Block sections and coaster excitement!

[Syphirioth]

Ok little story first:

I wanted to create a coaster with nice graphs. Not to much nausea and fear but great excitement. Then I found out that block sections reduce the overall excitement to much First trip is 5.8 average but after few trips it is just 3 excitement average because the train has to wait a few moments on a block section. The ppl still like the coaster but the park with only that coaster in it gets just 650 visitors in the park with 3 excitement and the 5.8 excitement coaster gets 850. It's sad that whenever you want more capacity with block sections you will turn in excitement because it will wait on the block section in some cases. And thus the game finds it less exciting...

I don't know if anyone noticed this or knows anything about this?

It seems excitement is based on the time the car is on the track. So 4 inversions are exciting but they are less exciting if the car has to wait on its turn(block section) or if the car is moving a long distance very slowly(driving wheels) cause of the scenery you wanna show off.

 

[rdrunr7]

Try testing with only one train & after you get results, add more trains. Just don't test again after adding more trains.

 

[AusCleaver]

Doesn't matter if you retest it or not the excitement rating will still drop. I had the same issue with a coaster I built where one of the trains would stop at block brakes after 10 or 15 mins of operation and then the rating would tank. I ended up putting another set of brakes just outside the station but only kept the two trains running so now it runs perfectly and the rating doesn't take a dive. You just have to play with your coaster a bit and you will be able to tweak it to work, you may need to add the extra brakes but not add the extra train.

 

[Foamy]

Noticed this also, particularly with the euro fighter. When the trains are waiting to enter the station the excitement drops massively despite this being quite common for most multi-train coasters is real life. My euro fighter now has an average excitement rating of 2.8 [shocked]

 

[stuk71]

I tested it with my inverted coaster of 5.4 excitement... when I removed the block brakes the excitement went up to 5.6. I guess it all depends on how the coaster is configured.

 

[danlightbulb]

Can't you configure the coaster so the train is not waiting too long or at all on the block sections? It could be argued a well designed coaster would be planned so the three trains circling the section were timed well with each other?

So if section 1 takes 20 seconds to complete, and section 2 takes 15 seconds to complete, then train 1 should leave section 2 before train 2 arrives. Is this how it works?

It seems reasonable to me that if a train is waiting too long at a standstill the excitement would be lower.

 

[TemmV2]

It works like this: You have the station, Block Brake (BB #1) #1, and Block Brake #2 (BB #2). Train 2 will leave when Train 1 hits BB #1. Train 2 hit's BB #1. Then whenever Train 1 hit's BB #2 it will not stop to wait for Train 2 to leave the station or hit BB #1. It goes into the station like normal. And it repeats this over and over.

 

[Foamy]

Can't you configure the coaster so the train is not waiting too long or at all on the block sections? It could be argued a well designed coaster would be planned so the three trains circling the section were timed well with each other?

So if section 1 takes 20 seconds to complete, and section 2 takes 15 seconds to complete, then train 1 should leave section 2 before train 2 arrives. Is this how it works?

It seems reasonable to me that if a train is waiting too long at a standstill the excitement would be lower.

The trains were waiting only momentarily to enter the station. The length of wait didn't justify the extent of the drop in excitement IMO

 

[Krizz_111]

Hi,

i've had the same issue on my coaster, and after tweaking my coaster for some hours, (adding loops/block brakes/longer sections) i got it perfect for 3 trains!
the were always moving, never standing still on block brakes.
but when i placed it in a functional park, i noticed my coaster was not getting the correct exitement rating it was before!
this was because it also takes time for loading en unloading people! so i went back to tweaking while people where using the coaster.

now i have even better rating when actual people go on it, than i do in test mode!
excitement 6.3, fear 4.0,nausea 2.0 and this while using 3 full trains! and for the price of around 4.500cr

so keep in mind the loading times when creating coaster in sandbox ;-)

 

[Foamy]

Hi,

i've had the same issue on my coaster, and after tweaking my coaster for some hours, (adding loops/block brakes/longer sections) i got it perfect for 3 trains!
the were always moving, never standing still on block brakes.
but when i placed it in a functional park, i noticed my coaster was not getting the correct exitement rating it was before!
this was because it also takes time for loading en unloading people! so i went back to tweaking while people where using the coaster.

now i have even better rating when actual people go on it, than i do in test mode!
excitement 6.3, fear 4.0,nausea 2.0 and this while using 3 full trains! and for the price of around 4.500cr

so keep in mind the loading times when creating coaster in sandbox ;-)

I guess the issue is the hours of tweaking time to get it right. The average player isn't gonna want spend hours getting the multi-train working perfectly so the excitement rating doesn't dip. So they either need to make the penalty less harsh or make make block brakes easier to implement.

