, using four TimeOfDay season blueprints and its own skydome, cloud bitmaps and colour definitions.
