Yard Limits: Blog

Holiday Surprise...

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:52:22 GMT

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OK, maybe not a surprise per se, but we do have some new rolling stock renders for you to look at. You can see them here:

http://www.tsinsider.com/en-US/product/Pages/renders.aspx

You'll note there are some new items here that we haven't yet announced, including our first Norfolk Southern locomotive.

And while I know many of you are eager to see the European rolling stock we are working on, it's not quite ready yet. We want to be sure we have it done well, and correctly, before we show images. We are getting close.

With that, I'm signing off for the holidays. It's time for a bit of vacation. We'll chat more next year... :-)

-Rick

More New Eye Candy

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 04:24:32 GMT

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It’s been a few weeks since we released the last batch of information on Microsoft Train Simulator 2. Since that time, we have been busy preparing the product for a senior management review. Long days have turned into long nights, and after a while, the discussions and tasks start blending together into a continual, ongoing discussion about what’s right for the product -- foreshadowing the coming year, perhaps?

But one of the bright spots in this effort is that we have put enough of the product pieces together to thoroughly validate that FSX is a suitable platform on which to develop this new version of Train Simulator. To support our management meeting, we took a few miles of the Norfolk Southern’s Horseshoe Curve route and “built it out” with the necessary landmark objects, trackside details, vegetation, and high-detailed textures. We’re far from done, but the overall effect turned out quite nice, and it's representative of what we can expect in the final product, minus a few of the rough edges which I call out below. It’s satisfying to see the hours of hard work materialize in tangible results.

But, I’m sure you’re eager to see what we have, so without further adieu, lets get to the screen shots! (By the way, they're about 450K each, so let this serve as a warning to those of you on a dial-up connection....) EDIT: This blog service resized the pics. You can see full-size images here: http://www.pbase.com/rselby/train_simulator.

Image #1 shows a train heading under the signal bridge as the train moves east from the Comenaugh area of Johnstown. In the background you can see a number of scenery objects including some auto-generated items. We have more to add here, but the overall effect is pleasing.

Image #2 shows an ATSF autorack car in a train. This gives a good sense of how the rolling stock objects will look in game. You can also see the 3D ties under the rail. We still have some work to do on the items in this scene; for example, the bump map on this car renders the rivets too large, and the track level-of-detail system (LOD) needs some fine-tuning. Also, the entire track network still needs an art pass to make the components look realistic.

Image 3 shows a different view of the autorack model and Centerbeam car, as well as a view up the right-of-way to the east towards South Fork and Altoona. I love the view here, which reveals a distant look at the East Comnaugh Main St. bridge, which you can see in my previous blog posting below. Some may notice the “hash marks” on the locomotive windshield - these have already been fixed in a subsequent build.

Image #4 shows two new pieces of rolling stock that we have not yet announced – an 89-foot intermodal flat car, or “piggyback car”, and a 60-foot Gunderson double-plug door boxcar. We’re still doing some texture work on these models, so you’ll see more of them in the near future.

Image #5 shows an “AI Train” passing our player train as we run the route. The artificial intelligence (AI) system has developed enough to control the spawning and operation of trains to help support the concept of a living world. Also note the weeds and trackside vegetation, as well as the high-detail ground texture alongside the wall.

There's a lot more, but this should do for now. If feedback is strong, I might post more in the next few days - let me know what you think.

So, that’s where we’re at. I hope you enjoyed this little peek at our progress. We’ll spend the next week or two wrapping up the management presentation, and then we’ll be back to the keyboard to continue work on more features, content, and rolling stock.

And by the way, I know many of you are wondering about our plans for European equipment since we’ve yet to show any samples. Rest assured we’re working on it and hope to announce more details in the coming weeks.

So long from rainy Redmond....

-Rick

California Bound....

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 01:50:51 GMT

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Last Friday I left work a bit early so I could fly down to San Diego to play with trains for the weekend. I thought I would share a few photos from the festivities.

Saturday was the Western Prototype Modelers show where attendees bring samples of their model work for display. You can see photos of this event here, courtesy of some of the other event attendees:

http://www.pbase.com/tracktime/wpm2007&page=all

http://www.pbase.com/mrmrl/wpm2007&page=all

On Sunday, I was fortunate to be a guest operator on the HO scale La Mesa Model Railroad Club layout in San Diego’s Balboa Park. This layout is huge – it models California’s Tehachapi Route between Bakersfield and Mojave to a very high level of accuracy. It has an operating signal system (ABS with CTC control points) and features a digital command control (DCC) system that allows operators to walk around with their trains. You can see pictures of this layout here:

http://www.pbase.com/dh30973/lamesa2&page=all

http://www.pbase.com/tgcostello/la_mesa_club_ops_2406&page=all

As noted, this model railroad is absolutely enormous. It's impossible to capture the size of this thing in a single photograph. I got to operate a "loaner" coal train (thanks, Tim!) from about 10:00 AM thru 4:00 PM, and during this time I made it around the layout only twice. All the while, I was meeting other trains along the way and waiting for traffic to clear ahead - just like the real thing. Meanwhile a dozen or so other operators ran their trains elsewhere on the layout.