 

[Syphirioth]

I guess the issue is the hours of tweaking time to get it right. The average player isn't gonna want spend hours getting the multi-train working perfectly so the excitement rating doesn't dip. So they either need to make the penalty less harsh or make make block brakes easier to implement.

Ye but still. One of my dive coaster has 3 trains. if I use 2 trains the capacity is totally lost. And since the first part of the track is twice as long as the second part I realy need 3 trains to have atleast 1 train loading at the station while 1 is waiting to go up the lift hill and the other is on track. But with 15-20tiles queue line my wait on the 3 train dive coaster is maximum 2 minutes

I do have a perfect example of a dive coaster with 2 trains but that dive coaster is much smaller.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

I guess the issue is the hours of tweaking time to get it right. The average player isn't gonna want spend hours getting the multi-train working perfectly so the excitement rating doesn't dip. So they either need to make the penalty less harsh or make make block brakes easier to implement.

The block section just should stop the track duration measurement and the problem will be gone. Like how the station section works. Noting is measured there. So the game should measure the total track duration with block brakes to show the track duration. But the excitement measurement should stop ticking when it's waiting on block section.

I

 

[AusCleaver]

I guess the issue is the hours of tweaking time to get it right. The average player isn't gonna want spend hours getting the multi-train working perfectly so the excitement rating doesn't dip. So they either need to make the penalty less harsh or make make block brakes easier to implement.

This is true in which case those that just want to "plop" a coaster and move on should only be running one train, those that are wanting to run multiple trains are also the ones that will spend the time tweaking their set up.

The coaster I built had to be edited and tweaked for a fair amount of time. Sure it could be easier but then people would complain there is no depth to the coasters. I'm happy with where there at for now, I can throw a quick coaster down and tweak it later or move onto another bigger coaster and tweak the ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎ out of it so I can run 3 trains without the rating taking a dive because of stoppages. It would be good if the game recognized the first block brakes at the top of the lift hill as a feature more than a negative but we can't have it all I suppose.

Putting B-brakes close to the end of your track as well as your planned positions will guarantee your trains keep moving to at least that point. As someone else already suggested, make sure to account for loading and unloading of passengers at the station. That's what caught me out at the end hence the extra B-brakes near the station. Also you can visually time where you need to put your B-brakes so it will run smoothly.

 

[Krizz_111]

I guess the issue is the hours of tweaking time to get it right. The average player isn't gonna want spend hours getting the multi-train working perfectly so the excitement rating doesn't dip. So they either need to make the penalty less harsh or make make block brakes easier to implement.

i believe it is part of the experience to spend some time making the perfect rollercoaster, those who don't want to do this can get hunderds of blueprints from the workshop.
but you are right; they should make the penalty less hard, it is not realistic that the excitement drops by 2 points for a 7second 'stand still on block brakes'

 

[Lurker1]

i believe it is part of the experience to spend some time making the perfect rollercoaster, those who don't want to do this can get hunderds of blueprints from the workshop.
but you are right; they should make the penalty less hard, it is not realistic that the excitement drops by 2 points for a 7second 'stand still on block brakes'

A wait on the last set of block brakes is extremely common in real life, and a good way to improve through put. The ride often seems over, even though you are still in the car. If the scenery is good, i see no reason for a wait immediatly before entering the station to affect your rating at all.

A wait mid run is something else entirely, and can give a poor ride. The only ride that springs to mind as using a mid-run block break effectively is Smiler at alton towers. As smiler has a lot of invesions the break run and lift give a chance for your head to stop spinning before you spin into the next half. So in that case, the nausea should drop as the twisting has a time to cancel out, but there is still strong anticipation for the next half. I do think some would disagree with this though.

