2006 Trainz won't start-I'm new.Please help.

[dashell264]

Hi,
I'm fairly new at this so if I missed any posts relating to my problem, I apologize. I have a Gateway desktop Windows XP-3 up to date with everything including DirectX 9. I successfully downloaded all 5 CD's and try to start the program and get an error message reading "computer is unable to communicate with Trainz." I have the latest driver which is Intel for graphics but Trainz says it supports NVIDIA or ATI.com. I've searched the forum and can't find what I need to know. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. I've tried both OpenGL and DirectX check boxes as instructed in OPTIONS-Display settings,but still no luck. I've tried the DEFAULT button as suggested also,but still can't get the program to start. Thanks for any help.
Dave

 

[davesnow]

Click "Options." Make sure your Vertical Sync and Frequency is set to "auto." Also, make sure your Bit Depth is set to 32. If these settings are like this, (probable the DEFAULT settings) then you may have to play around with different numbers and stuff. Anytime I get the "computer is unable to communicate with Trainz" message it's because I tried to mess with the "Options" settings.

I run with Open GL because, for me, TRAINZ runs better.

Good Luck!

My name's "Dave" too!

 

[FECrailway_Richard]

Hey Dave!

Did Dave's suggestion help?

Fortunately, I never had this problem.

BTW: Welcome to the Trains forum!

I know dashell264, and he is one of the best people that you'll ever know. I hope somone can help him solve this issue.

He also has more railroad knowledge than I could ever hope to have.

Richard

 

[j_maybury]

Dave,
In the TRS2006 folder, look in the folder marked bin there should be a program marked Trainzdiag.exe, run that and tell us, your findings.
And tell us the exact name of your graphics card.

 

[brickbuilder711]

Like Richard said, I know exactly who dashell264 is, online and in real life.

The Dave you guys are helping is one of the best renowned engineers on the Florida East Coast Railway. Richard and I know him well as good friends.

As for 06 help, Sorry, Dave, I can't help you. I use Trainz 09, not 06, and strangely enough never had this problem. I believe Trainzdiag.exe sounds ok, since it is a diagnosis for the problem used for troubleshooting.

 

[shaneturner12]

This may or may not help, but it may also be a registry issue - when did the problem start happening? (especially if a new piece of hardware or an updated driver - especially a graphics driver - was installed) - you may need to do a System Restore back to just before that change (I had the same problem, but mine was related to faulty registry information - I was using Windows XP at the time).

This may or may not apply to you, but it is a possibility.

If you are not sure, just let us know.

Shane

 

[dashell264]

Thanks for all the replies, Dave, Richard, Tolga, Shane. I will try those few suggestions. I'll have to check and see what the bin folder has to say.

 

[dashell264]

I ran Trainzdiag.exe and it shows "OpenGL-unable to test." with a bunch of WARNINGS of OPEN GL failure underneath.

j_maybury;543551]
Dave,
In the TRS2006 folder, look in the folder marked bin there should be a program marked Trainzdiag.exe, run that and tell us, your findings.
And tell us the exact name of your graphics card.[/quote]

 

[shaneturner12]

That sounds like a problem with the graphics card drivers - they may need updating or re-installing by the sounds of things as OpenGL is usually part of the graphics card drivers. (If OpenGL is not working correctly, it may still work in DirectX mode - click Options, then Display Options, then change the display mode from OpenGL to DirectX or vice versa, check the settings on the Advanced Options tab (especially the two drop-down boxes in the middle and the Disable Hardware TL box), click OK, then try to run Trainz again)

This condition can also be caused by other issues including a possible registry issue (does CMP run OK?) as I have heard (and previously had) issues if CMP is not run at least once in some circumstances.

What graphics card is being used? (some integrated graphics cards cannot handle Trainz properly, and some older cards will only run Trainz properly if Disable Hardware TL is ticked)

Failing that, you may need to re-install Trainz (and SP1 as well if you installed it the first time) as this may fix the problem (make sure you copy the contents of the Local folder in the Trainz folder to another location before re-installing)

 

[4ndylloyd]

Hi Dave,

Welcome to Trainz. Just a though on reading your post...what graphics card do you have installed? You say that your graphics driver is 'Intel' which suggests to me that you may have an 'on-board' graphics chip?

If thats the case then this could be a good place to start looking at what's causing the problem - Trainz certainly prefers dedicated graphics cards.

Andy

Edit: Woops! That'll teach me to read everything else first...sorry Shane, I did not intend to ask the same question as you!!

 

[dashell264]

Andy & Shane,

Thanks for trying to assist me. The graphics card I have is Intel 82815 dated April 2002,but I went to Intel's site and they say I have the most current card. It won't update. I've tried the other suggestions you both made and still no luck.

 

[brickbuilder711]

Andy & Shane,

Thanks for trying to assist me. The graphics card I have is Intel 82815 dated April 2002,but I went to Intel's site and they say I have the most current card. It won't update. I've tried the other suggestions you both made and still no luck.

Hmm... It might be the card, but IDK. I'd look over the specs of the game on Auran's website; www.auran.com/trs2006. Then, I'd evaluate the condition of the card. Well, whatever it is, hope to see those FEC trains running soon, ECH style. Anyway, Dave, check your email inbox.

 

[martinvk]

Andy & Shane,

Thanks for trying to assist me. The graphics card I have is Intel 82815 dated April 2002,but I went to Intel's site and they say I have the most current card. It won't update. I've tried the other suggestions you both made and still no luck.

