Unified Driver Surveyor

Revision as of 09:38, 28 June 2019

Unified Driver Surveyor (UDS) replaces the concept of "Quickdrive" and greatly expands upon the capabilities previously provided. In short, the system allows you to switch back and forward between Driver Mode and Editor (Surveyor) Mode instantly. When you switch mode, the User Interface changes and functionality changes accordingly.

Change Modes

When in Driver, click the Tools button on the menu bar, then select "Surveyor Mode" to change to editing mode. The User Interface will change to the traditional Surveyor tool tabs and the new Surveyor Menubar options along the top. (A warning will appear the first time, and this can be hidden for future mode switches).

You will also notice that items that show only in Surveyor will now be visible, such as trackmarks, spline points, direction arrows on trains etc.

When in Surveyor, click the Tools button on the menu bar, then deselect "Surveyor Mode" to change to Driver Mode. The User Interface will change to the traditional Driver Mode.

Changes to existing behaviour

• The Quickdrive option in the menu is removed. You can use "Create Session" to gain access to all of the Surveyor Tools prior to commencing your driving/operating session.
• The Quickdrive button in Surveyor is removed, and it's default keyboard shortcut (Ctrl-F2) is now mapped to the Surveyor Mode toggle .
• The Surveyor Mode toggle allows you to swap instantly from Driver to Surveyor and back again without any delay or loading screen.
• A game pause control has been added to Surveyor (in the Tools Menu).
• Switching modes does not pause the game automatically, so after switching from Driver to Surveyor your trains will keep moving.
• The "Edit Trains" option is removed from Tools menu in Driver (replaced by Surveyor Mode).
• Achievement progress is disabled if you activate Surveyor mode.
• Session Rules can now be manually reset after entering Driver (see below for more details).
• A number of Session Rules have been updated to correct flaws exposed by UDS, but many have not. See Session Rule Implementation for a programmers guide to correct Rule behaviour.

Saving Games, Sessions and Routes

The save options provided will be determined by which edits have been made.

• If no edits have been made, then "Save" will prompt to "Save Driver Session" and create a "Saved Game" (asset kind "savegame").
• A Save Game can be restored from the View Sessions menu but cannot be loaded directly into Surveyor.
• After you load your saved game into Driver, you can still switch to Surveyor and edit as before.
• If edits have been made, then wherever possible, saving will prompt to generate a savegame asset by default.
• If edits have been made which are not compatible with the savegame asset type, you will be prompted save the Route and/or Session as appropriate.
• Exit Driver will return you to the menu. If you want to return to Surveyor, simply change mode instead.

More to follow...

Resetting Rules

Session Rules control gameplay behaviour and logic within a Session. For example, the Cinematic Camera Rule will change the camera target and animate the camera position for a period when executed.

With the addition of UDS, an interface has been added to reset Rules to their original state, either for the whole list or individually. This allows you to reset gameplay within a Session, which is extremely useful for Session testing and development.

For example if a Trigger Check rule has already been executed, but you edit the Session and now need to hit that trigger again, then you can manually reset the Trigger Check rule (in Edit Session) in order to retest that rule.

Another example is adding new Driver Commands to the Driver Setup rule. If the status shows as "Complete was-complete" then the new instructions will not be executed. To change this, right click on the rule (in Edit Session in Surveyor), select Reset, and this will change the rule to Paused. Click the Tick to save your changes, then switch modes to Driver and the Driver Setup rule will execute again.

Using Undo

Undo continues to operate as before, and is found in the Edit menu in Surveyor, or operated using the ctrl+z hotkey (or ctrl+y for redo). Undo is not available in Driver.

Given that trains can be in motion in Surveyor, undoing certain actions (such as modifying track) may result in derailments. However, using Redo should restore all changes made by undo, including any accidental derailments. Other dependent state which can be modified (such as junction directions) may also be affected by undo/redo, so use caution and common sense when using these features.

Practical examples:

Adding or Replacing Rolling Stock

Switch to Surveyor mode, open the Trains Tab, select a loco or rolling stock and place on the track (or open the Consist tab to create or place a whole train).

Remember! Being in Surveyor no longer guarantees the world is static, so beware of moving trains when making your edits. We also do not recommend editing moving trains, as this may upset the physics state.

Adding or Replacing Track

The normal restrictions of not being able to move track that has a train on it still apply. TIP: Lay a short section of track nearby, move your train to the new track, make your edits, them move the train back again and delete your temporary track.

Adding or Replacing Trackside Objects

Ever find yourself testing a Session you've created, and realise you need an extra signal? Or that a trackmark or trigger is misnamed? With UDS you can switch to Surveyor, correct your mistake, and continue testing the Session without any interruption.

Adding or Replacing Scenery Objects or Splines

Driving along and notice something missing or out of place? That tree a little too close to the track? A house that slightly floating? Switch to Surveyor, add, move or delete the item(s) then switch back to Driver mode. Make sure you save your Route/Session changes when you're done, but remember you can do that directly from Driver.

Changing/Editing Environment Settings

The addition of UDS grants full control over the weather, water/sky, environment lighting/colour, and more. No longer are you restricted to simple changes using the Quickdrive rule or the Session Options dialog. Note that certain rules (such as the weather rule) may still override your Surveyor settings during a Driver session.

Changing/Editing Session Rules

Session Rules, which dictate the gameplay behaviour of a Session, are also able to be edited at any time. This includes adding new rules, removing unwanted rules, or fixing existing rules.

For example, you may be testing a created Session and notice a spelling mistake in a message popup. Simply switch to Surveyor, edit the rule to correct the mistake, then switch back. In this example the rule will already have executed and there's probably no need to test the change, so you can continue driving without interruption.

Another example would be when setting up an introduction to your Session. For this you may use a fade-in, some camera animation, and some subtitles or message popups, and the sequence might be quite long if you want to really give some story/background to your session. UDS allows you to switch to Driver to run the startup sequence in full, where you can see whether it's working and what might need fixing or improving (e.g. you might spot another spelling mistake or typo, or you may want a camera angle slightly higher). When it's done you can switch back to Surveyor, make the fixes, click "Reset all Rules" to reset the rule state, and then switch to Driver to run the whole sequence again. And you can do this dozens of times over without ever needing to save your asset(s) or look at a loading screen.

Go back to:

• TRS19 Help Page
• Trainz Plus Page