Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Automatic signal change depending on occupancy feedback

dispatcher game: automatic signal change depending on occupancy feedback



In layout editor after you select the block for red and press save, the highlighted track will go back to white.



At this point you can select signals to change automatically when this block is occupied. Touch the signal to select it with red rectangle. Long-touch the signal to change its status. This status represents how to set it when the block is occupied. If you ready with the selections, press the save button again. After that you can set the address and input of the bock.






During the game when the block becomes occupied, the signals will be set automatically. This way a signal can be set to red when a train passes it (using the next block after the signal).
Important notice: this automatic change happens only on the layout loaded currently. If you have a big layout and it is made in more layouts in DigiTrains and you want the automatic signal change to happen on all layouts in the current profile, then you need to set this option by pressing the top right “block” icon  in the header (highlighted with red rectangle).




If you enable the checkbox, then Digitrains will set signals belonging to occupied blocks on all of your layout in the current profile.




During thegame you can navigate to other menus. You can drive a train, Digitrains will take care of the signals in the background. 

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Control your locomotives with Gamepad

Gamepad

You can control your locomotives with android compatible bluetooth gamepad as well. 



Connect your gamepad via Bluetooth to your device. Select a train in locomotive library and you are ready to use the gamepad for train control. Meanwhile you can also navigate to other menus to change turnouts or routes. If you press the driving wheel icon in Train Control menu you will get a special virtual driving cab similar to the one already available in Digitrains without the gamepad. There you will have all function buttons, direction knob, emergency stop button and speed display in km/h or mph. The program recognizes automatically if you have a gamepad connected or not and opens the proper virtual driving cab on the screen.



1.  Direction buttons:
a.    UP: increase speed with one speedstep
b.    DOWN: decrease speed with on speedstep
c.    RIGHT: forward
d.    LEFT: backward
2.  Left joystick: not used
3.  Right joystick
a.    Forward: accelerate
b.    Backward: decelerate
c.    Right: forward
d.    Left: backward
4.  F0
5.  F1
6.  F2
7.  F3
8.  F4
9.  not used
10. not used
11. F5

Other functions are available on the screen.




The gamepad you use must be a Bluetooth HID gamepad compatible with android. I use the MOGA PRO and MOGA HERO gamepads. It can be purchased on amazon.com. It also provides a universal phone holder and tablet holder. The PRO version is able to charge your phone while playing.




Video:



Tuesday, June 2, 2015

DigiTrains 2.7 on Play

DigiTrains 2.7 release notes

dispatcher game: automatic accessory change based on occupancy
There is a new function in dispatcher game. If a block becomes occupied specified accessories (signals) can be changed automatically by DigiTrains. This useful for example to change a signal to STOP if a train goes by. 

Locomotive control with gamepad
Locomotives can be controlled with android compatible bluetooth gamepads.



Dispatcher game advanced logic: protective turnout
Protective turnouts belonging to an active route cannot be changed until the route is released. 

New locomotive picture
This is a bug fix. When you created a new picture for a locomotive its old picture was caches in some menus and did not change until program restart. Now it will be refreshed immediately.