4 ms·

In my building the elevator doesn't even know to return to the lobby when idle :( Returning to the lobby means you're in the right place half the time (roughly

In my building the elevator doesn't even know to return to the lobby when idle :( Returning to the lobby means you're in the right place half the time (roughly -- I for one use the elevator to go up more than to go down). Anywhere else has much worse odds.

daten 16y ago
Many buildings with multiple evelators are programmed to return to a stagger position, so all of the idle elevators are at least one floor apart if not evenly distributed across the whole height of the building. The closest idle elevator responds to a call button. This is easiest to observe in builds with glass elevators.
- Splines 16y ago
  SimTower was a great elevator simulator. If you spend any amount of time with the game you realize that a staggered approach is more efficient. It's too bad there aren't more games in the genre. It might be fun to experiment with more types of traffic flow and programmable elevators.
toast76 16y ago
It may be more convenient for the end-user, but it would raise running costs significantly. If the elevator is needed at the lobby 50% of the time, means it is also needed elsewhere 50% of the time. It means that 50% of the time the lift is travelling to the lobby and then back to a needed floor empty. If it only moves when called then it only ever travels the difference between its end point and new start point which is AT MOST the number of floors in the building. If every floor is accessed equally (as you'd expect), then 50% of the time the elevator needs to travel half the height of the building (on average) TWICE when it goes into idle state. The average of this method is equal to the maximum of the other...or something. ....but then I haven't had my morning coffee yet.
- jrockway 16y ago
  In most high-rise buildings, the stairs are not usable for normal travel (evacuation only). So people go up as often as they go down.

daten 16y ago

Many buildings with multiple evelators are programmed to return to a stagger position, so all of the idle elevators are at least one floor apart if not evenly distributed across the whole height of the building. The closest idle elevator responds to a call button. This is easiest to observe in builds with glass elevators.

Splines 16y ago
SimTower was a great elevator simulator. If you spend any amount of time with the game you realize that a staggered approach is more efficient. It's too bad there aren't more games in the genre. It might be fun to experiment with more types of traffic flow and programmable elevators.

toast76 16y ago

It may be more convenient for the end-user, but it would raise running costs significantly. If the elevator is needed at the lobby 50% of the time, means it is also needed elsewhere 50% of the time. It means that 50% of the time the lift is travelling to the lobby and then back to a needed floor empty. If it only moves when called then it only ever travels the difference between its end point and new start point which is AT MOST the number of floors in the building. If every floor is accessed equally (as you'd expect), then 50% of the time the elevator needs to travel half the height of the building (on average) TWICE when it goes into idle state. The average of this method is equal to the maximum of the other...or something. ....but then I haven't had my morning coffee yet.

jrockway 16y ago
In most high-rise buildings, the stairs are not usable for normal travel (evacuation only). So people go up as often as they go down.