The new patch arrived! It contains the first feature that the LOTUS community was able to vote for - the configuration files of passenger information. We hope you like what you see and are willing to provide some additional information in the following.
1. PIS groups (ex "Hof (depot) files")
The PIS groups contain all information that are used for passenger information now or later: Destinations, stops and routes. The passenger information systems have been reworked completely. The system is now divided into standard information and special information.
The standard information should ensure that every display system that is technically eligible can display those basic information. The creator of a map provides those information after his own mind - and hence those information are available for every map in a normalised form, so that anybody that creates a display or bord computer (like the IBIS) is able to rely on that information without need to step in or to be mentioned by the map creator. The standard information are system-independent.
Special information refine and expand the standard information. Special information are currently not available in LOTUS! They would define local specialities like changing destinations or inverted fonts, which can then be interpreted by the display- or bord computer creators.
This concept provides that a map creator does not have to worry about special strings for special display systems, that any display even works if the special information is missing or not available for other reasons and that people who create a display are not limited with its feature scope concerning special solutions.
Currently the PIS groups contain:
- Destination codes and destination displays
- Stop lists
- Special character codes
2. Vehicle modules
In LOTUS it is now possible to freely exchange devices between vehicles. On the one hand it is possible to use such devices in multiple different vehicles, on the other hand it is possible to equip a single vehicle with different modules. Most suitable devices are inside and outside displays, ticket printers and bord computers, but LOTUS does not limit the number or choice of module slots.
Requirement for the exchange of modules is that the vehicle creator supports modules and considers them in his vehicle configuration.
Our GT6N already provides module slots for the bord computer and the displays. To exchange them, you would need the metrics of the installation bays, the used module classes (since you can not attach a display to a bord computer slot) and the procedures that the vehicle listens for at the slots.
3. GT6N with IBIS and displays
During the implementation of vehicle modules and the introduction of PIS groups we obviously gave our GT6N those features as well. Currently our IBIS is able to interpret special characters, lines and destinations of a random PIS group and to send them to the displays. Routes and stops are not yet functioning, since both do not exist at the moment. :)
IBIS and displays are of course implemented as modules and can be exchanged! The neccessary developer information can be found here.
The stop and destination code list for the Berlin tram has been added including the most of the special character codes. A instruction for the IBIS can be found here.
The GT6N has been equipped with working front-, side and rear displays, including the original 8 different font that are used script-controlled automatically.
4. Patch features in an overview
- All: If container exceed the 1 GB mark, for every GB a .lct.1, .lct.2, ... file is created. Those were not uploaded to the workshop, which has been corrected now.
- All: Information concerning the graphics card have been added to the logfiles - hopefully this spares you the questions in the support :)
- Simulation: Option added to switch 3D trees to 2D trees
- Simulation: Bugfix with freezing traffic lights after a pause
- Simulation: Vehicle module and module presets added to GUI in vehicle configuration
- Simulation: Selection of the PIS group added to map configuration
- Simulation: List of destination codes ingame added
- MapEditor: Setting for scenery objects added to switch between "always LOD" or "LOD at distance". Attention: Trees by default always show the LOD mesh.
- MapEditor: Further logfile entries: Error message "map calcmt part b"
- MapEditor: Maps can now be configured with a default PIS group
- ContentTool: Module system added for vehicles
- ContentTool: PIS group file added
- ContentTool: LOD generator for trees and similar objects - created crossed billbords from the 3D object itself
- ContentTool: Material parameter added to provide secondary texture coordinates for normal maps
- ContentTool: New material flag "Detail texture overwrites alpha channel"
- ContentTool: Script variable "a_ground" added (acceleration lengthways)
- Content: Multiple traffic light modules added
- Content: "Digged up" grooved rails added
- Content: Lawn-fill-piece added (rubber mat besides rails)
- Content: 30cm high curbstone added
- Content: 22cm platform added
- Content: GT6N: IBIS added
- Content: GT6N: Dynamic flip-dot full-matrix added that is controlled by the IBIS and feeded by the new PIS group
- Content: Complete Berlin destination list for Tram, including special characters
- Language: Quite a few new entries! :)
- Change in Language entry: "Ctrl"-Key added in entry Editor.Msg.Newelement.NoRailTracksSel
- Additional info: New standard events for bord computers added to the Lexicon! :)
Patch 1.EA.014
- All: Scenery object animations added!
