What Makes a Route Great?
- Thread starter USSc1798
- Start date
For me these things can make a route great for sure:
1) the sense of inmersion that you can get from it
2) Being FPS friendly
3) the diversity of landscapes it can hold (for example, one piece representing a german industry landscape, a Dutch port, a Notrh American suburb or the Arabian oil complexes). This can be applied on the design of the lines.
4) The extension. Is not the same to have a layout with 10-20 kilometers of driving length than other one whose total distance is bigger than 240 kilometers, as in the first one you'll easily get bored.
1) the sense of inmersion that you can get from it
2) Being FPS friendly
3) the diversity of landscapes it can hold (for example, one piece representing a german industry landscape, a Dutch port, a Notrh American suburb or the Arabian oil complexes). This can be applied on the design of the lines.
4) The extension. Is not the same to have a layout with 10-20 kilometers of driving length than other one whose total distance is bigger than 240 kilometers, as in the first one you'll easily get bored.
As a newer player (a few weeks), I've found that what brings me back to a route is a balance of scenery and something to do. Obviously people have different tastes, but I like to have industry on the map so I have a goal, as opposed to just cruising around enjoying the scenery. Personally, I like maps that have big enough sidings and yards to hold large 75-100 car trains, with lots of places to to load and unload those cars. I've played some beautiful routes with great scenery, but I get bored just driving forever.
Yes. Pretty scenery makes me sleepy. I have actually dozed off while Trainz train driving on the longer routes as the scenery rolls by only to be met by a sudden red light and end up crashing or SPAD'ing!
I agree with you on the sidings and yards, but you have to be careful here. Longer sidings with loads of railcars means that the game can get a bit laggy and stutter as the meshes load up. If you want to fill up a yard, use lower polygon mesh wagons for the background and put a handful or more active wagons on the closer tracks. T:ANE isn't as bad with this as TS12 or the other older versions are, but still that does need to be considered.
One of things I've run into is lack of sidings on some routes. There's a great double-track mainline full of busy trains but no place to put that local that needs to push some freight cars on to a siding or a place to run around its train to do so. On some routes I've added some extra sidings so the local can stay out of the way while the mainline is busy in those places where there's a lot of industries and places to switch.
Well, the other evening, I assigned the driver the duties of navigating to a trackmark at the end of the mountainous climb on the Ffestiniog / Welsh Highland route, and sat back and enjoyed the scenery.
I dozed off once or twice, but that's all part of the joy I find in Trainz (trainzing can be a great cure for insomnia)! The amazing sweeping vistas from this huge baseboard route blew me away; I didn't realize T:ANE looked this good with all the settings maximized.
Interestingly, I find Trainz very relaxing, not quite as much as kayaking through still waters in the early morning, but fairly close at times. I have found that busy driving sessions just get me flustered, and I soon abandon them. So, I'll mix it all up here and say that a "great route" is going to be just about impossible to nail down to much more than a general consensus!
Hi Dick --
" ... an author who is both an artist and a knowledgeable railroader."
You rang?
Seriously, I'm a journeyman rather than an artist and I know but a little about real railroads. But I try to do my best. Whether my routes and layouts are "great" I'm not sure. But I do think they are interesting and, more importantly, f-u-n.
Phil
" ... an author who is both an artist and a knowledgeable railroader."
You rang?
Seriously, I'm a journeyman rather than an artist and I know but a little about real railroads. But I try to do my best. Whether my routes and layouts are "great" I'm not sure. But I do think they are interesting and, more importantly, f-u-n.
Phil
Routes are a bit like music... ranging from the 3 minute "pop" tune, to the 20 minute prog rock epic, with fevered extended guitar solo and shimmering keyboards. I like to think my route efforts fall in the latter category (especially the concentrated brow line) but there is a place for everything!
As one of the few route creators out there who can claim to truly have a sizable fan base, are you needing affirmation that you routes and layouts are great?
Phil, you routes and layouts are GREAT.
...and yes, they are F-U-N!
ministerfarrigut
Owner of Keaton's Trainz
I revisited this thread because I remembered something. A good route is a fun route. A route that has you exploring every time you visit. Different gradients, track, textures, buildings...and such. It's the creativity behind the building of the route that makes it great.
I have almost all of Phil's old routes running in Tane.
The older routes are a bit light on scenery, but they are heavy on action and the number of sessions he made for them.
The later Industrial routes are heavy on scenery and and action, with the fog in Tane they are even more realistic.
These are all great routes and worth going back and checking them out.
Just want to say, Phil, that your work is much appreciated and look forward to what your fertile mind comes up with in the future.
I have always been a member of the Philskene fanbase.
Cheers,
Mike
The older routes are a bit light on scenery, but they are heavy on action and the number of sessions he made for them.
The later Industrial routes are heavy on scenery and and action, with the fog in Tane they are even more realistic.
These are all great routes and worth going back and checking them out.
Just want to say, Phil, that your work is much appreciated and look forward to what your fertile mind comes up with in the future.
I have always been a member of the Philskene fanbase.
Cheers,
Mike