Some General Trainz 2009 WBE Questions

[RammingSpeed]

Greetings from a new Trainzer...
I just purchased Trainz 2009 WBE and had some comments and questions.

1) Although the software, website, DLS, etc. etc. are a MESS and a customers worst nightmare, the basic concept and the Trainz program itself IS ENTERTAINING after you get it working.

2) Updating from the box to version 41844 (and I still don't know if this is current) required too much digging in the forum for updates that should be posted prominently on a concise Update Page from Auron on page one.

3) One of the things I noticed is the importance of "rules" usage in the Surveyor, but only 3 rules were included in the box. A number of other rules appear to be on the DLS, so if it works I can get them, but apparently the DLS is plagued with download issues. Is there a way get these rules from other websites?

4) I also read that scripting was not supported in 2009 and 2010. Is this so? It would be very attractive to be able to alter parameters for industries and other animated objects in the sim. Maybe this is possible, but I haven't read far enough through the forum to know.

Thanks in advance for any responses!
In any event Good Luck with continued development.

 

[narrowgauge]

I'm interested to find out why you chose TS2009 and not TS2010. The latter one is the latest and much better in many ways.

Peter

 

[RammingSpeed]

Response to narrowgauge

Well after reading a few reviews it seemed that most of the routes and other assets that were available on the Auron website was 2009 or before vintage, so there was the question of compatibility... and 2010 clearly was using a more restrictive and graphically intensive method.... so I judged that, as with most new software, it is better to go with "fully patched" than "fully beta" wares. Additionally I saw 2010 made available on Steam... being a hardcore gamer, I WILL NOT PURCHASE ANYTHING FROM STEAM because of the constant pinging and questioning that the Steam site does to my machine and their policy of installing things on my machine under their required EULA.

"Steam offered" for me = NOT EVEN CONSIDERED FOR PURCHASE.

 

[RammingSpeed]

Further Regarding Scripting

referenced in item 4 of my original post... In the "Industrial Wasteland" scenario in 2009 WBE several of the "industries" don't function right. For example, the Hyde Park Mill accepts woodchips, but does not produce any General Goods as it is supposed to do. Without the ability to repair the scripting in the industry... it doesn't function. If I had a way of adjusting the scripting I could actually build quite a nice rail layout, but I can't even figure out if you can add industries to a route... it isn't apparent in the Surveyor, if a method is there.

Excuse me if I am new and asking an "ignorant" question...

 

[narrowgauge]

RammingSpeed

Thanks for the reply. Honestly, I think you made a mistake, TS2010 updates much of TS2009 and I think you will find that in future TS2010 gets most attention from Auran. I have used them both right from the first Beta of TS2009 up to the release of TS2010 which I now use. I would not go back to TS2009.

Steam is not the only source for TS2010, most people seem to buy direct from Auran.

Peter

 

[RammingSpeed]

Well I see there was actually

more than 3 "rules" installed in 2009... and I have also found the "routes" on the DLS and actually downloaded a CPD "route" file from a 3rd party website that I found and managed to install into the Surveyor. I figured out how to get a train onto it in the Quick Drive mode in the Surveyor, but learning how all the software parts and Surveyor work together and how to get them to load into the game is daunting to say the least. Because there is no documentation to speak of other than what I could search out on the web, I had to guess that you used the Surveyor to load all the parts (files) and then save the whole as a "route" or "session" (I'm not sure of the terminology yet and not even sure if this is the proper procedure... we'll see ). The DLS is the real key for getting full enjoyment out of the software, but its use seems very limited, possibly by prohibitive costs associated with Auron's IP severs. (Thus the need for the FCT thing.)

Auron... you must really be a "one man" software shop because your product has all the earmaks of something done by a "hobbyist" in his garage. Having said that, let me be fair and also say that your product IS INTERESTING (if you like model rails). Obviously I and others must be interested. I hope you succeed and continue development.

