Looking to upgrade, but...

[Xenithar]

Alright, it seems that no PC can run Trainz 2010 EE without stuttering and sound skipping at least a little, and TANE SP2 Platinum is on sale. I am debating upgrading due to the sale price, the new 64bit engine, and all the hype, but upon researching prior to purchasing, I am debating if the platinum bundle is really a deal. There are tons of posts on Steam and around the web about how once you're in-game, you have to keep buying things to make all of the routes you just purchased actually usable. I am on a budget and am NOT about to spend $40 on a game claiming to be worth $327 and then spend another $287 just to use the content in the $40 game I bought. However, these users may be confused as happens regularly with every Joe now using a PC and not actually understanding what they're doing. With that said, I have a few questions about TANE SP2 Platinum.

1. If I buy the platinum bundle, do I have to buy anything else or will it work, 100% out of the box, assuming my PC can push it?
2. Are we still plagued with sound stopping and restarting every so often as we are with the last version?
3. When moving from an internal view to external view, does the game freeze for ages like in the last version?
4. Have the framerates improved?

I ask because the system I last tried 2010 EE on was a Core i5 2500, 16GB of RAM, with a GTX550Ti and an SB X-Fi Fatality Gamer with 64MB of onboard RAM, and the game still froze when moving outside where it had to render trees, and the sound would stop from time to time and then restart. The system was well above the recommended requirements, so this made no sense to me. I am also nervous about what I am reading in relation to the bundled content and purchasing of assets to make it all work. My stance on that is that, if this is the case, do not sell me a $40 game with $287 needed to make it work, just sell everything as a $327 bundle. Thanks for your help!

 

[clam1952]

Don't know where you got your information from but it's incorrect, it's Dovetail Games simulators where you might have to by loads of stuff, not N3V's Trainz. All copies of TANE are complete, all official DLC (payware) is complete.

You do not need to buy anything extra to run TANE Platinum except maybe a decent PC or rather a decent Graphics card, TANE is heavy on the GPU and pretty light on the CPU, Previous versions of Trainz were mainly all heavy on CPU.

 

[PC_Ace]

The T:ANE Platinum Bundle represents excellent value for money and is a great collection of T:ANE-specific and compatible assets.

It is YOUR system specification that will determine the answer to many of your questions above.
Don't even think about moving to T:ANE if your system-spec is the same as the one you cite above.

To get smooth framerates above 30FPS at moderate performance and visual quality settings you'll need a GTX 1050Ti or better. To get 60+FPS at 1080p you'll need a GTX 1060 or better.
Triple-digit framerates in T:ANE are rarely attainable unless you're pairing a fast GTX 1070 (or better) with an Intel i7 or i9 CPU operating at 4Ghz or greater.

T:ANE is a demanding railway simulator - it can and will deliver exceptional gameplay and smooth video experience - as long as you have the system spec to support it.

On the sound front, the 3D sound experience depends entirely upon the quality of your sound card and speaker (or headphones) combination AND the choice of assets you run within the simulator.

Some legacy assets still have execrable sound quality brought over from earlier builds.
In the current beta, steam sounds drop out as soon as a locomotive attains 10mph (but this will be rectified asap) and the Platinum Bundle isn't a test-build.

 

[cascaderailroad]

You said: "Do not sell me a $40 game" ... but that is all you really need

 

[Xenithar]

Thank you. I am purchasing tonight. My rig has 64GB of RAM, a 1TB M.2, dual GTX1070Ti's, and a Creative AE5. Oh, and the Intel CPU has 10 cores and 20 logical CPUs thanks to hyper-threading. Did I mention that I play Ark: Survival Evolved? Yeah, I built my rig for that!

Can't wait to play this game. Can I import my Trainz 2010 stuff? If so, will it run better in TANE?

Just had a thought. When I purchase this, am I going to be shipped a boxed copy like with TS12 or is it digital only? If digital only will I get a Steam code if purchasing through the Auran site? I either want a boxed copy or on Steam. I can't find out any info on this and won't purchase until I know. I checked it out on Steam and they want $95 for the bundle, more than double what Auran is asking!

