RHW (RealHighway) - Development and Support

[Tarkus]

I'll spill it.  It's part of the MHW revamp you've been seeing, but with my own texture on it (it's actually a narrowed 6S texture).

-Alex

[ivo_su]

I'll spill it.  It's part of the MHW revamp you've been seeing, but with my own texture on it (it's actually a narrowed 6S texture).

-Alex

Very pleasant news for me. Thank you Alex, you are amazing. I ask only that you intended to have splitters between this narrow RHW / MHW and others RHW networks?

[jdenm8]

For the record, ShadowAssassin's mod is representative of the Alpha builds of SimCity 4. The highways were actually meant to look somewhat like that.

[Tarkus]

STR support?  Check.





-Alex

[Gugu3]

That's amazing!always needed STR support!hope this feature will be extended to other networks...at least the most common ones such as roads,avenues,ecc both for L0 and L1/2 counterparts...
anyway great improvement to the game as always!

[rstarks]

So i've been out of the loop for a while and im trying to get back in the hang of the updates.


exactly why is the DDRHW being converted into a non rail based system in the next update and why should i hold of on using it currently?

[Tarkus]

It's being converted to a non-draggable (but overrideable) FLEX system because the trick of using the Rail to increase capacity turned out to actually decrease capacity--severely.  On the "Medium" version of the NAM Traffic Simulator, the Rail network has a capacity of 16000 (compared to 10000 for base RHW capacity), but in verifying a report regarding DDRHW neighbor connection functionality, I discovered that the Rail capacity figure only applies to freight and passenger trains. 

When cars are put onto a network not normally designed to accept them, the game automatically applies the capacity and speed of the Road network instead of the listed capacity.  With the Medium version of the NAM simulator, the per-tile capacity of the Road network (and the DDRHW) is 4000 (again, compared to a capacity of 10000 for the base RHW network).  In other words, converting an RHW-2 to a DDRHW-4 actually decreases the capacity by 60%.  It's a weird and unexpected quirk in the game that didn't show up in testing.

While some people will make the "but I just use it for eyecandy" excuse, we're not in the business of making "anti-functional" content like that, especially when we intended for the network to increase capacity.  The existing Rail-based DDRHW is being scrapped, and won't be supported going forward.  The best we can do on the capacity-increasing front is to use a 1-tile-wide MHW-based "FLEX" piece with a trick CheckType.  The added benefit of this is that it basically eliminates almost all the RUL2 code needed to make the network operate--it can run off MHW INRULs and RUL1, off of just a couple hundred lines of code (rather than tens of thousands) and act in a stable manner.  The downside is that it won't be draggable.

-Alex

[Patricius Maximus]

While some people will make the "but I just use it for eyecandy" excuse, we're not in the business of making "anti-functional" content like that, especially when we intended for the network to increase capacity.  The existing Rail-based DDRHW is being scrapped, and won't be supported going forward.  The best we can do on the capacity-increasing front is to use a 1-tile-wide MHW-based "FLEX" piece with a trick CheckType.  The added benefit of this is that it basically eliminates almost all the RUL2 code needed to make the network operate--it can run off MHW INRULs and RUL1, off of just a couple hundred lines of code (rather than tens of thousands) and act in a stable manner.  The downside is that it won't be draggable.

A FLEX system, eh? If it increases the functionality of the network (and as long as there's a DDRHW-4 network), I'm okay with that. Is the DDRHW-8 still planned to be included?

Well, FlexSPUI already kind of is split in two, to allow for the modular center.  And yes, we are planning more variations.  They aren't likely to happen with NAM 31, however.  The FlexSPUI agenda for P57 is basically just to get all the networks working stably with it, and that'll probably be one of the last things we do before release.

And, for the first time in a long while, I actually have something with which to tease--the L1 RHW-2 is mostly working, though before the Pillar Police show up, we're nowhere near the point where that's worth consideration.



I think this one will get a reaction . . .



-Alex

I was going to inquire about whether you had anything new to tease us with. Nice work, especially with the diagonals. "Ultra-stability" is nice, isn't it? As for the MHW revamp, it's obviously a 2-tile network with shrunken RHW-6 textures. I have question - I prefer to use the old-style MHW's on occasion, so will this MHW revamp be an option that we can opt out of? I certainly hope it will be.

Also, are you planning to include the L1, L3, and L4 content in the next release? I think it is planned but I just want to make sure.

[jdenm8]

I have question - I prefer to use the old-style MHW's on occasion, so will this MHW revamp be an option that we can opt out of?

As far as I was planning, it was not to be included in the Monolithic NAM, but be a separate download due to its functionality.

[GDO29Anagram]

As far as what you planned and what everyone else thought about, it was supposed to be four lanes, right?

And the heights were only limited to L0 and L2, right?

[Tarkus]

More cross-linkage going in . . . the "Mark 2" rebuild is picking up pace (albeit largely limited to the L1 RHW-2 still at this point).

Is the DDRHW-8 still planned to be included?

Yes, though it probably won't be until NAM 31 or 32.  It'll most likely be set up using a FLEX method as well.

Nice work, especially with the diagonals. "Ultra-stability" is nice, isn't it?

Thanks, and yes,  it definitely comes in handy.   Actually the current L1 RHW-2 rebuild doesn't have a lot of stability in yet, though it's still behaving pretty nicely.  We've been very methodical about putting it together, which should pay off in the long run.

