Can't Pause to confirm signal number

Didn't know about the A key till you mentioned it. Now there's a handy shortcut.

If you were really interest(ed), you would not be asking all these questions.

The keys I quoted are the only keys in use in the latest sim EUSTON.

F3 to adjust speeds.

All saved automatically in Simsig. (F3)

You must be running the sims greater than 2:1 mode. Detecting signals in normal mode is not going to affect your game one iota.

Pause mode works fine in Euston.

But it's documented.

To Barry:

Quote:

If you were really interest(ed), you would not be asking all these questions.

You mean I should shut up, continue playing the game and suffer quietly? :)

Yes

Quote:

All saved automatically in Simsig. (F3)

Quote:

Since you are familiar with Train Dispatcher, I was referring particularly to confirmation of Add Stack Command, which doesn't apply to SimSig.

Stack Command is used in America. Better than Stack Command, ARS is used in Simsig. I think the Yanks are using ARS now.

Quote:

When you say "all saved automatically..F3" I presume you mean that any changes made in Options are saved automatically. I don't dispute that, but that's not the issue I referred to, which is lack of confirmation when making changes outside the Options window, i.e., within the View window. I think you missed my point here.

All saves are noted on the Message Screen.

Quote:

Pause mode works fine in Euston.

[quote]Glad to hear it. Haven't been game to tackle it yet.

The reason for this is that a real-life Signalman cannot pause time to enable him to signal trains, and a majority of users indicated to Geoff and Clive that they thought SimSig should be the same.

" said:

The reason for this is that a real-life Signalman cannot pause time to enable him to signal trains, and a majority of users indicated to Geoff and Clive that they thought SimSig should be the same.

If thats the case then shame on the community.

I have edited the Glossary and Exeter manual to remove confusion, and recommend updating other manuals where hotkeys are used.

On the point of Add Stack Command: Every time one stacks a command on top of another, a popup message appears which has to be cancelled by the user (OK/Cancel). This becomes quite unnecessary and irritating after a while. Popup messages are desirable, but should come with the option to self-close after a specified interval, or not appear at all, to help users who need more speed. No user should feel locked into one option only.

FYI I seldom run faster than 1:1-1:1.5 as it detracts from the "realism" you guys are on about so much. On the other hand, when there is a glut of trains with angry drivers waiting at reds, every minute spent frantically dragging a PDF signal map sideways looking for that blasted signal, siding or crossing wastes time, so the only remedy is to pause, not stay in Normal (1:1) mode or go slower.

" said:

On the point of Add Stack Command: Every time one stacks a command on top of another, a popup message appears which has to be cancelled by the user (OK/Cancel). This becomes quite unnecessary and irritating after a while. Popup messages are desirable, but should come with the option to self-close after a specified interval, or not appear at all, to help users who need more speed. No user should feel locked into one option only.

F3 gives you the option to select when you get a pop-up for every catagory of message, so you aren't locked in to one option. Regardless of this, at the end of the day it is only clicking something on screen! It's not a major effort! In fact, this is a good feature since it forces you to read what is being dispalayed, which will always be helpful. If it's something like "automatic working not available for this route", this is clearly necessary information, and to stop it popping up, you learn not to try and engage auto mode for that signal.

" said:

FYI I seldom run faster than 1:1-1:1.5 as it detracts from the "realism" you guys are on about so much. On the other hand, when there is a glut of trains with angry drivers waiting at reds, every minute spent frantically dragging a PDF signal map sideways looking for that blasted signal, siding or crossing wastes time, so the only remedy is to pause, not stay in Normal (1:1) mode or go slower.

You don't really need to use the map to find a signal- if the train is waiting at a signal, it will give you it's headcode, which will, of course, be dislayed clearly on the screen.

Another possibility is when a phone call is recieved, instead of being from "Driver 2R43", perhaps it could be from "Signal Post Telephone SY8", or a combination of both "Driver 2R43 (SY8 Signal)"

" said:

Another possibility is when a phone call is recieved, instead of being from "Driver 2R43", perhaps it could be from "Signal Post Telephone SY8", or a combination of both "Driver 2R43 (SY8 Signal)"

I think that would be a good idea. When I was in the box an incoming call from a driver showed the signal number (only) - the old relay- & uniselector-based systems didn't know what trains were at what signals (& trying to get them to display that sort of information from the train describer would've been just too much complication to consider). But of course the driver would identify his train immediately, so that is the information the bobby would've had.

F3 gives you the option to select when you get a pop-up for every catagory of message, so you aren't locked in to one option.

You don't really need to use the map to find a signal- if the train is waiting at a signal, it will give you it's headcode, which will, of course, be dislayed clearly on the screen.

That's if the train happens to be on that part of the area that's currently displayed on your screen. If it's offscreen, you need to find it in a hurry. Here's where an Overview window large enough to display headcodes would be really useful, as opposed to the tiny one we have now.

Who cares whether it's being pulled by an emu or an ostrich?

This might require making the Messages Box slightly larger, but it might mean we could close the Train List (for those who use it) and rely purely on the Messages Box. It bothers me that SimSig seems to lack any way of automatically storing older messages. I'd expect that in real life these messages would be kept somehow, blue-tacked to the main panel, or pushed onto a spike of earlier messages, etc.

Steamer also wrote:
Quote:

You don't really need to use the map to find a signal- if the train is waiting at a signal, it will give you it's headcode, which will, of course, be dislayed clearly on the screen.

That's if the train happens to be on that part of the area that's currently displayed on your screen. If it's offscreen, you need to find it in a hurry.

Although handy to have, there are two problems with the Train List:
1) It's impossible to sort it by date of status message, which is the way the Messages window displays them. This should be an option, set by clicking the column header.
2) Every time I bring it up it fills two thirds of my screen horizontally, half of it with unwanted information about "Can pass sig | Non stop | Power | Description". Who cares whether it's pulled by an emu or an ostrich? I always narrow the window to cut this stuff out, but it keeps springing back to its full size each time I reopen it*

If you hover the cursor over a TD in the overview, the TD will be displayed in the title bar and also by the cursor.

With level crossings, I can set a barrier lowering on one pass, and then clear/set the route on the next scroll by.

It also helps to understand what route the train will follow from the headcode. There are many sims where the alpha character in the TD lets you know what route it has to follow without having recourse to the TT or F2 (and in many of those sims the oddball train with the same alpha that follows a different route just to keep you on your toes).

The technique I use to reduce 'phone calls is to scroll across the simulation, checking that each train in turn has at least a proceed aspect, ideally green, and watching the message window for trains entering the area. When you reach the other end of the view, jump back to the start and repeat. If you can keep the trains moving, you don't get any calls from red signals.

With level crossings, I can set a barrier lowering on one pass, and then clear/set the route on the next scroll by.

" said:

This might require making the Messages Box slightly larger, but it might mean we could close the Train List (for those who use it) and rely purely on the Messages Box. It bothers me that SimSig seems to lack any way of automatically storing older messages. I'd expect that in real life these messages would be kept somehow, blue-tacked to the main panel, or pushed onto a spike of earlier messages, etc.

In real life, I suspect telephone messages in large signalboxes are recorded automatically, although I think the tape would only be played back in the event of an accident. They might stick notes onto the panel, as you've suggested- SimSig already includes the 'sticky notes' feature. Anything that appears in the messages box stays there until you close the Sim down, unless you manually delete them.

But IRL the signalman isn't going to go listening to the tape. Once a call is over, it's over; if anything needs recording the bobby scribbles it down while talking (most old fashioned boxes had a bulldog clip with the plain backs of old notices for precisely that purpose - this was before there were such things as sticky notes!!!)