 

[ktain.ny]

Thank you. I am purchasing tonight. My rig has 64GB of RAM, a 1TB M.2, dual GTX1070Ti's, and a Creative AE5. Oh, and the Intel CPU has 10 cores and 20 logical CPUs thanks to hyper-threading. Did I mention that I play Ark: Survival Evolved? Yeah, I built my rig for that!

Can't wait to play this game. Can I import my Trainz 2010 stuff? If so, will it run better in TANE?

Just had a thought. When I purchase this, am I going to be shipped a boxed copy like with TS12 or is it digital only? If digital only will I get a Steam code if purchasing through the Auran site? I either want a boxed copy or on Steam. I can't find out any info on this and won't purchase until I know. I checked it out on Steam and they want $95 for the bundle, more than double what Auran is asking!

Mother of god... you make my rig look like a damn toaster with those specs...

 

[oknotsen]

Just had a thought. When I purchase this, am I going to be shipped a boxed copy like with TS12 or is it digital only? If digital only will I get a Steam code if purchasing through the Auran site? I either want a boxed copy or on Steam. I can't find out any info on this and won't purchase until I know. I checked it out on Steam and they want $95 for the bundle, more than double what Auran is asking!

If you are not buying it on Steam, you are not buying it on Steam. So the digital download in N3V's own shop will not get you Steam.

 

[cascaderailroad]

You would think that you can get a boxed T:ANE shipped in @ 2 weeks, from the N3V store (
Apparently it is a digital download only) ... "Steam" is a total different entity, entirely separate of N3V

Apparently it is a digital download only, no boxed version

When you digital download T:ANE, you can put the download on your own DVD disc

 

[Griphos]

I bought the Platinum bundle. I'd rather have just bought the standalone game and invested the extra $30 in other/better routes from JR or some of the model railway layouts.

 

[meatloaf747]

I bought the Platinum bundle. I'd rather have just bought the standalone game and invested the extra $30 in other/better routes from JR or some of the model railway layouts.

Not sure what you paid for the Platinum bundle. If it was only $40 bucks, IMHO you got a pretty good deal. A lot of us paid around $60 bucks for the original Tane when it was launched. If you got the bundle for $40 bucks, I'm not to sure where you come up with "spending the other $30 bucks" on JR's routes.

Buy that calculation, you would only be paying $10 bucks for Tane SP2 HF1. If you paid higher than $40 bucks for the bundle, that's where I can see where the extra $30 bucks might come into the equation. I'm not to sure when N3V started offering the discounted Platinum bundle.

Cheers, Mac...

 

[Xenithar]

Mother of god... you make my rig look like a damn toaster with those specs...

Like I said, I play Ark! Highly addictive. Actually I run a five-server cluster for Ark. Great survival game, and it has DINOSAURS. Brings back my childhood, so there's that. Oh, and there are three individual links there, by the way.

If you are not buying it on Steam, you are not buying it on Steam. So the digital download in N3V's own shop will not get you Steam.

This throws a ratchet into the works. I don't want games scattered across sites. If it's digital only, it is Steam or bust. Everything is on Steam, including the bundle, so it makes no sense to me as to why it is $40 here and $95 there for the exact same thing. I may just wait until it is on sale and hope I have the cash at that time. I either want it in my physical library or on Steam. Steam isn't going away and I will always have it there. Auran worries me though. They needed a kickstarter to develop the new game engine despite years of selling many copies of various versions of Trainz. That tells me they may not be here one day, which means I may not be able to get my game in the future. That is why it is Steam or physical only for me.

 

[JCitron]

Like I said, I play Ark! Highly addictive. Actually I run a five-server cluster for Ark. Great survival game, and it has DINOSAURS. Brings back my childhood, so there's that. Oh, and there are three individual links there, by the way.


