[WIP] Commonwealth Monorail

[cypher2012]

Hey guys. I've decided to start a WIP thread for those that would like to follow the progress being made on my monorail mod.

 

Please feel free to leave feedback and suggestions!

 

 

[cypher2012]

Here's an image of the track sections. Modelled in Blender. In-game, they just use a generic concrete materials that you can find in the CK.

 

 

[cypher2012]

So how does it actually work?

 

The first approach was to use a monorail model, that was animated in a 3rd party modelling program. Blender for me. This worked in a test environment, but when it came to try and figure out a massive animation to stretch across the map, this soon became technically unfeasible.

 

So now I have moved to doing it in a more programmatic, dynamic manner. The monorail now has an array of track points. It cycles through them. It's not as smooth as having a proper animation, but it's made it a lot easier for a large scale journey. It also makes it easier from a programming stand point. For example, it's easy to know when the ride has finished in code, when the train has cycled through to it's final track point in the array. I'll share the code below.

 

Script called when you press the button. This essentially just tells the train to start it's journey. The train itself does the meet of the work

Scriptname CMR:CMR_ButtonActivateTrain extends ObjectReference

CMR:CMR_TrainOnly Property TrainToActivate Auto

Event OnActivate(ObjectReference akActionRef)
	TrainToActivate.RunTrain()
EndEvent

Then the script run by the actual train:

Scriptname CMR:CMR_TrainOnly extends ObjectReference
{Script which actually controls the trains travel
}

ObjectReference[] Property TrackPoints Auto
ObjectReference Property PlayerXEntryMarker Auto
ObjectReference Property PlayerXExitMarker Auto

Float fMonorailSpeed = 200.0
Int iTrackIndex = 1

Function RunTrain()
	Debug.Notification("Function: RunTrain called.")

	;Move train to start
	Self.MoveTo(TrackPoints[0])

	;Move player in to the train
	Game.GetPlayer().MoveTo(PlayerXEntryMarker)

	;Start moving the train towards the first track point
	Self.TranslateToRef(TrackPoints[1], fMonorailSpeed)
EndFunction

Event OnTranslationComplete()
    Debug.Notification("OnTranslationComplete event called.")
    FindNextPoint()
EndEvent

Function FindNextPoint()
	Debug.Notification("Function: FindNextPoint called.")
	iTrackIndex += 1

	;Check to see if there are any more track points. Otherwise, end of line
	If(iTrackIndex >= TrackPoints.Length)
		EndOfLine()
	Else
		;Move to the next track point
		Self.TranslateToRef(TrackPoints[iTrackIndex], fMonorailSpeed)
	EndIf
EndFunction

Function EndOfLine()
	Debug.Notification("Function: EndOfLine called.")
	iTrackIndex = 1
	Game.GetPlayer().MoveTo(PlayerXExitMarker)
EndFunction

Edited June 28, 2017 by cypher2012

[montky]

thanks for posting this, Cypher2012!

this will make for an EXCELLENT additional monorail/"lateral elevator" for settlements,

alongside the indianajownes style cart and others.

 

apologies for what follows, but this is truly an inspirational project,

so forgive the gushing enthusiasm hehe.

 

I'm looking forward to the Zany rollercoasters and other hilarious things, like ferris wheels and the suchlike.

I might build a rollercoaster or monorail in the TARDIS, or the holodeck at Memory Den, (a dream-world new lands mod)

perhaps also in BlahblahDEEblahblah's "2D-3D stickfigure world"...

or add-on to Nuka World.

 

just remember, you could team up with folks if this proves stable,

and have vehicles in place of the train hehe, buses etc which follow the route

buckin' bronco drawn or bramin drawn junk-rickshaws,

automathrone cabs and driverless bubblecars.

apply the same logic, but to bus routes etc.

thanks Cypher2012, you've opened up a whole new n^X! worth of awesome!

heck, we might even be able to make 'rolling coasters' in the style of as seen in Robots, happen.

how they fling a ball through an elaborate 'mouse-trap' style thing.

or, sewer-klongs, and venice-style boats...

 

thank you also for sharing the code-fragments as a WiP!

 

as written, it might have some humorous collisions, as there's no 'comptrolling' for the carriages hehe.

as written, it's a lot more like "slot cars" hehe.

though, I kinda like that.

an evil vault overseer could have defective railways have head-on collisions...

much like in Rat Race, where the squirrel-person had a special skiramp jump for people who didn't pay the squirrel fee...

 

 

 

For the underboston/pipeline pipe-rail/ "hyper-loop" style transports;

you can use "Any-door-to-anywhere".

I don't know how you'll approach synch that up,

but, you synch the train from the open-world, and make the train ref toggle to that area,

then, it rejoins the track wherever you place the "any-door-to-anywhere" exit door portal.

 

boom, the train goes from the station to the new lands, and back to the next station

maintaining the illusion of continuity and suspension of disbelief.

 

Where am I going with this?

you can put the train going "through" otherwise solid surfaces,

without needing to futz with the meshes some more, or the precombine and other junk...

much like we can put the elevator via override, secret disguised elevators in the walls etc, through otherwise solid meshes,

without needing a toggle to no-clip etc.

you can make some very awesome trains and elevators that way.

