Some ideas to make the metro even better!

[Dreamcaster]

For those who might have a curiosity about these things here's a couple of diagrams of the Northern Line's loop;

(3D visualisation) http://husk.org/www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/7069/ltkenn.gif
(Network Diagram) http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xDdPCMx50...AAE0w/zhFrbGjmN1U/s1600/Kennington-lkn5-8.gif


Also, a diagram of the Northern Line's Camden Town station, where two branches meet and merge and then separate again. This was constructed during the late 1920s and early 1930s and I wonder if anybody could replicate this in CiM2 without getting "Not Enough Space" error!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H2gI3auZmQU/UNkXfir6XGI/AAAAAAAAAL0/BrvMOxjP_Ec/s1600/ltcamden.jpg

 

[Metropolitan]

I would also like to see underground depots - they are rare but they do exist, London's Waterloo & City which is underground for its entire length is one such example, featuring a depot with seven roads immediately after the southern terminus. This depot is capable of carrying out routing maintenance although for complete overhauls the carriages have to hoisted out of a hole using a crane and taken off by road.

Underground depots are very common in metro systems which are mostly underground.

Here in Paris, about 90% of the metro network (consisting in 16 fully independent lines) is underground. There is generally two depots per line: a bigger one used for rest and maintenance on one end ; and a smaller one only used for rest on the other end. The purpose of the smaller one is just to be able to start service at 5:30 in the morning in both directions. These smaller "rest" depots are mostly underground, and many maintenance depots are also underground. Finally, we have the huge central workshop in La Villette which is used for larger works and train renovation for the whole network. This one is overground. :laugh:

• Detailed map of Paris metro rail tracks and depots
• List of Paris metro depot (wikipedia)

Anyway, I'm not asking for so much complexity as that would kill the game. I'm just saying this because underground depots are not marginal. I take Paris as an example but this is true for many networks worldwide.

 

[Dreamcaster]

An underground depot would be nice but yes it's not essential and I think I read elsewhere one of the developers saying that it can't be done right now.

But yes the game really needs a terminal station where you can turn trains back around without the need for depots of turning loops. It's such common practice and it was a feature of CiM1 so it really should be there.

Also urgently needed is the ability to place turnouts, because right now the four track piece is of limited functionality when you have so few options for changing tracks. And although in theory you could split a 4-track piece into two branches to build a station with four platforms (1 island and 2 through), at the moment the single directional 2-track pieces only allow a station to be placed on the outer track and not the inner - an arbitary and totally unncessary restriction! (That and the automatically created turnouts for 4-->2-track pieces do not allow access to all the tracks.)

The splinable track (as opposed to the fixed sections of CiM1) does mean that in theory line creation in CiM2 should be a lot more flexible and a lot more powerful. However until the shortcomings in the system are addressed it's still just in theory...

The bus and tram workings have received all the improvements they needed from CiM1 so it's such a shame that the metro aspect of the game has taken one step forward but two steps back. Hopefully it will be sorted soon, and without the need to purchase additional assets from the CiM2 DLC store...



P.S. I did actually manage to build a metro depot underground the first time I played the game by experimenting moving the depot around and adjusting its position - but this was before I knew that you're not supposed to be able to do so and I assume it's definitely not meant to happen! I certainly haven't been able to replicate it since...

 

[Dreamcaster]

Oh and they also need to add the ability to 'cut' sections of track so that when you want to demolish a section to re-do it you don't need to demolish the entire line all the way back to the last junction...

Yes you can add a junction to divide two sections of track in order to delete one of them but it's a cludgey solution and not always possible depending on the whims of the game and whether it feels there's enough space or whether the line is in water (when it's not)...

 

[jfjohnny5]

Oh and they also need to add the ability to 'cut' sections of track so that when you want to demolish a section to re-do it you don't need to demolish the entire line all the way back to the last junction...

+1 this for any kind of track.

 

[Dorceon]

The thing that's bugging me is the 4192m limit on a 'road', which includes metro rails underground where there's nothing for them to intersect with. Doesn't really make sense to make a loop, then branch off the loop, then delete part of the loop just to have a long metro line.

 

[unmerged(424960)]

Oh and they also need to add the ability to 'cut' sections of track so that when you want to demolish a section to re-do it you don't need to demolish the entire line all the way back to the last junction...

