Who preordered 2010 wbe?

[Johnk]

itareus and WindWalkr, if you're both right, and you probably are. that will mean Auran now has more versions of Trainz than Microsoft has of windows or Nokia has of mobile phones.

If you are right, that also means I purchased TRS2009 under false pretences. I purchased WBE 2009 because it was to be partnered with EE in 2010. As a pensioner and someone doesn't play Trainz very often, I would have been quite happy to stick with 2006 until TRS 2010 was released.

Surely you're wrong? I hope you are because I and several others could become very upset if we've been duped as one of you implies. Marketing or no marketing, in this country where Auran is based, they have an obligation to tell the truth.

Hey Spiffy, you seem to have all the answers. I think it's time for that comparison chart i suggested in an earlier post. Too many of us are too confused.

Edit: As you say Chris, EE was supposed to focus on game play with limited or no Surveyor features, but now it sounds like a full blown Surveyor package is included, making 2009 completely redundant.

 

[RoysTrainz]

oh my God its only words and words are gonna have....

"Engineers Edition" reflects the gameplay focus of this edition as compared to the "World Builders Edition" which was focused on enhanced capabilities.

TS2010 is a full product in its own right and not an addon, you don't need a previous TS2009 install.

chris

Windwalkr Chris with all due respect but i sincerely hope your answer seems a little bit of course with the wording.
Speedtree,new functionality in the menu,overlay system, what else, all this is to my understanding of plain english, part of WBE functionality and not game play.
Driver etc i would call gameplay focus and the engineer just the driver of the train.
Folks calm down i think itChris windwalkr as i know what you try to say or not to say on behalve of the company.

Roy

 

[fixitdude74]

pre-ordered 2010EE today! i am eager 2 see if its going to be as good as the vids i have seen.

 

[OldSalt]

Oldsalt, while I fully agree on railworks its more than a pain and as such forgot that one.

Wish I knew that before spending $50 for it, one day before they drop the price to $33 something.

The technique as such changes so much that we cannot just expect things to go along all the way and have to cut how painful somewhere, draw a line and move on and grow.
Roy

Well my bitch was the fact I am doing a layout, and needed a food distributing center for a Grand Union. I remember a cold storage building that would have fit just great, but just does not show up anymore. So then I went with another building with both an inside track and out side track which was perfect for my needs. Just that it came with a name and no way to change it. I also remember signs that someone did, that you could change what they said, and put them up against any building. These would have done the trick if I could get them, which once again don't show up in Trainz 2009 Content Manager. So it was my frustration over that, that set me off a bit.

 

[OldSalt]

The comment about skinned meshes was more to emphasize the point that it can be done ... trainz is not just limited to the stick figure like anims already produced

.

And my point was Trainz should of have both in the game, not wait for some 3rd party person to do it. While I still agree it's just eye candy, it does add something to see people walk to your train to get on. Or even just walk around, as you pass by stations and towns. It gives a felling of being in a living world.

 

[OldSalt]

I hope this is not a silly question. Do I need to buy Trainz 2009 if I want to use Trainz 2010? The website says everything (surveyor and railyard) is included, but I am wondering why it is called the Engineers Edition.

No, Trainz 2010 is a stand alone program. You do not need any of the earlier Trainz programs for it.

 

[Johnk]

These would have done the trick if I could get them, which once again don't show up in Trainz 2009 Content Manager.

And if the truth is known OldSalt, others before you have probably downloaded the stuff, played with it for hours and eventually got it to work. Then they've kept it to themselves because they've had no idea how to pass their success on to others. Worse still, they would probably be threatened with copyright violation if they did. I read these forums daily and the number of people who have similar problems to you is astounding. I'm too frightened to download anything. After battling through the dialup download speeds Auran offers to those who refuse to pay for free stuff, Nothing ever worked. As of today I have not downloaded (successfully) a single thing from the DLS and I've been with Trainz since 2001.

