RHW (RealHighway) - Development and Support

[Tarkus]

Speaking on the whole Maxis Highway 4-laning, I've played with the idea off-and-on as well.   I found this pic from my personal archives from back in 2009 . . . that's actually the RHW 4.0 RHW-4 texture there (with the RHW 3.0 RHW-2 texture crossing under--transitional phase ).



Tried it out with the new textures:



The biggest obstacle to it isn't the texturing side of things--it's been figuring out what to do with the pathing.  The most feasible option may be to simply delete the center lane paths--the alignment looks like it should work.

Thanks for all the kind words on the new textures, too!  I have a few more pics of how things are going on that front, too.

The good ol' RHW-4 45-degree curves, introduced in RHW Version 2.0, have always been a bit tricky to texture.  Here's what they look like in Version 4.1:


And here's a rough draft of the new look--they haven't been "puzzle darkened" yet and I may tweak a few minor alignment things:


The RHW-4 diagonals in their current state are actually narrower than the RHW-4 orthogonal stretches, as before, but the lane widths are the same--the extra width has been taken from the outer shoulder.  However, I am looking at going to an overhang setup, though there are several things to consider before a decision on that front is made.

Speaking of "puzzle-darkened" things, here's a peek at the revamped FARHW-4.  I managed to find a very precise and simple "darkening" formula that seems to do the trick on the new textures.


Now to answer consider a few questions and concepts:

Getting back on topic,... Looks like an RHW-NAMaissance may be coming... I, too felt that the RHW lanes were too wide, and what's more is this: I looked at the RHW 10S and compared it to RHW-6S, and thought that it may be possible to create an RHW-12S. Would this NAMaissance result in making the development of RHW-12S potentially possible? I think that's far off... But I'm still surprised by whatever happens here...

RHW-12S has been discussed off-and-on for awhile now.  With the new alignment, it actually fits almost entirely on 4 tiles--there's only a very slight overhang to maintain the shoulder width, and the truncation to fit it without the overhang is so minor that it would probably make sense just to skip the overhang.  The one problem, though, is that it's not going to result in any increase in capacity.  The working out of capacities and network geometry (which are heavily interrelated given the game's per-tile capacity calculation) is probably the biggest thing with the logistics of adding additional networks on that end of the spectrum.

- The new texture sets for RHW 4.0 (And up) are potentially incompatible with that of RHW 5.0. (Blue Lightning, how's your DarkPhalt texture set gonna fit to what's being planned...?)

I'm not sure what Vince's plans are, but I did work up a prototype for a "dark asphalt" RHW-4, as shown below.  Not sure if the travel lane area has too much of a blue tint, though:


Gave this a whirl, too:

EDIT: If two RHW-6S's fit nicely in adjacent tiles like that...then any RHW-S will fit nicely adjacent to and RHW-6S! Which means Maarten's beautiful RHW-10 parallel splitter could be redone without the empty tile between the RHW-4 & -6 

The main reason the 6S worked out like that is because it's flat-model based.  I tried an RHW-4 next to the RHW6S earlier, and ended up with this result:


The overhang on the RHW-6S is laying on top of the RHW-4, as the RHW-4 is simply texture-based.  However, if the RHW-4 Orthogonal Filler pieces are used, which are flat-model-based, the game is able to resolve the issue:

Just had a thought, has Modular Multi-tile RHW ever been experimented with?

Need 6 pieces: Outer Shoulders (with or without additional lanes), Inner Shoulder: Separate (with or without additional lanes), Inner Shoulder: Compact, Full Tile Filler Lanes.

I foresee quite a few ramps, transitions, and under/overpasses though, but it would allow much greater freedom with lane designs that the current set pieces.

An interesting idea . . . there's been some somewhat related discussions over time (namely on with the "RHW-6 genre"), though as with the RHW-12S and other proposed networks on the wider side, capacity/functionality will play a role.  I may play around with different alignments of the existing networks to see if anything interesting results--you've piqued my curiosity.

-Alex

[MandelSoft]

Hey Alex, while you're busy with texturing, could you try to make a set only using white lines. If so, a Euro/International set is quickly done, right? 

[Tarkus]

Hey Alex, while you're busy with texturing, could you try to make a set only using white lines. If so, a Euro/International set is quickly done, right? 

