Can you guess the next key feature for Trainz?

Actually, if we take the image at face value
new-ideas.jpg
Whoever was doodling, tended to repeat several items at different scales
Certain ideas seem to be clear:
  • Structure and Strategy: build, maintain, develop, ??? profit
  • proceed to backup steps (to storage) 1,2 caution, 3
  • Delays

So: more of the same but bigger and better. Once the unknown step in the strategy is figured out, profits will result. Always backup whatever you're doing but proceed with caution in case it doesn't work. There will always be delays.
 
From the stretch goal number 9 prototypical scheduling,timetabling system and number 10 prototypical freight system are still missing from TANE.
 
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We should perhaps let you know that the image used is simply a stock image from depositphotos.com and was used to illustrate "serious brainstorming on the blackboard".

There is a small clue in the Trainz "NEXT" name. I can also let on that a couple of people in this thread have got somewhere close, but that a nine year old autistic boy who writes to us regularly has got it pretty much spot on (I will see if I can get his notes published when we're ready).
 
Something incredibly useless like cloud storage?

I reckon its economy! Something someone I know has been whining like a stuck pig about for
ooooh, a couple of years :udrool:
 
Is it a comprehensive discount scheme for TANE owners?

Having paid a far bigger amount for Mac TANE than any previous version, I'm going to need a very good reason to go to MacTANE 2 (if such a thing is going to exist).
 
We should perhaps let you know that the image used is simply a stock image from depositphotos.com and was used to illustrate "serious brainstorming on the blackboard".

There is a small clue in the Trainz "NEXT" name. I can also let on that a couple of people in this thread have got somewhere close, but that a nine year old autistic boy who writes to us regularly has got it pretty much spot on (I will see if I can get his notes published when we're ready).

It runs on a machine that a nine year old can afford from their pocket money?

Cheerio John
 
More precise selection tools in Surveyor? Thinking specifically of the ability to select individual length(s) of track to alter (e.g.: 'Seldom Used' to 'Rusty'); plus the ability to group several track nodes together to move/delete/amend all at once without affecting other adjacent track (think Adobe Illustrator's splines). Also - a finer underlying grid so that cuttings and embankments are proportionate instead of being motorway proportions; and similarly for applying textures so that ballast (for example) isn't delineated by block sized jaggies. And finally (agreeing with an earlier poster) the ability to place maps or underlays on a tracing layer.
 
Whatever it is for god's sake don't announce it in advance and don't do an open beta. Let the beta testing be done by people who know what they are talking about. Everything you say now will be held against you later so tell as few people as possible what you are planning.

Paul
 
"Nimble, Emotional, Xcited, Travellers" (passengers/engine driver and fireman) who walk about the platforms, enter and exit carriages or the locos?

:udrool:
 
felixtrain: I hope it have the multiplayer support on LAN
Now that would be cool - as a feature in addition of course - to what N3V are currently planning with NEXT.
New Era eXtended Trainz.
"The NEXT train from platform 9 and 3 quarters will be the Hogwarts Express"
 
I've read the newsletter and I actually look forward to what has been planned for the future. Like the new hot fix for TANE SP1 which when the first hotfix came out, I had the best overall performance in TANE and I hope I can repeat the same results that I got previously. TANE has come a long way and has proved itself to me time and time again that it it's still the best Trainz game I've ever played.
 
The new Roadmap looks intriguing and appears to answer many questions.
I'm with Matt3985 on looking forward to what has been planned.
T:ANE has been progressively improved to the point where it is easily the best ever Railway Simulator produced by the Trainz franchise - just as the Service Packs and Hot Fixes sorted out most of TS12's woes.
Now, with a few more planned hot fixes and updates, T:ANE will become the basis for many years of contented railroad simulator hobby play and an outstanding vehicle for route/ session and assets creation.

Even so, if the NEXT version of Trainz is indeed a natural evolution from T:ANE and builds new features on top of this great 64 bit platform, then I will happily purchase it and allow T:ANE to fade away into gentle obsolescence too, just as its predecessors did before.
Those who wish to stay with it, or earlier versions of Trainz, will still be catered for - they will still continue to work, at least until your latest operating system refuses to support them any more.
Progress is GOOD! Change isn't always positive, but it is inevitable.
 
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Let the beta testing be done by people who know what they are talking about.

