Highways, train tracks

[Adam the Waster]

This is kinda a part 2 of the Subways and sewers post but again idk if it would be possible outside of a Handmade map. But imagine how cool it would be to have not only

• large Interststes roads spanding across the map with a grave yard amount of cars, trucks stops, tolls, etc
• Highways around citys or even ones that can span across the map
• Train tracks with train stops and broken down trains to scavage and loot and turn into a base

 

[Gamida]

I use to like using one of the old mapmakers that allowed me to add single or double elevated highways that spanned the entire map north and south. Not sure which one it was (Maybe KingGen??)
Anyway the highway was damaged at certain points and I would try and repair them so I had a way to cross the map on my vehicle at high speed.

 

[Motimus Prime]

As a real-life Arizona "Navezgane" resident, I very much support this idea. I did not realize that we lacked train tracks until you just pointed that out. There are lots of train tracks around the Grand Canyon State. The interstate highways would be cool, too, like that one big, broken bridge in the desert southeast of Trader Bob, but longer.

 

[zztong]

• large Interststes roads spanding across the map with a grave yard amount of cars, trucks stops, tolls, etc
• Highways around citys or even ones that can span across the map
• Train tracks with train stops and broken down trains to scavage and loot and turn into a base

I think a single Interstate passing by the Cities makes sense.
I think a set of train tracks make sense passing by a City makes sense.
A single training with a number of cars makes sense.

I use to like using one of the old mapmakers that allowed me to add single or double elevated highways that spanned the entire map north and south. Not sure which one it was (Maybe KingGen??)
Anyway the highway was damaged at certain points and I would try and repair them so I had a way to cross the map on my vehicle at high speed.

It was Nitrogen. It placed some elevated highway POIs TFP had made but never exposed to the game.

My trouble with the elevated highway idea is this is Arizona. There's lots of land and few obstacles (like a bayou or Chicago) to force you to build expensive bridging. It will be a 4-lane highway on the ground. They'll go around whatever is in their way.

 

[Riamus]

I would love to see train tracks around the map. The biggest issue I think is getting them to be on the ground. With terrain changing elevations, sometimes in small amounts and sometimes in large amounts, trying to have the tracks flat on the ground if the terrain isn't perfectly flat would not be easy. Even if you made a 10 degree set of ramps for it, you'd still have a lot of gaps under the tracks on slopes that aren't exactly 10 degrees. That may not matter to a lot of people, and I think many would accept that if it meant having the train tracks, but it would be noticeable and you'd get stuck on them if you tried to drive over them at such points.

However, if you didn't do it with blocks but instead with long POI (parts) sections, you could smooth out the terrain around those POI and make it less noticeable. It would still be visible, but it could be made to look like a gravel bed under the tracks. But that means a lot more work to make a track as you have to place all those POI around the map instead of just placing a lot of blocks in a row.

In any case, it could be done. The questions are whether or not it's worth the effort and how good you can actually make it look.

Regarding highways... I can take them or leave them. Elevated ones don't make sense. And other than exits and on ramps, a highway isn't really any different than what we already have... just wider. The main difference is what we have now doesn't go past towns like a highway would. But is that really worth dev time? And for those who use Teragon, you can make the roads as wide as you want and can now use a mask to determine where the roads go, so you could create a "highway" that spans the map if you want to try it out and see if it really makes much difference in the game.

 

[Adam the Waster]

would love to see train tracks around the map. The biggest issue I think is getting them to be on the ground. With terrain changing elevations, sometimes in small amounts and sometimes in large amounts, trying to have the tracks flat on the ground if the terrain isn't perfectly flat would not be easy. Even if you made a 10 degree set of ramps for it, you'd still have a lot of gaps under the tracks on slopes that aren't exactly 10 degrees. That may not matter to a lot of people, and I think many would accept that if it meant having the train tracks, but it would be noticeable and you'd get stuck on them if you tried to drive over them at such points.

I would just have them.in a set hight cuz train tracks need flat land or even. Like concrete platforms. I think it could be done for nazezgane

 

[zztong]

The biggest issue I think is getting them to be on the ground. With terrain changing elevations, sometimes in small amounts and sometimes in large amounts, trying to have the tracks flat on the ground if the terrain isn't perfectly flat would not be easy.

That's certainly true. Also true is that railroads have to prepare the terrain to hold the tracks, so some amount of forced standardization would be reasonable. If you're willing to round the height of the railroad terrain up to a block boundary you could minimize the number of supporting blocks.

But trains also need gentle turns and we have so few blocks that support that. This is why I suggest a railroad track cross the map in a straight line... and I guess at one constant height. Tunnel through mountains and build bridges over water if needed. Stay out of cities.