Difference between revisions of "RealHighway"
sc4e>Tarkus (Updated for Version 4.0) |
sc4e>Haljackey (added RHW 4.0 images, cleaned up RHW 3.0 images, and rearranged images to reduce clutter.) |
||
| Line 44: | Line 44: | ||
==RHW-4== | ==RHW-4== | ||
[[Image:Mmmshinyhn0.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The Euro-RHW mod as it first appeared in version 1.3b.]] | [[Image:Mmmshinyhn0.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The Euro-RHW mod as it first appeared in version 1.3b.]] | ||
| + | [[Image:Tau Ceti-Mar. 14, 021212374749.png|thumb|left|250px|A large RHW interchange, made with Version 2.0, [[People:Shadow Assassin|Shadow Assassin]]'s Euro Textures and one-way-road overpasses and tunnels.]] | ||
The '''RHW-4''' is an Override Network of the base RHW-2 network, utilizing a [[Starter Piece|Puzzle-Drag Override]] to transform the RHW-2, into a 1-tile, 2-lane, 1-way network. It is known as the RHW-4 because the full width of both directions is 4 lanes over 2 tiles, but because it is based on a 1-tile network, the two halves of a full RHW-4 do not need to be adjacent, and can be split, to allow ''Variable Width Medians'', unlike [[Transit Network#Highway Networks|Maxis Highways]] (without the cumbersome Multi-Highway technique). It has twice the capacity of an RHW-2. | The '''RHW-4''' is an Override Network of the base RHW-2 network, utilizing a [[Starter Piece|Puzzle-Drag Override]] to transform the RHW-2, into a 1-tile, 2-lane, 1-way network. It is known as the RHW-4 because the full width of both directions is 4 lanes over 2 tiles, but because it is based on a 1-tile network, the two halves of a full RHW-4 do not need to be adjacent, and can be split, to allow ''Variable Width Medians'', unlike [[Transit Network#Highway Networks|Maxis Highways]] (without the cumbersome Multi-Highway technique). It has twice the capacity of an RHW-2. | ||
| Line 73: | Line 74: | ||
==RHW-10== | ==RHW-10== | ||
[[Image:RHW-10.png|right|thumb|250px|Interchange along a RHW-10, the largest RHW network.]] | [[Image:RHW-10.png|right|thumb|250px|Interchange along a RHW-10, the largest RHW network.]] | ||
| + | [[Image:RHW 3.0 full interchange.jpg|thumb|left|250px|A large RHW interchange made with Version 3.0, without one-way-road overpasses or tunnels.]] | ||
The '''RHW-10''' is the widest RHW network, consisting of 10 lanes over 4 tiles. It has the same capacity as an RHW-8, and thus, is more or less functional eyecandy. | The '''RHW-10''' is the widest RHW network, consisting of 10 lanes over 4 tiles. It has the same capacity as an RHW-8, and thus, is more or less functional eyecandy. | ||
| Line 90: | Line 92: | ||
===RHW-3=== | ===RHW-3=== | ||
| − | |||
The '''RHW-3''' is an Override network, built on the same principles as the RHW-6, but allowing two-way traffic, much like a 2+1 Road in Europe, or climbing lanes on mountainous highways. It is the RHW equivalent of the ARD-3 from the [[NWM]] project. | The '''RHW-3''' is an Override network, built on the same principles as the RHW-6, but allowing two-way traffic, much like a 2+1 Road in Europe, or climbing lanes on mountainous highways. It is the RHW equivalent of the ARD-3 from the [[NWM]] project. | ||
| Line 98: | Line 99: | ||
===Elevated and Double-Decker RHWs=== | ===Elevated and Double-Decker RHWs=== | ||
| − | |||
Elevated RHW-4 and MIS were added in Version 3.0, and Elevated versions of the other networks are planned for a future release. Additional heights for the Elevated RHW networks have been proposed to allow additional functionality, and a prototype for a Double-Decker RHW-4 has also been shown in the public development threads. | Elevated RHW-4 and MIS were added in Version 3.0, and Elevated versions of the other networks are planned for a future release. Additional heights for the Elevated RHW networks have been proposed to allow additional functionality, and a prototype for a Double-Decker RHW-4 has also been shown in the public development threads. | ||
==Other Functionality== | ==Other Functionality== | ||
| − | |||
The Version 4.0 release includes two new pieces to allow for the construction of ground-level Single-Point Urban Interchanges (SPUIs) and the Diverging Diamond Interchanges (DDIs). This functionality will be added to | The Version 4.0 release includes two new pieces to allow for the construction of ground-level Single-Point Urban Interchanges (SPUIs) and the Diverging Diamond Interchanges (DDIs). This functionality will be added to | ||
| Line 113: | Line 112: | ||
For more information about the Multi-RHW, see '''[[Multi highway]]'''. | For more information about the Multi-RHW, see '''[[Multi highway]]'''. | ||
| − | [[Image: | + | [[Image:RHW 4.0 Windmill Hybrid.png|thumb|right|250px|A large RHW interchange made with version 4.0 without tunnels.]] |
| − | [[Image:RHW | + | [[Image:RHW 4.0 Cloverstack Hybrid.png|thumb|left|250px|A large RHW interchange made with version 4.0 with tunnels.]] |
