Train Simulator Twenty Thirteen Podcast

[peterhayes]

Hi All
For those that might not have seen this (that's probably an oxymoron) - there is an excellent podcast on what TS2013 might bring: http://www.jameswoodcock.co.uk/2012/09/ ... l-updates/
There are two senior RSC personeel being interviewed and yes and American route is also mentioned. As is quad core usage.
Well worth a listen as it details the performance increase over TS2012.
Regards
pH

[SuperTux]

Changes in sound, moving to OpenAl are of particular interest, especially hoping this means Steam(kettles) will not end up 'choking' out at speed, and he then mentions it may also result in performance gain too if your card can handle OpenAl.

No real mention of deeper physics, but I am not sure it was really asked (other than how much more difficult it is to drive in a storm).

[GSkid]

Improved frame rate performance and addition graphics effects? Can't wait!! Especially the higher frame rates!!!

I wrote down frame rates for the outside view, cab view and out the window views for Cajon Pass, Castle Rock and Donner Pass routes to compare 2012 with 2013. This was done at the boot up of the routes when the train is standing still. Since the cars and trucks moving in the distance varies the frame rate, I write down the number that appears the most as kind of a layman's ballpark average. I don't need to be super precise, I just want a basic idea of the improvement.

The OpenAL advanced sound layering and effects is the other thing getting me excited. My new laptop has a IDT High Deffinition Audio CODEC. I hope it supports OpenAL and that it's not just for high end sound cards.

The other things that stuck out to me was possible quad-core usage in the future versions of Railworks and the strong hint of a native Mac/OS version. It would be sweet if it took full advantage of retina display MacBooks!

Bring on the 20th!!!!

[Hawk]

Here's a couple of interesting posts by Rich Garber.

http://www.trainsim.com/vbts/showthread ... ost1769877

http://www.trainsim.com/vbts/showthread ... ost1769967

[gwgardner]

Nothing he said in those two posts affects my enjoyment of Railworks in the slightest. He says he has no axe to grind, but obviously he does or he wouldn't have posted that.

Keep chigging along, RSC. You're doing a great job.

[Hawk]

Telling it like it is does not mean you have an axe to grind. Fact are facts. Plain and simple.

[buzz456]

Telling it like it is does not mean you have an axe to grind. Fact are facts. Plain and simple.

His comments are pretty negative in my opinion. Everything in this world could be a little better I suppose, however I believe we should spend a little more time giving thanks for what we have instead of spending all of our time on wish lists for things we can't do ourselves but criticize others for not providing us with what we want.

[Hawk]

I guess negative is a matter of personal opinion.
I'd say it pretty much sums up the business principle of RS.com though, and they are a business, out to make a profit, even if it is at the displeasure of the hard core rail enthusiasts.

If that business principle sounds a little negative to some, well - as they say - beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I'd say it doesn't take away from the principle as a whole though. It is what it is, like it or not.

[buzz456]

Businesses that don't make money don't stay in business, unless you are subsidized by the government and then you are not a real business.

[Hawk]

That was the point of Rich's posts over there. Appeasing only the hard core rail enthusiasts (sim players) doesn't make them money. They have to appeal to the gamer. That's where the money is, at least in their business perception.

[ArcticCatZRT]

I definitly don't think his post was negative, he stated how it was. He said that RW will not be the simulator that some rivet counters want, and quite frankly thats fine. Really if anything, he was standing up for the regular joes that play this game, trying to say this game will never be a hardcore sim, so stop complaining. Well that is what I get out of it atleast, miles may vary!

[BNSF650]

Well maybe Mr jackson should read all this stuff if he wants Railworks to be the best sim.

