New version of Trainz?

I'm using the new version of Train Simulator now. Graphics are about what they were before. Rolling stock looks great but of course it is all payware and Trainz payware looks just as good. There are more shadows but I'm driving a train on a overcast day with rain coming down and the train and the trees are casting shadows from the sun that isn't visible. Oddly, everything cast shadows except the terrain. Trees on the side of the mountain are casting long shadows down the hillside as if the sun was shining through the hill. A lot of vegetation is flickering badly.

William
 
Shadows can only be added to trains and bridges, until we have shadows possible on all objects I would not consider them to be supported. Items like speedtrees and buildings really need shadows, its very hard to make a forest scene where the tracks run through the woods look convincing without the trees casting shadows on the train, same for dense urban areas unless you always want to turn shadows off and set it to dismal cloudy weather....
 
Well, for what it's worth; After reading this thread I went over to my 'other' Windows 7 install (dual-boot pc) where I have the 'other' train sim installed (as well as another copy of TS12) and wouldn't you know... I can't even run their game anymore. I get an error: Failed to create buffer... something or other. This happened even when I was logged in as admin. Thing is, it worked the first time I tried it, after first receiving the 2014 download.
I don't like the Steam concept. It is too restrictive, and far too expensive. They can't even come close to matching the amount of FREE content that Trainz has.

Sure, I've voiced my opinion on the issues we have with Trainz - outdated game engine being the most obvious - but at least whenever I want to play Trainz, it's there... even if I am not online. While I understand that certain N3V content will not work offline, I can still pretty much play the game offline.
And being a veteran with Surveyor, I haven't even attempted to build anything in the 'other' sim. I don't want to be bothered learning a whole new way of doing things, just for a little eye candy (well, maybe animated points aren't just eye candy, but then we do have Andi06 junctions).
I still like to build proto routes using TransDem, so don't think adding the same features directly to Trainz is important. In my experience, 3rd party software that does as good a job as TransDem does should remain 3rd party software.
BTW: I usually trace my routes in GE using the PATH feature, then save it and import to TransDem once I have a DEM loaded. That seems to work better than grabbing all the images from GE and then going through the process of GeoReferencing them in TransDem, and then finally creating the routes with Simple Route Editor. For one thing, I can get much more detail in GE than in TransDem. Second, I don't need (or want) the raster images for the whole route - only the populated areas.

I have used the TransDem feature to create ground textures from raster maps, and it works quite well for a very rough rendering. It does help when painting the 'real' ground textures in Surveyor when you have an idea of what is supposed to be where.

One more thing I would like to see more of in Trainz is detailed buildings. There aren't enough creators doing them. Maybe it's because it's difficult, or maybe for reasons of security. I mean, what would you think if some guy was snooping around your house or factory taking photos from every angle? I would probably call the cops.

Thanks for letting me say my piece.

FW
 
A couple of things you can try to fix the Train Simulator 2014 in Steam. Right click on the game's name and choose Properties > Local Files tab > Verify interrity of game cache. If that doesn't fix it then delete the local files and let Steam re-install it.

William
 
You'd have to show some specs before anyone could definitively say, but every computer that I've owned that was able to ran Trainz 2010 or 12 also ran Train Simulator 2012/2013/2014. Actually, it runs a whole lot better than Trainz for me on average, but that is probably due to inefficient assets with an ungodly amount of polys in a lot Trainz routes.
 
You'd have to show some specs before anyone could definitively say, but every computer that I've owned that was able to ran Trainz 2010 or 12 also ran Train Simulator 2012/2013/2014. Actually, it runs a whole lot better than Trainz for me on average, but that is probably due to inefficient assets with an ungodly amount of polys in a lot Trainz routes.

I find that it's a lot of the much older assets that cause problems due to the way they're created and textured. Add this to the pot along with the huge resource intensive multi-textured Sketchup models, and things can get a bit quirky.

The problem with the older buildings, especially is, they have double-sided faces which cause an increase in processing. A building here and there isn't bad, but when you have a whole slew of them in an area, this can cause performance drops. In case you're wondering, a double-sided faces end up with textures on both surfaces. The Sketch-up models just have not so much a huge number of polygons, which aren't so much a problem, but a gazillion little textures that need loading. This extra I/O causes the drag on the system along with the horsepower drag needed for the double-sided textured objects.

John
 
Forunately, sketchup object are easily fixed in blender.
I made a water tower a while ago, had about 1000+ polygons and 5 textures.
Got it to blender, 400 + something polygons and 1 texture. Works realy nice.
 
I'm dabbling with a new route now; Lake Placid NY. There are only two RR spurs that come anywhere near the place. One comes into Lake Placid itself, while the other terminates at Tahawus, 16 air miles southwest. There are only mountains and passes between the two points, and to my knowledge a rail line never existed connecting the two points. My route will be fictional though, so there will eventually be a line connecting those two points, plus some industries and passenger stations.
The line is fictional, but I used real DEM's and the water and roads are real. I don't think there will be a problem connecting the two points with no more than 3% grade, but I may have to blast a few tunnels and build a few bridges. The hikers aren't going to enjoy this, as I may have to take possession of some of the trails to construct the RR line. But to make up for it, I will put a station at Heart Lake where the lodge is.
Nice thing about a route like this is that, while it is currently 71 X 91 baseboards, there are few buildings to sap resources. Once I have laid all of the track I want to lay, I will begin trimming the baseboard count. If I ever get this route finished, I will try to upload it to DLS, but without an FCT, I don't think that will be possible. My current budget does not permit me to renew my FCT until it goes on sale... (are you reading this N3V? - would make a nice Xmas present to us Trainzers low on cash)

Fw

Edit: Found FCT on sale now, so I purchased a 1yr ticket. Already showing in my Auran account, so it is looking good. Old one expires 10/17, so I won't have a lapse this year. Thanks N3V!
 
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I always have the problem with the Mojave Sub on the desktop that usually is at 20.4 frames per seconds but normally I'm running at a maximum of 200.2 frames per second on a route that is not to big
 
I guess only Greg Lane (or maybe John Banks) can answer why they decided to call it "Trainz" rather than something else. Probably because at the time it was a catchy title, they didn't want to upset MS who already had "Train Simulator" and it would provide something of a unique identity for a product which (at least in the beginning) was intended as being different from the other similar products kicking about.

It was called Trainz because it was to be a part of a series of electronic collectible products under the brand name "koolthingz". At the time I was intending to do a number of products including a slot car style game (carz) and a model train set. The initial idea was to digitally sell assets (now its done all of the time, but back in early 2000 that was quite a bold idea). So for example a train with a running number of AB1234, that would actually exist in the real world, would exist in a koolthingz collection as a single digital asset; in order words who ever owned it owned the only digital copy of that running number. My idea was to build a repository/auction site for assets so that they could be traded. Perhaps the closest thing to the idea now is the digital collectible card games that exist. Of course when I first voiced this idea there was somewhat of a public outcry; much understatement there :) Needless to say the idea was dropped.

Anyway, as time moved on the name had stuck and the logo established and it didn't make sense to change it, so I just went with it. It is interesting though that some 20 years after I had the idea of what Trainz was to be, much (if not all) of the ideas now exist in one product or another.

It is great to see the guys at Auran/N3V still producing great Trainz products after all these years and I wish them every success with this latest version.

Greg Lane.
 
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