Balance and realism issues with RT3 v1.06 locomotives

[Lirio]

One thing I have noticed is that ALL the user-created locos have alpha problems, except for the ones that were manually edited to not have alpha problems. That means WP&P's N&W locos (he really put the time into those) and maybe a couple of others. The rest have more night glow than the main drag of Las Vegas.

The skinning tool is pretty useless if you want a first rate job, and AFAIK will only reskin existing default locos, not create new ones. I wouldn't bother using that tool for this job.

Likely most people weren't aware of what caused the problem, or did not have the tools to address it. Alpha mask support isn't available in most image editing software. Far as i can tell it's pretty much only GIMP and Photoshop.

The skinning tool works just fine on any anything. You give it a A skin, a profile, and beauty shot TGAs and it'll convert them to DDS and create the B, C, D, and E skins for you. So long as the original A skin doesn't have alpha issues, the smaller scale skins won't either. Then you just unpack the PK4 it creates and stick the contents together with your new engine's 3DP files, repack them, and you're good to go. It's only real disadvantage is that DDS images are of slightly lower quality than TGA images, but all of the default engines are DDS and they look fine to me.

Ha. In your dreams, mate. Doesn't work on my box. Tried that trick ages ago.

Ah, that's unfortunate.

[Hawk]

Alpha mask support isn't available in most image editing software. Far as i can tell it's pretty much only GIMP and Photoshop.

And Paint Shop Pro. At least in the 3 versions I have; 7, 8, & 10

[cheminot]

I wouldn't be surprised if Inkscape doesn't do it too.

[Gumboots]

The skinning tool works just fine on any anything. You give it a A skin, a profile, and beauty shot TGAs and it'll convert them to DDS and create the B, C, D, and E skins for you. So long as the original A skin doesn't have alpha issues, the smaller scale skins won't either.

Ok, if you want to try it I have the A skins for the Berkshire loco and tender already done. They're TGA, so I assume that's fine. I'll dig them out tonight and attach them to a post.

If it all works, then I could probably get enthused about doing A skins for the other steam locos and their tenders. Doing one each isn;t so bad. The prospect of doing five for each was a bit daunting.

[Gumboots]

Here you go: A skins for Berkshire loco and tender. Rename them to suit your self.

[Lirio]

Thanks! Might as well also fix the Berkshire's wheels while at it. The flat grey looks odd.

[Gumboots]

Go for it. I just re-alpha'd what was there already. As long as you use the same size wheel and don't change the alpha channel, you should be able to nick wheels from any loco and just paste them in.

[Lirio]

Okay, mixture of good news and bad news.

First the bad: Unfortunately it seems that i was mistaken about the tool included in the game. The B, C, D, and E images it creates do, in fact, have alpha problems even if the original image does not. Additionally the new wheels on the locomotive have a strange white glow to them during day time that disappears entirely at night time. No idea why this is happening, but it did not happen with the original all grey wheels. The two have the same dimensions best i can tell.

Now the Good: After adjusting the hue and contrast of the skin, i've been able to sharpen the Berkshire's look, so it no longer looks greyish and washed out. More importantly, i found a relatively quick and easy way to re-alpha an image in Paint.net, which should work similarly in other image manipulation software. Basically you make a new layer and set the layer blending mode to multiply or darken. Then you paint the whole image solid white. If there are any parts you want to maintain their alpha channels, draw a selection over them and press delete to remove the white from them. When the image looks good, merge the two layers together. Then grab the magic wand, set it to very low tolerance (1% is safest), shift+click on a white area, then press delete. All pixels that used to have any level of transparency are now completely opaque. The method also works using solid black instead of white, and the additive or lighten blending mode.

[Lirio]

Somehow managed to fix the glowing wheels issue. Dunno what i did, but it's not a problem any more. Here's the updated Berkshire, it doesn't glow in the dark, doesn't have ghostly-grey wheels, and has a proper profile picture. Honestly looking back on it i really shouldn't have put this much effort on the thing. It's not even a real 2-8-4, if you look closely it still has a single rear axle, just covered up. All i see when looking at it is just a reskinned Mikado with its rear wheels obscured so we can all pretend it has four instead of two. But hey if anyone still likes it, here's the fruits of my and Gumboot's work in improving hoborailcat's original.

[Attachment removed, see below]

[cheminot]

man! This is some thread!
you guys are railroad engineers or what?
I've been following this thread, and learned more about engines than all the books or wiki I've gleaning at. Awesome!
Now, somebody -I'm thinking like Wolverine- should compile this into a H&B encyclopedia of Engines, or something like it.
Mister Lirio, you have my respects.

[Lirio]

Mister Lirio, you have my respects.

Thank you kindly, but I'm a Miss. Lirio means Lily in Spanish.

