Additional Design Notes

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As you've noted while viewing our various car types there is no need to design individual cars with exact copies of the seating arrangements. A variety of seating configurations in each car will add interest to each overall train's configuration.

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Do remember that when we get around to creating each BahnDaten_ we'd need to decide whether we want to restrict our train's design to two-way shuttle travel or to enable the gamer to additionally have the option of creating a circuit track with our train type.

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For the guest seating effects in any of these train designs we'd definitely want to avoid our guests sitting in numbered order, say, from the car's front left to it's rear right. Also, for the double-decker cars we'd want the boarding to take place evenly throughout the car, i.e., we wouldn't want one entire level of the car full before guests start to board the other level. At the same time you'd want some of your boarding guests to sit next to each other in random groups of two or three so that at a glance it would give the appearance there are groups sitting together.

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With each of the dozen train configurations we'd further need to consider if we want to release versions of our trains with doors that

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only open on the left sides of the cars,

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open only on the right sides, or

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open on both sides of the train as seen in the illustrations.

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We might also choose to release a version of the train cars with windows at the ends of all cars rather than only having windows on the console ends of cars. This would give all the cars glass windows on all four sides just like the in-game monorail.

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One final check we'd want to make is to process through CTR Creator a single train configuration that has in it one of our stretched cars. We've indicated the track we're using for these trains is TrackCTR_XX00Monorail which comes with 6 curves:

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6m,

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10m,

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14m,

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18m,

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22m, and

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26m.

Our stretched cars are 11½m in length so we know right out of the gate that the 6m & the 10m curve track sections need to be excluded from the BahnDaten_'s TrackSectionName list. Because we know the track curves upon which our trains need to travel need to be a minimum of 1½ times (150%) the length of our car we'd also want to exclude the 14m curve. The 22m curve will require actual testing in the game to see if it may be suitable. However we'd want the gamer to have a choice of curves and would be reluctant to release any track that comes with stretched cars with only 26m curves. In view of this, after testing, if it doesn't look too unsuitable we would probably include the 22m curve and give the gamer a choice as to whether or not they'd want to use that size of curve on their track.

Likewise for tracks on which there are only cars that aren't stretched (which are 7m to 8m in length) we'd know to exclude the 6m & the 10m curves with testing required on the 14m curve.

This particular CTR requires release as a set that includes about a dozen different train types, any one of which will enable gamers to select just the right configuration for their own park's particular needs. We're confident this will be the first CTR that we publicly release. However, because it will be a huge project it will probably be a while before we're able to make it available.

As a final note in this session we note that our demo factice track is textured differently to TrackCTR_XX00Monorail. With TexMod we can make that track look the same in our game as it does in these planning screenshots.

Number Of Cars Per Train And

Number Of Trains Per Track

Whether using a CTR Creator track or an in-game version, the maximum number of trains per track remains unchanged at 20. CTR Creator permits us, by way of the WagenDaten_, to allow as many cars per train as we wish. We've observed that sometimes, depending on the track configuration and the car used on it, it may be possible to increase the number of cars on each train/number of trains on the track at the same time that the queue of cars/queue of trains being added to is extending beyond the rear of the station out along the part of the track that has not yet reached the station.

While on this particular track eight trains work best, we've temporarily increased the number of cars for this screenshot.

Oddly, some tracks with this effect that are then edited in Construction mode will sometimes lose this effect while other tracks without this effect will suddenly have it after the track design has been edited so it seems something to do with the way the track is built. We haven't yet discovered any way to deliberately bring on this effect.

Do remember that unlike earlier versions of RollerCoaster Tycoon, in RCT3 guests do lot leave the train until it's reached the station and guests in all those trains extending beyond the station will need to wait until their train reaches the station before they can get off the ride. This wait will extend the length of their ride and unfavorably affect its rating.

Peep Sitting Positions

Of the 34 PeepSittingPositions available from which to choose you'll need to decide on one for your car. Only one sitting position is permitted per car. In trains with several Car_ types a different seating position may be used for each type of Car_. This enables a maximum of six different seating positions per train.

For guests who stand on their effect point, the bone placements are self explanatory in that one simply needs to navigate through our slideshow to the required Effect Bone image and see where the axes meet in relation to the position of the guests' feet on the floor in order to determine where on the floor to place the bone.

