An open letter to my fellow Trainz users.

jjslll54 said:
Hi Guys,

What pulled me into this thread is seeing all the old timers that have been with Trainz since the beginning. Been at it since the first retail version came out and still going and Ish, 43 is still young. I fought Leukemia and won. Been in remission for three years now and still going strong at sixty. It's good to still see so many of us still around. I have a couple of models that are just about ready to upload to the DLS so I am still in the modeling business. One of them is a crossover tunnel for loops like the Williams loop on the Feather River Route. I finally got the textures to adhere in the right direction on the model. For some reason Trainz was turning the texture off angle. Will upload soon and make an announcement.

Jack
Click to expand...

Wow, Jack, congratulation, sir, are in order... you've won the war!!!! My mother passed away from cancer back in 2008, so I seen it first hand!

Diabetic here, sir ... long story short kidney doctor for daily check ups every 3-6 months, not to mention eye doctor, etc ... You know the story of this journey! Basically, starving, but overall it's under control somewhat! -- There was a thread here around about these issues a while back, etc

I think that's the magic of trainz, that when we reach a certain age, or we find ourselves battling real life, trainz allows us to get away! I can name a number of people going through really serious rough and tough times right now, but trainz, as they stated to me, is their thing to do to escape real life!

I guess we stick around with trainz, talking about the old veterans who roam the old forum, because it allows us to be creative, create worlds, etc ... to connect again!

@ John (JCitron), Hope all the best on your journey, sir!!!

Ishie
 
Last edited:
jjslll54 said:
What pulled me into this thread is seeing all the old timers that have been with Trainz since the beginning. Been at it since the first retail version came out and still going and Ish, 43 is still young.
Click to expand...

I've always loved the presence of experienced and/or older trainzers here. I'm only 16 years old, so the advice and support I've gotten from many of you guys really makes an impact on me.

Cheers
 
Same here I was only 11 years old when I first join the community back in 2004 back when it was still Auran in charge and I've seen alit of faces come and go and I must say it's been a roller costar ride all the way. Now I'm 22 years old and turning 23 soon and I sometimes miss the cheerful setting this forum had back in the day.
 
I haven't been here (either in the forums or on this Earth) as long as some of our other Trainz veterans - I joined (with my first account) around the time of the Great Forum Crash (and spent the first few weeks unable to ask for help on how to download anything).

In my experience, however, I believe that there may be a little bit of rose-tinting going on here.

In my time with Trainz, I saw 2006 lambasted for its perceived inferiority to 2004, then Classics lambasted for its perceived inferiority to 2006.
I've seen waves of "noobs" come and go, and the ensuing negative backlash from the established users (sometimes partaking in the backlash myself, and earning myself a couple of "vacations" for some regrettable behavior).
I've seen many established community members (including popular content creators) quit out of their frustration, with some coming back and others moving on.

In short, I guess what I'm trying to say is that, in my opinion, the general tone of the forum has more or less remained similar over the last eight or nine years.
The names have changed, but the core has stayed the same.

That said, this isn't an attack on Narrogauge or his thread.
For you see, the other consistent aspect of the community is that users like him have always taken an active role in trying to encourage an atmosphere of civility and respect on the forums.

Many of the "noobs" I (and others) once chastised are now firmly integrated members of the community, a couple of them are even popular content creators.
Several of the Trainz versions that once drove users leave out of frustration are now fondly remembered as the standard to which future releases should be held.

In the end, we must remember that the past was always a mix of good and bad, and that we need to always take an active role in ensuring a constructive, functional and friendly community.
 
A forum is by nature a very wide situation and so many different personalities and assessing. I dare say that no matter how good with words a person can be in person it does not always come over the same way in print as they are words not voices,facial expressions and so on. Although i have came across th odd emotional waffling I have found the overwhelming situation as one of being positive. In any query I have had I get answers and help and only once did I get a mouthy ignorance after a harmless query. I just shrug my shoulders at such and since I discovered Trainz at the TRS04 level years ago have never looked back.

When occasional health bouts rise i get into Trainz as a good prescription for getting over the hiccups. Of course there will be the odd extremities from individuals but they are not of the rate to dent a great simulator and hobby. And anyway if something gets too hot then the mods will deal with it. So we are all a cross section of life as in any hobby and it is Trainz that brings us all together so remember that and treat such as more important than the occasional over the top banter.
 
Thanks, Peter, for posting your views. At 73, I feel the same way. I've only been here on the forum for 11 years, but there definitely has been a shift in general tone ad deportment of persons on threads. I won't say 'youngsters' because not all of them are young. I won't say 'oldsters' because not all of them are old. The common thread is rapping out a message on the keyboard and hitting the 'Post" button without engaging their brain. I've been guilty of this, and so have each and every one of us at one time or another.

The value of the game has increased by leaps and bounds in many ways. I have no real opinion of T:ANE. Seeing all the negative comments gives me chuckles more than anything else. I'm a programmer, hardware engineer, and systems designer - and have been for over 50 years. This means going from punched cards and TTYs to touch screens and wireless keyboards. Everything, to me, is an upgrade. Why not Trainz?

I lurk around here now more than anything else, but I'm still here.

