OPen Rails & Run 8 - Pro's, Con's, Comments

**longiron** · 08-02-2012, 07:35

Originally posted by hminky

Until OpenRails solves the save problem, long activities requiring switching of multiple towns which causes the save file to grow exponentially if saved "early and often", it isn't a viable trainsim.

The problem isn't OS or hardware, I have run the same activities on two computers with the save file growing to 517,000 kb in a Clovis Sub activity. See:

https://www.trainsim.com/vbts/showth...-in-Open-Rails

Harold

Fixed in the new public release

**hminky** · 08-02-2012, 07:45

Originally posted by longiron

Fixed in the new public release

Thank you looking forward to the release

Harold

**mikephfl** · 08-02-2012, 15:39

Originally posted by longiron

Fixed in the new public release

When the horn gets fixed so that you can play long and short versions, I'm still stuck in MSTS. When this changes, I'll be in OR for good.

**geekman** · 08-02-2012, 19:15

Originally posted by hminky

But isn't that what the thread is about? Complaining why a user won't buy Run8, a product that no one has used.

Harold

No Harold, that isn't what this thread is about It's intended to be a discussion regarding the new features of Run 8 and how it compares with what may be in store from Open Rails - and the merits of going one way vs the other. Whether or not anyone buys Run 8 is strictly a matter of personal choice.

**eric** · 08-02-2012, 19:36

OK, let's turn this around... if we want to do a comparison between OR and Run8, then let's start with what features are important to each of us.....

For me, it stacks up like this:

Code:

                                     OR    RW3    R8
 1) Reuse/import of MSTS assets      X     No     No
 2) Realistic Physics                X     ?      ?  
 3) Reasonable graphics quality      X     X      ?
 4) Accurate Signalling              ?     ?      ?
 5) AI Traffic & Activities          X     ?      No
 6) Reasonable sound quality         X     ?      ?
 7) Build and repaint models         X     X      No
 8) Build and modify routes          X     X      No
 9) Owned vs. subscription           X     ?      ?
10) Diverse User community           X     X      ?

Happy to hear other folks thoughts on what other features are important, as well as where the other sims stack up on the features listed.

And you'll notice that multi-player isn't on that list...

**seagoon** · 08-02-2012, 19:45

Originally posted by geekman

No Harold, that isn't what this thread is about It's intended to be a discussion regarding the new features of Run 8 and how it compares with what may be in store from Open Rails .......

But Harold has a very valid point; how can the features of two products be discussed with any validity when neither of them has been used by anyone outside the two development groups?
It's like asking for public opinions on two movies based solely on the pre-release trailers.

Nick made a valid point in his post in that we can't really give any objective opinion until we have them on our PCs.

BK

**hminky** · 08-02-2012, 20:11

As I said earlier it is a discussion by MSTS guys why they aren't going to buy Run8. No one has played with Run8 so how can anyone make comparisons.

BK, summed it up no one has run either sim yet. OpenRails may not work from the last point, look at the course Railworks has descended into after so much promise with RW2.

I hope OpenRails does work.

Harold

**Bubbles** · 08-02-2012, 23:54

My Take

Hi guys, I must say I was very happy to hear about a strictly multiplayer "train game" and the ability to run trains or control trains! Also OR having multiplayer as well is great, but at the end of the day what are we really looking at here?

With OR you pretty much know what you're getting and I don't mean that in a bad way. The MSTS crowd is happy, running their content with the OR platform which is only getting better and we have something in front of us to show for it, not to mention a new release looming (hopefully soon

) Run8 at least in the mean-time is going to be tightly controlled with no way of adding content, probably because they make more money if they make the content themselves and sell it to you. Have we seen this before **cough** RailWorks...

Having multiplayer is great for those who want it and I think its great and no one disputes that even if you dont care for it but at the end of the day we have plenty to compare when it comes to OR and Run8 based on compatibility, useability, playability just to name a few. OR is backwards compatible with MSTS which means lots of choices for running its multiplayer sessions. Unlike Run8 which has one route.

Finally, think about this for a second. If this game isnt great then good luck finding people to play with and most of them will be 10 years old so youd have to play after their bed time. You could start your own "club" but thats a lot of effort and managing people and their time schedules. Its hard enough to play by myself and finding time for me let alone waiting on ten people to show up to run trains. Im not saying it wont or cant happen, but it is what it is. When its good its good and when its bad its bad.

