NAM OSITM November 2016

[tomvsotis]

This is super exciting! Congratulations on the release, and thanks - as ever - for the astonishing amount of work you guys put into this mod, and the astonishing things you've been able to do with it. <3 <3 <3

[Tarkus]

Thanks, Kamil, dyoungyn, and tomvsotis!

I'm amazed how you have so much energy to produce all this fabulous content.

I am too, especially since I recently picked up a second job with more hours.

Is it possible to make Flex Spui for AVE 6/7?  This is something that has been missing since inception.  BTW, this looks amazing and thank you so much for sharing.

You tell me.



Also . . .



Since there isn't an elevated AVE-6 (yet), it's likely that the "Type 130" SPUI will be ground-only at first.  I'm still figuring out where best to phase these in with the FLEX Turn Lane (FTL) rollout, since they do interact with these FlexSPUIs.  One scenario under consideration would see the FTLs for the AVE-6/TLA-7 be a later addition, so that we can ensure the Road and Avenue ones are solid, and have a more reasonable release engineering timeframe.

-Alex

[dcsmycity]

Thanks, Kamil, dyoungyn, and tomvsotis!

I'm amazed how you have so much energy to produce all this fabulous content.

I am too, especially since I recently picked up a second job with more hours.

Is it possible to make Flex Spui for AVE 6/7?  This is something that has been missing since inception.  BTW, this looks amazing and thank you so much for sharing.

You tell me.



Also . . .



Since there isn't an elevated AVE-6 (yet), it's likely that the "Type 130" SPUI will be ground-only at first.  I'm still figuring out where best to phase these in with the FLEX Turn Lane (FTL) rollout, since they do interact with these FlexSPUIs.  One scenario under consideration would see the FTLs for the AVE-6/TLA-7 be a later addition, so that we can ensure the Road and Avenue ones are solid, and have a more reasonable release engineering timeframe.

-Alex

WOW! The type 120 SPUI has me super-excited since that's what I see must often. This project is amazing. Keep up the great work.

[Tarkus]

Thanks, dcsmycity!

Here's a little further progress . . . I'm currently working on getting the overcrossings in place.  It's going fairly well, and the RUL2 code has proved easily portable, which makes creation of the variants easier.





-Alex

[dyoungyn]

Oh my god, how did I miss it.  FINALLY, stable Flex SPUI.  Wow and totally amazing.  AVE6/7 is really going to be AWESOME.  Is it possible to remove the concrete barriers on each side on the ground ramps?  Sorry to be so picky on your wonderful achievement.   Thank you again for all your awesome work and sharing.  Keep em coming.

[Gugu3]

This is pretty amazing!

[Tyberius06]

It's really amazing. I love these kind of intersections because they are the closest to the real life ones (like the FAR RHW Intersection Puzzle Pieces).
Is there any chance with the game and NAM limitations to making similiar kind of intersections but only for one side? Or more precisely only one incoming/outcoming network into the AVE (on the picture there are four just for explanation what I'm talking about.) Like asimetric intersectionso. It would be similiar like the FAR RHW intersection pieces just not for FAR. I'm talking about using these shapes for RHW4-6 etc AVE intersections generally.

Thanks anyway! 

- Tyberius

[Tarkus]

Thanks, dyoungyn, Gugu3, and Tyberius06 for the kind words, and to everyone who has liked the last few updates.

Progress is continuing . . . I've just started the T21/stop point work, and am currently wrangling things to try to prevent traffic on the overhead RHW from getting stopped by signals/stop points underneath.  Here's what's happening with the overcrossing support on the ground-level Type 120:





Now, to answer a few questions:

Is it possible to remove the concrete barriers on each side on the ground ramps?

If you're referring to the bordering on the ground side, that's curbing, not barriers.  It's very common to see curbing on the on/offramps when they're near the surface street, so the intent here was to replicate that.  If anyone wishes to remove the curbing, there is always the prospect of a third-party texture mod to do so.

Is there any chance with the game and NAM limitations to making similiar kind of intersections but only for one side? Or more precisely only one incoming/outcoming network into the AVE (on the picture there are four just for explanation what I'm talking about.) Like asimetric intersectionso. It would be similiar like the FAR RHW intersection pieces just not for FAR. I'm talking about using these shapes for RHW4-6 etc AVE intersections generally.

Are you referring to something similar to this?



It's under consideration, but not a particularly high priority at the moment.  The design of the ramp side of the new FlexSPUI is somewhat conducive to this sort of thing, but the surface street side is a bit trickier to negotiate, as any sort of asymmetrical turning lane situation is.  The main goal, at the moment, is to try to replace the existing "legacy" version of FlexSPUI with a new version that can fully interact with P57-era RHW systems.

(And if anyone's wondering where this is, the above interchange is located at I-405 and Northeast 116th Street in Kirkland, Washington USA--it's the only "half SPUI" I'm personally aware of).

-Alex

[APSMS]

The aliasing makes the curbing appear less than attractive, but a lot of stuff like this looks a lot better in the game than it does in static images.

Having automata stop partway under a viaduct overpass will be very cool to see. Also, I feel like a one-sided SPUI is significantly less efficient than a standard SPUI. I mean, at that point doesn't it basically devolve into a half-diamond? I mean, I guess there's only one light for the interchange, but I imagine the advantages are significantly less since through traffic on the unaffected side continues as normal anyways in most one-sided diamonds (so only 30% more efficient at best?)

Oh, question: Does this FlexSPUI standard support wealthification as all the other new FLEX pieces do? I don't remember if the current ones do or not (never zoned or placed stuff next to them).

[dyoungyn]

What would really honestly be cool is to see a half SPUIs for One Way roads (2/3/4/5).  I see  use for it then for one way roads particularly in downtown areas.

