Sounds

[thebumb]

You know, I think where we are with Railworks is great and I thank the development team for the fantastic sim that we now have, which is getting better and better. I've been there since the start in 2007 and like most on these forums have spent a considerable sum on addons and PC upgrades.

However, I recently spent the spare time I had modifying a clone of one of the default routes (S&D). Adding in assets to impove the yards and overall atmosphere; really enjoyed it. Then it happened again...something we have had since day one, and for me is a real immersion killer. I created a scenario, no problems...shut down then restarted RW...started the scenario I had just created and started driving my charge (DT Rebuilt WC). Partway through...the sounds started cutting out...Aaarrhh!!...an issue which presents itself with most locos, especially steam.

That was 3 weeks ago and I haven't started Railworks since. In fact the Steam sale, for me, was spent purchasing other titles (Skyrim, Portal 2) where previously the money would have gone into RW DLC...am I losing faith?

I don't have a stellar PC, but it is reasonable by gaming standards (i5 760, 8GB ram, GTX 570, Sound Blaster...) and runs most thing I throw at it with ease.

I really appreciate all the improvements to the bells and whistles both past and what is coming in the near future. However, what I really, really, really want to see is improvements in the way the program handles sounds to get rid of this cutting out issue once and for all. When you look at what has been improved and what is in the pipeline, I don't think I'm asking too much. It's the only game I have where sound is an issue and for me is starting to be a killer.

Stu.

[growler37]

Hi, I 100% agree with you!
This has been with us since day 1 of Rail Simulator, along with a lot of other problems, which i feel, if they could have been cured, they would have been by now, Train Simulator 2012 is basicly Rail Simulator with some bolt-ons added.
Whilst RS.com resources are chanelled into, multiplayer, X box controllers, and other bright ideas, the core program is groaning under the weight, surely it is nearing the end of its life expectancy now,and the real challenge is a more uptodate replacement,although i fear this is probably beyond the expertise of a small company like RS.COM, and buying in a replacement would be beyond there resources,so we are probably stuck with what we have for the forseeable future.

Regards
Kev

[Irishrailguy]

I can't complain, since when has this issue existed? I've never heard of anyone complaining abut this sound bug. Plus I've never had this problem myself. There are undoubtedly a number of basic issues with the core technology which have been ignored by RSC, after spending a phenomenal amount of money on this new system I'm seeing the inefficiency of the game engine when I still get a massive frame hit when moving from one land tile to the next on more modern routes like L2B and WCML, so they really do need to take a sensible approach to their development pattern. I somehow feel that Facebook is impeding RSC's vision on progress for the title. With all those people complaining about the lack of having practically every locomotive and unit on the planet in the game they probably feel that they will see more success in the long run by throwing out more DLC. This method gives a few happy faces and some extra cash in the pocket until, about 20 minutes later, people are complaining once again about how their favorite train is not in the game.

The problem with doing core fixes is that it's time consuming, and although it makes most users very happy (me included ) it doesn't really do much for the overall sales of the product, as the only people who will really appreciate it are those who already own RW.

Kev

[davejc64]

Can't really say I've noticed any problem with my sounds, except when I forget to turn the speakers on that is.

[OrpheusRocker]

... I've never heard of anyone complaining abut this sound bug...

Lucky you, sir.
This happens to me from time-to-time but have seen no pattern to diagnose, more's the pity. My solution is to go open circuit National Grid and come back another day

Andy

[AndyUK]

I can't complain, since when has this issue existed? I've never heard of anyone complaining abut this sound bug.....

You're Paul Jackson and I claim my £5!!

Andy L

[lemberg]

Must be a different simulator he's got.

Keith

[Thugsy]

Yes this problem has existed since Day 1 and is still there despite PC upgrades etc. I tend to only find it these days driving steam locos and rarely anything else and even then it only seems to happen when driving on the mainline at speed. If driving a steamer on Falmouth branch for instance no problem. I don't expect this to be fixed now to be honest and as a result I tend to stick to diesel and electric in the main.

