Australian MSTS Workshops Forum

ARG706 · Joined: 19 May 2008 Posts: 68

1. Installing a crossover? Make sure that the black dot is visible in the activity editor wherever there are intersecting tracks. Sometimes, it is not always saved in the TDB. If there is not, correct it ASAP. Otherwise come signalling time, the sim will not know there is a crossover there, and cause undue mayhem amongst your trains

2. Never ever copy and paste large numbers of objects (IE trees) without pressing the H key. This can be easily overlooked and it's a good way to end up with floating objects that are unpleasant and time consuming to correct.

3. Do not have anything more than a 0.150 change in elevation per 10 metres in your gradient transitions. Or you will have some unpleasant bumps in your track which may deter potential users or activity designers

4. The save option is best utillised VERY OFTEN rather than seldom. Sometimes when really getting stuck into something, it is all too often overlooked or ignored. How often should I save ? The answer is the same as how often should I back up? The answer is - how much do I want to lose?

5. Failed to save properly is a common nuisance in MSTS. Do NOT save on tile which have a large amount of objects (IE over 700). The risk of getting this message is much higher when you do.

6. Fix that bug immediately! Leaving it until the last minute will only be burdensome Cool

. Fixing it at the end when trying to get everything polished up is not the best way to do it!

7. Are those cars getting too close to your train? This is a problem in MSTS where a road crosses a railway line diagonally and you are barely missing or not missing at all, the bumper of that car or truck patiently waiting for you to trundle through. To remedy this, one answer is to place a short section of track on both sides which is buried shallowly under the ground. When you place the orange crossing markers, they will be visible on all 3 tracks. The tracks will show up in the activity editor, but will not be visible in the sim itself

8. Dynamic track. This is best off avoided unless it is absolutely critical. I have observed DT to affect signals at times, but one of the side affects of using DT is that sometimes they will bring on an sudden abrupt change in gradient when your trains passes over the end of the DT piece. Dynamic track however, can be used with no strings attached to determine the required radius for the curve. As a bonus, if you minimise use of DT in a route, you will also give yourself an easier time should you decide to relay the track with a different track system, such as UKFS.