[Bellisseria Railroads - How does the switching system work?]

Also, beware the Bellisseria Slenderman if you see him along the tracks. I passed him by and then promptly crashed off the broken bridge. 
Fun fact: you can flip your train around and drive back up the crash site and onto the tracks again!

Note: at the time I posted this, that section of track that leads to the broken bridge is all "unfinished" and indicated by orange lights, so you don't mess anything up by exploring this section of track (since orange sections aren't affecting the working sections of the signaling system).

 

[Bellisseria Railroads - How does the switching system work?]

Hey everyone, while pointing out a possibly bugged switch to Squeaky, they explained to me that if you see these little round green mechanical things near a branch/light, you should be able to stop and literally touch it to manually switch the track as desired.  So there are some user-controlled switches along the tracks.  This particular switch in Quercus Alba leads to a "fun" location if you go straight ahead. If you fork to the right, it leads into some currently unfinished track sections that were still indicated by orange lights at the time this was posted.

 

[Bellisseria Railroads - How does the switching system work?]

Yeah, I'm trying to find a red light to stop at and wait to see how long it takes to clear and turn green again. From what @Squeaky Mole said above, I'm guessing that there's some type of global "safe reset" that happens every 10-15 minutes or so in case the switching scripts got borked from accidents or cheats?

 

[Bellisseria Railroads - How does the switching system work?]

2 minutes ago, Squeaky Mole said:

Yes and no, the red means that it does know to direct you to the other branch (the orange one, which is good) but the orange means the next part of the block or the branch/switch is still being worked on so from there on you may experience some problems.

I do go through these and fix over time however, since Linden Homes keeps expanding the railroad does too and sometimes parts of it just can't be setup yet until the next part of the block is complete.

Okay, I see now. That orange light switched me onto a section of track that had further orange lights and eventually stopped me in Extraordinary at a 3-way junction (also orange lights that stopped me). I can see that if I manually skip through the stopping point i'd be heading into the back side of orange lights (the wrong way) heading into Beckwith Station. If I force my way through the orange lights and take the left turn at that 3-way, I'd also be heading the wrong way into the backside of some orange lights. So basically, once I was shunted onto that orange section back at the Y that had a red light and an orange light, I was tossed into an unfinished section of track.

I think the moral of the story is that if you encounter a red/orange light combination, it's best to stop manually and wait for the red light to turn green? That it's generally a good idea to stay off of orange track sections for now?

[Bellisseria Railroads - How does the switching system work?]

@Squeaky Mole  Okay and one more bit of feedback since you're monitoring the thread.... I just encountered a Y split where the light on the left was red, and the light on the right was blinking orange, and it shunted me onto the orange track. Is that normal and okay?

[Bellisseria Railroads - How does the switching system work?]

Thank you, @Squeaky Mole !  I'm out now on the tracks to help me internalize what you've said. Yeah the lights make more sense now. You see two lights when entering a branch (two tracks), but only one light when moving into a single section.

I did notice just now that a single light (exiting a branch) was green for me as I was still in the middle of the branch, but it turned red as I approached the light, yet I still went through unhindered into the single track. I guess the light just turned red for anyone potentially behind me, but perhaps turned red about 5-10 seconds too soon?

EDIT: Okay I see now. Yeah, the light will often turn red right as I'm approaching it (about 5-10 meters away), so I guess it's just a timing thing.

[Bellisseria Railroads - How does the switching system work?]

35 minutes ago, Squeaky Mole said:

Hello everyone, just a small quick update on the Railroad Switches for Linden Homes.

They are designed differently from the Mainland as you’ve maybe already noticed.  Since we are limited to one track per region in most cases, we had to balance a way to go both directions while trying to avoid crashes with one another.  This is where the switches and signals come in. 

