Night Cab-Lights and other question

[PA1930]

Hi everyone. Sorry that I can't speak or understand much of Polish... I am from Portugal, and only know how to speak Spanish, English and a bit of Czech (curiously I find that Czech is a bit similar to Polish...).

I have been "trying" to play on this simulator for a big a while... It is a great simulator and something I enjoy a lot is to hear the tachograf Hasler "ticking". :)

I have a few questions that I still haven't been able to figure out how to solve it, even after watching videos on youtube.

First question: There are some interesting night activities, though while I am able to turn on the outside lights of the locomotive, I just can't figure out how to turn on the cab lights (or even instrument lights) so its not that easy to see the cab instruments at night. :/ How can I do this? I have tried to use Polish keyboard configuration but I couldn't do anything special anyways.

Second question: I've seen videos of the activities that people make for this simulator. They are just the best! Though a big problem in my opinion is that, specially when shunting trains, radio communications are completely in Polish, so I can't really understand what should do or what I shouldn't do. I have noticed something when you press the key F2, it shows you lots of information, though I can't really understand what each part of the information means or what I should really do.
So I give a sugestion... Is it possible to make something to show to the player to where to drive for example giving an "order" on the F2 (or other key) for example showing distance to the place where I should go and when to reverse or continue to the front with the locomotive... I've noticed that there's a part of F2 that says usually something like "comand 0_wait_for_orders" - What orders? usually I get an order or a green signal to depart (knowing the timetable on passenger trains, for example) but this "comand 0" thing stills says to wait for orders... so I can't really understand if i should really start moving to get on time to the next station or just stay stopped until I get some order...

Then I have also seen another that says something like "comand 2_put Cabsignal" - How do I do this? To be honest I can't really know how to "Put Cabsignal".

3rd question: How do I know that the activity is over? Shouldn't be there something telling you that there are no other next tasks, that you should just turn off the locomotive and leave the game? Rather than staying in front of a red signal without any orders (it usually shows that "comand 0"...) - I've seen this for example on the Baltyk activity that we need to get a broken down train.

4th question: I think I have had this problem before but I couldn't figure out how to solve it myself... I had a problem with an electric locomotive (I think it was EU07) on the Activity L053-sluzba-1-night, that the locomotive turned the main power switch off for some reason I don't know and I couldn't get it working after that. It just didn't want to turn on again... Then out of curiosity I turned the AutoPilot on and it was able to turn on again but I don't know how. I tried everything... reset the fuse, turn off ventilators (x key) and compressor, lower pantographs, and do everything again to start the locomotive but when I tried to connect the main power switch it didn't work. Did anyone had this problem as well? What did I do wrong or what should I do when this happens?


I'm sorry for all of these questions, but I am really interested on how to play on this simulator as it is really great! ;)

Thanks in advance for your help.

Pedro Almeida

[Ra]

Hello and welcome!

I've noticed that there's a part of F2 that says usually something like "comand 0_wait_for_orders" - What orders? usually I get an order or a green signal to depart (knowing the timetable on passenger trains, for example) but this "comand 0" thing stills says to wait for orders...

The commands are internal information passed to AI. However, most of the scenarios are not dedicated for AI to execute correctly, so this is pretty useless for you.

[PA1930]

Thanks for explaining that to me, Ra.
Though aren't there any intentions to make something to "help" a player that doesn't understand Polish to know what next tasks should he do?

Right now I was playing on one of those night activities on L053 and I had a problem that I didn't know how to fix (once again...)

I was doing that activity where you drive one ET41 and you need to couple to SM42 and then go somewhere else to get wagons (I think)... When I was going to get the wagons, in all of a sudden a noise I have never heard before started, it sounded like an alarm but I didn't know how to stop it so after a while the brakes applied and I couldn't release the brakes and neither I could stop the alarm sound so I had to leave the activity...
What should I have done? It was confusing.

[janek32]

You're probably writing about vigilance-checking system CA ("Czuwak Aktywny").
Every 60 seconds an indicator starts blinking, and you have to press Space key. If not, the alarm sound starts and after few second emergency brakes are applied.
Similar but lighting continously indicator lights up when you're approaching to some signals. It is SHP system ("Samoczynne Hamowanie Pociągu"). You also have to press Space in that situation.

[PA1930]

You're probably writing about emergency system CA ("czuwak aktywny").
Every 60 seconds an indicator starts blinking, and you have to press Space key. If not, the alarm sound starts and after few second emergency brakes are applied.

Actually, it wasn't that. That I am already used to the sound of it and I always press the Space key.

