The choose signals for roads appear fairly straightforward, but I've been unable to figure out how to use them for trains. At first I ****umed the train would automatically pick a platform that wasn't occupied, like in Transport Tycoon, but it turns out they don't... I haven't been able to find any useful information elsewhere, so would someone experienced please write me a guide?
Actually the do; but maybe you had an older pak128, where the signals where the other way round.
I meant automatically without any special signals. That was before I noticed the platform choose signals...
But let's start with an example... Let's take the following typical layout:
========-\
={TRAIN>>=--+-----------<<TRAIN}-------------
========-/
What we have here is a triple platform (=) station with a single line leading into it, and which forks (at the +) into three lines leading into the three platforms. How would I place station choose (and other) signals to make sure that the train coming in from the right picks one of the two free platforms, and that the train leaving the middle platform doesn't do so until the track occupied by the other train is free?
You need the follwowing layout:
====L+
====L+--C- W-
====L+
L is a long block signal on an empty tile (not station), C is a both way chosse signal and W is a waypoint that must be entered into the schedule of all outgoing trains.
Let's see if I understand this correctly. The effect of the platform choose signal apparently lasts when going past an unrelated signal, in this case the long block signals. The long block signals are so the trains that exit "look past" the choose signal and onto the next block. But what is the waypoint for?
The waypoint clears the way choose signal. Otherwise, if there is no clear palttform at the other end, the train would wait infinitely at the choose signal. Maybe you need pre-signals instead of long block signals, I am not sure. (But anyway, a line with a single track going in will imho not need three convoys. Espcially the maintenance of stations are quite expensive.
In Simutrans there is no station station, that determines how much you get. Therefore try to make you stations are big as needed. The unrealistic big station of OpenTTD does not really fit simutrans style. Rather let you trains wait on the tracks.