Atomic Systems

Hi I've just recieved a e mail from European Bahn saying they are returning to development work on MSTS routes.the work is on East Coast Mainline,West Coast Mainline,Midland and Great Western.

It's called series work similar to when they merged London to Brighton and West Coast Express,to form LSC,The new additions will be by down load only.

Michael

Well it looks like they're scrapping the idea of doing some development work for RailWorks, which is what makes me really cross. :bad-words: :bad-words:

pspvoyager220 wrote:Well it looks like they're scrapping the idea of doing some development work for RailWorks, which is what makes me really cross. :bad-words: :bad-words:

Diassappointed would be understandable, but cross? It's not as thought EB (or anyone else for that matter) are obliged to develop for a particular simulator.

Ash

Ah, but they announced RailWorks and its release date on their homepage but it seems to be taken down now. I know it could be for any reason that they're not developing for RW (which I will try and ask them about), but the game needs a bit more content, so I think I agree, dissapointed would be a more appropriate word.

EB back to MSTS, that was unexpected I thought they had moved on to RW.

Have to wait and see what happens then.

Cheers Craig

cgood124 wrote:EB back to MSTS, that was unexpected I thought they had moved on to RW.

Have to wait and see what happens then.

Cheers Craig

Hopefully they'll make an effort with the scenery on their latest routes. When I got London South Coast as a birthday present I noticed the scenery around Portsmouth & Brighton looked nothing like real life! At least the scenery on Dorset Coast v6 is representative, whereas on LSC Portsmouth resembles Pyongyang, albeit without the propaganda.

energize wrote:

cgood124 wrote:EB back to MSTS, that was unexpected I thought they had moved on to RW.

Have to wait and see what happens then.

Cheers Craig

Hopefully they'll make an effort with the scenery on their latest routes. When I got London South Coast as a birthday present I noticed the scenery around Portsmouth & Brighton looked nothing like real life! At least the scenery on Dorset Coast v6 is representative, whereas on LSC Portsmouth resembles Pyongyang, albeit without the propaganda.

Hi
I think it can be said, without contradiction, EB are the most successful commercial developers in the UK.
What has to be appreciated is that to be this, you have to aim at a much larger market than a few UKTS members.
These people are gamers, who play games, and do not study railways.
You have to get your developments published, in hard copy, and excepted by the 'High Street' stores.
I'm guessing that someone at EB has predicted possible RW sales, and made a decision.
I personally haven't bought the last 4 releases, but only because they didn't interest me.
I have got the ECML, as far as York, and enjoy it.
If the Midland Mainline reaches Nottingham/Derby then I will certainly buy it.
Cheers
Jon

Hi John

You have to get your developments published, in hard copy, and excepted by the 'High Street' stores.

RS.com have already made the decision to stick with Steam, or at least DLC, and RailWorks will become essentially an online game. This is their way of getting their product to the maximum number of gamers and Paul Jackson has already predicted that in as little as a year's time, most games will be delivered via download. The days of buying games/simulations on disc are very much numbered.

As far as third party developers are concerned, RS.com do offer to assist with getting content onto the Steam DLC list so it will be interesting to see why European Bahn appear to have stopped developing for RailWorks despite the help offered.

Hi
Well its an interesting idea.
I don't think whatever RS do it will make it take off though, as its too complicated for gamers and not detailed enough for simmers.
Certainly thats going from feedback from my son and his friends.
I've watched with interest some of the decisions of the RS company, over the last few years.
Cheers
Jon

Another problem, of course, is that RailWorks is being continually developed so that products created for one version may not work properly when improvements are made. This is not the fault of RS.com or anyone else, but does highlight the biggest difference between MSTS and RailWorks where the core program is still being developed.

Acorncomputer wrote: it will be interesting to see why European Bahn appear to have stopped developing for RailWorks despite the help offered.

I will try to get in contact with them in the hope to get an answer.

pspvoyager220 wrote:

Acorncomputer wrote: it will be interesting to see why European Bahn appear to have stopped developing for RailWorks despite the help offered.

I will try to get in contact with them in the hope to get an answer.

Hi
Yes it will be interesting..........I'm guessing....... because presumably EB are used to selling in LARGE quantities.
I know its not fashionable to say it.... but I get an email every other week begging me to buy RW at cheaper and cheaper prices.... that is not from a product that is selling well.
Regardless what the RW PR dept says.

Cheers
Jon

They are killing themselves.
Complete wrong payware concept: there must be a balance between freeware and payware.
Freeware builders are not interested in making content for a payware concept.
I have tried it for a month and i wanted to build a station.
I am used to Gmax (as most potential freewarebuilders for RW); there is no Gmax exporter;
then the following free 3d program: Blender: the Blender exporter doesnt work for bumpmapping and animations. (I use bumpmapping for important buildings, such as stations)
the following: 3d canvas: the freeware version can not export to RW.
There is no good tutorial what to do from exporting the object to having it showing up in game ; which denominations to use, example of a blueprint and explanation how to fill in the fields, ...

jbilton wrote:

pspvoyager220 wrote:

Acorncomputer wrote: it will be interesting to see why European Bahn appear to have stopped developing for RailWorks despite the help offered.

I will try to get in contact with them in the hope to get an answer.

Hi
Yes it will be interesting..........I'm guessing....... because presumably EB are used to selling in LARGE quantities.
I know its not fashionable to say it.... but I get an email every other week begging me to buy RW at cheaper and cheaper prices.... that is not from a product that is selling well.
Regardless what the RW PR dept says.

Cheers
Jon

I think you may be under-estimating the sales of RailWorks. RS.com get instant feedback from Steam about the number of sales, which countries those sales have been to and many other useful bits of data. They can cut the prices for a weekend if they wish without any prior preparation and generally adjust the prices to suit the market. I think they have actually been quite successful in this respect but this is still on the basis that it is an online game. This concept, however, is something that I think traditional trainsimmers may find difficult or even impossible to accept.

Hi
But you don't cut prices of an item ....that is selling well.... there's no need.
'Supply and demand' ........ is basic business.
I appreciate that delivering via a low cost method is a cheap way of distribution.
I'm guessing at some point though, it becomes more expensive per unit, if sales are low.
If that demand becomes too low perhaps not viable.
What happens then.... Steam service RW for nothing ?
I could however except that the basic game is offered cheap, as then they can make more money on expensive addons.
The danger here is one of 'over milking' the faithful.
Maybe I'm in a minority for this view, but I don't see it as buying RW for £15.99, but then having to spend a further £200 odd on addons.
As running up and down a couple of default routes, in a couple of old default trains wouldn't interest me.
Cheers
Jon