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The Best Train Sim?
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SouthEastern-465
Established Member
I remember when I started on TRS2004: it took me ages to figure out how to extend the baseboards. My first board was composed of four stations, two pieces of track and a massive terminus, somehow being operated by HST's!
Only problem with Trainz 2004 route building is that you've only got a limited area to build on.
There I was, wondering how I would fit it all into one baseboard....then purely by chance...bingo!
No you haven't, just extend the baseboard.
SouthEastern-465
Established Member
How do you do it? I would be interested.
I'm not usually a trainz person as I mentioned so any minor tips would be useful.
How do you do it? I would be interested.
I'm not usually a trainz person as I mentioned so any minor tips would be useful.
You want to extend the baseboards? Go to the first building menu and click the Advanced option at the bottom. A new mini-menu will appear. Click 'extend' and click where you want the baseboard to be extended. I haven't done Trainz in a while though.
SouthEastern-465
Established Member
The info will come in great use!
What version of Trainz do you have?
SouthEastern-465
Established Member
Statto
Established Member
Thats actually wrong. However, I am not going to explain it as you cannot run it.
Changing the points is only a minor thing though, the major thing i dislike is the slow frame rate, & my PC meets all the spec required for the sim to work properly. I prefer Trainz, you can build your own lines.
You can do the same on RW2.
Oh be quiet!
317666
Established Member
For me it depends - if I'm driving I like to play RailWorks or BVE, but what I like about Trainz is how easy it is to just make a huge network of trains, give all the drivers orders, and watch it all work (or sometimes not work ).
).
You better not - stop advertising stuff.
Sorry, I won't do it again.
You better not - stop advertising stuff.
Seriously, I have no idea how the RW link ended up in my post. Must have been a fatal mistake......or something....
Of the four mentioned, I have owned/had installed three of them, with the only one I haven't used being Trainz.
With freeware, I started with BVE4 and then went to OpenBVE...very good for the driving experience as the cabs are realistic and includes all the safety systems etc which most sims don't have to the same degree. Graphics and anything other than cabviews are lackig but at the end of the day, this isn;'t what BVE was designed with primarily in mind...what it is designed to do, it does well
Unfortunately, it may be short lived with the chaos going on in the BVE world, but we will have to see
MSTS was mu first train sim, long before I got interested in trains really. Things gradually made more sense and I got a few add ons for it too. For its time, it was a good game but by modern standards, the graphics are somewhat lacking (but bear in mind it is now over 10 years old!) It is a while since I was last on MSTS so there are lots of things I can't remember about it now
RW2 - the current sim I play on which has great graphics and more and more add-ons constantly appearing. I run it on a laptop which means it isn't as good as it could be and I would like to upgrade to a proper PC at some point. If you can get in on the Steam sales, the DLC's are very good value (I picked up some earlier in the year at 75% off) and it is the best time to grab them. Even if you don't have any DLC's, there is plenty included as standard to keep a new user interested and also good opportunity to develop stuff yourself (even though the editors can be a little complex to use than is ideal)
With freeware, I started with BVE4 and then went to OpenBVE...very good for the driving experience as the cabs are realistic and includes all the safety systems etc which most sims don't have to the same degree. Graphics and anything other than cabviews are lackig but at the end of the day, this isn;'t what BVE was designed with primarily in mind...what it is designed to do, it does well
Unfortunately, it may be short lived with the chaos going on in the BVE world, but we will have to see
MSTS was mu first train sim, long before I got interested in trains really. Things gradually made more sense and I got a few add ons for it too. For its time, it was a good game but by modern standards, the graphics are somewhat lacking (but bear in mind it is now over 10 years old!) It is a while since I was last on MSTS so there are lots of things I can't remember about it now
RW2 - the current sim I play on which has great graphics and more and more add-ons constantly appearing. I run it on a laptop which means it isn't as good as it could be and I would like to upgrade to a proper PC at some point. If you can get in on the Steam sales, the DLC's are very good value (I picked up some earlier in the year at 75% off) and it is the best time to grab them. Even if you don't have any DLC's, there is plenty included as standard to keep a new user interested and also good opportunity to develop stuff yourself (even though the editors can be a little complex to use than is ideal)
Having sampled all of them, I would say that if you're starting out now then Railworks is the only show in town. But it depends what you want!
BVE - good for in-cab realism if you want very prototypical operation. And it's free. But outdated graphics; no moving Artificial Intelligence (AI) trains; astonishingly steep learning curve if you want to get under the bonnet and do any content creation; very few prototypical UK routes available (but some excellent fictional/semi-fictional ones); and lastly, the UK community has more-or-less imploded and this makes it very difficult to get stuff as some websites hosting add-ons have closed.
MSTS - the big daddy of them all. Very cheap to buy off eBay; loads and loads and loads of freeware and cheap payware, you can find a route and correct stock for almost any preference. But VERY old and inefficient graphics engine which now looks terrible (and has compatibility problems with the latest hardware and software); no longer supported by the developer; operationally inflexible (no working turntables, scripting activities is tricky without several workarounds). It also needs a lot of tinkering under the bonnet to make it work to the best advantage. It's great but a dead end, there is a project called 'Open Rails' to move it on but many people see this as a way of extending the life of a much-loved product in which people can carry on playing, rather than giving it a lease of life for new players.
