[Mod] Advanced Trains [advtrains] [1.7.2]

[orwell]

This mod adds good-looking, realistic trains to minetest. It introduces rails that make turns of only 30 degrees instead of 90. The trains can be highly automated.

Until now are supported:
- tracks and switches, based on angles of 30(!) degrees
- wagons that drive on these rails and collide with nodes in the environment(they need 3x3x3 space)
-> a steam engine (with smoke(using latest dev)!)
-> a regular green wagon
-> a box wagon
-> a subway train
-> engine and wagon for a passenger train (the 'japanese train')
- coupling /discoupling of wagons/trains
- trains can travel through unloaded map chunks (but I don't recommend you to do so unless you have them automated with ATC, watch the movie 'unstoppable', it is really hard to stop a fast moving train, even with fly/fast)
- head-up display for train speed and nice controls when sitting in locomotive
- signals and bumpers
- switches and signals controllable by mesecons
- wagons have an owner, only this owner can destroy or discouple wagons.
- Automatic train control (ATC) (currently only static commands, but these are powerful enough)
- Automation with LUA code
- API to add custom wagons
- doors on subway train that can be opened
- Amazing railway automation features. For examples search this topic for videos.

Manual:
https://github.com/orwell96/advtrains/b ... manual.pdf
- Use the 'track' item to place tracks. In most cases it will adjust rails in the direction you need them.
- use the trackworker tool (doctor who sonic screwdriver) to rotate tracks(right-click) and to change normal rails into switches(left-click)
- to overcome heights you need the ramped rails, place them and you will understand.
- right-click switches to change direction
- place locomotives or wagons by picking the item and placing it on a track.
- right-click a wagon or locomotive to sit onto it.
- drive two trains together and they will connect by right-clicking that green icon that appears.
- punch the red couple icon between wagons to discouple them
For the syntax of ATC commands see atc_commands.txt

Have fun!

+ Screenshots

Video: https://youtu.be/e1ZrCUz5Vd4
Dependencies: default

Download latest: https://github.com/orwell96/advtrains/r ... trains.zip
(this contains only the files needed to run the mod)
The latest version may contain bugs and should not be used on servers until it has been tested.
Unpack the archive directly into the "mods" directory.
This has changed!

Github: https://github.com/orwell96/advtrains/
License of code: LGPL 2.1
License of media: CC-BY-SA 3.0

Suggested configuration (minetest.conf):

Your phone or window isn't wide enough to display the code box. If it's a phone, try rotating it to landscape mode.

Code: Select all

active_block_range = 5
active_object_send_range_blocks = 5


With lower values, trains appear out of nothing when they approach.
(I got scared many times when trains suddenly stood in the station on my automated subway map without these settings)

Also check out mbb's trains. Just download, add into the modpack and enable them
https://mbblp.github.io/advanced-trains ... index.html

[TumeniNodes]

Sounds really cool! Do you have any screenshots?

[webdesigner97]

Sounds interesting! Minetest really needs a good mod for trains :)
I hope that one day we'll reach something like this:

Youtube | Official Build A World Channel: Trains & Tracks - Part 3 - 'Rails Demo'

[benrob0329]

Is it based off of the railnet mod? If not, I'd recommended you take a look at it, its pretty cool.

[lightonflux]

First impressions:

* Rail blocks need different names, other wise it is hard to test as you have to use every block before you have an idea what it even does
* crashes when connecting wagons (nil value)
* check if wagon is placed on track_vert and deny placement to prevent bugs (wagon stuck in track_vert or other wagon)
* node highlight of track_vert (1 & 2) broken, and player can walk into the block
* don't let the player place wagons in the ground (place on != track block)
* traintester tool on wagon crashes the session (nil value)

Good enough as a first 0.1 release. Better release often, then almost never like some other mods.

[orwell]

First impressions:

* Rail blocks need different names, other wise it is hard to test as you have to use every block before you have an idea what it even does

in the end, ther will be only the track placer available and it won't be called trackplacer but just 'track'. you wil do anything other using the trackworker

* crashes when connecting wagons (nil value)

it shouldn't. can you please provide debug.txt entries?

