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[BradUffner]

I'm pretty sure the "4 Directions" thing means North, South, East, and West.  No diagonals.  From what I've read it does this kind of tracking so that it can tell that 2 parallel tracks in directly adjacent cells aren't connect with each other, but only with cells on the same line.  A cell that represents a corner would have the North and East connection points set for example.  If it didn't do this that lines next to each other would automatically connect in the same way walls do.  If it didn't do this in order to have separate lines you would have to build your rail lines with an additional tile between them to stop them from joining up.  That's what Toady meant when he said it allows you do make writing without using up too many tiles; at least in my interpretation.

[Willfor]

Confirmed mine cart physics for the next release in the devlog. Some of our best fears confirmed. Excellent!

Most excellent...

[Neonivek]

Oddly enough there is no true way to connect diagonals and sideways As Heph proven.

Hrm

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Yes exactly they do not connect. The diagonals don't connect with the left and right tracks but the left and right track connects to it.

[hermes]

I'm pretty sure the "4 Directions" thing means North, South, East, and West.  No diagonals.  From what I've read it does this kind of tracking so that it can tell that 2 parallel tracks in directly adjacent cells aren't connect with each other, but only with cells on the same line...

Yes, I was confused by the four directions thing, but this makes sense.  The double-lined tiles can then be used for tracks very easily.  Ooh, question, don't know if this has been asked...

If track connections during construction are dependent on the order in which each section is built, does this mean that the order of designation by the player is tracked in "real time" so to speak, or would we have to build a section, wait for it to be constructed, then designate again if tracks run parallel?

edit - though it has just occurred to me that if routes are designated, and given direction connectivity at designation, construction could be carried out automatically along those routes?

Confirmed mine cart physics for the next release in the devlog. Some of our best fears confirmed. Excellent!

Most excellent...

Hehe, after everyone started fantasizing about minecart physics I'm more relieved than anything that Toady confirmed this!  Only thing we need now is a dwarf hauling task.

Beast of burden hauling, feeding stations?  Man, I haven't even tamed anything yet, slow down the development a bit, Toady.   

[EmeraldWind]

I happy to see he's considering making a way to include mine carts in previous versions by putting in a default. I just made a fort and I'd hate to miss such a nice opportunity to fail at DF. (Even if at this point it sounds like a maybe, I'm glad he's thinking about it.)

I wonder though how the mine carts things will work out. I'm thinking it would be good strength training for militia dwarves to haul mine carts filled with stuff instead of letting the poor harmless animals get all workout. I imagine that dwarves will be able to move them in case animals aren't available. It will be interesting to see how forts evolve in structure as well.  I assume that animals will need some kind of special training to be set up to pull mine carts.

Urist McDonkey cancels haul cart: not done eating.
Urist McDonkey cancels haul cart: too stubborn.

The idea of having feed boxes near the tracks for working animals sounds neat too. Hopefully, if you set up feed boxes animals without pastures they can go eat there too.

[Quatch]

might be multi-tile designations like walls or bridges now, and in the same way as bridges switch raise-direction
(but with multiple selections) designate the connections for the new segment.

I think I need elephant hauled carts. That or badger.

[NW_Kohaku]

The double-lined tiles can then be used for tracks very easily. 

That would probably cause problems - those double lines define walls right now, and it would become visually very confusing to have dwarves start walking through "walls" all the time.  You can't overload the same symbols with such radically different meanings.

The single lines, which are only used for rivers on the worldmaps, may not be the ideal solution, but in the absences of other unique tiles, the single lines are the best option.

[hermes]

Yes you're right, I didn't think about that.  Single lines it could well be, would perhaps make the "fortress writing" more legible too.

I happy to see he's considering making a way to include mine carts in previous versions by putting in a default. I just made a fort and I'd hate to miss such a nice opportunity to fail at DF. (Even if at this point it sounds like a maybe, I'm glad he's thinking about it.)

I had the same feeling, but depending on how drastically the mining changes will affect mining speed and fortress design, it could feel umm, weird to have a fort built using the two different systems. ?

[Anatoli]

Anyone knows the history of mine carts, wheelbarrows, et cetera?

I've tried searching for it, but all I get are games and 1920s. I wonder if they fit in the 14th century time stop.

[ImBocaire]

Anyone knows the history of mine carts, wheelbarrows, et cetera?

I've tried searching for it, but all I get are games and 1920s. I wonder if they fit in the 14th century time stop.

According to Wikipedia, "wagonways" consisting of wagons running in grooved tracks on stone have been found in ancient Greece. Considering the centrality of mining and quarrying to dwarven culture, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that their minecart technology would be far more advanced than their neighboring sentient races.

[Watsst]

Im gonna have a artifact minecart! I wonder if it will track the kills of people it runs over?

"This artifact minecart is studded with rubies, and made of steel. It has murdered 12 dwarves, due to poor track planning through a dining hall"

That does raise the question, will the minecarts weight effect its speed? Slower on flats, faster down hill if made of metal as compared to a wooden one, that sort of thing. Not a green question, but it will require some !!science!!

[Untelligent]

That does raise the question, will the minecarts weight effect its speed? Slower on flats, faster down hill if made of metal as compared to a wooden one, that sort of thing. Not a green question, but it will require some !!science!!

Science, indeed! There's a good number of well-defined and well-known physics equations relating speed and acceleration and mass and force and energy and momentum and all that. Heavier carts will accelerate down hills at the same rate as lighter ones, not faster than them, for instance (or even slower if you take friction into account. I think? Maybe. Haven't taken basic physics in a while). Also heavier carts should be harder to bring up to speed on flat surfaces, but also harder to stop, but I imagine for the purposes of Dwarf Fortress that'll only matter when you try to stop it by standing in front of it.
 
I can't be arsed to read through the rest of my physics textbook at the moment, but Toady was a math professor before he started working full-time on dwarf fortress, so I'm sure he'll be able to put a reasonably realistic physics simulation in for carts.
 

Ten-page physics discussion initiating in 3... 2... 1...

[Putnam]

Considering that inertia and friction are pretty much the only variables involved with minecart moving, it should be a bit of (relatively) simple math to make a variable equation for cart physics on a per-material basis. All that would need to be added to materials is a friction measure.

[Torchy]

Holy crap, Toady. You feeling okay? Since the start of March you've been a machine, and it's not just bugfixing anymore. Not that I can complain! All those terse, bullet-pointed dev posts - Is this Toady the Terminator? Toady 2.0? Toady 2cat.0? Based on when the crusade started I'm beginning to wonder if you didn't spend the big February numbers to circuitry yourself up, become one with the code and all that...
Keep it up Toady. This stuff is great.

And if you really are going all Mr. House on us ... That's pretty cool, too.

[kulik]

I wonder though how the mine carts things will work out. I'm thinking it would be good strength training for militia dwarves to haul mine carts filled with stuff instead of letting the poor harmless animals get all workout. I imagine that dwarves will be able to move them in case animals aren't available.

I wouldn't be surprised if this would cause bad thoughts to balance things out.