Desirable features for future Railmaster Software updates

[Yelrow]

Hornby Railmaster Support, you will see that 3 of us have the same wish, given our 17 sound locos. You get a little box come up saying you cant have more than 6 sounds.  We know, you can get them all in, but only 6 appear on the screen for each loco, and when you have your 8 locos, its messy to keep clicking up and down to play the other sounds. I am sure its within your  powers to help. thanks john. I did not accidently put it any where. you need the dcc loco to play the sounds in RM, so really both threads are involved. john

[Cronan]

Can you use the function keys on your PC keyboard I don't know if you can I only read up to page 70 in the manual but if you can't there's a thing for the wish list it would be very logical.

[PJ_model_trains]

Hi John

HRMS may at first say they can'tt get any more in the space due to the words Whistle, long, short, 1 or 2, Shunt on/off, Blow out, etc. 

They could however get round this quite easily by using small images in the buttons.

Most items in these boxes could be smaller which would make more room. I would however be a little cautious as increasing all the sound buttons could make less locos visible, an issue raised many times in the past.

PJ

[Graskie]

I find there is a very strict text limit for the function description in the 6 function only small boxes to the right. I often have to reduce or abbreviate them, even to fit nicely in the individual larger boxes. I notice that there is a set limit on RM now when setting up the description of functions in the first place. "Breakfast on/off" is just about possible.

I suppose the current restrictions all stem from the earlier locos with only a handful of functions.

I allowed one of my granddaughters to run a few trains the other day. Restricting her to the Elite and avoiding RM, I had to keep looking up function numbers to tell her what buttons to press. She's 8 and very astute. Within no time at all she had learned which numbers to press on and off for the whistle sounds! But what a palaver! I had to use a great big plastic folder holding individual plastic sleeved A4 details of all my locos' functions. Easier with RM, of course, in that respect, but even that could be improved to be more flexible to suite the latest requirements, as suggested.

[96RAF]

You can if adept draw your own button graphic icons in say Paint and lodge them in the RM Themes folder. This has been discussed in more detail on the RM Web Forum.

@HRMS

Following on from discussions on another thread could I suggest that sound functions be made so that in the case of more than the standard throttle qty 6 being needed that rather than expanding the loco control to the big box and then using the pull down handle, you could select to expand just the sound functions to a floating configurable bar that could be parked at say screen bottom, whilst leaving the throttle stacked to plan side as before.

Such a bar could comprise say up to 2 rows of up to 10 buttons each and be driven by existing tick boxes in the loco settings as used now for the small throttle.

I appreciate that different locos have different F-assignations but as the current throttle picks up these from the loco settings then the same should be possible for a floating F-bar, which would switch configuration as loco control was switched.

[PJ_model_trains]

Hi RAF96

First comment, very interesting. I will have a look at this.

Taking the sound buttons, graphics is the simplest way. Take Graskies... 'Breakfast ON/OFF'. A plate, knife and fork, egg and baccon small image says it all. As for on and off we soon get used to that but could have a line under the image, any image with a line under is an On/Off image.  Keep it simple and the buttons could be smaller, a picture tells a bigger story!

The floating box is a good idea but I think to make it practical for all, a resizeable floating box would be better. Some can have a long thin box, some a taller stumpier box. Drag it out left or right, up or down and the entries in the box adjust accordingly.  The box would have to state what it relates to as I one floating, resizeable box would be all we would need and if choosing this option for another train the details/buttons and description would refresh into the box. Where ever we put it.

PJ

[Graskie]

But what if the crew also want baked beans, black sausage, hash brownies? I suppose there just wouldn't be mushroom for anything else, though, would there?

Some very good ideas are being put forward, but this one of mine is obviously not one of them.

[PJ_model_trains]

Well done Graskie

Saves us saying anything... as if we would ;o)

PJ

[Ducky1]

I would like the function buttons on my Ipad to change colour when pressed as they do in the full Railmaster. So that when i access the loco with the Bachmann decoder i know if the Inertia is set or not.

DY

[Cronan]

Key mapping? Using the keyboard so you can assign functions to your computer keyboard like the function keys. Not sure if you can already do this got to page 100 of the manual so far.

[Graskie]

I'm having a light fitted into the inside of my coffin lid so that I can finish reading the manual. I recently printed the thousands of pages of what was the latest version, only to have been told by admin that even that has been updated since!

