Newbie to Trainz - Some Questions

[tmiller453]

Hey guys,

I am considering purchasing the Trainz12 software package. Couple of questions:

1. I understand that with my purchase I get access to many free downloads. Is that correct? If so, what kind of items are offered. Locos, routes, etc.? What is the ballpark cost for addtional downloads?

2. Can I download various locos and run them on any routes that I have?

3. Can I perform switching operations on the routes?

4. Can I make my purchase using Amazon, or in order to get the free goodies, do I have to order through the Trainz Portal site?

5. Which package would give the best bang for my buck? I currently model both steam and diesel, and prefer routes in the USA.

That should help me make my decision. From what I have seen in several videos, I like the graphic detail. Looks like a keeper.

Thanks for your help.

Ted

 

[cascaderailroad]

Buy from JointedRail and get a free $20 loco ... or buy directly from the official N3V store SimCentral ... DO NOT buy on STEAM, Amazon, EBay ... etc ...

There are many payware DLC packs ... and hundreds of thousands of freeware downloads

 

[MeowRailroad]

There is the "Download station" for direct downloads, and 3 party websites which you download from and need to install the files into trainz.

 

[JCitron]

Hey guys,

I am considering purchasing the Trainz12 software package. Couple of questions:

1. I understand that with my purchase I get access to many free downloads. Is that correct? If so, what kind of items are offered. Locos, routes, etc.? What is the ballpark cost for addtional downloads?

2. Can I download various locos and run them on any routes that I have?

3. Can I perform switching operations on the routes?

4. Can I make my purchase using Amazon, or in order to get the free goodies, do I have to order through the Trainz Portal site?

5. Which package would give the best bang for my buck? I currently model both steam and diesel, and prefer routes in the USA.

That should help me make my decision. From what I have seen in several videos, I like the graphic detail. Looks like a keeper.

Thanks for your help.

Ted

Welcome to the forums, Ted.

I'll answer your questions here:

1) Yes. All the items listed and more.

The initial package allows 100MB limit per day, however, you can download everything. With an additional $23 (roughly) per year subscription for a First Class Ticket, you have unlimited downloads on what is called the Download Station.

2) Yes and more including editing (cloning of the built-in routes to make your own additions)... Note: TANE, which is out in a few months may or may not allow editing of the built-in routes, but you can create your own sessions.

3) Yes. There are switching sessions on the built-in routes, plus you can create your own if you want.

4) Avoid Amazon. You are better off going to the main purchase site here www.simulatorcentral.com (N3Vs store), or to www.jointedrail.com which also sells the software plus they have other package deals as well.

5) Check the reasonably priced payware routes on Jointed Rail. Their Midwest Grain 4.0 is the bees knees. Their latest American Intermodal is a keeper as well. N3V also has some foreign routes, though these are now a bit long on the tooth...

In addition to above, you can create your own routes with stuff that's built-in or available on various third-party sites. You can mix and match stuff from everywhere to create your own person world.

Hope this answers your questions...

John

 

[LandShark229]

The amount of freeware content is mind-blowingly large and expansive. It may even be reaching the 1 million mark for all I know...

You can find practically anything there. Entire routes, locomotives, sessions, scenery, stations, tracks, and so much more. The dependency and asset system is beyond helpful if you choose to get into content creation eventually. I bought TS12 a while back (get it from JointedRail!!!!) and the sheer amount of content has kept me coming back time and time again.

Cheers

 

[tmiller453]

Thanks John for all your information. I did check out the Download Station, and you are right, there is a lot to be had. And the cost of a 1 year subscription , gives me much more than the other simulators.

One question I do have, is in looking at the downloads, most make mention of Service pack 3 required. In looking at Trainz12, I see where it mentions that it comes with Service Pack 1. Is there an additional upgrade, at a cost, or can I get that with my 1 year subscription?

Sorry for all the questions, but I just want to make sure what I need to do when purchasing the product. I did see somewhere where included in the package was a 6 months subscription to the Download Station, but for th lif of me I can't find it now. Any idea where I may look? My plan right now would be to order form the Trainz Portal, and keep everything together.

Thanks for your reply.

Ted

 

[tmiller453]

Any idea when Trainz, the New Era, will be ready for shipment? All I see is "Pre-Order"

 

[johnwhelan]

Thanks John for all your information. I did check out the Download Station, and you are right, there is a lot to be had. And the cost of a 1 year subscription , gives me much more than the other simulators.

