Trainz Past-Present-Future

[KingConrail76]

Going by the Legend in the lowwer right corner, the only new "game" will be Trainz MAC 2, all PC and Mobile versions will only get new Features.

It is a bit confusing though, because the Chinese Add-on is not listed under "Present", and add-on content is not a "feature" (according to your legend), so it does not fit into the "future" corner either.

Seems like typical N3V, not very well organised.

At any rate, I guess:

"Future" corner, Dark Green Mainline; (TS12-SP1), (TS12-SP1-HF1), (TS12-SP1-HF3), (TS12-SP1-HF3), (future updates/patches to TS12-SP2), (Service Pack3), (etc.)

As for the purple dotted "y"...everyone is seeing "merger"....I'm seeing a "Diverging" track...a parting of the ways, so to speak...splitting up of N3V into sub-assemblies...each more focused on a particular genre....a specific Trainz division maybe?

 

[opus722]

Hopefully one or two of those dots are fixes so that every bell in a consist doesn't go off at the same time and not accelerating the engine sounds when in dynamic braking. Other than that I'd really like to see better integration with Steam. Doesn't need to go Steam only like a lot of developers are doing now, but the Steam version of Trainz is treated like a red headed step child. Trainz 12 is pretty much my only recent non Steam purchase because of this.

 

[Tony_Hilliam]

They say any feedback is useful and there is a mix of usefulness in some of the answers Some guesses are close, and overall I would say people are going to be pretty happy with our announcement. Keep those guesses coming - more will be revealed throughout the week.

Btw, creating a map that is also a timeline has its challenges and not every item has made it onto the map. N3V created add-ons are listed as Content rather than Features (which sounds ok to me?) whereas non-N3V add-ons did not make it onto this list at all (Ocemy, JR, Zecrail etc). The Purple Line to the North should indeed have a bigger circle to represent Product, but the dotted line should not (can't say why not yet and perhaps the Star replaces a big circle on the Mainline Extension to the NorthEast for a reason ... what could the Star be telling us??

 

[2995Valliant]

Perhaps some don't wish to speculate for fear of disappointment?

I do find it it interesting that TS12 is branch and therefore a dead end. That implies to me that the next release on the "mainline" of the product isn't an evolution of TS12.

My greatest wish woudl be for the "serious" side of the sim to keep improving - ie more accurate and detailed physics. I feel this element has gone backwards slightly with the release of TS12 SP1 having not really been driven forwards since TC3.

 

[DennR]

As a Driver and I spend most time in the Cab and rely on the instruments and the controls to drive the train, I hope I am wrong but so far I have found that the Cab generally comes a very poor second to the paint schemes and scenery. I would like to think that the things that make it all happen were important to most users.

Am I in a minority who actually want to drive from the driver’s perspective?

I do see some excellent cab interiors both in freeware and Payware locomotives but likewise there are others that are acclaimed in the community but really do not provide a worthwhile driver environment in the cab. I have dabbled with adjusting Speedo needles to read the same as the HUD and Amp meters that reflect the actual motor loads but it was never easy. I have not found a user (amateur) friendly way to place an instrument, fix needles, replace inoperative images etc. so I still find the number of playable locomotives is at a premium.

In other non train simulators I have found drag and drop instruments and control s with automatic attachment points that allow us AA users, (that look bad but I mean Aged Amateurs) the opportunity to make up the cab interiors to match the vehicle of choice.

I realise that with such a wide range of user developments in Trainz my vision would be impractical but at least the stock loco’s and array of built-in cab components could surely provide us with the ability to mix and match without an in-depth knowledge of source code and scripts.

I take my hat off to all those developers who have the skills to build all the marvellous assets we have access to but I do wonder where the basic Trainz program is taking us, TS12 SP1 clearly sets a trend away from backward compatibility with which I have no problem if there is a basic working platform that makes it possible for a widest possible number of people to make the myriad of operator specific variants to the driver environment as well as the wider world view. I wonder if this could be on the horizon.

Bob
ID: kuid:450495

 

[oknotsen]

Btw, creating a map that is also a timeline has its challenges and not every item has made it onto the map.

In that same way it is kinda strange that "My First Trainz Set" is on the Mobile Branch as I have it as a PC game :hehe:.

