Trainz and "Gameplay" - Feedback thread

[Tony_Hilliam]

We know that many Trainz fans spend a lot of time in Surveyor, and their time in Driver is limited to testing their creations. However, we know that many of you spend the majority of your time in Driver.

Rather than run a survey, we wanted to start a discussion thread to hear all about your "gameplay" preferences in Trainz. By gameplay, we mean interacting with a train, or multiple trains in Driver.

Some things to discuss include:

• Is there a particular built-in session that you like? (and what makes this one special?)
• Is there a session on the DLS that you enjoy?
• If you create your own sessions, what is a typical set-up? (e.g. do you use navigation points?)
• Do you only ever drive a single train or do you like to jump from one to another?
• Do you use CMTM (Car Movement and Traffic Management System) ? Or perhaps model railroad card systems?
• Are there certain rules that you use when making your own gameplay?
• How do you use commodities in your sessions?
• Do you only use Quickdrive? (and why?)
• How much AI traffic do you like in your sessions?
• Have you tried multiplayer? (What did you like/dislike?)
• Anything else you'd like to throw in to the discussion.

So don't be shy - we'd love to hear all the different ways people enjoy Trainz - and feel free to expand on any of the suggested topics or introduce new ones.

[pware]

• My preferences range from short routes (20-30 minutes) to longer routes (3-4 hours).
• I don't particularly use the built-in routes or sessions.
• I prefer to drive a single train.
• What is CMTM? So I guess the answer to that is no!
• I use quite a few rules in my sessions, too many to list here but they include the Navigation Point rules, Wait, Trigger Check, Variable modify/display/random, Ordered/Simultaneous Lists, Message Popup, various junction and signal rules, Resource Check, etc, etc.
• Commodities are just simple load/unload at industries
• Usually I remove the Quickdrive rule from my sessions.
• Never tried multiplayer.

[Vern]

One of the snags of being a "digger" is that after completion and driving the thing umpteen times to test, you're fed up to the back teeth of the thing.

Don't tend to play with the built ins, like to run third party or my own routes.
Similar answer to #1.
Tend to drive one train - if Trainz had proper timetable mode like Zusi this might encourage train "jumping".
No idea what CMTM is.
Tend to stick with generic rules. Many of the rules are undocumented or explained in a language other than English, as to how or what they do and there is no easy way of finding one that might suit your purpose.
Tend to have passenger enabled stations but again without proper timetable structure it's all a bit random.
If testing I jump into QD, otherwise I will go in through the session menu.
AI depends on the route. As I mainly specialize in single track with long sections between crossing loops best not to saturate the route with non player traffic.
No interest in MP/MMO, sorry.

As per my previous hobbyhorse. N3V need to offer the functionality MSTS, TS20xx and Zusi do in regard to setting up a timetable or scenario/activity, the AI route setting ahead of your train (not having to be done by the player as they go), resolving conflicts with other traffic and keeping check against your progress. This could even mark the beginnings of a career type mode including marks for train handling, speed control and obeying signals.

[ajrf]

-Actually what I enjoy the most are my own sessions.
-I usually don't use any DLS session.
-I like to jump from one train to another and take pictures of them running.
-No
-Yes, such Asfa 200 or Weather related rules.
-In base to the "multiple Industry New" and similars.
-Yes, because it helps to establish the session parameters easily.
-As much as possible.
-I don't use multiplayer.

[peterwhite]

I only use my own route and sessions
never drive - haven't got a clue how to and not really interested
My sessions are created from a Working Timetable and therefore is all AI driven.
Extensive use of Enhanced Interlocking Towers and Mission Control by pguy.
The only downside is I tend to have a lot of stock on the route (which would be there in real life) so my sessions only last for about an hour now in SP3 before it refuses to load any more. (I used to get up to 2 hours in SP1 so SP3 is a bit of a backward step for me)

Peter

[edo]

1) I like to drive my sessions because I am Italian and there are not built-in Italian routes and sessions; so I build my layouts and run them. There is some built-in Russian route that is good and some railroad route but I don't like to drive them because I like AI sessions.

2) On DLS there are a lot of good route and sessions and sometimes I downloaded them but when went to play I saw they are poor to AI consists; so, I closed them. I don't like to manovre and drive. I like to set schedules upend after enjoy the total automatic movement.

3) I use not only navigation points like track makers but also triggers and rules and command drive.

4) I like, of course, to jump within trains and enjoy landscape; see animation during travel (animated people, cows, and other animals) and I like particularly to see industry animations loading and unloading goods.

5) I use Car and traffic system and about it, please, eliminate overtaking carz and do the system more flexible in term of set-up. I would be able to program multi lane or single lane traffic.

