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  #1  
Old 06-16-2004, 08:03 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Age: 24
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Stacking and block structure for No Limits Coasters

I am going to post my opinion on stacking and why I think that this should not be a criteria for judging a coaster in any No Limits contest. As I understand it, stacking is when a train is stopped on a brake run and waits for some period on time on the break run until the train in the station or preceding brake run departs and the preceding block is open. This situation actually happens in real life due to perhaps a minor delay in the station or perhaps not efficient loading of the guests at the station.

In regards to No Limits contest, as I understand it if a designed coaster for the contest stacks it is disqualified. I understand the point that a coaster should be designed not to stack but this would only be applicable in real life, because No Limits blocking structure does not exactly mirror real life.

Being a former ride operator on the Beast, I was required to have a solid understanding of the block structure of the ride and the control system in order to operate the control panel. However even though I knew exactly the blocks for the ride, It was impossible to recreate the actual blocking for the ride because No Limits blocking is not quite right.

In No Limits if you were to have a coaster with a station, a lift hill, and two brake runs, this wouuld consist of four blocks. This is exactly what it would be like for a coaster in real life with the same layout. However having the first block from the end of station to the top of lift 1, the first block in No Limits would be the end of the station to halfway between the top of lift 1 to the first brake run. The end of the block is chosen in the middle of the top of lift one and the first brake run when any ride in real life would have the block end at the top of lift 1.

No Limits arbitualy chooses the middle of a section for its block boarders when in real life they are not in the middle of a section but exactly after the brake run, block brake, or the end of the lift hill.

This completely changes when the trains can be dispatched and multiple train operation. This can also allow for stacking, especially with 3 train operation. For example my coaster, Race Flight, stacks at the last brake run before the station, because the train in the station has to wait for block 1 to clear (the train ahead of the one in the station has to clear not the top of lift 1, but some section of track in the middle of the block brake and lift 1). This is the reason for stacking.

I am sure that in Race Flight's situation, if the blocking structure was more accurate to a real coaster, it would not stack. I can understand taking off points for having a train come to a complete stop at a block brake. This can easily be corrected by adding an extra brake run before the station. However taking off or disqualify a coaster for stacking does not seem fair to me. Stacking in No Limits sometimes is actually do to the design of the game not the design of the ride. A coaster could actually be designed to not stack in real life but stack in No Limits. This is why I feel it should not be a judging requirement for any coaster in the monthly No Limits Contest.
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  #2  
Old 06-16-2004, 10:15 PM
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In this contest, stacking is allowed (even if it's 2 train), and there will be no such criteria in next months (which we will announce very soon).

I know because I'm a former ride op myself, who has operated 6 coasters, so I know how blocking works. Unfortunately, blocking is not correctly implemented in NoLimits, which I would suggest you contact them and complain on the implementation (the lift hill itself is usually considered a block, and I can't dispatch after that).
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  #3  
Old 06-16-2004, 10:57 PM
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Yea, I agree. Every coaster in Gadv with more than one train operation stacked. And they eren't broken or anything.
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  #4  
Old 06-17-2004, 12:59 AM
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you can create blocks in NL by using cheats, brake segments that are less than 17 feet long (or about 6 meters) can be placed almost anywhere, set the speed limit well above any speed you could reach at that section and turn the friction wheels off and set the trigger to the end of the segment, disable the catwalks and you won't even see the brake mechanisms or know they're there. It may turn some riders off when they find out they're being used, but to create accurate block segments, they're the only way to go in NoLimits. I do believe that I read somewhere that the next update of NL will include a way to set block segments manually...hope I'm remembering right!
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  #5  
Old 06-17-2004, 01:06 AM
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The rules said no stacking, so that mean't NO STACKING. Sorry.
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  #6  
Old 06-17-2004, 01:11 PM
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i aggre with coolcoasterman, i mean its not our fault the designers werent acccurate.
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  #7  
Old 06-17-2004, 10:41 PM
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It's your fault for not checking to see if their was stacking, once again, the rules said no stacking, so too bad.
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  #8  
Old 06-18-2004, 12:39 AM
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well my coaster dosent have stacking but still, its kinda sad that people will get dqed for something the game did.
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  #9  
Old 06-18-2004, 12:48 AM
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They could have spent 10 minutes tops playing with the blocking in the game. The game is made that way, and none of us can do anything about it. If you have a problem with it, don't whine and moan, look at your track, and fix it.
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  #10  
Old 06-27-2004, 09:31 PM
Jr. Poster
 
Join Date: May 2004
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Yea, if you are too lazy to spend a couple minutes to time your coaster right, then your coaster itself probably won't be good enough to win anyway.
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  #11  
Old 06-30-2004, 11:22 PM
Wooden Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
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I knew that there was stacking before I submitted the ride. However you could run 4 trains (2 on each side) and the ride would not stack.

I am not sure why it is my fault that my coaster would operate perfectly fine without stacking in real life (assuming normal dispatch times) but because no limits does not accurately place the block boarders where they should be my ride stacks. I know the rules and really do not care if my coaster was disqualified but the point I was trying to make is that this criteria should not be used in future contests. I could have easily placed a small brake track and made it a block and solved the problem but this is not realistic and is not what real coasters have.

Some of the people who are making these comments have never operated a ride in their life, have really no clue how a roller coaters control schemes works or the blocks for any coaster. I am sure they are familar with the term blocks, but could not accurately describe the blocks for any particular coaster. On most any coaster that I know of, the first block is from the end of the station to the top of lift 1. In No Limits this is never the first block. Although No Limits is the best roller coaster simulation game out there, it has a few flaws, and the way it does blocks is one of them.
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  #12  
Old 07-01-2004, 12:59 AM
Jr. Poster
 
Join Date: May 2004
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Ok, it doesn't work in real life so you need to deal with a limitation to not have your ride DQ'ed, if you can't deal with taking the few seconds it would really take to fix it then why bother?
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  #13  
Old 07-01-2004, 01:09 AM
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he's trying to point out that there is a flaw in the game, so a contest shouldn't require you to make an unrealistic blocking structure to qualify. it makes perfect sense.
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