Another scripting question

[srude]

Greetings all;

The scripting function, was, I believe, introduced in TRS2004. Then this ability was taken out of TRS2006. Now it is back in TRS2009.

Does anyone know what caused this peculiar turn of events?

Just curious.

Thanks,

srude

 

[john259]

Scripting (the marketing department's euphemism for programming) can take several forms in Trainz. They all use the same C-like language (called TrainzScript or GameScript), but in very different ways.

Scenario scripting is fully supported in TRS2004. As you say, support for it was dropped in TRS2006 onwards and only very highly advanced experts can access it in those versions. I don't know how much if at all it's supported in TS2010. Trainz Pro Routes' SCS (Scenario Creation System) is an alternative approach to creating user activities, with versions available for TRS2004 and TRS2006 but according to reports the TRS2006 version is sadly broken by changes in Trainz in all but the earliest versions of TS2009. I think there might be plans for a new SCS for TS2010.

Asset scripting and the scripting of Rules and Driver Commands are all fully supported in TRS2004 and all later versions.

John

 

[Smileyman]

@srude:
Scripting was brought in before TRS2004.
Rules and Driver Commands was brought in with TRS2004, and Auran said at the time there was room for both systems.

In truth, Auran didn't support scripting as well as they should have when TrainzScript was first introduced, and even those of us who were already programmers found it very hard to get the required information from them regarding the API, and getting them to fix aspects of the API that were badly broken was virtually impossible.

It was soon clear that real scenario scripting was taking a back seat to Rules and Driver Commands.
Whilst I do like the system (check out my Driver Commands and Rules on the DS), I think Auran missed a great opportunity to take on MSTS with a built-in scenario builder.

With TS2010 I think Auran have shown that even with just using the Rules and Driver Commands, excellent scenario-like stories can be created, but only if enough effort is put in.

Auran have always said that anything that can be done in scenarios can be done in Sessions, which most of us scripters laughed at at the time, but I think that we are pretty much there with the latest version of Trainz.

If you don't want to get into scripting just for Trainz, take a look at how some built-in sessions are put together.
With a bit of work, you can get great results.

BTW, the scripting ability was never actually removed from any version of Trainz since Auran introduced it all those years ago.
They have, however, thrown many a curve-ball at us scripters with each new version. :wave:

Smiley.