- All: Bug fix: Workshop items no longer disappear upon starting LOTUS in offline mode of Steam
- Simulation: Bug fix GUI: After exception on map load no other map could be loaded until restart
- Simulation: Provisional for color change on GUI night mode added - will remain disabled until completion
- MapEditor: Optical notification upon successful logical connection between lines
- MapEditor: Vertices of polygons are now marked with helpers. Please note: The vertices can not be changed with those helpers yet.
- MapEditor: Upon entering a new value to "Z=" at the top, this value is interpreted relatively if the spline or polygon is created "relative". Otherwise, it is interpreted as absolute value, independently from the current setting in the toolbar.
- MapEditor: Bug fix: Height of tracks with a cant that are created parallel to other lines corrected
- MapEditor: Question to save the map upon closing is no longer shown if the map has already been saved.
- MapEditor: Bug fix: Snap points were not visible right after placing an object, but after changing the view between 2D and 3D
- MapEditor: Bug fix: Sub splines that belong to a spline and contain a random order can now have a random order by theirselves, independently from the random order of the master spline.
- ContentTool: "ContentID check" now additionally lists, which installed content depends on that ContentID
- ContentTool: Spline option "split like rail tracks" added, which enables you to split a spline as rounded as a track
- Content: Update of the object container from Phillip
- Scenery scripts are now published within the OpenSource folder, as well
- Language File: New Entries!
Poll: Which feature should be the next one?
Hello! :) From now on you are able to vote for your most wanted feature in LOTUS. Have fun! :)
- Simulation: Bugfix: invisible polygons
- Simulation: Bugfix: Rendering order of the terrain changed, mainly concerns catenaries and ties
- MapEditor: Reference lines and subgrades can be colored
- MapEditor: Bugfix: 9th traffic light direction didn't work
- MapEditor: Bugfix: Change between 2D/3D was not possible during pan/tilt of the perspective
- MapEditor: Enabled save without pack (light blue floppy symbol) to encourage fast saving "inbetween". But the map will not be updated in LOTUS this way. Attention: Ctrl+S is now for saving only. You need to press Ctrl+P in order to "save and pack" and hence make the update visible in LOTUS.
- MapEditor: Information concerning current state of saving added, including warning color. In this first stage of the function please check if all changes lead to a "not saved" flag.
- Language File: New Entries!
Patch 1.EA.012
- MapEditor: Ground polygons can be switched off (you have to recreate the tiles once after the patch in order to switch them off)
- MapEditor: Neighbored tiles can be displayed in high-res, as well
- MapEditor: Bugfix on refreshing the middle tile
- MapEditor: Probably solved the bug concerning a shifted middle tile when using high-res Aerials
- GT6N: Now with Dead Man's Switch (currently no warning sound)
Patch 1.EA.011
- Simulation: Option added to enable/disbale dead man's switch*, and added the corresponding system script variable
- Simulation: Option added to change font and font size of the GUI
- Simulation: Restructured the options tab "General"
- Simulation: Bug fix: Floor shininess (tracks, pavement, rubbing) restored
- Simulation: Map preview images upon creating a new game
- Simulation: Option added to set the maximum object visibility - set as CAT2 per default, so you would not see very small, unimportant objects!
- Simulation: Created vehicle configurations can now be deleted in the same window.
- MapEditor: Using the button for preview images: map preview images can be added
- MapEditor: Loading order of aerials and map images reversed (now from inside to outside)
- MapEditor: Freezes upon moving the map removed
- MapEditor: Dropped spline ending near subgrade borders removed
- MapEditor: Map is only zoomed of the mouse is over it. Otherwise, the corresponding Windows component (lists etc.) is scrolled.
- MapEditor: Only marked lines/splines can be splitted
- MapEditor: Using the refresh-button with the Z inside, the spline and polygon height calculation can be executed, additionally to the complete terrain calculation. This is neccessary if subgrades were changed afterwards. Attention: This does NOT affect the height of tracks, which is always absolute.
