Driver_Col
Active member
..... I am giving myself permission to publicly "vent" about Trainz! I really believe that, as I enter my 76th year, I am entitled to some expressive latitude so here goes:
Those of us who have created anything for Trainz can probably relate to the following scenario. You load up your first version of Trainz with a degree of trepidation and excitement, and soon realise that, from a creating perspective, it is not too difficult to work with.
So you have been busy creating, and feeling quite pleased with yourself, when a new edition of Trainz is released and which contains a number of apparent improvements. Of course "better" is always attractive to a sim user so you download it with renewed trepidation and excitement. Allowing for a number of initial issues, it quickly becomes your preferred version of Trainz despite some adaptation required for your earlier creations. The adaptation process can be a rather frustrating and perhaps laborious process however, the benefits outweigh the effort involved and soon all is well again.
Then a new edition of Trainz is released and which contains a number of apparent improvements. Of course "better" is always attractive to a sim user so you download it with renewed trepidation and excitement. Allowing for a number of initial issues, it quickly becomes your preferred version of Trainz despite some (once again) adaptation necessary for your existing creations.
There comes a point (at least it did for me), when I have to compare what I have functioning to my satisfaction vs what I could have with the latest version given the necessity to adapt everything once again.
I should perhaps clarify that, as a Route builder, adaptation tends to be a creative exercise rather than a technological one. i.e. if the latest version can make my Routes look better (and subsequently increase my personal pleasure), then I would be remiss if I did not proceed accordingly however, how many times do I want to go through overhauling Routes because of a potential visual improvement? It would appear that I spent as much time (perhaps more time) adapting my earlier Routes to T-ANE than it took to initially create them! As an aside, my Route building started in TRS2004 and proceeded through TRS2006, TC3, etc. etc., so considerable hours have been spent adapting Routes to the later versions of Trainz.
I am now in a rather confused state, no doubt aggravated by my age, where my interest in Trainz is in conflict with itself. I like TC3 because of its relative simplicity, albeit graphically primitive by today's standards. I also like T-ANE which was a giant leap forward to me when compared to its immediate predecessors, and now I have TRS22 (conveniently forgetting TRS19). Whereas TRS22 has some distinct visual advantages over T-ANE, they are not really sufficient for me to get too excited about and therein is my problem ... and the reason for this email.
It is difficult for me to decide to sink many hours into TC3 given its visual limitations. Whereas T-ANE is my initial choice of the version to spend my time with, and given that I have a collection of Routes functioning very well there, logic would suggest I just focus on that version however, and like life in general, it is not that simple because I have found ways to improve my Routes in T-ANE. Unfortunately, it involves a total re-landscaping and texturing exercise on each Route, which are pretty much the same dictates of TRS22. So if I want to improve my Routes, and if both T-ANE and TRS22 dictate a similar workload, then logic would suggest working with TRS22 ... except for that tropical lighting which looks rather out of place on a rural England railway scene. (I noticed a promo video a short time ago by N3V of a UK Route in TRS22. It looked very good, but was a night time setting. Nice way to get around the Australian outback lighting!).
In summary, I can argue with myself and go round in ever decreasing circles without actually committing to a specific direction. My advice from my "other me" is to just work in T-ANE because a T-ANE Route does present itself quite well in TRS22. In contrast, working in TRS22 does not provide any option to go backwards. All very logical, but I do have TRS22 installed, and it does offer some potential. So what was the point of all this? To simply express my frustrations with Trainz knowing very well that a few of you will be able to relate, and also to let you all know that I am taking a mental break from the pressures that Trainz seems to generate.
I really do not envy the N3V team as they have to balance the advantages of new design config and new features against the potential reduction of 3rd Party freeware content, with each new version of Trainz!
Regards to all. A tired Colin!
Those of us who have created anything for Trainz can probably relate to the following scenario. You load up your first version of Trainz with a degree of trepidation and excitement, and soon realise that, from a creating perspective, it is not too difficult to work with.
So you have been busy creating, and feeling quite pleased with yourself, when a new edition of Trainz is released and which contains a number of apparent improvements. Of course "better" is always attractive to a sim user so you download it with renewed trepidation and excitement. Allowing for a number of initial issues, it quickly becomes your preferred version of Trainz despite some adaptation required for your earlier creations. The adaptation process can be a rather frustrating and perhaps laborious process however, the benefits outweigh the effort involved and soon all is well again.
Then a new edition of Trainz is released and which contains a number of apparent improvements. Of course "better" is always attractive to a sim user so you download it with renewed trepidation and excitement. Allowing for a number of initial issues, it quickly becomes your preferred version of Trainz despite some (once again) adaptation necessary for your existing creations.
There comes a point (at least it did for me), when I have to compare what I have functioning to my satisfaction vs what I could have with the latest version given the necessity to adapt everything once again.
I should perhaps clarify that, as a Route builder, adaptation tends to be a creative exercise rather than a technological one. i.e. if the latest version can make my Routes look better (and subsequently increase my personal pleasure), then I would be remiss if I did not proceed accordingly however, how many times do I want to go through overhauling Routes because of a potential visual improvement? It would appear that I spent as much time (perhaps more time) adapting my earlier Routes to T-ANE than it took to initially create them! As an aside, my Route building started in TRS2004 and proceeded through TRS2006, TC3, etc. etc., so considerable hours have been spent adapting Routes to the later versions of Trainz.
I am now in a rather confused state, no doubt aggravated by my age, where my interest in Trainz is in conflict with itself. I like TC3 because of its relative simplicity, albeit graphically primitive by today's standards. I also like T-ANE which was a giant leap forward to me when compared to its immediate predecessors, and now I have TRS22 (conveniently forgetting TRS19). Whereas TRS22 has some distinct visual advantages over T-ANE, they are not really sufficient for me to get too excited about and therein is my problem ... and the reason for this email.
It is difficult for me to decide to sink many hours into TC3 given its visual limitations. Whereas T-ANE is my initial choice of the version to spend my time with, and given that I have a collection of Routes functioning very well there, logic would suggest I just focus on that version however, and like life in general, it is not that simple because I have found ways to improve my Routes in T-ANE. Unfortunately, it involves a total re-landscaping and texturing exercise on each Route, which are pretty much the same dictates of TRS22. So if I want to improve my Routes, and if both T-ANE and TRS22 dictate a similar workload, then logic would suggest working with TRS22 ... except for that tropical lighting which looks rather out of place on a rural England railway scene. (I noticed a promo video a short time ago by N3V of a UK Route in TRS22. It looked very good, but was a night time setting. Nice way to get around the Australian outback lighting!).
In summary, I can argue with myself and go round in ever decreasing circles without actually committing to a specific direction. My advice from my "other me" is to just work in T-ANE because a T-ANE Route does present itself quite well in TRS22. In contrast, working in TRS22 does not provide any option to go backwards. All very logical, but I do have TRS22 installed, and it does offer some potential. So what was the point of all this? To simply express my frustrations with Trainz knowing very well that a few of you will be able to relate, and also to let you all know that I am taking a mental break from the pressures that Trainz seems to generate.
I really do not envy the N3V team as they have to balance the advantages of new design config and new features against the potential reduction of 3rd Party freeware content, with each new version of Trainz!
Regards to all. A tired Colin!
