TSW Beta 9 first impressions?

[artimrj]

Because Trainz doesn't use them right. Everybody else does.

[tagsdm]

-- Since I am basically interested in driving around and enjoy the trains and scenery , this whole 3D thing where one has to walk around and actually do all things like in real life is not my thing (yet). I really miss the simplified on-screen HUD to manipulate the train. Is the HUD still available ?

I'm the same. You can do this in TSW, but I think the immersive experience is what they'll selling. If you enjoy that sort of thing, you should really like TSW. Actually, climbing around the cabs and stock, fiddling with hoses and fueling up I felt like I was playing a video game, you know, like Call of Duty or Titanfall.

I don't have the PC muscle to run it well anyway.

tagsdm

[g_nash]

I suspect a lot of FPS issues is unoptimized speed tree models.

As a long time user and UE4 Speedtree subscriber I'd consider that's unlikely to be the problem at all.

[GSkid]

They want help not grief.

Let me know when they need some grief!

Although I don't own the BETA, I must say that I am very impressed with the level of detail and interaction involving the switches in the cab and elsewhere. I'm also glad that they directly addressed the RailDriver support issue and didn't run away from it by ignoring it as they basically have in the past. That was the biggest indication to me that DTG is on the right path and listening a lot more closely to it's fanbase. Hopefully they truly follow through with that in the future.

I will definitely pick this up at full launch price to show my support for this new direction in attitude from DTG. Do the right thing and you will be rewarded by your fans. Good job!

[BNSFdude]

I suspect a lot of FPS issues is unoptimized speed tree models.

Speed Trees, the bane of Trainz in all of its incarnations ....

Why are these models the trees of choice?

Speed trees aren't inherently bad per se, its just the model has to be gone through with a lice comb to make sure everything is correctly linked, things are cut back as much as possible where you can stand it, otherwise you'll have what's been going on in the game here. I'm sure they'll fix it.

[plethaus]

I don't think the trees are the main issue (although they may be contributing, especially considering the sheer number of them.) I think the bigger thing is the sheer poly detail in the locos and freight cars, probably a big part of why the FPS tanks when other trains are nearby.

[bpetit]

The rain is buggy as hell on the windshield. It stops clearing after a few mins, and sticks on. Do like variable wiper speed and you can control which side you would like to be on.

[g_nash]

I don't think the trees are the main issue (although they may be contributing, especially considering the sheer number of them.) I think the bigger thing is the sheer poly detail in the locos and freight cars, probably a big part of why the FPS tanks when other trains are nearby.

The problem with the trains, as opposed to the non problem trees, is the soft /rigid body physics.

All that shinny moving stuff comes at a cost and in this game it looks as though ( at present or maybe not ) the cost is significant. If you want to see what I mean, stand between 2 moving trains and watch the trucks and springs and any little cable that wiggles, what you see is your CPU working overtime calculating that movement required for every car and loco and wiggling cable you see .

Here's a link to the VICO Dynamics plugin, which DTG appear to be using for some stuff https://www.vicogamestudio.com/projects/vico-dynamics you can take a read of how a part of this work.

and have fun.

[Derek]

the trees are not the issue right now.
Speed tree gets a bad press.
:)

[pschlik]

I don't think there is a graphics problem at all. Speedtrees, trains, and ultra settings only load my GTX1080 at 30%-50%, rain a bit more of course. In fact, the lower the framerate goes, the lower the GPU load goes. Which means the FPS doesn't decrease because the GPU is having a hard time, something else is decreasing the FPS which is giving the GPU an easier time since it isn't what's making the FPS decisions. And it has been confirmed a lot that simugraph is pretty badly optimized, so it is what bottlenecks the FPS.

Seriously, though, speedtrees here are much better executed than in Trainz. For one thing, they are not the thing causing lag, they act more realistic too. At the lowest wind level, the trees don't move at all (unlike in Trainz where even the lowest of settings looked like a hurricane would in real life)

[dgallina]

Believe the developers have already said that the CPU calculations required for all the moving parts make this CPU limited. That's why changing the video settings has relatively small impact right now.

Diego

[harryadkins]

Has anyone had time to explore the graphics structure? How hard will it be for us to reskin locos and cars? What tools will we need?

Harry

[ozinoz]

Hi...

Not first impressions, but first questions - hopefully somebody in the Beta program can help out. Do the included scenerios have AI and how do they appear to interact with the player? While no steam is a deal breaker for me personally, just interested in its overall performance, just in case Does it need to be online during play? Multi-player of not, not everybody has a viable internet connection, so personally multi-player is of no interest. Graphics look good, was taken by the CCTV in the turntable hut (they do say small things amuse small minds )

Had a few questions, but that is all I can recall for now...

It is interesting to see the developments in sim technology since we first started.

[artimrj]

There is AI, but no interaction in the few scenarios they gave us.

[artimrj]

Has anyone had time to explore the graphics structure? How hard will it be for us to reskin locos and cars? What tools will we need?

Harry

I explored the file structure and there is one 10 meg file in the content folder. I assume EVERYTHING is in it. It is a .PAK file but I could not open it with anything.