Watford Junction to Milton
Keynes - BVE route
About WJ-MKC
- Route Information:
WJ-MKC will boast many features which will appeal to anyone with an
interest in the West Coast Main Line. The route will be available at
several detail levels, and will offer some half decent scenery, railway
infrastructure, bridges, tunnels and some buildings too. The aim is to
re-create the 'atmosphere' of the real line. Track layouts will be fairly
accurate. Many parts of the route are recogniseable to those who know it,
due to identifiable bridges, track formations, stations and in some
places, perhaps even the terrain. Those with very fast machines might also
enjoy the highly detailed and realistic UK Mk1 Catenary found in the High
Detail versions of the route.
Along the route, various trains will be encountered - for example class
86 and 87 AC electric locos hauling Intercity services; or class 321
EMU's. Others may be seen as well...
Route Variations
Initially, the route(s) will be available with various
options. These are:
- Sunny, Summer conditions
- Winter Snow conditions.
Also, the following timetables (both on the fast lines) and trains
should be available:
- Intercity - Class 87 AC Electric loco
- Outer Suburban - Class 321 EMU (May be released as an add-on shortly
after release of the Intercity version, depending on progress made)
Detail Levels
Here are the various 'detail levels' described. The hardware
requirements recommended here are the result of extensive hardware
testing, but as anyone who used the demo will appreciate, there are no
guarantees that the routes will perform as indicated here. The routes
might work better than expected on slower hardware, or may run slower than
expected - the routes need to be tried first. The 'Low' and 'Standard'
Detail routes in particular, certainly run better than the equivalent demo
versions did!
'Standard Route'
- The 'Mainstream' route - should be useable on many machines - BVE2
drawing distance may need to be reduced on lower end examples
- Optimised for BVE2. Works without errors in BVE1, but 'smoother' in
BVE2.
- Completely new and re-written WJ-MKC 'Rolling Ground Terrain' system
- features near-constantly varied ground and embankment/cutting height.
Also features less repetetive placement of trees in many locations -
both at the lineside and in the distance.
- New hills which represent some of the scenic terrain seen on parts of
the real line, for example after Linslade Tunnel.
- 'Basic' Mk1 catenary, which looks identical to that seen in the old
'Low Detail' demo, but this time without the pausing.
- Many bridges found on the real line are re-created quite
prototypically along the route.
- A limited number of prominent lineside buildings are re-created along
the route, and are recogniseable.
- Lineside signs are depicted, both with 3D objects and BVE markers -
these include Permanent and Temporary Speed Restrictions, Signal ID
plates, Neutral Section Warning and Start boards, and Gradient Posts.
- AWS magnets and sound effects
- Highly detailed signals, with 'flashover' protection cages, ladders
and signal ID plates
- Station Buildings - although some compromises made due to performance
issues
- Near photo-realistic tunnel portals
- Several types of WCML traction and rolling stock can be seen along
the route
'Low Detail Route'
- For slower machines (may need BVE2 drawing distance lowered)
- Features are the same as the 'Standard' route, however there are very
few lineside trees in this version
And for those who like detail above all else, and have fast
hardware...
'Medium Detail Route'
- No hardware requirements stated - 'if it works, it works...'
- Features are the same as in the 'Standard' route, however this
version will have highly detailed Mk1 catenary, featuring such details
as registration arms, and catenary overlaps. Wires are in typical BVE
format, not 'sagging'.
'High and Extra High Detail Route'
- For 1 GHz machines
- The same as the 'Medium Detail' route, except the catenary wires
'sag' between the OLE supports, and 'zig-zag' across the track, on
longer straight sections of line. Looks just like the real thing. The
'High Detail' uses simple catenary (2 wires) and the 'Extra High Detail'
uses accurate compound catenary (3 wires).
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