Trainz - has a fiercely loyal user base, and still being developed. Lots of freeware available and some payware; excellent and easy route building capability, operationally flexible (although if you want to create complex operational activities you'll need a LOT of expertise in scripting). On the down side, the graphics are now looking very outdated; the appearance of track (without a lot of third-party add-on tinkering) looks absolutely awful; and worst of all, the developer is squeezing the last drops out of the stone by offering 'upgrades' each year that are basically asking you to pay for the game all over again.
Railworks - the new kid on the block. Best graphics engine (and the screenshots from the 23 September free upgrade indicate that it'll look even better soon); operationally flexible; actively developed; very little tinkering under the bonnet needed. Not as much freeware and payware content available as MSTS and Trainz, but this is slowly picking up. On the down side, payware DLC (Download Content) can be expensive, but (a) this is how the developer is funding the free upgrades that everyone benefits from and (b) there are sales from time to time with up to 75% off.
If you already have one of these and you enjoy it very much, then good luck! Everyone is loyal to 'their' program and each one offers something that you can't find in the others. But for a new starter I'd recommend Railworks over the others any day.
Paul
BVE - good for in-cab realism if you want very prototypical operation. And it's free. But outdated graphics; no moving Artificial Intelligence (AI) trains; astonishingly steep learning curve if you want to get under the bonnet and do any content creation; very few prototypical UK routes available (but some excellent fictional/semi-fictional ones); and lastly, the UK community has more-or-less imploded and this makes it very difficult to get stuff as some websites hosting add-ons have closed.
MSTS - the big daddy of them all. Very cheap to buy off eBay; loads and loads and loads of freeware and cheap payware, you can find a route and correct stock for almost any preference. But VERY old and inefficient graphics engine which now looks terrible (and has compatibility problems with the latest hardware and software); no longer supported by the developer; operationally inflexible (no working turntables, scripting activities is tricky without several workarounds). It also needs a lot of tinkering under the bonnet to make it work to the best advantage. It's great but a dead end, there is a project called 'Open Rails' to move it on but many people see this as a way of extending the life of a much-loved product in which people can carry on playing, rather than giving it a lease of life for new players.
Trainz - has a fiercely loyal user base, and still being developed. Lots of freeware available and some payware; excellent and easy route building capability, operationally flexible (although if you want to create complex operational activities you'll need a LOT of expertise in scripting). On the down side, the graphics are now looking very outdated; the appearance of track (without a lot of third-party add-on tinkering) looks absolutely awful; and worst of all, the developer is squeezing the last drops out of the stone by offering 'upgrades' each year that are basically asking you to pay for the game all over again.
Railworks - the new kid on the block. Best graphics engine (and the screenshots from the 23 September free upgrade indicate that it'll look even better soon); operationally flexible; actively developed; very little tinkering under the bonnet needed. Not as much freeware and payware content available as MSTS and Trainz, but this is slowly picking up. On the down side, payware DLC (Download Content) can be expensive, but (a) this is how the developer is funding the free upgrades that everyone benefits from and (b) there are sales from time to time with up to 75% off.
If you already have one of these and you enjoy it very much, then good luck! Everyone is loyal to 'their' program and each one offers something that you can't find in the others. But for a new starter I'd recommend Railworks over the others any day.
Paul
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I have owned MSTS, flirted with BVE and now own and use Railworks.
MSTS was a great game but is showing it's age a little. Pick it and its many add-ons up for a bargain and it will keep you entertained.
For a free program, BVE is outstanding. Looks a little basic but quite playable
Railworks is a great quality and good looking game. Buy it through Steam and you get it kept up to date for you and you can access high quality add-ons with occasional bargains.
Cheers!
MSTS was a great game but is showing it's age a little. Pick it and its many add-ons up for a bargain and it will keep you entertained.
For a free program, BVE is outstanding. Looks a little basic but quite playable
Railworks is a great quality and good looking game. Buy it through Steam and you get it kept up to date for you and you can access high quality add-ons with occasional bargains.
Cheers!
I remember pre-ordering MSTS and paying £49 (I think) for the privilege, though I did get a free MSTS bag. Can't believe it's been 10 years! There was some great stuff available. Sadly I misplaced my disks sometime ago, and the last time I'd played it I'd not enjoyed it that much anyway.
As for Trainz, I have both 2004 and 2006. I enjoyed both enormously, especially Surveyor mode allowing you to create your own routes. I did this successfully many times - in fact, I may dig out the disk later today and have another play for old times sake (until I can afford Railworks!).
As for Trainz, I have both 2004 and 2006. I enjoyed both enormously, especially Surveyor mode allowing you to create your own routes. I did this successfully many times - in fact, I may dig out the disk later today and have another play for old times sake (until I can afford Railworks!).
A reminder to all the RW people out there...today is the day of the big update
I heard some new buyers are having issues installing the game. As a compromise, they get the Portsmouth Line for free.
I heard some new buyers are having issues installing the game. As a compromise, they get the Portsmouth Line for free.
Not just new buyers as I'm having problems too.
Need to have a look at it and contact them if needs be...see if I can get any freebies :P
P.S. Actually didn't see this posting before I PM'd you...coincidence or what?!
I actually purchased Railworks a couple of weeks ago. Was going through a bored patch and couldn't wait for RS2012 to come out (just for a free US route I'd not play). Since the update, the game claims there are missing files and won't start. Tried the usual fixes to no avail!
Just my luck... :roll:
Just my luck... :roll:
Sellis89 mentioned a similar problem to me. I haven't used RW2 since the upgrade but I will have a go tonight if I have time.
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