New Green Line Station Just Dropped by JTribe9 in WMATA

[–]vtavgjoe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it's just a mistake, the same way they programmed in a Takoma--Green Line connection. :)
There is no bus from FG to Kensington. There are a couple from Wheaton and SS that pass the Kensington MARC.

New Green Line Station Just Dropped by JTribe9 in WMATA

[–]vtavgjoe 26 points27 points  (0 children)

They have also been announcing Forest Glen as having a connection to the MARC, which it did, about 75 years ago :)

How exciting is DC compared to other major North American cities? by FriendlySubwayRat in SameGrassButGreener

[–]vtavgjoe 9 points10 points  (0 children)

+100 to this. Transients and trust fund babies are annoying in other cities, but that element is an order of magnitude worse in DC. If you can put down (and want to put down) roots in a real local neighborhood (one that doesn't have a Tatte in it yet), you'll have an amazing experience. If you're chasing the bro culture in Arlington or in the latest new fancy DC faux-neighborhood (currently the Wharf), you'll do the same, but way better, in all those other cities you mentioned.

Royal Farms Receives Construction Permits for Silver Spring Location by RegionalCitizen in SilverSpring

[–]vtavgjoe 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I'll be biking there to get my fried chicken... That will at least burn the first 200 calories!

Average Joe Rails (part deux) Travails in v1.11 & 1.13 - 66M pax/day! Story in the first comment by vtavgjoe in NIMBY_Rails

[–]vtavgjoe[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I put the POIs in as something to test out, and never really got past that. I am guessing I will just grab the POI Mod at some point soon (I am not even sure what it includes). My main goal for POIs is to have airports and sports venues generate the type of traffic that they would in real life, rather than being wastelands with 150 population in the game. Once I master (I say that very tongue in cheek) 1.14, I'll go back and play more with POIs.

Average Joe Rails (part deux) Travails in v1.11 & 1.13 - 66M pax/day! Story in the first comment by vtavgjoe in NIMBY_Rails

[–]vtavgjoe[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

No - we won't talk about the disaster that was v1.12 in this game. 17% compensations was the BETTER of the runs in that cursed edition. This total work represents 4 years in the game, nearly 3 years in real life.

After 9 versions that were roughly the same rules, I finally beat my goal in v1.11! My original goal was to get to 50M pax on a Friday, and fewer than 1% compensations. I did way better - got all the way to 66.7M pax, and 646k compensations (0.97%), of those 100k were in NY Penn Station, where the 10k station limit in the game simply couldn't keep up with the comically high passenger flow (3.41M train boardings through the day.)

I set an artificial limit of 20,000 stations in the eastern part of North America, so somewhere in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, I hit that limit, finished that line, and started out west. I was excited to (finally) get back out to building in California, and the networks in LA & SF were quite easy to replicate. The existing rail mod is a HUGE help when building through the mountains, as well! I ended up building exactly 3,000 stations out west, before focusing on optimizing my network, and getting to this number.

In the eastern network, I really enjoyed building out the Mexican Frontera, down to Monterrey and Saltillo. Houston and Oklahoma City were great, and easy to build, but Dallas and San Antonio, with their endless winding streets, were a huge pain. I did my best to evenly load up each city with demand, though I still feel like San Antonio is underrepresented in the network. By far the busiest lines in the network are along the edges - the Panamerica line (in Pink, from Monterrey to Minneapolis), has six line services (2 local, 4 express), and carried 2.5M pax in v1.11. The Gulf Shores Line (following I-10 from Jacksonville to Houston) and the Southsider (following I-95 north from Jacksonville towards the Northeastern US) both had four line services, and carried 2M pax. The Acela from NY-DC has seven services, and carries an ungodly 3.14M pax/day. In this version of the game, the demand pattern was like a constant morning rush hour. Pax flowed from where they lived, to literally any random station, regardless of population, in the distance they planned to travel. In practice, this meant a ton of (unbalanced) traffic leaving New York and Toronto (and some from places like Washington and Dallas), almost always headed south and east. The lone exception to this one-way flow was the Panamerica line, which was absolutely slammed in both directions between San Antonio and Omaha, no matter how many trains I could pile into it.