[PJ_model_trains]

Sorry... I am in stitches here laughing my socks off

I didn't read it... I thought PDF was Swedish  ;o)

PJ

[Fishmanoz]

Take a look at the last Website Feedback post. Someone is saying it is Swedish. 

Graskie, get some tracks put in there. You can read the manual by your loco lighting when you run out of smoke oil. Fancy thinking you'll have time to read manuals just because you are dead. The very thought ............

Just to get this back on track, HRMS you need to start thinking about getting updates through not just firewalls but coffin walls too. 

[RDS]

Admin - This thread was raised (by me) a long time ago to record features we would like to see in future updates to RailMaster and RailMaster support have been very helpful on this thread previously.  There have been at least 5 posts recently that are degrading the thread.  They are:

19/10 @ 15:50 by Graskie

19/10@ 16:13 by PJ

21/10@ 19:43 by Graskie

21/10@ 19:51 by PJ

21/10@ 23:13 by Fishmanoz

I would be grateful if they could be removed as they are ruining the usefulness of the thread and I would like to keep it for serious suggestions.

[Fishmanoz]

Admin, slight problem here: RDS's post showed briefly as being the last one on this thread but now it is showing as being mine again not his. Do you have a more general bug in the system? I notice there are a few blank posters again just now too. 

Apologies RDS, couldn't help myself. 

[Graskie]

Please don't include me as a blank poster, Fishy.

Sorry, RDS, I'll thread more carefully on this one of yours from now on. I thought, just a little light entertainment might help. You should recognise, though, that all the accused have made more serious contributions relating to this subject.

[Graskie]

You never know, admin might have a certain sense of humour as well, thus ensuring that they read all this.

[RDS]

I was just concerned that if we start to fill this thread up with many off topic posts that it would take the emphasis off the real reason for having it in the first place.

It is not my thread, it is our thread, I just happened to be the one that raised it.

I do recognise that you all have made many serious and excellent contributions to the thread and hope we can all continue to do so.

[PJ_model_trains]

Sorry RDS Now we know where we shunt or shunt not say anything off topic. We appreciate what you are doing but, 5 small comments in 36 pages, over 350 entries. A little humour always helps get through life, it certainly helps me, smile and the whole world will smile with you. ;o) And if I may say, some really good suggestions, Graskie told me. So it wasn't much, a very small percentage in fact, and it was whilst making important suggestions to improve RailMaster. May be we need some train-ing... sorry back on track. PJ

[PJ_model_trains]

Oh dear, no edit button since RM forum update? Sorry back on track PJ

[Yelrow]

hi, i think your turntable, is a little dated. Could we have the facility for 18 tracks please. I have tried adding to yours without success. john

[Graskie]

What you have to remember, though, John, is that we are talking about Hornby producing a UK turntable. With the odd exception, we didn't have the continental garages, hangars or whatever setup. Virtually all were straight sheds or roundhouses. I really don't think that an 18 track turntable was ever required or even existed here, but someone may prove me wrong.

[Yelrow]

Graskie, hi, it was RDS, who suggested that i asked for an update, and hornby make jouef, who make garages, which is in fact 50% of a roundhouse, holding 9 locos. Heljan make turntables also. What i requested was the ability to add more tracks to the outdated turntable shown. The fleishmann, also has more ,also, hornby now own Rivarossi, in the italian market. To sum up, italy france, hornby owned. I rest my case. john

[RDS]

John, Hornby have been keen to show that other makes of equipment are supported by RailMaster and I think it is perfectly correct for you to be able to ask that more outputs can be added to the Turntable. I would imagine that when entering a Turntable onto the layout plan that a drop down box could be used to enter the number of turnouts required and I hope that the RailMaster support team will consider your request.

[St1ngr4y]

hi, i think your turntable, is a little dated. Could we have the facility for 18 tracks please. I have tried adding to yours without success. john

 

Hello John,

I think Hornby will find it difficult to cater for 18 roads, simply because of the geometry of the Railmaster layout diagram. Each cell on the RM layout diagram allows track from adjacent cells to join only at the sides and corners i.e. compass points N NE E SE S SW W and NW. The existing icon for a turntable occupies four cells and they have provided twelve connectors to adjacent cells, broadly three in each corner (diagrams 1 and 2 below). They could increase the size to occupy nine grid cells, which might allow four more roads (diagram 3). The only way it can be done using the existing geometry is maybe to add four points, an example of which is in diagram 4.

Ray

/media/tinymce_upload/18_Road_Turntable.jpg