Trainz 2006

[Enigma]

Just ordered it. anyone played it? Thoughts?

[NeonSamurai]

I played it, its not to bad thought not a whole lot different from trainz 2004. The main thing they need to do in my opinion is upgrade the graphic's engine as its getting a bit old and tired looking now, and has been around virtualy unchanged since i think the original trainz. The game itself was pretty stable on my system and i didnt encounter any major show stoping bugs or anything

The good thing about the game is you can make and/or download (payware or freeware) "maps" and is very customizable. Kind of your own personal infinate multiple model railroads which you can make and then play in.

The bad thing in my opinion is the game itself doesnt come with many maps, though in the 2006 installment it had many more then the 2004 version, many are player made though and several are just promo's for the full payware versions. The game is very limited out of the box if you just want to play and not realy get into the builder part of it. Also the builder tools can be rather overwhelming to the novice and has a definate learning curve. Not to mention building your own "map" can be very time consuming (i would suggest only building up the area's that are actualy viewable from the track to save much time, and system resources).

This game is in my opinion more of a model railroads sim where you can build up what you want then get inside your trains and either drive them using "realistic" controls, or the model railroad controls, and interact with the "Scenery" (such as the various loading and unloading platforms and stations), even set up various chalanges and stuff. The one thing the game doesnt realy do is model real world large rail systems, and have you drive them (for fun or for missions). The vast majority of included railroads are either pure fantasy that dont exist in the real world. The rest are loosly based on real life sections of track, but scaled down.

So in conclusion if your a model railroad fanatic or enthusiast you should love this game, especialy if you want it to also simulate your trains so you can drive them around your tracks, if you were looking for a realistic sim involving real world locations you may be a bit dissapointed.

If you like train sims there is i belive another one in the works by another company, ill try to look it up for you when i have some time later today :)

[bradclark1]

I have 2004 and 2006. I took 2006 off because of problems with their complex download manager installer thing. It wouldn't work on my computer and the reply was "It's your computer that has the problem". Haven't heard that one in a while!:down: The patch is along the lines of DW's last patch. It's coming. Just a little longer. Blah, blah, blah and it's still not here. A lot of people are just sticking with 2004 and thats where the main community support is.
Best thing you can do is check out their forums.

[DeepSix]

I have 2004 and 2006. I took 2006 off because of problems with their complex download manager installer thing. It wouldn't work on my computer and the reply was "It's your computer that has the problem". Haven't heard that one in a while!:down: The patch is along the lines of DW's last patch. It's coming. Just a little longer. Blah, blah, blah and it's still not here. A lot of people are just sticking with 2004 and thats where the main community support is.
Best thing you can do is check out their forums.

Should've checked this forum a lot sooner as I'm a Trainz addict! But I agree with most of what folks have posted here about 2006. I've been trainzin' almost since its beginning, but I stopped at 2004. My thing is routebuilding (mapmaking), and the "problem" with Trainz right now, as I see it, is that they're going through growing pains. They aren't as supportive of producing routes as they are of producing eye-candy models. Models are great, but ya gotta have something worth driving them on. Also, I don't think they're doing enough to make operating your railroad a realistic and logical thing. I've spent considerable time and energy making my model railroad look like the real thing, but I can't run it like the real thing because the software's traffic-control model is lacking.

And I heard nothing but bad things about the download manager. Auran used to be set up for FTP but they may not be now - I know they're trying to get away from that in favor of this built-in contrapulator that's supposed to do it for you.

Anyway - yeah, definitely check out the Auran Trainz forums; my opinion is that if you have '04, stick with that and skip '06 and wait and see where they go from there. At one point, they were talking about splitting Trainz into two product lines - one for casual users and the other as commercial software. I haven't read the forums lately so I don't know if that's still the plan or not.

[Enigma]

After using Trainz 2006 I'd have to agree with pretty much everything you've said, but I am enjoying it, despite its poor set-up. The learning curve is steep, but the annoying part is, it doent have to be. Its just a poorly presented game. But once you get past that, its fun! :up:

Got any layouts you want to share, Deepsix?

[Drebbel]

So how is it compared to MS Train Simulator. My dad plays that and I am wondering if he would appreciate Trainz for fathers day ?

[DeepSix]

...but the annoying part is, it doent have to be. Its just a poorly presented game....

Yeah. Starting with the move from what used to be called Ultimate Trainz to Trainz Rail Simulator they incorporated a ridiculously cloying driver set-up. The original intent for that was to improve the AI of computer driven trains, but in the final product it was (I thought) even more awkward to use. Another issue I have is with the whole cargo system. For years - decades - model railroaders have used what's called a "waybill" system to simulate the picking up, shipping, and dropping off of cars. Trainz forces you to keep track of and deliver cargo. There's a difference - rail crews don't worry about whether the power company has enough coal, they just deliver what they're told to deliver. If you follow my meaning. But anyway... this isn't really the place to get on a soapbox.:D

Yeah, I have a couple of layouts I did way back when and put on the Download Station. I haven't worked on them in a while, so I will invoke the age-old freeware axiom of "use at your own risk" here: look for "Green Acres" (only very slightly related to the TV show) for a fairly simple loop layout and "P&N Part 1 TRS" (Parts 2 through 10,000,000 to follow as the years permit) for a longer point-to-point route. For that one, just get the layout - don't bother with the session.