They have been scripted in a way to stop traffic when a rail block in front of you is busy.   The system forces you to a siding in a block to do that.  When you go through all of the blocks with green lights, it likely means nobody is on the track ahead of you.  Sometimes you may hit red lights which often means someone is currently on the track in the next block ahead of you.  This could be several regions away from you, and you may not see or realize it.  The travel of whatever is on the tracks in the blocks ahead of you could be traveling towards or away from you, but the rail knows someone is already on it.

We are also seeing in many cases that someone will "cheat" the blocking system by moving their train on to a track by using edit rights, or someone might “flip” (reverse the direction) of their train or by not simply using the designed rez-zones, this disrupts the track completely for 5 to 15 minutes.   Using any method other than a rez-zone to place a train causes the sensors to get confused as that is not how it is designed.  I would strongly request that if you can avoid it, not to use these "cheats".  If you are truly waiting a very long time for a red light to clear (in excess of 15 minutes), please contact me and I’ll try to diagnose any issues that might be occurring.   

Sometimes you may discover orange flashing lights, this means the track on the next rail block is not complete yet, the status of the rails is disabled, and it may not respond correctly.  The Bellisseria Railroad is still a big work in progress as we try to figure out how to make it work the best way for everyone, this includes rez-zones.

I do hope people enjoy the railroad, it has been very challenging to find the right balance between the various limits within the Linden Homes regions.   We try to avoiding people crashing into each other and may have to curtail some realism, which means people have to wait their turn. 😛  I'm watching the railroad daily to learn from it and improve it.
On a side note, trains that auto-flip on "stops" can also bug out the rails. Sadly there is nothing I can do to solve for that.  My best suggestion is - to stop your train when this happens before you swap off to a siding going in the wrong direction.

OMG I had no idea!  A little shared knowledge goes a long way towards mistakes like mine?
Like, for example, what about putting a visible sign at the rez zones with a link to a sticky forum post that explains the switching system and encouraging people not to "cheat" it?

So, clarifying question to elaborate on what you've said above... What exactly do the light indicators mean at the switching stations? If we enter a split section where there's a switching light, there are two different sets of lights and I've never been able to decipher what they mean. Is the pair that's sitting lower to the left the one affecting my train moving in its current direction? What is the other pair to the upper right?  Can you explain the expected patterns to these lights and what they signify, so that (in my case) if I'm using a tram that autoflips when stopped, I know whether to manually stop and wait?

Next question.... If you have a train that autoflips but you immediately stop right after the flip (and don't exit the switching station), can you simply stop immediately (before exiting the split rail area), and then manually flip (while stopped), and then wait for the light to turn green before resuming? Would this work without breaking the switching system script flow? I'm really curious about this one because my absolute favorite tram auto-flips by default (I need to look and see if I can somehow disable that behavior, but until then....)

Last question: can you clarify exactly which direction each rez zone should orient the train so that it's headed int he right direction for the switching system?  I know trains are supposed to auto-align when you rez them out, but what if they don't correctly align? How do we know in which direction to start?  I guess it's moot for the one at the SE corner of southern Belli, but what about the rez zone on the west coast of lower Northern Belli, just above the sandy camper area?  Which direction should you head out of that rez zone?

[Bellisseria Railroads - How does the switching system work?]

On 3/2/2020 at 11:10 AM, Nika Talaj said:

This is a great howto for those of us who are bewildered by the current state of affairs but still want to use the tracks!  I'm gathering that because the signaling isn't yet operational, the switches just aren't working?  So you're basically manually hopping to the track that you want to use, is that right?  I haven't had time to try railroading as yet.

 

Yes, that's what seems to work right now.

There have been two rez zones for trains for a while now. (I'll try to post LMs below.) The one that's located in the extreme south-east corner of Southern Belli is at rail dead end where you can only head north from there. You'll travel up to a point just on the South edge of "Mole National Park" (and some Vic houses on that side of the park) where there's a split-track switching station. You'll enter the switching station and either be stopped or stopped and auto-flipped (depending on your train model?), sending you back down South again. If you have an auto-flipping train, you'll loop endlessly up and down this section of track.

