Lets talk: Trainz and Xbox (or on consoles in general)

H

hiawathamr

DLC developer for Trainz
Since N3V has confirmed that Trainz is coming to Xbox sometime this year from what they shared during the live Trainz days and there are several convosations about it, I figured to start a topic about it.

Personally: I'd like to think the Xbox console will become a nice heater since Trainz on PC and on mobile devices do produce a good amount of heat. I'd like to also think Trainz will lag on Xbox as we know Trainz likes to lag on PCs.
What are your thoughts?

Cheers
 
Trainz already runs quite happily on Android devices (my Samsung Galaxy phone for example) without generating a nuclear fusion reaction. The secret here is that it is not the same GPU intensive version that you now get with Trainz Plus and TRS22. They have cut everything back to the level of TRS06 (or earlier).

One of my DLS routes, for example, is supplied with the Trainz Simulator 3 for Android ("Aussie Outback"). They took my original TRS2006 version of that route and "dumbed it down" even further so that it would run on Android. I did ask why the more recent TRS12 release of that route was not used and they (N3V) replied that TRS12 was "too advanced" for Android.

It is possible that an XBox version could be similar.

On the question of which is the better platform for gaming, a PC or a console (such as the XBox), opinions will vary. On my limited survey of web sites dealing with this very vexing question, most came out giving the PC a slight advantage over consoles due to your ability to upgrade the hardware in a PC to meet the increasing technology demands of games and due to the wider range of available games.

My opinions.
 
Peter, I'm going to guess that you don't have any experience with a modern Xbox unit. The Xbox Series X has no problem running modern AAA graphic intensive game titles. And it does it in 4K at 120 FPS. Believe me Xbox games do not need to be dumbed down. What has always held back the Xbox has been Microsoft's demand for exclusivity from game publishers and its price of games. With the average price of a new Xbox title around $70 most users are funneled in to the Xbox game pass subscription service. I'll let CoPilot tell you the details.

The Xbox Game Pass offers several subscription options, catering to different preferences. Here are the details:


  1. Xbox Game Pass for Console: This plan provides access to a vast library of games for $10.99 per month. You can enjoy hundreds of high-quality games on your Xbox console.
  2. Xbox Game Pass for PC: If you’re primarily a PC gamer, this plan grants you access to a diverse collection of games for $9.99 per month. Play on your Windows PC and explore a variety of titles.
  3. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: For the ultimate gaming experience, consider the Ultimate plan. It combines both console and PC access, along with additional perks like EA Play membership and cloud gaming. The cost for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is $14.99 per month2. Plus, you can enjoy new games on day one from Xbox Game Studios and other publishers

Not exactly $5 for an Android app. And now that Microsoft has swallowed Activision / Blizzard and their game catalogs it is a very attractive platform to support. Plus their recent announcement that they are dropping the exclusivity requirement on some Xbox Game Pass levels opens the door for small publishers to climb on board and still offer direct sales to users.
 
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If it generates more money for N3V and as a result keeps the PC game at an acceptable price (granted, I didn't check recently), I am all for it.
 
I wonder if this has anything to do with the mention of Trainz Online World that was briefly posted and then disappeared from the website. Maybe an entirely online streaming version of MPS where you create and run Trainz Plus with your friends. The vibe of most console gaming is competitive play against other people with some sort of ranking system. Although, there are many games that are not violent that do well. Dinkum is one such game with an Aussie theme to it. https://www.playdinkum.com/
 
MasterTracklayer said:
Can`t say why, exactly, but I don`t care for a competitive ranking system for Trainz. Perhaps, in part, because it will emphasize parts of the game that I`m not interested in?
Click to expand...
Trainz isn't exactly what most people think of as a console game. But moving it to a console would certainly explain certain changes in Trainz Plus. Maybe on a 85" 8K TV you can see those tiny little menu dots in Surveyor 2.
 
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I`d like to run Trainz on my large-screen monitor, but the monitor cannot be connected to the only machine I`ve gotten Trainz22PE to run properly on, and I`m having trouble getting it running on the system the monitor does connect to. However, I don`t think that my large-screen monitor would enlarge those tiny labels any anyway. The issue with the tiny type isn`t the size of the monitor so much as it is on the PPI of the device. Is the pixels per inch on those eighty-five inch televisions any lower than the standard 98 or so pixels per inch on standard computer monitors? If it isn`t, the text will display as tiny for them as it does for us.
 
Today's console have quite respectful graphic but the majority of games render what is happening about the player which compared with Trainz has a relatively limited depth of field.
From a Trainz driving experience I should think that the graphics would look really impressive, however as Trainz tries to cache as much of a route as it can some of which are a considerable size, increased many fold by the use of HD terrain, I somehow wonder if the console will provide the same experience to the Trainz builder frequently moving around their route or the driver who perhaps like to keep changing locomotives. If the big plans for TS3 come to fruition it may well provide an insight to what could/maybe in the future for a console version of Trainz. Peter
 
a console trainz will likely just be an equivalent to that old "trainz driver" mobile game, or at least god i hope that's what they do. otherwise i can't wait to see the DLS get flooded with even more disgusting mobile-style shovelware routes
 
chris2001trainz2010 said:
a console trainz will likely just be an equivalent to that old "trainz driver" mobile game, or at least god i hope that's what they do. otherwise i can't wait to see the DLS get flooded with even more disgusting mobile-style shovelware routes
Click to expand...
No, not really! I don't think NV3 would go through all that trouble to put Trainz on Xbox just to make it equivalent to Trainz mobile. It would have to be more similar to Train Sim World 'TSW' on console, I have the original TSW on console, I really enjoyed the overall gameplay even though it was on the Xbox One 'not Series S | X' current console generations. But it runs fantastic on the Series X, I can assure you!

It would be interesting the type of DLCs that NV3 would choose! I'm kinda hoping for full route of Sydney LOL :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: Or maybe even Brisbane!! The possibilities are endless HAHAHA.. I know, I'm thinking too far outside the box ;) I can still dream ;)
 
But seriously, look at how much of the interface of Surveyor 2 can be done with just the mouse. Most console controllers have the ability to emulate a right mouse click to trigger a context menu. I think this has been in the works for quite a while. I wouldn't be surprise to see it happen shortly.
 
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