I don't know what the attitude is within N3V, but from an outside view the public beta for SP1 was a disaster. Releasing early versions for previewing is one thing, but a beta program is (or should be) an entirely different beast. Testers need to be qualified (and that does not mean on a technical basis), their continuance needs to be based on the quality of their reports, there should be no input to QA other than through formal bug submissions (discussions in the forum are just that - discussions) and there needs to be an accessible and regularly updated list of identified issues and their current status. Preferably, testers should be assigned tasks (although that could perhaps be done informally amongst the testers themselves, or by selecting from a pool)) and there needs to be as much feedback about what worked as what didn't. There should be broad user input into what needs testing - it is too easy for overlook important things. And, most importantly there should be NO upgrade path from any beta version - every new test must start from the current released version, with a properly prepared update file (and yes, that would have an impact on who can afford to participate). There needs to be test suites (eg, KickStarter County) which are updated to demonstrate each problem and the fix as it is implemented (this sort of happened, but not in a very orderly fashion).

Typically, the effort put into properly managing and controlling a beta test program is returned many times over.
 
I don't know what the attitude is within N3V, but from an outside view the public beta for SP1 was a disaster.

Releasing early versions for previewing is one thing, but a beta program is (or should be) an entirely different beast. Testers need to be qualified (and that does not mean on a technical basis), their continuance needs to be based on the quality of their reports, there should be no input to QA other than through formal bug submissions (discussions in the forum are just that - discussions) and there needs to be an accessible and regularly updated list of identified issues and their current status.

Preferably, testers should be assigned tasks (although that could perhaps be done informally amongst the testers themselves, or by selecting from a pool)) and there needs to be as much feedback about what worked as what didn't. There should be broad user input into what needs testing - it is too easy for overlook important things. And, most importantly there should be NO upgrade path from any beta version - every new test must start from the current released version, with a properly prepared update file (and yes, that would have an impact on who can afford to participate). There needs to be test suites (eg, KickStarter County) which are updated to demonstrate each problem and the fix as it is implemented (this sort of happened, but not in a very orderly fashion).

Typically, the effort put into properly managing and controlling a beta test program is returned many times over.

I'm not sure if you have done any beta testing for Trainz, but I have and I'll explain what happens and expected?

When I was in the very first beta testing for Trainz, Auran had an internal set of beta testers and an external set of beta testers, I was part of the external beta testers. Anyone that is an external beta tester shouldn't expect to be testing every little thing as the internal beta testers are testing the main parts of the program and the external testers are more to test on all sorts of computer systems and parts and test that parts are working properly.

You would do a list of things to test in the beta (to run though over 5 to 10 times) and if you didn't do the tests you generally would end up left out for the next round of tests. Also if the beta testers can offer any sort of added things that should be added that people would expect then you should put those in as well.

You'd log into 2 separate places 1 for bug test forum and 2 a beta download/test list place.

Testers are expected to test everything for example all the menu's all the content does in fact load up etc. of course some people aren't going to load up say all 500 items and so either say they didn't test everything or lie about testing stuff.

The beta downloads can't work like you say because they run from a dev version of Trainz and you have a Stable release version of Trainz, the Dev version can be many versions beyond the current stable version so you can't really go from the current stable dev to a beta version.

For example the versions I tested of Trainz and I still have some of the Dev/Beta releases, is 0.38, 0.48, 0.52, 0.58, 0.78, 0.81 and some more as you can tell these are before the first stable release of Trainz many years ago.

As for the content sometimes it can be tested and sometimes it can't for example kickstarter country can be officially beta tested but the C&O TANE content won't be as it's 3rd party content sometimes it's added in for testing but not always.

Generally only expect stuff made officially to be tested not everything.
 
External beta testing should be essentially "play" testing. By that point there shouldn't be any (or many) showstopper bugs remaining.

Integrated DEM support and some form of mapping overlay or Google Earth API would be useful, I have to say. Transdem can still exist in the background for legacy unsupported versions of the game.
 
Oh on the topic of the post.

I'm thinking it might be something to do with virtual reality, this seems to be the current big thing that's just about to come along, and all the next set of GFX cards will be handling VR in some form.

Maybe something to go with the HTC Vive as that's the #1 VR system I've seen the Introvision Devs making up a game and play with the Vive.

This is their video with a shoting game made they up to just test out the Vive a few hours after getting a test unit from HTC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwFOI-xjeM4
 
External beta testing should be essentially "play" testing. By that point there shouldn't be any (or many) showstopper bugs remaining.

Integrated DEM support and some form of mapping overlay or Google Earth API would be useful, I have to say. Transdem can still exist in the background for legacy unsupported versions of the game.

Google mapping isn't free it requires a lic to be used in other programs.

Bing allow it to be used but I'm not sure if it's free or requires say adverts to be displayed etc.
 
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