One question I do have, is in looking at the downloads, most make mention of Service pack 3 required. In looking at Trainz12, I see where it mentions that it comes with Service Pack 1. Is there an additional upgrade, at a cost, or can I get that with my 1 year subscription?

Sorry for all the questions, but I just want to make sure what I need to do when purchasing the product. I did see somewhere where included in the package was a 6 months subscription to the Download Station, but for th lif of me I can't find it now. Any idea where I may look? My plan right now would be to order form the Trainz Portal, and keep everything together.

Thanks for your reply.

Ted

The service packs are free, just a warning note because the content is made by the community some is much higher standard than others. For US items I'd start with whitepass's and Trainboi's content but it depends exactly which time period and region you are most interested in.

Welcome to Trainz by the way. Some content creators prefer not to use the DLS because of licensing issues, N3V requires that they be licensed for use in payware, so pogfig's trees for example can only be found on third party sites such as jatws.org.

Cheerio John

 

[JCitron]

Thanks John for all your information. I did check out the Download Station, and you are right, there is a lot to be had. And the cost of a 1 year subscription , gives me much more than the other simulators.

One question I do have, is in looking at the downloads, most make mention of Service pack 3 required. In looking at Trainz12, I see where it mentions that it comes with Service Pack 1. Is there an additional upgrade, at a cost, or can I get that with my 1 year subscription?

Sorry for all the questions, but I just want to make sure what I need to do when purchasing the product. I did see somewhere where included in the package was a 6 months subscription to the Download Station, but for th lif of me I can't find it now. Any idea where I may look? My plan right now would be to order form the Trainz Portal, and keep everything together.

Thanks for your reply.

Ted

Any idea when Trainz, the New Era, will be ready for shipment? All I see is "Pre-Order"

You're welcome. You are right to ask the questions.

For TANE, the scheduled release date is supposed to be mid-May 2015... Get TS12 right now and you can import your stuff later.

The Service Pack 3 refers to older content such as those made for much earlier versions of Trainz. The only service pack in TS12 is SP1 and that's actually been updated to Hotfix 4. If you were to purchase this now online , you'll get this version. It will handle 99.9999% of the previous content without issue, and then anything else may need a fix or two to work which are simple to do. The community along with N3V, has been upgrading content to work with TS12 and above. As John W says, any service pack that comes out is free.

Just to let you know, I've been working on a single route since 2003 when I started with TRS2004. I have updated and upgraded over the years and my older route still loads up. In fact I am working on it now as I type this. Over the years, I have of course rebuilt areas to better standards, but the route for the most part is still the same route.

Hope this helps.

John

 

[tmiller453]

So John, if I purchase TS12 now, then I will have to purchase T:ane in May? Seems like there are so many improvements with T:ane, that I would be wise to wait. What say?

Ted

 

[johnwhelan]

So John, if I purchase TS12 now, then I will have to purchase T:ane in May? Seems like there are so many improvements with T:ane, that I would be wise to wait. What say?

Ted

You can prepurchase it today and get the beta today ie TANE community edition and the real thing when it gets released. On balance I might go the TANE route rather than buy TS12 today but its quite close, TS12 works nicely, TANE needs a 64 bit machine there is a thread about hardware somewhere, it needs DirectX11 rather than DirectX9, and it will take a few months before the content creators start to take full advantage of it. Cost wise TS12 is $30 for the download, if you buy TANE I'd buy the DVD version, the download version has DRM but the DVD version does not. Trainz: A New Era - Boxed cost $49 but you get 6 months DLS first class ticket access.


Cheerio John

 

[JCitron]

So John, if I purchase TS12 now, then I will have to purchase T:ane in May? Seems like there are so many improvements with T:ane, that I would be wise to wait. What say?

Ted

My thinking is you might want to go with TS12 right now even with TANE right around the corner... See John Whelan's post. At the moment there will be very little new content available for TANE until the developers release the Wiki updates and they content creators get their hands on the information. This isn't saying that TANE doesn't make use of the old stuff. It will, about 90% of it. It will not, however, handle the gazillion Speed Trees which are currently available due to a file version change, among other things.

By going with TS12, you can start working on your routes, and use the simulation as it stands then later on when TANE is fully bugged out and really rolling you can upgrade. As John also said, by pre-ordering TANE you can give it a try through the Community Edition which is a beta release.

In the end ultimately it's your decision. The overall investment in this program is very small compared to what you get. Believe me... I've been at this since December 2003 with many people here a lot longer.

