Hello,
I saw that Trainz A New Era SP3 was on sale for US$ 9.99. So I decided to buy it, even though my oldish desktop can’t really handle it. I am still using TS2010.
Only the download version is available. There also are Delux and Platinum editions. As I am writing this, I see that the Standard edition now is US$ 19.99. I must have spotted the sale at the right time.
Here are my first impressions.
Download and install is straight forward. The email contains a link to download a ZIP file (8 GB). There is a UK and a US version. Download the file, then unzip it, and finally run the installer.
To run the game, one has to first enter the MyTrainz account information. I am assuming that this is for the DRM check. I don’t know how often this check is performed (I heard at least once a month). This is a bit of a concern for me. Is their server still around in 10 years, when I still want to enjoy T:ANE?
On the first start, it takes a minute or two to set things up. After that, the game starts quite fast.
The Standard edition includes only 4 routes with a total of 15 activities. The routes are: C&O Hinton Division (US, 3 activities); ECML Kings Cross - Edinburgh (UK, 3 activities); Healesville - 1913-1920 (AU, 5 activities); and Kickstarter Country (fictious, formerly Highland Valley, 4 activities).
It is clear that Auran is discounting the game in the hope that one then buys lots of routes and activities. For anybody interested in stock routes and activities, it is better to buy the Delux or Platinum edition.
A route still takes quite a while to start. They Kickstarter route took about 50 seconds on my oldish desktop. Annoyingly there is no progress bar.
The game looks a bit different. But on an exploratory tour through the menus, I did not see anything spectacularly new.
Lastly, I am not into multi-player, so that (new since TS2010) does nothing for me. I also have no intentions to get TRS2019. First I am not interested in bleeding edge. And second, I have heard it is subscription based – I prefer to buy the software I use.
Roger
I saw that Trainz A New Era SP3 was on sale for US$ 9.99. So I decided to buy it, even though my oldish desktop can’t really handle it. I am still using TS2010.
Only the download version is available. There also are Delux and Platinum editions. As I am writing this, I see that the Standard edition now is US$ 19.99. I must have spotted the sale at the right time.
Here are my first impressions.
Download and install is straight forward. The email contains a link to download a ZIP file (8 GB). There is a UK and a US version. Download the file, then unzip it, and finally run the installer.
To run the game, one has to first enter the MyTrainz account information. I am assuming that this is for the DRM check. I don’t know how often this check is performed (I heard at least once a month). This is a bit of a concern for me. Is their server still around in 10 years, when I still want to enjoy T:ANE?
On the first start, it takes a minute or two to set things up. After that, the game starts quite fast.
The Standard edition includes only 4 routes with a total of 15 activities. The routes are: C&O Hinton Division (US, 3 activities); ECML Kings Cross - Edinburgh (UK, 3 activities); Healesville - 1913-1920 (AU, 5 activities); and Kickstarter Country (fictious, formerly Highland Valley, 4 activities).
It is clear that Auran is discounting the game in the hope that one then buys lots of routes and activities. For anybody interested in stock routes and activities, it is better to buy the Delux or Platinum edition.
A route still takes quite a while to start. They Kickstarter route took about 50 seconds on my oldish desktop. Annoyingly there is no progress bar.
The game looks a bit different. But on an exploratory tour through the menus, I did not see anything spectacularly new.
Lastly, I am not into multi-player, so that (new since TS2010) does nothing for me. I also have no intentions to get TRS2019. First I am not interested in bleeding edge. And second, I have heard it is subscription based – I prefer to buy the software I use.
Roger
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