This throws a ratchet into the works. I don't want games scattered across sites. If it's digital only, it is Steam or bust. Everything is on Steam, including the bundle, so it makes no sense to me as to why it is $40 here and $95 there for the exact same thing. I may just wait until it is on sale and hope I have the cash at that time. I either want it in my physical library or on Steam. Steam isn't going away and I will always have it there. Auran worries me though. They needed a kickstarter to develop the new game engine despite years of selling many copies of various versions of Trainz. That tells me they may not be here one day, which means I may not be able to get my game in the future. That is why it is Steam or physical only for me.

Nice system you have, which will handle things nicely. I have a 5930, 64GB RAM, a GTX1080Ti, plus huge data storage.

Auran is no longer, having been "toast" since 2006/2007. N3V Games is the replacement company made up of the same people after a reorganization and they've been around since that time. Unlike other game producers, you'll actually see the CEO participating in the forums here. The reason for the Kickstarter was to bring what was being produced in-house, including a newly created game engine specifically for railroad simulating, up to production. Their total take out of the Kickstarter was not very much, perhaps more than a bit shy of $200K, and perhaps the initial release was rushed, but things have changed. The other versions of Trainz up through TS12 were all built around the same antique Auran Jet game engine, which by the time TS12 SP1 HF4 was out, had become well worn and under powered, and pretty much too buggy and patched that it had become unstable. (This reminds me of the old pick-up trucks with so much rust that when they stop the beds fall off). The new game engine is a total rewrite from the ground up, and the fact that there is compatibility with what was produced before, means we've been able to pretty much port over existing content, unlike other companies which means stuff would get thrown away. The newer version on the horizon includes even better graphics and capabilities than what T:ANE has now, but that's a bit further down the pipe than what we have now.

Steam versus N3V? It doesn't matter except you have to wait a bit for patches and you can't participate in beta programs due to the version differences. That's up to you.

 

[cascaderailroad]

It is on sale at N3V, now ... Steam may go away ... And so will N3V someday ... Nothing lasts forever

Once you have the digital download backed up on a DVD, it will be there forever

I am not sure whether N3V T:ANE is DRM controlled, and re-authenticated on their server, each and ever 30 days ... But Trainz is rumored to expire in or around the year 2037 ... But by then you will not even be playing video games anymore, and a Windows PC may not even exist by that year

 

[ZecMurphy]

Like I said, I play Ark! Highly addictive. Actually I run a five-server cluster for Ark. Great survival game, and it has DINOSAURS. Brings back my childhood, so there's that. Oh, and there are three individual links there, by the way.


This throws a ratchet into the works. I don't want games scattered across sites. If it's digital only, it is Steam or bust. Everything is on Steam, including the bundle, so it makes no sense to me as to why it is $40 here and $95 there for the exact same thing. I may just wait until it is on sale and hope I have the cash at that time. I either want it in my physical library or on Steam. Steam isn't going away and I will always have it there. Auran worries me though. They needed a kickstarter to develop the new game engine despite years of selling many copies of various versions of Trainz. That tells me they may not be here one day, which means I may not be able to get my game in the future. That is why it is Steam or physical only for me.

Hi Xenithar
Unfortunately, due to the way that Steam handles bundles, the bundle is literally each separate item discounted. Unfortunately, for these bundles, Steam has a limit on how much they can be discounted. In this case, Steam will not allow us to discount this bundle any further (additionally, the version of Steam does not include a First Class Ticket as Steam cannot handle these items).f

The Platinum Edition itself cannot be provided as a boxed version at this time, as the DLC packs included in it are only available via our in-game DLC download system. However, after purchasing the Platinum Edition from our store, a boxed version of the TANE Deluxe Edition can be provided by purchasing the 'shipping only' item from our store ( https://store.trainzportal.com/products/shipping-only - this allows the shipping cost of the boxed edition to be covered). The bonus content in the Platinum Edition will still need to be downloaded via our in-game DLC system. We may also be able to provide a Steam key in some cases for purchases from our store, however this is not guaranteed (you would need to contact our helpdesk to double check this), however this will still only apply to TANE itself, the bonus items in the Platinum Edition would need to be downloaded via our in-game DLC system.