==Additional Modifications== | ==Additional Modifications== | ||
| Line 130: | Line 129: | ||
*Version 4.0 (May 9, 2010) | *Version 4.0 (May 9, 2010) | ||
*Version 4.1 (''in development'') | *Version 4.1 (''in development'') | ||
| − | |||
==RHW Development Team & Contributors== | ==RHW Development Team & Contributors== | ||
Revision as of 21:56, 24 May 2010
| |||||||||||||||||||||
The RealHighway Mod (formerly Rural Highway Mod), or as it is perhaps better known, the RHW, is a modification produced by the NAM Team, currently headed up by Tarkus. The RHW is optional component to the Network Addon Mod, released separately, and hence requires the NAM as a dependency. It enables a completely new network that Maxis left unfinished (known internally as DirtRoad), formerly part of the NAM ANT Plugin. Through Override Technology, wider variations of this network, often allowing increased capacity, can be created through draggable means, along with Modular Interchange System (MIS) ramp segments.
In spite of its name, it has expanded from merely being a network for strictly rural usage to a largely modular, all-purpose highway. As a result, there have been calls to change the name of the project for years now, but the name has essentially "stuck" in spite of those, with various team members over time advising the public to "imagine the 'R' stands for something else".
The most recent version, Version 4.0, was released on May 9, 2010, after a lengthy 14 month development cycle, and includes a number of substantial, long-awaited features, including draggable ramp interfaces, the FLEXFly flyover system, and Single-Point Interchange and Diverging Diamond Interchange pieces.
Contents
Project History
The RHW project was started as the Rural Highway Mod by qurlix and nooneatall in August 2005, with an initial "public alpha" release, Version 1.2, coming in November that same year. qurlix had also planned a couple of other releases at various points, Version 1.5 and Version 1.7, but neither was ever finished.
Tarkus became involved in the project in October 2006, and took over the project in March 2007 after qurlix's departure from the community, releasing a small update, Version 1.3 in April, largely to address compatibility issues between the December 2006 NAM release and RHW Version 1.2, something which the unreleased Version 1.7 was originally intended to fix. With the release of Version 1.3b in June 2007, the RHW became an official NAM Team project.
For the Version 2.0 release, the RULs for the mod were completely re-written to change the RHW from a "side-by-side" override to a Starter Piece setup, coinciding with the incorporation of the Modular Interchange System, which allowed for true RHW interchanges for the first time. During Version 2.0 development, Tarkus expanded the project development team to include texture artists rickmastfan67 and Shadow Assassin (who had provided some graphical work for Version 1.3a and 1.3b), and Big Dig modeler blahdy, but all three of them left during 2008. However, Shadow Assassin returned in July 2009.
A new version, Version 3.0, was released on January 14th, 2009. The new release features the long-awaited RHWs, up to the RHW-10 (five lanes per direction), Elevated RHW-4 and MIS Ramps with models by Swamper77, smoncrie's RHW-2 and RHW-4 bridges, and over 60 puzzle pieces and numerous draggable additions, including the sought-after MIS-to-OWR transition. It also featured a radically re-designed texture set from Tarkus and ardecila. Version 3.2 fixed some path files in Version 3.0, coupled with some RUL Fixes included in the March 2009 NAM.
The next version, Version 4.0, was released in May 2010. Several new developers have joined Tarkus and Shadow Assassin in 2009, including Blue Lightning, choco, jmvl and deathtopumpkins. mrtnrln, toja and mtg came aboard in 2010. The default texture set is being revamped again by Tarkus for Version 4.0, and will blend the "traditional" RHW look with the scaling improvements introduced in the Version 3.0 texture set.
Plans after Version 4.0 involve going to a smaller-scale release format, tentatively dubbed the "4.x Series", with the version number rolling over to 5.0 once certain developmental criteria have been met.
Basic Network Characteristics
The RHW network is a Highway-type Network, which means it does not allow access to RCI Zones. Due to the "unfinished" state Maxis left it in, it does not have Tunnel capability (One-Way Roads, Avenues or Maxis Highways must be used for workarounds), nor can it show up on the Regional Transportation View. Both of these functionality gaps are the result of hardcoding, and thus, cannot be fixed. RHWs can also be bulldozed using the Dezone tool, much like Streets. It is also a 1-tile network, the only such Highway-type network, which makes it particularly conducive to producing Override Networks.