[cheminot]

Mis escusas senorita
Debria haberlo sabido. My madre se llamaba Azucena...
Y como sabes tu tanto sobre los ferrocarriles
mis grandes saludos

[Gumboots]

Nice work, Lirio. We should be able to get this down to a fine art (even if we don't understand why some bits work). I'll grab your new Berkshire and load it into my game for a few runs.

Okay, mixture of good news and bad news.

First the bad: Unfortunately it seems that i was mistaken about the tool included in the game. The B, C, D, and E images it creates do, in fact, have alpha problems even if the original image does not.

Yup. Methinks this is why all the user-created locos apart from WP&P's ones have the alpha problems. Everyone just tried to do them using the default skinning tool.

I'll try your new alpha fixing idea in GIMP and Photoshop as soon as I get a chance, and see if I can use it to fix some of the other loco problems. I was doing it the tedious way before: one pixel (or block of pixels) at a time.

One thing I have noticed is that one of WP&P's is all grey ghost on my box, which I think is related to using a 1024 x 1024 TGA A skin for a user-created loco. Some of the default locos use 1024x1024 A skins, but they are DDS and in a different folder. Most of them are 512 x 512 A skins though.

I think the game doesn't like 1024 x1024 in user-created, but perhaps it would accept them if they were DDS, or perhaps user-created locos that want to use an large A skin could be added to the default locos folder. Adding and deleting locos to that folder doesn't seem to cause any problems, so I'm honestly not sure what is the point of having a separate folder for user-created locos.

[hoborailcat]

I'd love to give it a download myself. The Berkshire was much more of an experiment to see if I could make a functioning locomotive, so at least it runs like one. It's cool to see it updated and looking better. That is, I think it does, as for some reason I can't seem to see the pictures or download the file. It keeps telling me "unable to deliver file". Is anyone else experiencing this problem? It would be great to get the new updated Berk, because I agree that the textures I had weren't exactly too sharp.

[Hawk]

as for some reason I can't seem to see the pictures or download the file. It keeps telling me "unable to deliver file". Is anyone else experiencing this problem?

That is most likely because of the of the problems we had with the server around that time.
Maybe Lirio will see this and upload them again.

[Lirio]

Mis escusas senorita
Debria haberlo sabido. My madre se llamaba Azucena...
Y como sabes tu tanto sobre los ferrocarriles
mis grandes saludos

Esta bien, a veces pasa. Se de ferrocarriles porque me interesa, asi que he leeido varias cosas y publicaciones acerca de ellos. Se puede encontrar bastante si uno busca por el internet.

as for some reason I can't seem to see the pictures or download the file. It keeps telling me "unable to deliver file". Is anyone else experiencing this problem?

That is most likely because of the of the problems we had with the server around that time.
Maybe Lirio will see this and upload them again.

Done and done!

[Edit: File removed due to corruption.]

[Lirio]

Been working a little on the early electric trains. They're a bit quirky. The 2-D-2 refers to the wheel arrangement, which makes sense since a lot of other locos, like "Atlantic" and "Eight Wheeler" are also named for the wheel arrangement. Haven't been able to determine which one specifically it's based on, but it might be American or French. The Be 5/7 has a Swiss locomotive designation, and broadly looks like a Swiss locomotive (the odd number of drive axles was highly unusual in North America), but i've not been able to find which one it is specifically. The designation is correct for the design as it is in game: B for speed 70-80 kph, e for electrive drive, 5 driven axles, 7 axles total, but there seems to be no such locomotive!

EP-2 Bipolar is very specifically a 5 engine class made by GE for the Milwaukee road. It's odd that it's given a passenger appeal of Ugly, considering that they were iconic express locomotives practically synonymous with the Milwaukee's Olympian service between Chicago and Seattle. Their power, modernity, and distinctive look caused them to be heavily used by the road in publicity and advertisement. That rates a Looks Sharp at least, and quite possibly Ultra Cool. Similarly, it's bewildering that the GG1 is rated only Acceptable, when they were streamlined ultra modern express engines capable of high speeds and widely used by the Pennsy as a symbol of their self-appointed role as the "Standard Railway of the World".

Ge 6/6 Crocodile is interesting in that Crocodiles were in fact used outside Switzerland, as India had some. Though Ge 6/6 refers specifically to the narrow-gauge Swiss Crocodiles, the standard gage ones were designated Ce 6/8, and the Indian ones were in Indian gauge (a kind of broad gage). One wonders why they used the Ge 6/6 of which only 15 were produced, and not the more representative Ce 6/8 which has 51 examples, and were more similar to the 41 built for India.