Presented next is a chart from which may be found slideshows of guests demonstrating each of the 35 peep sitting positions available to us for use with our peep seating effects. You will find four different views of each position:

1

Forward - this view taken forward of the guest shows his position when he first boards the ride. Often the guest will remain in this position until the ride leaves the station.

2

Grab - shows the position of the guest's hands while he's supporting himself on the ride. Sometimes the guest's hands take this position right after boarding and other times the guest doesn't move his hands into this position until the car moves from the station.

3

Side - a side view of 1 Forward to show the position of the axes from the side of the guest.

4

Rear - an above rear view of 1 Forward  to show the axes position from the guest at the rear.

Displayed in each image are the X, Y, & Z axes which clearly mark where the effect bone needs to be placed. For consistency only adult guests are shown.

  Chart: Guest Seating Positions Selection

When placing an effect for guests who sit on their effect point there are four important considerations:

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the height of the seat above the floor,

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the distance of the effect point from the front edge of the seat,

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whether the effect point is on the floor or on the seat, and

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the desired angle at which the guest is to lean forward of or backwards into their seat.

A few paragraphs further along we provide a table of measurements which will aid in taking most of the guesswork out of seated Bone Effect placement. Do remember that the placement of seating effects is not an exact science. In addition to the location of the seating effect bone, the seated placements of guests is based on the arrangement of the animation bones inside each guest type, something that gives the individual guest types their own character in movement and that, no matter how skilled the Custom Content Artist, in spite of our best efforts not every guest will sit exactly right on every seating bone. As a guide towards gaining the best possible accuracy in placing effects we’ve found these observations to be extremely helpful:

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The bum of the skirt wearing female child guest should be just touching the seat after which all your other guest types will be sat upon the seat in the best general positions that it's possible to achieve. For the proper distance from floor level to seat level you should aim to get adult guests' feet exactly on the floor. It does not matter if a miniscule amount of a few of the guests' shoe soles disappear into the car floor.

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To get the proper distance from front edge of seat to effect in seat, again the acid test is the skirt wearing female child guest who sits farthest back on the seat. You should aim to place her knees either exactly on the front edge of the seat or just slightly absorbed into it. It's perfectly fine if the back centimeter or two of any children's shoes disappears inside the front of the seat model's base. Do remember that the overall sitting area of any car seat with restraints will have less depth from front to back when children need to sit in the same seats as adults.

To actually see the various positions and heights that your park guests sit upon seats the best thing to do is to open a sandbox, place an elevated path & add several benches, add a few stalls & attractions to draw some guests, and then zoom in to observe the different guest placements as each guest in turn sits upon the benches you've just put there.

Observe that some of the seating effects in our slideshow place either on the floor or on the seat and that the effects for standing guests are always placed on the floor beneath the guests' feet. Do also take care which seating effect you choose. If you've modeled an open junior coaster car with a standard floor and bar restraints you wouldn't want an effect where the peep is reaching ahead to hold a carousel pole, has dangling feet, or is animated to use canoe paddles.

Further, the peep effect for some of the cars are not set up to fully animate children, e.g., the in-game Water Rides. For such rides the NoChildrenFlag needs to be set at 1 so no children will board the ride.

Children who board such in-game cars will simply walk in place. You will also observe that children's' rowing boat oars & canoe paddles won't animate as they ordinarily do while the ride is in operation. Interestingly, this confirms that some of the animations for some of the in-game rides are coded to the activity of the guests while they are riding.

Custom car guest seating effect adjustments are given in Z axis (above or below seat) and X axis (ahead of or behind seat) values. Y axis values are generally used for reclining guests such as in the Lay Down coaster. All axes values follow the same orientation as the car model. To use these effect point measurements you'd need to first determine where you want to position the peep's feet or the peep's bum on the ride.

Along with the following Seating Effects Placement Table here is a screenshot showing axis plus and axis minus directions. Before placing and adjusting your Peep effects you'll need to know if you're placing the effect in a plus position or a minus position.

  Table: Seating Effects Placement Measurements

It would seem the Pool Ride 'n' Slide PeepSeatingEffects are fully triggered only when the peep has been processed through the changing room and is in Pool Complex which explains why none of our slideshow guests are wearing swimsuits nor are they in any of the pool, pool ride & pool slide positions. While it is possible to create pool ride & slide-type tracks and lazy river-esque rides with CTR Creator they won't join up with our Pool Complex and will stand alone as standard tracks in our parks. The guests who ride these rides, unable to access a changing room in any way that can be set up with CTR Creator, will remain fully clothed.