[bdy26]

Tis as old as the hills. A good sound card and more RAM definitely help, but sound is a weak point. When the sim reaches "capacity" sounds drop out in order of priority in the bin file. Passing AI often causes it. There are ways to set up the sound to minimise the impact (AP do this well) but the defaults and a lot of DLC doesn't.

Save a reload will fix.... Until the next AI passes.

B

[smarty2]

I would concur i had an sound blaster extreme gamer pro fatal1ty, what with the total lack of decent driver support in W7 which makes my soundcard obsolete thus forcing creative card owners to upgrade to their newer cards decided to go for an Asus xonar D2X, no drop outs and no stuttering when kettles went by, not like the creative card, only thing i miss is the EAX, but having said that you really notice much more accurate 3D sound staging with the Xonar ime.

[thebumb]

So is it time to ditch the Soundblaster Card? Or is it throwing good money after bad?

[smarty2]

So is it time to ditch the Soundblaster Card? Or is it throwing good money after bad?

Well it is entirely your choice, I would recommend the Xonar but then again I have no experience with the new creative cards.

[Irishrailguy]

So is it time to ditch the Soundblaster Card? Or is it throwing good money after bad?

Well it is entirely your choice, I would recommend the Xonar but then again I have no experience with the new creative cards.

That's actually the one I have (A Soundblaster X-Fi PCI-E), I am actually annoyed at Creative for designing a range of products that do completely different things without stating clearly what each one does. My Sound blaster is the only component in my new system which didn't function as I'd hoped, I found out the hard way that my PCI-Express version didn't have front jack connectivity, so now all the speakers and headsets have to be wired round the back of my case, I probably should have gone for the ASUS card, but I was hearing round the forums that there's a lack of EAX support and there are compatibility issues with RW, which threw me off the idea of buying one, now I regret it.

But for the sound issue I suppose my lack of having the problem might come down to the fact that I have plenty of RAM teamed with an i7 2700K at 4.5Ghz, so no memory loss anywhere (except when FSX typically decides to be glutenous and gobbles up all of it). But I do remember momentary lapses of sound on my old PC when an AI passed, however it was only for an instant when RW stuttered and then it came back.

Kev

[thebumb]

So is it time to ditch the Soundblaster Card? Or is it throwing good money after bad?

Well it is entirely your choice, I would recommend the Xonar but then again I have no experience with the new creative cards.

That's actually the one I have (A Soundblaster X-Fi PCI-E), I am actually annoyed at Creative for designing a range of products that do completely different things without stating clearly what each one does. My Sound blaster is the only component in my new system which didn't function as I'd hoped, I found out the hard way that my PCI-Express version didn't have front jack connectivity, so now all the speakers and headsets have to be wired round the back of my case, I probably should have gone for the ASUS card, but I was hearing round the forums that there's a lack of EAX support and there are compatibility issues with RW, which threw me off the idea of buying one, now I regret it.

But for the sound issue I suppose my lack of having the problem might come down to the fact that I have plenty of RAM teamed with an i7 2700K at 4.5Ghz, so no memory loss anywhere (except when FSX typically decides to be glutenous and gobbles up all of it). But I do remember momentary lapses of sound on my old PC when an AI passed, however it was only for an instant when RW stuttered and then it came back.

Kev

I can't compare to some of the horsepower being stated here, but I would have thought my 8 gig of ram, combined with the separate sound card was more than enough for RW sounds. I guess my sound car is getting a little long in the tooth now compared with some of the newer models, but I wouldn't have expected a top spec sound card to be required. I suppose it comes down to the fact that RW is so resource heavy, but surely something could be done in the core program to help smooth things out. Like Thugsy I have found myself preferring to stick to diesels and electrics as they don't suffer the sound issue anywhere near as much as steam, but there is more of a challenge to handling a steam loco . I suppose I expect that fixes for issues such as this should be higher up the implementation tree than some of the thing that are in the pipeline, especially now nearly five years on from the initial release.

[smarty2]

Well you do need a good soundcard since sounds in game are scenery assets and very resource hungry, the fact that the game still relies on the now outdated microsoft direct x sound instead of the much better Open Al. I really hope RSC sort out the outdated sound system.