Re: (erielack) Microsoft Train Simulator

["Hank Sundermeyer" <sunderhj_@_email.msn.com>]

Paul :copy to all

Thank you for the MSTS news.  I'm just curious to know how many members on
the list have a computer that comes near the spec your demo had, or are
about to buy one?  TM4 was a great disappointment performance wise.  And I
suspect unless you own close to what Paul saw the demo on, it's going to be
a slide show performance.  My 500Mhz/128 notebook with a decent graphics
accelerator still has annoying screen shudder with TM4 on medium quality
settings.  M$ aimed this product at gamers, not railfans.  I hope for our
sake that strategy works.

(Paul, was the demo running on Windows9x , MEd or Windows 2000 which is NT
by any other name.)

I worry a bit about the editor and its usability.  TM4's route editor takes
programming professionals at least 4 hours per track mile to write.  I know
this because I looked into editing routes for them.  If I understand the M$
prerelease hype correctly, 'homemade' routes will have extremely limited 3D
capability. And they will offer no support for the editor add on.

We all hope for accuracy in the virtual scene, but if Paul saw NEC color
position light signals in WT district: that's wrong.  Unless they've been
changed very recently, the CPL's in WT are Baltimore and Ohio style.  IMHO,
correct signals are just as important as plunking down the right tender
behind a steam loco.
But, I will have to concede, something is better than nothing.

Regards,
Hank
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul)" <paultup_@_lucent.com>
To: <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2001 12:13 AM
Subject: (erielack) Microsoft Train Simulator
> Hello folks,
>
> I'm typing this from a hotel room in Los Angeles. I'm here on
> business, attending the Electronic Entertainment Expo ("E3").
> One thing I wanted to check out was the Microsoft booth at the LA
> Convention Center to see their "Train Simulator."

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