* check if wagon is placed on track_vert and deny placement to prevent bugs (wagon stuck in track_vert or other wagon)

you're right, I will fix this. but i will allow placement and just fix positioning, because i plan to add cog railways

* node highlight of track_vert (1 & 2) broken, and player can walk into the block

ok, this could be improved. you can walk through because these nodes are not set as walkable, because then you could place torches and rails on it, which you shouldn't do.

* don't let the player place wagons in the ground (place on != track block)

will be done.

* traintester tool on wagon crashes the session (nil value)

ah, I think I know what I did wrong...

Just keep in mind that this mod is far away from being finished.

[orwell]

Is it based off of the railnet mod? If not, I'd recommended you take a look at it, its pretty cool.

Nope. It's almost completely my work, except the rail texture (but I will improve this one too, so that it looks good even for 45deg rails)
But I will implement that train-not-being-unloaded stuff one day, maybe I can draw inspiration out of it (of course while giving credit to stu). Thanks for the suggestion.

EDIT: well, the texture does not look 'good' for 45deg rails, it looks 'acceptable for a wip mod'

[orwell]

Sounds really cool! Do you have any screenshots?

No, but I will create some when I have better models and textures (that will be in about two weeks, when I have more time)

[orwell]

Sounds interesting! Minetest really needs a good mod for trains :)
I hope that one day we'll reach something like this:

Youtube | Official Build A World Channel: Trains & Tracks - Part 3 - 'Rails Demo'

Indeed, something like this is what I'm dreaming of.

[AnxiousInfusion]

I would be really interested to see how those high-radius turn rails from the Build A World video might be implemented into a mod like yours.

[orwell]

Update
1. github
2. models
3. improvements
4. trains travel through unloaded mapchunks

next: better couple logic

EDIT: 5. screenshots

[Nathan.S]

You sir, are a master. (assuming Orwell is a guy name :S)

Either way, this looks AMAZING.

Let me know if you want any help with train models, I'm kinda okay at Blender.

[orwell]

You are always welcome to help. The locomotive is not animated, if you can animate it, that would just be so cool...
George Orwell was a famous author.

[TumeniNodes]

The screenshots look great!
And it is great that you decided to use 45* angles... makes much more sense then 90* turns.
I am still of the opinion though, that rails should be scaled up in size = double the width.
I wish they could be done as this example 2x4 sections of track.



It would add a lot of richness, and better proportion to the feature. As well as the ability to create larger engines and carts, and it may help with the collision space, by acting as a buffer zone, by extending outward x 1 on each side of the tracks?
I don't know if this is something anyone else would like to see, or if you think it is a good idea??
Of course they would actually be scaled down to the default 16x16 blocks, this example uses 64x64


Anyway, time for me to try out your great work : )

[orwell]

Since the 45deg rail textures extend over node borders, actually every rail node is a mesh consisting just of a plane that spans 0,5 node lengths over th node border. So it is really easy to extend the rail width a bit.
May I use that rail texture you posted? it looks great...(it has even got a gravel bed...)

[Nathan.S]

You are always welcome to help. The locomotive is not animated, if you can animate it, that would just be so cool...

I'm not sure if I can get animation one an object like a train, as I wouldn't know how to make the model use animation, unless it uses something like the mob api where animation is an option. I guess I'll have to look at the code. I might still have an old train model sitting around from the last train mod that somebody started on, but then gave up on, or whatever happened to that mod. I'll try and get a little something together tomorrow. If nothing else, a slightly better texture than what's going on now, where it will actually look like a train engine, or car :D

[TumeniNodes]

Since the 45deg rail textures extend over node borders, actually every rail node is a mesh consisting just of a plane that spans 0,5 node lengths over th node border. So it is really easy to extend the rail width a bit.
May I use that rail texture you posted? it looks great...(it has even got a gravel bed...)

Absolutely, I'd be honored if you did. Let me know if you want/need other textures, or even if you want me to make any changes to this one. I just threw it together as an example

[orwell]

You are always welcome to help. The locomotive is not animated, if you can animate it, that would just be so cool...

