Trainz Multiplayer

Revision as of 17:23, 31 January 2011

Trainz Multiplayer Public Beta

Welcome to the Trainz Multiplayer Public Beta. The development team at N3V and our beta testers have spent much of the last year on ensuring that we can provide the very best multiplayer experience possible to the Trainz community. This public beta is the final step in that long journey, where we make the beta software available to the community for final testing and feedback.

There are two important points to keep in mind when using the Public Beta. Firstly, it's a beta- while we've worked hard to ensure that your first experience is a good one, there are sure to be a few rough edges. If you're looking for a final, polished, product then it might be best to wait for a little longer. Secondly, while we're undertaking the beta in order to get public feedback, please keep in mind that we won't have the opportunity to follow up on every request before the official release. We consider Trainz Multiplayer to be an ongoing process rather than a final destination- feedback that is given during the Public Beta will be used to help shape the ongoing direction of Trainz Multiplayer after it is released.

Things to Know Before Installing

The Trainz Multiplayer Public Beta is available as a manual patch from TS2010 SP3 (build 44088.) If you don't have that exact Trainz build installed, you will not be able to install the Public Beta. This is the latest available build of TS2010, so make sure that you've installed all of the TS2010 patches first.

Installing the Public Beta patch will modify your existing TS2010 build to support Trainz Multiplayer. This process adds a number of features, but also removes a few legacy features. Do not install the Public Beta patch if you wish to continue using these features. The removed features are as follows:

• The Scenario menu, and support for operating scenarios.
• "Compatibility" mode.

Trainz Multiplayer requires an internet connection. We've had reasonable success with dial-up, although a broadband connection will offer a better experience.

Access to the Trainz Multiplayer Public Beta requires that your Planet Auran account had a registered TS2010 CD KEY prior to January 10th 2011. If you did not register your key prior to this date, then you will regrettably not be able to participate in the Trainz Multiplayer sessions at the current time.

Finally, Trainz Multiplayer requires that any content used in a Multiplayer Session is available on your computer in unmodified form. If you've modified the content, Trainz will automatically revert your modifications and (where necessary) download the latest version from the Auran Download Station. Don't worry- Trainz will always ask before modifying content, and will move the modified files into a "backups" folder in the Trainz program folder in case you need to get them back later.

Installing the Public Beta

Before installing the Trainz Multiplayer Public Beta, we strongly recommend that you perform a complete backup of your entire TS2010 program folder (including any downloaded or home-built content.) This will allow you to restore to the regular TS2010 version if you have any serious problems during the course of the Public Beta.

The Public Beta patch can be downloaded at the following location:

• http://download.ts2009.com/patch/44088_to_45467.exe (this file is 73,706,224 bytes.)

After downloading, you should start the patch executable, select your TS2010 program folder if necessary, and start patching. Patching may take a long time. It is normal for the patch progress bar to stop moving for long periods. Do not interrupt the patch process. A text log is displayed detailing the patch progress. It is normal and expected for this log to include warnings regarding differences in the asset database. It is normal for this log to include a database repair summary such as "(1 Errors, 0 Warnings)", and this does not indicate a problem with the patch. Once the patch has completed successfully, start Trainz as normal.

Getting Started with Trainz Multiplayer

Joining an Existing Multiplayer Session

To join a multiplayer session, simply follow these steps:

• Start Trainz and open the Routes menu.
• Select a Multiplayer-capable Route (currently Port Ogden & Northern, or Harbor Master) to view the available sessions.
• In the route's sessions list, select an active multiplayer session. If there are any active multiplayer sessions they will appear differently to regular sessions, listing the name of the hosting user by default.
• Enter the multiplayer session as you would any other session. A multiplayer-specific connection dialog is displayed before Driver starts loading as usual.
• If you don't have the latest content required for the selected session, you will be prompted to download it at this point. Selecting "Yes" will download the updates and automatically launch you in to the game. Selecting "No" will cancel the session join and return you to the Routes menu.
• When you load into Driver, you'll notice that the Multiplayer Session is still loading. This can take a minute or so depending on the route and your connection speed.
• Once you're in the game, the multiplayer window will change to show a list of players currently in the game.
• Click on "Choose a Driver" to see a list of available drivers and trains in the session.
• Click on the eye button to view the train's location on the map, and then click on the arrow button next to the driver of your choice.
• Drive your train around!

Chat during Multiplayer Sessions

During a Multiplayer Session, a special chat channel is visible which allows communication between participants. This chat channel is not a regular window, but can still be dragged or resized to suit. Session admins and officers are denoted in the chat and you should take care to follow their directions - they have the power to kick you from that Multiplayer Session if you are being disruptive.

We recommend that the first thing you do when joining a multiplayer session is to greet your fellow participants and ask how you can best help out in the Session. Don't be afraid to ask for advice regarding Trainz Multiplayer or the specific session that you have joined.

Gameplay

In Trainz Multiplayer, you control one or more Drivers. Each driver is assigned to a train, so through the driver you can control a train. You cannot control a train which does not have your driver, and you cannot control a train which is already controlled by someone else's driver.

Both of the sessions initially provided for the Trainz Multiplayer Public Beta are "sandbox" sessions. That means that we provide the routes and locos, but you get to decide what to do with them. While we will be providing more structured sessions during the course of the public beta and continuing after the official launch, we wanted to start with the basics and get the community up to speed with using the multiplayer mode first.

Before hosting your own multiplayer session, it's probably worthwhile for you to take some time to familiarise yourself with the routes and to participate in a few established multiplayer sessions. This way you can get a feel for the capabilities of Trainz Multiplayer before you're lumped with the responsibility of assigning tasks to other users.

Hosting a Multiplayer Session

Anybody can start a Multiplayer Session, however it helps if you've got some friends ready to join you. Just follow these steps:

• Start Trainz and open the Routes Menu.
• Select a Multiplayer-capable Route (currently Port Ogden & Northern, or Harbor Master) to view the available sessions.
• In the route's sessions list, select a session which is designed for multiplayer (currently Multiplayer Sandbox - Large or Small.)
• Enter the session as per normal. You'll note that Driver starts normally and you're immediately in the game.
• At this point you are still in single-player mode. You need to take additional steps to being hosting a Multiplayer Session.
• The Multiplayer options dialog is visible on the screen. If you close it, you can use the new Multiplayer button near the right of the Trainz main menu bar to bring it back.
• If you want, you can customise the options in the Multiplayer dialog. We recommend that you give your Multiplayer Session a short, descriptive name.
• If you wish to start a private multiplayer session, you can specify a password. If you do this, you'll need to let your friends know the name of your session and the password to use.
• Click "Start Session" to begin the multiplayer session. This allows other users to find your Multiplayer Session in the Routes Menu.
• Wait for some friends to join your session! While it's possible for random Trainz users to join in unless you've set a password, it's best if you organise for some friends to join you straight away.
• Once other players are in the game you can assign them drivers by clicking on them in the player list and choosing "Assign Driver..."
• You can also promote or kick players by right clicking on their portraits in the multiplayer window list and selecting the relevant options.
• You are now the Admin of your multiplayer session. Let your participants know what you'd like them to do, and away you go.