The other one that's located on the big, sandy west coast area of "beach campers" (just North of them a bit) acts differently depending on whether you head North or South from that rez area. If you head South, your path that goes straight through that "Y" intersection I mentioned above will effectively run you in an endless counterclockwise loop up in the "boot" area of Northern Belli (modern homes and camper homes). But if you head North from that that rez zone, you'll turn right through that same "Y" intersection and eventually head just past the train station on the western edge of Mole National Park towards that same split-track switching station just on the south edge of of Mole National Park. There, you'll be stopped and flipped (depending on train), and this time you'll end up in that permanent counter-clockwise loop throughout the "boot" area of Northern Belli.

 

[Bellisseria Railroads - How does the switching system work?]

I think I figured out a workaround to get past all the switches and ride essentially an infinite loop through the entire length of track laid down right now. There are three main patterns to remember:

1. When you come to a split section that wants to stop and flip you back around, just stop your train. Then edit the train sideways over to the other track (facing the same direction). Then start up again in the same direction. If the train doesn't want to continue in that same direction after the edit, just use the train's "flip" menu to flip around, start driving forward, and then immediately flip again. After this maneuver, you'll continue past the signal light that originally stopped and flipped you.  Note that some train models might simply STOP at a split section like this and won't be autoflipped by the rail switch. But you should be able to manually flip yourself as needed to pull off this general pattern.

2. As you head into North Belli past the train station right there near Mole National Park, and then past the large 4-track switching yard, you'll soon encounter a 3-way "Y" intersection in the track. By default, you automatically take the left branch when heading north like this, and then you will end up in a huge, endless counter-clockwise loop all around the "boot" section of Northern Belli. Here's the important part: when that counter-clockwise loop comes back to that 3-way "Y" intersection again, you'll head straight each time, in an endless loop up in Northern Belli. But there's a way to break out of this loop and instead take the RIGHT branch at that "Y" intersection to send you back south down into Southern Belli again. This trick uses essentially the same pattern as described above!  As you pass straight through the "Y" intersection, right ahead you'll encounter another split section of track. Just stop in the middle of it. Then edit the train sideways over to the other side, flip, and resume moving in the opposite direction towards the "Y" again. This time when you hit the "Y", you'll take the LEFT branch heading South again towards Southern Belli.

3. So down in Southern Belli, at the very southern station in the Victorian station on the bottom right corner of Southern Belli, you'll automatically stop and flip when you hit the track dead end at the final station down there. 

So basically, you can do an endless loop starting anywhere along this entire route. When you hit the extreme southern station you'll flip and head north again. Every time you get stopped and autoflipped on your way back north, just use pattern #1 to push past that point and keep heading north. Then as you do the full counter clockwise loop up through Northern Belli and come through the "Y" intersection again, you can choose to either keep looping endlessly up in the Northern areas, OR you can stop immediately in the split section right after you pass straight through the "Y", then use pattern #2 to flip around and head SOUTH through the "Y" towards Southern Belli again. You can cruise around forever once you get the hang of these two patterns and how to deal with the "Y" section and head in the direction you want to head there.

NOTE: All of the above works in that green "Sydney" tram I posted about above, but should work with any train that stops and auto-flips when it hits one of the split junctions that try to stop you.  I have other trains that don't auto-flip and haven't tried the manual flipping I describe above, but I *think* it will work on them too?

[Bellisseria Railroads - How does the switching system work?]

[Bellisseria Railroads - How does the switching system work?]

[Bellisseria Railroads - How does the switching system work?]

On the bright side, I found my favorite rail vehicle for Belli sight-seeing. It's a vintage Sydney tram made by L&P Creations.  It holds the engineer plus up to 8 other people. One of the guest rider seats is a cool standing relaxed animation up front in the exposed cab with the engineer. You can drive it from any of the passenger seats too. It's very open with great views. There's a camera menu that lets you get the camera right over your shoulder at any depth as the engineer, and it feels very immersive to view the scenery rolling by from that perspective. Sounds are great and not-annoying. Best of all, when you're cammed up close the ride isn't jerky.