Frame rate warning on these! I have a tendency to really overdo the scenery. Looks good; runs slow. My KUID is 71298; I have a few other cheesy little items available.

Just looking I notice it's been a loooong time since I uploaded anything; my problem is I have too many route projects.:D Hope you enjoy.

@Drebbel - Well if he plays MSTS he might like Trainz - or he might hate it. It's very different. To be honest, I bought both MSTS and Trainz at the same time. After 1 week, I uninstalled MSTS before even learning the keyboard hotkeys and have never played it again. The really cool thing about Trainz is - even though the driving interface needs serious improvement - it's incredibly easy to build your own routes, and after three or four years there is now a TON of free content to download and it's relatively easy to add in.

There's also some really well done payware, but I'd suggest starting with the free stuff - even though I'm going to try selling a payware route eventually, most people find all they need (scenery objects, locomtives and equipment, routes, etc.) among the free offerings. Last I looked, there was a huge selection of Dutch railroad stuff (lots of buildings, IIRC). Anyway, building a layout is as easy as playing SimCity (without having to worry about money) - you click a button here, drag and drop there, use the arrow keys or mouse to get a view from any spherical 360-degree angle of view. The camera is free-floating by default in the route-building mode, and when you switch to driving mode you can select free-floating there, too.

Building 3D models is possible using GMAX or 3DS Max but I'm not good at it. Reskinning models is possible using Photoshop or PaintShop Pro. The "Trainz PaintShed" skin utility is ok for some people, especially beginners, but if you really get into repainting stuff you'll find a real paint program more versatile.

Nobody asked, but I'll throw in a couple plugs for some of my favorite content:
- textures, rivers, cliffs, waterfall splines by "sirgibby" (NOTE: Payware (but worth it; also check out his "Murchison" layout))
- foliage, textures, and buildings by "dmdrake" (free)
- "Kaua'i North", "Kaua'i South", and "Kaua'i Merging Guide" maps (all one big layout).

[NeonSamurai]

Oh ya the one being developed is Train Master. Unfortunatly its status is on hold indefinatly. These guys apparently were trying to make 2 sister sims, a professional training one, and along side it a public release one, but it was too much work so they put the public one on hold.

[bradclark1]

So how is it compared to MS Train Simulator. My dad plays that and I am wondering if he would appreciate Trainz for fathers day ?

Get him Trainz 2004. Its totally different than MSTS but he might like it. Scenario's are better in 2004. I honestly don't see much if any difference in the video between the two. 2004 is just better. 2006 is just an unpolished addon.
Or go here http://www.mapleleaftracks.com/index1.html for a nice addon for MSTS.

[Drebbel]

So how is it compared to MS Train Simulator. My dad plays that and I am wondering if he would appreciate Trainz for fathers day ?

Get him Trainz 2004. Its totally different than MSTS but he might like it. Scenario's are better in 2004. I honestly don't see much if any difference in the video between the two.

So you did not play them both yourself ?


@Drebbel - Well if he plays MSTS he might like Trainz - or he might hate it. It's very different. ..........The really cool thing about Trainz is - even though the driving interface needs serious improvement - it's incredibly easy to build your own routes,

My dad is actually just interested in driving and doing "missions" so I think Trainz will not be right for him then, right ?

[DeepSix]

Hard to say; there is a demo for 2006 available, I think, but I'd have to agree with bradclark1 and say go with 2004 instead. Having used Trainz for several years I'm certain there is almost no difference in video quality or appearance from 2004 to 2006 (it does look a little different from MSTS - better IMO), and 2004 is better bang for your buck.

If he just likes the driving part, he may well prefer an MSTS add-on. Hard to say. If price is a factor, you'll definitely come out cheaper by getting an add-on for MSTS instead of buying the full Trainz. The problem with the driving in Trainz (IMO) is in controlling multiple trains - as you would on a model railroad. It doesn't handle the "system" you've built very well. But driving "in the cab" seems to be ok.

It can't hurt to try the Trainz'06 demo (http://www.auran.com/TRS2006/ and look for "demo" in the "download" bar) and see if you/he like that. If you do and want to spend your money, spend it on TRS2004. Much more fan support.

[bradclark1]

So you did not play them both yourself ?

I meant the difference in graphics between 04 and 06. I have both but I took 06 off. I wouldn't talk about something I don't have.


My dad is actually just interested in driving and doing "missions" so I think Trainz will not be right for him then, right ?

04 has a better setup for driving scenarios. Their are two different menu's. One for driving, one for managing. More scenario's from the community.
Look, take my word for it. Get him 04. He will have more fun. Get him 06 down the road when the bugs are worked out.