Buying or replacing MSTS Software

[steam4me]

Just dug out my old MSTS CD ver 1.0 CD:
Version 1.0 - train.exe is dated 10-May-2001, whereas version 1.4 - train.exe is dated 11-Dec-2001

[ianmacmillan]

We need to help MSTS escape from the Zoo.



MSTS was distributed by Xplosiv who were owned by Empire Interactive.

When they went bankrupt the rights were sold to New World IP, LLC who own Zoo Publishing, Inc
http://www.prlog.org/10231759-zoo-publi ... talog.html

[slipperman12]

Hi Yuri,

you don't have the original MSTS

My apologies to you and to anyone else confused by my post. I do in fact have the Microsoft Game Studio version (1.4) with the Flying Scotsman on the cover with the flash "Now with 2 new locomotives, 7 new rolling stock and more!" and train.exe dated 11 December 2001.

Cheers,
Ged

[steamnut44]

Thank you Uri, for the information regarding the various versions of MSTS. Still very popular after nine years since its introduction and in my opinion as far as running, making activities and building routes, is still the best simulator. Maybe when Open Rails is available as a finished version, it will make MSTS even better than it is at present. Even MSTS Bin made quite a difference to this old simulator. Pity Microsoft had to pull the plug on the MSTS2, as this would have been the ultimate train simulator.

Geoff

[jbilton]

Hi Yuri,

you don't have the original MSTS

My apologies to you and to anyone else confused by my post. I do in fact have the Microsoft Game Studio version (1.4) with the Flying Scotsman on the cover with the flash "Now with 2 new locomotives, 7 new rolling stock and more!" and train.exe dated 11 December 2001.

Cheers,
Ged

Hi Ged
This was (is) my original copy .... but I think it was UK only.
It installs a larger Train.exe about 4.76Mb ..... requires the CD in the drive by default and phones Bill on a crash.
When the Bin patch came out I used to have to 'web upgrade' to 'downgrade' .... before the patch would install.

Cheers
Jon

[slipperman12]

Hi Jon,
What's always puzzled me is that, as you say, the size of train.exe, as initially installed, is 4764KB, but when the web 1.4 upgrade/downgrade is applied, it becomes 3997KB! It then retains this same size when MSTSBin 1.7 or 1.8 is applied.

Cheers,
Ged

[jbilton]

Hi Jon,
What's always puzzled me is that, as you say, the size of train.exe, as initially installed, is 4764KB, but when the web 1.4 upgrade/downgrade is applied, it becomes 3997KB! It then retains this same size when MSTSBin 1.7 or 1.8 is applied.

Cheers,
Ged

Hi Ged
That is because the Bin patch was based on the universally freely available version of Train.exe.
Which as you say is 3997Kb in size.
I would guess the extra 'bit' on the 4764Kb version is the phone-home/ need CD instructions.
You can keep copies of the original, in the same folder, if they are called something slightly different .... such as 'Train1.1.exe' , 'Train1.4.exe' etc.
I found this useful when I was developing or testing a few years back.
Cheers
Jon

[casperdog]

Hi
How do your disks get scratched/damaged/useless?
While in the UK i installed MSTS once from the original version ( an enormous box for 2 cd's and the manual ) almost as soon as it was released. I ran it for 4 years without a re-install.
Since being in Turkey for the last 3 years, it has been loaded, and it does route making/ activity making/train running like a dream and i have never had to do a re-install.

Am i lucky.

cheers
clive

[slipperman12]

Hi Clive,

How do your disks get scratched/damaged/useless?

I think it's a generation thing! When my step-grandchildren have finished using a CD or DVD, they don't put it back in its case, like we would (!), but leave it lying about on the floor, under the sofa, wherever...! I've even seen them thrown into a drawer with screwdrivers, scissors, etc. I think I'm becoming a grumpy old man!!

Cheers,
Ged

[Tonysmedley]

How often you need to re-install MSTS involves many factors.
A PC malfunction, a mistake in dragging a file from one place to another, a corrupted download, all these have happened to me over the years and sometimes a re-install is the easiest way to deal with it.
If you have never had to re-install then you either are very lkucky or don’t use MSTS vewry much!

Tony

[casperdog]

Hi Clive,

How do your disks get scratched/damaged/useless?

I think it's a generation thing! When my step-grandchildren have finished using a CD or DVD, they don't put it back in its case, like we would (!), but leave it lying about on the floor, under the sofa, wherever...! I've even seen them thrown into a drawer with screwdrivers, scissors, etc. I think I'm becoming a grumpy old man!!

Cheers,
Ged

Hi Ged .That fun to come. Grand-daughter is 7 months old now and takes a serious interest in whistle blowing . She has now has a no play zone within 10 meters of the computer but try explaining that to her
a paniking grandfather
clive

[casperdog]

Hi Tony
I am on MSTS every day, sometimes for 8 hours route building (yes i'm a glutton for punishment with nothing better to do)
I am careful. I don't allow installers to put things in whether its routes, stock or whatever. Everything gets put into a folder if i'm happy it gets installed, but msts is backed up first especially with routes so i can go back easily. So with hand on heart a re-install of MSTS just doesn't happen. A PC malfunction equals only one re-install and that has happened to me but only once.

How often you need to re-install MSTS involves many factors.
A PC malfunction, a mistake in dragging a file from one place to another, a corrupted download, all these have happened to me over the years and sometimes a re-install is the easiest way to deal with it.
If you have never had to re-install then you either are very lkucky or don’t use MSTS vewry much!

Tony

cheers
clive

[lumpchase]

We need to help MSTS escape from the Zoo.



MSTS was distributed by Xplosiv who were owned by Empire Interactive.

When they went bankrupt the rights were sold to New World IP, LLC who own Zoo Publishing, Inc

Not entirely accurate but close enough
It appears that Empire Interactive (t/a Xplosiv) only had a licence to distribute the product and the IP was still belonging to Microsoft at that time. New World IP / Zoo simply do not respond to emails regarding MSTS and I think flying from here to their office to ask them is a little extreme

There are other licensed distributors (Atari/Ubisoft) who have simply stopped producing the product for no apparent reason other than lack of previous sales.

GameWholesale are now selling (as posted previously) for £25 plus packaging and others are now listing it as "Collectable" because of its hard to come by nature.

Perhaps a few well-meaning emails to Atari/Ubisoft may assist us with the plight!

[40058]

I have both the original and Explosive versions, with regards to backing up on an external HDD... yes you can, I have copied both discs into one folder and it installs without asking for disc 2 then you install the V1.2 patch to avoid using the CD to play. I will be sticking with MSTS even though Railworks looks tempting, just not tempting enough plus it would be a costly move anyway and funds are going elsewhere. Would be good though if Openrails and MSTS was packaged together in the future

40058.

[lumpchase]

Eventually it will be that you won't need Open Rails, its just for now until there are alternatives to the MSTS files that it needs (Track, Shape, Texture, Routes at the moment I imagine).