I was just thinking the same thing.   Just whipped up this prototype here:



-Alex

[Andreas]

I was just thinking the same thing.

Yeah, I was wondering about the same - while you have the original texture open in your graphics program anyway, it shouldn't be all to hard to replace the yellow line with a white one. That way, Euro textures can be done with a minimum amount of time, I'd say.

[mightygoose]

that euro texture looks great, the new texture itself looks great the light grey version also looks great, what are the new dimensions on the carriageways? could you send me a couple of the textures.... (remember my beige concrete.... i have a hankering see all the different varieties here(while realistic lane widths and no squash on diagonal was cool, the repathing is beyond me at this stage.) i may have to take a second pass).

[Haljackey]

While we're on the topic of textures, I've always really liked this one.




Maybe its just because I love black asphalt lol. The HOV lanes would be sweet too, even if they just functioned like a regular lane. (Although you might want to space the diamonds a little further apart than that pic. )

[GDO29Anagram]

Maybe its just because I love black asphalt lol.

So do I, Haljackey. But that one's old (obviously) and... I know it's me, but it feels like burnt rubber. I think we need a sample of the new RHW textures (Preferably RHW-4, 6S, 8S, and 10S at least) so people can play with them in all sorts of ways... And so that someone can create a modern version of that HOV texture... Tarkus/Alex, can you provide a sample at this point?

[noahclem]

I agree, both textures are looking great! And it's definitely a plus if the Euro textures can be quickly made by subbing white lines for yellow ones as pieces are redone/created  This whole new round of development is really exciting 

Thanks for the reply Alex, I'm glad there's a trick to get the RHW-4 adjacent to -6S to work.

I'd agree also on a carpool lane being cool even if not functional but there are a lot of things I'd rather see first.

To throw in my humble two cents on the RHW-12S capacity issue I wouldn't be overly concerned if it's not higher than the other 2-tilers since I would pretty much use it for aesthetic purposes like merging lanes next to ramps on -10S's or maybe splitting into to -6S's. I'm sure you've thought of it and there's a reason why it's not done, but could you use network overrides for MHW for the highest capacity networks like -10S & -12S and then increase the capacity of MHW relative to ANT? If it worked it shouldn't get in the way of normal MHW functioning either. Just an idea...

[MandelSoft]

*Maarten looks at the Euro textures
*Maarten is impressed 

Looks good, Alex. Maybe some details are different (mostly added details), for example the Ramp textures (which I maybe can help you out with), but the basics are the same. Keep up the good work 

Best,
Maarten

[Ciuu96]

The Euro textures look great, and I have also liked the HOV idea always. Something similar could also perhaps be done to the NWM too.

When I saw this idea, I liked it very much too. HOV on 6Cs inner lanes would just be great.

[Blue Lightning]

Mmm, something like this?

[Nego]

@Tarkus: The dark textures look nice, though the shoulders look like there is too much yellow... But overall, the next version of the RHW looks great, especially the new curves! Can't wait to see more!

@GDO29Anagram: I have to agree, having some new textures to play with would be nice! I hope we can get some soon. *hint* *hint* 

@Haljackey: Speaking of HOV textures:

[jondor]

@Nego
The only problem with adding the diamonds to the texture itself is that they would show up on every tile.  However, it would be pretty easy to add them as flat prop t21s the same way I did the center turn arrows on the TLAs.  I'll see what I can whip up if I have some spare time.

[Ciuu96]

@ BL

Yep, that looks great, it only needs few of those diamond-thingies. Maybe adding them as cosmetic pieces would be good, then just some car transit blocker lot there and it's perfect!

@ Nego

Very nice too. But as jondor said, T21 work better.

[Haljackey]

@Nego
The only problem with adding the diamonds to the texture itself is that they would show up on every tile.

They could just be cosmetic pieces you know....

In fact I think they would work best because it would allow you to plop broken line segments where lane changes in and out of the HOV lane take place.

Example:


So the cosmetic pieces might include:
-HOV lane with diamond symbol
-HOV lane without symbol
-Transition zone / inner broken line (similar to the outer broken line cosmetic pieces already in place for the RHW-6S and 8S)

Edit: Just remember no pathing changes are taking place. This is for appearance only. Yes this means cars will change into the lane when the HOV line is solid but changing the pathing for cosmetic pieces is a lot of work isn't it? I'm sure there's more important RHW and NAM related stuff to get done first.

