How did you discover trainz?

I discovered trainz 2004 on my cousins computers years ago. I asked him about it and he said it was just some crappy game. I played it for a while and had to leave. I asked him for the disk, but he told me he lost it. :/ Forgot about it. Found a video on trainz 2012 about 1 week ago, and was amazed by how the series had evolved. And so i bought it. Had i not played it on ym cousins computer, i probably would have never decided to buy trainz 2012.

So how did you all stumble across trainz?

I forget when RailRoad Tycoon2 came out. I was looking for TUT on how to play when I came across what I think was the 1st Trainz web page. The page had a couple of loco pictures that you could rotate.
I didn't buy until TRZ 2004 and was really disappointed to find the turntable rule did not work.
The code was there but not activated until 2006
I bought 06 and just could not figure out the CM and never did run trz 2006.
Come to think of it I don't do much with TRZ12.
I wasted some money and had very little FUN..just fixing assets and
trying to help others when I can.

I was using MSTS and purchased the PaintShed add-on for MSTS. I then checked out the URL for www.auran.com and tried the demo. This was back in 2001 or so and my old computer had trouble playing it. I kept following the product, and when TRS2004 was announced, I got that in December 2003 from CompUSA for $29.99. I've been using the program ever since, having upgraded to the more recent releases as time has gone on. There are a lot of improvements made over the years, but then also a lot of setbacks which I have found.

Even with it's bugs, it's still a great program and extremely addicting to use.

John

A small article back in about 2001 in the UK magazine PC Gamer. I still haven't finished two routes I planned back then.

At EB Games In A Mall. Saw the first release for $10 and said, "Why Not"

Was on a MSTS web site that also had Trainz so I found it at a store for $25, MSTS was $75 and $15 for the book. MSTS had just done one of it's crash to desktop for no reason.

My son gave me TRS2006 for $15 at BestBuy ... That started me off on my addiction.
I oftentimes stayed up all night, for 36 hours straight, quit my job, and stayed home and played Trainz ... Work was no fun anyway ... So I just dint' go in ... I don't like paying bills much, so I'm just not going to pay them either.

I found a new TRS2004 disc in the UK on EBay for $19.

I bought TS10 boxed disc for $19.95 when it was on sale at N3V Sim Central

I bought TS12 boxed disc for $12.99 at JR when it was on sale, and got a free $20 loco thrown in, for free.

My first railway sim was MSTS which I picked up in a charity shop, along with 4 or 5 of the add on packs, for a fiver. I played it for a while, before concluding that it should have been called MS Train Driver, as there didn't seem much that could easily be done.

My next was the other sim (which name shall not be mentioned here). I found out during the install that I needed a Steam account to run it. Well, Steam is free, so I thought "Why not?". \same thing - just a driver.

Then I saw Trainz 2006 in a pre-owned shop we have here in the UK, called the Computer Exchange, for £3, so I got it home. Have you ever walked through a busy city centre on a Saturday afternoon carrying a bright red bag, with the initials "CEX" written on it in bright white and very large letters? I got some strange looks. That's when I got hooked.

Trainz 2009 was acquired the same way, but this time I had my own bag. And this became my favoured addictive drug, and still is in many ways.

Then, while in Steam one day, I saw Trainz2010 and 3 DLC packs on sale, so I got them. Realised soon enough that there would be patching problems (through reading the forums), so TS12, and another copy of 2010, came direct from N3V and I've never looked back.

I had Trainz Driver 2010 on an old machine, kind of liked it but I was really looking for a model train builder. Looked at MSTS, concluding it looked a llittle phony, but thought it was just another driver program. Then someone on the flightsim newsgroup mentioned Trainz 2012. Up to that point I never realized it was also a layout creator. The answer to my dreams! I missed the sale but bought it anyway, been immersed in it for two years now.

-Vic

It was a news report on the TV 6pm news bulletin. The report was about a Brisbane based company (Auran) that had just released a model train simulator - version 1.3 believe it was. The news desk anchor, after the report, stated that she was now going to go out and buy one. I was always interested in trains - had used Railroad Tycoon and other low level graphic freeware simulators but trains was my first "real" simulator.