- ContentTool: Script-side setting of textures by their ContentID, such as rollerblinds :)
- ContentTool: Material added for Roller Blind Displays
- ContentTool: Display of the face count
- ContentTool: x3d importer more stable - does not immediately crash upon defective meshs, but imports the rest
- ContentTool: Batch import of textures added, e.g. for the import of countless signle rollerblind textures
Content:
- New grooved rail type "2"; experimentally (and hence not concerning frogs etc.) equipped with reflection and normal textures
- Language: Changed language text of "Editor.Main.Coolbar.edDeltaZ.hint"
- Language: New entries!
*The GT6N currently has no dead man's switch! We are going to add this a little later. :)
Patch 1.EA.009
- All: Notification "The mentioned procedure could not be found" is plotted in the logfile only
- Simulation: LOTUSdirectories (the export of all LOTUS relevant folders and files, a support feature) now contains the content of the MapEditor working directory, as well
- MapEditor: Renaming of Multiplayer maps now also affects the Tile Reservation on the server
- MapEditor: Process of loading tile reservations optimized upon reservation and editing of maps - is now much faster ;)
- ContentTool/MapEditor: Bugfix on changing Public Domain content to Team-UserIDs
- ContentTool: Bugfix: Upon import of DDS files LOTUS no longer sets the textures to "repeat mirrored", but "repeat", since this is the most common setting in 3D modelling apps, as well.
- Language file: New entry!
Patch 1.EA.008
- Simulation: Crash on derail fixed
- MapEditor: Name and description of a map can be changed - currently does NOT affect the Name in Tile reservations on Planet - going to fix that later, maybe today
- MapEditor: Map can be marked as Public Domain. After export and transfer it can be opened and edited by other people without them having proper rights
- MapEditor: Map can be assigned a new ContentID, even if it is an external map that shall be transfered as an own map. ONLY works with Singleplayer maps!
- MapEditor: The object list on the right side is now more efficient on changing tool or filter, we added a list view with small thumbnails and it is now possible to mark objects as favorites to filter them separately
- MapEditor: Full support of Team reservations of map tiles added. Reservations can only be done by the team admin.
- MapEditor: Terrain materials can now be saved and loaded from files
- MapEditor: Clicking on reference lines, subgrades, splines or railtracks with the right mouse button, we added a property "Constant gradient". That means that the line is, viewed from the side, exactly even, the gradient is always constant. The horizontal course is not affected.
- MapEditor: The spline split tool enables you to only select tracks in "tracks" mode and only select splines in "spline" mode.
- MapEditor: Map-Editor is now visible in task bar on startup
- MapEditor/ContentTool: Corrections in the dimensioning of the property windows (e.g. a larger window by default)
- ContentTool: Materials can be saved as and loaded from files
- Several new entries in the language file have been added
Patch 1.EA.007
- All: Fixed bug "CRTOC 7" - it caused some crashes of LOTUS and the Editor
- Simulation: Further logfile entries to analyze the map loading crashes of the Intel HD Graphics people
- Simulation: Fixed bug upon shadow creation on startup
- MapEditor: Possible reason for logfile entry "Warning: Item manager: tried to remove item with unknown index: Final Mesh Set ID = 1, layer = 0 (TGObjMapTileFinalSurface)" fixed?
- All: Information 32bit/64bit now in logfile header
- Language file: "editor.params.AerialCenterTileHiRes" renamed to "editor.params.name.AerialCenterTileHiRes"
Patch 1.EA.006
- MapEditor: Adding/Removing/Editing of tile reservations is now possible
- MapEditor: Bugfix - Subscribed Workshop items are now visible in the Editor. After first download of a new Workshop item, LOTUS has to be started once in first place in order to make the new objects visible for the Editor.
- MapEditor: Bugfix - Crash after moving or rotating polygon texture without marking the polygon fixed
- Simulation: Bugfix - 1-pixel-overlapping to second, left monitor fixed
- Simulation: Further debug logfile entries added in order to analyze the problems of Intel HD Graphics. Please attach further debug logfiles after patch.
