shaneturner12
Tutorial Creator
Moderators - if this is in the wrong place, please move it to the correct place. If anyone at N3V reads this, I'd like assistance in promoting the thread if needed.
Hi Trainzers,
Welcome to my guide on using Trainz for the first time. If anyone else wishes to add anything to this, let me know. Comments are as always appreciated, but please keep them polite and not derogatory.
This guide is mainly for users who do not have access to a Trainz manual, but those who do have one will find parts of this useful as well.
After Installation
The first thing you need to do is to register your serial number. If you haven't got a Planet Auran account yet, click Register above to start creating a Planet Auran account.
If you have already got a Planet Auran account, click Planet Auran (login using your Planet Auran details if needed) followed by Serial Number. You will then have a form to fill in, which will ask for your serial number, the Trainz version, and where you bought it from. Enter your serial number then select the version (note: for TS12, you need to select the correct option for what you have).
Once this is entered, click the button to register your serial number.
Running the game for the first time
Once you have registered the game, you can then start running the game for the first time. Before you do so though, I would advise that you install the relevant patches - see below.
Before launching the game, if you are using Windows Vista,7,or 8, right click the shortcut for Trainz, click Properties, then Compatibility. You then need to tick the box right at the bottom before clicking OK.
The first time the game is run, you will get a hardware check taking place. The best result comes from having all green ticks, but this does not guarantee smooth running of the game.
Once this is done, a Configure Trainz box will appear. Enter the serial number in the box provided (clicking Add if available), then move on the Planet Auran tab.
Next Steps
Once on the Planet Auran tab, enter your Planet Auran username and password in the boxes provided, then click OK. This will cause the Launcher to reappear.
Patching the Game (This will require an active internet connection)
Next thing to do is to click Exit, wait about 5 minutes (2 minutes for TS12), then re-launch the game. The important stage this time will be a Yes/No box - click Yes to start the patching process.
On the next screen that appears, click Run Patcher.
The Auran Patcher screen should then appear. Before clicking Apply Update, check the the folder path at the top matches the folder you chose to install Trainz into. If it is not, click the .. button to open a browse box. This box that can now be used to select the correct folder by selecting the Trainz.exe file in that folder.
Once this is done, click Apply Update. Once the Close button appears, the patch is complete.
Be warned: the patch may take up to a few hours to complete. Do not click Cancel at any point, as clicking Cancel will result in a reinstall being needed. Also, if the patch aborts itself after the Patching... message, this will also require a reinstall.
If you do not get the Yes/No box, a manual patch is required. Make a note of your patch number then visit http://www.auran.com/servicepacks/ to download your patch. Bear in mind that if you have a regional version, you will need to visit the regional distributor's website to get the first patch (with the exception of the Easy Computing version of TS2009 - see the sticky in the Trainz-Dutch forum)
After the Patching
Once the patching is complete, you can then start the Launcher again. If there are more patches to install, you will need to re-do the patching stage for each patch that is needed. Now is the time to configure a few options to get the best performance - click Options, followed by Advanced Options. Make sure the resolution matches your monitor's resolution, and that Disable Hardware TL is not ticked.
Once this is done, click Start. You will probably get an Updating Asset Database box - wait for this to finish. You will then get the main Trainz menu - what you do from here depends on what you want to do with the game.
If you want to add additional content into the game, you will need to click Content on the Launcher (and refer to my sticky in the DLS,FCT forum).
Shane
Hi Trainzers,
Welcome to my guide on using Trainz for the first time. If anyone else wishes to add anything to this, let me know. Comments are as always appreciated, but please keep them polite and not derogatory.
This guide is mainly for users who do not have access to a Trainz manual, but those who do have one will find parts of this useful as well.
After Installation
The first thing you need to do is to register your serial number. If you haven't got a Planet Auran account yet, click Register above to start creating a Planet Auran account.
If you have already got a Planet Auran account, click Planet Auran (login using your Planet Auran details if needed) followed by Serial Number. You will then have a form to fill in, which will ask for your serial number, the Trainz version, and where you bought it from. Enter your serial number then select the version (note: for TS12, you need to select the correct option for what you have).
Once this is entered, click the button to register your serial number.
Running the game for the first time
Once you have registered the game, you can then start running the game for the first time. Before you do so though, I would advise that you install the relevant patches - see below.
Before launching the game, if you are using Windows Vista,7,or 8, right click the shortcut for Trainz, click Properties, then Compatibility. You then need to tick the box right at the bottom before clicking OK.
The first time the game is run, you will get a hardware check taking place. The best result comes from having all green ticks, but this does not guarantee smooth running of the game.
Once this is done, a Configure Trainz box will appear. Enter the serial number in the box provided (clicking Add if available), then move on the Planet Auran tab.
Next Steps
Once on the Planet Auran tab, enter your Planet Auran username and password in the boxes provided, then click OK. This will cause the Launcher to reappear.
Patching the Game (This will require an active internet connection)
Next thing to do is to click Exit, wait about 5 minutes (2 minutes for TS12), then re-launch the game. The important stage this time will be a Yes/No box - click Yes to start the patching process.
On the next screen that appears, click Run Patcher.
The Auran Patcher screen should then appear. Before clicking Apply Update, check the the folder path at the top matches the folder you chose to install Trainz into. If it is not, click the .. button to open a browse box. This box that can now be used to select the correct folder by selecting the Trainz.exe file in that folder.
Once this is done, click Apply Update. Once the Close button appears, the patch is complete.
Be warned: the patch may take up to a few hours to complete. Do not click Cancel at any point, as clicking Cancel will result in a reinstall being needed. Also, if the patch aborts itself after the Patching... message, this will also require a reinstall.
If you do not get the Yes/No box, a manual patch is required. Make a note of your patch number then visit http://www.auran.com/servicepacks/ to download your patch. Bear in mind that if you have a regional version, you will need to visit the regional distributor's website to get the first patch (with the exception of the Easy Computing version of TS2009 - see the sticky in the Trainz-Dutch forum)
After the Patching
Once the patching is complete, you can then start the Launcher again. If there are more patches to install, you will need to re-do the patching stage for each patch that is needed. Now is the time to configure a few options to get the best performance - click Options, followed by Advanced Options. Make sure the resolution matches your monitor's resolution, and that Disable Hardware TL is not ticked.
Once this is done, click Start. You will probably get an Updating Asset Database box - wait for this to finish. You will then get the main Trainz menu - what you do from here depends on what you want to do with the game.
If you want to add additional content into the game, you will need to click Content on the Launcher (and refer to my sticky in the DLS,FCT forum).
Shane