OnTrack: Your Trainz Magazine! Release Thread

[titaniclover]

The OnTrack: Your Trainz Magazine Staff proudly present the first edition of the OnTrack Magazine Series!

This thread is for the release of our future editions and discussion over them.

OnTrack: Your Trainz Magazine was the idea of titaniclover (me) of sharing community events and releases many people miss and to explain and discuss hot topics on the forum.The idea grew fast and hot and a lot of people wanted to help.

New ideas like sharing tutorials and a FAQ also appeared. Although a lot of the original ideas are not in the edition, we hope to have more ideas within the magazine next release.

We want to thank a lot of people that helped us with this edition.

PerRock: For putting together the magazine a PDF format and helping with graphics.

Euphod: Who pointed out that spelling was to be a big thing and grammer as well.

Gandalf0444: Who sticked with us untill the very end.

Goodell911: Even though nothing of his was in this edition, we hope to have something from him next time.

Padster: For making the tutorial and for joining in. He has had some magazine experience. (The original OnTrack)

Michael_Evans: Who looked up releases.

dreadman: Who was to do a joke area. We hope to have it in the next edition.

We hope you enjoy this edition and further editions of OnTrack: Your Trainz Magazine!

Please follow this link to download the file.
http://z15.invisionfree.com/Trainz_Resouce/index.php?showtopic=51

Cheers,
Adam
OnTrack Editor

 

[PerRock]

I should mention that Gandalf0444 also helped in some graphics.

peter

 

[Gandalf0444]

I just couldn't get make enough ads for more than TCR and even TCRs was rushed more than I wanted it to be.

 

[CasyJ]

You might consider changing your color scheme. It's a bit hard to read.

 

[Gandalf0444]

You might consider changing your color scheme. It's a bit hard to read.

I assume your talking to me Did I fail to mention it was rushed

 

[PerRock]

You might consider changing your color scheme. It's a bit hard to read.

I assume your talking to me Did I fail to mention it was rushed

No he's talking to me. He finds TTR hard to read (the only person I know that does; that has let me know)

peter

 

[johnwhelan]

17 inches by 11, unusual size for a magazine. If you think in terms of 1024 by 768 or 8.5 inches by 11 it might be easier to read. Also not everyone loves the fact your web site is trying to run a script. Is your script really necessary?

I do like the web links back into the forum.

Basically on getting the first issue out, well done.

Cheerio John

 

[transitguard]

I have one suggestion, could you please make only one page per sheet instead a two page spread. It's very hard to read considering you have to scroll across and down every page. --edit-- I guess this is related to johwhelans post.

 

[PerRock]

17 inches by 11, unusual size for a magazine. If you think in terms of 1024 by 768 or 8.5 inches by 11 it might be easier to read. Also not everyone loves the fact your web site is trying to run a script. Is your script really necessary?

I do like the web links back into the forum.

Basically on getting the first issue out, well done.

Cheerio John

17/2=8.5 which is normal, it is set up as 2-page spreads (like a normal magazine)

Being as On Track has no operating funds we use donated space. The website which is linked is the Forum for The Trainz Resource (run by me) if you are having problems with the website; please let me know elsewhere (I'm the webmaster for TTR)

peter

 

[PerRock]

from what I've seen the 2-page spread is normal for pdfs set up to be like books/magazines. if the majority of the community hates it I will look into changing it for the next issue.

peter

 

[Truemac]

gah, I completely forgot about this!

sorry I didn't have my article done in time! Maybe next issue

 

[Padster]

Here we go again. PerRock and everyone involved has worked damned hard on this project and the only thing the resident forum gimme monkeys can do is whinge and complain about the font size. I sometimes wonder why we bother. If you can't read OnTrack I sincerely suggest you take a trip to your local optician. We are doing this for YOU. We don't have to do this. We can sit and lurk like you do. Perhaps that is what we should do, because we get precious little gratitude for something we do free of charge for this community. Now I know how content creators feel. Guys, you have my utmost sympathy.

Padster.