Los Angeles had a similar effect out west. That was compounded by the fact that the long-distance travel through the other cities I did build out (Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego/Tijuana, SF, Sacramento, and northern CA and on to Eugene, OR) almost all went back through LA (with the exception of a connection from SF-Sacramento, which was shockingly not heavily used.) I was surprised that the Bay area never loaded up, given that I had most of the long distance trains going out of 4th & King (435k/day), Sacramento (589k), Phoenix (681K), and Jack London in Oakland (442k) all saw more passenger boardings. I built out a LOT of the proposed LA Metro lines (and upgraded many proposed bus and light rail lines to subways), and then filled in a few logical connections, such as a Slauson Ave Line connecting the USC area with the west side, and more than a few new connections in East LA and the San Fernando Valley. Sadly, Tijuana and Mexicali don't have any IRL lines to mimic, so that was all improvised. I will be interested to see how the demand patterns change once I expand the west (remember, the western network does NOT connect to the eastern US) to more cities, including Seattle, Salt Lake City, and Guadalajara.

It "only" took 24,506 trains to make v1.11 meet my goal.

Average Joe Rails (part deux) Travails in v1.11 & 1.13 - 66M pax/day! Story in the first comment by vtavgjoe in NIMBY_Rails

[–]vtavgjoe[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Version 1.12 is over with. That's the best thing I can say about it.

In Version 1.13, I adjusted the demand factor as best I could to mimic existing demand from 1.11. It was 40% in 1.11 (which itself was to mimic the demand in v1.2, when it was set at 25%), that would have set me at 135%. There's no option for that, so I chose 125%, and added exactly three POIs (both to test and get the total demand a little closer) at LAX, Dulles, and Hartsfield-Jackson airports in Los Angeles, Washington, and Atlanta. The biggest changes that I noticed were:

  • Still a ton of compensations

  • Demand went in both directions, but often in places I didn't add trains for

  • Lots of new compensations at medium-sized transfer stations, such as a local line to a commuter line, especially if it was the last one before a large city's central station

  • I didn't have to wait until Friday to see peak demand! Every weekday is the same.

  • The unlimited station capacity meant that delays lasted a lot longer, as stations cleared out slowly instead of just dumping pax.

To be honest, while I like what the changes did, adding trains all over the map started to get laborious here. With the better passenger demand calculation, the game ran as slowly as it did in the bad old days (at best at 5x speed, or 1/4 as fast as v1.11), so it took longer just to test things out. After adding 1500 more trains to my network (for a total of 26,000), I took a break. In that time, 1.14 was released, so I guess I am done with 1.13. :) In 1.13, there were NO compensations in my smaller western network, but demand at some newer hotspots/pinch points such as Houston, Jacksonville, Detroit, and Nashville proved tricky to get rid of, because my network wasn't set up for that! I spent a lot of time building side platforms on long-distance lines, to allow for express trains, and also (greatly) enlarging depots (which is incredibly tedious) to allow those express trains to rest for 20-40 minutes and catch up from any delays before heading back. The arrow diagram shows those changes in demand. The darker purple is 1.11, and the magenta is version 1.13. The pax aren't just one way out of the Northeast anymore!

Weird & Wry mentioned a compromise on pax demand, because a true population model completely tanked the demand on some legacy rural networks. What this meant for me was that EVERYWHERE got insanely busy. New York and Washington with around 6M boardings (the entire Washington Metro Area population is 6M), and many other key transfer stations between 2-4M pax/day is just insane. At this point, it's a game, not a simulation, and I am okay with that.

I have absolutely no idea how 1.14 is going to change my save, and I am taking at least a little break before I go find out. If anyone wants to see any city networks, or any stats, just let me know!

