How does the "any" platform option work?

[Pallemann]

Maybe I am doing something wrong or misunderstanding the use-case, but I don't understand the "any" platform option in the train schedules. Hopefully someone can explain it to me :)


After playing for a few hours and progressing into the story, I wanted to automate my entire train network, having progressed into the end of Tier 2 of the green upgrades.

I saw, that you can choose the "any" option when creating a schedule for a train connection, instead of picking a specific platform for each stop.
My assumption was, the automatic routing and auto-accept upgrade will handle the routing of trains and always pick an empty platform to route to. This doesn't seem to be the case though.

Reading the description of the "auto-accept" upgrade reveals that auto-accept does not work, when there is no platform specified. So you have to manually send each train into a platform of your choosing, as soon as it arrives. If you have a lot trains, this doesn't seem feasible as you are constantly occupied doing that. So in my opinion the "any" platform option doesn't make sense for starting platforms.

Moving on to finish or scheduled stations...
With "any" activated, the route will be working and the train will arrive at the scheduled station. Instead of choosing any platform at random or one which is currently unoccupied, it seems that it is predetermined once during the creation of the schedule.
I tried this several times and the trains in a given schedule always select the same platforms, in each cycle. In my understanding I was hoping it would work in a way that every time the train approaches a station or the train is routed, it is determined which platform should be used. This is not the case.
So in my opinion this does not seem to be an option for finishing or scheduled stations either, because trains regularly deadlock each other, when they want to use the same platform.


Could someone explain what the "any" platform option is used for? Maybe I am doing something wrong or just have different expectations of usage.
Thanks :)

[Arnstein86]

TL;DR - Don't use any is my tip.

The devs have self said they wanted to remove it when newer forms of automation has been introduced, but because of savegames that depends on it or players getting used to it they never removed it.

I have only one meaningful purpose and that is at an exit station where the platform used is not important.

1: The train/contract will not show in the stations timetable if you use any platform.
2: You really need the advanced arrival sensor to get all the benefits of sending a train to a free platform with prioritizing etc.

So, the arrival sensor is what decides which platform to be used. And with the standard one, you can only choose 1 platform to use - i.e it will be the same for all.

I made a suggestion for how to possibly improve this feature, but sadly never got the attention :) So, my suggestion is get the habit of setting the platforms yourself.
https://suggest.railroute.eu/posts/779/any-platform-improvements

EDIT: And you are right about the starting platforms. You will have to choose manually each time.

[Pallemann]

Thanks for the explanation. That confirms my suspicion that its not just me.
I wasn't aware that the devs wanted to remove it, but it makes sense.

Maybe, but still the schedule "chooses" one platform at the exit station in the beginning, so there is still potential for a deadlock in the future, because it is not dynamic which platform is chosen.

Yes I am trying to progress so far as to unlock the advanced arrival sensor, but I am struggling to get the 25 on-time arrivals per cycle to unlock it.
That's the entire reason why I was looking for an alternative, because I just can't figure out how to do it.

Hopefully it will be patched out in the future and/or other ways introduced to automate schedules even further.

[Chota-Cabras]

What drive me crazy is you can try it on tutorial and it works as intended.

So, does it happen because a missing tech? low level? what??? can't tell. Set the Station just as the tutorial but mine is a mid station, and tutorial is an exit station. :/

How to play the specific tutorial: Go to system upgrade (techs), select Arrival Sensor, and you will see the 'play tutorial' on the left column, just at the bottom of the explanation text.

[Agent.CK]

Publicado originalmente por Arnstein86:

TL;DR - Don't use any is my tip.
...
I have only one meaningful purpose and that is at an exit station where the platform used is not important.

1: The train/contract will not show in the stations timetable if you use any platform.
2: You really need the advanced arrival sensor to get all the benefits of sending a train to a free platform with prioritizing etc.

So, the arrival sensor is what decides which platform to be used. And with the standard one, you can only choose 1 platform to use - i.e it will be the same for all.

...

There is another use case.

If you operate a single-track line with a station in between, where the main track runs straight through and a branch track deviates to the side at both ends, then the main line is 80m shorter than the branch line. In this case, it is more efficient to run trains from both directions over the main line.

If two trains are to cross at this station, then the first train should wait on the main track and the second train should divert via the branch line. For this I use the extended routing sensor in conjunction with the arbitrary track selection and would not want to do without this option.

However, the disadvantages already mentioned unfortunately outweigh the advantages, so I configure the sensors but assign the platforms directly in the timetables with very few exceptions.

Publicado originalmente por Chota-Cabras:

What drive me crazy is you can try it on tutorial and it works as intended.
...
So, does it happen because a missing tech? low level? what??? can't tell. Set the Station just as the tutorial but mine is a mid station, and tutorial is an exit station. :/
...

The routing sensors must be configured correctly for the arbitrary route selection to operate correctly. However, there is a small pitfall that I fall into again and again.

It is not enough just to set the station, but the platforms must also be set in their preference. The most preferred platform is selected first, then all the others in descending order of priority. However, the selection must be made twice, a) for stopping trains and b) for passing trains. (I myself always forget the passing trains, which then stop in front of the red signal).

Unfortunately, the selection must also be identical for both train types. You cannot switch the sequence 1,2,3,4 for stopping trains and 4,3,2,1 for passing trains to the same sensor. However, you can vary this by setting stopping trains to 3,4 and passing trains to 1,2, for example.

And finally, the timetable of the train must be configured to "any" platform on this station, If a platform is configured in time-table, it will always win!

[Mišo]

One of the most prominent reasons why one should not use "Any" designation for platform is that the occupation of the platform is then not displayed - just because there is no good/intuitive way how to display it. "Any" was a "silent" side-step from beginning, but started to be a very apparent dead-end when we introduced the new way of contract scheduling.

We were neither able to fix/improve it nor willing to discontinue it because we felt even much smaller changes caused a decent outcry in the community.

[Agent.CK]

Publicado originalmente por Mišo:

One of the most prominent reasons why one should not use "Any" designation for platform is that the occupation of the platform is then not displayed - just because there is no good/intuitive way how to display it. "Any" was a "silent" side-step from beginning, but started to be a very apparent dead-end when we introduced the new way of contract scheduling.

I think there is a feasible way. All required informations are present! It is known which platforms are occupied at what time (or should be according to the timetable) and how the arrival sensor is configured. It would be easy to calculate this and display the train on the next free platform.

But the question is how!

Instead of a full train, how about displaying only the frame, perhaps striped for longer stops? You can also work with different colors or the alpha value, or everything together!

There are certainly possibilities, but is there a will?

Publicado originalmente por Mišo:

We were neither able to fix/improve it nor willing to discontinue it because we felt even much smaller changes caused a decent outcry in the community.

OMG! This evil community ...

[Mišo]

The community is great but you can not please everybody.

| I think there is a feasible way.

I would say it will not pay off. Actually, in most situations it is easier just to assign the platform manually & have deterministic results rather than relying on some magic that magically breaks some time when something unexpected happens 2 stations upstream.

[Agent.CK]

Publicado originalmente por Mišo:

The community is great but you can not please everybody.

| I think there is a feasible way.

I would say it will not pay off. Actually, in most situations it is easier just to assign the platform manually & have deterministic results rather than relying on some magic that magically breaks some time when something unexpected happens 2 stations upstream.

Full-Ack to both, Community and "it's easier" (and safer).