Right Track for "Download Station"?

[Domhnall]

Hello All,

I'm new to the site so forgive me if this post is in the wrong place.

Having recently purchased Trainz Simulator 2010: Engineer Edition (TS2010:EE) I am keen to explore this fascinating world of railway simulation.

As my version of the software is fairly old I thought it would be worth while checking out the "Download Station" for any recent additions to the lists of various components already included.

My problem at the moment is that try as I might I cannot get into the "Download Station". Having registered to access the Forum it appears that I need also to register the serial number of my disc. This is where I get stuck, I can't find the 'page' or 'form' that will enable me to do this.

Any help or hint on how to access Download Station would be much appreciated.

 

[shaneturner12]

Welcome to the forums.

Unfortunately for TS2010 and earlier versions it's not as simple as registering your serial number, which you can do by clicking MyTrainz above then Serial Number then filling out the form.

TS2010 (and earlier versions) are not supported by N3V which means that if you haven't got TS12 or later registered as well you will probably need to purchase and activate a First Class Ticket as well in order to use the Download Station.

Shane

 

[Domhnall]

Thank you Mr Turner for your prompt response and welcome. Not exactly what I wanted to hear but I appreciate that progress has left older versions of Trainz obsolete in some respects.

I've noticed this morning that the latest version, Trainz - A New Era - SP1 is being advertised at half the normal price, down from $49.90 to $24.95 on:

http://www.simulatorcentral.com/index.php/trainz-a-new-era-boxed.html

By my reckoning that makes the price about £13.26 for a boxed copy

Sounds like a pretty good deal if I'm reading it right. Included in the deal is a free 12 month FCT (First ClassTicket?)

Unless you would strictly advise caution I think I'll commit to buying the upgrade.

 

[wilts747]

I'm not sure about the current exchange rate but T:ANE SP1 with 12 months FCT over the holiday period is a very good buy and well worth considering particularly when you think of it as perhaps 5 pence a day, and somewhat more entertaining and a lot cheaper than TV.

Migrating anything you create in TS2010 to T:ANE without using TS2012 as a midway house can also be fiddly so a fresh start with T:ANE is also worthwhile. My only word of warning is check the computer requirements, you really don't need a top of the range gaming machine however nice it might be to have but something mid-range does help to make the simulation even more enjoyable. Good luck, Peter

 

[Domhnall]

Thanks for your comment Wilts.

Exchange rate is currently slightly under $2 Australian to the £ Sterling.

I'm not too clued up on the technical capabilities of my computer, it's less than 6 months old and I have been able to establish that it has the following specifications:

Operating System: Windows 8.1
Processor: AMD A4-6210 APU Radeon R3 Graphics -- 1.80GHz
Memory (RAM): 8.00GB
Hard Disc: 2 Tb
System Type: 64-bit Operating System, x64 - based processor.

I have found this to be adequate up to now. Would appreciate your opinion on whether or not you think it should suffice for the new version of this programme.

 

[JCitron]

Thanks for your comment Wilts.

Exchange rate is currently slightly under $2 Australian to the £ Sterling.

I'm not too clued up on the technical capabilities of my computer, it's less than 6 months old and I have been able to establish that it has the following specifications:

Operating System: Windows 8.1
Processor: AMD A4-6210 APU Radeon R3 Graphics -- 1.80GHz
Memory (RAM): 8.00GB
Hard Disc: 2 Tb
System Type: 64-bit Operating System, x64 - based processor.

I have found this to be adequate up to now. Would appreciate your opinion on whether or not you think it should suffice for the new version of this programme.

I'm not familiar with AMD's processors and GPU offerings, but it appears your CPU/GPU are bit on the lower end. I'm not sure this will support T:ANE, or if it does it will be on the very low side of the sliders, which will ruin the simulator for you.

 

[wilts747]

I have run T:ANE on my wife's HP laptop when away from home a few times which is an AMD A4, 6GB RAM and HD Graphics so on the condition you can allocate at least 1GB of RAM to graphics (more if possible) and that it supports DirectX 11 your computer should run T:ANE be it as already pointed out perhaps a little on the slow side. If like me you are more into building your own sessions in preference to driving its not that much of an issue however if driving is your preference it may be a little jagged at times. You can help yourself a little by going through Windows and disabling everything enabled by default, reduce any utilities and gadgets you have running to a minimum (not anti-virus though) and reduce screen clutter all of which eat into the CPU/GPU usage. Peter

 

[Domhnall]

Thank you all for the helpful comments,they helped me through the initial installation of the new era Tane software.

