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View Full Version : another potential RW recruit



rohan
August 28th, 2010, 19:34
Yesterday, for some reason, I found myself reading almost every thread here in an effort to find out what rail simulators are available. Then I discovered that I still had my TS discs so started grabbing all the essential extras plus a few tasty morcels. My plan is to install TS today and play a while ... waiting to make a decision on whether to get RW while it's on offer. It looks great but there's a lot of bad press out there related to its use of Steam. I tried browsing their website looking for answers to some questions but they don't exactly give a lot away and keep a lot hidden. For example, I tried to search their forum and was accused of being a bot - well, I failed the anti-bot test anyway, because, even with my exceptional eyesight, I couldn't make out six characters in their image, and I changed the image at least twenty times ! The contrast difference is set way too low.

So, here I am asking some real users whose opinions I do value.

1 - I found quite a few references to "RailWorks 2010" but couldn't find anyone who actually sells it. The only RW on sale has been on the books since last summer. Is there such a thing as RW 2010 ?
2 - can you actually run / play RW while offline without an active Internet connection ?
3 - how often does Steam force you to go online so that it can "check for updates" ?
4 - how often are there actually updates that it needs ?
5 - if Steam "keeps your program up-to-date all the time", then what's the possibility of it screwing up some of the free add-ons that you've downloaded and installed yourself ?
6 - I think I saw somewhere that you're given a free program when you sign up for Steam / RW. Do you have any choice about whether you want that program installed on your PC ?

As you can probably tell, I'm very wary of "products" like Steam and, if I could buy RW and use it without Steam, I'd be quite a happy bunny. I have no problem with update systems like M$'s, and love the Linux package system (one central place from which virtually all your apps are updated), but the key difference is that I am in control of when I get updates - not the ******* program. To me, Steam is more of an invasive copy protection system, so the question is, is RW worth the effort ? If you can answer my questions above, it will help me to make that judgement,
thanks in advance for any help,
Ro
:ernae:

Henry
August 30th, 2010, 05:25
Yesterday, for some reason, I found myself reading almost every thread here in an effort to find out what rail simulators are available. Then I discovered that I still had my TS discs so started grabbing all the essential extras plus a few tasty morcels. My plan is to install TS today and play a while ... waiting to make a decision on whether to get RW while it's on offer. It looks great but there's a lot of bad press out there related to its use of Steam. I tried browsing their website looking for answers to some questions but they don't exactly give a lot away and keep a lot hidden. For example, I tried to search their forum and was accused of being a bot - well, I failed the anti-bot test anyway, because, even with my exceptional eyesight, I couldn't make out six characters in their image, and I changed the image at least twenty times ! The contrast difference is set way too low.

So, here I am asking some real users whose opinions I do value.

1 - I found quite a few references to "RailWorks 2010" but couldn't find anyone who actually sells it. The only RW on sale has been on the books since last summer. Is there such a thing as RW 2010 ?
2 - can you actually run / play RW while offline without an active Internet connection ?
3 - how often does Steam force you to go online so that it can "check for updates" ?
4 - how often are there actually updates that it needs ?
5 - if Steam "keeps your program up-to-date all the time", then what's the possibility of it screwing up some of the free add-ons that you've downloaded and installed yourself ?
6 - I think I saw somewhere that you're given a free program when you sign up for Steam / RW. Do you have any choice about whether you want that program installed on your PC ?

As you can probably tell, I'm very wary of "products" like Steam and, if I could buy RW and use it without Steam, I'd be quite a happy bunny. I have no problem with update systems like M$'s, and love the Linux package system (one central place from which virtually all your apps are updated), but the key difference is that I am in control of when I get updates - not the ******* program. To me, Steam is more of an invasive copy protection system, so the question is, is RW worth the effort ? If you can answer my questions above, it will help me to make that judgement,
thanks in advance for any help,
Ro
:ernae:
I believe RW2010 is the same as RW from steam
yes you can run it off line
i have not had a problem with other addons
but i do back up to another drive
yes there is another program that is installed to download updates but i have never had a problem with it.
the steam forum in my opinion is not worth going to
but there are a few that are informative
one donationware program thats worth its weight in gold is rw tools
you can back up all the assets and contents
just in case something gets messed up
i certainly recommend RW but i do not have MS trainsim
to compare
if you need any help just ask
H

