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

[artimrj]

I play Skyrim too. Only 20 hours so far, just got it on sale a few eeks ago, but I like a lot of the Workshop files. New scenery and people is what I have been grabbing. Never heard of the Nexus yet. I imagine uploading routes to the RW workshop will not go over. Maybe rolling will. But routes are more than likely going to be too big. Like the NERW is over 500 meg.

[CigDriver]

/clip/ Its good enough for neophytes and the non serious, but its a well known fact that every major serious modder goes through Skyrim Nexus, just as every major serious train developer goes through one of three major sites like RWA or have their own web page.. Perhaps the technology is new, but its not needed./clip/

I see two possible reason why this is the case, first, some content for skyrim is viewed as "objectionable" by steam and cannot be hosted on workshop, the second is the exact thinking you are voicing. People always went to nexus for Elder Scrolls mods and then view anything new as for the neophytes. If the entire community embraces it it will not be just for the neophytes anymore :) " Objectionable" content shouldn't be much of a problem for RW unless someone decides to make nude skins for the passengers or Nazi markings for trains.

[PamBrooker]

heheh.. if you like the workshop, youd LOVE skyrim nexus.. http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/

[PamBrooker]

/clip/ Its good enough for neophytes and the non serious, but its a well known fact that every major serious modder goes through Skyrim Nexus, just as every major serious train developer goes through one of three major sites like RWA or have their own web page.. Perhaps the technology is new, but its not needed./clip/

I see two possible reason why this is the case, first, some content for skyrim is viewed as "objectionable" by steam and cannot be hosted on workshop, the second is the exact thinking you are voicing. People always went to nexus for Elder Scrolls mods and then view anything new as for the neophytes. If the entire community embraces it it will not be just for the neophytes anymore :) " Objectionable" content shouldn't be much of a problem for RW unless someone decides to make nude skins for the passengers or Nazi markings for trains.

Its not just the adult content. Truth told, the majority of complaints i see about steam workshop comes from the modders themselves. Quite freaquently the modder will in writing forbid the uploading of their mod to steam workshop. I dont know what steams problem is, but theyve upset a lot of very capable people who do things other than adult content.
As for adult content in RW.. ::chuckles:: My brain went down the same path.. however, one European airline placed a bikini clad model on the side of their aircraft one year and it was the best thing that could have ever happened to flight simulator.. I do worry that soon we'll be seeing bikini clad girls on the side of our favorite loco's and milk cars ( those bright stainless steel things that look like tank cars ).

(whyfor when i originally said sh$iny stainless steel, did the forum software change sh$iny to crappy?? )

[Hawk]

(whyfor when i originally said sh$iny stainless steel, did the forum software change sh$iny to crappy?? )

Most likely due to the word censorship incorporated into the forum software. I'll see if I can fix that.

Edit 1: All fixed. Sorry 'bout that.

[PamBrooker]

Thanks Hawk. Much appreciated.. I guess I forgot also that the shiny woird has taken on whole new slang meaning ( what they are I dont know ) since i was born.. The ever saddening state of american english i suppose..

[Hawk]

Actually, it wasn't the word shiny that was censored. It was sh*y that was censored. The asterisk dictating that anything with those letters in it, in that order, would be censored; the asterisk meaning that any letters in between sh and y would be considered censored.
The asterisk in this case is used as a wild card.

Does that make sense?

[PamBrooker]

::ROFLMAO:: Indeed it does.. :) thanks Hawk..

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

I just got Dungeon Defenders in the Steam summer sale and it uses Steam Workshop as well. Haven't played it yet so cannot comment other than it seems colourful and runs on my Mac as well. It seems their content for this game is mostly corridors and chambers for you to battle through. I haven't seen any characters yet.

What wonders me is the actual content that Steam allows users to share and who controls it?
Given the recent upheaval over repaints of default rolling stock, I can think there could be problems with engines and perhaps cars.
Assets like buildings, lampposts, phonebooths etc. should probably be OK. Adding a selfmade McD or KFC is probably out of bounds. (Motor-)Cars and other brand name vehicles could pose copyright issues as well, unless completely freelanced, and even then ...
Routes are too big if they come with their own assets, a route folder by itself is perhaps manageable and allowed.
That leaves only scenarios, which unfortunately are one of the most flaky assets due to dependence on rolling stock. Imagine free scenarios luring you into buying ever more rolling stock which starts to repeat itself after a while.

