Trainz - Lots Of Messy Issues

[boleyd]

Dealing with errors from either badly made assets or information scattered everywhere is quite frustrating. In my opinion the Trainz program is a terribly organized mess. You spend so much time either fixing errors, stumbling across in-compatibilities, program crashes, etc. that it is very difficult to enjoy the program.

Experienced users seem to "roll with the the punches" and seem to accept the warts since it is better than what they suffered through in previous incarnations. Those that are new to the program may not share that elation. I have been at this for a few months and find that I am constantly dealing with a wide variety of errors. Hidden within the forums may be answers but searching a forum where many different cultures express things in a variety of ways makes searching a futile effort.

The reason for this message is that I can only hope that Auran cleans up the problems that I see trying to use the program. I have no idea if I am alone or hundreds are also frustrated. I also have no idea how many have gone away to more enjoyable and rewarding activities. If Auran can take the various bits and pieces that solve the myriad of issues and either document them as distinct processes, or fix the underlying causes, then that to me is much more important than being able to play a train game on an I-Pad.

 

[skidmark22]

Dealing with errors from either badly made assets or information scattered everywhere is quite frustrating. In my opinion the Trainz program is a terribly organized mess. You spend so much time either fixing errors, stumbling across in-compatibilities, program crashes, etc. that it is very difficult to enjoy the program.

Experienced users seem to "roll with the the punches" and seem to accept the warts since it is better than what they suffered through in previous incarnations. Those that are new to the program may not share that elation. I have been at this for a few months and find that I am constantly dealing with a wide variety of errors. Hidden within the forums may be answers but searching a forum where many different cultures express things in a variety of ways makes searching a futile effort.

The reason for this message is that I can only hope that Auran cleans up the problems that I see trying to use the program. I have no idea if I am alone or hundreds are also frustrated. I also have no idea how many have gone away to more enjoyable and rewarding activities. If Auran can take the various bits and pieces that solve the myriad of issues and either document them as distinct processes, or fix the underlying causes, then that to me is much more important than being able to play a train game on an I-Pad.

I agree with you 100% Dick. Been fighting it for almost 2 years. I finally gave up on complaining about it because I get severely chastised by the hardcore trainzers every time I do. They have a million excuses as to why none of these problems really exist and if they (the problems) do (exist), why you are a total dumba__ for not just working around them they way everyone else does..

 

[fran1]

If you stick to 2009/10 assets for 2010 you shouldn't have much trouble,, however go below those and expect to have to fix them to work correctly.
And then you are making a cross for yourself to carry if you try to eliminate all errors, stick to the major ones so's the asset shows and works correctly. Yellow exclamation marks I ignore.
Routes in general seem to need little fixing.

 

[NikkiA]

I dunno, I think it's getting better every day. Hardly a day goes by when I don't have something to update in the 'Content Updates' section, and these days that means it's gone through the error checking and is pretty much guarenteed to be error-free (except for script errors, of course).

Also in the next few months we'll see the start of the 'users can fix other users's deserted error'ed assets' routine, and before long there shouldn't be much, if any, broken content left on the DLS.

 

[boleyd]

If you stick to 2009/10 assets for 2010 you shouldn't have much trouble,, however go below those and expect to have to fix them to work correctly.
And then you are making a cross for yourself to carry if you try to eliminate all errors, stick to the major ones so's the asset shows and works correctly. Yellow exclamation marks I ignore.
Routes in general seem to need little fixing.

Good advice. However, this restricts the customer to 5000 of 158000 assets. The product is sold with the virtue of having all those questionable assets that precede build 2.9 available.

I am going to cleanse my system of all that old stuff that carry liabilities and see what I am left with. The question I will have to answer is - are the 5000 proper assets sufficient to make this thing work without problems? Have to be very careful loading routes since some of them stuff the old assets into your computer. I will have to violate the rule since I find the trees by Trundra:Y: far superior to the speed-trees despite their 2010 status.

Question - what is the cutoff build number to avoid the majority of assets with issues? I used 2.9 but that may be too aggressive.

 

[fran1]

2.9=2009, I would think so. Go to DLs and just have 2009 ticked, see what build numbers pop up.
2010 auto replaces old assets, but the good thing about 2010 is at 1 go you can replace stuff you dont want with items you do (bridges,multiple track) being 2 you cant. So speed tree 1, replace with trundra 1 and its done all over the route/session.
I replaced some grass that was irritating me with something invisible, ok not strictly what you do but it made me happy.

 

[whitepass]

2.7 that's what I used for a lot of the fixes I uploaded. Others are also fixing old content, we all got emails.

 

[cascaderailroad]

I felt that TRS2006 was pretty darn good (asside from all the DLS config file errors)... I will have to (buy) try 09/10

 

[wholbr]

Hi Everybody.
I have to say that I agree with the opening poster. The download station and the CMP is a mess for any new user of Trainz. These users will not know about build numbers etc and will proceed to download what they perceive to be good assets only to see them come up in red when they try to use them.


When they post their problems on the forum it is often met with impatient replies from more experienced members who feel that the same problems come up again and again in different threads. In that they are right, but you cannot criticize new users for asking for advice when they have had no previous knowledge of all that has gone before.


I believe that the situation is getting better through the efforts that Auran has made in the last few months and weeks despite receiving harsh criticism from content creators and others who are still using previous and now unsupported versions.


As I have advised on another thread I recently purchased Railworks and the Bristol to Exeter addon and therefore became a new user of that simulator. However, you soon find out that almost everything you wish to obtain as assets for your new software will probably only come to you as payware, especially where locomotives and rolling stock are concerned.


I have downloaded a freeware asset from UK trainsim only to find that when I installed it it was faulty as it had been created for a previous version of rail simulator (now we would not know anything about that with Trainz would we).


With Railworks payware has been very much the way forward for better or worse. I have spent over £100 (British sterling) buying the basic simulator plus additional rolling stock and locomotives I needed in only three weeks. Having said that all the payware assets have been of top quality, self installed themselves, and came at what I would consider very reasonable prices.


Is this the way forward for Trainz?


Bill

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

...I have no idea if I am alone or hundreds are also frustrated...

You're certainly not alone. I agree 100% with you. But after a while you sort of give up saying much about it for the reasons you mentioned.

 

[sniper297]

I've been hacking computer games for 30 years, starting with the kind you had to type in and debug all the BASIC code yourself, so for me it's more plain irritation rather than frustration. Adding an error checker was a move in the right direction, but I've said before they SHOULD have programmed some type of automatic fixer/updater for the most common problems FIRST. I didn't have too much problem figuring out how to fix all the stuff manually, but it's tedious at best.

Cutting off support for older versions is also a step in the right direction, and I know many will disagree. Auran has taken a lot of flak for that decision, but it's a necessary evil, it at least ensures there won't be NEW content added on a daily basis with the same old problems. Gotta break eggs to make omelets, and breaking eggs is messy.