Announcing TrainPlayer 3.0

TrainPlayer continues to push the frontiers of armchair model railroading technology! Version 3.0 is a major step forward, featuring an overhauled graphics system, new and improved sound, smoother operation, unlimited zoom, plenty of fixes and enhancements, and a great new pastime called "scripting."

Version 3.0 is the first new Windows release in over a year. Not only have we added new features and reworked the old, we've also upgraded the manual and added an index, and dressed up the program with some fine new artwork by Nicolas Villarreal, a talented young artist from Ecuador.

New Features

Scripting

Driving trains around is fun, but after a while you get the urge to do some real railroading, moving goods and passengers around according to a plan. In the real world (or a model railroader's basement), these plans involve paperwork and clipboards -- you hang one on the wall and consult it as you drive.

But this is the virtual world! Why not write the plan in such a way that IT can drive the trains? That's what a TrainPlayer script does, it tells a train where to go and how. It's like handing a set of instructions to the engineer, and sending him on his way to drive the route while you continue puttering in the yard.

Scripts are written in a simple new language designed just for running trains. If you have a programming bent, you can learn this language and develop complex sequences just by typing. If not, you can press the Record button and let the script recorder capture instructions as you drive. Either way, once you have a script, you just hit Rewind, then Play, then sit back and watch the action.

Version 3.0 products are delivered with a few scripted layouts, ready to run. Even with the free demo, you can fire up the Turtle Creek and watch the daily exchange of goods.

Sounds

Steam chuffing sounds are much improved in 3.0! And there are a lot more engine horn sounds available, and for a more interesting travelling experience, you can now attach sounds to areas of the layout, so when the train passes you hear a crossing bell or a cow mooing.

3.0 comes with a collection of sounds, and you can add more just by dropping wave files into a sound folder.

Graphics

Earlier versions of TrainPlayer left something to be desired in the area of graphics. Trains tended to jitter as the background moved, on big layouts you couldn't zoom in very close to the track before memory would run out and the screen go black.

To fix these problems, we completely redesigned the graphics system for 3.0. The new scheme operates and scrolls more smoothly, uses less memory, and allows you to zoom in right down to the rivets on the boiler.

Tunnels and Overpasses

Trains hide going through tunnels, but until now they have not done it very precisely. If the tunnel portal is at an angle to the track, the cars don't look right, and using hidden track doesn't work well at all for narrow underpasses or scenic obstructions.

Fixed in 3.0! You can specify exact hiding angles, or "clip regions" where a slice of a car is to disappear as it goes beneath a bridge. With some tricks you can create multi-layer sections as at left.

To see this new feature in action, watch the demo video (be patient while loading!). We have not yet applied these clipping features to layouts in the 101 collection; will do so over time.

Previews and Downloads

Choosing the layout you want to operate is easier in 3.0. Now as you browse through the layouts list, you see a little preview of each plan. And you can browse the online collection of layouts from the same dialog, with previews and automatic one-click downloading.

And More

Improved appearance of cars on turns and curves, now simulating trucks instead of pivoting on the center points. Better appearance of car numbers. Smoother jumping between layouts. New tooltips showing useful info on all objects. Lots of bug fixes. Completely updated manual, with index.