This sound was weird and I've never heard it before. True to be told is that I actually didn't know what to do in the activity. I translated what the description said in Polish (ah, and on my PC many Polish words don't show up well) that I needed to couple my locomotive to one SM42 and it would take my electric locomotive to the place with the sand wagons to transport, but I only see the signal open to green and yellow (40km/h limit) and the diesel locomotive doesn't move with my locomotive... So I tried to drive it with my electric locomotive and at some point that sound started and I couldn't do anything about it.

[MaciejM]

First question: There are some interesting night activities, though while I am able to turn on the outside lights of the locomotive, I just can't figure out how to turn on the cab lights (or even instrument lights) so its not that easy to see the cab instruments at night. :/ How can I do this? I have tried to use Polish keyboard configuration but I couldn't do anything special anyways.

Turn on cab lights: Shift + Ctrl + ;
Turn off cab lights: Ctrl + ;
Turn on instrument lighting: Shift + ;
Turn off instrument lighting: ;

[Ra]

I have tried to use Polish keyboard configuration but I couldn't do anything special anyways.

You should try USA keyboard configuration and search for keys that give [;] and [^] in log. With these you should be able to switch internal cab lights.

Is it possible to make something to show to the player to where to drive for example giving an "order" on the F2 (or other key) for example showing distance to the place where I should go and when to reverse or continue to the front with the locomotive...

It is in plans to display the shorthand report of radio, what will allow also translation to other languages. But nobody knows when it will be done.

How do I know that the activity is over?

Another thing to solve. ;)

[PA1930]

Turn on cab lights: Shift + Ctrl + ;
Turn off cab lights: Ctrl + ;
Turn on instrument lighting: Shift + ;
Turn off instrument lighting: ;

Thanks for you reply!
Though it seams like it doesn't work anyways. Do you suggest me to use any specific type of keyboard configuration on the PC, maybe?
On the log file it says I pressed the wrong keys but I pressed the ones that should:

Key pressed: [Shift]+[,]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[Ctrl]+[,]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[Ctrl]+[,]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[Ctrl]+[.]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[Ctrl]+[,]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[Ctrl]+[,]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[Ctrl]+[,]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[,]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[,]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[Ctrl]+[.]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[Ctrl]+[.]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[.]
Key pressed: [Ctrl]+[.]
Key pressed: [Ctrl]+[.]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[Ctrl]+[,]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[.]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[.]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[Ctrl]+[,]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[Ctrl]+[,]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[.]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[.]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[Ctrl]+[,]
Key pressed: [Ctrl]+[,]
Key pressed: [Ctrl]+[.]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[.]
Key pressed: [Shift]+[,]

  Dodano: 04 Listopada 2013, 00:15:27 Ra, thank you very much for your help!
It took me a while of "configuration" of the keyboards and I had to "force" my PC to accept the US keyboard layout (although amazingly the Mozilla Firefox browser that I am using is still using the Portuguese keyboard layout somehow...)
But finally I was able to do what I wanted!

Also, thanks for you reply as well about all the other details. I hope those things will be developed as I really like this simulator, but like I said, it is hard for me to know what to do, specially in shunting missions, when all comunications and instructions are all in Polish.

Other question, by the way: The main menu of the simulator doesn't show the Polish words correctly... Do you know any way to solve this problem?

Poprawiłem załącznik.
Benek

[MaciejM]

The main menu of the simulator doesn't show the Polish words correctly... Do you know any way to solve this problem?

I don't know why, but you can change language into English, Italian, Russian:

[PA1930]

I have that in English, but the problem is that in the main menu e description of activities is all in Polish so the words don't show okay.
A few Polish words are replaced by numbers or something else.

You should send pictures to our server. Use "Załączniki i opcje dodatkowe" and attach your screenshots in section "Załącz".
Benek

[Ra]

The strange characters are because Rainsted has 8-bit texts, not Unicode ones. And the detailed descriptions (inside scenery files) are only in Polish. To show them correctly, you would have to switch the default codepage to Windows-1250. Some work was put into Rainsted to make it multilangual. You can create another language by simply adding next lang-??.ini file. However, it was never done for the sceneries. Perhaps we should change the format of descriptions to allow translation. But there are many other things to do...

[PA1930]

Hello Ra!

Thanks for the suggestion. I've made a small change and now the Polish words appear as they should!

So, so far my only "complaints" are that those things you said that you are still developing:

Is it possible to make something to show to the player to where to drive for example giving an "order" on the F2 (or other key) for example showing distance to the place where I should go and when to reverse or continue to the front with the locomotive...

