TS13

[Lots_Trains]

Hi Chris

"Agreed, if that were the case."

Sorry I got the impression it was the case.

Yup agreed I'm not much into reading about tech spec's of mobile devices so I'm easily shot down there. Rather read tech specs of trains.

Re 1. Yes know about the short cut numbers

Re 2. Re the padlocks you could equally argue that you have created whole different set of problems with the padlocks, in my short time using TS12, if I had forgotten to throw a junction with a train speeding towards the junction you could not quickly go and throw it, you have to stop the train to throw the junction, I do remember swearing at this several times. But its more the unclean look the padlocks gives Trainz screen. Agreed its needed for Multi-player but normal game play its not need I'll never agree with you on this. Just an option to turn them off would be great.

Re 3. Fair enough

Re 4. Sorry thought it was now standard Trainz feature. I worked in a lot in surveyor, I found the moving around you accidently go to far and you get elevated up out of where you want to be if you go to far, its annoying, and frustrating, Maybe just an option to switch off the vertical movement or a second key press to continue for the upward movement.

Re 5. You made a comment long time ago (whoops NDA) but putting things into a drop down menu at the top of the screen makes everything you put in the menus 2 clicks away from use. The present disappearing bar in TS10 with buttons on it you move you cursor over the invisible bar it appears and a button is just one easy click away and a nice clean screen when not in use, what more could you ask for.

Arrrhhh but just owning a Mac dosn't make Trainz or Trainz Content creation easy or the black art of making AI do exactly what you want it to do, any easier than a normal PC.

Yes definatly a bright future.

Cheers

Lots

 

[WindWalkr]

..if I had forgotten to throw a junction with a train speeding towards the junction you could not quickly go and throw it, you have to stop the train to throw the junction

You win some, you lose some. You may as well argue that our derailing implementation is bad, because after derailing you can't use the train any more. There is some merit to this argument, but it's also fair to say "that's your fault for getting into that situation, and it's part of the game." Personally, I'd like for there to be some way to "turn back time" because revisiting an hour of work/gameplay because of one mistake is not always fun. This is where simulation differs from reality- you don't always want to simulate the worst aspects, even if it's quite realistic.

At least this way around, it's clearly the user's own fault, whereas if the AI does it (or if you do it to the AI, and subsequently fail the gameplay session for no obvious reason) then it can just be horribly frustrating and feel like a faulty game.

But its more the unclean look the padlocks gives Trainz screen. ... Just an option to turn them off would be great.

Turning off the functionality isn't on the cards, because it's the best solution that we've come up with to that set of problems. Turning off the visual overlay might be a reasonable request.

Re 4. .. I found the moving around you accidently go to far and you get elevated up out of where you want to be if you go to far, its annoying, and frustrating, Maybe just an option to switch off the vertical movement or a second key press to continue for the upward movement.

Can't you just move back in a little if you've gone too far? It should restore the angle correctly.

Re 5. .. putting things into a drop down menu at the top of the screen makes everything you put in the menus 2 clicks away from use.

We're still playing with this one. I don't think 2 clicks is inherently bad, but I do think it's not immediately clear what's available with the current approach.

Arrrhhh but just owning a Mac dosn't make Trainz or Trainz Content creation easy or the black art of making AI do exactly what you want it to do, any easier than a normal PC.

I didn't suggest that it does. What I'm saying is that I don't believe that usability negates flexibility.


chris

 

[Lots_Trains]

ehehehe

Yeah this has gone full circle

"You may as well argue that our derailing implementation is bad, because after derailing you can't use the train any more."

Nah I hate derailing I would actually argue for a "arcade" style "never derail" function (I told you full circle) you are exactly right nothing worse than a few hours game play and one silly mistake ends it all, its pure frustration. A derail that just derails 1 or 2 cars that can be deleted would be much more game friendly and realistic option instead of a whole train. But "Turn Back Time" would be a real cool cool feature it would make debugging AI stuff so much easier as well, I take it, it would be putting back driver commands back as well that kinda thing. And yes I can understand the AI, faulty game situation tie up. The secret to AI is to make it predictable a lot of the currently used commands lead to unpredictable situations.