Then how about the dependencies? Those who play Trainz know how their Download Station depends on endless chains of dependencies that often get broken when some author pulls out his stuff or fails to make this or that update when the game core gets updated. It is a major PITA, and you have to pay a fee for any reasonable speed download access in case of Auran. You need a complex asset manager to keep track of all and everything, which is more difficult than most users want. They want plug-and-play, preferably without pay.

I think Steam Workshop could only be successful if all content is self-contained or if dependencies never can get pulled out. The latter probably lead to lots of garbage/abandoned assets over time and is not helping players much either. Forever restricting the user base to the provided default routes and assets isn't good for creativity as well.

So I am undecided over this "New Technology"' until its pro's and con's become clear.

[SMMDigital]

Interesting points in that last post. On the bright side, I could get my stuff out to a wider audience while getting rid of a kludgy website and it's associated hosting fees.

On the dark side though...

Some of my Assets use technology from others that was permitted by them, so I will need to get their permission again to post the Asset on SWS. If they do not wish their work to be there, i'm screwed.

My route contains third-party assets that are distributed by permission from the original authors. If they desire their work to not be included on SWS, then I have to remove it and tell people where else they can get it to make the route work, which brings up the aforementioned dependency nightmare, and i'm screwed.

I don't really see a problem with uploading rolling stock that has the liveries that RSC is licensed to. But upload CSX or any of its subsidiaries or predecessors and Steam may reject it. In that case, you're screwed.

I like the idea of Steam Workshop a lot better than the gamepad, but i'll take a wait and see approach as to it's actual usefulness.

[Shortliner]

Quick Drive

I gotta say, the new fisher-price graphic is a real turn off.

Still nothing on the simulator aspect of RW.

[Shortliner]

I just have to ask, how hard is it for RSC to work on a new physics engine, or at least work on a more realistic interaction between player and AI that involve the signaling? I still can't drive my train into a yard that's occupied by an AI train, which IMHO is unacceptable. I would LOVE to have a scenario where I go to my locomotive, wait for the AI switcher to put together my train, then I hook up to my train, and drive it over dark territory and having to follow the dispatcher's direction every step of the way as I either get put into the hole, or an AI train gets put into the hole. As I drive to another yard, I disconnect my locomotive from my train and another AI switcher disassemble my train and that's the end of my run.

While all of this is going on, I have to worry about my air brakes, the dynamic brakes, the strain and stress on the couplers as I go up and down grades, each cars have their own weight which cause them to react to the train in a different way, etc.

I'll be honest, I don't care about the XBox controller, the Steam workshop or the Quick Drive. I have supported RailWorks since day one because I was hoping that they would make a true simulator. They already got one aspect down (graphics), they now need to work on the physics engine as well as AI/signal engine.

[raptorengineer]

i liek that quick drive thing. sound amazing alot like msts. and there cuple months of new videos ahead of witch improvement they going to add, i hope this will bring alot more people over. i looking forwhere to this new update

[SMMDigital]

A lot of folks on Farcebook have jumped on the statement about "AI". I think they are believing that the AI is going to be improved to be more like MSTS. This quick drive thing isn't going to be very useful if an AI train is placed facing you on the other end of the route and you have to wait where u are until it passes because AI is still Stupid and locks all the turnouts on the route. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping this is not the case.

[MikeK]

I actually like this quick drive idea. It addresses one of the biggest shortcomings in the sim: lack of content.

Content comes in 3 forms: routes, rolling stock and scenarios. RW is in dire need of more scenarios. The ones that come with the routes are generally stupid and unrealistic (pick up some double stack cars from a warehouse?), and have no replay value whatsoever. I have no interest in making scenarios since it is no fun to drive if you know where all the AI trains are going to be.

What they REALLY need though is improved AI: especially improved dispatcher logic! Then random trains can be generated on a single track route, and the AI dispatcher will dynamically put trains into sidings as required. If they are working on the AI as part of this quick drive idea then maybe we can finally have single track routes in RW (which MSTS has had from day 1I should add).