Microsoft Train Sim 1
- Thread starter Lo_Poly
- Start date
M$T$ has its upsides and downsides.
Pros:
Pros:
- Runs more quickly on older machines
- Ridiculous amounts of photorealistic third party content
- Good for running trains, not dispatching them
- AI actually works.
- Microsoft Train Simulator has encountered an error and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
- User hostile route editor
- User hostile activity editor
- User hostile cab editor
- Completely useless "route geometry extractor" which does nothing and is user hostile
- Any small error will kill it instantly
- Can't run two trains in one activity (can be fixed with MSTS Bin)
About "Microsoft Train Simulator has encountered an error and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience." What exactly do you mean?
Why do you call some of it's features hostile?
"Route geometry extractor"...?
MSTS Bin?
1. It's the infamous error message that terminates 1 out of 2 MSTS sessions.
2. The route editor is crap. The camera is crap, the object placement is crap, the terrain editing is crap, and the track laying is entirely fixed track.
3. No documentation whatsoever. Rumor has it that they were thrown in last second when Micro$oft realized that they'd have no market if they offered no way to make custom content.
4. The "route geometry extractor" is the program that determines the size of your route. You select tiny boxes overlaid on a map of the world which has railway lines marked in red. You select the boxes you want based on the railway line in question, load it in the route editor, and get a vast expanse of grass, or, more frequently, a vast expanse of nothing. It is really just a more complicated version of "add baseboard" only after you start route editing, you can't add any more.
5. MSTS Bin is a mod for MSTS that fixes a bunch of bugs, adds nighttime cabs, lets you switch between locos that are coupled to each other while the train is stopped, etc.
Now, I don't have Classics, but MSTS can be really good if you are prepared to spend half your time troubleshooting.
2. The route editor is crap. The camera is crap, the object placement is crap, the terrain editing is crap, and the track laying is entirely fixed track.
3. No documentation whatsoever. Rumor has it that they were thrown in last second when Micro$oft realized that they'd have no market if they offered no way to make custom content.
4. The "route geometry extractor" is the program that determines the size of your route. You select tiny boxes overlaid on a map of the world which has railway lines marked in red. You select the boxes you want based on the railway line in question, load it in the route editor, and get a vast expanse of grass, or, more frequently, a vast expanse of nothing. It is really just a more complicated version of "add baseboard" only after you start route editing, you can't add any more.
5. MSTS Bin is a mod for MSTS that fixes a bunch of bugs, adds nighttime cabs, lets you switch between locos that are coupled to each other while the train is stopped, etc.
Now, I don't have Classics, but MSTS can be really good if you are prepared to spend half your time troubleshooting.
To be honest I really wouldn't bother starting with MSTS now. It's seven years old and by the time you've learned to use it, patched it up with the official patch and MSTS Bin and downloaded enough routes and stock to keep you interested, MSTS2 will be close to release. It would be the same as going out to buy Trainz 1.1, kinda pointless.
Rail Simulator, the new sim from Kuju, is however well worth buying. Not only does it have amazing graphics and excellent sound, but it is being fully supported by Kuju (unlike MSTS which had one useless patch and was then abandoned). Like any game or sim that's just been released, it still has a few bugs at the moment, mainly graphical and also a few issues with signalling, but these are being addressed by Kuju and a patch is currently being worked on.
On top of that it already has a fair few downloads available both on railsimulator.com and uktrainsim.com and it looks like it's going to take off quite nicely once the patch is out.
Nearly every MSTS activity ever made has AI traffic.. Not sure what you mean
JB
Rail Simulator, the new sim from Kuju, is however well worth buying. Not only does it have amazing graphics and excellent sound, but it is being fully supported by Kuju (unlike MSTS which had one useless patch and was then abandoned). Like any game or sim that's just been released, it still has a few bugs at the moment, mainly graphical and also a few issues with signalling, but these are being addressed by Kuju and a patch is currently being worked on.
On top of that it already has a fair few downloads available both on railsimulator.com and uktrainsim.com and it looks like it's going to take off quite nicely once the patch is out.
Nearly every MSTS activity ever made has AI traffic.. Not sure what you mean
JB
golfingrobert
New member
they have fixed a lot of bugs recently, like in msts 1.3 i have never been shut down in my 3 years of playing it.
My idea of AI apparently differs from what it really means. AI to me means a "session" in Trainz. You setup driver commands with the stops and starts at various points on the route, then sit back and watch it run its pre-programmed session.
Not the same as AI in MSTS - right?
I'm only curious - not the least bit interested in MSTS at all anymore.:n:
Not the same as AI in MSTS - right?
I'm only curious - not the least bit interested in MSTS at all anymore.:n:
MSTS 1.2 was the only patch, there has never been an MSTS 1.3 and there never will be as MS stopped supporting it years ago.
@ gus, the MSTS Activity Editor is where you set up AI trains with paths / timetables etc. Nowhere near as complex as what can be achieved with TRS though! Basically start here > drive to here > turn around here > drive to there > wait there > drive to destination > disappear.
Hi all
Yes I tired it I agree about the Route editor and consit editor all I can say is Yuk!, glad I found trainz, I got another consist editor from the britsh site that worked ok atleast,
running trains in I did not mind at all, some of the layots and runs by people just like us, I found them very well designed. Lots of the Rolling stock, locos, and specially the trams were very nice and very well detailed. I have got a great mixture here.
The biggest problem is all the layots are stand alone making the downloads huge, I downloaded a few part by part slowly, got a friend to help me down some, I got that small stuff and he got the bigger ones and swapped them on CD so we had complete layots or I just ended up buying a few on CD direct from England or via the Agent in N.Z.]