"Turning off the visual overlay might be a reasonable request." Yes that would be awesome, outstanding even

"Can't you just move back in a little if you've gone too far? It should restore the angle correctly" Yep sure can but its fidgiting around in my opinion it dosn't make for ease of use friendly operation.

"I don't think 2 clicks is inherently bad" Sorry have to disagree here, I may have once thought that but just the experiance of going to TS12 and going to that menu just to change views demonstrated that the 2 clicks is a pain. When Pierre updates his new HUD to reinstall the camera buttons back into TS12 it will truly be a step forward. So this option should work for future versions hopefully.

Cheers

Lots

 

[celje]

I think we've got a bright future ahead of us.
chris

WindWalkr

Thank you very much for your explanation. A lot of things is clear now. I said once that you run business very good in the last years. Now when you exhaust all the possibilities of the mobile devices, i hope, that you will return and proceed working on TS12 for desktop PC.
I still believe that patch SP1 for TS12 will be out this year (2012).
And I must say, i really like running TS on 42'' TV.

best regards
celje

 

[boleyd]

Having gone through the thread I can say that I had a tablet and I gave it to my grand-daughter. It was like having a little window on a big world. Much like reading books on a Kindle versus the paper product. However, if there are people who will spend money to use the Trainz product on a small high resolution screen then that MUCH larger market will drive revenue and development. We are beginning to see a reversal of development philosophy. That is, tablet and phones adopted as much as they could of the PC content. Now they are receiving development with little regard for the old PC. The question raised here is - will N3V actually move the new tablet/phone features to the old PC product or is the cost of migration to old PCs too high?

Since I neither own a tablet or a cell-phone I am perplexed about the use of Trainz on one of those devices. Perhaps someone from that generation, who has those things, can describe just how viable a program such as Trainz is on a smaller high resolution screen? How are the controls that manage the program used on these devices? I can't imagine how the functionality of a PC running Trainz can be equaled on a cell-phone or a tablet. But, maybe I am not willing to accept a new operational paradigm. So, I await some description of Trainz on a portable device versus a big, bulky and power hungry PC.......

 

[Vern]

I can't speak for Trainz on a gadget Dick, but I tried that new Japanese train driving app on my wife's IPod and I really struggled with it. By my age (nearly 51!) you start to suffer from clunky finger syndrome and even the keyboard and mouse sometimes causes grief.

 

[wholbr]

Hi Everybody.
As a number of contributors to the thread seem unclear regarding screen sizes and abilities of tablets and smartphones perhaps I can clarify in that respect somewhat as a regular user of tablets.

As I have already advised on a previous posting in this thread my business now has three tablet computers one being a 7 inch screen size Samsung galaxy and a 10 inch screen size iPad along with a 10 inch Asus tablet. Even using the 7 inch Samsung the screen size is no problem as you have to remember that like a newspaper or book the tablet is held in your hand and therefore much closer to your face than a PC or laptop would normally be.

The greatest asset of any tablet is its portability and immediate availability in any situation in other words it needs no time to boot up. If you take an example of someone like myself doing a safety audit in a company warehouse or factory the tablet can be taken around with me and the various forms that need to be filled in can be done electronically on the go. There is no more "pen and pad" where everything had to be written down manually and then transferred to PC or laptop back at the office. Also any comments that have to be added to the forms can be done with the inbuilt voice to text software in conjunction with the keypad

Therefore, many businesses see smartphones and especially tablets as far more versatile units than laptops or PCs in situations like the above. You now often see managers and supervisors walking around business premises checking stock levels ect and obtaining other information from staff which can then be immediately transferred to anywhere in the company through Wi-Fi or 3G.

The above is certainly what I view as the primary advantage of tablets and high-end smartphones but of course when people are not using them for work or have a few spare a moment they will obviously wish to go gaming on them which is why the computer gaming industry is turning their attention to this developing market.

As said, tablets and smart phones are not at this point in time able to do all that a high-end PC or laptop is capable of. But that gap is rapidly declining and therefore that brings attention from all sections of industry and leisure.

Bill

 

[kamran]

next version will come nxt year.its my prediction

 

[boleyd]

I agree 100%. If I was still working I would have a phone and a tablet. I grew up with email (old teletype network) and Univac-I. Those two devices(phone & tablet) have made a major transformation in the business world. My problem is running Trainz on either a tablet or a phone. Is it as "easy" as the process on a PC? I know that I never liked the reduction of screen area when a keyboard entry was needed. I would imagine that function keys using screen space could be bad. And so on. Really curious how people, and N3V, deal with this and other areas of different functionality.

