SC4 Devotion Forum Archives

SimCity 4 Devotion Custom Content Showcase => Network Addon Mod (NAM) => NAM Traffic Simulator, Data Views, and TSCT (Traffic Simulator Configuration Tool) => Topic started by: LucarioBoricua on July 07, 2021, 09:35:29 PM

Title: Revisiting the Traffic Simulator: Multimodal Transportation Opportunities
Post by: LucarioBoricua on July 07, 2021, 09:35:29 PM
Today I want to announce a special project for the Network Addon Mod, we'll re-visit the Traffic Simulator to refine it and tune it for multimodal transportation behavior!

To carry out this project, we'll be forming a focus group consisting of both players, and NAM team members and associates alike. My intention is for us to test out which variables need adjustment to recreate more realistic commute behaviors in settings with significant transit availability, while also keeping undesirable commute behaviors at a minimum. Results from this testing may lead to development of new NAM features for everyone's enjoyment.



      NAM Team Participants

Project lead: Lucario Boricua

NAM Team Members: B22rian, Tarkus, Z

NAM Associates: ulisse99, Naomi57, Eric Blair, CasperVG, Matias93



      Simtropolis Participants:

chfzdn

Leo --

Still looking for volunteers!



      SC4 Devotion Participants:

Looking for volunteers!



How to get involved: community members interested in participating can post publicly in this topic, contact me directly through private messages (Simtropolis and SC4 Devotion), or through the respective Discord servers of ST, SC4D, and Rob's Red Hot Spot. Depending on the interest and skill level, I can arrange the provision of pre-edited versions of the Traffic Simulator files, or teach the participants how to edit the changes in themselves.


Required tools: either iLive Reader 0.9.3 (link here) (https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=656) or SC4 Reader 1.5.9 (link here) (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16386.0)


Useful resources:



Which variables of the traffic simulator are we experimenting with?



How will testing start?

We'll start with the first two topics, network speeds of the travel types and trip starting cost by travel type. With these two tweaks, we expect to modify commute behavior in the game to recreate more realistic transportation behavior for pedestrians in multimodal transportation networks. Additionally, players who want to recreate pre-modern cities before motor vehicles and railways became a thing can also benefit from our findings to do their respective traffic simulator tweaks.



First battery of network speed tweaks for streets:

Network speeds for streets, km/h:


--BASELINE--

Pedestrian 15 (0)
Car 30 (0)
Bus 25 (0)
Truck 25 (0)



BATTERY I: Double offset BATERY II: Slower vehicles BATTERY III: Faster pedestrians

--TEST A-- --TEST D-- --TEST G--

Pedestrian 18 (+3) Pedestrian 15 (0) Pedestrian 18 (+3)
Car 27 (-3) Car 27 (-3) Car 30 (0)
Bus 22 (-3) Bus 22 (-3) Bus 25 (0)
Truck 22 (-3) Truck 22 (-3) Truck 25 (0)


--TEST B-- --TEST E-- --TEST H--

Pedestrian 17 (+2) Pedestrian 15 (0) Pedestrian 17 (+2)
Car 28 (-2) Car 28 (-2) Car 30 (0)
Bus 23 (-2) Bus 23 (-2) Bus 25 (0)
Truck 23 (-2) Truck 23 (-2) Truck 25 (0)


--TEST C-- --TEST F-- --TEST I--

Pedestrian 16 (+1) Pedestrian 15 (0) Pedestrian 16 (+1)
Car 29 (-1) Car 29 (-1) Car 30 (0)
Bus 24 (-1) Bus 24 (-1) Bus 25 (0)
Truck 24 (-1) Truck 24 (-1) Truck 25 (0)



Gonna provide the full batch of modified Traffic Simulator Z capacity options here for all players, for those who haven't done the modifications themselves. All the files uploaded here correspond to Test Battery A, make sure to mention that whenever you post screenshots and your observations on the results. These files are available for any player interested in participating, we look forward to seeing your results and experience!

Files can be found here! https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Q0I_JvRZqNwh1bQVA7CPSBwhdJklQmmU?usp=sharing
Title: Re: Revisiting the Traffic Simulator: Multimodal Transportation Opportunities
Post by: CasperVg on July 08, 2021, 03:00:59 AM
Thanks a lot for this great initiative, Lucario! It about time we bring SC4 into the era of sustainable mobility :)
Title: Re: Revisiting the Traffic Simulator: Multimodal Transportation Opportunities
Post by: jeffryfisher on July 08, 2021, 09:02:50 AM
How about tweaking the default each wealth-class's mode preferences? Easier than modding network paths etc, you might get close to the multi-modal utilization you want by changing those percentages.