As for the MHW revamp, it's obviously a 2-tile network with shrunken RHW-6 textures. I have question - I prefer to use the old-style MHW's on occasion, so will this MHW revamp be an option that we can opt out of? I certainly hope it will be.

As mentioned by jdenm8, it's most likely to be a separate addon.  That said, if, say, we were to add new MHW functionality, it's most likely going to be for the revamped version only.  It's much more difficult to do things with the original style, and the way the revamp is designed, it can recycle stuff we've done on the RHW side.

Also, are you planning to include the L1, L3, and L4 content in the next release? I think it is planned but I just want to make sure.

Yes.  The RHW-2 and RHW-6C will be gaining L1 versions, the RHW-3, 8S, 10S, and 8C will be gaining L1 and L2 versions, and the MIS, RHW-4 and RHW-6S will be gaining L1, L3, and L4 versions.  We also have some stuff built for the 12S and 10C at L0, L1, and L2, though that's a low priority, and I'm not sure it'll make the release.

-Alex

[Kuewr665]

Will there be on-slope transition pieces between all heights of elevated RHW?

[MandelSoft]

^^ Probably. It seems like a pretty basic function.

One another note, I've been busy the past few days working on this....



... and this one is fully functional. Number of new textures I need to create for this: 0.

For those who wonder, this interchange is build up from five different pieces:
- Two RHW Ramp Interfaces.
- Two MIS height transitions
- and in the center, the new Roundabout piece, part of Project Symphony

It was a lot of modeling work (and trouble) to get this one realised (hence why prefabs are considered as highly labour intensive), but no doubt that this will be a very useful option for these tight, urban interchanges...

Best,
Maarten

[gn_leugim]

that is just... omg 

[mike3775]

^^ Probably. It seems like a pretty basic function.

One another note, I've been busy the past few days working on this....



... and this one is fully functional. Number of new textures I need to create for this: 0.

For those who wonder, this interchange is build up from five different pieces:
- Two RHW Ramp Interfaces.
- Two MIS height transitions
- and in the center, the new Roundabout piece, part of Project Symphony

It was a lot of modeling work (and trouble) to get this one realised (hence why prefabs are considered as highly labour intensive), but no doubt that this will be a very useful option for these tight, urban interchanges...

Best,
Maarten

That is awesome. 

Will that work with all width's of the RHW(like RHW-10)?

[MandelSoft]

Currently, no. But there are plans to WAVEride this piece (but I don't know how to do it myself)

[wallasey]

That looks amazing! And very Euro too!

Most of the old UK motorway intersections are like this...M62/M60 Simister Island in Manchester springs to mind here!

Well done!

[art128]

Amazing latest development regarding the Mark 2 and your roundabout semi 7.5m (?) interchange, Maarten!

[noahclem]

Amazing progress guys 

Maarten, your roundabout interchange is too perfect 

[Patricius Maximus]

Is the DDRHW-8 still planned to be included?

Yes, though it probably won't be until NAM 31 or 32.  It'll most likely be set up using a FLEX method as well.

That's fine with me. I just wanted to know if the previous plans for it were "still in effect". It's factored into some of the long-term plans for my cities and it just makes sense to have a higher-capacity DDRHW-8 to complement the DDRHW-4.

As for the MHW revamp, it's obviously a 2-tile network with shrunken RHW-6 textures. I have question - I prefer to use the old-style MHW's on occasion, so will this MHW revamp be an option that we can opt out of? I certainly hope it will be.

As mentioned by jdenm8, it's most likely to be a separate addon.  That said, if, say, we were to add new MHW functionality, it's most likely going to be for the revamped version only.  It's much more difficult to do things with the original style, and the way the revamp is designed, it can recycle stuff we've done on the RHW side.

Good. I can keep my MHWs  .

Also, are you planning to include the L1, L3, and L4 content in the next release? I think it is planned but I just want to make sure.

Yes.  The RHW-2 and RHW-6C will be gaining L1 versions, the RHW-3, 8S, 10S, and 8C will be gaining L1 and L2 versions, and the MIS, RHW-4 and RHW-6S will be gaining L1, L3, and L4 versions.  We also have some stuff built for the 12S and 10C at L0, L1, and L2, though that's a low priority, and I'm not sure it'll make the release.

That's what I was thinking, though I wasn't able to find an absolute confirmation until now. Once the P57-era NAM 31 is released along with the muti-height system, I would consider it to be the most revolutionary RHW development in its entire history. The differing heights will enable us to finally (after 7 years) realize the full potential of the RHW.

One another note, I've been busy the past few days working on this....



... and this one is fully functional. Number of new textures I need to create for this: 0.

For those who wonder, this interchange is build up from five different pieces:
- Two RHW Ramp Interfaces.
- Two MIS height transitions
- and in the center, the new Roundabout piece, part of Project Symphony

It was a lot of modeling work (and trouble) to get this one realised (hence why prefabs are considered as highly labour intensive), but no doubt that this will be a very useful option for these tight, urban interchanges...

Best,
Maarten

That will be fantastic. This is supposed to be an MHW revamp version - will your new piece also be able to interface with true RHW freeways (i.e. not the MHW revamp)? Even without that it would add a lot to our freeways. I can finally convert all those old Volleyball interchanges  .