EXPANDED RAILWAY >>> Trans-sim Service

     While I was away during the month of September in exciting real life destinations, one of the things I love seeing are signs on the streets. Train station signs are particularly appealing as the vehicle slows down and the lettering announces where you are. So I decided to make a bunch of signs for ACC Alpha on arriving home in October, and expand the number of stations. There are presently three lines: Line 1 which services the city of Accentaury much like a metro rail. Line 2 which travels the distance to the neighboring sim of Sparquerry, and Line 3 which connects the lose end of Line 1 with the other lines, all three converging at the Museum which is a terminal. The nice thing about the setup is the dual function: a mode of transportation for commuters, as well as a relaxing way to tour the sims. There are little surprises along the way, such as an underwater dip in Accentaury, and the tall waves of golden wheat brushing past your face at Sparquerry, which is a far more rural setting than the urban nature of Accentaury.

     Each vehicle rezzed has seating for two, so it's an ideal way to tour the sim with a friend. Since you don't have to do any guiding of the vehicle, your hands are free to type away in conversation. You can ride indefinitely - at the end of each line the car stops for a second or two, and if you remain seated, it simply reverses direction and is on its way again until you stop it or stand up. Stopping and starting the car is as easy as toggling off or on with a click anywhere on the vehicle itself. See previous post for more info on this.

     Last night while working at the Museum train terminal and testing the tracks, I was delighted to see a visitor well ahead stopped on the tracks looking around. Soon afterwards, he was on his way deep into Sparquerry. This showed me that visitors can figure out the system. The creator of the SL Rail really made this user friendly. The scripting gives a smooth ride. I've been craving a well functioning ground transportation system for ACC Alpha since 2010, and now finally, it's here.

XXX