Is Trainz TS12 worth buying?

[heavymetal92]

Hiya everyone,

Just wondering if Trainz 2012 is worth buying? I have been looking at it for awhile now. The last Train sim i have purchased was RailSimulator., which is pretty cool



Thanks

JD

[Jdark34]

yes trainz 2012 is wonderful and it got some cool routes on it. you will love it JD give it a shot you might like it.


Jdark34

[philskene]

No AND yes

If you think train-simming should be both serious and frustrating, no.

But if you think it should be both enjoyable and fun, go ahead and purchase it. You will not regret it.

[sparky15]

Just a thought. The kuid system is a pain to figure when you first start. Add to that the new error checking routines in 2012.
If this is the first copy of Trainz you've ever used, maybe TS2010. I say that because you have compatibility mode allowing you to use the majority of content without having to repair it first.
When I first started with Trainz, the endless dependency hunts and easy content repairs drove me crazy and I went back to MSTS for a while. If I had to start with TS12. I would throw it in the trash out of frustration. At least TRS2010, you can run almost everything in compatibility mode before tackling the fun of content repair. I would hate to have to learn a new program, the content dependency hunt game AND content repair at one go.

Dave........

[hminky]

I would go with TS2010. More routes and more stuff runs in TS21010.

Harold

[saxmusickman]

I'm thinking of giving Trainz a try as well. But, if I buy TS10, how long does Auran support older versions. Don't want to start building anything then have the rug yanked by TS13 because 10 is no longer compatible.

[boleyd]

They sort of pulled the rug by dropping Compatibility Mode in later versions. I use both TS10 and 12. Eventually there will be some "improvement" that may prevent TS10 from accessing the DLC. By that time you will probably be on the latest version anyhow.

[sparky15]

N3V has a five year life cycle policy. Going by their trend with content, I don't see a problem with building in 2010 for a long time.
Compatibility Mode is pretty much a lower error checking routine for content built for earlier versions and to allow older billboard trees to display properly.
Most payware providers have set the minimum build of their content to TRS2009.

FWIW, I stick with an older version, TRS2006. With all the great sites like USLW, SPorBUST and RRMods, just to name a few, I have no problem getting quality content for free. I have bought payware but the older version is more appropriate for my needs. Not saying you should buy an older version, just pointing out if you get TS2010, you should not have any problems for a very long time.

If you decide to buy, avoid the Steam version. The patching process N3V uses seems to leave that version like an unwanted child. Your choice but many who bought from Steam dumped it for the boxed version for that reason. If you shop around, you can find TS2010 for around $20 now. Give it a try. Tons of built in content to work with, tons of freeware available and the payware is as good as what I've seen in an sim and very reasonably priced.

Dave........

[hminky]

Always buy from N3V, some of the boxed sets from Amazon don't work.

Harold

[sniper297]

"I would hate to have to learn a new program, the content dependency hunt game AND content repair at one go."

That's essentially what I did, got TRS2004 then TS2010 a month later and shifted to that since the AI traffic was easier to figure out. Tried compatibility mode once, then went back to "native mode" since my personal standard is to have all my shared freeware addons to be easy to install and work out of the box for any computer dummy. Some people are happy uploading routes and reskins that require compatibility mode plus "Hunt The KUID" on every 3rd party website in the Trainz world, but to me that's unacceptable.

For backward compatibility it depends on the creator - I create in TS2010, most assets will work in TS2009 and Trainz classics 3, most routes and sessions will work in TS2009 service pack 4, and everything I upload has been tested to work in TS12. Obsolescence, recently I cloned a build 2.7 asset and got that kicked back - as of September 1st the download station will no longer accept any build number lower than 2.8, which leaves out uploading anything made in Trainz classics 2 or earlier. Last I checked TS2010 will be accepted until 2014, which means the 2.9 build for TS2009 will most likely be good until Sept 2013.

One word of warning - read the system specs for TS2010 and TS12 carefully, if you don't meet or exceed the recommended specs it will run like an old pregnant dachshund. I meet all the minimum specs except for the CPU, got a 2.8ghz Pentium D when they call for a minimum of a 3.4ghz Pentium D,so my FPS are down in the teens or single digits even with all the sliders set to minimum. Can't afford a better computer right now, so I squeezed out the $30 bucks for TS2009, waiting for delivery now. Game plan is to create in 2009 instead, then test in 2010 and 12 before uploading, and do all my playing in 2009 since it requires only a 2.2ghz P4. Which I beat the pants off of so hopefully I should get decent FPS out of 2009. If you have one of them killer nuclear powered glycol cooled game dominator 3000 systems go with TS12, got a clunky old Dell landfill candidate like mine better get 2009 instead.