6) I use a lot of rules to program my AI session. All the rules and some times I'd need some more rule!

7) I use commodities to set industries up.

8) No, I don't use quick drive I use AI!

9) I like AI ever because for me is the clever way to play and I would to see the AI system to grow and work perfectly. Not like now! I play one cycle or two of my session for the length of one or two hours.
10) I have no interest in multiplayer.

11) There are a lot of things to discuss but is enough for now. The only I say is to split Trainz in 2 or 3 plays. One for drivers more realistic about train driving, and another for layouts and world builder that like to watch landscape, trains, traffic, people, airplanes and ships move into a real or almost real world. Industries animations and animated load and unload operations are more important for me to enjoy; so you have a lot of things to do!

Thanks for all
Edoardo Conte

We know that many Trainz fans spend a lot of time in Surveyor, and their time in Driver is limited to testing their creations. However, we know that many of you spend the majority of your time in Driver.

Rather than run a survey, we wanted to start a discussion thread to hear all about your "gameplay" preferences in Trainz. By gameplay, we mean interacting with a train, or multiple trains in Driver.

Some things to discuss include:

• Is there a particular built-in session that you like? (and what makes this one special?)
• Is there a session on the DLS that you enjoy?
• If you create your own sessions, what is a typical set-up? (e.g. do you use navigation points?)
• Do you only ever drive a single train or do you like to jump from one to another?
• Do you use CMTM (Car Movement and Traffic Management System) ? Or perhaps model railroad card systems?
• Are there certain rules that you use when making your own gameplay?
• How do you use commodities in your sessions?
• Do you only use Quickdrive? (and why?)
• How much AI traffic do you like in your sessions?
• Have you tried multiplayer? (What did you like/dislike?)
• Anything else you'd like to throw in to the discussion.

So don't be shy - we'd love to hear all the different ways people enjoy Trainz - and feel free to expand on any of the suggested topics or introduce new ones.

[KotangaGirl]

I only tend to run routes I've built myself as the built-in routes don't interest me since I'm a UK pre-grouping era enthusiast. Plainly I spend a lot of time is surveyor, but I enjoy running trains on my layouts too. I don't use AI systems or run trains with 'robot' drivers and I always drive my own engines moving between them as needed. Most of my layouts, except for one (about 100 miles of track) are small, - on average only between 10-15 miles in length, - and I make use of portals to represent the rest of the railway. I make use of interactive stations even though the situation with finding period correct passengers is less than ideal. I also use some basic loading and unloading tracks and have no interest in interactive tracks that require schedules or waybills. Shunting (switching for Americans) is also something I enjoy. I run a very simple 'thumbnail' timetable involving regular passenger services with goods trains, local pick up goods trains (with necessary shunting) and parcel trains in between the passenger services.

[Tony_Hilliam]

Thanks for your feedback everyone (keep it coming)

I always drive my own engines moving between them as needed

KotangaGirl. What do you do with your other trains when you head off elsewhere? e.g. Do you leave them unattended and stationery somehwere then pop back at a later time to continue on?

To all so far - what is it about multiplayer that has prevented/stopped you from playing?

[scratchy]

I've always found creating sessions super tedious. The ones for Coal Country and Eagle River take hours and hours each and it's all been a bit of trial and error for me, I can't really find any good tutorials on creating them efficiently so have just have to take bits from built in sessions I like.

I do enjoy using the navigation points although I've found sometimes any commands that follow don't (super annoying).

I've never really got the use of the ConsistDataHandler Rule or Interlocking Tower Path, again I don't if there is any documentation out there for what they do?

It'd be nice to revert back to a slider for choosing the time in quick drive instead of having to type in hour and minutes.

Why does the display custom HUD rule that is now built into every session, not work if you are in free roam camera?

I'd also like to learn how to insert images into popup messages, but again, don't really know where to start.

One rule I've just found that I like a lot is the "Set Helper Icon Size" much better to have the junction overlays at half size.

Thanks

[Lataxe]

We know that many Trainz fans spend a lot of time in Surveyor, and their time in Driver is limited to testing their creations. However, we know that many of you spend the majority of your time in Driver.

Rather than run a survey, we wanted to start a discussion thread to hear all about your "gameplay" preferences in Trainz. By gameplay, we mean interacting with a train, or multiple trains in Driver.