Regards

 

[pware]

Once you have the digital download backed up on a DVD, it will be there forever

Unfortunately, not even DVDs last forever! Often the ability to read the media dies before the media does. I did have a stack of software and data files stored on 3.5" floppies that I can no longer use because no computer comes with 3.5" FDDs. I am pretty sure that they were still perfectly readable when I had to throw them out after my sole portable 3.5" FDD suffered an unfavourable encounter with a concrete floor.

Likewise none of my laptops of varying vintages came with CD drives.

It is also becoming harder to purchase software on DVD. Most people are opting for (or being forced into using) digital downloads so the writing is on the wall for DVD drives. Any storage system based on mechanical technology, such as spinning discs, is probably destined for the scrap heap.

 

[Mick_Berg]

Unfortunately, not even DVDs last forever! Often the ability to read the media dies before the media does. I did have a stack of software and data files stored on 3.5" floppies that I can no longer use because no computer comes with 3.5" FDDs. I am pretty sure that they were still perfectly readable when I had to throw them out after my sole portable 3.5" FDD suffered an unfavourable encounter with a concrete floor.

Likewise none of my laptops of varying vintages came with CD drives.

It is also becoming harder to purchase software on DVD. Most people are opting for (or being forced into using) digital downloads so the writing is on the wall for DVD drives. Any storage system based on mechanical technology, such as spinning discs, is probably destined for the scrap heap.

If you have any floppies's left, you can get a USB FDD for around ten bucks on Amazon. But I'm sure you knew that.
Mick

 

[KenGreen]

USB DVD drives are also readily available. If you have a very slow internet connection it is difficult downloading a game or large patch. The original SP1 patch would have taken me about 28 hours to download so I waited for the DVD. Nicky via N3V also offered the SP1 version on memory stick.

Ken

 

[ray_whiley]

All copies of TANE are complete​

I found this comment quite interesting - my downloaded copy of T:ANE shows featured routes 3, other routes 28 of which only six are in light blue (ie. built-in) and two of these are those I created as tests of my new acquisition. When I try to edit any of the other four built-ins, I am informed that I can not do so as they are payware.

The versions of Trainz I have used in the past twelve years all permitted opening in Surveyor, which I enjoyed doing in order to browse around and find what assets others had used, and how. This added enormously to my understanding and enjoyment of Trainz - 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2012.

This is no longer possible and all I can do with T:ANE as it stands is create rotes - which is what I enjoy doing most, so all is not lost. But I can not see that it is correct to say that all copies of T:ANE are complete when it seems to be so different from predecessors in this respect.

Comments?

Ray

 

[shaneturner12]

I found this comment quite interesting - my downloaded copy of T:ANE shows featured routes 3, other routes 28 of which only six are in light blue (ie. built-in) and two of these are those I created as tests of my new acquisition. When I try to edit any of the other four built-ins, I am informed that I can not do so as they are payware.

The versions of Trainz I have used in the past twelve years all permitted opening in Surveyor, which I enjoyed doing in order to browse around and find what assets others had used, and how. This added enormously to my understanding and enjoyment of Trainz - 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2012.

This is no longer possible and all I can do with T:ANE as it stands is create rotes - which is what I enjoy doing most, so all is not lost. But I can not see that it is correct to say that all copies of T:ANE are complete when it seems to be so different from predecessors in this respect.

Comments?

Ray

My understanding of complete in that respect is that the content supplied with the game (not including extra DLC unless that DLC was specified as being part of that edition) isn't missing any assets required to use that content. The payware aspects is a different kettle of fish and is separate from the completeness aspect.

A note though regarding the payware aspects - from memory it should still be possible to open the associated sessions.

Shane

 

[ray_whiley]

Shane - Thank you for your explanation. It seems that I was wrong in assuming that T:ANE would resemble earlier versions of Trainz in this respect. Yes, it is possible to open the sessions associated with the light blue routes - and I can build routes.

Ray