Is there a practical use of a smartphone using Trainz? I guess that you could have a prescribed set of tasks on a route and watch it on a smartphone screen? But I can't see someone creating, or modifying, a route on one. I guess that I do not understand the advantages beyond being a novelty.
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Trainz on a Smartphone - Novelty or Practical?
- Thread starter boleyd
- Start date
AlanBradbury
New member
You could argue that there isn't really a practical use of Trainz on a full size computer either if you really think about it, it's meant to be entertaining.
Al
Al
AlanBradbury
New member
Oh I agree with you, but on something like an Ipad it is at least a bit more practical, although for three quid to have it on your phone, it's really just a bit of fun, so why not? I have MSTS on my laptop, and it can be fun to sit on a train and have a prototypical route playing on your computer whilst you are driving down the real one, I guess that would be a bit more convenient to do on the spur of the moment if you had such a thing on a phone or tablet.
Al
Al
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just to clarify a bit. the version of trainz you can run on a smartphone is Trainz Driver, as you would guess, it's just the driver portion of trainz. you have a handful of routes & sessions to run on & thats it. The 'full' mobile version of trainz is only for tablets/ipad.
peter
peter
I don't think the OP is saying that it is pointless, I believe he is pointing out that so much of the joy of Trainz is building routes and modifying them, which I imagine would be difficult to do on a phone. Granted, many users view the game through their own prism, and can easily fail to take into account how other's use the game. Certainly, if some users enjoy just driving and can do so on a phone, well, that's great! I hardly even start the game any longer after over ten years of participation, I mainly just make content for the game, and could not do that on a phone. In addition; I don't own a smart phone, as the benefits of doing so do not out weigh the detriments in my personal situation.
You are correct that it is all entertainment, but you also must agree that a phone's display is too small for anything except the most rudimentary use of the game!
You are correct that it is all entertainment, but you also must agree that a phone's display is too small for anything except the most rudimentary use of the game!
AlanBradbury
New member
Yup, I don't think anyone would seriously want to contemplate creating content on a screen that is as small as that found on a smart phone, however, if it was possible to edit content and load new routes onto a mobile version, then one could at least use it to test routes and scripting in sessions whilst on the move, and that would probably be fairly convenient in terms of time management for when you are otherwise stuck with nothing to do, such as on a commute to work on a bus or train.
I am not that into mobile phones, I think you have to be a bit younger than I am to get excited about them. Although ironically, since it is part of my job to train people on progams such as Flash, InDesign and Photoshop etc, I probably know more about actually creating content for mobile phones than many people who actually are enamored with the things, and because I actually have to own quite a lot of mobile devices in order to be able to do that, people often think I must be really into such devices. I suspect they'd know different if they saw that at home I use a 46 inch wide HD monitor on a desktop computer LOL There's no substitute for that lovely expanse of screen when creating stuff.
Al
I am not that into mobile phones, I think you have to be a bit younger than I am to get excited about them. Although ironically, since it is part of my job to train people on progams such as Flash, InDesign and Photoshop etc, I probably know more about actually creating content for mobile phones than many people who actually are enamored with the things, and because I actually have to own quite a lot of mobile devices in order to be able to do that, people often think I must be really into such devices. I suspect they'd know different if they saw that at home I use a 46 inch wide HD monitor on a desktop computer LOL There's no substitute for that lovely expanse of screen when creating stuff.
Al
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That is a good thought where someone can use the phone to at least test a route. If it was payware then they could also be able to send a report should the program fail. I don't travel anymore but if I were sitting in an airport waiting out a delay, I would have a smartphone and Trainz would be an app.
I confess that I do not have any cellphone (ancient term). Being retired my travel range is limited to populated areas and everyone else has one and they can call 911.
I confess that I do not have any cellphone (ancient term). Being retired my travel range is limited to populated areas and everyone else has one and they can call 911.
I bought Trainz Driver for my smartphone just to see what it was like, and to give N3V some money. It works, but it is completely impractical as far as I can see.
For my main Trainz computer, I have a 23" monitor, I use eyeglasses with quite a lot of magnification, and I'd still like a bigger monitor!
TBH I'll probably take the Driver off my phone, the novelty is already wearing off.
Mick Berg.
For my main Trainz computer, I have a 23" monitor, I use eyeglasses with quite a lot of magnification, and I'd still like a bigger monitor!
TBH I'll probably take the Driver off my phone, the novelty is already wearing off.
Mick Berg.
Main problem with not having a cell phone when everybody else does is that pay phones are disappearing from the landscape.
Advantage I can see - portability. My youngest son is autistic, has his own computer plus Nintendo and Playstation, spends a lot of time entertaining himself with those. When I sold my house in Chicago and moved to Wisconsin, all the stuff including computers and game consoles went into storage. Ended up living in a motel for 2 months while shopping around for a new house (during the boom in 2005, every house on the market was overpriced) and after the first week I bought him a Gameboy so he'd have SOMETHING to do. Turned out to be useful even after we got the house and got moved in, long car trips, sitting for hours in doctor or bureaucrat waiting rooms, "Mike, we gotta go to the dentist, bring your Gameboy."
That's the main use I can see for a portable version of Trainz, a better option in waiting rooms than trying to find something interesting in 5 year old copies of Sports Illustrated (the world's most boring magazine somehow is the most common in all waiting rooms).
Advantage I can see - portability. My youngest son is autistic, has his own computer plus Nintendo and Playstation, spends a lot of time entertaining himself with those. When I sold my house in Chicago and moved to Wisconsin, all the stuff including computers and game consoles went into storage. Ended up living in a motel for 2 months while shopping around for a new house (during the boom in 2005, every house on the market was overpriced) and after the first week I bought him a Gameboy so he'd have SOMETHING to do. Turned out to be useful even after we got the house and got moved in, long car trips, sitting for hours in doctor or bureaucrat waiting rooms, "Mike, we gotta go to the dentist, bring your Gameboy."
That's the main use I can see for a portable version of Trainz, a better option in waiting rooms than trying to find something interesting in 5 year old copies of Sports Illustrated (the world's most boring magazine somehow is the most common in all waiting rooms).
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