What does this have to do with Train Simulator? Well, nothing. But it sure was fun.

If you ever find yourself in San Diego, make a point to check out this and the other model railroad layouts at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum. It's worth the trip.

-Rick

Acceleration Pack Buzz

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 06:45:31 GMT

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Our Flight Sim friends down the hallway just put the wraps on the Acceleration Pack for FSX, including support for DX10. You can check out some of the sample images here:

http://www.flightsimworld.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=128136

Of course, you can also find more information on the FSInsider site, located here: www.fsinsider.com.

Enjoy.

-Rick

Another Trains Team Member Hits The Blogs

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:50:53 GMT

Just wanted to drop a quick note to let you know that we have another Train Simulator team member who has started blogging. His name is Mike Porter and he is our vehicle lead on this version of the product. Put another way, he's the one in charge of making the rolling stock models look as realistic as possible.

Mike is posting lots of great tips and tricks for how he builds art objects. I've leared a lot already while reading his posts, and in the future he'll be talking a lot more specifically about how we are buildiing the rolling stock objects for the new TrainSim. You content develpers out there might want to check it out.

http://portergraphic.spaces.live.com/default.aspx

-Rick

Better Late Than Never

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 01:48:30 GMT

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If you are a regular visitor, you know I'm long past due for a blog update. My apologies for going dark for so long. I've been poking around the forums, but I've been delinquent in posting to my blog. I intend to change that going forward now that we have a lot to talk about.

So, what's been going on since my last post? Quite a bit, actually. First and foremost, we're now officially "public" with our intentions to build a new version of Microsoft Train Simulator. Many of you visiting this site are probably already familiar with the details, but just in case, here's the basics from the press release:

World of Rails – “Train Simulator 2” will deliver an entire world of railroad experiences, along with tools to customize, extend and share user created content.. “Train Simulator 2” uses world wide data processing to model nearly all routes in the world and a toolset to build your own routes providing endless options to customize and share content.

Most realistic train simulation experience ever from Microsoft.– TS2 will offer the truest simulation experience to those who love trains, with highly accurate locomotives and rolling stock from its look to the roar of its engine, hand-authored high accuracy routes from present and past, and core track, signal and physics systems.

Hi-Definition Living World – “Train Simulator 2” brings users closer to the world around them with greater detail and greater interaction Terrains are highly detailed, passengers and train crews can be seen interacting with their environment, and sophisticated dispatching and train AI creates a depth of realism. Users will be able to share their experience or their hand authored routes with others via Games for Windows® Live.
Simulation Legacy - Designed and developed by Microsoft’s ACES studios, with over 25 Years of expertise developing best in class simulation.
Games for Windows franchise. Train Simulator 2 will ship as a Games for Windows title with easier installation, reliability standards, and support for key features of Windows Vista^®, including the Games Explorer and Parental Controls.

Of course, we also released a bunch of images along with the press release. You can see these in the new photo album I created, in the upper right portion of the screen.

So, what comes next? Well, a few things. We're really close to launching the new TrainSim website. The content is basically done, we're just waiting for our web services guys to tell us on which server to load the site. We've also been getting lots of art back from some of the vendors, including lots of new rolling stock items that we haven't shown yet. We'll be offering up a few more of these in the near future.

We've also been out doing research for the routes we intend to include in the game. I'm going to save the details here for another post, but I will include one teaser photo from the outing.

One final reminder for all of you - we are still reading the feedback link submissions on the web site. PLEASE take the time to submit your thoughts and ideas to us. We are reading each and every one.

OK, that's all from Redmond for today.

--Rick

An Educational Opportunity...

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 19:12:52 GMT

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Oftentimes, the best way to learn something is to experience it first-hand. There's nothing like a little hands-on experience to really communicate how something works.

Steam locomotives are a great example of this. Nowadays, it's not like you can simply wander down to your local rail line and watch steam locomotives run by, and in turn begin to understand how they really work. No, today, you have to seek them out. And sometimes, this means travel to far-away destinations.

Several of us on the Trains team did just that last week. We headed north - way north - up to Alaska to spend a few days learning about steam locomotives on the White Pass and Yukon Railroad in Skagway, AK. The friendly crew up there was willing to provide a few days' worth of access so we could learn more about these magnificent machines, so we hopped the plane for Whitehorse on our way to Skagway.

And boy did we learn. There's nothing like riding on one of these machines as they blast upgrade with a train on the drawbar. The amount of noise, smoke, steam, heat, and vibration is almost over-stimulating, and it surprised many members of the team as to just how much was actually going on in the cab. We were fortunate to have John Wetzel from Vancouver, BC to serve as our steam locomotive instructor. John is an experienced steam locomotive engineer, and we were thankful he was there to help the team understand the workings of these machines.

The "star attraction" was Baldwin 2-8-2 #73, a relatively modern narrow-gauge locomotive built in 1947. This locomotive was built new for the WP&R and served well until the route dieselized in the '50s. And even though it's narrow gauge, the #73 is a decent sized locomotive that has many similarities to its standard-gauge counterparts. Thankfully, the #73 was preserved and ultimately restored to operation, and it powered our special train up the mountain that day so we could get some first-hand experience with a steam locomotive at work. I've posted some photos of the day's trip so you can experience a bit of the fun vicariously....

