Atomic Systems

Hi all.

Although I'm going to wait for a while before deciding on whether to get it (based mainly on whether it can be run without having to allow it Internet Access or the need to uninstall an XP Hotifx), I'm just wondering whether it's as bad as some of you are saying.

For instance, are the problems mainly affecting the die-hard train fans (like physics, and other proto errors) that maybe the more casual user wouldn't really mind too much, or are there more serious things like lock-ups, CTDs, and Resets that occur often.
Maybe the majority of them are somewhere in the middle, like some features not working as they should, or problems with the graphic engine like glitches and tearing.

I'm just trying to gauge whether the game is worth having in it's current state, as I've seen some people say that in their opinion, it isn't.
That just might mean that the sim doesn't give them what they wan't, but might be acceptable for others.

Any comments from people who already have the sim appreciated.
Hopefully it will allow others to make an informed decision on whether it's worth buying it too.

Diolch

Without doubt you'll get a post saying it's complete rubbish. Yes, it has a lot of fundamental problems but it can still be enjoyed with the signalling cocked up and others thing. Well I enjoyed it but I must just be strange...

I enjoyed it and I'm definately strange

You don't have to be online to run it.

Hi Brian,
As it stands I think it has potential but quite honestly there's so much fundamental functionality missing that until the Dev pack arrives it's hard to know exactly what the current state is. Unless you're going to be completely happy playing the built-in routes and scenarios my advice would be to wait for the Dev pack or better yet, hang around here until after Christmas and see what everybody is saying then.

Stuart

I am not sure what to think. I have it on order should probably get it in the next couple of days. I am already dissapointed that certain features are lacking. One can only hope its going to be implemented in the future. I will likely stick with this game as I only have TRS2004 as the fallback and I am not happy with those graphics anymore although I love the functionality.

i can only really echo what other posters have put, yes there are bugs, far more than i thought there would be to bo honest but that said KRS does indeed have a lot of potential, give it a few months, let the community do what they can with it and i think ultimately RS will be quite something.


Stuart

You may want to read the unofficial review by Matt here.

I second that updash9.
It is a level headed comment and certainly made me continue to look forward to receiving my copy which is still working it's through the post office system at present.

Thanks all.
Hi Stuart.
Good to see a familiar face(!?)

Thanks updash9 for the link to Matt's pre-review.
That did answer a lot of my questions.
It sounds like it performs well at least.

So, were the early worries about the built-in advertising needing an Internet connection unfounded?
Or that of needing to uninstall an XP HotFix to get it running, which I believe was the case with the latest Battlefield game?

I haven't been around for an age, so I don't know if this has been posted already, but have Kuju/EA mentioned their plan for Patches or Updates.
It sounds like KRS gets a lot of things right, with a lot of things needing tweaking, and it does indeed look like it has great potential, but I'm just wondering with EA's track record whether or not we'll be getting yearly releases with fixes and updates, rather than patches.
I intentionally missed out 3 years of FIFA so that it would be nearer what I expected it to be, but I'd rather not wait that long for this to be worth having.
KRS 2010 anyone?

Cheers.

So, were the early worries about the built-in advertising needing an Internet connection unfounded?
Or that of needing to uninstall an XP HotFix to get it running, which I believe was the case with the latest Battlefield game?

Well i blocked Internet access during installation and it installed ok and works on XP Home. I didnt have to uninstall any Hotfixes either, so im guessing that was all vapour

It does try to launch IE after the installation, but I just closed that down and it didnt seem to make any difference.

Smileyman wrote:So, were the early worries about the built-in advertising needing an Internet connection unfounded?

They were not unfounded, but later in 2007 Kuju withdrew the plans.
There are tons of ridiculous billboards along the line which do nothing. There is an empty AdCache folder somewhere. But KRS does not phone anywhere.

I'm enjoying using the software overall. The flexibility in the 'free roam' mode which allows you to place stock and consists and switch locos adds an extra dimension. I admit i'm not a great fan of creating activities (too many wasted hours watching the activity editor crash in MSTS ) so that doesn't bother me at the moment. Last night, for example, I clicked into the editor, placed some coaching stock in the sidings at Bath, shunted it around with the 7F, pulled it back into the platform at Green Park, coaled the Black 5 and coupled it to the front and drove the train to Templecombe. Hardly difficult, but most enjoyable.

I agree with others that Matt has got the tone about right with his review. There have been some extraordinarily hysterical postings on here over the last few days and you shouldn't give to much weight to these over more balanced reviews. Your house will not be visited by the 7 plagues should you buy this software. You'll notice that a lot of the same people talk about the same problems over and over again in different threads. A lot of peoples expectations were obviously set too high. I've worked far too long in the IT industry to expect anything like what the marketing men say.

The most pragmatic people seem to be those who've been on these forums the longest and have the greatest experience (dofs cap to John Dibben and Ianm42 amongst others).

Already though, the community has started to proactively work on the shortcomings, I've already applied a fix to get full screen and started terraforming landscape within a week of the software being launched, just from posts on this and other sites.

What Kuju do need to do now is engage with the community to ensure that the worst faults are remedied ASAP. The biggest question is whether Kuju (or RSD?) can work alone with us relatively quickly, or whether everything will have to be laundered through the monolithic EA organisation. I hope for the sake of RS it's the former.

Optimistically,

Paul

Smileyman wrote:Thanks all.
Hi Stuart.
Good to see a familiar face(!?)

There are others.

It's a familiar story really. Good in many parts, but still needs work.

amigacooke

Theres definately things that can be fixed, but im enjoying it alot!

I can see some very interesting scenarios being released when the dev pack comes out, particularly with things such as the passenger comm being pulled and actually stopping the train.