I originally wrote this to send as an email, but then noticed it had to be sent through the forums so that is why the writing style is a bit fancy. Recently, I have been trying to create scenarios for myself with the end goal of publishing, and this, of course, involves programming a whole lot of trains. During this process, I have identified a couple of bugs that need addressing, along with three quality of life improvements that will significantly benefit the user experience. I will list them below, starting with bug fixes. Bug Fixes 1. ‘Ghost’ red signals. On the Cross City Line and other maps, one being the Huddersfield Line, I have encountered 'ghost' red signals. These occur when either: • An AI train has gone through the signal before me, and the signal then refuses to go back to yellow, or green, or • The signal is just red for no reason, as there is no AI on the track diagrams, and the points are all set for me. 2. Longbridge Turnback Sidings Issue When driving from Bromsgrove to Longbridge, I need to turn back to go to Redditch. However, the points for the turn-back are already set for entering the Turnback Siding, even though I haven't entered the platform yet, meaning I can’t get into the Longbridge platforms without derailing. Quality of Life 1. Copy & Paste Currently, I constantly find myself needing a copy & paste feature, making this addition more than helpful. Currently, if a user wants two or more trains to do the same path at once, it is very time-consuming as they have to enter the path two or more times. 2. Flip If the user wants to make a service do a return journey, they currently have to enter the path out all over again, this time in reverse order, but with copy, paste and flip, the user will just need to copy the original path, paste it, then flip it. For example, I want a train to go to Four Oaks from Redditch and back, but that would mean having to write it all out all over again. 3. Cut If the user accidentally programmed the wrong service (e.g., Service 1 instead of Service 2), the user currently would have to delete it and start from scratch unless the services are next to each other. A cut feature would eliminate having to do this and allow users to select the path and paste it into another service 4. Ponder The ponder button would act as an aid to users new to programming services or to users who just don't know anything about a feature and want to learn how to use it. I imagine this to be especially useful in the text box areas of the programming section of services. How do I think these should work? Copy & Paste A. World Editor Mode To copy, the user should Shift + Right Click on the driver symbol of a service, then click the already implemented copy button on the GUI. Alternatively, the user should be able to use the keyboard shortcut of CTRL-C. To paste, the user should click on the consist where the driver sits, then either click the already implemented paste button or use CTR- V. B. The Programming GUI In the programming GUI, there is a section with buttons such as destination, go via, stop at, etc. This is where the Copy & Paste buttons should be located. To copy, the user should tick what they want to copy, then click the copy button or use CTRL + C to copy the selection. Once copied, the user will be able to either paste it into the programming for the service they have currently selected or they can select another service and paste the selection into there, by clicking the paste button or using CTRL + V. Once pasted, I suggest the pasted material stays selected until deselected to allow the user to flip if necessary. Flip The flip button should be located in the same place as Copy & Paste. The user will tick the selection they want to flip (for this I suggest all ticks have to be in a row with no breaks in them, like how the merge feature works) and then click the flip button, flipping the selected material. For example, if Longbridge P2 were at the bottom of the selection. it would then be at the top once flipped. Cut The cut feature would work like copy, but it deletes the selection at the same time as copying it. The Cut button would be in the same place as Flip and Copy & Paste, and the user would select the material wanted, then click the cut button, deleting it from one service ready to be pasted elsewhere in another service. Ponder Button The ponder button would look like a little question mark in a circle and would appear next to parts in the programming, and when clicked or hovered over, a text box would be shown, and the user can read some text about the feature they don't know about. The text would contain what the feature does and how to use it. P.S.: After doing recent shenanigans, I think the implementation of a toggle would be beneficial so you can easily switch the scenario to Career, Timetable, or Standard after creation.
