Trainz: New Era

[HiFlyer 9,343]

Well, with the virtual world domination of Train Simulator, you hardly ever hear very much about the competition. Run 8 is pretty much for the hardcore, and so has only a tiny share of the market, and Trainz has had also-ran status for a very long time. Now Trainz is back, after a modest kickstarter, and has released Trainz, new era, in a bid to recapture some lost ground.

 

Essentially its a total overhaul of the Trainz franchise, leapfrogging DTG to the next-gen graphics plateau and introducing a much friendlier playstyle than before, while retaining some of the details that made it a bit more intricate than Train simulator. DTG is working to make the jump with its own graphical overhaul, so we'll see what happens, but meanwhile, maybe the race will even out a bit with a contender that is working hard to regain some lost relevance. Worth a look, for train fans!!

 

 

[psolk 3,037]

I don't know Devon, reviews seem very mixed...

http://store.steampowered.com/app/315660/

[Arthur42417 193]

i own it and it's just ok.  Don't even bother buying it if you have a weak CPU/GPU.  I can only run it maxed out on a 4gb 980.  TS2015 still looks better.

[TooWings 17]

To me Trainz is OK but tends to have a toy-town look about it -while DTG's Train Simulator seems much more realistic...so much so that when I 'drove' the TS-2014's 'UK east-cost mainline' a while back..every turn I took, and every station I pulled into, looked and felt like the 'real-life' journeys I'd made many times before.

 

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/47_fdPS-gZA/maxresdefault.jpg

[HiFlyer 9,343]

I don't know Devon, reviews seem very mixed...

http://store.steampowered.com/app/315660/

 

I think its called a "troubled" release. Honestly its not surprising. They are a tiny company with a very limited income stream compared to DTG, that took on the task of designing their own graphics engine, after a kickstarter that only brought in a few hundred thousand dollars. The overall Steam review is "mixed" which is exactly the same as Train simulator.

 

Its been out about a month, and updates are addressing issues found, so stay tuned. http://steamcommunity.com/games/315660/announcements/detail/160222011437543263

 

My take on it is that a lot of what you are hearing stems from what I call "Maxed-out-itis" issues, which should be familiar to FSX users. New people crank up the graphics to the absolute max, then have issues because it chugs a bit.

 

Yup. That will get sorted, eventually. I agree they have gone for a more cartoony look reminiscent of Cities: Skylines, which has good and bad points. I have mixed feelings.

 

The impression I get is of the ultimate tabletop train set. If your tabletop stretched for hundreds of miles.

 

[Patriot3810 182]

i own both train sims, DTG just works out of the box, jump in and drive your favorite train, but also very expensive.trainz on the other hand let the community down imo,the graphics inside the default cabs look horrible,to enjoy trainz you would need to buy 3rd party addons like jointed rails, but can be a mess to install and get working correctly.if you want to just drive buy DTG train sim, if you want to tinker and be a model railroader buy trainz.i followed and used trainz since 2002 when the first version came out,but this new version was a huge let down to me, but still much more user friendly when building routes or setting up ai trains, and can be alot of fun.

[HiFlyer 9,343]

I think they also are going to have the same problem I still have with Train Simulator which is that after any big graphical update, you still have ton of legacy stuff that simply doesn't take advantage of the new effects. In TS2015 this ended up with older routes that are still quite clunky, including the rolling stock, and newer routes/equipment that can be quite beautiful.

 

It will take a bit before things begin to even out. and even now in TS2015 I only purchase new stuff.

 

Actually, that's not even true currently, because I've stopped all purchases until I understand what the compatibility is going to be with their new engine. (sounds like there will be none)

[TooWings 17]

I followed and used trainz since 2002 when the first version came out,but this new version was a huge let down to me, but still much more user friendly when building routes or setting up ai trains, and can be alot of fun.

 

I feel the same about TS-2015.  It seems to me older versions ran smoother and often looked better, with or without add-on routes.   This for example..is hard to beat for  'realism' ........

 

https://youtu.be/99nB-FtSoLE?t=715

[HiFlyer 9,343]

Its always amazing to me how far we have fallen, that even our best and most "successful" dedicated sims fall on their faces graphically compared to things in even modest games. Even essentially throwaway items like the trains in GTA, which nonetheless look better then anything we have.

 

Will there ever again be a AAA rated sim?

 

[Arthur42417 193]

Its always amazing to me how far we have fallen, that even our best and most "successful" dedicated sims fall on their faces graphically compared to things in even modest games. Even essentially throwaway items like the trains in GTA, which nonetheless look better then anything we have.

 

lol GTA5 looks better than current train sims and flight sims...best $70 i have ever spent.

[TooWings 17]

BTW. Did anyone spot Concorde landing then disappearing again in that train-sim clip that I posted earlier?  I hope DTG do better than this on the next flightsim.....

 

https://youtu.be/99nB-FtSoLE?t=1070

 

lol GTA5 looks better than current train sims

 

It's sure come a long way since GTA-SA 11 years ago.....

 

[HiFlyer 9,343]

 

 

It's sure come a long way since GTA-SA 11 years ago.....

 

And sims have not. Even now, I could find routes looking not all that much better than this in our current train sims. Its really sad. I hope DTGs  new sim really does finally move things up a notch. And I want Trainz to be there right beside them.

[TooWings 17]

Even essentially throwaway items like the trains in GTA, which nonetheless look better then anything we have.

 

Plus of course you can interact with all modes of transport in GTA.....

...but be careful if you're accident prone! ;-)

 

http://www.tubechop.com/watch/6371741

[HiFlyer 9,343]

See? The modders are already at work. Never underestimate the modders!

 

 

And do you want to build that tabletop set you never had the room for in real life?  :ph34r:

 

[Patriot3810 182]

i am glad to see modders at work, i have spent a fortune across fsx,p3d,trainz and train simulator 2015.alot of us have medium to high end computers and cant even use the full potential because the poor optimized games.trainz a new era is horrible, but i do enjoy the sessions.jointed rails can sure make TANE locos look almost real on the outside though, and they have a ton of freeware for the train sim.wonder when a mode will be available for trainz to help fix performance issues.