[MattW]

I've been saying for a while now, and I'll keep saying that I'm not convinced that RSC is out to "get" the hard-core enthusiasts. Mr. Garber is right that they have to make money, and frankly the improvements some of want, wouldn't make as much money as appealing to the broader "gamer" base does. I'd like to point out that the features pointing toward simulator that we do have, aren't being removed. RSC has to have a stable income source, to do anything on the game whether that's adding "gamer" features, or adding "hard-core" features. Frankly, hard-core features as I mentioned, wouldn't make them much money. "Now Featuring 100% accurate Dynamic Braking effects" as a tagline on Steam won't generate as much cold hard cash as "Now compatible with XBox For PC controllers." But they have fixed issues. Didn't multiple locomotives not contribute power individually until RW3? Didn't headlights used to not light up the terrain? Didn't AI used not to be able to touch other consists at all?

I don't develop for Railworks, so I can't speak from that side, but I do develop addon spacecraft for the Orbiter Spaceflight Simulator. When I produce a new space craft, I can't just get my features generally working, then kick it out the door. I have to test, re-test, re-write, test some more, then write the documentation. Adding something like sun-tracking solar panels is easy, but making them work reliably in a varied user environment, is hard, unless I want a 9 mile long list of dos and don'ts that I can reasonably expect the end-user to follow. Now making spacecraft is arguably easier than adding physics to trains (wait, WHAT!?), so the fact remains, that RSC can't just throw some new physics into the game, then push an update to Steam, otherwise we'll end up with the physics equivalent of Donner Pass. Bottom line, RSC has to balance their reach, and then they have to do a quality job on what they do reach to, and they do not have infinite resources with which to reach.

[GSkid]

I guess negative is a matter of personal opinion.
I'd say it pretty much sums up the business principle of RS.com though, and they are a business, out to make a profit, even if it is at the displeasure of the hard core rail enthusiasts.

If that business principle sounds a little negative to some, well - as they say - beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I'd say it doesn't take away from the principle as a whole though. It is what it is, like it or not.

I'm glad you posted the links to those posts. I had already read his posts and was gonna bring it up here, but I see you beat me to it.

I don't have a problem with them doing the xbox 360 controller thing and the other stuff that will bring the casuals in. My problem is that, it is my understanding that people have posted on the forums and emailed them for a few years that they want better physics and better A.I. and seemed to have been ignored. In the case of Donner Pass, it seems physics not only didn't get better, it actually got worse!

I was only using MSTS until I purchased Railworks 10 months ago. So I missed most of the forum drama over the issues.They can certainly do a two pronged approach to working on pleasing the hardcores while enticing and pleasing the casuals. I'd stop being mad at the Railworks team if they were simply honest. If you aren't gonna make it a realistic simulator, then don't call it a simulator. Call it a train game. Then I would have no room to complain and I would know exactly what I'm getting into.

I read they have a team of 38 employees. Now I haven't bought or played Run 8 yet. But from what I've seen and read, it's pretty darn accurate, realistic physics and aimed at the hardcore while accommodating the casual crowd with a noob/casual mode that's more forgiving. And they only have a fraction of the people that the Railworks team has. If a little outfit like 3D TRAIN STUFF can get it right, why can't Railworks? Unless of course they don't want to or care as the forum poster argued.

It is for that reason that I will buy Horseshoe Curve and Sherman Hill and that's it. I will sit on my money and choose a wait and see approach. When they fix the physics and A.I. issues (especially the physics), then I will open my wallet and buy something from them again. And this is from a guy that's only 10 months into ownership with the product.

I may have to switch to Run 8 and Openrails ONLY for my sim fix and that's sad. Cuz I want to support this company. They just have to give me a good reason to. Doesn't mean I won't still play it. It's got a pretty good editor and it's pretty to look at. It's just my wallet will remain closed to them until they address MY needs and the rest of the hardcores.

[artimrj]

I tried Run8 as a single player, it was cool for a bit. But I could not use it on a daily basis at this point. We are going to try some online stuff with it in a bit. It is not Railworks. Railworks is not Run 8. But Railworks to me, is enough of a simulator to satisfy me. It lets me imagine I am driving a train through some nice looking country side. Game/Simulator, it keeps me happy and having fun. Having fun, isn't that what it is all about?