A Sad End to an Epic Run for Me with Trainz.

S

skittlekicks

New member
With all of these issues I am now facing and no way to revert the game to SP4 I now have to sadly give this up. I've logged over 1200 hours since Sept 24 (that's about 11 hours of daily building), and major errors like this are a deal breaker for me. While I have enjoyed this game immensely, the level of things breaking is far exceeding my own technical knowhow. Even in my 20+ years in the IT professional world nothing in that field would break so badly as to ruin an entire project. Heck LSPDFR broke less than this game now has (and that broke ever update the core game had).

Trainz 22 PE has become horribly unstable after taking this update, and has rendered my hard work useless. Sadly with all of the backups I have they are post SP5 (those that are pre SP5 will fail or cause more issues). Rebuilding the database, or reinstalling assets did not help one iota. Having to come to the sad conclusion that I have wasted money (buying DLCs and a one year FCT), time, and certainly a lot of sleep as an owner of Trainz

You can blame old DLS assets for much of these issues I am sure. Any DLC that is not up to par should be be removed until they are updated. People pay money for stuff that is expected to work. DLS items older than the current supported should be removed or archived.

I was naïve to believe that Trainz was the best out there. Perhaps at one time, but my experience is very tainted now. While I can move on to other train games (such as Railroader), none offer a true sandbox experience as Trainz has. In slosing I should have listened to my guy after reading the disappointment other users had for this game. N3V needs to do better as a developer. Railroader has a team of 5 and is leaps bounds ahead of Trainz even as an early access game. That says a lot about the direction Trainz has taken in recent times.

Yes I get this was a massive update, and I fully expected issues, but nothing prepared me for the amount of lost work I now face.
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect 'numsh4_5' not found on asset '<kuid2:506034:521642:2> "JR SL(05) 1-H bridge 10ft"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect 'numsh4_5' not found on asset '<kuid2:506034:521640:2> "JR SL(06d) 2-H bridge 15ft"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect 'numsh4_5' not found on asset '<kuid2:506034:521640:2> "JR SL(06d) 2-H bridge 15ft"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect 'numsh4_5' not found on asset '<kuid2:506034:501781:1> "JR SL(05)+head 1-H center 20ft"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect 'numsh4_5' not found on asset '<kuid2:506034:521640:2> "JR SL(06d) 2-H bridge 15ft"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect 'numsh4_5' not found on asset '<kuid2:506034:521640:2> "JR SL(06d) 2-H bridge 15ft"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect 'name' not found on asset '<kuid2:523:1972758:1> "CNJ BlueComet Diner"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect 'map1-4' not found on asset '<kuid2:378673:101659:1> "BN P-S 50_6ft Boxcar"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect 'map1-4' not found on asset '<kuid2:378673:101659:1> "BN P-S 50_6ft Boxcar"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect 'map1-4' not found on asset '<kuid2:378673:101659:1> "BN P-S 50_6ft Boxcar"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect 'skin1' not found on asset '<kuid:648132:105757> "42ft Log Car ERSX Red"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect 'skin1' not found on asset '<kuid:648132:105757> "42ft Log Car ERSX Red"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect 'skin1' not found on asset '<kuid:648132:105759> "42ft Log Car ERSX Black"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect 'skin1' not found on asset '<kuid:648132:105759> "42ft Log Car ERSX Black"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect 'name' not found on asset '<kuid2:523:1972758:1> "CNJ BlueComet Diner"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect '442wappen' not found on asset '<kuid:500749:310113> "BR 843-3-2T"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect '442wappen' not found on asset '<kuid:500749:310110> "BR 443-8 2T"'
- <NULL> : MeshObject::SetFXTextureReplacement> effect '442wappen' not found on asset '<kuid:500749:310109> "BR 443-3 4T"'
- <NULL> : VE242: Unable to load animation file 'anim.kin' (file not found, or is damaged).
- <NULL> : VE242: Unable to load animation file 'anim.kin' (file not found, or is damaged).
- <NULL> : Failed to download precached data for package 'sc565f_1' at version '12345' for platform 'standard-31'

Also include the info I posted earlier on the interlocking towers because that's where it all started.

Those of you who have been with Trainz since the beginning you have my respect, because you have a lot more patience than I.

SkittleKicks
 
skittlekicks said:
Those of you who have been with Trainz since the beginning you have my respect, because you have a lot more patience than I.
Click to expand...
Yes, indeed. Since the stuttering difficult-to-start-playing Trainz 1.3, the I-will-but-I-can't UTC period, the promising -hard-to-install-and-maintain TRS2004, the innovative but eternally patchable TRS2006 -which I personally was very involved in-, the less interesting sequelling Trainz Classics series, the disappointing disguised-as-modernity TRS 2007, the legacy-foe TRS2010, the ageing graphics-engined TRS 2012 refurbished as fake brand new, the too petulant but tiring TANE experience leading to the really brand-new-engined TRS 2019 and finally to the hopeful TRS22/Plus. A 22-year startrek across the universe of virtual model railway experience which cost sight, family life, marriage disfunctions and sleeping time to some of us, but still worthy of staying loyal to the Trainz experience. Sometimes it's been hard to stay loyal, I assure you, we are a certain kind of survivors... 😂 Even surviving the different payrolls at the Brisbane headquarters and their fixes to updates and fixes!!!! :D

The soursweet side of trainzing for long years of Alberte :D
 
I bought TRS22PE and used it for a while. Kept doing strange things. I've since gone back to TS2019 for building and operation.