You will spend $40 just to sit around trying to get people together to play and thats if its even worth playing. With OR you know how the shoes feels and you either like it or dont and yes this is OR slanted, so take it for what it is. I think Run8 has its place but OR has nothing to worry about, or RW for that matter. I just dont see it as something youd want to do every day of the week simply because of the effort it takes to get things going. Setting up servers, managing users (kick/ban ect) ahhh I think I'll pass.

**boleyd** · 08-03-2012, 06:40

Multiplayer holds no interest for me. I prefer to use a program independently of any others who personality or mental state is unknown. I also do not post every detail of my life on something like facebook. When I get that lonely I will need an adjustment. For now what I see in RUN8, setting aside multiplayer, is a visually crude program. If, however, it has true SIMULATION functionality, then the visual stuff can follow. Also, if it is just another game forget it. We have one of those (RW) and one taking a hard look at their cash-flow (Trainz).

**westerngy** · 08-03-2012, 06:59

Originally posted by neyland

Meaning no disrespect to the Run 8 developers. Looking at the videos and taking into consideration the features known to us so far.

OR wins hands down for me, particularly in being able to use 11 years of collected MSTS add ons in OR.

Run 8 having only the one route and centered on MP, is a definite turn off for me personally.

And what did MSTS have when it was first released how many years ago.As to Larry why not keep the TOOLS closed till you've developed what works proper so please stay on your soap box and stay the OR route on everything thats old.

**OTTODAD** · 08-03-2012, 08:48

To me the most important thing about a Train Simulator are it's tracks and switches, I have been able to improve a lot with my MSTS Tracks-Changers and in my DB-Tracks specific MSTSBin MINI routes.

After all without them trains can not be run.

They must be as realistic as can be, which they are not in RUN8, as can be seen in one of it's videos on YouTube a member noticed, also not acceptable to me in Trainz.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv-RGrs7aqY

Compare that with what MSTSBin routes using DB-Tracks look like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNF9FH0LpLU

More comparisons: https://www.youtube.com/user/csx2057...e=results_main

O t t o

**neyland** · 08-03-2012, 10:05

Originally posted by westerngy

And what did MSTS have when it was first released how many years ago.

You tell me, your the one that thinks he has all the answers.

**Bubbles** · 08-03-2012, 11:09

OTTO, I never noticed the switches, thats a nice catch. I did notice the ties arent 3D, which is understandable, but visually not pleasing. In fairness I don't think they claim to be making a pretty train simulator but a simulator that functions like a real railroad. The displays are a nice touch, I dont know if OR will have displays that display what R8 will? Like the point I was making in my other post, all that doesnt matter because it takes people to run a railroad and the idea of people dropping out mid simulation and a dispatcher having to go cut the grass and god forbid some kid sabotaging game play.

The questions has been asked over on their forum about what about if someone has to leave during a run and they said to move your train to a siding and hopefully someone else will pick up where you left off. I dont see that happening very often and if you do then you give 10 year olds too much credit. Placing the eot and that it actually has a function in-game is nice. The distance counter is a nice idea to add, the horn is nice. When Im done playing online it would be nice to take it offline as well.

**burgerbern** · 08-03-2012, 12:19

For me multiplayer is of no interest (that is not just for rail simulators it applies to all sims or games in my case), if the single player mode had AI traffic so i could interact with computer trains i would buy run 8 but single player end to end with nothing on the other tracks does not appeal to me, if that came in the future i would buy. At the moment for me OR has the most appeal.

**eric** · 08-03-2012, 12:36

Originally posted by westerngy

And what did MSTS have when it was first released how many years ago.As to Larry why not keep the TOOLS closed till you've developed what works proper so please stay on your soap box and stay the OR route on everything thats old.

Some of us were around when MSTS was first released....

It came with six routes, and a fair amount of equipment -- steam, electric, and diesel; passenger and freight.

It also came with an editor and tech docs on how to build your own stuff.

Within six months, there were more than two dozen routes uploaded to TS.Com's file library, and hundreds of repaints and new models.

Microsoft has always recognized the value of providing a SDK and allowing for third party and end-user generated content. For any sim to have a future, it will have to rely on a user community.