As for my earlier question about "scripting bugs" in the industries... from reading on the web it seems that 2009 and 2010 don't expressly support that, but will function with some industry scripts put into routes in earlier versions. Maybe that is why some of the industries seem to work fine while others don't at all. I really hope you include an easy script interface for modifying industries and animated assets in any future version of Trainz. As for now i will continue to "muddle through the fog" with 2009 WBE and keep an eye on how 2010 evolves... maybe 2012 will be the "real deal" as we say in the states.

 

[4ndylloyd]

Rammingspeed,

Firstly welcome to the world of Trainz. Auran certainly isn't a 'one man band' and Trainz is something that you have to learn about to get the best from. Its the same as any other comprehensive game in that most people can get it going 'straight from teh box' but it needs patience to learn the full potential of the game. Once you start down that path you will become absorbed and immersed.

It is possible to change the script of any item in the game but its best not to start fiddling with built in items. If you have something that you think isn't working correctly then use Content Manager to clone it and then open its files in Windows explorer and take a look at things like the config file. Some are complicated and you possibly wont work them out right away but after some thought you can make changes and add new commodities to industries.

You will always find help here on the forums, from users all over the world but its fair to say that there are good and bad posts, you need to read both sides and make an informed decision for yourself. You will also see that users have varying opinion on what is the 'best version', everyone always likes what works well for them.

Good luck and happy learning

Andy

 

[JL_Cog]

I'm interested to find out why you chose TS2009 and not TS2010. The latter one is the latest and much better in many ways.

May i interject my own reasons? 2009WBE doesn't exceed my system
specs and 2010 does. Maybe one day i'll be able to build a real computer
again but it will become obsolete before i can build another better

 

[RammingSpeed]

Just another note to thank adadadl....

for your comments... you brief input has put my pea sized brain on track and I woke up to the relationship between the Content Manager and the Surveyor. I also found some documentation for operating the Content manager in it's "Help" file... imagine that! anyway, your comment on the script locations has given me new hope... let me chew on this and see if I can't get "up to speed" with the rest of you veterans.

I think part of my issue is that it has ben a long road for Trainz from 2004 til now... some of you users have been here from the beginning and it is second nature for you, but for a "newb" like me to drop into 2009, things are not necessarily immediately apparent.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[RammingSpeed]

Finally! Success In Understanding and a HINT for New Users..

Thanks to the helpful responses of you older Trainzers I finally got my head around how things are organized in Trainz 2009 WBE. Now I can alter the scripting in scenarios and I am standing and applauding the software. My problems getting to understand the basic operations of the Sim and how Surveyor and Content Manager Plus worked were due to the fact that it is necessary to read ALL of the documentation from versions 2004 , 2006, 2009 WBE and up to 2010 (if you have it) in order to see how all the program parts relate and function.

So let me be clear Auron, your Trainz sim software is really fun and entertaining after you get over the learning curve, but your documentation is really poorly organized and not intuitive. The software documentation needs to be grouped and not spread out all over the files. I would also recommend to any new users that they read ALL of the instructions for ANY VERSION of Trainz that they receive in their software package. Many of the features were carried over from one version to the next and you will not see the pattern until you have read it all.

ONCE YOU HAVE.... GET READY FOR SOME REALLY NICE RAILROAD MODELING POSSIBITLIES!

No major bugs experienced yet from build 41844 in 2009 WBE on :

ASUS CROSSFIRE MB
EVGA 8800 GTS 640 MB
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.100427-1636)
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6000+, MMX, 3DNow (2 CPUs), ~3.1GHz
Memory: 3070MB RAM
Page File: 557MB used, 4399MB available
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)

Thanks again for the help Trainzers.
Onward through the fog!

 

[BobCass]

RamingSpeed: Welcome to the forum..Here is a Link That you will like:http//trains.Ocatch.com..It is a Manual that is called Track Laying and Trouble Shooting..I like it and refer to it a lot..