RTMT stations with zones having road access

[memo]

I found an old post of mine yesterday about how to build road-top stations in a way which allows adjacent zones to have access to the road. You probably know that problem. Since I am not sure whether this method is well-known, I decided to write a tutorial on this.


How to create RTMT stations with adjacent zones having road access

Important: First off all, save your game, as you will risk crashing your game by using puzzle pieces. Though, if you are careful, it will not crash.

Step 1:
Start building a RTMT station at the end of a road like shown in the following two pictures. It does not matter whether you choose a 1x1 or 1x2 station. (The tutorial even works for avenue stations. However, you will then have to use an avenue ramp puzzle piece in step 2.)



Step 2:
Select the road ramp piece from the NAM puzzle pieces, rotate it as shown in the following picture and move it into the RTMT station from the right. I know, in fact this is a No-Go for every NAM user, as hovering puzzle pieces above transit enabled lots may cause the game to crash. Though believe me, if you do exactly as described, the game will not crash.



Step 3:
Move the puzzle piece far enough to the left so that it covers the whole TE lot. Then click to place. It should look like shown in the second one of the following pictures. Note that the bus stop's props did not vanish.



Step 4:
Now, bulldoze the last tile of the puzzle piece, which should not be covering the TE lot, but it must be next to the lot. Do not bulldoze the tiles where the RTMT station has been placed.



Step 5:
You can now redrag the stretch of road as you would normally do when placing a RTMT station.



Step 6:
Note that it can occur that road props like street lights appear on the tiles where you built your bus stop like in the following picture. You may then want to demolish the bus stop and rebuild it shifted by one tile to the right, for instance. Take a note of the bulldozing instructions described below.



These pictures prove that it works. The RTMT station still exists and works as normal.



It works for the other zoning types as well. As noted by z, apart from residential zones it is especially needed for commercial zones. Although these do not show no-road-zots, they would not be accessible, otherwise.



Important: bulldozing
You may have difficulties bulldozing your RTMT station, if you have built it in this way. If you have demolished it, at first sight everything seems fine, but if you hover it with the query tool, you will notice it is still there. Your bus stop must have become something like a ghost lot.



To get rid of it, select the same RTMT station again, place it at the same tiles again und bulldoze it. Then you have successfully demolished the RTMT station.




As I did not remember all this until reading my own ancient post, I cannot recall whether I found out about this myself actually, or whether someone else told me about it. Sorry for that.

[FrankU]

Very interesting indeed!
And funny!

[gn_leugim]

Very interesting! and useful!  

Now, some trick for ped malls too plz (joking)

[z]

Excellent tutorial, memo!    It appears that you've found a way of making tiles have the properties of both a lot and a network.

Note that this method can and should be used when needed with commercial zones also.  Commercial buildings don't abandon the way residentials will if they don't have network access, but no Sims will go to work in them.

I found an old post of mine yesterday about how to build road-top stations in a way which allows adjacent zones to have access to the road. You probably know that problem. Since I am not sure whether this method is well-known, I decided to write a tutorial on this.

I have never seen this technique before, and I'd be willing to guess that Cogeo hasn't, either.  You say you made a post on this a while ago, so some people may know about it, but I'm sure it's an extremely tiny fraction of RTMT users.

I'm going to make a pointer to this tutorial in the RTMT FAQs.  May I also include it in the next release of the RTMT documentation?

[memo]

You are right. One of the pictures even has commercial zones in it, but it is hard differ them from the surrounding industrials. I should make that clearer.

I have never seen this technique before, and I'd be willing to guess that Cogeo hasn't, either.

Actually, it was in a discussion with cogeo. Though, he may have forgotten about it.

And of course, you may include this in the RTMT documentation. I would feel honoured.

Edit: I updated the picture showing commercial zones.

[Swordmaster]

Incredible! This is really a giant leap forward, because nothing is more important than having the freedom to put stops where they are needed, not only where they would work.

Cheers
Willy

[metarvo]

What an incredible discovery!  I have to admit that it looked like you were playing with fire by placing those puzzle pieces over the TE lots, and I guess I wouldn't have been that brave, but it worked.  I'm gonna have to try this one out today.  I wonder if it will work with other TE lots, too.  Great find, Memo.

[noahclem]

Great trick and thanks for sharing 

[mike3775]

Wow this is simply awesome.  I may miss plopping the grass behind the stops after awhile, but it will be nice to have zoning work(I never knew that they disrupted Commercial and Industrial either)

[legoman786]

Thank you! 



Question, though, is there a workaround for the street RTMT lots? I guess I'll do some research while waiting for the answer.

[memo]

There is. You can use the FLUP street ramp puzzle piece for it.

[legoman786]

There is. You can use the FLUP street ramp puzzle piece for it.

I'm assuming it's the same process, then?

[z]

I'm assuming it's the same process, then?

Yes.

[legoman786]

There is. You can use the FLUP street ramp puzzle piece for it.

I'm assuming it's the same process, then?

Yes.

Danke. 

[lotherius]

What are the chances we can get a tool/puzzle piece that consolidates these steps? I usually give up on using RTMT because of this, you have to be very careful in how you place the surrounding lots. Since I usually would like to use RTMT to add MT to an existing area for traffic relief, that is difficult as the surrounding lots aren't always conveniently oriented in the first place...

[TheAttendee]

 

I'm going to have to totally rethink my bus lines now. I feel like a weight has been lifted.

Bravo.