OTTODAD
03-16-2007, 09:57 AM
Posted this in the UK-TS MSTS-X forum a while ago, which might be of interest to the GAMES STUDIOS MSTS-X team ?
Reading through many of the larger threads again, it seems that most of the discussions revolve around comparisons with MSFS-X and it's performance shortcomings, potential customers for MSTS-X being concerned that we might get the same with it ! I too could not make MSFS-X Pro work properly on my AMD 64-BIT dual-core, 1.5 Gb RAM WIN-XP SP-2 sims only computer, running nothing else !
So what can we expect from MSTS-X ? Definitely better than what we get from MSTS and it's latest updates, perhaps also better than what other new train sims will provide ?
A better graphics engine that's for sure, Games Studios indicating that it will be the MSFS-X one, to start with running under DX-9 and probably has been coded to also work with DX-10, once running on a VISTA computer.
Better real world scenery and objects thereon, real-time weather, multi-windows and most of the other bells and whistles used by MSFS-X ? ;-)
Real world 3D-satellite graphics like seen in GOOGLE EARTH, which can now be used by GOOGLE's SKETCHUP, railway lines already being displayed by them ?
But what about functionality ?
There are two main groups of simmers, the FREESTYLERS "Do a you please" types like me, who like to explore, as I have been doing since FS-1 and the Prototypers and real train drivers who would like to use activities which require certain tasks to be performed.
Although having been a real private pilot, I can not be bothered with creating flight plans, fuel the plane, load cargo and passengers, set way points, take off, switch on the auto-pilot and then let the FMC fly the plane at a flight levels above 30000 and with a bit of luck see something of the distant world below, having had to do some of that in real flying ! I prefer to just FLY planes or DRIVE trains anywhere and any way I like ! :wink:
Doing the above on a commercial passenger plane is absolutely boring, as I once witnessed after having been asked onto the flight deck of a new Boeing 777 on it's way to Denver before Sept.11 ! :-(
I have done more real touch-and-goes than some of these long-distance pilots, doing perhaps 3 takes offs and landings a week ! They are what gives me a buzz flying real and sims planes more than anything else and am still trying to do a spin recovery in FS, I had to do one once while training. That's one hairy function which FS can not yet perform for real, it seems !
First of all I need to see real looking tracks, switches / turn-outs, signals and rolling stock, which function and perform just like the real ones, as do all the planes in MSFS !
An Activities Editor will still be required, it and the Route Editor to be integral parts of the sim, which can be used to switch into the main simulator to test activities and routes being worked on and switch back to the editors for more work to be done and tested.
Most of all I would like to have choices similar to MSFS, which after starting it lets you select a plane and where to fly it from, choose season, time and weather, etc.
Doing the same with MSTS-X, loading before showing similar selection options, should then not take ages and not require the likes of my MINI routes, RoutesOn/Off or TRAINSTORE to improve on that !
Bring up a TRAINZ like map of an area you want to drive a train in, select a player consist and place it where it is to start from. Place loose consists and other drivable trains into stations, yards and sidings.
AI traffic of a random or specified selection of various consists could automatically appear ahead of the advancing player train on tracks not used by it and not like many activities designers do now, have them starting hours ahead of the player train's start time and in many cases hundreds of miles away, disappearing again many more miles behind the player train, wasting RAM, MSTS and CPU processing cycles !
AI trains should start AUTOGEN fashion just outside the player train's view range and disappear again when the player can no longer see them !
Activities designers who want to use interactive with player trains AI traffic could still do so, deactivating the AUTOGEN mode !
Such a FREESTYLE / EXPLORE ROUTE session now having been created it's time to PLAY ! :-)
During play a displayable map of the route and where the player is would be helpful, full screen or windowed, like TRAINZ can do, possibly on another monitor if you can afford more than one or like this assembly, cheaper of similar being on the market ! ;-)
http://digitaltigers.com/displays-powertrio.shtml
Opening such a map should then let you move the player to another location, move loose consists or insert new ones, delete existing ones and switch to other drivable trains displayed in the map !
The weather could be changed at random, starting to drive in sunshine and then suddenly run into a thunderstorm, or changed manually, as well as time and season.
Most of this functionality is already possible in TRAINZ and MSFS.
Then comes the FUN player action. Sailing container ships and berth them in harbors, have drivable container cranes offload them, putting containers onto wagons for them and then drive them ! :wink:
Train ferry ships you could drive trains onto, sail the ferry to it's destination elsewhere and then drive the train from them to wherever you want to or as per activity.
There could be HOME and PRO versions, the latter allowing TC with dispatchers and radio contact with other drivers on the same train or others, useful for a supplied with it MULTI-PLAYER capability.
Is there anything else sensible and of appeal to the majority of average train simmers you would like to add, not including requests for particular routes, which if not supplied to start with can then be created later by Payware and Freeware vendors ? ;-)
All this could provide employment and scope for the GAMES STUDIOS MSTS-X team as well as 3rd party vendors for years to come, improving the initial release with further updates and additions !