 

you can have the elevator, or train, move through a 'Get Smart'/"prince of persia"

trap alley and corridor for an attack event,

you can have the elevator or train stop working and fall a random distance to a punji-pit.

 

you can have "elevator settlements" or "train-gangways";

places where vertibirds can land, and 'variable moving settlements'...

so, your work here goes a long way towards more stable versions of those.

good luck ensuring the vertibird lands on the coordinates of the pad properly hehe,

that can be a nightmare.

 

-----

 

we're working on ways to have game-cameras merge with the doorportal,

so that we can film the interior of the next cell too. perfect for if it goes into a newlands.

this will increase the believability of seeing the train go into the tunnel

 

 

 

PS:

I'm looking forward to the holographic 'ghost train' or 'ghost bus' quest.

that will be something very special.

you can make flashbacks to pre-war, with 'holographic buses etc",

and rad-ghouls come out of the ghost train or ghost bus.

the "Theta-Tan's" rad ghouls, which are only damaged by rad-weapons...

 

it was a very missed opportunity in FO4 unfortunately,

but, this was definitely there in the concept art

and in Adam Adamowicz' concept art and H Ellisons writings

[cypher2012]

thanks for posting this, Cypher2012!

this will make for an EXCELLENT additional monorail/"lateral elevator" for settlements,

alongside the indianajownes style cart and others.

 

apologies for what follows, but this is truly an inspirational project,

so forgive the gushing enthusiasm hehe.

 

I'm looking forward to the Zany rollercoasters and other hilarious things, like ferris wheels and the suchlike.

I might build a rollercoaster or monorail in the TARDIS, or the holodeck at Memory Den, (a dream-world new lands mod)

perhaps also in BlahblahDEEblahblah's "2D-3D stickfigure world"...

or add-on to Nuka World.

 

just remember, you could team up with folks if this proves stable,

and have vehicles in place of the train hehe, buses etc which follow the route

buckin' bronco drawn or bramin drawn junk-rickshaws,

automathrone cabs and driverless bubblecars.

apply the same logic, but to bus routes etc.

thanks Cypher2012, you've opened up a whole new n^X! worth of awesome!

heck, we might even be able to make 'rolling coasters' in the style of as seen in Robots, happen.

how they fling a ball through an elaborate 'mouse-trap' style thing.

or, sewer-klongs, and venice-style boats...

 

thank you also for sharing the code-fragments as a WiP!

 

as written, it might have some humorous collisions, as there's no 'comptrolling' for the carriages hehe.

as written, it's a lot more like "slot cars" hehe.

though, I kinda like that.

an evil vault overseer could have defective railways have head-on collisions...

much like in Rat Race, where the squirrel-person had a special skiramp jump for people who didn't pay the squirrel fee...

 

 

 

For the underboston/pipeline pipe-rail/ "hyper-loop" style transports;

you can use "Any-door-to-anywhere".

I don't know how you'll approach synch that up,

but, you synch the train from the open-world, and make the train ref toggle to that area,

then, it rejoins the track wherever you place the "any-door-to-anywhere" exit door portal.

 

boom, the train goes from the station to the new lands, and back to the next station

maintaining the illusion of continuity and suspension of disbelief.

 

Where am I going with this?

you can put the train going "through" otherwise solid surfaces,

without needing to futz with the meshes some more, or the precombine and other junk...

much like we can put the elevator via override, secret disguised elevators in the walls etc, through otherwise solid meshes,

without needing a toggle to no-clip etc.

you can make some very awesome trains and elevators that way.

 

you can have the elevator, or train, move through a 'Get Smart'/"prince of persia"

trap alley and corridor for an attack event,

you can have the elevator or train stop working and fall a random distance to a punji-pit.

 

you can have "elevator settlements" or "train-gangways";

places where vertibirds can land, and 'variable moving settlements'...

so, your work here goes a long way towards more stable versions of those.

good luck ensuring the vertibird lands on the coordinates of the pad properly hehe,

that can be a nightmare.

 

-----

 

we're working on ways to have game-cameras merge with the doorportal,

so that we can film the interior of the next cell too. perfect for if it goes into a newlands.

this will increase the believability of seeing the train go into the tunnel

 

 

 

PS:

I'm looking forward to the holographic 'ghost train' or 'ghost bus' quest.

that will be something very special.

you can make flashbacks to pre-war, with 'holographic buses etc",

and rad-ghouls come out of the ghost train or ghost bus.

the "Theta-Tan's" rad ghouls, which are only damaged by rad-weapons...

 

it was a very missed opportunity in FO4 unfortunately,

but, this was definitely there in the concept art

and in Adam Adamowicz' concept art and H Ellisons writings

 

haha loving the enthusiasm! ;)

 

It's got a long way to go. Not sure if will be craftable with settlements, but moving to a dynamic, pragmatic structure, might make it feasible down the road!

[ajs52698]

This was also a idea i had but rather than using scripts to move the vehical, I was going to use simple animations. Anyway gl with this.

[cypher2012]

This was also a idea i had but rather than using scripts to move the vehical, I was going to use simple animations. Anyway gl with this.

 

Hey, that was the original plan. I did figure out how to import animations and had it up and running in a test environment. The problem I had, was because this is going across the entire commonwealth, it was going to become technically unfeasible to do it with proper animations.

 

Doing it this way is a bit old school and a bit rough, but scales a lot better!