ORTS?

[PapaXpress]

I will be trying out Open Rails. Just waiting for MSTS to arrive in the mail.

[fecrails]

I will be trying out Open Rails. Just waiting for MSTS to arrive in the mail.

This has been an interesting thread to follow since I have no experience with OR, but have heard of it and wanted to know more about it. I might be tempted to dig my copy of MSTS out of an old storage box in the garage and give OR a try someday too.

[buzz456]

Can somebody who has actually run this thing splain to me what it does that's so great? Just curious.

Buzz

[hminky]

Can somebody who has actually run this thing splain to me what it does that's so great? Just curious.

Buzz

It is just a new "front end" for MSTS with a slightly better interface and improved graphics.

It is like those High Def upgrades for "DukeNukem 3d" and the "Ultima" RPG's.

Harold

[PapaXpress]

Can somebody who has actually run this thing splain to me what it does that's so great? Just curious.

Buzz

It is just a new "front end" for MSTS with a slightly better interface and improved graphics.

It is like those High Def upgrades for "DukeNukem 3d" and the "Ultima" RPG's.

Harold

For now.

[hminky]

For now.

The man asked what OpenRails DOES not what they "hope" OpenRails will do!

The "hope" is sorta like RSC promising improved AI and Physics.

I used to think OpenRails was the future but with the emphasis on "Multi-player" I have my doubts.

Harold

[buzz456]

Thanks for the replies. I'm a come lately so when I got started I chose RW over MSTS because I thought it had a lot more future. Still do in spite of a few bumps in the road. I sometimes think it's way too easy to go off into extreme positions on the internet instead of thinking through how to make things better. I know little or nothing about if anyone is actually talking to RSC about the concerns recently expressed and half the community thinks if they post a snarky message about what should be changed that it'll happen in a New York minute. I have been around long enough to know the real world doesn't work that way.

I encourage any and all development in the world of simulations, however that old saying about Rome not being built in a day is still so very true.

The latest update to 2013 while as usual is frustrating and still somewhat mysterious seems to be a big improvement in performance if again somewhat sketchy on how things work together.

[Rich_S]

Can somebody who has actually run this thing splain to me what it does that's so great? Just curious.

Buzz

Hi Buzz,
Since no one else has answered; I think the biggest thing Open Rails does is, it gives hope to the people who's invested a lot of time and money into MSTS that they will in some forum be able to continue to use MSTS routes and add-ons into the foreseeable future. Some of the things Open Rails currently does are, added functionally in the interface that allows changeable weather, throwing switches and uncoupling cars using the mouse, setting retainers on the cars, connecting and disconnecting brake pipe hoses, initializing the brake pipe, many new camera angles and positions and there is even a dispatchers window that I have not tried yet. Some of these things might not seem like a big deal as we already have them in Rail Works, but for someone still using MSTS they are a step up from the original product even with the MSTS bin patch. Will the Open Rails Simulator make MSTS routes created in 2002 look as good as current Rail Works routes? No, Is Open Rails the future of Train Simulators? only time will tell as we have not seen a true Open Rails route or rolling stock yet, but for anyone that has an extensive MSTS route and add-on collection, it will allow you to continue to use your MSTS stuff after the next version of Windows finally breaks the original MSTS product. When will that be? Only time will tell but I can tell you I already have one route installer that will no longer function under Windows 7, no matter what compatibility setting I choose, so I feel that day is coming for MSTS as well.


Regards,
Rich S.

[JerryM3d]

Can somebody who has actually run this thing splain to me what it does that's so great? Just curious.

In additiion to good looking graphics and frame rates ORTS provides native support for RailDriver.
MSTS cannot run with RailDriver under Windows 7. ORTS support for RailDriver does not require
on screen HUD.

ORTS needs improvement in signalling but it adds functionality to AI operations. For example while the player is switching a yard
an AI can drop off cars and continue on its path. The player can then sort and switch the recently delivered cars.

Multi-Player provides dispatcher capabilities. You can select MP and run dispatcher mode with no additional players.

Regards,
Jerry