Thinking of getting Trainz...

[TheIrishRailwayMan]

Right lads, I need some help. I'm thinking of getting Trainz 2010 Engineers Edition but I need some questions answered first.

1: Perhaps a question with a fairly obvious answer, but are there in-cab views for steam engines? I can only find images and videos of diesel interiors.

2: How many engines are available with the base game (i.e bought straight off of Steam (lololololol pun intended except it isn't))?

3: Can engines be driven from inside the cab, ala Railsimulator (my only prior exposure to rail simulators in general has been a demo I found for this game yesterday).

And finally:

4: The website claims "Drive... Steam, Diesel or Electric trains (and even trams, boats and cars)" and yet again I can find no information other than this description. Are cars, trams and boats actually driveable? I have seen no evidence to support this.

I suppose that'd be it. Any help I can be given would be incrediably helpful. Thank you for your time (and hopefully not flaming the noob).

 

[shaneturner12]

Don't worry, I can understand everyone starts somewhere (I actually help quite a few people who are new to the game)

Firstly, I would watch out if you buy it from Steam or if you buy a downloadable version from anywhere but Auran/N3V itself - there are some known issues with the patching (basically, they cannot be easily patched to the latest version) - it's easier to buy it on DVD or buy the downloadable version directly from the Auran/N3V shop.

To answer your cab view question, yes, you should be able to view from inside the cab of a steam engine.

I'm not 100% sure exactly which engines are included in TS2010, but it does depend where it's bought from as some regional versions have extra engines that are specific to that country)

In terms of question 4, there are trams, boats and cars on the Download Station that have been made in such a way that allows them to be driven, although it usually involves laying invisible track.

Shane

EDIT: Yes, you can drive from inside the cab if you select Cab mode when loading a Driver session.

 

[TheIrishRailwayMan]

Thanks very much for the speedy response, Shane. You've been extremely helpful.

 

[itareus]

Just to add to the comments from Shane.

Personally I would avoid buying any software from Steam (or the like). In addition to the patch problems you will probably find that you are required to download a lot of junk software from them in order to run the program. Some companies even require you to have the disc in the PC to do so. These are anti piracy measures but well OTT. I always buy direct from Auran, may cost a little bit more but well worth the money.

Regarding your questions:

Q1) Yes you can view from inside steam loco cabs. Some locos have a cab view and some don't (applies to both steam and diesel) but you can alway add a cab view with a fairly easy edit of the locos config.txt file, you can in fact add extra viewing positions of your own. You can also view from inside some coaches!

A lot of, in fact probably most, content for Trainz has been created by users rather than the game publishers and creating a detailed cab interior takes longer than creating a loco (so I'm told) many creators don't bother if there is a suitable cab already available to re-use.

Q2) In the "base" game I'm not sure what you get. But when you buy TS2010 you will get free access to the "Download Station" (DLS) where there are hundreds of locos and thousands of other items available for free download. The free access is at a slow download rate and limited to 100mb per day but you can get a premium access with a "First Class Ticket" (FCT) for a small amount of money. There are also a large number of external websites with content for free, and some with payware. If you are into British Railways 1960s then the Settle and Carlisle add on from Auran is well worth the extra money.

Q3) Yes they can be driven from the cab (but see 1. above). The other modes are "DCC" which is akin to a model railway Digital Command Controller, or AI (Artificial Intelligence) mode where the "game" drives the train in accordance with your pre-defined instructions. You can drive your own train while the AI drives others on the route.

Q4) There are planes as well (I'm not joking) - I think it is possible to make a drivable house!!

A big plus with Trainz (over the other rail SIMs) is that it if fairly easy to create your own content, e.g your own route, and you don't need to spend any extra money to do so. I would not suggest building a loco as a first project though!

I'm sure you will have more questions so please feel free to post again with them, not much flaming "flaming" goes on here.

Cheers

Chris

 

[Dermmy]

(i.e bought straight off of Steam)?

I point blank wouldn't get it that way. I wouldn't get the digital dl from Auran either. Get it boxed on disk direct from Auran. If you get it through a local retailer I assume it would be the the UK version which I am pretty sure requires the disks be in the drive at all times, the Auran direct version does not have this requirement....

 

[TheIrishRailwayMan]

Thanks very much for the input. It seems then I'll have to get it boxed... Ah well. Can't have it every way.

Thanks again.

 

[gasolene]

Thanks very much for the input. It seems then I'll have to get it boxed... Ah well. Can't have it every way.

Thanks again.

Just to clarify, you can buy a direct download version from Auran if you want instant playability.

The nice thing about Auran, is that you can re-download your purchases anytime you want - say your PC crashes.

Don't buy from Steam.

 

[gasolene]

I wouldn't get the digital dl from Auran either.

Curious, why not? Is it a different build, missing features or more bugs?

I have the box version of TS2004, TS2006, TC1&2, but the digital version of TS2010
I don't notice any difference.

 

[ray_whiley]

I have the Just Trains version of TRS2010 and my copy does not require the DVD to be in the drive when using the program - although my Just Trains version of TRS2004 did - which was a pain.

Ray

 

[johnwhelan]

Thanks very much for the input. It seems then I'll have to get it boxed... Ah well. Can't have it every way.

Thanks again.

The download version from Auran works fine. There are drivable all sorts of things either on the DLS which has the largest collection well over 100,000 items or you can dive round the Trainz sites. TrainzProRoutes is a good place to start. The recommendation would be to buy a first class ticket that way you can easily pick up a route and it will pull in all the dependencies.

Welcome to Trainz

Cheerio John

 

[itareus]

.....Curious, why not? Is it a different build, missing features or more bugs?.....

The download version is the same, or possibly later version (patch wise), as the boxed. I think what Dermmy was getting at is that it is a big download (in terms of file size) and if you have a slow or bad internet connection you might have problems -I think Auran put out a warning to this effect a while ago. Also some people have had problems installing the download version due to ... errrr, lets say - "not quite understanding what you have to do".

 

[Dermmy]

I think what Dermmy was getting at is that it is a big download (in terms of file size) and if you have a slow or bad internet connection you might have problems -I think Auran put out a warning to this effect a while ago. Also some people have had problems installing the download version due to ... errrr, lets say - "not quite understanding what you have to do".

That's pretty much what I had in mind!

Sorry if there was any implication that there was any inferiority in the DL version. The two things I had in mind were hassles associated with the size of the download and and - well - I am just an old fashioned codger and like to have disks on hand...

Andy