It is in plans to display the shorthand report of radio, what will allow also translation to other languages. But nobody knows when it will be done.

How do I know that the activity is over?

Another thing to solve. ;)

Thanks for all of your help and replies!

For now my new doubts should be created in another topic, I guess. My next questions are related on how to create events or timetables for a route but for now I think I will prefer to drive the trains more than to develop an activity... Guessing it should be difficult to do such a thing without knowing Polish.

[adsim]

To show timetables press button "Rozklad jazdy" or "Pokaz SRJP". In some missions timetables shows directly in starter when you select train.
To shunt watch only lights. White - shunt, blue or red - stop. You don't need to listen commands.

[Ra]

For now my new doubts should be created in another topic, I guess. My next questions are related on how to create events or timetables for a route

Separate topic is good idea. For the events, please look into CTR files of Quark, this is new direction of traffic management that should be followed in future. However, this is still not the final solution, but better than any former.

[PA1930]

To show timetables press button "Rozklad jazdy" or "Pokaz SRJP". In some missions timetables shows directly in starter when you select train.
To shunt watch only lights. White - shunt, blue or red - stop. You don't need to listen commands.

There is at least one mission where the timetable does not appear. It's the "drowinowo_noc" with EP05. There is a timetable "button" but it shows the time table of other train during day time, from the activity "drowinowo" with EP09.

For example, since I don't really know what I should do on the activity called "l053_cargo_part1", because after I couple to SM42, nothing happens and I don't know what do next.

For now my new doubts should be created in another topic, I guess. My next questions are related on how to create events or timetables for a route

Separate topic is good idea. For the events, please look into CTR files of Quark, this is new direction of traffic management that should be followed in future. However, this is still not the final solution, but better than any former.

I've read those files but to be honest I can't understand much. :/

[PiterCC]

There is at least one mission where the timetable does not appear. It's the "drowinowo_noc" with EP05. There is a timetable "button" but it shows the time table of other train during day time, from the activity "drowinowo" with EP09.

There isn't any time table for this mission, so you should just look at the travel times between each station.

For example, since I don't really know what I should do on the activity called "l053_cargo_part1", because after I couple to SM42, nothing happens and I don't know what do next.

OK. When you touch the bumpers of SM42 by your ET41, you should brake by NUM1 ("hamulec pomocniczy") and then by Ctrl+NUM5 ("odcięcie") - you have to be touching the bumpers of SM42 all the time!
Next you should press Insert twice - the locomotives will be connected by the couplers.
Finally you only have to press Shift+1.

[PA1930]

There isn't any time table for this mission, so you should just look at the travel times between each station.

--/--

OK. When you touch the bumpers of SM42 by your ET41, you should brake by NUM1 ("hamulec pomocniczy") and then by Ctrl+NUM5 ("odcięcie") - you have to be touching the bumpers of SM42 all the time!
Next you should press Insert twice - the locomotives will be connected by the couplers.
Finally you only have to press Shift+1.

Thank you very much for your suggestion and help!
As for the activity, I was really amazed that indeed SM42 took my locomotive to somewhere else to get wagons. Amazing! Now I finally can try out "part 2"! Thanks much. :)

[PiterCC]

There isn't any time table for this mission, so you should just look at the travel times between each station.

--/--

OK. When you touch the bumpers of SM42 by your ET41, you should brake by NUM1 ("hamulec pomocniczy") and then by Ctrl+NUM5 ("odcięcie") - you have to be touching the bumpers of SM42 all the time!
Next you should press Insert twice - the locomotives will be connected by the couplers.
Finally you only have to press Shift+1.

Thank you very much for your suggestion and help!
As for the activity, I was really amazed that indeed SM42 took my locomotive to somewhere else to get wagons. Amazing! Now I finally can try out "part 2"! Thanks much. :)

Por favor :)

[PA1930]

Well, to avoid on creating a new topic, I'd like to ask a new question.

Although I do enjoy a lot to drive the train without having to worry about "real time", it is bothering that indeed I need to spend around 2 or 3 hours driving a train on the simulator in order to get to the end of the journey.
Isn't there any way to be able to make a "save-game" to the journey, in order to avoid driving a train in "real time" for those 2 or 3 hours straight? That would be nice but I'm going to guess that there isn't this feature yet on this simulator.

[Ra]

Right, a possiblity to save the current simulation to continue it later is in plans.

[PA1930]

Thanks for your reply! A save feature would really come in handy. ;) Good to know you have it on your plans to do it.