You were right that the graphics capability of my computer is woefully inadequate. During installation of the software several dll and other files were found to be missing altogether and this prevented me from even installing the software.

After getting over the initial panic I managed to find a source from which to download the missing files, (Microsoft's own support site).

My next challenge, as anticipated, was the slow performance. I overcame this by first establishing the type of graphics card I currently have and then downloading the latest drivers from the maker's site. I then discovered a way to allocate an 8GB USB stick for use as extra RAM.

I was flabbergasted by the improvement in both the building and driving experience. If nothing else the whole exercise has been an education. I was not aware when I began all this of how little I knew of my computers' capabilities, or how I did not even know that I did not know half of the stuff I took for granted as being a part of the operating system was not even present on the system and had to be downloaded and installed by me separately. At the risk of turning into a computer geek I need to pursue this side of things further, God knows what else I don't know that I don't know.

In the meantime, back to Tane. I have registered with Planet Auran, and this Forum, when I began using the 2010 version of Trainz. In order to get the benefits of the new Tane, it seems I need to register my new Product Key. I have been unable to do this so far as I can't find a facility for doing so for existing account holders. Any guidance on how an existing account holder can register a new Product Key with Planet Auran would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for the invaluable guidance thus far.

 

[shaneturner12]

The method for doing this is to click MyTrainz above (and login if prompted), then click Serial Number on the left hand side then fill in the form. By the looks of it though, T:ANE may already be associated with your account looking at your timeline next to your username.

Shane

 

[Domhnall]

Thanks for the pointer Shane. Managed to register new Tane serial number, they thanked me for it, which I presume means that they did not previously have it. Anyway, they acknowledge that they have it now.

Any impression I had of now being on a roll was soon quashed, however, when they tell me that I do not have a First Class Ticket (FCT).

Part of the deal when I bought Tane was a free 12 month FCT. This does not appear to be recognised. Any advice on how to make them aware of this would be appreciated.

 

[shaneturner12]

I can advise on that as well.

Firstly, check if it appears under Download Tickets > First Class Tickets on the MyTrainz page.

If it is (and it doesn't appear in red) you will be able to activate it using the Activate link next to it.

However if it doesn't appear there you will need to contact N3V's Helpdesk.

Shane

 

[BLACKWATCH]

I would be interested to know how the trick with the usb stick works, sounds to be a useful way to speed things up a bit.

 

[Domhnall]

I can advise on that as well.

Firstly, check if it appears under Download Tickets > First Class Tickets on the MyTrainz page.

If it is (and it doesn't appear in red) you will be able to activate it using the Activate link next to it.

However if it doesn't appear there you will need to contact N3V's Helpdesk.

Shane

Excellent !!!!!

Thank you Shane. Another hurdle overcome. Only around a third of a million left.

They say in the manual that it was written prior to the release of the final product. This, along with my lack of experience with the technology involved in Trainz generally and how to navigate the site, could be why I find the guidance so vague.

With your knowledge and experience you might consider tweaking the manual, or write a new one, perhaps it could be titled "Tane - For Dummies".

Thanks again. I shall familiarise myself now and get settled with the stage I have managed to get to so far, with help from your good self and others.

 

[Domhnall]

I would be interested to know how the trick with the usb stick works, sounds to be a useful way to speed things up a bit.

The 'trick' is quite straightforward once you get to know of it. Here I am talking like an expert but I only learnt of it last week. Here is how I managed it:

1. I took an 8Gb USB stick, erased everything that was on it

2. When inserted in computer's USB slot, it's presence should be recognised and it should show up in the list under "This PC". or "This Computer".

3. Right click on the drive that the USB stick was slotted into. A menu appears.

4. Click on 'Properties' from this menu. A little window opens.

5. Select 'Readyboost' from the list of options running along the top of this window. Another little window then opens.

6. Click on the option "Dedicate this device to Readyboost" There is also a sliding scale to enable setting of the amount of memory preferred. (It was set at max and I did not alter it).

7. Click"Apply" then "OK"


The whole process took less than a minute.

In addition to the trick with the USB stick I also managed to download the latest drivers for the graphics card in my machine. This took me some time as I had to re-educate myself more or less from scratch on how to do all that sort of thing.

Searching about on 'Google' and 'You Tube' 'how to' sites helped me with this. Microsoft's own support site was most helpful here as well and it was through them that I finally got the latest drivers.

On reflection, I think downloading the latest drivers was more useful and helpful than the Readyboost option, but either way the performance of the programme was certainly enhanced.

Hope you find this helpful.