Some things to discuss include:

• Is there a particular built-in session that you like? (and what makes this one special?)
• Is there a session on the DLS that you enjoy?
• If you create your own sessions, what is a typical set-up? (e.g. do you use navigation points?)
• Do you only ever drive a single train or do you like to jump from one to another?
• Do you use CMTM (Car Movement and Traffic Management System) ? Or perhaps model railroad card systems?
• Are there certain rules that you use when making your own gameplay?
• How do you use commodities in your sessions?
• Do you only use Quickdrive? (and why?)
• How much AI traffic do you like in your sessions?
• Have you tried multiplayer? (What did you like/dislike?)
• Anything else you'd like to throw in to the discussion.

So don't be shy - we'd love to hear all the different ways people enjoy Trainz - and feel free to expand on any of the suggested topics or introduce new ones.

Most built-in routes and sessions lack the amount of realism I prefer. The sessions are often too simplistic anyway.

There are some good routes and sessions for UK scenarios on the DLS (all I'm interested in) with those of DriverCol being some of the best examples.

In making sessions for my own routes I prefer to use the schedule library to create blocks of commonly-traversed sections of a route, portal-generated consists driven by AI referencing the schedule library and AI-driven calls at industries & stations.

With the above as a background, I like to have one or two user-driven tasks to complete, such as shunting or gathering-then-driving a consist of some sort (e.g. a passenger excursion train).

I don't know waht CMTM is.

Rules I tend to add are schedule library, central portal control, turntable rule.

I include commodity load/unload in AI-driven consists generated from portals.

I tend to use Quickdrive most as I'm interested in railway logistics rather than driving engines per se.

I prefer sessions with 90% AI (the background activity) with 10% of user-driven activity.

I haven't tried multiplayer and don't really want to.

Many routes and sessions (at least of the UK variety I tend to use) have sophisticated prototypical rail operations but not-so-good scenery (not enough visual realism). Others have lots of visual realism but poor sessions in terms of the operations (and associated track layout & signalling). It's rare to get a highly realistic route with realistic operations too.

[phimat]

I'm basically a tourist. The advantage of Trainz over the real world is that I can sit up with the driver. I travel almost solely on the mash-up, which by now is a crazed spider web of merged routes (thanks to all you route devs), with about thirtyish detailed services using a host of different consists (incl steamers). Given the free time, I like to set off on one service, then switch to a connecting service at an interchange. Sometimes this involves waiting around for a while, which I have come to value as genuine down-time: nothing happens, empty tracks, a few cars now and then, the wind blowing in the trees, sun shining on everything.

The only other routes I run are those that are prospective merges, so obviously I have no interest whatsoever in builtin routes. Also obvious is that I use Surveyor mainly to link up merged routes, which sometimes involves development of new terrain etc. I use whatever assets that are to hand, so I am relatively indifferent to loss of assets through development of Trainz itself. But I have repaired a few assets, mostly rolling stock that I like. I'm probably pretty good with Surveyor by now, but it's not my primary concern. As I say, I like to sit up front and admire the scenery...

[big_b]

have never used any built in route since first starting trainz
like to build my own routes then set them up for AI control
only drive myself to check track
the challange is to get it to run the way I want with signals junction ect controlled by triggers
so no matter what trains I use to follow track marks -- no crashes if possible

[Davie_UCF]

I feel i'm the minority... I primarily experiment with driver/AI schedules, using the interlocking towers and variables. It's something that can be rather tedious but I find it rewarding. Most of the functions I use are thanks to third party creators, like Trev999 who has made great commands and rules that utilise the input table. Such as the variables system, meaning I can skip commands and partially randomise my sessions with the AI trains adapting.

The great thing you guys added that brought me back to Trainz was the interlocking towers, which have been taken to another level by the enhanced interlocking towers. Meaning I can now set up all these elaborate schedules but also have a human train running without massive junction lock ups.

[butler57]

Hi Tony and the team
I see from your 'open' question that you are asking mainly about the actual "gameplay" - but what about the participants that actually don't "gameplay". I for example find the creation side and the 'collection of trains' within Trainz more satisfying on most occasions.
that's not to mean that I don't run a session here or there or jump into a route and enjoy the scenery.
Over the past few years I have spent time reskinning, testing assets for friends, creating mini dioramas, some model layouts etc - in fact I am creating and not necessarily 'playing the game' for the sake of watching a train going along it's merry way.

May I suggest that you broaden the Q&A and you will find that there are more folks around that use the game for purposes other than just 'gameplay' but actually find the creative side within themselves and as a result enjoy Trainz in more ways than as this thread suggests.

[robd]

Hmm, one can't help thinking that there's some hidden agenda in this type of thread topic - what it is in this case, I just can't put my finger on!

Sorry, TH, if that's not something you want to hear (read). I sit back and wait for the flak from the N3V sycophants!

Rob,