Regardless, thank for the explanation Alex.  I did  look like barriers but after another look, it does look like gutter curbs.  I vote to do away with them, that is my vote.  I like RHW as there is not sidewalk or curbs.  AVEs on the other hand, the side walk is useful.

[Tarkus]

Exactly 11 years ago, on November 16th, 2005 . . .



. . . the highway revolution began, with the release of RHW Version 0.12.

16 NAM versions later, the revolution continues.





A heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported, encouraged, and helped develop the project over these years--here's to 11 more.



Now, to answer some feedback:

The aliasing makes the curbing appear less than attractive, but a lot of stuff like this looks a lot better in the game than it does in static images.

Having automata stop partway under a viaduct overpass will be very cool to see. Also, I feel like a one-sided SPUI is significantly less efficient than a standard SPUI. I mean, at that point doesn't it basically devolve into a half-diamond? I mean, I guess there's only one light for the interchange, but I imagine the advantages are significantly less since through traffic on the unaffected side continues as normal anyways in most one-sided diamonds (so only 30% more efficient at best?)

Oh, question: Does this FlexSPUI standard support wealthification as all the other new FLEX pieces do? I don't remember if the current ones do or not (never zoned or placed stuff next to them).

Hopefully, the addition of the overhangs above helps the impression of the curbing. There are some limitations on the way the signals work--in part because we're still using Maxis models, which have additional quirks due to being ATC/AVP-based rather than S3D-based, and due to the rather simplistic way the game handles stop points.  I kind of had to fudge it a bit by having the stop point be a little bit early, to prevent the overhead RHW traffic from also coming to a dead stop.

With the half-SPUI in Kirkland, I suspect a large part of the reason for that design was the presence of other signalized intersections nearby.  The surface street just to the west of the interchange actually has turn lanes that go directly into the southbound ramp for I-405, so they only have to go through one signal.

As far as wealthification goes, partially.  I'm likely going to have to bake in sidewalks onto the triangle splitter between the left and right turn lanes on the ramps, because that tile is landlocked and can't pick up wealthing.

What would really honestly be cool is to see a half SPUIs for One Way roads (2/3/4/5).  I see  use for it then for one way roads particularly in downtown areas.

Regardless, thank for the explanation Alex.  I did  look like barriers but after another look, it does look like gutter curbs.  I vote to do away with them, that is my vote.  I like RHW as there is not sidewalk or curbs.  AVEs on the other hand, the side walk is useful.

The main advantage of the SPUI is that it simplifies signal phasing, but signals on One-Way Roads can be easily programmed to create a "green wave", so there's likely not much (if any) gain to putting a SPUI (or half-SPUI) on one.  I've certainly never seen or heard of one.  Probably the closest thing out there would be a volleyball interchange, and there's already support for those.

The curbs will likely remain to some extent, but it's possible the length to which they extend may be shortened.

-Alex

[mgb204]

I'm a big fan of SPUI's and as such very excited to see the return of functional ones. Some really fantastic work there Alex 

As such, if baked-in sidewalks become a thing, expect those to be covered in Sidewalk NAM, like the current SPUI's are now.

[compdude787]

Those SPUIs look a lot better than the old ones, and I'm glad to see that we'll now have some with dual left turn lanes as well as some that will work with AVE-6!

[Gugu3]

11 Years of amazing content!

[dyoungyn]

I agree of 11 years of joy.  Thank you so much to the entire NAM Team for bringing imagination to reality. 

After I posted the comment about half Flex SPUI for one way roads, you are correct, not at all a realistic item.  Regardless, it is beyond the thought process to come up with stable SPUIS for AVE4/6/7.  Completely amazing and looking forward to more creations you are so gracious to share.  Thank you again.

[noahclem]

Shocking progress indeed     The SPUI work is tremendously exciting as I've been hoping for it for many years and the improvements in stability and connectivity are just awesome. This is a team I'm humbled to even be involved with.

[Tarkus]

Thanks, Robin, compdude, Gugu, dyoungyn, and Noah!  Now for some more gooey SPUI goodness . . .



The ground Type 220 is getting close to being fully implemented.

-Alex

[dyoungyn]

Wow, just simply wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Getting better and better every time. 

Oh I just cannot wait to get my replacement PC as I cannot what so ever get SC4  to boot up on my Surface Pro 4 using Windows 10.  I just plain give it and New Year's is going to be epic.

Alex,

My main question when it comes to RHW 6S/8S, how will it react with flex slopes with one tile spacing for the over passes?  What about 6C/8C?

[Tarkus]

Thanks, dyoungyn!

My main question when it comes to RHW 6S/8S, how will it react with flex slopes with one tile spacing for the over passes?  What about 6C/8C?

If you're referring to having a FlexOnSlope one tile away from the FlexSPUI, that almost works right now.  Since that requires the full mainline of the RHW to go over the middle extension, there needs to be some additional code.

Now, to take things to a whole new level . . .



Still a work-in-progress, but that should hopefully give you a better idea of what the elevated versions will look like.  This one is an L1 Type 120.

-Alex

[dyoungyn]

Wow, L1, something we don't even have now.  Simply incredible.  What about AVE6/7 at that level?  Finally, if one can have AVE6/7 at L1 as a SPUI, then will there be Flex slope pieces for AVE6/7 and going over all networks?

Finally, when using Flex slope over SPUI, it inverts the direction of road directly over the SPUI.  You previously talked about SPUI needing attention, will this be addressed and resolved?  Please forgive me if NAM35 already addressed this as I have yet to see the wonderful additions in NAM 35. 

Thank you again coming from the bottom of my heart of all your hard work and imagination  and willingness to share.  Because of creative thinkers such as your self and entire NAM team are really keeping SC4 alive and well.