The FLUPs (Flexible Underpass) system will be expanded to include RHW components as part of Version 4.0 by Chrisim and toja.
In the current Version 4.0 release, bridges are possible for the RHW-2 and RHW-4 networks, and Wider RHW and MIS bridges are currently under development by choco.
RHW-2
The base network the RHW Network Tool produces is known as the RHW-2 (RHW, 2-lane). It is a 1-tile, 2-lane, 2-way network, much like the Road network, but with a higher capacity and speed. The increase in capacity and speed is dependent on the Traffic Plugin one has installed, but it is generally about twice that of a road. (The "A", "B" or "Z" simulators are recommended for RHW users.)
RHW-4
The RHW-4 is an Override Network of the base RHW-2 network, utilizing a Puzzle-Drag Override to transform the RHW-2, into a 1-tile, 2-lane, 1-way network. It is known as the RHW-4 because the full width of both directions is 4 lanes over 2 tiles, but because it is based on a 1-tile network, the two halves of a full RHW-4 do not need to be adjacent, and can be split, to allow Variable Width Medians, unlike Maxis Highways (without the cumbersome Multi-Highway technique). It has twice the capacity of an RHW-2.
Also unlike the Maxis Highways, the RHW-4 can have at-grade intersections with other networks, in addition to allowing for grade-separated interchanges using the Modular Interchange System (MIS) interface ramps. In Version 2.0, orthogonal at-grade intersections with Road, Street, Rail, and RHW-2 are available, and GLR at-grade crossings are made possible by a puzzle piece. Drawing a street on the inside of an RHW-4 causes it to turn into an Emergency Turnaround Lane.
In Version 3.0, the Elevated RHW-4 (ERHW-4) was added.
RHW-6S
The RHW-6S is just like the RHW-4, except that it takes up an additional two tiles in width, and has an extra lane per direction, fitting 6 lanes on 4 tiles. The capacity of the RHW-6S, due to how the paths are situated, is exactly the same as the RHW-4, and its primary purpose is as "functional eyecandy" to allow for realistic acceleration/deceleration lanes at interchanges. In this regard, it is not a "true" wider network. Its only interaction with other networks is through grade-separated interchanges (with the MIS), and with Overpasses.
Diagonal functionality, in the form of puzzle pieces, was added to the RHW-6S in Version 3.0. Draggable functionality is planned for later inclusion.
RHW-6C
The RHW-6C is a 6-lane, 3-tile network, new to the RHW in Version 3.0. Due to how it occupies its space, it is a "true" wider network, having a capacity 3 times that of the RHW-2, and 1.5 times that of the RHW-4. Using the NAM "A" and "B" simulators, it also has a capacity 1.5 times greater than the Maxis Highways.
Unlike the RHW-4 and RHW-6S, it will not be possible to separate to allow for Variable Width Medians with the RHW-6C.
RHW-8
The RHW-8 is a "true" wider network, also new to RHW Version 3.0. In its full form, it will be an 8-lane, 4-tile network, with 4 times the capacity of an RHW-2, 2 times the capacity of the RHW-4, and 1.33 times the capacity of an RHW-6C.
Like the RHW-6S, the RHW-8 can go diagonal with puzzle pieces.
At one point, there was also an RHW-8C planned, which would have been situated on 3 tiles, like the RHW-6C. A prototype of this network was shown in August 2007 in the RHW thread at SC4D.
The RHW-8C concept was revived by Blue Lightning in 2009 and will be incorporated into a future release.
RHW-10
The RHW-10 is the widest RHW network, consisting of 10 lanes over 4 tiles. It has the same capacity as an RHW-8, and thus, is more or less functional eyecandy.
It is orthogonal-only in Version 3.0.
MIS Ramps
The Modular Interchange System (MIS) Ramps are the backbone of the RHW's interchange capabilities, allowing for draggable custom setups. The MIS is a 1-tile, 1-lane, 1-way network, allowing for connections to surface streets.
In Version 3.0, Elevated MIS (EMIS) was added.
Blue Lightning created an EMIS-1 (15M) Wide Radius Curve capable of over passing other RHW networks called FLEXFly. It was introduced in the Version 4.0 release.
Future Networks
These networks have been proposed, and some have even had prototypes made, but they are planned for a future release.
RHW-3
The RHW-3 is an Override network, built on the same principles as the RHW-6, but allowing two-way traffic, much like a 2+1 Road in Europe, or climbing lanes on mountainous highways. It is the RHW equivalent of the ARD-3 from the NWM project.