For instance, my low-wealth sims (driven by necessity) split 50-50 between mass transit and "fastest", with zero committed to cars. Using this setup many of my sims try to find mass transit even when it's not convenient, walking and complaining until I build better in their neighborhoods.

BTW, I also tax my sims who still use cars (I set a per-mile ticket price to simulate gasoline tax), but that doesn't seem to deter them.
Title: Re: Revisiting the Traffic Simulator: Multimodal Transportation Opportunities
Post by: LucarioBoricua on July 08, 2021, 02:43:35 PM
Quote from: jeffryfisher on July 08, 2021, 09:02:50 AM
How about tweaking the default each wealth-class's mode preferences? Easier than modding network paths etc, you might get close to the multi-modal utilization you want by changing those percentages.

For instance, my low-wealth sims (driven by necessity) split 50-50 between mass transit and "fastest", with zero committed to cars. Using this setup many of my sims try to find mass transit even when it's not convenient, walking and complaining until I build better in their neighborhoods.

BTW, I also tax my sims who still use cars (I set a per-mile ticket price to simulate gasoline tax), but that doesn't seem to deter them.

The changes to commute strategy by wealth (mass transit, car and fastest) are doable with the Traffic Simulator Configuration Tool, but they don't tell the whole story. Tweaking speeds and the time cost to start trips (with the Reader programs directly) can be used to modify commute behaviors. Sims are completely insensitive to monetary costs in transportation, unlike taxation by RCI occupant, so you need to directly edit the variables which directly govern their transportation behavior. Once we start getting comparative screenshots showing travel behavior differences, you'll start noticing how the proposed changes to the traffic simulator start to make things behave differently.
Title: Re: Revisiting the Traffic Simulator: Multimodal Transportation Opportunities
Post by: LucarioBoricua on July 18, 2021, 06:38:28 PM
Let's get everyone up-to-date with what's been going on with the Traffic Simulator Tuning Experiment:

Title: Re: Revisiting the Traffic Simulator: Multimodal Transportation Opportunities
Post by: LucarioBoricua on September 04, 2021, 12:31:42 PM
I'm pleased to announce that I've finally included all the files for Test Battery A of Simulator Z's multimodal modifications! Anyone interested can use these, to install, replace your respective version of NetworkAddonMod_Traffic_Plugin_Z_[capacity].dat file with the one of your choosing.

I will also say that, after some internal deliberation in the NAM team, that we might be doing far more ambitious traffic simulator experiments. I'll announce the corresponding details when we're ready.
Title: Re: Revisiting the Traffic Simulator: Multimodal Transportation Opportunities
Post by: jeffryfisher on September 05, 2021, 08:58:08 AM
Quote from: LucarioBoricua on September 04, 2021, 12:31:42 PM
I've finally included all the files for Test Battery A of Simulator Z's multimodal modifications! Anyone interested can use these, to install, replace your respective version of NetworkAddonMod_Traffic_Plugin_Z_[capacity].dat file with the one of your choosing.
If I'm understanding correctly, this would replace my custom sim-Z.dat produced by the TSCT. If I want to preserve / recreate my own custom transit fares etc, can I still edit your DAT using the same old TSCT? If so, what settings in TSCT does your mod depend on (that I should avoid or take extra care in tinkering)?

Thanks!
Title: Re: Revisiting the Traffic Simulator: Multimodal Transportation Opportunities
Post by: LucarioBoricua on September 05, 2021, 11:41:53 AM
Quote from: jeffryfisher on September 05, 2021, 08:58:08 AM
Quote from: LucarioBoricua on September 04, 2021, 12:31:42 PM
I've finally included all the files for Test Battery A of Simulator Z's multimodal modifications! Anyone interested can use these, to install, replace your respective version of NetworkAddonMod_Traffic_Plugin_Z_[capacity].dat file with the one of your choosing.
If I'm understanding correctly, this would replace my custom sim-Z.dat produced by the TSCT. If I want to preserve / recreate my own custom transit fares etc, can I still edit your DAT using the same old TSCT? If so, what settings in TSCT does your mod depend on (that I should avoid or take extra care in tinkering)?

Thanks!


In your case, since you have a custom Traffic Simulator, you should open iLive Reader (recommended in this case) or SC4 Reader to modify the relevant street speeds yourself, based on the tables shown at the start of this post. That way, you can preserve the rest of your custom settings and still have the opportunity to try out the modified speeds.