Hi Everybody.
As a number of contributors to the thread seem unclear regarding screen sizes and abilities of tablets and smartphones perhaps I can clarify in that respect somewhat as a regular user of tablets.

As I have already advised on a previous posting in this thread my business now has three tablet computers one being a 7 inch screen size Samsung galaxy and a 10 inch screen size iPad along with a 10 inch Asus tablet. Even using the 7 inch Samsung the screen size is no problem as you have to remember that like a newspaper or book the tablet is held in your hand and therefore much closer to your face than a PC or laptop would normally be.

The greatest asset of any tablet is its portability and immediate availability in any situation in other words it needs no time to boot up. If you take an example of someone like myself doing a safety audit in a company warehouse or factory the tablet can be taken around with me and the various forms that need to be filled in can be done electronically on the go. There is no more "pen and pad" where everything had to be written down manually and then transferred to PC or laptop back at the office. Also any comments that have to be added to the forms can be done with the inbuilt voice to text software in conjunction with the keypad

Therefore, many businesses see smartphones and especially tablets as far more versatile units than laptops or PCs in situations like the above. You now often see managers and supervisors walking around business premises checking stock levels ect and obtaining other information from staff which can then be immediately transferred to anywhere in the company through Wi-Fi or 3G.

The above is certainly what I view as the primary advantage of tablets and high-end smartphones but of course when people are not using them for work or have a few spare a moment they will obviously wish to go gaming on them which is why the computer gaming industry is turning their attention to this developing market.

As said, tablets and smart phones are not at this point in time able to do all that a high-end PC or laptop is capable of. But that gap is rapidly declining and therefore that brings attention from all sections of industry and leisure.

Bill

 

[ish6]

Hi guys,

What is in the pipeline ? I don't see much talk about the next version, would like to know about any news.

Jan

Hi Jan,

Being around these parks since 2001 Auran's trend is to release a full trainz simulator every 2 years give or take a couple of months, etc ... once in a while they throw us a nut, like the classic series, etc, somethling like that in between!!!

To speculate, and I'm no spokeperson for Auran; But T12 is still new in many ways, so as Auran should, they will advertise that product for a while longer!

Still, speculating and discussing and braining storming about any future trainz product is fun -- I hope people see it as I do, and just flow with it!

I know that we have the suggstion forum, but that forum is more directly toward Auran, where as, this topic that you post Jan, I feel should be for us forum readers, and I say express your thoughs and ideas guys -- simply have fun!! -- post what you would like to see, etc etc ... for example, one of our greatest creators Vulcan have made literally dozens of planes, let's talk more about cargo, etc for instance; Or the weather in my case, as I suggested to auran ... we need vicous sand storms on Mars or in my Desert Layout, etc ...

Anyhow, just have fun with the topic, and everyone have great day!

Ish :wave:

 

[jjanmarine3]

Hi Jan,

Anyhow, just have fun with the topic, and everyone have great day!

Ish :wave:

Hi isj6, in my case I will have a good night thanks because we are 10 hrs behind you guys, so if the world should end like speculated so many times I would have an extra day to play trainz The only part of trainz I did not find fun is getting the priorities right while 'flowing with it' as you put it...I got caught in the fast stream instead of hanging around in the gentle current till I know what is going on...There are so many exciting distractions in the beginning stages , one tends to jump around like a jackrabbit trying to do everything at once. Assets have dependencies with dependant assets depending on that assets dependencies..you know.

 

[KrisDeagle]

Being around these parks since 2001 Auran's trend is to release a full trainz simulator every 2 years give or take a couple of months, etc ... once in a while they throw us a nut, like the classic series, etc, somethling like that in between!!!

Who knows when it could be? The fun part is the anticipation. It's like when your order your hard copy of TS12 and you are waiting for the delivery truck to come and drop it off.

 

[shaneturner12]

Hi Kris,

It's the first time I've seen you posting on the forums.

I agree that anticipation can be fun though.

Shane

P.S. Can you check the status of things (if possible) regarding helpdesk ticket IRB-312877?

