Application Programming Interface (API)

[rrc_tx]

Will Rail Simulator provide an API to support external hardware input/output devices, similar to Microsoft's Flight Simulator? Does Microsoft's Vista operating system facilitate this capability?

[kujuSabrina]

This aspect of the simulation is not set in stone yet, but what I can say is we are aiming to support the Rail Driver hardware, and part of that work may involve exposing an API.

[rrc_tx]

Thank you for the reply. The reason for my questions are discussed in an article at http://www.virtualrailroader.com/SLCabSim.html courtesy of Alfred Barten. I would like to stand on my soap box again for a brief commercial (which some forum members may have heard before).

I believe there is a train simulation market to be developed, similar to that made possible by Microsoft's Flight Simulator (MSFS), that goes beyond just software into the next stage of virtual reality. MSFS produced a community of cockpit developers and operators, supported by a wide variety of third party hardware products. This in turn has spawned additional software development, both commercial and freeware.

Microsoft (and Kuju?) overlooked the train-related equivalent of this market when MSTS was developed for some unknown reason. It now appears to me that Kuju, Auran, and others continue to underestimate the potential user interest and business value of incorporating an API feature into train simulation software, not just for their own finacial gain but also for a number of third party hardware and software developers that could leverage off what that feature enables. PI Engineering understands the market to be explored beyond RailDriver with TMTS, to the point of successfully connecting with railroad training applications. Good for them business wise, but unfortunate for the rest of us "hobbiests" that are left without the benefits of TMTS.

I would guess that when the electric train "toy" first appeared about a century ago, nobody imagined the multi-million dollar model railroad industry that would result world-wide. Now we almost have the ability and knowlege to make a similar breakthrough, and take railroad virtual reality beyond being just another computer game. We just need the help of the simulation software providers, like Kuju, to provide one more essential tool.

End of commercial - thank you for your time.

Doug

[rdamurphy]

I don't think they missed it, it was just "version one." Remember, FS - FS95 - FS98 - CFS1 - FS2000 - CFS2 - FS2004 - CFS3 - FS2006 - and I know I've missed a few and might have some out of order...

Robert