It's also moddable, so I was able to carefully detach and remove all the upper electricity rod apparatus, getting the whole thing down to only 66 LI.

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/SLLR-Tram-Sydney/6000033

[Bellisseria Railroads - How does the switching system work?]

I love cruising around on the rail in Belli, and I've found both (?) of the rez zones for trains. But the switching system confounds me. Sometimes I seem to go forever and never get stopped. Other times I get stopped a lot at the switches. I've tried camming ahead way down the track to see if any trains are coming in the opposite direction, but never. So I edit myself ahead of the switch and resume, and never run into any train heading in my direction.

Anyone figured out how the switching system works? If we get auto-stopped by a switch, does that mean another train is on the single track section ahead? Coming my way? And that we should wait until the signal light turns green again or some such? Or is everything still in a state of "not really finished yet" so various bugs abound?  Since Ebbe said recently that the rails are for resident trains only, I figured maybe the switching system was fully operational now?

[Preferred vehicle for travel in Bellisseria]

Just now, Nika Talaj said:

Fwiw, I bought one for Christmas, and this was not our experience.  My partner is not very familiar with driving in SL, and to both of us the Manji really seems to show its age.  Personally, I think it drives as if it were developed for an earlier version of Havok (which is quite possibly so, it's not a new release by any means).  Unless in cruising mode, acceleration seemed much too high, resulting in lots of oversteer and wild veering.  Crashed twice on region crossings on a drive that was less than an hour long.

Much better experience with the Caddie Golf Cart from Black Forest.  Totally intuitive UI, quiet electric car purr instead of intrusive engine roar, perfect speed and steering control, automatically in cruise mode at a conservative speed, enough oomph to make it over the mountain range between North and South Belli, group mode that doesn't automatically derez the car when done.  Only 18 LI, region crossings easy with 2 aboard.  I believe it's scripted by the genius who brings you Warbug games.

My other mostest favoritest vehicle, particularly for camper areas, is the amphibious Mudskipper.  What a hoot!  All sorts of control over the driving style, so you can make it as staid or exciting as you wish.

Maybe it's because I went straight for the crusing mode and just stay in Gear 1 all the time? Which is plenty fast for sightseeing. At Gear 1 in cruising mode the handling on Belli roadways is very solid.  I have the TBF Caddie Cart too and really like it as well! It's perfect especially for the dirt roads all through campground areas, at like two taps downward from its max speed. I also really like that once you set the speed on the Caddie Cart you simply keep cruising forever at that speed and only need to turn left or right. 

I haven't seen/tried the mudskipper yet. Who makes it? Or do you have a link handy?

[Preferred vehicle for travel in Bellisseria]

On 12/22/2019 at 6:12 AM, Alyona Su said:

The real question is about road-travel, isn't it? Obviously horse, bicycle and those types are fine, though for motorized vehicles, I find the Manji cars the best. Try a demo in world and you'll know what I mean. And with these the campsite dirt roads are the most fun in all of SL. If you like trucks, the Infinity Flatbed is also very well-suited and because these are speed-sensitive steering, they are very realistic. For the truck you have to really slowdown for some of the tight turns.

Manji: https://bit.ly/34O1Lpx

Infinity: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Infinity-Freight-Flatbed-Truck-v12/13158941

Edit to dd (based on a comment below) the Manji cars are almost instant at region crossing - it's as though you are walking or flying with no vehicle at all.

I have a Manji car out that is open to anyone if you'd like to give it ago (it will rez a new one if someone drives it away) and it's at my Camper: so anyone can try it and see what a dram these vehicles are in their handling and region-crossing ability.(And Teeglepet Horse rezzer as well):

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wiggle/173/146/54

@Alyona Su I finally took a Manji Type-1 out for a spin and LOVE it!  Handles so great on Bellisseria roads. Love the "drift" style turns on demand just by holding Shift while you turn. Easy to stay on the roadway even on super tight near-180 street bends you find all over Southern Belli in the Victorian neighborhoods.   My new favorite car for sure. Handles like a dream.