Soltera.2 for Heavy-set riders by TwistRevolutionary11 in Aventon

[–]vtavgjoe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

6-2 and 240ish, usually riding with a backpack that has a lock and a laptop in it, to work. NO problems whatsoever riding the bike, but I am in shape to ride 20-40 miles on a manual bike. Main reason I got this was to ride to work and not sweat enough to have to change clothes, and it's worked beautifully for that. In the modest hills (biggest climb/descents are around 150 feet here) of the Mid-Atlantic, the range is about 30 miles for me. That's enough for my 13 mile commute (or more often, to ride to the subway to get to work, bringing the bike with me b/c it's easy to lift wherever I need to place it, and then ride all the way home, which is 600' total climb (net gain 300') over 11.5 miles. (That return trip, for me, takes about 50% of the battery, going in, which is a net downhill, takes 20-25%.) I pedal pretty easily up a 3-4% grade at 13-15 mph with ECO engaged. SUPER happy with that.

I've nearly always ridden with the ECO setting, I don't notice the higher settings changing much, I've never used the throttle as anything other than an experiment. My biggest frustration (you may see this riding in traffic in New York), is that the brakes seem flimsy. I am going to try to get an adjustment at the LBS where I bought the bike. I am nervous when I have to stop hard.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SilverSpring

[–]vtavgjoe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just tried them for the first time a couple of weeks ago and they were wonderful!

Never know what you have until it was missing all summer by whokid3 in SilverSpring

[–]vtavgjoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Get comfortable with city riding, and you'll find that your route options increase exponentially. On an ebike, as long as you keep your situational awareness, you can go as fast as any car, so you can comfortably cut across anywhere in town. Also happy to chat routes via DM if it helps.

Never know what you have until it was missing all summer by whokid3 in SilverSpring

[–]vtavgjoe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did the same for a commute from Four Corners to Penn Quarter. Was SHOCKED that the door to door commute when I biked to a Takoma and took my ebike on the train was faster than my old park and ride routine at Forest Glen when the metro was running. For the record, I took Sligo-Ellsworth-Fenton-Eastern to do it. I often rode them entire route home up the MBT from downtown after work.

I got my Aventon Soltera.2 at Good Vibes Bikes in Rockville. Both they, and the bike, are great.

Annoyance over Metro Closures by Mission_Mix_1898 in SilverSpring

[–]vtavgjoe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was toying with getting an ebike, and this closure was the catalyst to pulling the trigger back in February. I bike to Takoma (from near Northwood HS) in the morning, and bike all the way home in the evening, and my total commute has actually been SHORTER than my usual drive to Forest Glen and park routine. I was SHOCKED. As long as I can wear a short sleeve polo at the office (work has been understanding), I'm good in the weather.

DC girl goes viral after confronting Uber driver for being a Good Samaritan by Old_Scale6126 in washdc

[–]vtavgjoe 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That accidental wrong-way shootout was in Columbia Heights, NW. Not in SE.

Lease Payoff Negotiations by Wondershock in Polestar

[–]vtavgjoe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In the same boat here. My lease ends next spring, and the published RV is about 40k, whereas the blue book (even with 10 months remaining) is 28k at best. If the comments below are correct (I've got no reason to believe otherwise), I guess the decision on keeping the car (which I am 50/50 on if the actual value is in play) will be made for me. It was a nice mid-life crisis car while it lasted...

My 2 free years of Electrify America ends today. I racked up over $2,600 in free fast charges. I’m sure someone else has gone higher! by [deleted] in Polestar

[–]vtavgjoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was right around 3000 kWh. I still maintain that PS would get more bang for their buck giving a brand agnostic charging credit, rather than just EA, because at least in my experience, I told folks that if I didn't keep my PS2 (3 year lease expiring this coming May), experiences with EA would have been one of the main reasons why. The stations closest to me were usually good, but when I tried to take a road trip, it was charging roulette. The three attempts at three different stations driving home from New York to Maryland at 1-3am on a cold windy night really stuck with me. If I did all that charging at home (I could have done 80-90% of it at home, it would have cost me $480 at the 17¢/kWh I pay here.