I was happily using "Mechanik EN57" and "Boso View Express" until Microsoft Train Simulator came along. However, Auran's web site was fascinating with a new "3D Locomotive Render" every week and I remember keeping an eye on it every week until "Trainz" was launched when I bought the very first editions. It required patching shortly after to SP1.

It wasn't long before "SP3" was launched and I bought that, together with Paint Shed. Then Ultimate Trainz, TRS2004, TRS2006, Trainz Classics 3 (my favourite so far), TS09, TS10 and now TS12. I haven't subscribed to the future Trainz because I do not agree with the use of DRM technology.

I was just walking down the street one day and it come up behind me and kicked me in the ass.


edit: No actually, I had been using MSTS for a couple of years and grew tired of it. I saw TS2006 one day and bought it. But it was probably 5 or 6 months before I opened the package!

I was a longtime model railroader before moving to Thailand. Over here it is unbelievably expensive so I though I would give up the hobby. I had MSTS, but it just didn't cut it for me at the time back in the states as I never felt the suspension of disbelief that my models gave me. One day at school during my break I felt the need for a little train fix so I did a Google search and got my first look at TS10 screen shots and I was curious. Next I found this forum and I was impressed with how the community helped the noobies enter the hobby, much like my old model railroad clubs did. I learned how I could have access to the DLS and all the great assets for free, but a FCT would turn out to be a must have. Last, I learned that it would be possible to create my dream layout in real size and drive the train from inside the cab (secret dream of every model railroader).

I have been building my fictional route the Levi & Appalachian for over 2 years now with help from TransDem and this forum I have enjoyed returning to my first love...Trains! I just hope I will be able to import the L&A into TANE.

Dave

From: http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?110430-Why-do-you-like-trainz&p=1281307#post1281307
When I discovered Trainz, I wasn't actually looking for Trainz. It was a random google search for "Athearn Trainz", then I saw this TRS04 screenshot and was like "ooh what's this?". Rest is history.

After over 40 years of Railway Modelling, I was given TRS2004 by my son for my 75th birthday in 2006. I was always more interested in the scenic side of modelling, especially making buildings (usually from card) so when he showed me TACS/GMax I started creating virtual models, learning the program by trial and error - plenty of the latter. Since then I have never looked back and now (approaching my 83rd birthday next month) have some 1250 assets on the DLS.

It's a great hobby!

Ray

I came to it from a sampler program of one route that Auran put in one of the Aussi computer magazines. I then went out and purchased TRS2006 at my local games shop.

Being a curious soul I had to find out how the various bits worked particularly the meshes and textures. I was able to locate file format descriptions and thus started my interest in tools for the various mesh and texture repairs. I'm still using the first tool I wrote for mesh repairs.. I used it today as part of a stubborn asset repair for the DLS repair scheme. (more unsupported texture types).

:hehe:... On a long voyage trailing Captain Cook down there... I was the on board.

One of these days I'll write the complete story on how the epic discovery was...

The pre-historical recall side of Alberte

I was at the mall with my brother because he wanted to go buy a video game and while in the store I saw the original trainz game for $25. It was about two weeks before I actually got around to playing it and haven't looked back since. Now Ive had Trainz, 2004, 2006 and Rail Driver 2006, and 2012.

flyboy559 said:

I was at the mall with my brother because he wanted to go buy a video game and while in the store I saw the original trainz game for $25. It was about two weeks before I actually got around to playing it and haven't looked back since. Now Ive had Trainz, 2004, 2006 and Rail Driver 2006, and 2012.

Click to expand...

That's a great collection. You should register your versions and they will appear on your route line.

John

JCitron said:

That's a great collection. You should register your versions and they will appear on your route line.

John

Click to expand...

I never registered my original trainz game, being 11 and not knowing anything. I have since lost my copies of trainz, 2004 and rail driver 2006. I did register my copy of 2004 and that was back when you would get a free FCT when you registered a game. I don't know why it doesn't show up on my line.