Difference between revisions of "Fractional Angle Networking"

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m (Fractional Angle Project moved to Fractional Angle Networking: More accurate description, more appropriate acronym)
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|language = English}}
 
|language = English}}
  
The '''Fractional Angle Project''' is an effort by several [[NAM Team]] members to break road and rail networks out of the {{WP|orthogonal}}/{{WP|diagonal}} [[grid]].  The road side of the project is called the [[FAR]] (fractional angle roads) and the rail side, not surprisingly, is called the [[FARR]] (fractional angle railroads).  The concept originated in the early spring of 2008 with a post in [[Three Rivers Region]] (3RR) by {{member|dedgren|David}} proposing the [[FAR]] and developing a set of texture-based road curves Within a short time, {{member|dedgren}} and {{member|Tarkus}}, who had worked together the previous year on a similar project that became the [[NAM]] wide curves, had a working set of [[FAR]] piecesIn the early summer of 2008, {{member|dedgren}} expanded the concept to dual-rail, and once again he and {{member|Tarkus}} collaborated on creating the initial set of [[FARR]] pieces.
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'''Fractional Angle Networking''' is an effort by several [[NAM Team]] members to break road and rail networks out of the {{WP|orthogonal}}/{{WP|diagonal}} [[grid]].  The road side of the project is called the [[FAR]] (Fractional Angle Roads) and the rail side, not surprisingly, is called the [[FARR]] (Fractional Angle Railroads).  The reason these pieces are called "fractional angle" curves is because, even though they are neither orthogonal nor diagonal, they are still constrained by SC4's grid, albeit the additional angle variety loosens the impositions that the grid places on network placement.  There are currently two different fractional angles employed: FA-3 (18.4/71.6 degrees), and more recently, FA-2 (26.6/63.4 degrees)They are named with respect to how they lay on the SC4 grid: FA-3 is named such because it requires 3 tiles on the x-axis to move 1 tile on the y-axis, and for FA-2, the figures are 2 tiles on the x-axis for 1 tile on the y-axisOther proposed angles have included FA-4, FA-6, and FA-1.5, though there is no concrete plan with respect to their implementation at present.
  
The reason these pieces are called "fractional angle" curves is because, even though they are neither orthogonal nor diagonal, they are still constrained by SC4's grid.  They are based on a 2x3 straight section of [[road]] or [[rail]] that crosses these gridsquares at either an 18.4 or 71.6 degree angle, depending on the long orientation of the gridsquares.  The transit pieces must be plopped as "[[puzzle piece]]s" and cannot be made draggableThey are otherwise, once plopped, fully [[functional]] in the game, supporting transit pathing, automata and [[UDI|U-Drive It]].
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The concept originated in the early spring of 2008 with a post in [[Three Rivers Region]] (3RR) by {{member|dedgren|David}} proposing the [[FAR]] and developing a set of texture-based road curves .  Within a short time, {{member|dedgren}} and {{member|Tarkus}}, who had worked together the previous year on a similar project that became the [[NAM]] wide curves, had a working set of [[FAR]] pieces. In the early summer of 2008, {{member|dedgren}} expanded the concept to dual-rail, and once again he and {{member|Tarkus}} collaborated on creating the initial set of [[FARR]] pieces{{member|Shadow Assassin}} later expanded the fractional angle options to include the [[RealHighway]] system (FARHW), with the release of RealHighway Version 4.0 in May 2010 (coincident with NAM 28), and later, he developed Fractional Angle Avenues.
  
Each set consists of the following puzzle pieces:
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The biggest development with respect to fractional angles came with {{member|memo}}'s development of Draggable Fractional Angle Networking, which uses INRUL and RUL2 code to transform draggable patterns into fractional angled networksAs of the NAM 31.x-series releases, the draggable approach is currently only available for Roads, in both FA-3 and FA-2 angles.
 
 
* Short (ortho to 18.4 degree) Curve
 
* Long (ortho to 71.6 degree) Curve
 
* Straight Section (18.4/71.6 degree 2x3 gridsquares)
 
* Diagonal to Fractional Angle (18.4/71.6 degree) Transition Curve<br />
 
<br />
 
There is also a Road/FARR Level Crossing and a Railroad/FAR  Level Crossing.
 
 
 
Future plans include FAR {{WP|intersection}}s and FARR {{WP|crossover}}s and {{WP|switch}}es.  The concept will also likely begin appearing in Set 2 of the STR.  {{member|dedgren|David}} is working on these textures and expects to have them completed by the end of [[2009]]The current FAR and FARR sets were included in the January '09 NAM releases, and some additional pieces were also included in the June '09 release.
 
  
 
[[category:NAM/project]]
 
[[category:NAM/project]]
 
{{NAM}}
 
{{NAM}}

Revision as of 16:55, 19 June 2013

Fractional Angle Networking
Link
Download from LEX
General Information
Credits David (dedgren) (textures)
Tarkus (puzzlepieces)
Status Released
Project Threads Three Rivers Region (SC4D)
Language English

Fractional Angle Networking is an effort by several NAM Team members to break road and rail networks out of the orthogonal/diagonal grid. The road side of the project is called the FAR (Fractional Angle Roads) and the rail side, not surprisingly, is called the FARR (Fractional Angle Railroads). The reason these pieces are called "fractional angle" curves is because, even though they are neither orthogonal nor diagonal, they are still constrained by SC4's grid, albeit the additional angle variety loosens the impositions that the grid places on network placement. There are currently two different fractional angles employed: FA-3 (18.4/71.6 degrees), and more recently, FA-2 (26.6/63.4 degrees). They are named with respect to how they lay on the SC4 grid: FA-3 is named such because it requires 3 tiles on the x-axis to move 1 tile on the y-axis, and for FA-2, the figures are 2 tiles on the x-axis for 1 tile on the y-axis. Other proposed angles have included FA-4, FA-6, and FA-1.5, though there is no concrete plan with respect to their implementation at present.

The concept originated in the early spring of 2008 with a post in Three Rivers Region (3RR) by David (dedgren) proposing the FAR and developing a set of texture-based road curves . Within a short time, dedgren and Tarkus, who had worked together the previous year on a similar project that became the NAM wide curves, had a working set of FAR pieces. In the early summer of 2008, dedgren expanded the concept to dual-rail, and once again he and Tarkus collaborated on creating the initial set of FARR pieces. Shadow Assassin later expanded the fractional angle options to include the RealHighway system (FARHW), with the release of RealHighway Version 4.0 in May 2010 (coincident with NAM 28), and later, he developed Fractional Angle Avenues.

The biggest development with respect to fractional angles came with memo's development of Draggable Fractional Angle Networking, which uses INRUL and RUL2 code to transform draggable patterns into fractional angled networks. As of the NAM 31.x-series releases, the draggable approach is currently only available for Roads, in both FA-3 and FA-2 angles.