How "wait for full load" affects line timings

[Morat]

In case anyone was curious, I was worried that setting a line to ‘wait for full load’ would affect the line timings due to trains not running frequently. To test this I set up a sandbox with two, two-track stations connected up with identical length tracks. One track had a line set to load if available, the other was set to wait for full load (all) on one station.

Findings:

1. As soon as you assign a train to a line the game calculates the line frequency based entirely on the line path. Station loading settings do not affect this calculation (3 minutes was set for both lines with one train).
2. Adding an additional train reduced the frequency, even on the line where neither train was moving due to waiting for a load.
3. When trains are moving the game seems to periodically recalculate the actual frequency based on actual running time. This meant that the frequency of the load if available line reduced slightly from 3 minutes to 146 seconds.

I suspect that the frequency logic is something like:

1. Calculate the base frequency of the line based on path (and perhaps fastest vehicle currently available? I couldn’t test this as I’m stuck in 1850).
2. When a loco is assigned to the line recalculate the base frequency
3. Periodically, calculate the actual frequency of trains running on the line. If it’s lower than the base frequency use it, otherwise use the base.

tl;dr Setting trains to wait for full load won’t stop them being used, but the line frequency might not be quite as fast as it can get on a line where they’re load if available.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Morat.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Morat.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Morat.

[Decrayer]

I use waiting for full load only on freight lines. Flor passengers, I think it is necessary to deliver a shorter cycle and therefore I never use waiting on passenger lines.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Decrayer.

[gutterball]

I like the Simutrans method where you can set variable loads and waiting times

[Decrayer]

Yes, a Feature that would allow us to say to wait for full but max x minutes like in rollercoaster tycoon would be cool.

[Mansen]

Passengers care more about frequency of transport than the volume (as you’d expect – Nobody cares if 40 people can get on the same train. The individual wants to get to their destination as fast as possible.

Industry is less sensitive – Provided you stay within the twenty minute time window, they’ll accept high frequency or high volume all the same.

[SirSac]

would love to see a rollercoaster tycoon style options for this: certain set percentages full with a min and max wait times.

 
Would be perfect.

[Yeol]

The “waiting for full load” has for the moment no real use. The generated traffic jams hinder the drop-off trucks and other traffic on the main road. Only in very specific cases “waiting for full load” is usefull (a longer approaching lane to hold the waiting trucks, only at raw source industries, with trains on dedicated lines,…).When the developers add the possibility that cars can overtake, the use of alternate platforms (alternate paths), dedicated platforms for drop-off an pick-up (waypoints), etc… I don’t see a real use for waiting for full load. It causes too much chaos and jams.

[Luewen]

The problem with load full on routes with more than 2 trains going on will be that they clog the tracks especially if there is more trains on a route than there are available platforms to stop.

[mackintosh]

Where is this notion of industry being less sensitive coming from? Assuming you have the requisite demand, put one train on a goods route, then put another, then another and then another and see what happens to production output.

[bencze]

It happened to me several times that full load resulted in products being carried by people on foot instead. I never found a good way to use it, sadly.

[Kromi]

Most of the time I use road lines for freight. When I create a new freight line, I always start with load if available. As soon as the production has increased and the first trucks get fully loaded, I switch to full load. Then from time to time I check whether there are freight items waiting for trucks or trucks waiting to get loaded and change the number of trucks on that line accordingly.

I guess you could do a similar thing with trains. Just make sure they don’t have too many cars so the waiting time is not too long when waiting for full load.

[Cosmo]

Is there a different running cost when your vehicle moving or waiting ? Because then it doesn’t matter if your vehicle moving almost empty or waiting for full load. In both case you still have to pay running cost. And when you use waiting, I think it’s negative for delivery time. So in my opinion it’s useless to waiting for full load.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Cosmo.

[Luewen]

There is less costs for vehicles sitting in depots at least. Havemt tested if that applies to trains waiting for load.

 

Also Mackintosh, it doesnt help to put more trains to carry goods from factory if the factory cant supply enough. It will only produce as much goods as the cities that it is connected to requests.

[Maj_Solo]

I use the “wait for full load” option at first stop when I begin running a line. You can then buy many vehicles and leave them to it while you do other things. When they are spread out I turn that off and let them run as fasst as they can cause I discovered that often the site that turns raw material into goods somehow start to produce more goods then incoming raw material. You discover that when those packets start walking themselves along the road from that site.  Then you have to pull out all stops and buy more vehicles to catch up.

So we have

1) stop check for cargo but drive immediately

2) wait for full load

why don’t we have

3) half full

4) 75% full

5) or just be able to set the percentage yourself

or

6) decide what cargo you want to carry like 50% raw materials and 50% refined goods.

 

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