rohan
August 30th, 2010, 20:53
H,
thanks very much for your response. Since I originally posted, I found more info on Steam which your post confirms, along with others here. Funnily enough, the extra info (including a set of FAQ) was on the Rail Simulator site linked IIRC from the RW UK TrainSim site. Amongst those FAQ was a comment about never being compelled to go online after the initial installation and activation of RW.

I also found out that RW is installed within the Steam folder heirarchy on a PC and that any other add-ons that you install go within that folder structure (just like any other program really). So, as long as you do what you suggest and keep proper backups externally, there should be no problem recovering from any glitches caused by updates.

I guess I'm almost convinced that I should buy RW although I still have a niggling concern about the jaggies and stutters that I've seen in youtube movies that have been posted. I suspect those were caused by the type of PC / video cards used by the movie's creators, and that my new high spec PC will not have the same symptoms however ( if and when I ever get to be able to finish building it),
thanks again,
Ro

Snuffy
August 31st, 2010, 03:47
I assure you, as a RW player, I have no stutters or jaggies in my RW sim.

rohan
August 31st, 2010, 04:01
Thanks for that. Another question occurred to me yesterday. Is something like TrackIR of any use to either TS or RW ?
TIA,
Ro

Snuffy
August 31st, 2010, 07:24
No Tracker as I am aware of.

rohan
September 7th, 2010, 08:53
I guess that you mean that TrackIR doesn't work with RW - perhaps it doesn't need to because of the way that "cabviews" work in RW ?

Here's another question about RW. I've looked at many of the add-ons on the Steam website and am frankly disappointed with the way that they look. For example, the Class 158 DMU - looking at the various screenshots, they look more like pictures of painted images; rather like a lot of the movie posters from the 50's and 60's, paintings instead of photographs, flat and matt with no dimension at all. My point is, is this the way they look in game, because if that is the case, I don't think I'll bother ???
Thanks again in advance,
Ro

Henry
September 8th, 2010, 07:32
mine are fine
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b327/henrybaker/mossie/210/Screenshot_ThePortRoad_5484661--403913_10-01-40.png
but its not one of the best looking in my opinion
H

rohan
September 8th, 2010, 08:10
H,
thanks, especially for the quick response - that does look an awful lot better than (most of) the ones on the Steam website. Think RW is back on track for a purchase fairly soon.

Oh, which are the best looking ones in your opinion ? I'm wondering if the ones that are tempting me might be the same,
regs,
Ro

Henry
September 8th, 2010, 08:48
H,
thanks, especially for the quick response - that does look an awful lot better than (most of) the ones on the Steam website. Think RW is back on track for a purchase fairly soon.

Oh, which are the best looking ones in your opinion ? I'm wondering if the ones that are tempting me might be the same,
regs,
Ro
Rohan i believe you are a Brit
RW is more attuned to the British Rail enthusiasts than MS trainsim
as the prices for most add ons are pretty good
and there are a lot of free repaints it works for me
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b327/henrybaker/mossie/210/Screenshot_ThePortRoad_5486705--404746_10-04-17.png
another better looking 158
H

Snuffy
September 8th, 2010, 09:20
I concur with H ...

RW is really more attuned to the Brit and European style trains that American ATM.

rohan
September 9th, 2010, 01:27
H,
I may have been born and raised in the UK but that doesn't necessarily mean that I have either interests in or preferences for anything British. In fact, above all else I consider myself human with no boundaries of any kind; either national, political or geographical. I may speak and write in British and have a UK passport, but that's all out of necessity, not personal choice, and I've taught myself several languages over the years, though I'm far from fluent in any of them.

