"New Technologies" to be announced by RSC in the next weeks

[NickF]

I was reading some of the other comments on the other RW sites, and was appalled at what some people were saying there. It started with them excoriating RSC for not fixing all the existing issues (real or perceived) before changing or adding anything, then devolved into bitter complaints about how bad the sim is, and how much they hate it.

It wouldn't be hard for RSC to just throw their hands in the air and decide to just stop trying to do bug fixes or improvements, since there are so many complaints about the sim. I'm wondering if the majoruty of us feel that RW is such a crappy product that it isn't worth buying. Or is it that the rest of us are the "silent majority" (to coin a phrase) who are aware that there are problems with the program that we would prefer to see fixed at some point but also enjoy it in its current incarnation.

If so maybe we should also speak up. The problem is that if we do we're accuse of being RSC fanboys who are either stupid or too blindly loyal that we just don't understand what an unplayable, unrealistic, bug-ridden steaming pile of sh*t we're deluding ourselves into "enjoying."

Sad thing is that I see the same attitude on the Trainz forums as well about Trainz. Very little about what's right and/or fun; just what's perceived to be wrong.

Fortunately there's not much of that here, but if I were an RSC developer/programmer I'd be tempted to throw my hands in the air and say, "Screw it; I'm gonna find another line of work."

End of rant. Sorry.

[NS9030]

^^^^^^agreed 100%, why do people complain when TS2012 is the best and most realistic sim on the market? I mean come on, sure it has bugs but every sim will have bugs, and it could be worse, we could be stuck with MSTS forever....
The point being, RSC tries hard, they've built content soo much more detailed and more realistic than other models in other sims(not taking anything away from any creators in other sims) but you have to realise that doing that isn't easy and takes time out of their lives. Be happy with what RSC does, like Nick said, they could easily throw their hands up and be done with TS2012...

[artimrj]

The scorpion is a deadly and mean creature, it is so mean it will even sting it self. With that in mind, the scorpion and the frog were by the lake. The scorpion asked the frog to carry him a cross the lake on his back. The frog said "But you will sting me" The scorpion said he wouldn't cause he would die too. So they went. Half way across the lake the scorpion stung the frog. The frog said, "you siad you wouldnt do that!" The scorpion said, "It is my nature."

Thats is the way of the complainers, it is their nature to be never satisfied. That is also why the RSC guys do not go to forums anymore.

[RAILSOHIO]

I feel part of the problem is the way the last "update" was implemented. If we had been told it was in two separate parts,users would have understood before,and would have known what to expect. So now many are under-joyed at the first preview of the "new technology" update,and I am one.(Task manager looks good) But my point is not to bash RSC,or encourage it. We will see what is included in these new updates,as they show us more. I am one who also does not care about multi-player. Just the word "player" again implies this is a game. I cringe when I hear that word applied to what we believe is supposed to be a "Simulator". So more simulation,less gaming=more happy train sim users!

[PapaXpress]

Artimrj, I think you are being a bit too harsh. Some of the complaints here have been backed against RSC own quotes and actions.

I want RSC to succeed. I want them to take over the train simulation market. However it is my personal belief that they are struggling with their vision and their identity.

Since founding RailSimulator.com my vision has been to constantly take train simulation forward. Continually developing and improving our technology is at the core of that vision.

emphasis mine.

Am I reading this incorrectly, and they are really saying "constantly take train simulation to the masses."?

[artimrj]

No Pappa I did not think I was harsh at all. Anyway I didn't intend to be harsh, just stating the nature of things.

Railworks has come further along. From RW1 to RW3. We got lights, weather, skydomes, shadows & the rest of the TSX stuff, new hud, more editting tools, updated objects like the water itself. For a $24 initial investment, I am just fine with it.

Does it need more? Yep. Does it need bugs fixed? Yep. Does a lot of the DLC suck? Yep.

All we can do is wait. I don't even hope anymore, just waiting. I don't complain either.

[Haystack]

This isn't a complaint, but I think RSC has to many projects going on at one time. Seems like every week they announce something new and put last weeks projects on hold.

[PapaXpress]

This isn't a complaint, but I think RSC has to many projects going on at one time. Seems like every week they announce something new and put last weeks projects on hold.

Remember that most of these new projects are from third party partners like DTM, oovee, and G-Trax, so they are not taking up RSC time.

[Chacal]

Also, RSC's projects employ different people.
For example, this "new technology" project about the new hud has no impact on a route builder's workload.

[Rich_S]

I'm a little confused with this latest announcement from RSC. I'm not quite sure in which direction RSC is planning for the future of the sim? Does RSC view this as a Train Simulator or a Train Game?