[ivo_su]

Guys your work is great. Long dream of bus lanes and now I think that this will soon be a fact, thanks to you. I have several comments and suggestions:
- I think this bus bar (HOV) must be in the right lane because the buses are moving slowly, left lanes are for overtaking ie fast movement. Logically and stops if they are not in the middle of a highway are in the right lane.
- Much better was if we replace the diamond symbol with a simple inscription Bus (at least it is in Sofia)

Ivaylo

[MandelSoft]

Ivaylo, I think you didn't quite understand the concept of what's displayed here. HOV lanes are carpool or toll lanes (at least, that's what I think they are), not bus lanes. I agree if it were bus lanes, they would be on the outside lanes...

However, with Euro Textures you could do something like this:

Plus lanes. These are open during rush hour, but closed during the rest of the day (the reason why has a complicated background). In the Netherlands you see quite a lot around here. There is also another variant, Peak lanes, which are located on the rightmost lane (often a reconstructed emergency lane). This last variant is more commonly applied in Europe.

Best,
Maarten

[Tarkus]

They could just be cosmetic pieces you know....

In fact I think they would work best
. . .

I'd agree there 100%.  It would provide the most flexibility and best use of resources.

Tarkus/Alex, can you provide a sample at this point?

Absolutely.   I should have them up in the next couple of days.

To throw in my humble two cents on the RHW-12S capacity issue I wouldn't be overly concerned if it's not higher than the other 2-tilers since I would pretty much use it for aesthetic purposes like merging lanes next to ramps on -10S's or maybe splitting into to -6S's. I'm sure you've thought of it and there's a reason why it's not done, but could you use network overrides for MHW for the highest capacity networks like -10S & -12S and then increase the capacity of MHW relative to ANT? If it worked it shouldn't get in the way of normal MHW functioning either. Just an idea...

The MHW does already have a slightly higher capacity than an RHW-4 with the current version of the NAM Traffic Simulator, and that idea has crossed my mind.  However, the diagonals on the MHW uses a "shared-tile" diagonal setup, where as the RHW-8S (the current widest diagonal RHW) uses a "split-tile" diagonal setup.  The RHW-12S would also require a split-tile setup due to its geometry, and it may be a bit tricky from both a modding standpoint and an ease-of-use standpoint to put together a split-tile setup with a natively shared-tile dual-tile network.

Now onto some updates on the textures . . . 

In doing some research on road markings, I've found that South Africa and a few other countries actually use a sort of "inverse North American" color scheme on their roadways . . . so I whipped up a South African RHW-4 texture for kicks:



I've also been tackling some of the more difficult, curve-related textures first . . . here's progress on the RHW-6C diagonals.  I still need to adjust the placement of the dashed lines, obviously.



And here's a planned new feature that you haven't yet seen.  I've realigned the RHW-6S diagonals such that they're on a single-tile-with-overhang setup (like some of the NWM networks), and as a result, I was able to copy over the RHW-4 diagonal override coding and create a draggable diagonal RHW-6S without any real difficulty:



-Alex

[mightygoose]

nice stuff, the draggable 6S is pretty.

[Haljackey]

nice stuff, the draggable 6S is pretty.

Absolutely. Great work Alex!



mrtnrln: Question for you. If plus lanes are just general lanes, why not just keep them open 24 hours a day like a regular lane? Is it because there's no inner shoulder or something?

ivo_su: I think you're confusing bus lanes with HOV lanes. Bus lanes do run on the right side of the highway, sometimes on the hard shoulder.

HOV lanes are carpool or toll lanes (at least, that's what I think they are)

Carpooling is what HOV lanes are primarily for. Buses can also use them, but they're usually the longer distance ones, not city buses intended to locally serve that area. As for tolls, that's where I get confused. There are no tolled HOV lanes here in Canada, but some do exist in the USA. They, however, are called HOT lanes most of the time.

As you can see, definitions for these terms vary widely from country to country, sometimes even from region to region. The same can be said for highway, freeway, expressway, etc.