Trainz Plus - Upcoming "Alpha" Test

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Tony_Hilliam

Trainz Plus - enjoy Trainz from just 20 cents a da
The next enormous update for Trainz Plus is almost ready for external testing. We're currently preparing an "Alpha" build for external release.

This is a slight difference to recent updates as the Alpha build will be an opt-in system to ensure that everyone who gets access understands a few important facts about the build:
  • All work done in the Alpha build will be throw away. This is because we have not finalised the file formats and it is highly likely there will be compatibility breaking changes during development.
  • This means that if you use your existing content in the Alpha and don't have a back-up, you will lose that work.
  • The HD terrain systems are close to final, but there are a number of tweaks and polish remaining
  • The Trainz Living Railroad feature is a "prototype". In other words, it is nowhere near complete, but it is in a state where it can be tested.
  • The new UI systems and activity logs are close to complete, but there are still a few things remaining
  • The logs also currently include rather spammy debug info about junction permits etc.

We'll post a more detailed list of Known Issues prior to the release.

Meanwhile, here are the links that will tell you more about all of the above information:

Find out more about Trainz Plus in general here:https://info.trainzsimulator.com/

Check out more details about the upcoming Alpha Test here: https://docs.trainzsimulator.com/

Register your interest in being part of the Trainz Plus Alpha Test here:
https://n3vgames.typeform.com/to/XWZ3YK6p
 
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DirectX®12?

While I personally would like to try TLR and already plot my favorite routes for testing session configs and read the docs available already, I'm wondering - anything in regards DirectX®12?
I know while this is mainly for in-game but it might fix my rendering issues in Content manager and Content Store (in my *cough* linux *cough* environment). Plus I'd like to try GPU Render Analyzer and GPU Profiler. Not that I'm a dev but that would be something I'm just curious to try out. Just for fun :D
Lockheed
​
 
lockheed02 said:
I'm wondering - anything in regards DirectX®12?
Click to expand...

You may have missed one of the recent newsletters but DirectX12 is coming in a future Trainz update. It is currently undergoing testing with some final "polishing". And yes, ray tracing will be added.
 
Well, yes and no. there are actually two different algorithms. Nvidia developed their own algorithm that I describe as faux ray tracing for the RTX cards. Unlike true ray tracing where the rays of light are traced from each light source as they bounce around the scene until some reach the POV and are rendered into the image. Nvidia reverses the process and only traces the rays that actually reach the POV backwards to the light source. This is to speed up the process which is notoriously a massive frame rate killer. DX12 ray tracing on the other hand limits the number of rays traced which results in a grainy image on all but high end PCs. Each frame is then blurred and then sharpened to clear up some of the graininess. The user can increase the quality by increasing the number of rays traced but at the expense of frame rate. DX12 ray tracing is available on any graphics card that supports it.

Either way I have my doubts about it being a useful feature in the sandbox world of Trainz. Ray Tracing has been supported by DX11 since 2012 and N3V never chose to implement it fully in Trainz.

 
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It's starting to sound like those of us with older graphic cards are going to either get totally left out or mortgage the house to get a better GPU. But I can't afford to spend what is 1/2 a paycheck for one. I knew this time was coming. At least I have the game.
 
Raytracing may look good although there are those that are not impressed and it will probably hit frame rates heavily, presumably why most games it is optional at present.

Any of the RTX 2xxx RTX 3xxx or RTX 4xxx will raytrace from low end to high end as will the latest AMD cards. You don't have have an RTX3080 to Raytrace.
Unless you are using 4K monitors there is no need to go high end GPU for Ray Tracing.

for Info a GTX1080 TI will Raytrace but at rather obviously lower frame rates than the RTX GPUs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fps3htMUuU
 
I have an "EVGA GEforce RTX3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA Gaming Video Card" Installed with an "AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-core, 24-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor". Will that be able to handle the new stuff?
 
For the ones that don't have a video card that supports ray tracing, i wouldn't be concerned about it. I have an rtx 3080 and never even used it in other games. It may improve visuals but, running without it will be fine. I myself probably won't even use it. I imagine it will be optional to turn on and off. I wasn't able to get ahold of the 3080 until this past july, and i would love to have a 4080, But it's simply not in my budget. You work with what you have. Thats the way i look at it.
 
nugget2225 said:
For the ones that don't have a video card that supports ray tracing, i wouldn't be concerned about it. I have an rtx 3080 and never even used it in other games. It may improve visuals but, running without it will be fine. I myself probably won't even use it. I imagine it will be optional to turn on and off. I wasn't able to get ahold of the 3080 until this past july, and i would love to have a 4080, But it's simply not in my budget. You work with what you have. Thats the way i look at it.
Click to expand...

This is what I was thinking. The ray tracing will be something to try then quickly turn off because of the extra work required to make everything run smoothly with it even with the RTX3080 which I have as well.

Way back in the olden days of 3d graphics, I tried some ray tracing. Granted, the system was a '486 DX50 and not fast by any means compared to what we have today, and the process was really, really slow and I mean really slow in rendering. Today we might be in for a treat with the faster CPUs and video cards but still it's a lot of maths required and a lot of extra work for the computer to do for the special effects.
 
Real ray tracing in 3D software packages is still a slow process even with a beast of a PC and GPU because it attempts to accurately render reality by obeying the laws of physics. Games use what is called Real Time Ray Tracing which is for lack of a better word "fake" as the algorithms take many shortcuts to create the illusion of ray traced graphics in a game environment but maintaining a playable FPS. Trainz has always used some "ray tracing" features of DX9, DX11 and OpenGL. Transparency, shaders and dynamic shadows for example.

 
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