Surveyor 2.0 - Discussion Thread

Tony_Hilliam

Trainz Plus - enjoy Trainz from just 20 cents a da
In today's newsletter we've provided the first sneak peek at the new "Surveyor 2.0" (S20) interface, and we've shown the image again below.

We'd love to get the discussion going about the new tools and features. (We'll be providing a lot more information over the coming weeks as we get everything prepared for our initial external testing, but we were so excited with progress we just had to share this snippet).

Be sure to sign up for the newsletter in your MyTrainz account if you'd like to stay up to date on the biggest thing to happen to Trainz since Surveyor itself.

(And to avoid mass panic, I can assure you that good ol' Surveyor that you know and love will still be available as it earns "Surveyor Classic" status, but I bet you won't be using it much at all).

If you have questions, please post them here. We won't be answering everything immediately, but your questions will help us ensure we get all the answers together when we officially launch this update.

So without further delay, here's your first Sneak Peek* at S20.

*Work in progress - expect anything you see here to change prior to release.
s20.jpg


A few things to note from this image:
1. "Palettes" are movable, resizable and can be hidden (using the Window Menu like you can now with Mini Map for example)
2. You can change things around to suit your own workflow.
3. S20 features multi-selection (the green w.i.p. overlays) and multi-asset type in one selection (so you could marquee select and move an entire town a few meters in you wanted to)
4. A context sensitive menu offering different options depending on your selection
5. This does not show all the new features (such as the copy/paste "Scrapbook" feature which will change your life forever)
 
Last edited:
Sure looks interesting and promising.
This indeed will very likely not make me use Classic Surveyor at all anymore (once I have a version that contains this 2.0).

Will this be released with TRS22 around Christmas this year or will it be TRS23 around Christmas next year?
 
Difficult to make useful comment when I know virtually nothing about it (I know, that doesn't usually stop me).

I'd like to try it before making any comment, or at least see a video of S2.0 in action. Perhaps a list of expected features (with a short explanation) could be useful?

I must confess, I've hardly used Trainz over the last few years. The performance of the macOS version was still a pretty poor second to the DirectX offering. Locking Metal into Big Sur only excluded me further, as the iMac I bought to take advantage of the next era was effectively locked out.
 
Last edited:
The idea to have floating resizable panels is perfect
can they be dragged outside of the main window ?
many of us have more than 1 monitor these days (multi monitor support)


Ground textures, there are like over 13k on the DLS alone
expect the total to be over 20k
-can the textures also be in text instead of thumbnail?
-can they be filtered? FI: I want Sand but not PBR in the name?


Interfaces/panels:
In the screenshot you have 5 panels open
All 5 seem to be designed by someone else
hope someone can bring some unity in all
(designing interfaces is not a hobby but a profession)


I forsee troubles with the right-click context menu,
getting in the way/obscuring what i want to see
is transparent tried/considered?


Can panels overlap and how is the sequence (top/bottom) controlled?


Surveyor is actually the best part of Trainz (outclassing the competition for 20 years)
please don't forget to work on the base/driver :)


good luck with the development, it looks promissing
greetings GM
 
As noted above - pretty much everything is w.i.p. which is why this is a sneak peek and not an in-depth feature list with video. We tossed up whether to give out any info this week, but our play test got everyone so excited with the possibilities ahead we had to share something with you all. :)

But keep the questions and feedback coming...
 
Any improvement of the Surveyor is highly appreciated, however what I really miss after the migration to TRS19 are the functions on the main menu.
- Show search filter
- Show Wireframe
Even better would of course be that you can modify the the functions on the main menu your selves .

Hopefully Surveyor 2.0 will later be available for all editions of Trainz.
 
The custom multi select is an overdue upgrade from the rigid rectangular marquee select.
Will we be able to copy/paste the green highlight objects rather than just move/adjust?
 
As noted above - pretty much everything is w.i.p. which is why this is a sneak peek and not an in-depth feature list with video. We tossed up whether to give out any info this week, but our play test got everyone so excited with the possibilities ahead we had to share something with you all. :)

But keep the questions and feedback coming...

I'm very pleased you're all very excited, the difference being you know what to be excited about and we don't :)
 
Are you planning to add volumetric clouds and sky with changing weather and time of day, as in all modern games?
 
I'm very much looking forward to giving this a go.
Considering how much work I have done with copy/paste over the last 2 years, that in itself looks promising, let alone having a scrapbook feature. Life changing progress!
I would expect our picklists to be available across surveyor versions though. So far so good.
cheers
Graeme
 
Splendiferous and wonderful.

Just a thought. Are you giving us lots of tools to keep us busy over the next milleniu. I would be more than happy with that.

What about changes in the outcomes.

2 simple thoughts would be a general improvement in the lighting to make it more real as you get in 99% of other sims.

Secondly might be a more sophisticated interface with weather. Snow actually laying on the ground, for example.



One day, oh Lord, one day!!

Graham, Shefford, UK
 
Yes, yes, you need good lighting and weather conditions, but for some reason we have been ignored for many years ...
 
I hope the track is still flexible. That track bend, front and center, looks rather notchy and the crossover does not look much better.

Cheers,
Bill69
 
Environmental tools nearly made it ahead of this major update.
instead we opted for the retooling first, then we can layer other changes on too far more easily (new environment, terrain, texturing etc).

Track itself is no different, just the tools that adjust it.

Initial release will be Trainz Plus and Gold members.
 
Last edited:
I'd at least like AI trains to be able to traverse the layout when you're editing it. Kind of like MPS, but for Singleplayer and only with AI to test trackage. Maybe not subscription based?
 
My main interest in Trainz is route building and I would like to beta test S20. However the subscription model is not for me so I guess that rules me and no doubt many others out. Shame it's not an open beta really, both customer and supplier lose out. If you need more testers let me know ;)

John
 
Nothing for me to get excited about then, I do not need a subscription.

I wonder what percentage of subscribed members actually build routes day in day out ?
 
Back
Top