[sparky15]

Sniper, your post highlights why I recommended TS2010.
Well within the life cycle policy and Compatibility to run older content. Nothing worse than not even knowing what a CDP is and then having to fix it.
I think it's great you go to such efforts for dummies like me (Not offended) but you will never beat N3V at the content game. They don't supply the content, just change the error checking game to milk more from the platform they do provide or force an upgrade through policy. The DLS is a cash cow as far as marketing and free stuff for the next release. The only thing that will change is access and what constitutes an error. My copy of TS12 is packed with non supported content from as far back as 1.3 hidden from the error routines.
I have 04/06/TC/09 and 12. My kick is building routes and I very rarely download someone else's. The DLS policy of what can be uploaded rules me out because I choose to stay with an earlier version. I tried for a while to stay with only built in content and DLS content but that got whittled back to just built in with the new DLS policies. Built in only took a hit because what was in 06 isn't in TC, what was in either wasn't in 09 and what was in 09 isn't in 12....... Back to the DLS and a First Class Ticket to make it all work again.
Best thing I ever did was pick the version that runs the best for me and stay with it. I do this for fun and to relax. I have no desire to build a route to operate then go through the dependency game to get it into another version for upload to the DLS. That's where I get off this ride. I have one route over at TPR and close to a dozen more like it on my hard drive in various stages of completion. Probably throw two more up when the bad weather sets in and I spend more time in Trainz.
I still recommend 2010 for a new user. It's a fun program if you break away from the marketing quirks N3V uses to sell the program.

[sniper297]

Main thing is the system specs for TS2010 and TS12 are the same, so buying either one you need high end hardware to run it. People coming from MSTS would be astonished at how much it takes to run TS2010 on the bare minimum settings, horsepower that wasn't even imagined when MSTS and the original version of Trainz first came out.

"My copy of TS12 is packed with non supported content from as far back as 1.3 hidden from the error routines."

Same in TS2010, I never did get an answer when I asked what the point was - theoretically this error checker disabling old faulty content until it's fixed makes the game run smoother, if a third of the built in content has the exact same errors but is allowed to run because it's hidden from the error checking test, why wouldn't that create the exact same problem? Allegedly TS2010 runs smoother in native mode than it does in compatibility mode, couldn't prove it by me. same framerates in both.

[saxmusickman]

No problem here with staying away from the Steam version!

How easy, or hard is route building (say 100-140 miles)? Content creation (buildings, lineside structures and the like)? What programs are used to create content for the game?

[sparky15]

I liked the track tools in RS better than Trainz. The splines will drive you nuts at first but there are tons of templates on the DLS that help. Big upside is no more track rules and other garbage. Bad side, bad looking turnouts unless you use fixed turnouts with points. Everything else is a wash between the two

Content creation, Blender and 3DS Max are supported. 3D Canvas has exporters but I never used it. Blender has me sucking my thumb like a schoolgirl still. Trainz content manager has a built in module to assist you in bringing content into Trainz.

Google up Virtualrailroader. They have a ton of downloadable PDFs that cover Trainz route building very well. A lot is written for an older version but the basics are there. Not to mention DEM maps available on the DLS for free.

Dave.......

[sniper297]

Matter of opinion I suppose, most say it's a lot easier than Railworks - for me the railsim/railworks world editor was easier to learn, and after a year of the Trainz tracklaying tool I still can't learn to love it. End result also looks cruddy compared to railworks, the Trainz switches are as ugly as Medusa. Creating sessions is the complete opposite, for me the railworks scenario editor is a Rube Goldberg contraption and there's no intelligence in the artificial intelligence.

http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic.php?f=339&t=117900

All of that to set up one simple passing meet that collapses like a house of cards if you breathe on it wrong, and they get offended when I say it's hopeless junk? However you feel about the Trainz route creation tools, you'll find setting up and debugging AI traffic patterns MUCH easier and more versatile once the route is completed.