Bill
 
Once I finally peeled the layers of the onion, I mean TRS-Plus SP5, I've got things back to normal. The fishtank has settled down and the fish are happy again.

The improvements are subtle in this release. I noticed that the Scrapbook acts spiffier and so do the tools. Painting the scrapbook data and effect-layers is much faster and doesn't cause weird things like the previous version. Last night I gave my busy Gloucester Terminal Electric route a whirl and the framerates are excellent, much smoother than before with zero stutters even in the busy freight yard where I have lots of freight cars and locomotives.

Looking at the error messages @skittlekicks, these are easily resolved. Being a DLC or built-in asset, you need to highlight the asset(s) in Content Manager and then choose Revert to original and or View errors and warnings. This occurs after the database repair when updating.

I do agree with you that N3V could do something better. Their development team isn't much bigger if not somewhat smaller than that for Railroader but I feel they've been focusing on fun stuff again and not really addressing bugs including long standing ones that always seem to be missed. Like Alberte, I too have been at this going on 22 years there have been worse releases, although this one has a lot to be desired.
 
I'm still mostly using 2019, my experiences in 2022 are less than stellar, I was sent an update DEM for my Alpine tunnel route with an extra 13 miles ( it had to be height modified and that could only be done in 2022) . The extension was so dark I can hardly view it, for some reason it was fine in the senders version, dark as the inside of a cave in mine. .
No way I'm updating it until this new version is more stable.

Mind you , 2019 also has issues, I have sp4, not 5. I've never come across such a buggy program as Trainz. I know some people will have no problems, thst is wonderful, however , althougth Ive heard that mantra many many many many times previously , that doesnt invalidate the poor expeiences with all the other people who do have issue and who leave the game prematurely when updates break the app for a while.
 
paulper said:
Surveyor 2.0 is brilliant and has saved me countless hours. Aside from the track object to spline issue (easily resolved) I’ve had no problems with SP5
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OK, so the spline issue is easily resolved. If it was so simple why was the update sent out without being checked for such easily identified errors and having been identified, and so easily rectified, why have the powers that be not corrected their error?
 
pitmilly said:
OK, so the spline issue is easily resolved. If it was so simple why was the update sent out without being checked for such easily identified errors and having been identified, and so easily rectified, why have the powers that be not corrected their error?
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Have you ever written any software and then tried to de-bug it. it is not an easy thing to do....
The more complicated the software the harder it is to try and de-bug.

There is always somebody who's system will find out that bug and give that user HELL.... that is when you should send it a bug report and hopefully that person will not be the only one.... the more people who send it bug reports the easier it is to find.

As with any software, if you fix something, then somewhere along the code something else will break....

It is a no win situation.... Dammed if you do and Dammed if you don't.
 
WestSideRailways said:
As with any software, if you fix something, then somewhere along the code something else will break....
Click to expand...
That is why debugging is never as simple as finding the problem and "fixing it". The code that you "fixed" may be used by other routines (especially if the code is in a driver or library) that would be expecting a return value that may now have changed because of the "fix". How much testing do you need to perform to eliminate all the possible (and often unexpected) consequences of the change you have just made?

The pressure is always on to get the update out as soon as possible and often that means before all the testing has been completed. Who would want to be a programmer, especially in the high pressure area of gaming? No matter what you do there will always be complaints and bugs.
 
WestSideRailways said:
Have you ever written any software and then tried to de-bug it. it is not an easy thing to do....
The more complicated the software the harder it is to try and de-bug.

There is always somebody who's system will find out that bug and give that user HELL.... that is when you should send it a bug report and hopefully that person will not be the only one.... the more people who send it bug reports the easier it is to find.

As with any software, if you fix something, then somewhere along the code something else will break....

It is a no win situation.... Dammed if you do and Dammed if you don't.
Click to expand...
Yes WSR and pware,
I can agree with both your viewpoints, but I wasn’t the individual making the claim “that the spline issue was easily resolved”.
 
pitmilly said:
Yes WSR and pware,
I can agree with both your viewpoints, but I wasn’t the individual making the claim “that the spline issue was easily resolved”.
Click to expand...
Guilty, your honour! However, I meant for users. I was not making a point that it would be easy for the programmers to fix. I simply have no idea whether it is easy or not!
 
paulper said:
Guilty, your honour! However, I meant for users. I was not making a point that it would be easy for the programmers to fix. I simply have no idea whether it is easy or not!
Click to expand...
Plea accepted - case closed. However, I still believe that the sentiment expressed in the last paragraph of John Citron’s post #8 applies.
 
My daughter is skilled at writing code and was a consultant software trouble shooter for a while until the stress of the job made her toss it away. Bone head management who haven't a clue about computer coding and want everything done instantly are the bane of good well written code. She often told me that she could not believe how much some businesses had paid for a load of utter garbage that was never tested properly and was as buggy as hell.
She still does some code trouble shooting from time to time for friends who are Indie gaming developers. In her opinion there's no excuse for using your customer base to find problems with software that was pushed out the door in too much of a hurry. Some of you have said that the problems with SP5 were easily resolved, - well lucky old you for knowing how to do that. For other folk who lacked such skills it was a horror show and brought them to the edge of binning Trainz and walking away from it forever.
 
N3V = Complete breakdown in quality control. Been like this since they bought Auran, which itself suffered the same breakdown.
 
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