Sadly since i upgraded my computer all it wants to do is crash, There is some layots like Ballyshannon and Blackpool I whish I could still run
Tom
Yes I tired it I agree about the Route editor and consit editor all I can say is Yuk!, glad I found trainz, I got another consist editor from the britsh site that worked ok atleast,
running trains in I did not mind at all, some of the layots and runs by people just like us, I found them very well designed. Lots of the Rolling stock, locos, and specially the trams were very nice and very well detailed. I have got a great mixture here.
The biggest problem is all the layots are stand alone making the downloads huge, I downloaded a few part by part slowly, got a friend to help me down some, I got that small stuff and he got the bigger ones and swapped them on CD so we had complete layots or I just ended up buying a few on CD direct from England or via the Agent in N.Z.]
Sadly since i upgraded my computer all it wants to do is crash, There is some layots like Ballyshannon and Blackpool I whish I could still run
Tom
golfingrobert
New member
No, seriously....how do you REALLY feel?Thanks for the laugh.
Oh, and I think the Trainz -vs- KRS subject has been done already in another thread.
Ed
Red_Rattler
Since 09 May 2003
RooRocz, have you tried MSTS Bin? Improves the camera viewing.
What Trainz needs is an activity editor that is similar to MSTS, where you can test out your activity, without actually playing the game - you can speed up to over 100x times in the activity editor.
With MSTS activity editor, their is a program called ActivityChanger that allows to program more realistic times.
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...been there, done that, wouldn't even give it away to an enemy...
8) MSTS 1.2, is highly supported by it's fans, but it's like model railroading. Some layouts are fabulous, which took a tremendous amount of time(albeit the msts routes are payware), and some are just a collection of assets, with no direction whatsoever.
I bought it to run some freeware locomotives, however the dynamics of train handling were so far less pleasing that TRS, that I uninstalled it, deleted the payware route(made by a totally rude snot), and spend my time converting all my '04 assets to '06(It can be done!).
The only thing that would sway me, is using real world maps(as in FS-X). Real railroads use maps made with video from the front of a locomotive(at $500.00 per mile).
These are used with either "static" ¼-cab setups, or a full motion simulator(about $5 million, including the IT and building).
However, with the recent release of PROTOCLINCH, I am quite happy to run the sessions(4 now, more to come), or just setup several movements, and dispatch them to pass at the necessary points.
Many other DEM routes are already available, and nicely answer my needs!
I don't think Planet Auran TrainSimulator is going away, but if it did, I know The Trainz Community will be around a long, long time.
8) MSTS 1.2, is highly supported by it's fans, but it's like model railroading. Some layouts are fabulous, which took a tremendous amount of time(albeit the msts routes are payware), and some are just a collection of assets, with no direction whatsoever.
I bought it to run some freeware locomotives, however the dynamics of train handling were so far less pleasing that TRS, that I uninstalled it, deleted the payware route(made by a totally rude snot), and spend my time converting all my '04 assets to '06(It can be done!).
The only thing that would sway me, is using real world maps(as in FS-X). Real railroads use maps made with video from the front of a locomotive(at $500.00 per mile).
These are used with either "static" ¼-cab setups, or a full motion simulator(about $5 million, including the IT and building).
However, with the recent release of PROTOCLINCH, I am quite happy to run the sessions(4 now, more to come), or just setup several movements, and dispatch them to pass at the necessary points.
Many other DEM routes are already available, and nicely answer my needs!
I don't think Planet Auran TrainSimulator is going away, but if it did, I know The Trainz Community will be around a long, long time.
Ok
MSTS Plus's +
1. LOTS of content!
2. testable activity's Before you play!
3. lots of support from other companys
MSTS Downsides -
1. Microsoft no longer supports the game
2. The editors have a steep learning curve (but don't lisen to this, once you get the hang of it, its REALLY easy.)
I'd say MSTS is a true cab-simulator and TRS is what I turn to when I get bored
MSTS Plus's +
1. LOTS of content!
2. testable activity's Before you play!
3. lots of support from other companys
MSTS Downsides -
1. Microsoft no longer supports the game
2. The editors have a steep learning curve (but don't lisen to this, once you get the hang of it, its REALLY easy.)
I'd say MSTS is a true cab-simulator and TRS is what I turn to when I get bored
There is probably more than a thousand and one threads on "MSTS sucks and TRS rocks".
Personally I never had a dislike for MSTS, just that custom content creating just wasn't for the average Joe. And that was the major turnoff.
Aside from the default content (which yes, sucks), there are many many third party content which can be downloaded and used without much trouble. The only thing you need to know is how to copy and paste files. Routes such as the BN Hi-Line are gloriously beautiful, and run much much better than Trainz. While camera control is kind of unwieldy, cab driving is extremely realistic. In terms of AI, MSTS loses miserably even though Alastair never managed to get anywhere near it's trains.
Bottom-line, if you're interested in this game, you're better off waiting for MSTS2, if it ever comes out at all.
Personally I never had a dislike for MSTS, just that custom content creating just wasn't for the average Joe. And that was the major turnoff.
Aside from the default content (which yes, sucks), there are many many third party content which can be downloaded and used without much trouble. The only thing you need to know is how to copy and paste files. Routes such as the BN Hi-Line are gloriously beautiful, and run much much better than Trainz. While camera control is kind of unwieldy, cab driving is extremely realistic. In terms of AI, MSTS loses miserably even though Alastair never managed to get anywhere near it's trains.
Bottom-line, if you're interested in this game, you're better off waiting for MSTS2, if it ever comes out at all.