I'm not sure if I can get animation one an object like a train, as I wouldn't know how to make the model use animation, unless it uses something like the mob api where animation is an option. I guess I'll have to look at the code. I might still have an old train model sitting around from the last train mod that somebody started on, but then gave up on, or whatever happened to that mod. I'll try and get a little something together tomorrow. If nothing else, a slightly better texture than what's going on now, where it will actually look like a train engine, or car :D

Well, I just need a model file with a well-working animation. I will write the code myself.

[DS-minetest]

looks very nice
Edit: its extremely buggy and the size of the mod is gigantic, maybe you should not make round meshes, cubic style is better and please scale the textures of train and wagon down

[orwell]

of course its buggy, its a WIP mod.

and have you ever seen locomotives with cubic boilers?
the textures may be scaled down.
Notice that the main size of the mod should come from 1. the xcf projects(they are huge) and 2. the .blend files that lie around everywhere...

BTW pushed an update, first part of better couple logic done.
EDIT: now the discouplers are done too, and trains collide again.

[Nathan.S]

So I added a little animation to the engine, the pistons and drive links move together. Everything is controlled by bones, and two empties. To change it up you only need to change the animation of the wheel center empty, everything else is either a child or is being modified by that with constraints.
The forum doesn't allow the .blend format so I've uploaded it to my website instead.
http://www.nathansalapat.com/downloads/ ... tion.blend

I do think you could drastically lower the amount of faces in the model without much of a notice of quality loss. The two pistons that go into the little cylinders and the cylinders themselves have lots of faces, but are small enough, especially the pistons that they could be at like 12 faces without anybody even being able to tell. I'm not going to try and tell you what you should be doing with models though, so I didn't touch anything other than to add the animation.

[TumeniNodes]

The forum doesn't allow the .blend format so I've uploaded it to my website instead.

This is something we may be able to ask to have added to the forums? Especially now since meshes will most likely be utilized more often with recent changes?

Gonna check out your blend, sounds awesome so far

[Nathan.S]

I wouldn't know who to ask, but maybe I'll make a post in the feature request part of the forum.

I only added the animation to the model, it was created by orwell.

[TumeniNodes]

celeron55 would prob be the best person to pm regarding it. I think adding .blend and .obj would be very useful and justified (if they are options)

adding animation is no little feat... I'm sure orwell will agree

[DS-minetest]

maybe make mesh for rails, for more information, maybe ask wikipedia (de)
at now the 45° rail is wider than the normal

and i still dont like these cylinders in the trains, minetest is a cubic game

[TumeniNodes]

maybe make mesh for rails, for more information, maybe ask wikipedia (de)
at now the 45° rail is wider than the normal

and i still dont like these cylinders in the trains, minetest is a cubic game

But if this were a "rule" to be strictly adhered to, then no one should have, nor be creating cars, trains, arches, the apples, etc... wheels are round.
I'm just saying that adding "some" cylindrical / rounded objects is not such a bad thing. It gives more appeal.
And, there is always the option to build a train mod without cylinders as well. It is extremely difficult to please everyone in one mod. That is why it is nice to have alternative options, as well as the ability to make them into anything you want.
You could fork the mod, and make the changes which please you (and probably others who feel the same regarding a cubic / centric feel), or if unable, find others who can help : )

[DS-minetest]

maybe make mesh for rails, for more information, maybe ask wikipedia (de)
at now the 45° rail is wider than the normal

and i still dont like these cylinders in the trains, minetest is a cubic game

But if this were a "rule" to be strictly adhered to, then no one should have, nor be creating cars, trains, arches, the apples, etc... wheels are round.
I'm just saying that adding "some" cylindrical / rounded objects is not such a bad thing. It gives more appeal.
And, there is always the option to build a train mod without cylinders as well. It is extremely difficult to please everyone in one mod. That is why it is nice to have alternative options, as well as the ability to make them into anything you want.
You could fork the mod, and make the changes which please you (and probably others who feel the same regarding a cubic / centric feel), or if unable, find others who can help : )

i dont hate the cylinders but they should not be used too often, as wheels its ok of course

[TailsTheFoxDoes MT]

Unspeakable... Awsome mod...

[azekill_DIABLO]

looks like ShoopDaWhoop

[TailsTheFoxDoes MT]

looks like ShoopDaWhoop

It's a Minecraft youtuber picture, he's called Unspeakablegame.