Blocks and drive tires are often used together with scenery for great affect. They can be used to add dark ride elements which can enhance a ride no end. This should improve rating, not hinder.

 

[Casiquire]

Can't you configure the coaster so the train is not waiting too long or at all on the block sections? It could be argued a well designed coaster would be planned so the three trains circling the section were timed well with each other?

So if section 1 takes 20 seconds to complete, and section 2 takes 15 seconds to complete, then train 1 should leave section 2 before train 2 arrives. Is this how it works?

It seems reasonable to me that if a train is waiting too long at a standstill the excitement would be lower.

Nope, I have a coaster configured so that it only waits on block brakes to get back into the station. The mid-section brake run doesn't stop the train at all, and the wait at the end is only a few seconds which is pretty realistic. Still saw an excitement drop though.

 

[Lightrail]

A wait on the last set of block brakes is extremely common in real life, and a good way to improve through put. The ride often seems over, even though you are still in the car. If the scenery is good, i see no reason for a wait immediatly before entering the station to affect your rating at all.

A wait mid run is something else entirely, and can give a poor ride. The only ride that springs to mind as using a mid-run block break effectively is Smiler at alton towers. As smiler has a lot of invesions the break run and lift give a chance for your head to stop spinning before you spin into the next half. So in that case, the nausea should drop as the twisting has a time to cancel out, but there is still strong anticipation for the next half. I do think some would disagree with this though.

Blocks and drive tires are often used together with scenery for great affect. They can be used to add dark ride elements which can enhance a ride no end. This should improve rating, not hinder.

Seems to me that a solution would be to implement multiple stations. That way we can have one station to unload, then block break sections before the loading station - that way the train waiting to load is empty and the peeps get off the ride faster. I'd like this functionality anyway, along with duel platform loading (like Big Thunder Mountain), and storage to allow more trains to come on in busy times.

 

[Marnit]

Actually, we should have an option to simulate loading and unloading of dummies during test runs.
Loading time, unloading time, entrance and exit positions make massive differences for the time it takes to circulate trains.
Also entry and exit only stations please?

 

[Took]

I think the whole calculation of excitement needs to be optimized. For example if the Eurofighter stops at the 120 degree drop the excitement goes down to 1 or less but in real life people freak out when they are stopped at the top of the tower. And block sections should only have an effect on the rating if the waiting time is longer than +/- 15 seconds. When i go on a long coaster my excitement is not going down because of a block section midtrack. Its more a moment to breath and enjoy my adrenalin overflow. [yesnod][wacky]

 

[Lurker1]

Seems to me that a solution would be to implement multiple stations. That way we can have one station to unload, then block break sections before the loading station - that way the train waiting to load is empty and the peeps get off the ride faster. I'd like this functionality anyway, along with duel platform loading (like Big Thunder Mountain), and storage to allow more trains to come on in busy times.

What my solution would be

1) Reduce the affect of block brakes on excitment generally. A quick stop usually won't change peoples opinion on the ride.

2) If there is scenery to look at (suggesting it's a dark ride section) Improve the rating based on the amount of scenery (much like the queues).

3) If the brake run is at the start or end, reduce the penalty. It is common for a wait before you set off and as you return.

4) People can start boarding as soon as the other guests have left the ride area (i.e out of the air gate, not out of the station). This should add a good few seconds of saved time.

5) Lift hills count as block sections.

6) On load / off load stations to help with throughput, and make sure people can get off right away.

7) Dual loading to help improve throughput further. Either through 2 trains in the station and them both loading at the same time, or 2 tracks in the station each on/off loading.

All of this would help to reduce the wait times, or make the affects of a wait time less serious.

 

[Bazahazano]

I had the same problem after installing block brakes on a Eurofighter. The more cars I added the excitement got less as cars had to wait longer to get unloaded. I think it goes down because the ride time is extended without anything happening so it reduces the rating. I think they need to remove ride length from the equation, or maybe only include when in motion, not when stopped in the brakes.

I hope this makes sense. [where is it]