Wait, I tell a lie. I think I downloaded the Monorail system for 2006 years ago and it worked. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it was in the service pack. It's so long ago I've forgotten.

I use Trainz out of the box and that's what upset me about 2009. The performance may have been better, but graphically it had all the flaws of 2006. As I said in an earlier post, a casual observer couldn't tell the difference between the original Trainz and and TRS2009. Driver is like the Volkswagen of the software industry. A new model every year or so, but the shape hardly changes.

 

[WindWalkr]

Surely you're wrong? I hope you are because I and several others could become very upset if we've been duped as one of you implies. Marketing or no marketing, in this country where Auran is based, they have an obligation to tell the truth.

You're upset because we're offering a lot more than we originally promised? If you want to buy a content add-on, we've already released three for TS2009. Each one is an excellent product in its own right. EE itself is everything we originally suggested and a lot more.

Edit: As you say Chris, EE was supposed to focus on game play with limited or no Surveyor features, but now it sounds like a full blown Surveyor package is included, making 2009 completely redundant.

Each major version of Trainz makes the previous ones redundant, if you want to look at it that way. We're going out of our way to ensure content compatibility between TS2009 and TS2010 so it's not like you'll be cut off from anything if you choose to stay with TS2009.

Windwalkr Chris with all due respect but i sincerely hope your answer seems a little bit of course with the wording.
Speedtree,new functionality in the menu,overlay system, what else, all this is to my understanding of plain english, part of WBE functionality and not game play.
Driver etc i would call gameplay focus and the engineer just the driver of the train.

The point of all the new items is that they are gameplay focused - either directly (new content, new routes, new locos, new sessions) or indirectly - the new gameplay menu system, layer system and similar. It's all about providing immersive gameplay.

kind regards,

chris

 

[Baureihe41]

You're upset because we're offering a lot more than we originally promised? If you want to buy a content add-on, we've already released three for TS2009. Each one is an excellent product in its own right. EE itself is everything we originally suggested and a lot more.

chris

Bollocks! I and many TS2009 buyers were duped into buying TS2009 BECAUSE it would have the surveyor ability and the next one ( TS0x EE ) wouldn't. Now it seems I could have waited for the extra's without spending money on TS2009.

 

[narrowgauge]

Baureihe41

Nobody is forcing you to buy TS2010, TS2009 is not obsolete. It is strange that you are complaining about getting more than Auran promised. I guess you would not be complaining if they left Surveyor out and charged the same price, your complaint seems illogical to me.

Peter

 

[Johnk]

WindWalkr, I see your location is Auran so I guess you either own the place or work there. With 8 posts in General Trainz in the past 2 months it's little wonder I didn't have a clue who you were. In fact, I still don't know who you are. If you don't wish to give too much away, can you at least tell us what do you do at Auran. Spiffy and Zec gave us a bit of info about themselves, but if you also wrote something, I must have missed it like all your other posts. Sorry about that.

As a representative of the company, it would be nice if you could also put something to that effect in your signature. That would make your posts stand out.

I have my own theories about Auran's current marketing strategies, but suffice to say many of us could have survived adequately without TRS2009 had we known that a completely new wiz-bang package was being released twelve months down the track. Instead of doing card tricks by telling us 2009 is "Part A" and then telling us it isn't, why don't you just offer the regulars (devotees if you like) an annual subscription like the first class ticket? We could cough up with $30 every year and you could keep churning the stuff out. If you think about it, we and Auran would all probably be a lot better off.

I'm not begrudging the price of 2010, I think it's the way you're going about things. Auran is becoming deceitful and that's not good for anyone. Had you used you newsletters to tell us of your changes in strategy, or at at least come to these forums and did it, maybe some of us wouldn't be so upset. But no, you fill your so-called newsletters with advertising and little else.

Please learn to communicate. Have a presence on these forums and try to close the division that's getting wider by the day. You are the ones who will benefit.

