7th
September 2005 @ 23:45 |
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Watford
Junction to Rugby screenshots and photos now available
I've uploaded two galleries
of Watford Junction to Rugby
screenshots, and also uploaded a new gallery of
photos covering the real
line; you can see them all via the new
Rail Sim Routes UK Gallery
page.
I should point out that
these screenshots feature the 'Maximum Detail' routes,
which are primarily designed to see just how much detail
can be built into a route, and as such the 'maximum
detail' routes include more detail than BVE can
adequately cope with at the moment, and the high
resolution textures also place too many demands on BVE.
Therefore the final route will be closer to
Cross-City South v1.3
in terms of visual quality, but with lower resolution
versions of the photographic textures shown in these
screenshots, and fewer, more simple lineside details.
The overall appearance of the final route will be
similar however.
Birmingham
Cross-City North progress update
While the Watford Junction
to Rugby project has received most of my attention, I
have made some progress with the Cross-City North
recently as well. I'm pleased to announce that I've
successfully merged both
Cross-City South v1.3 and Cross-City North into a single
route, so, provided BVE (v4) can cope with the
extra demands of handling the additional Cross-City
North objects, textures and larger route files, it
should be possible to drive the 323
all the way from Redditch to
Lichfield Trent Valley without having to
interrupt your journey. Naturally Cross-City North has
been automatically upgraded to Cross-City South v1.3
standards as it shares many of the same objects, and
I'll upload some new screenshots of Birmingham New
Street to Lichfield Trent Valley as soon as I'm happy
with the results. These new screenshots will also give
an indication of the level of detail to expect in the
final Watford Junction to Rugby route as well.
Birmingham
Cross-City South
I'd like to thank everyone
who has commented on the new Cross-City South v1.3 on
various forums since it's release, and also those who
have contacted me and let me know what they think of the
new route - all of your feedback is greatly appreciated!
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12th August
2005 @ 23:20 |
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BVE
Help Guide expanded for BVE 4
 The
latest version of BVE (version 4.2) was released by
Mackoy
earlier this year, and I have (finally!) updated my
BVE Help Guide to
reflect the changes to Mackoy's website along with BVE
v4 installation instructions, although the guide to
downloading and installing BVE 2.6.3 remains available
too.
The updated
BVE
Help Guide for BVE 4 also includes more
information about keyboard
commands, using BVE 4's menus
and settings dialogs, and
changing Windows' Regional Settings so
users of non-English Windows XP
can load BVE 4 routes successfully. Help is also
provided for Windows 98 users who
want to use BVE 4. The new BVE Help Guide also
explains how to enhance BVE 4's visual quality through
the use of anti-aliasing
and anisotropic filtering,
which are features worth using on more recent 3D
hardware accelerated graphics cards.
New "Driver's
Guide for BVE" also launched
I've received quite a few
e-mails from users of my routes in the past who are just
gaining an interest in railway simulation, but who don't
necessarily know everything that needs to be known about
safely driving along the routes, may not have a full
understanding of UK signalling practice, or may just
want some guidance as to how to make the simulated
train driving experience as authentic as possible. For
these reasons, I've created the
Driver's Guide for
BVE which outlines the basics of UK signalling
systems likely to be encountered, explains the
signalling and in-cab safety systems and how to use
them, and explains what all those lineside signs
actually mean, and what should be done when they're
encountered. The Driver's Guide also includes a
Birmingham
Cross-City South / Class 323 EMU tutorial
(designed primarily for BVE v4 users, but still of
interest to BVE v2 users), so if you're new to railway
simulation and BVE, take a look at these to help you get
the most from the Cross-City South, the class 323 EMU,
and BVE. The 'Driver's Guide for BVE' is a work in
progress, and more resources will be added over time.
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Birmingham
Cross-City South v1.3 for BVE 4.2 now available
Compatible with BVE
v2.6 and v4.2
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Cross-City South v1.2
wasn't completely compatible with BVE v4.x, so I've
released a significant BVE 4 update for the route to
bring the Cross-City South to version
1.3. The Cross-City South now
makes full use of BVE v4's new
features, and includes new
Autumn 2004 and Spring 2005 routes.