 

[amigacooke]

Who knows when it could be?

N3V, who else.

 

[boleyd]

The small screen tablets and phones, regardless of resolution, cannot offer the perspective of reality that a large screen can. However, the use of these things as consoles to run the simulator/game while watching the result on a large screen TV may be of some value. Using Trainz on a 10 inch screen versus a 23 inch screen seems like a way to torture yourself.

 

[idomi4s]

Hiya guys , just wanna mention, that I started play trainz with my wife's ipad 2. And because I loved it so much, the Ipad version sold FOUR (4) TS + add ons + FCT's .. Coz after that I bought these lovely trainz products on my pc too.. So? More peoples will discover & love Trainz and buying products if the Iphone version will come out. I must say it well worth every penny , coz I had lots of fun playing trainz online or offline just for fun. TS12 still a CORE part , you can build a lot of content still, yet!!!! Don't you forget years goes by till some of the complete routes , working industries become finished and released! TS13 is funny to talk about indeed, personally I don't need it. TS12 still beat any previous version. PS: play.... ( sometimes just don't enough ONE complete day straightforward to drive and or finish a lots work in TS12 and feed industries.. ) So iphone app will be a relaxing train drivin app after a hard day work ) Hugz & cheers. Dom.

 

[ish6]

Hi guys,

What is in the pipeline ? I don't see much talk about the next version, would like to know about any news.

Jan

Hello Jan,

Since 2001 the trend has been to release a new version every 2+ years!

I say wait til next summer to read anything that Auran might have in store!

Have a good day
Ish

 

[Ben710]

My thoughts

Hi guys,

I am pleased that so many guys commented on this thread because it has taken off my blinkers and I can see and understand much more about many aspects , not just playing trainz.
I think that to have a decent size screen to play this game is much more fun , even more fun to plug it into the big screen tv and then play, so i think the big screen will stay irrespective of other gadgets that are used by people for many different reasons.
I also know that trainz can be enjoyed by anybody from yougsters to the pensioners, and any asset you find in any other game or anywhere on earth and in the universe in future, can be loaded into trainz and made to work, and will not be out of place - from a small bug to a dinosour ! So everybody works together and we have the best game , knowledgeable people and cool forum to back it up .
How to do this and keep trainz alive I will personally leave to the wise guys , many of them have commented here and I see most have been around since 2006 and are still going strong. So thanks all you guys :Y:

Completely agree with the subject of screen size even on a tablet I think it would be too small for me. I'm 16 by the way, so no problem with my eyes (Thankfully). I will at some point connect my laptop to my TV across a HDMI (Yes my dual core laptop can runs Trainz 2009 quite nicely) to see what that looks like.

Personally, as a 'Casual' Trainz user, I think that N3V has done well, by experimenting with Tablet and Phone versions; Firstly allowing more people to access a marvelous product but also secondly, they had to start somewhere and now hopefully they have a better technical knowledge (theoretically), leading to ideas which can be implemented into the normal PC version and a better experience for everybody.

I'd just like to see lower quality content filtered out of the default, out of the box product. There are items and you just wonder: "Why is that there, it looks horrible and doesn't work properly)" Maybe some of this could be marked as such, and archived on the DLS. Because "Joe Bloggs" may still want that asset.


Just my opinion, I'm sorry if I have repeated anything that's been discussed already.
Ben

 

[WindWalkr]

The small screen tablets and phones, regardless of resolution, cannot offer the perspective of reality that a large screen can. However, the use of these things as consoles to run the simulator/game while watching the result on a large screen TV may be of some value. Using Trainz on a 10 inch screen versus a 23 inch screen seems like a way to torture yourself.

Talking of screen sizes, my 10" tablet is quite happy to (wirelessly) output to my 55" TV. Of course the iMac can also do this, but carting it into the lounge room every time I want to run up Trainz on the big screen doesn't sound fun.

All depends on what you want to achieve, I guess.

chris

 

[Deano5]

Talking of screen sizes, my 10" tablet is quite happy to (wirelessly) output to my 55" TV.

chris

Ooh you show off :hehe:.
That's something I can only dream about, the kids would love it but the wife would kill me if I blew our money on a TV that size.
Nice :udrool: .