Non-working Platforms

Discussion in 'Technical Reports' started by Slugsix, May 28, 2020.

  1. Slugsix

    Slugsix Member

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    So the battle continues.

    The latest puzzle is getting platforms to work. I understand the basics. You have platforms, and you place a marker along the track next to the platforms. You stop the train in the right place, press the "T" key, the doors fling open and passengers get on/off, the doors close and you're ready to go.

    Except they don't always work. Sometimes the doors open, but the schedule tasks are not triggered. What on earth causes this? The train is stopped in the right place. The schedule is correct. On pressing the "T" key the doors open, but the for some reason the stop isn't registered by the task monitor - so you end up stuck. Only some stations seem blighted. Uh?

    Does anybody know the exact detals of how all this links together. It seems so utterly complicated for something which is quite a simple thing, and clearly it's flaky..... I've even removed the original invisible platforms and replaced them with a new one - to no avail. Bizarre.
     
  2. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    Please clarify, is this on a route you are making yourself that doesn't work or a route made by someone else?
    I've had the latter as not crazy enough to attempt the former, but it does mean different assistance required
     
  3. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    This might help


    Peter
     
  4. Slugsix

    Slugsix Member

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    Thanks, Peter all of that is fully understood. However, this is something different.

    I'm modifying the old Bristol and Avonmouth route and the Temple Meads Platforms don't work. Specifically Platforms 3/4. Temple Meads station itself is modelled as a separate but complete asset - including platforms. Then they've got invisible platforms added into the mix - looking I can see there are lots of separate invisible platforms. However, they don't work. The doors swing open, but the task (station stop), doesn't seem to register for some reason.

    In playing around, I've raised Temple Meads Station out of the way to reveal the invisible platforms. Then I've removed them all from Platforms 1, 2, 3 and 4. Next, I've used the offset tool to lay an invisible platform the full length of Platforms 3/4 - so there's just the one now. Then I lowered Temple Meads Station back into place. This doesn't fix it.

    One thought is that it could be because they've got two platform markers for 3 and 4, while of course in real life it's one single platform that's can be used as a whole as or two platforms (remember the old St. Andrews crosses?).

    I'll keep plugging away, and if I find anything I'll let you know, but really this is such a simple thing, it should just work!

    I've got another similar issue at Bedminster platform. I'll be looking into that one next. (Bedminster station is another whole modelled entity).
     
  5. Slugsix

    Slugsix Member

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    So I had a play with this tonight. What a flaky piece of software the world editor is!
    Here's a list of flaky-isms I've come across tonight:

    1. You can't always obtain the properties tab for invisible platforms (or indeed non-invisible platforms). I haven't been able to find out why this may be. You can select them OK but a single click, but you can't get the properties tab by double clicking as normal.
    2. When you use the offset tool to give you an invisible platform along the length of the selected track, the invisible platform still gets split into several sections. This may be done for a good reason, but it leads onto the next problem, which is....
    3. When you can manage to get the properties tab up on an invisible platform, and you type a new height in the box (say 1.3m), then the platform is raised, but ramps are also made to the next platform section. When you then change the height of the next platform, then the height of the previous platform also changes. In other words it's impossible to raise all of the platform sections such that they all align again.....

    So another fruitless evening spent fighting the world editor!
     
  6. Slugsix

    Slugsix Member

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    So, I've now got the train doors opening and closing reliably when my train stops at the platform. However, the task is still not being detected. I have absolutely no idea why.

    Are the platform markers and platforms actually linked in any way? Or do the platforms simply open/close doors and allow passengers on/off, with the platform markers just being used for the task control?

    The task appears all OK - I get the correct distances to go to it in miles, and it's displayed coorrectly, yet when I stop in the right place, I don't get the expanding red bar that you normally do at a station stop.

    At a loss to explain this at the moment!
     
  7. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    I presume you have used T to release the doors as the stop bar does not start until that takes place

    Peter
     
  8. Slugsix

    Slugsix Member

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    Yes I am. It says that twice in the original post....... :)

    I'm a fairly experienced Train Simulator player (dating back to MSTS days).

     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2020
  9. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    I wondered if it was a Timetabled Scenario as running late gives you a fail - but it does record the stop.
    A similar thing happened to me on the Konigs Bergland route where I was supposed to stop in a siding and detach the wagons.
    Stopped at the 0.0 on the Hud and it did not register.

    Short of comparing the settings with a problem station to one that works I'm not sure what to suggest

    Sorry

    Peter
     
  10. Slugsix

    Slugsix Member

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    Thanks Peter. Yes, it's a very difficult one to diagnose this, but there's definitely something wonky somewhere! It would really help if we knew exactly how the task monitor works, and what it's relationship to the platforms are (if any). Sadly, there's very little in the documentation that alludes to what could be going wrong. I'll keep digging away and see if I can find the answer.....

     
  11. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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  12. Slugsix

    Slugsix Member

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    Thanks for that, I've read that - some useful information in there.

    I've had a mini-breakthrough. To save time I created a new scenario and plonked a player train 0.25 miles from the platform that is not working. The aim being to speed up testing time every time I change something.

    Using that scenario - with the same platform and the same platform marker, it works. The task monitor gives me the red bar.

    So in one scenario the platform/platform marker works, and in the other it doesn't. Crazy! Definitely a bug lurking somewhere in there.

    My best guess at this point is that somehow the non-working scenario has been corrupted due to a bug somewhere, and the reference to the platform marker isn't quite right. The actual platform itself seems to work fine and passengers get on the train. I'm wondering if it contains some stale information in there somehow, left behind from my efforts to get this thing working. It's a bit weird though because it shows the correct distance to the platform marker, times etc. It makes no sense at all.

    I may try moving my test train back further to see if it eventually triggers the issue. I guess the good news is that I've now got two scenarios, one where it works and one where it doesn't. That's a start at least!
     
  13. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    Glad the info was of help :)
     
  14. Slugsix

    Slugsix Member

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    Just to wrap this one up, it looks as though, somehow, the software has somehow corrupted the platform marker such that it doesn't work correctly. Bug in the editor somewhere I suspect. Starting afresh, the platforms work.
     
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2020
  15. paul.pavlinovich

    paul.pavlinovich Well-Known Member

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    Slugsix thanks this was helpful. I was building a scenario on an existing DTG route and could not pick up passengers in some places. I spent ages trying to figure out what I'd done wrong in the scenario builder and eventually found this post. I edited the route and deleted and replaced the platform marker and what do you know it works now. Now I have to decide if I can be bothered fixing all the other platforms that don't work. The challenge is it means I cannot publish my scenario unless I also publish the modified route.
     

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