 

[john259]

WindWalkr is Chris Bergmann, the lead programmer for Trainz. He often posts on the TrainzDev technical forum.

John

 

[Johnk]

Thanks John.

 

[Baureihe41]

Baureihe41

Nobody is forcing you to buy TS2010, TS2009 is not obsolete. It is strange that you are complaining about getting more than Auran promised. I guess you would not be complaining if they left Surveyor out and charged the same price, your complaint seems illogical to me.

Peter

It is not my responsibility that you can't understand what I write. Read it again.

 

[AndrewofWare]

I hope this is not a silly question. Do I need to buy Trainz 2009 if I want to use Trainz 2010? The website says everything (surveyor and railyard) is included, but I am wondering why it is called the Engineers Edition.

No you don't need to buy 2009.

I think the "Engineers Edition" title is due to the fact that Auran promised an "EE" version of 2009, which has been overtaken by 2010. It's just "marketing blurb" so don't worry!

Cheers

Chris

"Engineers Edition" reflects the gameplay focus of this edition as compared to the "World Builders Edition" which was focused on enhanced capabilities.

TS2010 is a full product in its own right and not an addon, you don't need a previous TS2009 install.

chris

Thanks for your replies. I will now get my order in.

 

[airtime]

I'm considering ordering Trainz 2010, but I have a couple of questions that I would like answering before I make my order.

With the announcement of speedtree, will speedtree work in Native Mode and Compatibility Mode in Trainz 2010?

Also

In the past I reported a fault with silver land when it rains and white snowy land when it's stormy, will this have been fixed in the new Trainz 2010?

If both of the answers are yes, then I will place my order...

Many Thanks

Joe Airtime
By the way love the Intercity 125 on the cover, I really do hope Auran has updated this fabulous train in Trainz 2010, along with the consist of the coaching stock.

 

[martinvk]

... As of today I have not downloaded (successfully) a single thing from the DLS and I've been with Trainz since 2001.

Wait, I tell a lie. I think I downloaded the Monorail system for 2006 years ago and it worked. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it was in the service pack. It's so long ago I've forgotten.

....

If you don't download because there is nothing that interests you on the DLS is one thing but to say the system doesn't work ... a bit of an exaggeration.

Granted I tend to make my own objects so I don't need to download much but when there is something I need and I don't want to reinvent the wheel, it is downloaded without any fuss using FTP. Works every time with the added bonus that if I need to import again, I have the CDP file locally, no need to download it again.

If you haven't used FTP, give it a try. Many fine objects are waiting to be downloaded.

 

[martinvk]

And my point was Trainz should of have both in the game, not wait for some 3rd party person to do it.

You jest? Do you seriously think that Auran, by themselves, could produce the wealth of objects on the DLS, and on top of that expect them to include it in-game?
1), I think us content creators out number them by a very wide margin,
2) 3rd party creators have a much better chance of producing local content for everyone's taste since they are from everywhere,
3) if you thought the screams of "what's all that foreign content getting in the way of my pleasure" was loud before, imagine the noise if the DLS or even a portion was built-in too.

While I still agree it's just eye candy, it does add something to see people walk to your train to get on. Or even just walk around, as you pass by stations and towns. It gives a felling of being in a living world.

True but it's only eye candy if it belongs in your world. In other worlds, it could be just clutter to get rid of

 

[RoysTrainz]

read my lips Obama would say and he is a real good (lonely) guy

I have my own theories about Auran's current marketing strategies, but suffice to say many of us could have survived adequately without TRS2009 had we known that a completely new wiz-bang package was being released twelve months down the track. Instead of doing card tricks by telling us 2009 is "Part A" and then telling us it isn't, why don't you just offer the regulars (devotees if you like) an annual subscription like the first class ticket? We could cough up with $30 every year and you could keep churning the stuff out. If you think about it, we and Auran would all probably be a lot better off.

