NoLimits Progress 5/31: What could it be?

superman:

I don't have a PC here with NoLimits at work, however I believe that you can add the heartline to the coastertrack from the View menu.

For example, you can do a top view of the track to do a turn ala Intamin following the heartline. From the View menu click "Show Heartline" or something like that and a yellow line will appear. As you bank the track you'll start to see the yellow line move with the banking. You can adjust your endpoint so that the track will follow the heartline better.

Does that make sense?

~Rob Willi

---

superman said:
But maybe that will make NoLimits too nerdy, after all. I just see that's one of the few things that make it more difficult to create a smooth ride with NoLimits.

---

I've complained about things like that for years, and someone always jumps to its defense and writes it off as the user being incapable. My biggest complaint is still that testing rides is ridiculously cumbersome.

Jeff, I agree that it is very tough to build a smooth ride in NoLimits and I still have a tough time making smooth transitions especially zero-g rolls. I really hope that we can see a feature in NL so that we don't have the jerkiness that some of my rides have.

When NoLimits first came out, you sort of had to be a genius to work the program and build something remotely close to being realistic. As of v1.5 there have been improvements made so that it is easier to build realistic rides. The biggest improvement has been the "Split Segment" feature where it'll now split the segment and readjust your endpoints so that you still have a smooth element.

I hope we see a better test feature in NL2 as I don't see how a testing feature could be done as the game currently stands. I really don't know since I don't do hardcore programming of games. What I do know is that these free upgrades is what is keeping me hooked on NL.

Don't worry Jeff, I don't think you're an idiot :-P

~Rob Willi

The "split segment" tool has been around for quite some time (since the begining?) but for the longest time it would create two endpoints with one HUGE and one TINY vertice. (I know you remember this, Rob. You're not that forgetful.)

As for NL being "too nerdy" I have to ask "what exactly qualifies as nerdy?" Riding roller coasters as a hobby? Starting a coaster website? Talking about what's too nerdy?

Superman, I still don't get what you are saying. You want the game to heartline for you automatically? That's asking a bit much. There's way to much complexities involved for it to know what you want it to do at any given point. Plus, some people don't want heartlining (i.e. woodies. old skool steel).

The one thing you can do is get the AHG (Auto Heartline Generator). A fellow named Buster created it. It's a tool that will automatically heartline your track for you and it works wonders (I haven't manually banked my track in forever!)

However, it can make bad tracks worse and magnify bumps/jerks etc. For it to really work well you have to have pretty flawless track to begin with (i.e. tooled track). IMO the best way to do this is to use elementary/purg to build the track and then AHG to bank/heartline. It makes me look like I'm a genius! :P

http://www.nolimitsdevcenter.net/toolbox

That's pretty much anything you ever needed to build a good coaster. (note: read readme's!!!!!)

Disappointment. I was hoping for a B&M Flyer.

Or how about a "launch track" rather than a "transport section".

John:

Doh! I should have re-worded it better. Yes, the split segment has been with the game since the start, but when you split a segment it would royally screw up your endpoints in the segment that you were splitting. They improved that feature.

MrX:

One of these days I'll play with those tools for NL, I've never use anything to generate or alter my layouts. So it'll probably save me some time... or at least when I get the time to play with NL.

~Rob Willi

^^^wow... that's a really cool link!
As soon as my windows machine is running again, I'm going to try all of those tools!
I especially look forward to the ones by which you can mathematically describe a curve and turn it into a coaster track!

thanks!

New updates, all, and something kind of imporant. For those to lazy to click the link above...

---

NoLimitsCoaster said:
A lot of internal discussion was made whether 1.6 should be free or not. Until now every update was free for every customer using NoLimits from the first version on, since end of 2001. We came to the conclusion that 1.6 would be worth some bucks and should not be free, but we will give customers of previous versions a discount. The price for the regular full version will not change, so people not having NoLimits yet will be able to buy 1.6 for the regular price. Customers of the previous version will receive a discount email offer to get NoLimits 1.6 for the discount price as soon as it is out. The discount price is not set yet but will not be higher than the half price of the regular full version. In all cases everyone who decides to buy it, will receive a full installer setup file with a new key. This cannot hurt, because the updated files will be large anyway and a lot of people might not have the original setup file any more.

---

Just a heads up, and if anyone is on the edge of buying NoLimits my advice to you is to wait until 1.6 hits so you don't end up paying (5-15?) for 1.6 on top of the $30 for NL itself.

-nesdude

Whatever it costs, the program is so worth it!

I haven't used the program in a long time, but the simulation is really great.

I just hope the updates are a drastic enough change to warrent the extra money. Sound could use some improvement in some aspects, as well as a variety in landscaping without the use of plug-ins.

The new coaster-types are nice, but for me, don't warrent extra money unless there's a few additional features included. Simple-Supports would be an awesome addition, akin to how the wooden coasters were done, except in a steel format.

I have the feeling I'm going to get it no matter what, though. I'm gullible that way.

He's basically rewarding people for waiting to buy it. Ridiculous. I think this might be the first time I've been mad at anything related to NoLimits.

Please, I don't think it matters what the actual version numbers are. Charging for an update is long overdue. He has probably saturated the market and new sales have hit the bottom. It has been out for five years!

If they wish to charge for the update, fine, but they need a better way to allow access to the discounted price. Five years is a long time in cyberspace... I don't even have the email address I used to register, and I'm sure the same would hold for quite a few other people as well.

They don't need to do anything. As is the program is a steal! And it's not their fault some users couldn't keep track of their registration info. I have two licenses for the software (Mac & Win) and would gladly pay full price to upgrade if the update was of interest to me. Simply adding new coaster styles isn't of much interest to me, but if there are additional improvements to the rest of the application such as excavated tunnels and a larger piece of land to work with, I'm all for it!

Maddata has the list of everyone who bought the game already. If you did buy it and don't have that email address anymore, they will still work with you and it will not be a problem to get the expansion at the discounted price.

-Ride_Op

I will gladly pay for the upgrade.

Again, when was the last time you purchased any program that had support and added features for FREE for 5 years? A programmer's time isn't cheap.

~Rob Willi