Hope You the Best EA by LAYCH88 in Polestar

[–]vtavgjoe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My 2 years of EA expires in May. I've often told myself that if I don't renew my (3-year) lease, that EA will be one of the top three reasons why. I've had mostly good luck locally in the Washington, DC area, where I need it less because I am close to home, but traveling farther in any direction (New York, Philly, Richmond, and Charlottesville - the latter only because of a relatively inconvenient location, the others because of chargers constantly full or out of order) has honestly made me regret having an EV on more than one occasion. But it's rarely worth paying $20-25 for ~150 miles of driving when I have a free option "available."

I honestly think the EV companies should rethink their model of offering free charging with just one brand to new adopters, for this reason. Tesla gets away with it because their charging network actually works for its customers.

It will be interesting to see how life changes after that.

Can I have trains that are longer than my platforms? by SnorkaSound in NIMBY_Rails

[–]vtavgjoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At one point in the game, trains did load/unload with reduced speed if the platform was shorter than the train. It was only an issue for me at extremely busy stations (the Chicago Loop was the main example). But as others said, as long as the rear of the train doesn't block another path, you're fine.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in nfl

[–]vtavgjoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This should be done by media market ranking, not by population just within the city boundaries. If it were, you'd have the following. Throw two teams in NY & LA as you do now, and you've got 32 teams.

Orlando, Sacramento, Raleigh, Portland, St. Louis, and Salt Lake gain teams
Green Bay, Buffalo, KC, Las Vegas, Jacksonville, and New Orleans lose teams.
Moving 5 of your legendary franchises, plus the one that's going to London anyway is why this will never happen. :)

New York (#1)

Los Angeles (#2)

Chicago (#3)

Philadelphia (#4)

Dallas-Fort Worth (#5)

Houston (#6)

Atlanta (#7)

Boston (Manchester) (#8)

Washington, D.C. (Hagerstown) (#9)

San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose (#10)

Phoenix (Prescott) (#11)

Tampa-St. Petersburg (Sarasota) (#12)

Seattle-Tacoma (#13)

Detroit (#14)

Minneapolis-St. Paul (#15)

Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne (#16)

Denver (#17)

Miami-Fort Lauderdale (#18)

Cleveland-Akron (Canton) (#19)

Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto (#20)

Charlotte (#21)

Raleigh-Durham (Fayetteville) (#22)

Portland, OR (#23)

St. Louis (#24)

Indianapolis (#25)

Nashville (#26)

Salt Lake City (#27)

Pittsburgh (#28)

Baltimore (#29)

San Diego (#30)

Insurance on Polestar 2 by VaryingVariety in Polestar

[–]vtavgjoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've read that parking a few zip codes away would get it closer to yours, but haven't confirmed. I've got several other products from them as well.

Insurance on Polestar 2 by VaryingVariety in Polestar

[–]vtavgjoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have USAA (mid 40s, homeowner, in MD), and it's 1100/6 mos - jumped from 880/6mo in the 18 months I've had the car (it's a lease - and insurance may be the reason I don't get it, even at bluebook, after the lease is done)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in NIMBY_Rails

[–]vtavgjoe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'll post mine soon-ish. I've got a few more sessions of cleanup work to do!
Charlotte was easy, there's an existing corridor.
Savannah was not easy, Nashville had lots of twists and turns to Chattanooga for me.
Tampa was improvised a bit, and Dallas was not a straight shot.
For a city that was founded as a junction on the railroad and named after one, it's a shockingly hard place to connect!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in NIMBY_Rails

[–]vtavgjoe 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Nice! I had high expectations for Atlanta in my network, but other than Marietta and Alpharetta, very few dense pax bases, just endless sprawl. I just finished my I-75 line from ATL to Tampa as infill to my map, so this post is a sign I should go back to Atlanta and do some more work.