I think I may be getting this soon (just waiting to see how long I can hold out) so I want a few questions out of the way:

1. Will it work with TrackIR?
2. I seem to remember there was a train-setup control for sale before... you know, flight sims have hotas, racing sims have wheels, wasn't there something for trains before?
3. Mods -- I noticed 80-something mods for this game. Will I need any of them? Why should I buy any mod?
4. Trains -- can I drive my favorite train through [insert route name here] even if historically the engine never travelled along those tracks?
5. Is there anything resembling multiplayer for train sims? I know my son would love to drive one but I cannot imagine how we could both be playing this game.

Thanks!

TrackIR did work but is broken for the latest version but hopefully will be patched soon.

You can choose the track to run and there will be set trains on it or choose the train and there will be set tracks for it. But you can modify the files to add trains if you want to learn how to do it - I haven't.

Free roam just lets you pick a train that the sim puts in place and lets you drive around for as long as you like with no timetables etc.

No MP but they want to add it soon.

Lots of add on content like trains and routes but be careful as it can add up to a very expensive sim. I like the diesels because they are fast and easy to drive and pick long tracks as they off better value for money. I have recently bought a UK route which is 100 miles long for instance.

Thanks for the input, NineLives. I appreciate the warning on the costs of this sim, but I'm a flight simulator so I'm used to buying a hundred-dollar peripheral for a thrity-dollar game.

So, what are the "missions" like in this game then? Is there one which starts me with maybe a train, empty cargo cabs, then have me load them up and bring the load to another station? I just don't see how I will NOT be bored during the 15-30 minute commute between stations though. For instance, that 100-mile route you bought... how long from one end to the other? And aside from going up/down slopes and watching speeds on curves, what else is there to do? Are there AI trains that will force you to speed up/stop on intersections?

Looking forward to the MP segment... what do they have in mind?

The missions are pretty basic. With choices between running between 2 places and picking up passengers keeping to a timetable to a complicated shunt moving wagons around etc. There is a lot of choice but there is a limit to how exciting it can get !

It's a bit like FSX. What can you do apart from take of and land etc? And yet we play it because the actual sim itself keeps you coming back.

I play the train sim because it's quick and easy to fire up and start playing. It's a good unwinder after a day at work and you don't spend an hour setting everything up before actually playing it. Just load the sim, pick a scenario and go.

If you choose a simple passenger train then you do spend most of the run just looking at the secenery. You watch the lights and you watch the timetable and that's it. But somehow it's still enjoyable. If you want explosions and gore look elsewhere

I would just buy the basic sim and see how it grabs you but don't rush into a decision after 30 minutes. Give it time and you will grow to like it I am sure. Might be worth looking up some videos on Youtube as well.

I do agree that the missions are pretty "basic" compared to a combat flight sim mission, but I'm willing to give this a go. Loved trains when I was a kid and there's something trance-like about watching a long line of cars behind a powerful deisel.

Can I ask you how you control this sim? Surely not mouse-and-keyboard? I've seen references to Raildriver but I'm not that deep into this sim to warrant such a purchase. I wonder if my TM Warthog will work?

I do agree about FSX-Railworks comparison though. I love FSX for the ground-management and VFR flights (watching the scenery) and then making a perfect landing, but it does have some points of utter boredom in-between. But I still love the trusty Cessna!

£30 and this sim is mine!! HAhahahaha....

Good stuff Yes mouse and keyboard for me. Doesn't bother me. You don't have your hand on the controls like a flight sim. You just adjust stuff as and when needed. I can't justify yet another controller just for one train sim. Good luck

I use keyboard and mouse as well, if I want a bit more complexity I'll use the mouse to drag handles/push buttons in the cab, otherwise keyboard works well. There is a device, Raildriver, Link to Raildriver , however I believe it has functionality issues in Railworks (and for that reason I don't own one, although I have to admit it would be a nice-to-have) due to hard coding in the game vs. what the controller will do...I've read of some work-arounds but again, with RW3 just out I can't say definitively those problems have gone away or if the old work-arounds still work (the use of TIR was a mod that is broken for RW3- which is too bad as TIR in RW2 was very good).

The scenarios get as complicated as you want- they are rated Easy to Very Hard- which really is a statement about the complications presented- e.g., shunting numerous cars around to order a consist properly in a yard under a time limit while maintaining safety standards, to that all important passenger run that must stick to a timetable-- it's a lot harder than it seems and I have developed a HUGE respect for train operators and what they do since starting to play this sim back in the spring. Easy rated scenarios are usually just a here-to-there jaunt, and great for scenery gawking, and learning a route. The scenario editor is easy to jump into if you want to design scenarios that suit your style of play, and there are several really good tutorials out there. Don't overlook the freeware either- there is a lot of really well done routes (some easily better than payware), rolling stock and scenarios that the community has built up over time and because of backwards compatibility should still work fine.

Have fun, get stuck in, as train driving can be really addictive...I've logged more hours in RW over the past few months than any of the air sims I have...sounds crazy but it really is a lot of fun and a good challenge when you want one.

Kind regards

I use my Saitek throttle quad with the aid of this little proggie
http://ftp.uktrainsim.com/viewforum.php?f=318
Well that's not 100% true, I'me still using a much earlier version of it that's a bit more basic and needs more manual setting up, I just prefer it to the current version.

Makes the choo choo's much easier to control than with mouse or keyboard.

I still cant understand why they wont include native joystick or TiR support. seems like a no brainer to me.

Thanks for the input guys. Just finished downloading this from .torrent, erm, I mean Steam. Loved the tutorials and doing the PRR Campaign now. I need help with shunting and braking, but that's for another thread.

Can anyone confirm the RW2 TIR mod works with RW3?

Also looking to make it work with my TM Warthog dual-throttle. I'm thinking one for throttle, the other for brake, and maybe the joystick for the reverser.

I'll leave the DLC/mods for later

For diesels and electrics the reverser isn't important as its either forward, neutral or reverse so the keyboard is good enough, W and S keys BTW.

For the US diesels you really need 2 brakes, Train and Dynamic. I'm just starting to learn how to use the Dynamic brakes myself, essential for controlling your speed on those long downhill runs.

The reverser is essential for Steam trains but there a whole different challenge all together.