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--- dev:proposals:timetable_plan [2022-06-26 16:07] – ↷ Page moved from dev:lines:timetable_plan to dev:proposals:timetable_plan 56independent
+++ dev:proposals:timetable_plan [2026-01-22 20:00] (current) – orwell
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 The overall plan with the ''lines'' mod is to have a timetable scheduling system which is integrated with the other advtrains functions, especially the stop rails. This is the concept for it.
-This is currently a draft, and subject to discussion before I will start implementing it. **Please bring in your ideas, suggestions or critics.** Just add them under the relevant headline and sign them with your name (use the "signature" button in the editor toolbar)
+This is currently a draft, and subject to discussion before I will start implementing it. **Please bring in your ideas, suggestions or criticisms.** Just add them under the relevant headline and sign them with your name (use the "signature" button in the editor toolbar)
 ===== Constraints =====
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   * some flags (such as "reverse here")
-//* The stop modes should get better names// --- //[[orwell]] 2021/04/19 22:11//
+//* The stop modes should get better names// --- //[[dev:lines:orwell]] 2021/04/19 22:11//
 All arrival and departure times in the timetable are **relative** to the initial departure time of any given train. That means, the timetable only defines after how many minutes/seconds after its initial departure at the first location it should be where.
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 ==== Timetable entry ====
-//This could use a better name// --- //[[orwell]] 2021/04/19 22:11//
+//This could use a better name// --- //[[dev:lines:orwell]] 2021/04/19 22:11//
 At the first station in the timetable, trains "enter" the timetable and get timetable instances. For this, the timetable defines a //service interval// by means of two times:
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 It would be nice to have a tabbed interface for the timetable UI: this way you could open multiple editors/viewers at once and quickly switch between them to validate the edits.
-**... to be continued ...**
+===== Updates 2025/2026 =====
+In the meantime I have merged the timetable system from Singularis/Cesky Hvozd in an altered form (although not all parts of it work yet. It goes along with a rework of the stop rail.
+The stop rail distinguishes the "timetable" and "non-timetable" situations. It also provisions for actions on departure and arrival, however this is not yet implemented.
+Things NOT implemented by Singularis's system which should be added later:
+  * Timetable recording
+  * Actions in the timetable (e.g. reverse, join, split, change display) (the same actions should be supported also on stoprail level
+  * Initial Departure Time should support intervals like 3/3/4.
+Things to change/fix about Singularis's implementation:
+  * Initial departure time / interval should be configured on the timetable, not on the starting stoprail.
+  * It should keep track of the existing slots and their trains, to support multiple starting tracks.
+  * Make departure times absolute in the timetable display (based on the initial departure time)
+Long-term wishlist:
+  * Joining and Splitting support
+  * Connecting trains
+==== Plans for a Signalling Simulator like game ====
+I plan to evolve advtrains into kind of an "ultimate train-game" which unifies a Train Simulator (driving a train), a Signalling Simulator (signalbox panel) and a Railway Building Simulator (Luanti+advtrains, what it is now) into one game, so that in theory all three types of games can be played on the same server in multiplayer.
+This would warrant a separate proposal to be written later, [[dev:proposals:simsig]]. For now just the timetable implications.
+For a Train Simulator/Signalling Simulator mode, timetables cannot be "repeated" like they are currently with the interval property. Or, if they are, at least each "instance" needs a unique identification. However for long-running server this doesn't work so time has to wrap around at some point.
+At the same time currently with RWT we have the problem that the cycle number (then hour number) becomes quite large, which is not pretty.
+Proposed changes on Railway Time:
+  * The value in the hour place that is currently named "cycle" shall be named "hour". "cycle" gets a new meaning!
+  * Railway time hard-wraps around a globally configured cycle interval. I propose 24 real-life hours. But it should be configurable as server setting.
+  * Need to disambiguate between an absolute time and a time interval (relative time)
+    * Absolute time can be in string form e.g. 1;30;00 or in table form. It is not allowed in number form, only for backwards compatibility maybe. It is always between 0 and cycleTime
+    * Relative time can be in string, number or table form. it can be negative or positive. If it is in string form it must always include a + or a - at the beginning to make it clear that it is a relative time, e.g. +00;10;00, -00;03;30
+  * The RWT functions must be aware of this wrapping and calculate accordingly
+  * Repeating times are hard-capped at the cycle interval.
+For a short-lived simulator game a timetable can be written for a normal day (24 hours). For a long-lived server the same daily timetable repeats endlessly. For the server usecase we can use the per-timetable intervals to have regular train service as usual in intervals (e.g. every 10 minutes)
+Note: It may still be necessary to introduce some kind of "super cycle counter" if we need to represent times from a different cycle. But to avoid numbers going unnecessarily large, even this one should be capped (maybe at 7 days? 30 days?)
+**Now implemented as follows:**
+cycle == 1 day (24 hours). Repeating times hard-clip at day boundary.
+RWT wraps after 7 days (cycles)
+//It is very important to reiterate: to manipulate railway times one should always use the rwt functions.//
+The only guarantee made is that time intervals (not absolute times) may be safely treated as a number as long as they don't exceed 3 days worth of seconds