Milwaukeeroad261
STL Railfan
I've been thinking (and seeing all of the "railworks" threads) of doing a comparison of the three dominant simulators currently on the market.
(P.S. - If your going to go into a "this is a trainz only forum" vibe or a "this only starts fights" fit then dont read this thread, ok? It's that simple)
So lets start the comparrison shall we?
first off, trainz
TRAINZ RAILROAD SIMULATOR
As most of us probably remember, the original trainz sort of started the original vibe for the trainz saga. It was followed up by Trainz Ultimate Collection, TRS2004, TRS2006, Trainz Classics, TS2009 and TS2010.
Pros:
As for trainz, the benefits of it are basically having a virtual model railroad. you have turntables, interactive industries, great graphics, etc. Also there is some great content to choose from, not just limiting you to trains only. There are cars, boats, and even planes! It also has a wide variety of 3rd party narrow guage content in 2', 30", and 3' Its also easy to create routes and content and import it to trainz via Content Manager Plus. There are plenty of payware items worth buying as well. There are also plenty of in-driver features such as switching junctions, driver commands, control signals, etc.
Cons:
Even though trainz has all of these features there are some problems. Depending on how good your PC is, it might not be able to handle trainz. Also the content manager also has bugs from time to time. There also is no doppler effect, and the main download station to find content for trainz is limited to the newest version of trainz. Anything lower than Trainz Classics, you have to have a first class ticket availible.
Overall:
Trainz is good if all you want is a virtual model railroad or if you just want some fun on narrow guage lines and simulate real railroading with driver commands and other features.
Next up is MSTS
Microsoft Train Simulator
Microsoft Train Simulator is considerably the grandfather of all of the great train simulators. Released way back in 2001, MSTS has survived and thrived to the present year of 2011
Pros:
Unlike Trainz, MSTS has the doppler effect. But also, when i meant survive and thrive, MSTS has a massive selection of add-ons via one site: http://train-sim.com/ This site holds pretty much anything you want for MSTS. There are also some excellent third party content that is freeware. For example, http://3dtrains.com/ has something called scalerail. what it is is some of the most realistic track that I have ever seen in a train simulator. period. The payware stock is very impressive. Also some of the routes include their own rolling stock, but its mostly payware routes that do this. However, it is well worth the money. For example, 3dtrainstuff's donner pass is set in the transition era of the southern pacific in donner pass. it includes a selection of cab forwards, consolidations, and diesels that come with the route and it is incredible for a route and well worth the money ($40.00). Also another route has pushed MSTS to it's limit and is incredible. The PRR Eastern Region for MSTS is a freeware route which includes the northeast corridor, Altoona to Pittsburgh, CNJ trackage, the strasburg railroad, and others. Overall its over 4,000 miles of track and there is no gaps in scenery. that's right, none. Also in MSTS, you have the advantage of radio communication. Dispatchers at mileposts, request permission to pass signals, permission to proceed from stations, and other orders
Cons:
In spite of all of that, you have to remember that MSTS was made all the way back in 2001. So not all of the bugs have been ironed out and sometimes it won't work on modern computers very well. The common sounds tabs such as whenever you sound the whistle theres a small white tab that says "whistle (on)" and with other sound tabs. This can get annoying at times. What shows its age is the track texturing, some other texturing, and other things. The route builder and Activity editor for MSTS are a pain and sometimes dont work. However to make consists there are other 3rd Party options like Route_Riter or ConBuilder. Whatever floats your boat. There was supposed to be a sequel to MSTS known as Microsoft Train Simulator 2 but due to the closure of the ACES studio, the project has been put on standby as of 2008.
Overall:
In spite of it's age, MSTS will always be one of the best simulators ever released. There is a small development team known as Open Rails that is working on another simulator of the same name that will use MSTS content. It will feature multiplayer, better graphics, and some other feautures that MSTS doesn't use. their site is here if you would like to become a beta tester or programmer (it's free, don't worry) http://openrails.org/
and finally, the new kid in town: Railworks
Railworks
Released by EA in 2008, Railworks is the most advanced train simulator to date.
Pros:
Railworks has one of the best graphic engines in a rail simulator. It has excellent lighting details and a very simple route editor. The add-ons for railworks are equally as impressive. A majority of the add-ons can be found on the railworks site, or if your looking for other add-ons then you can look on http://gtrax.com/, http://railworksamerica.com/, http://dickyjim.com/, or http://3dtrains.com/ which also has their scalerail availible for railworks. It looks equally amazing as the version for train simulator.
Cons:
Well I bet your thinking this is the top gun of the train simulators and your ready to go out and buy it or download it. However, you better have a pretty huge piggy bank. About 75-80% of the add-ons for railworks are payware. And all together they cost almost $1,000 dollars. that doesnt even include the simulator itself! Also most of the default stock included with the railworks simulator is british (good news for you british modelers) and the american stock is the payware.
Overall:
In spite of being mostly payware, Railworks is good if your looking for excellent quality in a train simulator or if your looking for the newest thing on the market.
So finally its come down to this
We have three excellent simulators here. Each one with their pros and cons. So which one is better?
The answer to that is, it's up to you. Just because a train simulator has the highest quality, or the most rolling stock, or just plain fun doesnt mean that its the best of these three. However, if one way is how you like it and that one way is in only one of these simulators then that one is the one that is best suited for you.
I have all of these simulators and these are the pros and cons from my perspective. If you think I missed something in a pro or con in any of these three leave a comment OR if you have your own personal opinion, feel free to leave a comment.