N3V created add-ons are listed as Content rather than Features (which sounds ok to me?) whereas non-N3V add-ons did not make it onto this list at all (Ocemy, JR, Zecrail etc).

New content are not new functionality but a combination of use of the current functionality, so I agree.
Leaving out 3rd party payware content is a design-choice, nothing more or less then that.

what could the Star be telling us??

The "star" on the horizon? The (next) point to aim at?

I do find it interesting that TS12 is branch and therefore a dead end. That implies to me that the next release on the "mainline" of the product isn't an evolution of TS12.

I find it interesting that you did not notice (or on purpose left out) that all versions of trainz (after 2004) are showing as a branch and you did not see all new versions of the game as an evolution of the previous . Each version is a station on the main line, the branch showing the content and/or functionality.
In other words: Of course the next version will be an evolution of the previous, no matter what the outcome will be. Nobody will be interested in a version that is in every way less then the previous (unless distributed for free) and I am sure Tony and the rest of N3V will share that opinion. Sure, it might not be (by everyone) experienced as an improvement on each facility of the game, but it should and will be an overall improvement .

As a Driver and I spend most time in the Cab and rely on the instruments and the controls to drive the train, I hope I am wrong but so far I have found that the Cab generally comes a very poor second to the paint schemes and scenery. I would like to think that the things that make it all happen were important to most users.

Am I in a minority who actually want to drive from the driver’s perspective?

I think the main reason for this is that content creators have a lot more access to external views of trains and only can use a limited number of pictures and figures about the cabs.

 

[-Basti-]

In that same way it is kinda strange that "My First Trainz Set" is on the Mobile Branch as I have it as a PC game :hehe:.

Yeah, the PC-version is missing. But its available under Android too.

what could the Star be telling us??

Maybe a new engine? :hehe:

 

[robd]

Will it be expensive?

 

[oknotsen]

Will it be expensive?

Define "expensive".
We all have a different view on when something is expensive or not, based on our personal situation.

 

[Tony_Hilliam]

Will it be expensive?

It all depends about what you are talking about - some things may be cheaper than you think, others could be more expensive. (That is so cryptic it makes me smile - time will reveal what I mean).

Oknotsen - you're absolutely right about each major new version being a branch off the mainline, and they are all connected by the circle line too since even mobile shares a great deal with the Mainline.

DennR - some very good points raised

2995Valliant - it is true that you can only be disappointed if you set your expectations too high. Hopefully we will not disappoint too many people (although I am 100% certain we will not please all of the people). It would be good to get a clearer picture of what you mean by " more accurate and detailed physics".

Regarding MFTS, yes the PC version was left out (perhaps due to insignificant sales on PC?), as was Turbo Trainz on Wii and Trainz Trouble on PC. I'm sure there are others. We wanted to get tongues moving more than create the perfect historical document.

Which brings me to your feedback. It is great to see that most suggestions are right on track. However, we're not getting many guesses about what each Branch may be called, or what features are found on each of the Lines. There are a dozen or more features to be worked out, and of course the mysterious Star. Only a few more days of torture before we begin the big reveal...

 

[robd]

Define "expensive".
We all have a different view on when something is expensive or not, based on our personal situation.

Anything more than £40.00 say?

< £40... :Y:

= £40...

> £40...

Definitive enough for you?

 

[DennR]

Hi Oknotsen,

am sure you are right with your reply to my comment but really I think Trainz drivers with a particular obsession about a region or operator will usually have more information that is generally available. I would like to think N3V might wish to give them the chance to customize basic cab (interior) files to match their individual knowledge.

Bob

 

[amigacooke]

I hope Mac Trainz 2 doesn't mean that I'm going to have to pay for what PC users got for free and much earlier.

 

[normhart]

Frankly this whole thing scares me. TS12 SP1 HF1, 2, 3 was a complete disaster for me. It cost me a lot of time and a lot of money (new PC) and added little other than marketing "features" and incompatibilities into the product.

The map appears to only contain two new products; the vertical purple line and the star on the green line which is presumably a new product. While it is interesting that there are so many planned features on all the new lines it is also very scary given my recent experience with what N3V considers features. Even more worrying is that there is no planned content, surely the creation of content is as at least as important as "features".

Can't say that I'm very excited, more like hoping the game doesn't get broken even more.

Edit: Sorry that this all sounds very pessimistic. I really love the game and hope things turn out well.

