AI Traffic behaviour in MSTS Options

[Greenleader]

I am busy compiling a simple activity on the Garden route of South-Africa. The player train starts at Knysna to George and I have three AI trains coming from George to Knysna. Two of them behave like I want them to. Theye start at their given times and the proceed towards their end piont. The third one just show up and wait for the the player train to enter the station and then will start to move. There are 6 stations between them where it can pass. It does not matter if I make passing paths and I did make sure that AI and player trains do not share a platform. I do have the tutorial for Activity Guide by Arnie Lee. This is a very good program, but even it can't sort this out for me.

Any suggestions would be welcome
Thanks

[dgionet]

Hi Martin,

Despite the many crossing points present along the path between George and Knysna, it is noted that the signal points are very distant. If you check your MSTS Activity editor (AE), you will notice the signal points are located only at 5 areas on the 40-mile stretch. They are at Knysna (MP 40), Goukamma (MP 31), Sedgefield (MP 23), Wilderness (MP 8) and George (MP 0). MSTS wouldn't allow two trains within the same area between two signals. For example, if you are approaching Sedgefield WB and your AI train has passed over Wilderness EB, you will have to wait for the AI at Sedgefield, allow it to cross Sedgefield before your train could move ahead. Both signals are 15 miles apart from each other. That means that, with a maximum speed of 30 miles per hour, you are expected to wait close to 30 minutes for your AI to reach Sedgefield.

With such distance between both signals, it can be more difficult to add more AI trains in that stretch because you may have to wait for not one but two trains, depending of the area your player train and AI train are located. In the case of the upcoming Garden Route template, now finished and in the testing mode, I have limited the AI trains to only two in that stretch of line. Both start , If I recall, around Sedgefield and go on opposite directions and do not meet, because I wanted to limit waiting time for the player train in the area.

Also, MSTS do not make a difference in terms of priority between passenger and freight, although I believe that in many areas in South Africa, passenger has priority over freight. This will be more difficult to apply in MSTS, unless precise timing and path configuration is deliberately set to allow freight to wait for passenger trains.

I hope to have answered your questions and feel free to reply.

Cheers