John

 

[jkinzel]

I would recommend purchasing TS12 from Jointed Rail. They are good people and sell excellent 3rd party content and will assist you with any questions you might have. No, I do not work for them nor in any way profit from my recommendation. http://www.jointedrail.com/

 

[Zeldaboy14]

Never forget that there is the Railroad Simulator Powered By Trainz 2012 version of Trainz 2012 out there, which can be bought for around 20 dollars from sites like Walmart. It's just the same as Trainz 2012, just a different name.

 

[tmiller453]

Wow, you guys have been a great asset in helping me sort all of this out. You guys are the experts!

I do agree that content for TANE will be slow coming. But, I am ready to start experiencing the fun of the simulator. So, if I order TS12, how do I get the beta version of TANE? Do I automatically get it with my TS12 order. Will I have to pay for TANE when it is released, or is it an upgrade, and at what cost if any? And, will I have two programs installed on my computer? Since it is a beta version, does anyone have a handle on how it is performing, or should I not even install it until all the bugs are fixed?

I really, really appreciate everyones help. And I look forward to becoming an active member of this community. I model HO on the side. But I have only been in the hobby for about 7 years. This hobby is one that I wish I hadn't waited till age 60 to get into.

Thanks again.

Ted

 

[boc61]

You will have to pre order and pay for TANE to get the beta aka Community Edition. It is a separate program from TS12 so they would be separate purchases and they would both be on your computer. Be aware that to get all the pre order bonuses for TANE you will have to pre order by March 31st.

As far as how TANE runs, a lot will depend on your computer specifications, even then, some people have wildly different experiences from others. Personally, it runs pretty well for me. I have a pretty good machine, it was probably considered High End when I had it built 4 years ago. You could get TS 12 as someone said from JointedRail, they have good deals and packages and get your feet wet. It will also allow you to gain access to the parts of the forum that are unavailable to you without a registered Trainz product where you can get a better insight on TANE.

Or, if you choose you can just PreOrder TANE right now, that would get you access to the Community Edition, there is enough there to keep you busy until the "Finished " product drops in May. *Hopefully. This is what I would do if I were new to Trainz. Start right out with TANE and go forward. TANE specific content may be slow in coming initially, but I think it will ramp up quickly once the final release is out.

 

[johnwhelan]

Wow, you guys have been a great asset in helping me sort all of this out. You guys are the experts!

I do agree that content for TANE will be slow coming. But, I am ready to start experiencing the fun of the simulator. So, if I order TS12, how do I get the beta version of TANE? Do I automatically get it with my TS12 order. Will I have to pay for TANE when it is released, or is it an upgrade, and at what cost if any? And, will I have two programs installed on my computer? Since it is a beta version, does anyone have a handle on how it is performing, or should I not even install it until all the bugs are fixed?

I really, really appreciate everyones help. And I look forward to becoming an active member of this community. I model HO on the side. But I have only been in the hobby for about 7 years. This hobby is one that I wish I hadn't waited till age 60 to get into.

Thanks again.

Ted

Compared to HO this stuff is cheap, having said that it does need a certain amount of computer power so quite a few people have spent a couple of thousand on their computers. You can run multiple copies of TS12 and Tane on the same machine. I'd start with TS12, its fairly stable, than move onto TANE in a few months when the dust has settled. To get the TANE beta or community edition you need to prepurchase TANE at the moment.

There are sliders so you can trade detail against frame rates but if you do decide to upgrade your computer then think in terms of a GTX 970 for TANE which is a $350 graphics card but seems to be the consensus between the more serious players at the moment. I run a five year old AMD graphics card and TS12 runs fine.

Cheerio John

 

[tmiller453]

After much thought I think it is wise to just wait for the final release of TANE in May and go from there. Good advice. Now, if I get the CE of TANE now, will I have to pay for the update to the final version?

My computer runs FSX Flight Simulator pretty well, so will see if it needs and boost once I get it installed.

Thanks so much everyone.

Ted

 

[johnwhelan]

After much thought I think it is wise to just wait for the final release of TANE in May and go from there. Good advice. Now, if I get the CE of TANE now, will I have to pay for the update to the final version?

My computer runs FSX Flight Simulator pretty well, so will see if it needs and boost once I get it installed.

Thanks so much everyone.

Ted

If you prepay ie pay for TANE now you get the TANE community edition now as part of the package which is really the beta. You also get six months of access to the DLS included. If you're going TANE then I'd buy it before the end of March and play with TANE CE now.

Cheerio John

 

[boc61]

You will not have to pay extra for the final release if you preorder now. Pre ordering will also get you, as John said, access to the CE, a 6 month first class ticket for the Download Station, plus you will get the bonus content, which I think will not be part of the package after march 31st.