I'm not begrudging the price of 2010, I think it's the way you're going about things. Auran is becoming deceitful and that's not good for anyone. Had you used you newsletters to tell us of your changes in strategy, or at at least come to these forums and did it, maybe some of us wouldn't be so upset. But no, you fill your so-called newsletters with advertising and little else.

Please learn to communicate. Have a presence on these forums and try to close the division that's getting wider by the day. You are the ones who will benefit.

Johnk you spent a lot of time on the forum and your way of writing is clear and straight forward.
My english isn't wat it was before, maybe because i start talk thai english the way my dear wife does.

Johnk: you nailed it again and makes my closed thread more than meaningful besides the loads of crab of people like Woody and friends try to bury my good intentions.

http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?t=37173&highlight=joosten

AGAIN I PROPOSE TO AURAN INSTEAD OF CONFUSING YOURSELF AND LOYAL CUSTOMERS LOOK AT A MAINTENANCE FEE BASED APPROACH.

Now we pay too but under a lot of confusion and many turn their back because they feel cheated.

If you sold this under yearly maintenance fee for 30 or so buck NOBODY would discuss what you deliver here only say WOW look what they do for their customers!!!More than just repair and bug fixing.

That's how I and I see Johnk and many others look at it too.

Instead of the lifetime FCT for 80some buck you could have offered people maintenance for 3 or some year which has more value than the dl trick.
I never ever used again the FCT after so many years as its a luxury item compared to what we really needed.

Johnk I support you on your quest for a maintenance fee.

PAGING WOODY:
To end with how come you not spit on this fellow with your little friends when he talks about some good proposals???

from a sunny and peaceful Thailand

Roy

 

[WindWalkr]

can you at least tell us what do you do at Auran. Spiffy and Zec gave us a bit of info about themselves, but if you also wrote something, I must have missed it like all your other posts. Sorry about that.

Nah, you were just nine years too late in looking for it.. ;-)

As others have noted, I'm the lead programmer here. I don't find any reason to make a big fuss about that- I'm not a forum mod or community rep and I don't really want to be mistaken for either.

many of us could have survived adequately without TRS2009 had we known that a completely new wiz-bang package was being released twelve months down the track.

Would it upset you to know that we'll have more wiz-bang packages in the future? It's like buying a computer. Of course you know there will be something better if you wait longer. Sooner or later you decide that you like what you see enough to buy it NOW. Sometimes you'll know when something good is just around the corner; sometimes you'll have no idea and the next product will come out the day after you buy your new toy.

I agree that it might be simpler if marketing just shut up about new products until they were ready, but the world doesn't always work the way engineers might like ;-)

why don't you just offer the regulars (devotees if you like) an annual subscription like the first class ticket? We could cough up with $30 every year and you could keep churning the stuff out. If you think about it, we and Auran would all probably be a lot better off.

Personally, I'm a big fan of the subscription idea. I pay ~US$15/mo plus the regular retail boxed copies for one popular game, and am more than happy to do so given the frequent updates that it receives. I do think that an "all access" pass for Trainz products or something similar is a great idea for our loyal users. Take my thoughts with a grain of salt, I'm not in charge of the business model.

Auran is becoming deceitful and that's not good for anyone. Had you used you newsletters to tell us of your changes in strategy, or at at least come to these forums and did it, maybe some of us wouldn't be so upset.

I strongly disagree with these points. Changing plans doesn't make us deceitful. In fact, being open with our users is what is causing your negative impressions- if we had not mentioned the product ahead-of-time, you would have never been aware of our original plans for the product and the TS2010:EE announcement would have come as a complete surprise. As it is, the final product announcement is very close to our original stated plans, except that we're (a) later than we originally intended and (b) including more goodies as a result.

Additionally, we have made every effort to communicate the new direction for TS2010:EE on each channel available to us- the announcement forum, the general forums, the newsletters, even the product web site. If you have been away from the forums and don't read our newsletters, I don't see how we can reach out any further than we already have.

kind regards,

chris