I also love how if you scroll your cam in close to the cockpit, the camera stays put even when you subsequently start turning again. VERY immersive. Drive around with the top and windshield off and it's a great sight-seeing vehicle for just aimlessly exploring Belli.

You've given great advice about vehicles. I love the Manji and I also love the MD-500 helicopter you recommended in another thread. ❤️

[Who wants to organize a "Belli 500" street/road race?]

4 hours ago, Resi Pfeffer said:

Is there a way to be updated about the next bicycle race? Would love to participate

Search Groups (in SL) for "Bellisseria", and I think there's a "Bellisseria Riding Club" or something like that.

[What we gonna get with the new super premium?]

9 minutes ago, Chic Aeon said:

From comments by Lindens when Super Duper Premium was first talked about (maybe a Town Hall?) the rate won't be just "a bit" more and could conceivably be triple.  Remember there is no point in going to all this work if The Lab doesn't make a tidy profit from it. Giving back the extra money in stipend might be PART of the deal --- I guess for the folks that can't manage their money or don't really understand that they are just getting there own money back?   I know not. 

So likely you won't be in the hoards clambering for the new option.  There ARE of course other enticements that you haven't mentioned and that might push you over to SDP -- you just don't know about them yet :D.  

 

Hopefully things will be revealed by March.  Looking forward to watching anyway.  

It's all good. 🙂

I was just trying to brainstorm "What would be more worth my while than simply have two premium alts?".... Or, if the subscription cost is indeed triple that for a single regular premium: "What would be more worth my while than simply having three premium alts?"

So for example, paying slightly less than 2x regular premium for the same weekly stipend but ability to own two Linden Land parcels would be "a deal".
Likewise, paying exactly 2x regular premium and getting ability to own two Linden Land parcels AND slightly more total stipend than what 2x regular premiums accounts earn would also be "a deal".

Otherwise, why not just have X number of regular premium alts?

[What we gonna get with the new super premium?]

I think about "what could entice me?" to upgrade from "Premium" to "Super Premium"...

• More land teir? Naw. Don't want no mainland purchases. It's Bellisseria-style living or nothing, for my tastes.
• More stipend? Meh. I mean, if I need more $L than my premium alts already earn every week, I can simply buy it as needed.
• Larger parcels and more LI allowance on Linden Homes land (specifically Bellisseria-type continents)? Nope. Too large and you start feeling more isolated and not like part of a community. Blake Sea, Eden, and Fruit Islands style covenant regions are too disjointed, spread out, and random-feeling for my taste. Not a visual pox like mainland, but definitely not the beautiful landscaped neighborhoods of Belli, either. Belli-sized plots, houses, houseboats and campers are just right.

So what, exactly, would entice me to upgrade to Super Premium?  Honestly, the ONLY two perks that would entice me would be:

1. Ability for one Super Premium account to own TWO Linden Homes. This frees you up to play "Game of Homes" constantly on just one account. While holding on to your best parcel, you can still be fishing for an even better one to trade up to. Or just for a constant change of scenery. On one account.
2. Ability to transfer ownership of any Linden Homes parcel to or from your other premium accounts (regular premium or super premium). I'm sitting on some really nice parcels on some alts that aren't my "mains". And some day I'm going to dump those alts. It would be nice to be able to shuffle around my favorite parcels to the "main" accounts I plan to keep forever.

With that in mind, I could see paying slightly more per month (not double) for the same stipend but ability to own two parcels at a time, or paying exactly double for both two parcels at a time AND more than double the weekly stipend of a regular premium account.

Those are honestly the only two options I could foresee making me want to upgrade to super premium.

[Airfields on the regions south of victorian?]