Ultra-Wide RHWs
As of this writing, there are no current plans to take the RHW network wider than the RHW-10. Any network, if it were to be created, would probably have to be limited to orthogonal-only usage, due to the size of the network (at least 5 tiles), and the complexity of diagonal RULs.
Elevated and Double-Decker RHWs
Elevated RHW-4 and MIS were added in Version 3.0, and Elevated versions of the other networks are planned for a future release. Additional heights for the Elevated RHW networks have been proposed to allow additional functionality, and a prototype for a Double-Decker RHW-4 has also been shown in the public development threads.
Other Functionality
The Version 4.0 release includes two new pieces to allow for the construction of ground-level Single-Point Urban Interchanges (SPUIs) and the Diverging Diamond Interchanges (DDIs). This functionality will be added to
Multi-RHW Technique
Wider RHWs can also be made using the Multi-RHW technique first developed by Haljackey, which essentially involves putting two one-way RHWs (usually RHW-4 or RHW-6S) in the same direction, side by side. Although this creates 8 lanes (or possibly more) in each direction, the networks are still separate RHW-4s, and must be linked together to work properly. A Multi-RHW is a great way to make a collector/express system in SC4 that many real life highways use.
Prior the Version 2.0 release, the Multi-RHW was possible, but very difficult to make due to the fact that the RHW-4 was built using a Side-by-Side Override. This would often result in some parts of the Multi-RHW going in opposite directions and was a pain to correct. With the switch to the starter piece system included with Version 2.0, Multi-RHWs can now be dragged without any worry of changing direction, making them much easier to construct.
For more information about the Multi-RHW, see Multi highway.
Additional Modifications
Shadow Assassin has released a popular Euro Texture Set for RHW Version 2.0, but it is not fully-compatible with the new Version 3.0 release, though it has been confirmed that he is working on an update. mrtnrln has released a series of prop additions as part of his RHW Addon Mod, and is also working on an RHW Euro texture set based on Tarkus' default North American set from Version 3.0. Xyloxadoria has also released a number of popular T21 mods for the RHW on the STEX, which add lights and barriers to some of the networks. Blue Lightning has also made a number of addons as well, including the popular Elevated RHW-4 Cosmetic Mod.
History of Releases
- Version 1.2 (November 16, 2005)
- Version 1.3 (April 14, 2007)
- Version 1.3a (April 28, 2007)
- Version 1.3b (June 1, 2007)
- Version 2.0 (January 1, 2008)
- Version 3.0 (January 14, 2009)
- Version 3.2 (March 7, 2009)
- Version 4.0 (May 9, 2010)
- Version 4.1 (in development)
RHW Development Team & Contributors
Current (Version 4.0)
- Andreas (Packaging/Readme: 2007-2010, Version 1.3-4.0)
- Blue Lightning (Development/Models: 2009-2010, Version 4.0)
- burgsabre87 (Props/Textures: 2005-2010, Version 1.2-4.0)
- choco (Bridges: 2009-2010, Version 4.0)
- Chrisim (FLUPs Integration: 2010, Version 4.0)
- deathtopumpkins (Development/Textures: 2009-2010, Version 4.0)
- dedgren (Textures: 2009, Version 3.0-4.0)
- ebina (LHD Pathing: 2008-2010, Version 3.0-4.0)
- jmvl (Development: 2009, Version 4.0)
- mrtnrln (Development: 2010, Version 4.0)
- mtg (Development: 2010, Version 4.x)
- Shadow Assassin (Development/Textures: 2007-2010, Version 1.3a-4.0)
- smoncrie (Development: 2008-2009, Version 3.0-4.0)
- Swamper77 (Development/Models: 2007-2009, Version 2.0-4.0)
- Tarkus (Lead Development/Textures: 2006-2010, Version 1.3-4.0)
- toja (Models: 2010)
- warrior (Technical Assistance, 2007-2010, Version 2.0-4.0)
Testing
Former Development Team Members & Contributors
- Alidonkey(Development/Textures: 2007-2008, Version 2.0)
- ardecila (Development/Textures: 2008-2009, Version 3.0)
- blahdy (Models: 2007-2008)
- Filasimo (Packaging: 2007, Version 2.0)
- jplumbley (Technical Assistance, 2007-2009, Version 2.0-3.0)
- mjig_dudy (Textures: 2007)
- nooneatall (Textures: 2005, Version 1.2)
- qurlix (Development: 2005-2007, Version 1.2)
- rickmastfan67 (Textures: 2007-2008, Version 2.0)
- videosean (Textures: 2008, Version 3.0)
- Zeddic (Textures/Packaging: 2005, Version 1.2)
Original ANT Plugin Reintegration
Current Development Thread at SC4D
See also
| ||||||||||||||||||||
|
Languages: |
[[::RealHighway|English]] • Japanese (日本語)
|
