Trainsimulation's newest route released..

[groeg]

Thank you Trainsimulations for a great product worth every dollar, or for me euro.
I think it is one of the best, probably the best/realistic forest themed route out there. I noticed some flickering vegetation, but my computer is more than eight years old and its graphics card not supported anymore. Though I get 20+ FPS. I think this is surprisingly much with all the detail.
I understand people want longer routes, more rolling stock and so on. Me too. But it has to created within a reasonable time fame and amount of work. If you would own Ruel you would notice it contains much more than you already have. Two new engines, new rolling stock and tons of new skins.
Btw. gimme more! I hope for a rolling stock pack. A CN style Dash 9 (four windows best) has been mentioned before, Draper Tappers and maybe even (really dreaming now) MLW630/636.

[lateagain]

Boy, this sure derailed fast.

Since when was a discussion in a FORUM a derailment? Discussion is where we put forward differing views .....not loads of sycophantic gushing one liners

All the folks out there wishing for PRR-ER sized routes in the future, you must be smoking those funny looking cigarettes that give off that weird smell.

I totally agree with you re size of routes. How many folk have time to actually drive some of these extreme routes? How many of the longer routes come with decent activities that USE these lengths? HOWEVER there is a major difference between most payware routes and some freeware routes. Many freeware routes start at a "significant" point and end at one? Many US payware routes start in the middle of nowhere and end somewhere equally remote. Cities in Payware routes are almost unheard of

It is also downright impossible to serve up a route that works in many eras, such as from steam to Gevos. The track layouts and signalling are different decades apart, code lines come and go, and what good are track pans or a steam engine roundhouse and turntable in the Gevo era? It is about as useful as run through diesel fueling pads in the Cab Forward era. Route builders need to pick one era and publish that, buyers are free to buy and then modify or duplicate a copy into another era to their hearts content. Just buy it and do it.

There are a number of issues with era. Especially your side of the pond. Quite apart from signalling there's the massive decline in passenger traffic since the transition era. The end of "drop off" local freight and the many local sidings that were used for it. The reduction of miles of double track into single track with passing loops etc.etc. HOWEVER SLI did do two eras of Seligman, although for my taste the Santa Fe one could have been even earlier. Of course SLI/Trainsimulations started out as a stock provider and their output (of which I have a good few packs ...including stuff no longer for sale) has always been from a pretty narrow time frame. Personally anything past Dash7 is a yawn for me ....but then I've got BLW to keep me happy

.........waiting for one of the many sales throughout the year will give you the same price break result as demanding a route without stock. Buy it then and throw the stock away, if you are crazy enough or truly think the freeware content you already have from a decade ago is better.

Well thanks to SLI/Trainsimulations payment method anyone outside of the States gets stung for VAT!!! NO ONE ELSE DOES THIS! So we HAVE to wait for a sale just to get it at the price YOU do. However I agree with your point about the stock .....although some freeware content that's years old is of surprisingly high standard. New should be MUCH better, but it isn't always.

How many people kicking the tires here actually bought the Seligman Open Rails route and actually compared the differences in rolling stock. If you did, you wouldn't be claiming it's the "same old stock".

Well two points there. 1st how many folk noticed that the SLI BNSF stock for the Scenic Sub route was originally designed for MSTS2? I DID compare it with existing models and it was much more detailed. 2nd ...well that is Trainsimulations fault. Their limited screenshots for each route or stock pack sell their own product short! NOT the buyers fault.

They give us modern, a handful of occasional buyers demand older timeframes. They give us older timeframes, a different handful of occasional buyers demand more modern times. I don't know how vendors stick with it.

As I said earlier they have and COULD produce different versions and for the reasons I stated. Stick with it? I assume they've got a backbone and a hide! The idea that software vendors are such precious flowers is frankly absurd. Would you cut any other manufacturer such slack if you weren't happy with their product....