A couple of questions that come to mind when looking at Rail Works 3 Train Simulator 2012:

Is this the best looking Train Simulator on the market currently? In my opinion I'd say yes. We currently have everything people have been asking for, for the last 11 years. Namely super elevation, cab sway, changing weather, rain effect on the windshields, drag and draw track and roads, the ability to paint the terrain in the World Editor and the list goes on.

Is it the most realistic Train Simulator on the market currently? In my opinion I'd say no. There are still a lot of physics issues with this sim, from simple things like the independent brake acts like the Automatic brake in the sim, you can't bail off the independent brake when you make a reduction with the automatic brake, dynamic brakes are far too strong and don't have the over current protection modeled, recharge time of the brake pipe is way to fast, to other issues that I do not want to get into in this thread.

Before I go any further, this post is not meant to be a slam fest on RSC as I do believe in the product, if I didn't I wouldn't be here, but I am questing why a game pad? When operating a locomotive the last thing I think of is a game pad. I could see if RSC was producing a notched desktop control stand to compete with Rail Driver from PI Engineering, but I'm lost on the game pad. Is RSC planning on porting Rail Works over to a console game?

In closing I guess the real question again is, does RSC believe Rail Works is a Train Simulator or a Train Game? From the way I see it, If they believe Rail Works is a Train Game, then I guess the physics are good enough and will never be corrected and porting Rail Works over to a game console makes some sense from a sales perspective, I guess only time will tell?

Again, this is just my and your mileage will vary

Regards,
Rich S.




Regards,
Rich S.

[Importz2k1]

I'm a little confused with this latest announcement from RSC. I'm not quite sure in which direction RSC is planning for the future of the sim? Does RSC view this as a Train Simulator or a Train Game?

Before I go any further, this post is not meant to be a slam fest on RSC as I do believe in the product, if I didn't I wouldn't be here, but I am questing why a game pad? When operating a locomotive the last thing I think of is a game pad. I could see if RSC was producing a notched desktop control stand to compete with Rail Driver from PI Engineering, but I'm lost on the game pad. Is RSC planning on porting Rail Works over to a console game?

In closing I guess the real question again is, does RSC believe Rail Works is a Train Simulator or a Train Game? From the way I see it, If they believe Rail Works is a Train Game, then I guess the physics are good enough and will never be corrected and porting Rail Works over to a game console makes some sense from a sales perspective, I guess only time will tell?

Regards,
Rich S.

I am an avid Xbox player, have been for the past 6 years. Even though I enjoy trains, i think it will be a disaster for RSC to go to consoles. Only a handful of people will play it and not enough to make a profit. Kids aren't interested in trains or planes anymore. If they are not blowing each other up in multiplayer matches, or racing in a sim like Forza 4, then I dont see them interested in something like this. I hope RSC does their homework on this one because i believe (my opinion) that this will break them.

[Haystack]

This isn't a complaint, but I think RSC has to many projects going on at one time. Seems like every week they announce something new and put last weeks projects on hold.

Remember that most of these new projects are from third party partners like DTM, oovee, and G-Trax, so they are not taking up RSC time.

Thanks for clearing that up. I withdraw my statement

[glenn68]

Alot of this I agree with, some I dont, however I agree whith Rich S. is it a Game or Simulator?
Meantime......I am enjoying what RSC has put out and I feel it is allot better than Microsoft Train Simulator.

My 2 cents, but another 3.12 to add up for a gallon of gas.(Central Texas Prices)

Glenn

[DonR]

Is it a game or a simulator? It can be both... it's a desert topping AND a floor wax! (For those that remember that reference...)

It kind of is both if you pick the right settings. Would like to see save-able configurations. Then I wouldn't have to remember what I tweaked differently last time. I want to be able to save notes with my configuration settings.

Number one on my list though is physics. I'm wanting some free rolling stock.... hump yards would be so cool.

Is it next week yet? I'm ready for the next new tech announcement! :-D

Kudos to RSC for improving their product.

Don.

[Chessie8638]

Dear friends, as I said last week, over the next couple of months we will be showcasing the new technologies we have been working on. We’re going to show you new developments each week over the summer, looking at the different advances we have been making.

Our second announcement will be tomorrow and will be focusedon supporting content creators who want to share their efforts with others. Our partner, Steam, have been making fabulous advances in this area in recent months with the creation of strong, cutting edge and stable sharing technologies. I am proud that RailSimulator.com will be amongst the first companies in the world to support those technologies. We hope, as with almost everything that we are showing you, it will be only the start of our development in this area over the next few years.

We have much to do, and much still to show you, but I hope you can already see our commitment to taking the simulation genre forward!

TL;DR: Steam Workshop.