Does Trainz do this?

[cyberstorm]

Hi Guys

As we all know, much was promised in the functionality of Trainz over MSTS, but now that the real Trainz is out, and some of you know what its capable of, can you tell me if the following areas are covered as I wish to build a swiss mountain railway

1) Narrow guage

2) Rack and pinion

3) 30+ degree slopes

4) electric pantographs and overhead wires

5) mountains over 12000 ft

6) for self designed trainz, what 3d package?

7) Importing Dem data?

8) Water effects, rivers waterfalls

9) snow textures

Your help is much appreciated

Terry

[dyvach]

I don't have access to Trainz at the moment, so i'll answer just the ones i can from memory...

2) Doesn't look like it.
3) Probably, but without 2) i doubt you'd move any loco up such slope....
4) Yes, although it's purely decorative -- i.e., electric locos can run on tracks without wires as well.
6) Currently, there's only one exporter, for discreet's 3dMax.(versions 3 and 4) More exporters should be available in the near future.
7) Greyscale .bmp pictures can be applied as displacement maps in Surveyor. You can convert DEMs to these with MicroDEM or similar program, so...yes.
8) No; there's some animation of water, but nothing really fancy. It pretty much just is, "and that's all there's to it".
9) Not sure, but you'll probably need to make your own textures for it. This shouldn't be hard to do, though.

[cyberstorm]

Its a shame, narrow guage and rack and pinion were touted about the MSTS as been functions of Trainz, steep slopes aren't a problem when you can modify the engine properties so I guess it'll have to be done in T**** S********. :-(

Terry

[rabid]

Terry, read this:
http://www.auran.com/trainz/coming.htm
especially the part which says:
"Yardmaster supports multiple gauge rail and a variety of track types including rack and pinion. Now you can make that 1 in 10 railway to the hillside lookout a reality!"

[cyberstorm]

Cheers, I thought I heard that somewhere offical, so thats trainz plus yardmaster plus some 3d package.

How high can you go, 12000 ft? thats the height of the Jungfraubahn

What sort of pre made buildings ? are there any german/swiss type?

Terry

[PaulD]

The hight limit appears to be 2000 meters above what they call "0" and 300 meters below "0"

[cyberstorm]

Oh Damn! that meens the top 1500 m would be flattened off the alpine DEM data I have, wouldnt work even if I put interlaken at -300 meters, guess it will have to be done in MSTS after all, at least I need not buy anything else since I know how to to those things in MSTS. Probably still buy trainz though, depends on how people like it now its actually out, but looks favourable so far.

Thanks for the help

Terry

[Trainfiend]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-19-01 AT 05:07AM (EST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Dec-19-01 AT 05:06*AM (EST)

Of course, by splitting a route into 2 sections, you could rise 6,000ft in one and then the remaining 6,000 ft in the 2nd section, thereby reaching the summit. In fact, you could even create multiple layouts starting at various heights. The only way you would actually know the elevation is by the increasing amounts of snow as you gained altitude.

Also, there are many German and Swiss Alpine buildings that will be released early in the new year.

[cyberstorm]

Er, this is the area I want to model,

http://www.jungfraubahn.ch/deutsch/pages/RE/RE_JnKe2.htm

where would you suggest a break? Kleine Scheideg or Grindlewald, I would want to see the Eiger, Jungfrau,Monch etc on both baseboards otherwise its not worth it. Although the Junfrau Bahn is a separate railway from Kleine Scheideg so a break there is possible.

My first route would be the smaller Wilderswill to Schynige Platte though.

Terry