ray_whiley
Active member
Same here - except for me they are mainly for use in 2010. I have always made either what I feel I can use, or perhaps what appeals to me even if I can't see any immediate use.
Ray
making trainz look like the real world
- Thread starter train20
- Start date
Same here - except for me they are mainly for use in 2010. I have always made either what I feel I can use, or perhaps what appeals to me even if I can't see any immediate use.
Ray
ex-railwayman
New member
The thing is that in Trainz, like with other railway simulators/games, there are 3 ways to enjoy the game, 1) being a content creator, 2) drive your trains always from the cab, 3) always drive in freeroam and enjoy the scenery.
As the JET game engine is antiquated we all have to satisfy our enjoyment in the game by whatever means is possible, nice Speedtreez and scenery don't do anything for me if I'm driving from a loco cab as I can't see them properly, you need to be ''outside'' to appreciate them, looking at scenery 2 miles back from the track is also a non-starter as I can't see much away from the loco, however, for those of us who like to ''follow'' the train and drive in freeroam, excellent scenery, asset placement and ground textures really do make a huge difference, so, whichever way you get fun out of Trainz, just enjoy it......real world, or, not.
Cheerz. ex-railwayman.
As the JET game engine is antiquated we all have to satisfy our enjoyment in the game by whatever means is possible, nice Speedtreez and scenery don't do anything for me if I'm driving from a loco cab as I can't see them properly, you need to be ''outside'' to appreciate them, looking at scenery 2 miles back from the track is also a non-starter as I can't see much away from the loco, however, for those of us who like to ''follow'' the train and drive in freeroam, excellent scenery, asset placement and ground textures really do make a huge difference, so, whichever way you get fun out of Trainz, just enjoy it......real world, or, not.
Cheerz. ex-railwayman.
Distant scenery and proper object textures may help create a more realistic look but the next time you're near a real railroad, have a look around. Really look.
I think the one thing that really makes a difference is the general clutter and non-uniformity of the real world. Lots of odds and ends everywhere you look and probably none are duplicated; can we say megapolys?
Another thing about the real world is its non-linear and imperfect form. Real straight lines vary rarely exist in nature. Things are usually curved and or bent in some way. Some of this can be approximated with textures but there are limits. Modeling the normal randomness that exists is also an invitation to that dreaded word = megapoly.
Until the hardware can support all the extra polys, I think much of the realism will have to be rendered in our imagination. It is a simulator after all and not the real thing.
I think the one thing that really makes a difference is the general clutter and non-uniformity of the real world. Lots of odds and ends everywhere you look and probably none are duplicated; can we say megapolys?
Another thing about the real world is its non-linear and imperfect form. Real straight lines vary rarely exist in nature. Things are usually curved and or bent in some way. Some of this can be approximated with textures but there are limits. Modeling the normal randomness that exists is also an invitation to that dreaded word = megapoly.
Until the hardware can support all the extra polys, I think much of the realism will have to be rendered in our imagination. It is a simulator after all and not the real thing.
jjanmarine3
Active member
One of these days we won't need cameras any more...we could go into google earth , reconstruct any event anywhere , go into our games, take screenshots , add anybody that came late for the shots, make ourselves look 10 years younger ... 
One of these days we won't need cameras any more...we could go into google earth , reconstruct any event anywhere , go into our games, take screenshots , add anybody that came late for the shots, make ourselves look 10 years younger ...
People said much the same thing with Microsoft's Flight Simulator when FSX was released. The bugs had to be fixed with the purchase of the "Acceleration Pack" or applying SP1 and then SP2, but in most of the hardcore Flight Simmers' eyes, FSX was never quite as good as its predecessaor, FS9 and a lot of useful add-ons, such as FS Navigator, were made obsolete with nothing to replace them. The end result has been for Microsoft to no longer support or develop Flight Simulator any more.
Arguably, Trainz does not seem to have developed much since TC3, apart from the development of "Speedtreez" and support for the more juvenile market. Multiplayer is the single big thing, for those that care for it, but that has given rise to some pretty pathetic "routes" and "scenarios" dumped on the DLS. For my two-pennyworth, phrases like "gilding the lily" come to mind.
Personally, I think N3V may have gone a bit too far with this TS12 and its patches and hotfixes. I am hardly playing Trainz at the moment because of its continual updating of the database before I can run it. Fortunately, I do still have TC3 installed on a portable hard drive so may revert to that. However, I have been doing a bit of Scenario Maker learning on the old "Railworks" Train Simulator 2013 and if I can make good progress, may become a convert! The one thing Flight Simulator and Trainz have always had in their favour, is a very strong community and support network in their respective Forum areas - long may that continue!
In a recent discussion at TS.com about paltry downloads for freeware RW routes, I was reminded of the very important adage about this hobby - that we should be doing this to satisfy ourselves not worrying what anyone else thinks if we decide to share the content.
So if an older version of the product works best in helping you get what you want out of the tools, creating a little bit of real world history or even fantasy, then just do it. If I want to build a logging railroad and can't bring myself to use speedtrees or restrict the draw distance, then do it in TS2009 where I can use Perfect or similar trees without any adverse effects.
So if an older version of the product works best in helping you get what you want out of the tools, creating a little bit of real world history or even fantasy, then just do it. If I want to build a logging railroad and can't bring myself to use speedtrees or restrict the draw distance, then do it in TS2009 where I can use Perfect or similar trees without any adverse effects.
If only more people would remember this, there would be less moaning and whinging about the "quality" of some objects. If it was good enough for the creator, then that's all it has to do. Everyone else can take a number. That or either make it yourself or convince someone to make a better version for you.