8 hours ago, Raspberry Crystal said:

That's so lovely to read. I've been wanting a 'joined up' virtual space for a very long time and it seems from the popularity of Belli I am not the only one.

Yeah, honestly Bellisseria is what I'd hoped SL would have been like 14+ years ago, lol. It's been through quite a few incarnations and... um... "management visions" between then and now.  That's why I would only sporadically check in during all that span of time. But since Belli came out last year, @Kitten Kaos and I have been in SL a lot. Many hours every week.

[Airfields on the regions south of victorian?]

My newest addiction is cruising from point A to point B in my MD 500. Flying 100% start-to-fiinish in mouselook view from the cockpit is quite immersive. It’s small enough to rez pretty much anywhere (land or water) and go.

I have to say that the 15-second “grace period” on security systems is the second best feature of Bellisseria-at-large (the first best being the jaw-dropping terrain/landscaping of our fine moles). It’s just amazing to be able to fly in any direction over this huge and beautiful landscape and not get suddenly teleported home because of the mainland-style plague of insta-nuke security systems, and to not suddenly hit an invisible wall and get stuck.

It’s also interesting to note how very FEW people seem to bother with the security system at all. In 3 days flying all over Belli, I’ve seen maybe 10-15 notifications of a 15-second timer. A tiny fraction. By contrast, nearly everywhere you try to go in mainland areas feels like you’re boxed in constantly (and nuked from the air quite frequently).

In general, Belli amazes me for how it invites you to partake of a “slow-travel” mini game. Want to get from point A to point B? Why teleport? Why not take a road vehicle or air vehicle or rail car or boat and enjoy some fine scenery and chatting as you go?

Nearly 15 years in SL and it’s Bellisseria that has single-handedly made me LOVE SL and spend a lot of time here.  

[When did you last see a Bellessarian home available?]

Somebody also released a great houseboat slot right next to Cheddar Bay (in Silent Shores) at around this same time? Just snapped it up. What a super location for many great sailing routes and scenery either north or south of the little beach marina there at the eastern toe of the boot!

Here’s hoping the moles put a vehicle rez zone in the roadway turnaround that juts out into the water there! 

Great plots are abandoned all the time. Every nice plot I’ve ever lived in was a “pre-owned” home of some sort. Just gotta pull that slot machine lever every now and then. I’ve certainly abandoned some really nice Belli parcels in the past. I can’t be the only one who enjoys the occasional change of scenery.

[Airfields on the regions south of victorian?]

I also really like the MD 500 Heli.  And I also really like some of the *free* balloons and lighter-than-air vehicles made by @Saphyre Cyberstar and @foneco Zuzu.  (The "drone" hoverbike is perfect for a quick and quiet 1- or 2-rider aerial excursion from just about anywhere to anywhere in Belli.)

Thanks to everyone for their advice and tips!

[Airfields on the regions south of victorian?]

That balloon is great! Exactly the type of gondola/basket poses I was looking for, and it flies great, and the slighty random wind option makes for a simple minigame too. 

I was glad to see that at its max wind speed, you'd move through a parcel fast enough that a 15-second security timer wouldn't trigger. I'm guessing it still might not trigger on the next-to-max speed either. And yet even the max wind speed was nice cruising/sight-seeing pace.

[Airfields on the regions south of victorian?]

8 minutes ago, Alyona Su said:

Ironically, the BEST hot air ballon I've found in SL is actually full permissions and 100% free. IM me in world and I'll send you a copy.

Will do! Thanks ❤️ 

[Who wants to organize a "Belli 500" street/road race?]

1 hour ago, sceneris said:

sounds fun, at least the road will be more utilize

@sceneris Would a race/party event like this be a fun thing for you to film and toss up on YouTube? I could imagine you being a “roving reporter” flying or teleporting around along with the race teams and grabbing footage during the race. ❤️ 

I could put embeds to your posted YT videos up on a “Belli 500” event page on my artist site, so that your footage from the last few races was always right there on the main info page.