RealHighway
The Rural Highway Mod, or as it is perhaps better known, the RHW, is a modification produced by the NAM Team. The RHW is optional component to the Network Addon Mod, 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.
The most recent version, Version 20, was released on January 1, 2008.
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Project History
The RHW project was started by qurlix and nooneatall in August 2005, with an initial "public alpha" release, Version 12, coming in November that same year.
Tarkus took over the project in March 2007, and with the release of Version 13b in June 2007, the RHW became an official NAM component. For the Version 20 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.
A new version, Version 21, is currently in development, with no definite release date set.
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, nor can it show up on the Regional Transportation View. 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 being overridden by modders.
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 (dependent on the Understanding The Traffic Simulator one has installed. (The "A" and "B" 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.
RHW-6
The RHW-6 comes in two variants, Separable (RHW-6S) and Compact (RHW-6C).
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, so it is a 6-lane, 4-tile network. 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, so it is not a "true" wider network. Its only interaction with other networks is through grade-separated interchanges (with the MIS), and with Overpasses.
RHW-6C
The RHW-6C is a 6-lane, 3-tile network, not available in the current Version 20 release. 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 cannot be separated to allow for Variable Width Medians.
RHW-8
The RHW-8 also comes in Separable and Compact variants, just like the RHW-6, but their functionality is reversed from that of the RHW-6.
RHW-8S
The RHW-8S is a "true" wider network, not currently available in Version 20. 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.
RHW-8C
The RHW-8C is a 8-lane, 3-tile network, not available in Version 20. Since it has the same capacity as the RHW-6C, being a 3-tile network, the main reason for its existence is for creating auxiliary lanes.
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-8S, and thus, is more or less functional eyecandy.
Modular Interchange System
The Modular Interchange System (MIS) is a system for building custom interchanges with the RHW, introduced with RHW Version 20. It began as a Puzzle Piece-Based prototype, consisting of a series of draggable 1-lane, 1-tile ramps, but with the advent of the Starter Piece technology introduced in the June 2007 NAM, it was converted to a draggable setup. The MIS Ramps connect to the RHW through a series of Ramp Interface Puzzle Pieces.
Elevated and Double-Decker RHWs
Elevated and Double-Decker versions of the RHW networks have been in development for some time, and will be included in a future release of the mod.
Additional Modifications
Shadow Assassin has released a popular Euro texture set for the RHW, and mrtnrln has released a series of prop additions as part of his RHW Addon Mod.
