Trainz's "X" might hopefully look like this...

M

meatloaf747

Spotter...
Want to see what the next version of Trainz's might look like? Then download one of the coolest Train Screensavers around... Download and install this one. (haven't managed to find any better). Works with both Nvidia & AMI/Radeon video cards, even tho it's from Nvidia's web site. - Runs on XP, Vista & Windows 7 (32 & 64 bit)...

Western Railways Screensaver. (29.8 megs). Classic American 4-4-0 rides through a small western frontier town. You'll ride through a late 1800's era railway station, industrial area, and ore mining works. - Cool "speedtrees" like moving long grass. (quality that NV3/Auran should be aiming for in there next version of Trainz, apart from the poor looking sleepers)...

http://www.nvidia.com/object/cool_stuff.html#/screensavers/1051

Cheers, Mac...
 
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My heart just sank a little bit ... longing for something that Auran can not offer.

Ahhh...The engineer must be quite busy firing that loco, as well as driving it.

Auran just got completely dusted ...missed the boat, plane, and train.

If TS2010 looked like that with no stipid stupid trees, and had cracked earth and animated swayng grass, and animated points (asside from Andi 06 and Ocemeys), I would buy it ... and I would eat my hat, (as I said previosly).

I long for the day for a realistic train simulator. Maybe someday ?:mop: :'( :mop:
 
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meatloaf747 said:
Want to see what the next version of Trainz's might look like? Then download one of the coolest Train Screensavers around... Download and install this one. (haven't managed to find any better). Works with both Nvidia & AMI/Radeon video cards, even tho it's from Nvidia's web site. - Runs on XP, Vista & Windows 7 (32 & 64 bit)...

Western Railways Screensaver. (29.8 megs). Classic American 4-4-0 rides through a small western frontier town. You'll ride through a late 1800's era railway station, industrial area, and ore mining works. - Cool "speedtrees" like moving long grass. (quality that NV3/Auran should be aiming for in there next version of Trainz, apart from the poor looking sleepers)...

blah.nvidia.com/object/cool_stuff.html#/screensavers/1051

Cheers, Mac...
Click to expand...

Looks nice, but I'll have to test it as spyware-free before considering it safe for download. It's produced by a third-party from nVidia, not that this necessarily means the software is any safer than that from a well-known manufacturer. I'll let you know probably by tomorrow night if it's safe. Until then, don't download this.
 
Nice, but I think Trainz could do the same if you did the following:-

Run at a steady slow speed and strictly controlled the viewpoints. No free roaming.

Use a minimum of trees at a distance.

Placed only one human figure in any scene, the driver.

Made a circular track and use backdrops.

Custom made all the scenic items to the minimum polys, with no planes in out of view areas.

Note the switches, just like Trainz switches with no moving blades or check rails.

Note the ground the train runs through, no steep sides so it would imply contour construction as in Surveyor using grids. I'm almost sure that what we see was made with Trainz. I know some of our more skilled creators could work to those rules and make the same.

Did you note that the minimum supported video card was the 8600 GT, perhaps Trainz should have the same limitation.

The maximum FPS I saw was 33.3.

Peter
 
RRSignal said:
Looks nice, but I'll have to test it as spyware-free before considering it safe for download. It's produced by a third-party from nVidia, not that this necessarily means the software is any safer than that from a well-known manufacturer. I'll let you know probably by tomorrow night if it's safe. Until then, don't download this.
Click to expand...

i already downloaded this, and so far nothing has happened. so id consider it safe, especially since they probaly checked before they put it on there website
 
I've found it to be safe here too, barring extensive testing, but you gotta assume the worst of intentions.

It is a gorgeous screensaver.
 
Checked & rechecked.... (Fine to download & install)...

RRSignal said:
Looks nice, but I'll have to test it as spyware-free before considering it safe for download. It's produced by a third-party from nVidia, not that this necessarily means the software is any safer than that from a well-known manufacturer. I'll let you know probably by tomorrow night if it's safe. Until then, don't download this.
Click to expand...

RRSignal; - Appreciate your concern. I ran the download threw two separate anti-virus programs before I posted the link (latest Nortons a/v & Avira) and it came up clean.
I've also ran three malware/spyware programs after installing & running it and all three came up clean.

So I can say with a reasonable amount of certainty that it's safe to download & install. NVidia would have also checked it very carefully before they would have put it on there site. - Common sense. - A big international company like Nvidia wouldn't risk having dodgy software on it's site... IMHO, you run a far higher risk of nasties from some 3rd party Trainz download sites than you do downloading anything from Nvidia's site...

(I've just finished running it threw Esst Nod 32 a/v on a spare PC and that said it is clean as well)...
Cheers, Mac...

Peter, maximum frame rate mine got to was 107 (GTX280)...
 
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I agree with Peter. Auran could achieve this type of simulation if they completely locked the environment like what is done in console-based racing games.

* Limit the driver view to only what is in and around the locomotive

* Limit the amount of objects per baseboard to only what can be seen in and around the train and cabview. Use obvious backdrops, and usually the same backdrops through out the simulation no matter what area is modeled.

* Eliminate any off-train and outside the immediate route graphics and objects

So basically we're looking at something that would be extremely limited to what us Trainzers are used to for our simulated environment. We wouldn't have the flexibility of creating our unlimited environments.