Yes you can add a junction to divide two sections of track in order to delete one of them but it's a cludgey solution and not always possible depending on the whims of the game and whether it feels there's enough space or whether the line is in water (when it's not)...

You can do that with a trick: build a little track junction between the two edges of the track you want to cut, this way the game will recognize that it's a different part.

 

[tyteen4a03]

I also want to request for more durable trains and (much) bigger depots. All of my metro lines are at least 25km long, and one reaching the 40 area. On the 40 km one trains' condition drops from 100% to 35%, however depots are so unreasonably small that I can't buy more vehicles and let those vehicles in poor condition rest.

(For those of you that says 40 km lines are "unrealistic", come to Hong Kong - a lot of the lines are longer than 30 km, and in the future one of them will be extended to form a line that is 60 km long, and another will be extended to 45km. All of those are under construction so if you want to argue I have all my facts to back me up)

 

[Metropolitan]

I also want to request for more durable trains and (much) bigger depots. All of my metro lines are at least 25km long, and one reaching the 40 area. On the 40 km one trains' condition drops from 100% to 35%, however depots are so unreasonably small that I can't buy more vehicles and let those vehicles in poor condition rest.

I haven't tested such. I would figure out it is possible to build a line as long as possible as long as we have minimal variation in the timetable, however you seem to tell that just kills train conditions. If that is true then indeed it sucks.

(For those of you that says 40 km lines are "unrealistic", come to Hong Kong - a lot of the lines are longer than 30 km, and in the future one of them will be extended to form a line that is 60 km long, and another will be extended to 45km. All of those are under construction so if you want to argue I have all my facts to back me up)

You're right but be careful with comparison with real world. Never forget that the game is 30 times faster than in real life and that the population is something like 50 times lesser than in real life. This explains by the way why we can't have real life train capacity. With 1,000 train capacity, your whole rush hour would be gone with 2 trains!

I've always heard Colossal Order insisting in saying that for strategy matters, it was important to make shorter better-thought lines more profitable than longer lines. Regarding profitability, their argument makes sense, even in real life I mean ; however it's not a reason to make longest lines unplayable because of an unsustainable maintenance.

Anyway, I'd be curious to hear someone from Colossal Order having a say about this. After all, they did the things this way for a reason.

 

[Metropolitan]

The thing that's bugging me is the 4192m limit on a 'road', which includes metro rails underground where there's nothing for them to intersect with. Doesn't really make sense to make a loop, then branch off the loop, then delete part of the loop just to have a long metro line.

I see your point but I think this is hardcoded and frankly it's not that tedious after all.

 

[tyteen4a03]

You're right but be careful with comparison with real world. Never forget that the game is 30 times faster than in real life and that the population is something like 50 times lesser than in real life. This explains by the way why we can't have real life train capacity. With 1,000 train capacity, your whole rush hour would be gone with 2 trains!

I didn't ask for a bigger train capacity (I think they are fine), just bigger depot and durable trains.

 

[unmerged(721366)]

With improving just a very few things, the metros can get much better:

1. The possibilty to set special points, where a metro train can simply change direction and move to the opposite rail-track. The most important thing of all in my opinion. No need of loops anymore, please, please, please!! )

2. What i would like to see are stations which can be set inbetween two tracks, and generally more variety of station-types.

3. Making the road-layer be able to be switched on or off, would also be great.

4. More atmospheric details, like train announcements at each station, signal-lights, etc.

5. A seperated double-track (2 tubes, next do each other) for lines with a very uge passenger flow. The existing 4 way tack is a bit senseless, because you can only place stations on both edge tracks.

 

[Enzojz]

Oh..in Paris, the story is complicated..

In fact the only lines have loop at the end is M6 at Etoile. They change the driver at Trocadero direction Nation. Both M6 and M2 have loops at Nation, so the M5 at Pl. d'Italie but actually the half loop are used as depot and normally the train stops at one platform as another leaves at opposite side..that's very frequent. M5 at Bobigny is the same. My obeservation is if the plateform is the center and the tracks are at the sides the trains will not go into the depot if the platforms are at the sides and the tracks are central, they will go the depot..

And don't forget M7Bis, at Louis Blanc, there's no depot, the train change the direction at the terminal platform and change another time in the tunnel to deserve the departure platform.