Other effects appear to be triggered only when that guests is on a ride. The 24=Jump, and the 25=Bum_Bounce effects seem to rely on other bones that come with the actual ride on which they're used (Trampoline). The 3=Lay effect (LayDown Coaster), 26=Dance effect (SampleRocker's Dance Floor CFR) and the 29=Fishing effect (no known example) need setting up in a similar way.

Although we've taken care to ensure our Peep Sitting Positions slideshow accurately displays the guest's position in relation to X+Y+Z=0 you may find there may be occasions when the peep seating effect needs to be placed on the floor instead of in the seat. We ourselves have placed the 13=Sit_Harness_ Feet_Dangle effect on the seats in our modeler and discovered while testing our car in the game that the guests were sat upon this effect point as if we had placed it on the car floor. In this instance these seating effects needed to be risen about half a meter in our modeler so the guests were sat accurately upon the seats in the game.

Some of the seating positions seem to be duplicated. Examples are the 6=Horse & the 22=Horse_Merry_Go_Round, as well as the 14=Horse_Steeple, and the 23=Horse_Steeple_Chase. There also seems to be two separate sets of Rowing Boat seating effects (7=Row... & 8=Row..., and 20=Row... & 21=Row...).

As a matter of interest, 33=Sit_ Stadium is the path bench seating effect with a coding adjustment enabling the same effect for use as ride seating. Both these effects require that the guest stands on his seating effect.

Incorporating Seating Effects In Your Model

This is best done at some convenient time between your car's being a basic shape but before you've fine tuned the design of your car model - you'd certainly want this done and over with before you begin painting on your finishing textures. As a rough guideline we've suggested what steps you might want to take when in following these steps with your own car.

1

Decide which of the seating Bone Effects you want to use for that Car_.

2

Place Andrew in the desired position on the model in 1.

3

Copy and array Andrew so as to determine the car's seating configuration and the number of passengers the car will hold.

4

The sitting model of Andrew doesn’t fit every seating position so you may need to adjust the base of Andrew's mock-up seat so that it is pulled down to make the seat the required height on the floor in accordance with the seating effect you've selected. Ignore the positioning of Andrew's legs and feet whether they're above the floor or sunk into it. Your park guests won't know about Andrew or SketchUp and if their effect is otherwise properly set up they'll stand or sit in your car as required.

5

Increase or decrease the size/proportions of your basic car model as desired. If you do this

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the position of your mock-up seat bases should be confirmed as located directly on the car floor, and

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the accuracy of the placement of your peep seating effects should be confirmed.

Now you’ve got the basics in place and can give your car a test Import.

Whether testing your car in an existing park or in an empty sandbox you'll save yourself lots of time if you save the test as a parksave clearly marked as a test save. That way, after you've completed your edits you can return to your park exactly where you left off.

We give the following suggestions for testing Peep effects:

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decide upon the desired seating configuration and then consecutively number the peep seating effect bones in any way that you wish - it is not carved in stone that your park guests need to file into your car and occupy the seats from left to right and from front to back,

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move Andrew and his clones to one side,

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paint the car model with mock-up seats a solid color and import to check the position on the track in the game. Also check the

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wheel Effect Bone placements in relation to the car as it travels around the track,

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the three camera positions, and the

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the carfront and carrear positions relative to other cars and other trains.

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Return to your modeler to make any necessary adjustments. Re-test in the game if necessary.

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Return to your modeler to finish the seating shapes so they look like they came with the car and to fine tune (if required) the design of your car model,

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paint on the actual car textures, and

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give one final test for placement and appearance in the game.

Updating Your Peep Effects

After you've imported your updated peep Bone Effects and have returned to the game, ignore the first car leaving the station if your track is already testing or opened because that first car may have in it traces of the previous effects. You may also find that the cars that are already out en route about the track are using the previous Bone Effects. To consider your Bone Effect updates look at the next car leaving the station as it will give a more accurate picture of your adjustments. If you're at all in doubt as to what you're seeing simply close the ride, open construction mode, close construction mode, and then again test or open the ride.

Drag the above toggle to a

convenient place on your screen.