Think about it carefully before you consider something like this as being better. In what other train simulation can you drive buses, cars, airplanes, monrails, etc., in any environment with any amount of objects, and virtually any amount of objects on a route. In what train, or even any other simulation can you wander off to listen to the birds and watch the ocean even though there are trains running all over the route. Our environment is only limited by the limitations of our hardware and what our imagination can throw at the program and then some.

We Trainzers are spoiled, and I include myself in here too! We want the fasted and smoothest simulation ever, and also want to add as much in the way of objects, scripting, and other realistic effects. We have to keep in mind the limitations of the simulated world and what we have to work with.

Auran has gone through great lengths to ensure that the base program works reasonably well for the majority of the users. The machine specifications have moved up from where they were in the beginning, but most programs and operating systems have done that as well, and most people today have something faster than a P3-400 processor and a 128MB video card! This is only the surface of what goes on in the program. With the scripting involved for industry-assets, driver rules, environmental-effects, etc, adding even more to what the program is doing while we're just running trains.

Personally I wouldn't give up what we have for the sake of something that my run better, but with a lot less control over what we can do.

John
 
It's a very atmospheric demo - the scenes come together very nicely. The lighting appears more advanced than what we currently have in Trainz - notice the shadows being cast by all the structures, and the self-shadowing on the train. The demo also appears sharper at longer distances.

However, Trainz is better in some areas. Notice the track in the demo is very low-poly; what we have in '09/10 is significantly better.

For the nitpicking - if that is supposed to be the American old west (and I'm not sure that it is :) ), then the train details are all wrong - they should be 8 wheeled cars (two 4-wheeled trucks) with sold wheels, and not have the European-style buffers. There's no front coupler on the locomotive, which also appears to have air brakes on the drivers, but no air compressor. Finally, the trestle should have an open deck, with the viewer able to see between the ties to the ground below.

Curtis
 
I think were missing the point here.
The realism is out standing the copper and metal plates look so real right down to the odd dents in the bodywork, everything flows so gracefully so what if the specs are all wrong, the graphics are a work of art.
And I'm afraid thats all, it is a piece of eye-candy, it would never transmit to a working simulation.
 
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I challenge anyone to post a video of Trainz (in Trainz Video thread) that equals that of the screensaver ... if you can beat the screensaver I will buy TS2010 and will switch over, and you won't hear any more complaints.

But somehow I fear that you will never come close to the screensaver Computer Graphics that equal the realizim of a film in the movie theatre.

Why are other PC games achiving realizim ... and Trainz is still somewhat antiquated. You have to admit Trainz is falling behind technologically in the CG field.

I have great fun with TRS2006, and look forward to TS2012 to become far more advanced than TS2010.

I wish Auran had put more quality into the simulator ... then I would have no complaints.

The Battleship Missouri was so awesomely real looking ... I wish Trainz would progress to achive this type of CG realizm.
 
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It is a awesome screen saver. But i did find it funny that the rolling stock the American is pulling is actually British.

hert:wave:
 
I wonder how long it will be before we see "speedtree" like long grass in Trainz 2010? (similar to whats in the screen-saver)... Does anyone know of any in development?
Cheers, Mac...
 
Pencil42 said:
It's a very atmospheric demo - the scenes come together very nicely. The lighting appears more advanced than what we currently have in Trainz - notice the shadows being cast by all the structures, and the self-shadowing on the train. The demo also appears sharper at longer distances.

However, Trainz is better in some areas. Notice the track in the demo is very low-poly; what we have in '09/10 is significantly better.

For the nitpicking - if that is supposed to be the American old west (and I'm not sure that it is :) ), then the train details are all wrong - they should be 8 wheeled cars (two 4-wheeled trucks) with sold wheels, and not have the European-style buffers. There's no front coupler on the locomotive, which also appears to have air brakes on the drivers, but no air compressor. Finally, the trestle should have an open deck, with the viewer able to see between the ties to the ground below.

Curtis
Click to expand...
They could be steam brakes. you never know.
 
Some people are easily impressed. The lack of blades, frogs and check rails at the switches is a glaring fault although it is always possible that 3plane wouldn't know one if they stumbled across them. I also thought it was hilarious that the train was using European hooks and buffers to couple the cars. Did they even look at a real western frontier train?

As for Trainz not being able to produce this kind of image, I think the best screenshots over here and here have this beat. The works of art by people like iceman2117, spikerod, kilanziom show what Trainz is capable of doing.

So as a screen saver, OK if you don't look at the details.
 
martinvk said:
I also thought it was hilarious that the train was using European hooks and buffers to couple the cars. Did they even look at a real western frontier train?

...

So as a screen saver, OK if you don't look at the details.
Click to expand...


Well, the wagons are all UK wagons, so it'd make sense that they'd use european hooks and buffers - 2 Southern Railway flat wagons holding the logs, a Great Western covered van, and I believe it was another Southern Railway 5-plank wagon at the back holding the beer.

I'd put money on it all being stock 3d models from some site.

Even the stuff 3plane likely did themselves isn't that impressive - the track and sleepers look terrible, and not even remotely prototypical, they kind of have this half-chair, half-nothing look going on for the track fastening. The trestle bridge is really poorly done, the backgrounds look flat and uninspired.

Overall, very poor and not a very good advertisement of either nVidia or 3plane.

I suppose it might look 'purty' to someone with only a hairs-width knowledge of trains though.
 
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