Train Game Mission Statement
Train Game Mission Statement:
To proceduralize the operation of Train Mountain Railroad in a way that preserves the knowledge of its members while offering a means to apply this knowledge through task management, process mechanics, and entertainment, in order to stimulate member growth, participation and enjoyment.
Train Game Goals
- Stimulate the growth of Train Mountain's younger members by offering a modern and familiar approach to our hobby.
- Build and implement Rail Ops as a train operations simulator to educate and entertain the users while developing the Job Dispatch functions for all of the Train Game components.
- Build and implement MOW task management to automate the dispatch of Jobs to member/users to perform various layout maintenance tasks such as pinecone and pine needle cleanup and track maintenance.
- Build and implement a general task management facility to generate, schedule and track tasks and requests that have been submitted for both one time and repetitive job functions.
Rail Ops Overview
Rail Ops is the system that manages and dispatches railroad cars at Train Mountain so that members can simulate railroad operation by moving these cars between stations and industries. Car movements, called “Jobs”, dispatch specific cars to specific locations. Each movement is rated by distance, complexity and priority. The mover is then awarded points called Train Game Dollars (TG$). All member/users can participate by moving cars any time they are at Train Mountain. That is, Train Game Rail Ops is always running at Train Mountain for your solo visit or your own event.
User interaction with Rail Ops is through the TG website from your mobile device or Rail Ops Kiosk at Central Station. The game uses a variety of methods for you to choose cars to move. These include a Rolling Stock List, an interactive Map, a Job List and a Points of Interest (POI) List. A user may have up to 3 reserved cars at a time. The goal is to move cars to make TG$. The strategy, if one chooses, is to move those cars in the most cost effective manner possible. Results are published on the Rankings pages in real time.
In addition to moving the TG Rail Ops cars, users may also put their cars into the game. Each time that car is moved, both the mover that selects the job and the car owner(s) make TG$. Cars can be placed "in play" at the owners discretion for any length of time. One can double dip by putting their cars in play and moving other cars at the same time. Furthermore, all of the TMRR cars and possibly some private owned cars can be "adopted". The adopting users become owners and get owners payments whenever the cars move. See "Adopting Cars" in the Help Appendex for more information on adoption.
Each car registered in Rail Ops must have a TG transponder device attached and operating. Each device has a single button and LED light. While not required, best practice is to press this button after you have moved it to its new location. This will allow the website to efficiently process the move and prepare the car for its next job.
The documentation that follows will guide you through the use of the website and cover in detail all of the above information. Have fun with TG Rail Ops and be respectful of others on our Layout.