Making a new route in Surveyor

[Gameboy900]

HI, I'd like to know any tips you guys have into making a good route in Surveyor. I want to make a passenger route one that isn't really based on any real place. Thanks!

 

[cascaderailroad]

I could help tutor you on tracklaying ... PM me.

I have studied hundereds of routes, and have seen many shortcommings.

Although I have never produced a finished, released route (as of Yet) I could help anyone with tracklaying.

EDIT: As SantaFebuff points out: Also do not texture your route untill all the trackwork is completely finished, months down the line.

 

[SantaFebuff]

Yes. Do all trackwork first. Scenery takes so much time to complete you will end up overwhelmed with the scenery and will abandon the project. Happens SOOO many times. Biggest tip... do trackwork first.

Good luck on the route!

Cheers,
Joshua

 

[BobCass]

SantaFeBuff: Why do you think it necessary to do all the track work first??I
Will do the track work to certain point and then go back and do basic scenery..
The reason is quite simple, you lose your enthusiasm and are overwhelmed because you did not do some scenery as you go..Now perhaps if you were doing a real prototype it would be different..

 

[SantaFebuff]

Well, it's not so much as necessary as it is more ideal.

If you prefer to do the texturing first, by all means, go ahead. I only suggest to do the trackwork first because it seems that scenery work is so time consuming that the actual route in terms of what's laid down is not much when a lot of effort has gone into it. On top of that, I find that a route built around the track means there's less to edit and that the landscape is more likely going to suit the original track plans.

If you do do a large route, doing basics would be fine. I just suggest to be careful in managing what gets done first and prioritize.

Cheers,
Joshua

 

[Johnda1237]

Try reading Virtualrailroader.com, it's a free magazine and has lots of articles that may be of help to you.

 

[schweitzerdude]

Clarification of "doing track work" first

This is good advice, but does not mean you have to lay all the track that you will ever have (after all, who knows where you will build track in the future). It just means track work first on the couple of baseboards you are working on at the time.