Honest Question from a Dumb Guy

[gtawarski]

I am getting ready to buy Trainz for the first time. I've played a version on the Kindle fire and I'm in love with it, so obviously I am planning on getting the full thing for my own machine so I can stop bugging my wife to use her eBook reader. My problem: I only actually own two Macs currently. Now I'm not against having to invest in getting a PC eventually if necessary, but is there multi-player support for Trainz Mac, or are they intending to introduce it soon? I'd love to take the advantage of the sale they have now, but if there isn't MPS on the Mac edition, I'd rather just save my pennies til I can (sigh) get a PC and buy the version for that. Please let me know if TS Mac supports or will be supporting Multi-player soon...

-Honest-to-God-Newbie

PS - I know 3D modeling and general programming, so I hope to eventually create content for the game at some point, too...

 

[slabay]

I am getting ready to buy Trainz for the first time. I've played a version on the Kindle fire and I'm in love with it, so obviously I am planning on getting the full thing for my own machine so I can stop bugging my wife to use her eBook reader. My problem: I only actually own two Macs currently. Now I'm not against having to invest in getting a PC eventually if necessary, but is there multi-player support for Trainz Mac, or are they intending to introduce it soon? I'd love to take the advantage of the sale they have now, but if there isn't MPS on the Mac edition, I'd rather just save my pennies til I can (sigh) get a PC and buy the version for that. Please let me know if TS Mac supports or will be supporting Multi-player soon...

-Honest-to-God-Newbie

PS - I know 3D modeling and general programming, so I hope to eventually create content for the game at some point, too...

I use TS10 on my 2009 MacBook using Boot Camp. Of course, a laptop's built-in graphics aren't as good as if you get a high end graphics card in a desktop machine, but I figure I've got the best of both worlds.

 

[gtawarski]

I'd consider it if I had to - the point is to avoid windows, which, after 14 years as a software engineer, I have grown to prefer not using. Like I said, I will if I have to, but I'd rather not...

 

[sniper297]

I've never owned a Mac, but did some extensive testing and troubleshooting with a Mac user (I'd link to the thread but the forum search is currently busticated). What we found is that TS Mac has multiplayer, TS Mac can run SOME TS12 multiplayer sessions, but a little thing like the difference in a commodity between TS12 and TS Mac means the Mac user cannot run that session unless the TS12 creator swaps the car for one that uses commodities common to both TS12 and TS Mac. Once that hurdle is past, it turns out that TS Mac can multiplay with other TS Mac users, TS12 can multiplay with other TS12 users, but a TS12 user can't see a TS Mac session in progress to join it, and a TS Mac user can't see a TS12 session in progress. So yes, TS Mac has multiplayer, but you can only host or join with other TS Mac users, not TS12 users, and some (most?) multiplayer sessions will not work on TS Mac.

 

[boyerm25]

There are a couple built-in multiplayer sessions that work. Now you just have to find someone who wants to do it with you. Iv'e been looking all summer, but am going to be away the next couple weeks.

 

[Euphod]

A dumb answer from an honest guy:

I believe it has been said that TSMac will soon have multiplayer by someone in the know.

 

[boyerm25]

It already does.

 

[sniper297]

Found the little beggar;

http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?76753-Cant-start-Multiplayer-session-in-TS-MAC

Never did get an actual answer, but to sum up what I think I know;
1. You can't create a multiplayer session for Mac since a multiplayer session MUST be on the DLS and Mac has no way to upload anything.
2. A Mac user can multiplay with another Mac user provided they both have the same build, and find a TS12 created multiplayer session that is compatible with Mac.
3. Making a TS12 multiplayer session that is actually playable on Mac is a crapshoot unless the creator has both TS12 to create the session and a Mac to test it on. As I said I don't own a Mac, so when I make a TS12 multiplayer session it's pure chance whether or not the dice will roll favorably for a Mac user or not.

 

[boyerm25]

THERE ARE MULTIPLAYER SESSIONS BUILT-IN!!!! (Sorry for the Caps). And I can make a multiplayer session with TS:MAC and upload it with TS12.
I can open the multiplayer sessions, just no-one has ever joined when I do. I have build 48159.