When I was growing up, I had two passions - planes and trains. It's true that my favourite aircraft are largely British lead by the Spitfire, Mosquito, TSR-2 and VC-10, but my favourite trains (and cars) are European, predominantly German. Those gigantic, multi-axled steam engines of the 40's and 50's were like a magnet to me, and I dreamed of having a Märklin or Fleischmann train set when I was grown up and could afford those exquisite, intricately detailed model engines. The train set I did have was Hornby-Dublo and the engine was the 4-6-2 Duchess of Montrose - a beautiful model with graceful, elegant curves that looked as if everything was in perfect proportion.

Now, my dreams are of humans going to the stars and my preference in trains begins with the ICE3 through the Shinkansen and TGV down to the Class 390. And it's the 390 (thanks to Bill Ortis) that will be my first add-on for RW, though I've been looking for suitable coaches and wagons for the rather nice DB 101 in RW. In fact, I've already grabbed a lot of European wagons from various French, German and Italian websites that I found while I was looking for ICE3 models. On top of that, I found a few interesting smaller DMUs and EMUs which I also grabbed - the Lint, Desiro, Talent and Buffel, and I'll be looking at the Class 380 and 158 as well. And yes, that is another better looking 158.

So, all in all, while I appreciate the lower emphasis on American trains in RW compared to TS, it's not actually the British content that attracts me either ... and I'm most definitely NOT a Brit since my heart's in New Zealand, my head's in Norway and the one true love of my life is in Denmark.
Such is life ... or so "they" try and tell me,
Regards
Ro

rohan
September 25th, 2010, 03:01
is that there seem to be at least three versions of it - German, UK and US. However, the updates available for each version seem to be different. For example, I've seen messages about the contents of a recent update to the German version which imply that, at least, the German and UK versions have significantly different content after the update has been applied (as in different engines and stock). I've also seen messages that suggest that the UK and US versions have differences in content too. I ask because, as I said, I have more interest in the German version in particular and, if what I surmise here is true, I would be interested in obtaining those updates even if I buy the UK version from Steam.

So, please can someone confirm if there are indeed different regional versions available, and, if so, is it possible to buy them from Steam somehow ? Alternatively, is it possible to apply, say, German updates to a UK version, if indeed there is a way to even get the German updates ?

Thanks in advance,
Ro
:ernae:

Henry
October 4th, 2010, 06:49
is that there seem to be at least three versions of it - German, UK and US. However, the updates available for each version seem to be different. For example, I've seen messages about the contents of a recent update to the German version which imply that, at least, the German and UK versions have significantly different content after the update has been applied (as in different engines and stock). I've also seen messages that suggest that the UK and US versions have differences in content too. I ask because, as I said, I have more interest in the German version in particular and, if what I surmise here is true, I would be interested in obtaining those updates even if I buy the UK version from Steam.

So, please can someone confirm if there are indeed different regional versions available, and, if so, is it possible to buy them from Steam somehow ? Alternatively, is it possible to apply, say, German updates to a UK version, if indeed there is a way to even get the German updates ?

Thanks in advance,
Ro
:ernae:
i believe you have railworks and rail simulator confused
railworks is all 3 and updates are for all and free
originally rail simulator was in different countries so you needed to upgrade the uk version
for example
but now they are all one
the last upgrade to rail works did in fact update the German version
its automatic
hope that helps
there is also a great site for free downloads here
http://www.bahn-simulation.de/
H

rohan
October 4th, 2010, 18:58
H,
thanks for clarifying the situation on Railworks updates. I believe the confusion arose because, in general, people these days don't think too hard about what they're writing, especially when the point is to communicate information. Instead of saying "Railworks update X" (or whatever it was - the one which contained updates to the German rolling stock), people called it "the German update" forgetting, or ignoring, the fact that the latter phrase carries more implications than the former, and regardless of whether the update contained changes for non-German objects. I suppose that the fact that Rail Simulator was available in localised versions while Railworks is not may have been a factor in causing confusion for some, and indeed I suspect that the very fact that Railworks is an evolution of Rail Simulator probably adds to the general confusion,
thanks again,
Ro