As some of my readers may know, I'm a "Time Lord" on a Minecraft server which my good buddy Cad'ika Orade owns and operates. At my current position, I am effectively "second in command" of the server, and I am one of three Time Lords; Myself, Cad'ika, and Conrad. This server is called Nova Mund, and it is not yet ready to accept the public. Why, may you ask, can the server not accept the public?
The answer to this is simple: It's tiny!
If we wanted to open to the public, the server would bend under the strain. It would not be able to handle a onslaught of new members. We would first need to prepare it for a variety of scenarios, as well as finish constructing the public buildings and systems, the rules, and get the plugins on there that we want. On top of all this, we would need more money to pay to our server host so that we may improve the loads which the server can handle.
Enough about all that. I didn't want to make this post all about what the server is and isn't exactly, I wanted to tell you about something that I'm doing on it right now. This something, as you may have guessed from this entry's title, is the Nova Mundi PRS, or Public Rail System.
This is a project which has grown from the mechanations of the originally "survival" created rail tunnel connecting the cities of Novaheim and Torch Run. I started out with the plan to make interchangeable 16-meter long segments, and Cadika helped me design the original model. As this tunnel was being created, I continually devised ways of making its segments more and more universal. I kept desiring to make this tunnel part of a larger network.
The answer to this is simple: It's tiny!
If we wanted to open to the public, the server would bend under the strain. It would not be able to handle a onslaught of new members. We would first need to prepare it for a variety of scenarios, as well as finish constructing the public buildings and systems, the rules, and get the plugins on there that we want. On top of all this, we would need more money to pay to our server host so that we may improve the loads which the server can handle.
Enough about all that. I didn't want to make this post all about what the server is and isn't exactly, I wanted to tell you about something that I'm doing on it right now. This something, as you may have guessed from this entry's title, is the Nova Mundi PRS, or Public Rail System.
This is a project which has grown from the mechanations of the originally "survival" created rail tunnel connecting the cities of Novaheim and Torch Run. I started out with the plan to make interchangeable 16-meter long segments, and Cadika helped me design the original model. As this tunnel was being created, I continually devised ways of making its segments more and more universal. I kept desiring to make this tunnel part of a larger network.
Initially, this tunnel was only supposed to be a two-way exclusive network between these two cities. It was never quite finished, though, because as I was touching up the final portions of the rail station stops, I completely outgrew the idea and waned my plans for a much larger scale.
I went to my workshop area and began construction of a rail junction model in creative mode.
I went to my workshop area and began construction of a rail junction model in creative mode.
Initially, I had hoped for the junctions to be less of a gigantic building, as they are simply four-way intersections. I had recruited both Jacen's and Cadika's help in redstone tricks to make them as small as possible. However, none of the implemented methods allowed someone to jump on the rails and ride freely without first understanding a number of concepts, such as holding certain items to go certain directions, and all of them required the use of a plugin.
How it works
One of my biggest concerns for the rail network would be that of user-friendliness. I don't want complex rules or systems that people don't understand. I want someone to be able to hop on and go! I don't want them to miss a turn just because they opened their inventory for a moment or two, either. Rather, I'd like to have systems where someone can pull up, read a sign, hit a lever, and be on their way. This is how my systems function.
When one enters a junction, they are stopped initially. This allows for time to read a sign about the junction they are entering . When the user is ready, they may press a button to continue on into the junction. They are then cycled through a series of up to four pauses on the interior of the junction. At each of these they are given the option to continue to the next pause, or to turn off and travel the rails. It's styled after a roundabout in a way.
Each junction gets an alphanumeric name from its location on a pre-defined grid. Cadika gave me the information needed to do this. The junction under Novaheim is at the heart of the network and is called Junction M0.
The way this grid works is such: going North increases numerical value by one, going East brings you to the next letter of the alphabet, going South decreases numerical value by one, and going West brings you to the previous letter of the alphabet.
It's just a four-way grid, as you may see in the below map of the server.
The way this grid works is such: going North increases numerical value by one, going East brings you to the next letter of the alphabet, going South decreases numerical value by one, and going West brings you to the previous letter of the alphabet.
It's just a four-way grid, as you may see in the below map of the server.
Maps
With buildings this big, you know the project's gotta be on a large scale. And large-scale it is! I took a few minutes of my time to take a snapshot of the Nova Mundi server's DYNmap and paint over it to show where I plan to put rail lines and junctions. I must admit, we don't have a whole lot of freedom, considering the universe is made of square blocks.
I still have a lot of work to do, even on just this map. For starters, lots of new areas have been explored in the short time since I captured the image, so I need to recapture the map as a new image. I also need to make it user-friendly by labeling cities and areas. The idea here is that users will be able to reference this while they're riding the rails to see where they're heading. Alternately, users may reference the Nova Mundi DYNmap for a live and interactive map of server places and activities.
T-intersections
I've also been doing work on more compact three-way junctions. I call them T-intersections. With some complex redstone wiring hidden underneath, I now see that perhaps a four-way intersection would be possible in a form somewhat similar to this, but we have an existing junction design which works, provides all of our needs, and which has already formed the cornerstone of the existing network. We have no need to redesign into a more complex and easily broken system such with these possibly smaller 4-way intersections. More to the point, we would need to redesign the footpaths.
However, for a T-intersection, this is ideal. It's small, can be added in as a regular 16-meter long chunk of the track, does not impede footpaths, and follows the same principles as our junctions do for user-friendliness. I know that the jumble of tracks in the center looks confusing, but users don't need to comprehend how to get across. As stated, they simply pull up, read which lever sends them off, and go!
However, for a T-intersection, this is ideal. It's small, can be added in as a regular 16-meter long chunk of the track, does not impede footpaths, and follows the same principles as our junctions do for user-friendliness. I know that the jumble of tracks in the center looks confusing, but users don't need to comprehend how to get across. As stated, they simply pull up, read which lever sends them off, and go!
So as you can see, a lot of work has gone into designing this system. I really do hope it gets the love it so deserves.
See you on the rails,
-Skylark
See you on the rails,
-Skylark