North America's kind of poor for Electric engines in the 1900-1950 period. Both Europe and World get 6, while NA gets only 3. The US did electrify quite a bit during that period, it only doesn't seem like it today because a lot of the electric track was de-energized and the centenary and third rails removed in the 60s and 70s. Will have to change the availabilities around some to make it more even.

[hoborailcat]

Wow, that bit of texture editing really makes the Berk look nice. Glad to know that everyone's enjoying it. For my own purposes, I might add the "Lima Locomotive Works" back onto the tender, cause I just like the way it looks. Other than that, I think it looks great.

[Lirio]

It's good you like it hoborailcat. It wasn't much, mostly just increased the colour saturation and contrast to sharpen and focus it. The wheels were a little harder, but managed to get them looking pretty good too.

Anyway, i've found an even better way of fixing the alpha channel issue in locomotive textures. The original method outlined a few posts back is pretty good, but doesn't always work. Some locomotive textures take on a milky sheen if you use white, or look slightly carbonized if you use black. This was a problem with the Hudson because i absolutely love the slightly golden hue of the rods and bars on the drivers, which was being compromised by the aformentioned issue. Fortunately, i found an excellent workaround that additionally works perfectly on every locomotives.

Using Paint.net first download the CodeLab plugin and put it in the effects folder of Paint.net. With the locomotive's A skin TGA loaded, set the magic wand at 1% tolerance and the selection mode to invert, then shift+click on a blank spot. Grab the rectangle selection tool and draw selections over the windows and headlight, then draw a selection over the entire image. You should now have the whole skin selected except for the windows and the blank portions of the image. Open CodeLab under Effects->Advanced->CodeLab, then copy and paste the code below into it. Finally click on Build. Every pixel in the selection that had any transparency will be made completely opaque. It's pretty simple and works very well, preserving colour data of every pixel while completely removing all transparency.

Code: Select all

void Render(Surface dst, Surface src, Rectangle rect)
{
    PdnRegion selectionRegion = EnvironmentParameters.GetSelection(src.Bounds);
    ColorBgra CurrentPixel;
    for(int y = rect.Top; y < rect.Bottom; y++)
    {
        for (int x = rect.Left; x < rect.Right; x++)
        {
            if (selectionRegion.IsVisible(x, y))
            {
                CurrentPixel = src[x,y];
                CurrentPixel.A = (byte)255;
                dst[x,y] = CurrentPixel;
            }
        }
    }
}

Also, i found out that using the nearest neighbour re-sampling when resizing an image that has no alpha channel issues will produce a resized image that also has no alpha channel issues, but still retains its glowing windows and headlights. It even produces a somewhat sharper texture in some respects which looks pretty good. The only downside is that the locomotive number, because it's so small, will became illegible much faster.

[Lirio]

Getting a number of similar locomotives properly balanced can be quite difficult in this game, as there really aren't that many balance points. i seem to have mostly gotten the Mastodon, G10, Decapod, H10, BR 39, P-2, and Northern to both form a smooth progression curve and play well with each other. Rather hard trick to pull off, and as a consequences some of the locos are only marginally distinct. Like as not most people will just use whichever one of that set is newer, but whichever players are fastidious about getting the right loco for the right job will hopefully find that each one has their own little niche. Had similar difficulties in getting the GS-3, Class J, and Hudson to all play nice together, and the same for the two UP and two N&W mallets.

This update is shaping up pretty nice though! A few more days to get some more tweaking and play-testing done, and it might be good for a beta release. Actually, it could have been released for play testing a while ago but i wanted it mostly finished before letting the rest of tear into it.

One funny i've noticed is that taking official and fanmade material together the game has no less than six Northerns. There's the basic Northern, Daylight, and Class J for North America, the 242 A1 for Europe, and SAR Class 25, and Red Devil for the rest of the World. It would have been seven if nedfumpkin had finished that Soviet P36 he was working on. That's quite a strong presence for a locomotive type that had less than 1800 examples built worldwide. For comparison North America alone saw the construction of 2500 Mountain types, 6800 Pacific types, and over 10 000 Mikados. Yet we have but two Mountains (both from NA), four Pacifics* (three Euro, one NA), and two Mikados (one NA and one Euro). The 4-8-4 is apparently just that cool.

Course, i shouldn't be one to talk. The Hudsons/Baltics were even rarer than the Northerns, with best as i can tell about 1000 total built world wide, and the game has two of them. Yet where it within my capabilities to make it happen, i would see to it that a Milwaukee Road F7 were added to make a third. Unfortunately the relative lack of streamliners in RT3 leaves me without suitable starting points to try and make one. The Mallard comes closest but the shape's all wrong, and it's too short to add an extra trailing axle. Oh well, will just have to be content with the Daylight pinch-hitting for it.

*Five Pacifics if you counted the Orca, but the Orca never counts.