 

[johnwhelan]

Here we go again. PerRock and everyone involved has worked damned hard on this project and the only thing the resident forum gimme monkeys can do is whinge and complain about the font size. I sometimes wonder why we bother. If you can't read OnTrack I sincerely suggest you take a trip to your local optician. We are doing this for YOU. We don't have to do this. We can sit and lurk like you do. Perhaps that is what we should do, because we get precious little gratitude for something we do free of charge for this community. Now I know how content creators feel. Guys, you have my utmost sympathy.

Padster.

I missed the comments about the font size. With the .pdf format it can be scaled quite nicely so font size as such isn't a problem.

Font selection is different, an electronic magazine such as this is being read from a computer screen which is relatively low resolution about 75 dots per inch, laser printers and newspaper are around 300 dots per inch and Scientific American or Vogue would be printed at 1200 or 2400 dots per inch.

Times Roman, a serif typeface, was created as a way of cramming more words on a printed page using newspaper printing presses (300 dpi) whilst still keeping them legible. The screen displays don't really show the serifs or curly bits up quite so well being lower resolution so these days there is a movement towards sans serf typefaces such as Helvetica, Ariel and Tahoma for screens.

Having said that the font selection rules are made to be broken, by carefully selecting the font you can actually slow the reader down whilst they are reading, adverts use this technique a fair bit.

Columns are useful in a magazine, the idea is that the eye can read an entire column width without having to scan back and forth. Makes it easier on the eye. If you have a look at the following electronic magazine you can see how it incorporates these ideas. It's interesting because the editors have a background in printing.

http://www.railwayherald.co.uk/issues/Worldwide/Issue2.pdf

Font selection though is a matter of house style, editorial choice as is the width of the magazine. Often the person composing will be using a different device or screen resolution than the reader. The age of the target audience makes a difference as well. Younger readers can read san serif typefaces as fast as serif type faces, so serifs don't have quite so much advantage.

One final note from a personal point of view I think we need this to succeed, the forum is one form of communication, the wikibook another but there is a need for background and filtered information perhaps showing where ideas on the forum are currently going.

Cheerio John

 

[CasyJ]

My mistake, I should have explained. The font size is fine, but the grey characters on black background makes it difficult to read. As for "Gimme Monkeys", any good web developer welcomes criticism and requests as clues for improvement.

 

[skiingiggy]

Thats a nice product there. Looks good.

 

[lewisner]

It was nice to see the bit about boundary fences and walls.Many routebuilders seem to think its OK to stick a fence 3 feet from the track, when in fact the Network Rail rulebook says the boundary fence is a Minimum of 10 feet from the nearest running rail.In fact, measuring from 25 inch OS maps its commoner for the fence to be 20 or 30 feet away.Nice mag..

 

[titaniclover]

Thanks guys!
I was starting to think of discontinuing the mag. I'm having second thoughts now.

Cheers,
Adam

 

[transitguard]

Two things...
1) Padster: Those who are offering criticism about your first issue are just trying to be constructive. There's definitely no reason to just flare up like that at us. We are trying to help make it better.

2) I forgot to mention that it was pretty nice for the first issue. (I was getting really tired at the time of the other post, so it completely slipped my mind to mention this...)

 

[ex-railwayman]

Peter and the team, I think it is a job well done for your first issue, you will always experience teething problems, so take them in your stride, at least you can be proud to have achieved this, especially as it seems to have been a rushed effort, the next one you can take your time with.
I haven't studied it closely enough to make any criticisms, I don't think I'll bother anyway, as I've noticed you've included my screenie.....:hehe:
But, pat yourselves on the back Gentlemen, it's certainly an interesting little read, my only thoughts were that it wasn't quite long enough, I'd finished my coffee before I got to the last page, but I'm sure that lots more ideas, subject creating content, screenshots, etc, will now come flooding into your editorial studios....all it needs now is a crossword page - or should that be Sudoku....:hehe:

Cheerz. ex.

 

[lornyk5]

Good first issue, thanks for your time spent, I really liked the trench loco pics!

Keep your chins up

Lorin