Trains

[bendib]

Merowingg, why would you talk about buying TS2013 and smash cars with trains in this thread?

AlphaThor01 you dont know me, but I have specific sense of humour sometimes. And I very often connect very abstract things and I have also created many not to the game strictly related threads here. So it is just my style only teasing and spreading strange humour.

But remember sometimes in ambigous way I sneal some ideas or tease with others, agree or disagree with them, so be warned

I do wonder how the project and if evolve

Us "weird" folk gotta stick together. :^)

I think trains in WZ would be interesting to see, but a terrible idea for integration into the base game.

[Merowingg]

bendib

[aubergine]

To deal with train movement (particularly making cargo containers follow the engine, etc) would require some stuff in the base game. Specifically something like droidFollow(leaderDroid, followerDroid[, distance]). However, this could then be used by scripters to create convoys of droids, something that would be useful in custom campaigns.

With the droidFollow() funciton, most of the train stuff would be do-able in scripts (mods) -- the script would focus more on what the engine is doing and not worry about the cargo containers. The cargo containers would be locomotive propulsion transports with very limited cargo space. Thus, you could happily put droids on to them in usual manner and the UI and API for managing transport cargo would be the same as for normal transports.

[AlphaThor01]

I wasn't calling anybody weird, bendib. aubergine, that is true, but if the tracks were only straight and if there were no tunnels, the droidFollow() function would not be used and the whole consist would be built with one exception: more cars would be added to the train with each turret/systems/transport icon clicked on. Also, if the weight gets close enough, the trains would be slower, just like adding a heavier turret to a body. Even though this rule would apply, each engine would have it's own maximum amount of weight it would pull until it gets slower, and there would be a maximum weight to where if the consist exceeds it, the train can't move, just like in real life, thus causing wheelslip. I don't really know how to weigh a tank down to where it couldn't move.

[aubergine]

For weight, it would probably be easier to just state how many containers the train can pull before slowing down per additional container, rather than trying to weigh individual containers. We could assume that the tracks deal with the weight aspect, so really the factor affecting the train engine is inertia - being able to get all it's containers moving or stopped.

[Merowingg]

The problem is trains can pull enormous amounts of carts.

Maybe the trains could somehow correspond with the scavengers? And maybe some cool turrets as Rman showed on cart, that would have devastating power. And ability to derail it?

[aubergine]

Yes, I was thinking trains would be around cam0 and cam1 period of the project's evolution. So in cam0 as the project are just getting started after emerging from their nuclear-winter bunker, there would be some missions to get trains up and running to move things around, possibly even as part of their migration to the rockies.

It would be in cam0 era that the clear need for a way to deal with radiation levels outside would become obvious, thus giving motivation to find pre-Collapse cyber-suit (cyborg) tech that gives rise to cam1.

[AlphaThor01]

I have to admit that you have some pretty good ideas regarding trains being in the campaign, aubergine, but for migration, the campaign uses a transport. How about with one of the cutscenes, the last train bound to the rockies and/or safe haven gets blown up? If so, I'd like the cutscene to portray the locomotive trying to get the consist moving but with no success?

[aubergine]

For me that's obvious -- a transport doesn't need tracks laying so, unlike trains, it can go anywhere much more easily. The Project could use train where applicable, eg. to move towards Rockies, putting their own scav-like vehicles on as cargo to cover ground more quickly, but it will be obvious to them that ultimately they can't rely on trains for transport because so many of the tracks are destroyed or, worse, unsafe to travel on because bands of mauraders have also utilised what's left of the rail network. Thus the need to find aerial transportation system becomes very important. I imagine finding a transport would be a key goal of any prequel campaign.

[Merowingg]

Maybe a possibility of tunnels as well or I went to far Train tycoon already?

[aubergine]

LOL, I just posted about tunnels in your bridges ideas topic.

[Merowingg]

Let me see then But there was nothing about tunnels stated by me