 

[jordon412]

The new Cab Mode, with the 'slides' at the bottom right of the screen, caused me to use Cab mode more than ever before. However, I still use DCC Mode when I'm driving steam locomotives and trains that are considered High Speed Trains (specifically the NEC Philadelphia-Wilmington route included in Trainz 12). Steam locomotives are just too complicated for me to try driving it in Cab Mode. Also there was no tutorial included in Trainz 12 and Trainz 2010: Engineers Edition on how to drive a steam locomotive in Cab Mode, which should have been added to Trainz 12 since you drive a steam locomotive on the Norfolk and Western route included in Trainz 12. I hope that DCC Mode does not go away. Also, another thing I wish was included in Trainz 12 that was included in Trainz 2010: Engineers Edition is that routes found on editions of Trainz before TS2010:EE in Surveyor Mode, which you cannot do in Trainz 12. I use TS2010:EE to get a route from a previous version of Trainz and then save it as a cdp file and then import it into Trainz 12 to work on it in Surveyor.

 

[Pencil42]

Feature guesses:
Extended view distance (distant mountains)
Improved surveyor (change paradigm to select the object and then select the operation to apply - instead of selecting the operation first and hoping it gets applied to the correct object when you click)
DEM integration
Improved support for larger routes in surveyor such as bulk edit tools
Improved steam locomotive effects - tie the smoke generated to the cutoff / regulator states

 

[Paul_Bert]

My greatest wish for the green line is that I can spend more time building and running routes and less time fixing things.

I know there are some people who enjoy the challenge of fixing assets and finding work a rounds, but this takes a skill set that I don't have.

I see in the future the capability to utilize the capabilities of the more advanced computers now available. One such feature would be an increased draw distance. Another feature would be to be able to utilize multiple cores beyond the present two to improve frame rates.

 

[JCitron]

All and all I am excited about the future, but it would be nice to fix what we've got first before building something new.

John

 

[java23]

Well ... it's time now to play with some foolish speculations ...

The star marks the day when all be revealed : next saturday .

The solid lines are the soon (tm) incoming products or features that will be released ... next week !

The doted lines are the products and features that will be released in or after Q1 2014, as TS MAC 2 .

The Purple line is a totally new product, something like a "cloud trainz", running on internet servers, where all kind of trafic could be runned by anybody, continue to run alone and joinable at any time, as a driver, a dispatcher, a surveyor worker ...

The green line is TS 14, with more realistic trains physics : we have moving leaves on the trees ... but we have not adjustable height of pantos when the catenary goes down in tunnels or up at level-crossings ! We have not realistic electric locomotive sounds with specifics shames for traction noise, braking noise, running "on the fly" noise, which in the reality make different stress on the gears, and, therefore make different noises . To continue with realistic effects, dynamic shadows, lights and reflections with all objects . Snow, rain, smoke or treesleaves that are blown up by trains passing by . In one word, this is not a garden simulator : it's a TRAIN simulator : lest's put quality and accuracy in them ! I appreciated too some suggestions from members of our community regarding integration of DEM, import/export of terrain in GMax in order to work with it accurately .

Regarding the purple Y line, well ... this one is very mysterious . Perhaps a mix of the new cloud part and a new game engine ?

Sorry guys to have dreamed so much and made some so delirious suggestions : this thread is the one to do so !!

Cheers,

Philippe

 

[2995Valliant]

I find it interesting that you did not notice (or on purpose left out) that all versions of trainz (after 2004) are showing as a branch and you did not see all new versions of the game as an evolution of the previous . Each version is a station on the main line, the branch showing the content and/or functionality.
In other words: Of course the next version will be an evolution of the previous, no matter what the outcome will be. Nobody will be interested in a version that is in every way less then the previous (unless distributed for free) and I am sure Tony and the rest of N3V will share that opinion. Sure, it might not be (by everyone) experienced as an improvement on each facility of the game, but it should and will be an overall improvement .

Fair point - I think it was just the way I was looking at it this morning where all the earlier iterations fed into the same point and TS12 seemed to me to feed out of the "inner circle" rather than in to it, just because of the fact it is in the present and at a different I suppose. I wholeheartedly agree that evolution is the best way forward for Trainz - I'd hate to see a shiny new game engine but with only a fraction of the content we have now. Anyway, it would render all my payware useless

Anthony