BVE v2.x users get two new
'High Detail' Spring 2005 routes minus the BVE v4
specific functionality, and all BVE v2 compatible routes
benefit from some cosmetic upgrades. The BVE 4 class 323
EMU by Steve Green,
Simon Gathercole and
myself has also been
updated with a set of new features thanks to Simon and
Steve's work with the plugin DLL, and the unit has also
been updated with some of my own
new authentic Cross-City flange sounds, plus
my own updated 16-bit run sounds,
for use with Cross-City South v1.3. I have also upgraded
the Class 323 Passenger Views for
BVE 4, and these now include 1024x768 passenger
view panels and updated 16-bit run and flange sounds.
New features for BVE
v4.2 users:
- Full
BVE v4.2 compatibility when used in
conjunction with the updated
BVE v4 class 323 EMU by Steve
Green, Simon
Gathercole and myself,
or indeed the updated Class
323 Passenger Views for BVE 4.
- Route modifications
to allow the use of the class 323's
fully working Automatic
Warning System (AWS) and
Train Protection and Warning
System (TPWS), plus new raindrop
effects. The 323 also includes other features
such as a fully functional Vigilance
Device, Driver's
Reminder Appliance (DRA),
Power, Brake and Door
Interlocks, Pantograph
Up/Down functionality, and
accurate guards buzzer.
These features are possible thanks to BVE v4's new
method of handling signalling and train safety
systems, together with Simon
Gathercole's superb plugin DLL for the class
323 EMU.
- New
Dawn, Sunset and Night* routes, using
realistic time of day
lighting effects thanks to BVE 4's new
Directional and Ambient
Lighting features. Many objects in these
routes also use the emissive
colour properties of DirectX (.X) objects,
which allow faces to be illuminated independently of
the ambient lighting conditions, which in turn
allows glowing lamps, street lights and headlights.
Many thanks once again to Simon
Gathercole for his assistance with pointing
out and explaning the emissive colour and specular
properties of DirectX objects.
- New
Autumn 2004 and
Spring 2005 routes.
The Autumn 2004 routes use a pair
of class 323 units on a busy morning rush
hour service from Redditch to Birmingham New Street,
with the special Cross-City 'leaf fall' timetable.
Visibility is reduced, and the 323's
new raindrop effects and
wipers can be seen. The Spring 2005 routes
feature a late morning run into New Street, in
either cloudy but dry conditions, or wet and
thundery conditions. Birmingham New Street's
new bay platform 4c is
also modelled, along with small differences at the
lineside, and the new
pointwork installed recently at Longbridge and Kings
Norton is represented.
- The
MkI and MkIII catenary systems are now
photo-realistic, with registration arms,
support tubes and insulators all derived from
photographs. Masts, headspans and portal structures
are now modelled in true 3D,
with additional details such as new mast ID plates,
and other mast mounted signs and labels. New
prototypical cantilevers are also installed in
certain tunnels on the approach to New Street. The
new enhanced catenary draws upon work done while
developing the
Watford
Junction to Rugby project.
- Additional
lineside signs have been added, such as
Sandite markers; and other lineside details are more
accurate.
- All
platforms have been upgraded with new higher
resolution and photo-realistic textures, along with
additional refinements such as smoothly
curved platforms at Barnt Green and
University.
- New
track textures have been added, improving the
appearance of the route.
- All
routes have randomised signalling - you can
get anything from a clear run in to New Street, to
signal checks all the way from Longbridge.
- A
new set of flange sounds is included in the
updated BVE v4 class 323 (the new Cross-City
compatible version), and the updated Class 323
Passenger Views for BVE 4, along with route file
support for the new sounds **
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One
of the new night routes is experimental,
and designed as a demonstration of BVE v4's ability
to render true night time with proper illuminated
objects, and without the need for special darkened
scenery or the use of 'black fog'. Unfortunately BVE
v4.2 doesn't illuminate the cab independently of the
external lighting level, leading to a dark cab, and
neither does BVE simulate a headlight.