Bill
 
I think I represent the - lets say - younger citizens of Trainz at 17. It's quite interesting hearing from the people who bought the first copies of Trainz back 17 (I think!) years ago, and shows that the game is supported by a little bit more than 12 year olds, sitting in their bedrooms listening to the latest "bangin' tunes" on their Iphone 36 Z's. I don't really have anything inspirational to say, but still.
Regards,
Chris
 
gooner28 said:
I think I represent the - lets say - younger citizens of Trainz at 17. It's quite interesting hearing from the people who bought the first copies of Trainz back 17 (I think!) years ago, and shows that the game is supported by a little bit more than 12 year olds, sitting in their bedrooms listening to the latest "bangin' tunes" on their Iphone 36 Z's. I don't really have anything inspirational to say, but still.
Regards,
Chris
Click to expand...

I don't quite understand your post -- You're saying you're 17, and you're representing those, who are 17, etc ...

Ok, good luck with that!
 
With all due respect gooner28, no one person represents a generation here. Well all have our individual views and opinions on things, and the only people we represent are ourselves. I sympathize with the dev team purely because I've experienced similar things, but beyond that I can't speak for them.

We are all individuals with our own unique perspective on the world
 
These forums have gone through periods of negativity before - its nothing new and, as far as I can recall, its not more negative now that it has been in the past. As many have pointed out over the years, posters who have an axe to grind are far more likely to post than those who are happy and that tends to skew or "spin" the tone of the forums. Critics and doom-sayers are always louder than optimists - they are the ones who grab the megaphones first.

Over the years I have always been amused by the number of people who post a heated complaint about the "failure" of Trainz (e.g. "Trainz is cr@p because it won't load, run, save - you pick the verb"). Then, after receiving a series of calm, measured questions from other forum users, discover that it was their system, or configuration, or simply a lack of knowledge on their part that was the cause of the problem. Some are decent enough to acknowledge that their original complaint was unwarranted but many simply remain silent.

Likewise, there are those who insist (often loudly) that Trainz 2004 (or 2006, or 2010, or TC2, or TC3) was the best version and that its all been "downhill" since then. Likewise TS12 SP1 HF4 has a small core of megaphone critics. I expected that nothing would be different for T:ANE. Personally, I am glad that N3V gave me the opportunity to test the beta versions - bugs and all.

I think it is true that people no longer have the trouble-shooting skills or patience that those of my generation needed to survive with computers in the 1980s and 90s. Today they expect that instant 24/7 help will be available for their lifetime and all for the product purchase price of $12.95 ! These people also think that N3V has a large call centre based in Mumbai - heck I just tried to call my Telco (the largest here in Oz) over a billing problem and was forced to wait in a long queue that was not moving. I gave up and will go to one of their shops in the local Mall where I can stand in a real queue - why doesn't N3V have shops in the local malls?

My spleen is now vented.

Peter
 
Last edited:
I never meant to say that I represent all 17 year olds, I just was trying to put a bit of humor into things, which is probably why it wasn't funny. Never mid.
Regards,
Chris

Oh yeah, I am (or was) an arsenal fan!
 
gooner28 said:
I never meant to say that I represent all 17 year olds, I just was trying to put a bit of humor into things, which is probably why it wasn't funny. Never mid.
Regards,
Chris

Oh yeah, I am (or was) an arsenal fan!
Click to expand...

Sometimes the humor part gets lost in the typing. :)

John
 
As long time Trainzer and content creator, there was and still is a part of me that says blow it all up. I more than understand why they keep backwards compatibility BUT it ultimately holds up the future or slows it down. I would be in favor of making it easier to make the models still (Those created in 3D) with little to minor adjustments vs the whats on DLS.

Yes there would be a lot of people upset but the awesomeness that will come from it will begin to shine. There has to be a point when 13yrs of content can't be pushed into something new, we all lose when that happens unfortunately.

Jaleel
 
Good on you LandShark229, you're only 16 but I'm 76 and every day, I learn something new from the Trainz Forum, which helps me in so many ways. So, always keep your eyes and ears open and we'll both continue to learn more than we ever thought possible. Cheers,
Roy3b3
 
Hi all.

I guess all of us are guilty of bad posts at one time or another. I do agree though that there does seem more of a negative vibe on here at the moment. Yes, like most people I am disappointed with how TANE is looking at the moment, but lets all realise that this is the building block for all future versions!

If none of the new features get added, then lets all moan. At the moment the small team still need support from us, and if no support then why bother? If I was Tony H, at this moment, I would tell you all to do one over the lack of support! Still, that's my opinion so please be thankful I'm not him :hehe:.

I'm still hopeful of the future of TANE and look forward to what may come in the months ahead. Come on people, instead of moaning at the team, lets all create (at least) a new route showcasing the best of Trainz! Just look at all the screen shots of routes that have never seem release but people like to show off! (myself is guilty of this!).

Best regards.
CaptEngland.
 
He prefers the people who play Railworks, yet he's still trolling the Forums here away with no remorse for his actions. He constantly has said how much he prefers Railworks, but he's still here.

Gooper (?), if you like Railworks better, go troll them, not us.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
“An Impressive Train Simulator for Enthusiasts”
Replies
0
Views
203
magma8910
M
D
The greatest additions/revamped workings/changes to Trainz in the last few years
2
Replies
22
Views
2K
Paulsw2
P
J
An Open Letter to N3V
9 10 11
Replies
212
Views
21K
boleyd
B
A
Explanation about Trainz Forum's threads
Replies
7
Views
468
oknotsen
O
J
My Continuing Saga of CTD's
Replies
10
Views
494
JackDownUnder
J
Back
Top