An Intel® 82815 Graphics Controller is the chip, usually embedded in laptop motherboards to handle the graphic output. As was mentioned, Trainz likes to use dedicated graphic cards, especially the NVidia ones. Which model is your desktop? Depending on the age, it should have an open slot for a graphics card, AGP, PCI or PCIe

 

[FECrailway_Richard]

It may turn out that your current graphics cards can't handle the demands of Trainz.

I have only run into slow response or choppy movement when the PC I was using was under-powered. I've added a more powerful graphics card or additional RAM in the past to solve those problems.

You may get the current graphics card to finally work with Trainz after a lot of tweaking, but still have performance issues.

Hey Folks!

How about some good "bang for the buck" suggestions on graphics cards for Dave's computer?

I will be happy to walk Dave through a graphics card installation on the phone if needed.

Richard

 

[brickbuilder711]

It may turn out that your current graphics cards can't handle the demands of Trainz.

I have only run into slow response or choppy movement when the PC I was using was under-powered. I've added a more powerful graphics card or additional RAM in the past to solve those problems.

You may get the current graphics card to finally work with Trainz after a lot of tweaking, but still have performance issues.

Hey Folks!

How about some good "bang for the buck" suggestions on graphics cards for Dave's computer?

I will be happy to walk Dave through a graphics card installation on the phone if needed.

Richard

Richard, I want to ask how these items affect game performance, and whether the card or the RAM helps it any. I have my laptop with 3 GB RAM and some standard Graphics Card with runs OK with TRS but I feel like upgrading it so that I can be running Trainz on the go much more smoothly. Knowing you are a Systems Analyst and work with computers, I can use your help, Richard.

 

[tomurban]

It may turn out that your current graphics cards can't handle the demands of Trainz.

I have only run into slow response or choppy movement when the PC I was using was under-powered. I've added a more powerful graphics card or additional RAM in the past to solve those problems.

You may get the current graphics card to finally work with Trainz after a lot of tweaking, but still have performance issues.

Hey Folks!

How about some good "bang for the buck" suggestions on graphics cards for Dave's computer?

I will be happy to walk Dave through a graphics card installation on the phone if needed.

Richard

Any current Nvidia card with 256mb or more onboard memory. On board Intel chips do not support Open GL. Also recommend at least 2GB of RAM and a P4 or better CPU.

tomurban

 

[FECrailway_Richard]

Richard, I want to ask how these items affect game performance, and whether the card or the RAM helps it any. I have my laptop with 3 GB RAM and some standard Graphics Card with runs OK with TRS but I feel like upgrading it so that I can be running Trainz on the go much more smoothly. Knowing you are a Systems Analyst and work with computers, I can use your help, Richard.

There are websites that describe the features to look for in a graphics card, especially if you are a game player.

Video cards with on-board memory mean that your main computer's resources will not be needed as much.

The combination of processor speed, available RAM memory, and powerful graphics card is why Trainz ran so well on the computer that I bought to the FECRS convention.

When Trainz requires more resources from your system than it has, strange things can happen.

Changing views can cause you train to appear to be operating without tracks. The cab view may appear without the interior at first.

Trainz builds the scenery in front of you as you move and drops the scenery behind you.

Having a large number of unique assets in one location can cause a choppy movement. Some assests have very large file sizes and require more memory.

I once placed every FEC locomotive and every piece of rolling stock in my inventory into Hialeah yard. As I approach the yard my train movement start to chop. Once I past the yard and Trainz started to dump these assests from memory, the choppiness started to disappear.

You can adjust your draw distance, detail level, and fog distance to compensate for computers with lower capacities.

A computer will only operate as well as it's weakest component. Adding one of the latest graphics cards may improve things a bit; but will not totally compensate for an underpowered machine.

Computers, just like your life should have "balance."

BTW: plugging your computer into the 220v instead of the 110v will not double your speed; although your computer will be "SMOKING"!

Richard

Richard

 

[brickbuilder711]

Hey Richard, seems a mother board just came in as part of my laptop repairs. I want to inquire if a motherboard has something to do with game performance, as I am a little blank on that. Thank you very much.

 

[shaneturner12]

I have found that some ATI graphics cards work just as well with Trainz - mine is a ATI Radeon HD 4200 card with 256MB on-board memory (which seems to be running Trainz well apart from the occasional stutter and a strange issue of the time freezing at the end of the first hour sometimes but I think that is due to something else)

I have also found that dual-core (or better) processors with a speed of at least 2Ghz is good for Trainz as the operating system can allocate background tasks onto one of the other processor cores - mine is an AMD Athlon II 2.0Ghz with 4GB memory (Trainz works best with at least 3GB of memory, but the more memory, the better).

(Just to let you know, my system is an acer aspire 5542 laptop in case you want to compare specs)

Sorry if the information given is not helpful for some reason.

Shane

 

[FECrailway_Richard]

Hey Richard, seems a mother board just came in as part of my laptop repairs. I want to inquire if a motherboard has something to do with game performance, as I am a little blank on that. Thank you very much.

The most important feature of the motherboard has is in what it lets you plug into it.

The CPU (central processing unit) chip is the brain that runs the entire works. You can have dual, quad, and even larger numbers of brains working together on one motherboard 16, 32, 64 bit can refer to the number of pathways that data can travel at once or the complexity of the data that can be handled.

When you have very fast processing speed manipulating data over a superhighway of pathways in multiple brains at once, you have ULTIMATE POWER! :udrool: :udrool: :udrool:

The motherboard dictates the type and number of RAM chips that can be placed on the board.

In short, the motherboard does very little by itself for the game performance. But what it does do, is allow the placement of such components such thas the CPU and RAM chips that can have a major impact on the operation of Trainz on your computer.

Richard