Only use this experimental
route if you're interested in seeing a more
realistic depiction of night within BVE, but less
fussed about seeing the cab gauges! |
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The BVE v4 class
323 has been updated for full compatibility with
Cross-City South v1.3. If you don't download the new
version, it will work but you won't hear the correct
flange sounds, and those you do hear may not sound
too good in places. This is because the original
sounds I included in the 323 were designed for BVE
v2, but flange sounds are handled differently (and
better in my view) in BVE v4, and needed to be
updated accordingly. |
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BVE v4 no longer
uses the information 'markers' which gave BVE 2.6
users of the Cross-City South such information as
upcoming speed restrictions, landmarks and location
names. BVE v4 provides no equivalent facility to
display this information, therefore I've included
some of it on BVE 4's pop-up timetables instead. The
route information on the timetable display is
automatically updated at each station stop, and you
can manually display this information between
stations if you like. |
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experimental night route, designed as a
demonstration of BVE v4's ability to render true
night time with proper illuminated objects, and
without the need for special darkened scenery or
the use of 'black fog'. Unfortunately the 323's
cab is displayed as dark as the scenery so this
route is for novelty value only! |
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The
new Dawn routes for BVE v4, which use BVE 4's
ambient and directional lighting capabilities to
recreate more atmospheric lighting effects. Also
note the new photo-realistic MkIII catenary and
3D gantry. |
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Bonus
add-on route files for the BVE v4 class 158 and the new
class 37
The amazing new
class 37 for BVE v4 has
just been released over at
www.trainsimcentral.co.uk,
and Cross-City South v1.3 includes bonus activities
which use this fantastic new loco. Route files are also
included which use the BVE v4
class 158. These bonus routes make use of the new
features included in both trains. The class 37 activity
is in the form of a railtour
from Redditch as far as Birmingham New Street,
up the fast lines between
Longbridge and Kings Norton. The class 158 activity is a
run from Barnt Green to Birmingham New Street, also via
the fast lines. These alternative path variations were
created using Oskari Saarekas' BVE Route Randomiser
(BRR), available here:
http://koti.mbnet.fi/~lopomo/trainsoft/index.html.
Please be sure to read the documentation included in
both the new class 37 and the 158 to get the best out of
both trains, and remember to turn your speaker volume up
while thrashing the 37!!
New features
for BVE v2.x users:
- For
BVE v2.x users, two new Spring 2005 routes are
provided, minus some of the BVE v4 specific
features. These new route files benefit from the
new photo-realistic platform
textures, the new photo-realisitic
3D catenary system, the new
track textures, and updated
lineside signs, scenery
and renewed trackwork
at Longbridge and Kings Norton.
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Downloading
BVE v4.2 and Birmingham Cross-City South v1.3
If you need help with
obtaining BVE v4.2, please read my updated
BVE Help Guide. If you
use Windows XP, then using BVE v4 wil be
straightforward. However please note that if you still
use Windows 98, you may need to install Japanese
Language Support if BVE v4 fails to run correctly.
Japanese Language Support can be obtained via Windows
Update, or failing this, by opening Internet Explorer,
going to the 'View' > 'Encoding' > 'More' submenu
and selecting 'Japanese (Auto-Select)' - Internet
Explorer should prompt you to install Japanese Language
Support, and BVE v4 should then run after this is
installed.
Cross-City South v1.3 is
available as a completely new set of downloads for BVE
v2 and v4 users. I'm afraid a patch to update Cross-City
South v1.2 to v1.3 is not available - so many files have
been updated or relocated that the update would have
been a large download in itself, so existing Cross-City
South v1.2 users will have to download the route again.
Head over to the updated
Birmingham Cross-City
South v1.3 section of the site, where you'll find
the downloads, and a restructured
Route Information
section.
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| Preceeding
news dating back to August 2001 has been archived - please see
the News Archive for
previous news items. |
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Rail Sim Routes UK, 2001-2007.  |
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