-AJ
(P.S. - If your going to go into a "this is a trainz only forum" vibe or a "this only starts fights" fit then dont read this thread, ok? It's that simple)
So lets start the comparrison shall we?
first off, trainz
TRAINZ RAILROAD SIMULATOR
As most of us probably remember, the original trainz sort of started the original vibe for the trainz saga. It was followed up by Trainz Ultimate Collection, TRS2004, TRS2006, Trainz Classics, TS2009 and TS2010.
Pros:
As for trainz, the benefits of it are basically having a virtual model railroad. you have turntables, interactive industries, great graphics, etc. Also there is some great content to choose from, not just limiting you to trains only. There are cars, boats, and even planes! It also has a wide variety of 3rd party narrow guage content in 2', 30", and 3' Its also easy to create routes and content and import it to trainz via Content Manager Plus. There are plenty of payware items worth buying as well. There are also plenty of in-driver features such as switching junctions, driver commands, control signals, etc.
Cons:
Even though trainz has all of these features there are some problems. Depending on how good your PC is, it might not be able to handle trainz. Also the content manager also has bugs from time to time. There also is no doppler effect, and the main download station to find content for trainz is limited to the newest version of trainz. Anything lower than Trainz Classics, you have to have a first class ticket availible.
Overall:
Trainz is good if all you want is a virtual model railroad or if you just want some fun on narrow guage lines and simulate real railroading with driver commands and other features.
Next up is MSTS
Microsoft Train Simulator
Microsoft Train Simulator is considerably the grandfather of all of the great train simulators. Released way back in 2001, MSTS has survived and thrived to the present year of 2011
Pros:
Unlike Trainz, MSTS has the doppler effect. But also, when i meant survive and thrive, MSTS has a massive selection of add-ons via one site: http://train-sim.com/ This site holds pretty much anything you want for MSTS. There are also some excellent third party content that is freeware. For example, http://3dtrains.com/ has something called scalerail. what it is is some of the most realistic track that I have ever seen in a train simulator. period. The payware stock is very impressive. Also some of the routes include their own rolling stock, but its mostly payware routes that do this. However, it is well worth the money. For example, 3dtrainstuff's donner pass is set in the transition era of the southern pacific in donner pass. it includes a selection of cab forwards, consolidations, and diesels that come with the route and it is incredible for a route and well worth the money ($40.00). Also another route has pushed MSTS to it's limit and is incredible. The PRR Eastern Region for MSTS is a freeware route which includes the northeast corridor, Altoona to Pittsburgh, CNJ trackage, the strasburg railroad, and others. Overall its over 4,000 miles of track and there is no gaps in scenery. that's right, none. Also in MSTS, you have the advantage of radio communication. Dispatchers at mileposts, request permission to pass signals, permission to proceed from stations, and other orders
Cons:
In spite of all of that, you have to remember that MSTS was made all the way back in 2001. So not all of the bugs have been ironed out and sometimes it won't work on modern computers very well. The common sounds tabs such as whenever you sound the whistle theres a small white tab that says "whistle (on)" and with other sound tabs. This can get annoying at times. What shows its age is the track texturing, some other texturing, and other things. The route builder and Activity editor for MSTS are a pain and sometimes dont work. However to make consists there are other 3rd Party options like Route_Riter or ConBuilder. Whatever floats your boat. There was supposed to be a sequel to MSTS known as Microsoft Train Simulator 2 but due to the closure of the ACES studio, the project has been put on standby as of 2008.
Overall:
In spite of it's age, MSTS will always be one of the best simulators ever released. There is a small development team known as Open Rails that is working on another simulator of the same name that will use MSTS content. It will feature multiplayer, better graphics, and some other feautures that MSTS doesn't use. their site is here if you would like to become a beta tester or programmer (it's free, don't worry) http://openrails.org/
and finally, the new kid in town: Railworks
Railworks
Released by EA in 2008, Railworks is the most advanced train simulator to date.
Pros:
Railworks has one of the best graphic engines in a rail simulator. It has excellent lighting details and a very simple route editor. The add-ons for railworks are equally as impressive. A majority of the add-ons can be found on the railworks site, or if your looking for other add-ons then you can look on http://gtrax.com/, http://railworksamerica.com/, http://dickyjim.com/, or http://3dtrains.com/ which also has their scalerail availible for railworks. It looks equally amazing as the version for train simulator.
Cons:
Well I bet your thinking this is the top gun of the train simulators and your ready to go out and buy it or download it. However, you better have a pretty huge piggy bank. About 75-80% of the add-ons for railworks are payware. And all together they cost almost $1,000 dollars. that doesnt even include the simulator itself! Also most of the default stock included with the railworks simulator is british (good news for you british modelers) and the american stock is the payware.
Overall:
In spite of being mostly payware, Railworks is good if your looking for excellent quality in a train simulator or if your looking for the newest thing on the market.
So finally its come down to this
We have three excellent simulators here. Each one with their pros and cons. So which one is better?
The answer to that is, it's up to you. Just because a train simulator has the highest quality, or the most rolling stock, or just plain fun doesnt mean that its the best of these three. However, if one way is how you like it and that one way is in only one of these simulators then that one is the one that is best suited for you.
I have all of these simulators and these are the pros and cons from my perspective. If you think I missed something in a pro or con in any of these three leave a comment OR if you have your own personal opinion, feel free to leave a comment.
-AJ
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