Let's see how much of all this we shall get ! :7
Take care, O t t o.
Reading through many of the larger threads again, it seems that most of the discussions revolve around comparisons with MSFS-X and it's performance shortcomings, potential customers for MSTS-X being concerned that we might get the same with it ! I too could not make MSFS-X Pro work properly on my AMD 64-BIT dual-core, 1.5 Gb RAM WIN-XP SP-2 sims only computer, running nothing else !
So what can we expect from MSTS-X ? Definitely better than what we get from MSTS and it's latest updates, perhaps also better than what other new train sims will provide ?
A better graphics engine that's for sure, Games Studios indicating that it will be the MSFS-X one, to start with running under DX-9 and probably has been coded to also work with DX-10, once running on a VISTA computer.
Better real world scenery and objects thereon, real-time weather, multi-windows and most of the other bells and whistles used by MSFS-X ? ;-)
Real world 3D-satellite graphics like seen in GOOGLE EARTH, which can now be used by GOOGLE's SKETCHUP, railway lines already being displayed by them ?
But what about functionality ?
There are two main groups of simmers, the FREESTYLERS "Do a you please" types like me, who like to explore, as I have been doing since FS-1 and the Prototypers and real train drivers who would like to use activities which require certain tasks to be performed.
Although having been a real private pilot, I can not be bothered with creating flight plans, fuel the plane, load cargo and passengers, set way points, take off, switch on the auto-pilot and then let the FMC fly the plane at a flight levels above 30000 and with a bit of luck see something of the distant world below, having had to do some of that in real flying ! I prefer to just FLY planes or DRIVE trains anywhere and any way I like ! :wink:
Doing the above on a commercial passenger plane is absolutely boring, as I once witnessed after having been asked onto the flight deck of a new Boeing 777 on it's way to Denver before Sept.11 ! :-(
I have done more real touch-and-goes than some of these long-distance pilots, doing perhaps 3 takes offs and landings a week ! They are what gives me a buzz flying real and sims planes more than anything else and am still trying to do a spin recovery in FS, I had to do one once while training. That's one hairy function which FS can not yet perform for real, it seems !
First of all I need to see real looking tracks, switches / turn-outs, signals and rolling stock, which function and perform just like the real ones, as do all the planes in MSFS !
An Activities Editor will still be required, it and the Route Editor to be integral parts of the sim, which can be used to switch into the main simulator to test activities and routes being worked on and switch back to the editors for more work to be done and tested.
Most of all I would like to have choices similar to MSFS, which after starting it lets you select a plane and where to fly it from, choose season, time and weather, etc.
Doing the same with MSTS-X, loading before showing similar selection options, should then not take ages and not require the likes of my MINI routes, RoutesOn/Off or TRAINSTORE to improve on that !
Bring up a TRAINZ like map of an area you want to drive a train in, select a player consist and place it where it is to start from. Place loose consists and other drivable trains into stations, yards and sidings.
AI traffic of a random or specified selection of various consists could automatically appear ahead of the advancing player train on tracks not used by it and not like many activities designers do now, have them starting hours ahead of the player train's start time and in many cases hundreds of miles away, disappearing again many more miles behind the player train, wasting RAM, MSTS and CPU processing cycles !
AI trains should start AUTOGEN fashion just outside the player train's view range and disappear again when the player can no longer see them !
Activities designers who want to use interactive with player trains AI traffic could still do so, deactivating the AUTOGEN mode !
Such a FREESTYLE / EXPLORE ROUTE session now having been created it's time to PLAY ! :-)
During play a displayable map of the route and where the player is would be helpful, full screen or windowed, like TRAINZ can do, possibly on another monitor if you can afford more than one or like this assembly, cheaper of similar being on the market ! ;-)
http://digitaltigers.com/displays-powertrio.shtml
Opening such a map should then let you move the player to another location, move loose consists or insert new ones, delete existing ones and switch to other drivable trains displayed in the map !
The weather could be changed at random, starting to drive in sunshine and then suddenly run into a thunderstorm, or changed manually, as well as time and season.
Most of this functionality is already possible in TRAINZ and MSFS.
Then comes the FUN player action. Sailing container ships and berth them in harbors, have drivable container cranes offload them, putting containers onto wagons for them and then drive them ! :wink:
Train ferry ships you could drive trains onto, sail the ferry to it's destination elsewhere and then drive the train from them to wherever you want to or as per activity.
There could be HOME and PRO versions, the latter allowing TC with dispatchers and radio contact with other drivers on the same train or others, useful for a supplied with it MULTI-PLAYER capability.
Is there anything else sensible and of appeal to the majority of average train simmers you would like to add, not including requests for particular routes, which if not supplied to start with can then be created later by Payware and Freeware vendors ? ;-)
All this could provide employment and scope for the GAMES STUDIOS MSTS-X team as well as 3rd party vendors for years to come, improving the initial release with further updates and additions !
Let's see how much of all this we shall get ! :7
Take care, O t t o.