AI train start times Options

[dispatcher]

This question is for the AI train specialists.

When I scheduled all my AI trains, I used the longest train run possible which was approximately 5 hours in duration. I scheduled an AI train approximately every hour leaving from the furthest point and so that I would have the first meet soon after departing with the player train at 10:00 am, I started the first AI train 4 1/2 hours before the player train departed thereby having a meet early on. Everything was just fine. My question is: if I start a new activity from half way across the whole route and at the same time as the longest player train did, say 10:00 a.m., will the AI trains start at the new 4 1/2 hours prior to the player train or stick to the original player train times? For example, if I had an AI train starting at 10:30 in the original train, will that same AI train start at 10:30 in the new activity?

Dispatcher

[nbeveridge]

This question is for the AI train specialists.

When I scheduled all my AI trains, I used the longest train run possible which was approximately 5 hours in duration. I scheduled an AI train approximately every hour leaving from the furthest point and so that I would have the first meet soon after departing with the player train at 10:00 am, I started the first AI train 4 1/2 hours before the player train departed thereby having a meet early on. Everything was just fine. My question is: if I start a new activity from half way across the whole route and at the same time as the longest player train did, say 10:00 a.m., will the AI trains start at the new 4 1/2 hours prior to the player train or stick to the original player train times? For example, if I had an AI train starting at 10:30 in the original train, will that same AI train start at 10:30 in the new activity?

Dispatcher

Are you saying that the first AI train starts at 5:30 AM, and that it actually is onlyl 0.5 hours out of the terminus when the player activity starts at 10:00 AM? If that is true, then I have found a new way to set up AI traffic!

The starting point of the player path has no impact on the starting time of the AI trains. If you adjust the starting time of the activity, however, when you generate the activity, then the AI traffic slides with it. I.e. if you change the start time from 10:00 AM to 9:00 AM using the time adjustment feature of AG4, then the same AI train mentioned before will start at 4:30 AM, instead of 5:30 AM.

[dispatcher]

Are you saying that the first AI train starts at 5:30 AM, and that it actually is onlyl 0.5 hours out of the terminus when the player activity starts at 10:00 AM? If that is true, then I have found a new way to set up AI traffic!

The starting point of the player path has no impact on the starting time of the AI trains. If you adjust the starting time of the activity, however, when you generate the activity, then the AI traffic slides with it. I.e. if you change the start time from 10:00 AM to 9:00 AM using the time adjustment feature of AG4, then the same AI train mentioned before will start at 4:30 AM, instead of 5:30 AM.

If a route is 5 hours long and I start an AI train 4 1/2 hours before 10:00, the AI train is certainly only 1/2 hour away from the terminus when I start the player train. Works for me. The length of the route has no bearing on the out come, however. I just wanted on AI train every hour starting on the first 1/2 hour out.

Dispatcher

[dispatcher]

If a route is 5 hours long and I start an AI train 4 1/2 hours before 10:00, the AI train is certainly only 1/2 hour away from the terminus when I start the player train. Works for me. The length of the route has no bearing on the out come, however. I just wanted on AI train every hour starting on the first 1/2 hour out.

Dispatcher

I must end this confusion about my mathematics. I meant to say the route is 5 1/2 hours long. With the AI train starting 4 1/2 hours before the player train, it would indeed be 1/2 hour away from a meet if the player train starts at 10:00. But we are getting away from my question which, I don't think, has been answered. Is it the same 12:00 AI train in both scenarios? Will I see the same consist?

dispatcher

[sgdavis]

I must end this confusion about my mathematics. I meant to say the route is 5 1/2 hours long. With the AI train starting 4 1/2 hours before the player train, it would indeed be 1/2 hour away from a meet if the player train starts at 10:00. But we are getting away from my question which, I don't think, has been answered. Is it the same 12:00 AI train in both scenarios? Will I see the same consist?

dispatcher

The way it works is, the AI traffic will always run in the same way RELATIVE TO THE PLAYER START TIME. So if you set the activity to start at 9 am and have an AI train at 8, 9 and 10 am, that's when those trains will start. Now if you change the activity start time to 12 noon the same AI trains will start at 11 am, 12 noon, and 1 pm. Or if you change the activity start time to 6 am, those trains will start at 5 am, 6 am and 7 am.

Did that answer your question?

Thanks,

Steve

[sgdavis]

This question is for the AI train specialists.

When I scheduled all my AI trains, I used the longest train run possible which was approximately 5 hours in duration. I scheduled an AI train approximately every hour leaving from the furthest point and so that I would have the first meet soon after departing with the player train at 10:00 am, I started the first AI train 4 1/2 hours before the player train departed thereby having a meet early on. Everything was just fine. My question is: if I start a new activity from half way across the whole route and at the same time as the longest player train did, say 10:00 a.m., will the AI trains start at the new 4 1/2 hours prior to the player train or stick to the original player train times? For example, if I had an AI train starting at 10:30 in the original train, will that same AI train start at 10:30 in the new activity?

Dispatcher

Yes, if an AI train starts at 10:30 am in the original scenario, that same train will always start at 10:30 am regardless of where the player starts from. The only thing that will change the start time of an AI train in Activity Generator (or Activity Master for that matter) is if the player START TIME changes.

If you start at a different place then you will see different AI trains, but still one every hour if you set them up to run from the same starting point every hour. Because the train that started 4 1/2 hours ago, which you would have seen about 30 minutes into your activity when you started from the farthest end of the route, will have passed your "new" starting point quite a long time ago. The trains always start at the same time relative to the player start time, without regard to where you started. this is one reason I always schedule AI trains WAY before the player start time (so players starting at the far end will still see AI traffic) and also right up to and well past the player start time.

The AI train start times do not change regardless of where the player starts. So if you picture the AI trains as being run on a schedule (which they are), and each hitting each town a certain time after they enter the territory, then which ones you see will depend on where you start. On the other hand if you change the START TIME then the AI TRAIN START TIMES are adjusted accordingly.
This means that no matter what time you start, you should always pass the same train "first" whenever you start.

Please let me know if this made sense and answered your question.

Thanks,

Steve