Routing Issues at Ports

RRArtie

Routing Issues at Ports


In the thread that has the tutorial describing how to build ports and place houseboats, someone asked “how big does a port have to be”? I have built 21 ports in my new world, Housenfluke Rest, and the clear answer is “It depends”.

Port to Land Clearance


The Gangway object (the blue object that connects to the dock) seems to be about 17 wide by 22 long because the biggest barge fills it. I built a port 22 wide with the dock over on the right side (as you look out to sea) and set the Gangway object. In my descriptions of the world this was called “Port 3”. In play testing the world, the water taxis would get stuck between the right side of the port lot and gangway and the land to the lots right. So clearance around the port is important.

I lowered some of the land to the right of the port and rebuilt the port 28 squares wide by 55 deep. To the right of the port I put a lot 2 squares away which measured 30 wide x 40 deep. There is water a few squares wide along most of the 40 square side. As long as nothing is built over the water and close to the port, the water taxi can get out. If I build a pier out toward the houseboat docked at the port, the water taxi gets stuck.

Picture of Port 3 and adjacent lot with stuck taxi–


If I go into Edit Town mode and remove three tiles from the pier (the picture below shows a partial removal of tiles), then the water taxi passes without a problem (see the second picture below).

Edit Town with 3 tiles removed -


Water taxi past P3 with pier reduced by 3 tiles -


Port to Port Clearance

I built two ports adjacent to each other. The first was 32 squares wide (called Port 1), and the second was 30 squares wide (called Port 2). The ports were separated by 2 squares. The second had a house boat on it and was 2 squares from a residential lot with the “Built on Stilts” house on the lot. When a Sim would come to the space between these ports and get in a boat with a destination to the right, the boat would be stuck pointed at the houseboat, which apparently protruded into its path.

Picture of Boat stuck at P2 -


I fixed that by widening the second port to 36 and setting the Gangway turned to the right and putting 5 squares between this port and the port to its left and to the house to its right. This removed the problem.

Picture of P1 and 2 with more space around them -


Port to Port Clearance with Terrain Obstruction

I have two ports at Moldenhauer Island which are placed with 2 squares between them and one has a large rock outcropping on its side. Port M6 which has the rock outcropping to its left (looking inland) has a houseboat docked at it. Port M5 which has a large pier with covered entertainment area is two squares to the right of Port M6. When a Sim is directed to disembark on either port near the water (see ellipsis on picture), the water taxi goes up between the two ports, but the Sim disembarks to the left of the Port M6 past the rocks.

Picture of taxi between two ports -


Picture of Sim disembarked by Port M6 -


After disembarking to the left of M6, the Sim jumps back in a water taxi and tries again with the same result. This goes on until I interrupt him and send him somewhere else.

Repeat return to M5 -


Conclusion: Ports ought to have 5 squares of clearance on their side where you want water taxi access from shore to water or from water to shore.

Most of my ports are 30 squares wide and 50 to 60 squares deep. Most of them work. I have tried all my ports and some have unusual routing. For instance, to get out at a port, the water taxi will go two lots over and the Sim will run back. The above three situations are the only ones where the water taxi actually got stuck. I will rework all the ports in the final version to include as much space as possible around them and between them.

I hope this helps others who are building ports in their worlds.