All in all, it was a great trip, and we were able to learn a lot. The travel up there was an experience in itself, but I'll leave that story for Tam, our Test Lead, when she updates her blog. Of course, all this information we learned will serve our art, physics, and activities teams as we continue working on this new version of the game.

Oh and one more thing - you shouldn't assume that we'll be offering the WP&Y route in this upcoming release of TrainSim. However, it is a great route, and after experiencing it first-hand, I wouldn't rule it out for inclusion in a future product.

So, aside from travels to faraway places, where are we on the project? Here's a quick rundown of what's going on. We've made great progress on our track network in the game, and without going into detail, we have track working. We're also spending time on the signal system design, as well as the AI system, and both are seeing good results. On the visuals side, we have a lot of design work underway on how we're going to be able to offer a detailed up-close visual experience. We're in the production phase of the project, the one where the work really happens. And before long, you'll be able to see some of the results.

-Rick

Another Trains Team Member Surfaces...

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 19:56:53 GMT

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Just a quick note to let you know that another member of the Trains team has started a blog. Tamara Williams, our Test Manager, is now online, and you can read her thoughts here:

http://gresleyfan.spaces.live.com/

Tam is a self-admitted train enthusiast, and she's here to lead the important testing effort that will go on around Train Simulator. In short, her efforts will help ensure that what we ship meets the quality standards we expect.

And remember, Mike, our Lead Program Manager, blogs here, and Jamie Osborne, our Lead Developer, posts his thoughts here. And you can read the occasional musings of our ACES Studio Design Director here.

And with that, I'm off to another meeting to discuss track: rail, tie type, gradient, curvature, gauge, switches, ballast, and more. Track is obviously a key component for a train simulator product, so we're working hard to define what we'll be able to support in Train Sim. I look forward to sharing the details with you in the not-too-distant future.

-Rick

My my, time flies...

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 01:00:17 GMT

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Wow, has it been a month since my last posting? I feel like such a slacker. Apparently it's true that time flies when you're having fun...

So, what have we been up to? Well, lots -- Lots of design work, lots of spec writing, lots of discussion about what we're building. Things are getting busy and we're working hard to get this next version of Train Simulator on the right track (Get it? Get it?? OK, sorry...).

The good news is we're getting closer to being able to tell you about the details of what it is we're building for you. But, we're not ready just yet. Sorry to be a tease.

One more thing while I've got your attention - there's been some speculation as to how we're going to make the FSX platform look really good at ground level. Well, if you want to see what the on-ground capabilities of FSX are today, take a look at this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJW9BbZgyY0

This was done by members of the FSX community and does a marvelous job showing what the current simulation platform can do at ground level. This is our starting point for trains. I love watching this thing, and hope you enjoy it too.

OK, that's all for now. Back to specifications and meetings....

--Rick

It's a conspiracy, I tell ya!!

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 02:16:46 GMT

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OK, so, by now you know that we're working on a new version of Train Sim. Frankly, based on all my old contacts that have since re-acquainted themselves, it seems as if the whole world knows by now. I'm still pleased to see the response we're getting on this topic, and the feedback we’ve received off the main feedback link has been very interesting and insightful. Keep it coming!

One of the most enjoyable parts of the announcement has been reading all the conspiratorial theories surrounding the new version of Train Simulator. Aside from being entertaining, some of the assumptions are logical in their conclusion and merit discussion.

One big theory centers on whether we announced a new TrainSim in response to Kuju's recent participation in CES. The answer? Nope! It was pure coincidence. We had been discussing the details around our announce for months and had originally intended to do it before the holidays. As it often turns out, it took a bit longer to get our proverbial ducks in a row, which inadvertently put us out in the 2nd half of January - right on top of the Games for Windows CES buzz. Ahhh, timing strikes again.

Other interesting rumors:

· This is just a bunch of FUD to confuse the marketplace. Definitely not true. This product is real. We have a dev team in place and we’re actually writing code and working on art objects. They don’t just pay us to show up every day, we actually have to _do_ something to earn the paycheck. For us, that something equals TrainSim.

· We bought another product and are building on this platform. Also not true. We’re building internally, using a full-time development team, on the Flight Sim technology. Our studio knows the Flight Sim tech better than anyone, and we’re intent on using it to create a great trains experience. For us, this approach makes business sense, and it’s most definitely the one we’re pursuing.

So, boring as it may be, that’s the truth. No grassy knolls, no lone gunmen, just a Microsoft team working to build another product using internal technology and IP.

And speaking of our Trains team, if you haven't already, be sure to check out the other team members who are actively blogging: Mike, our lead program manager, and Jamie, our lead developer. You can also read the blog from Pat, our ACES Studio Creative Directior, and Brett, our community manager.

In other news I participated in a train show with my HO scale Free-mo module last weekend. It was fun to assemble the modules and actually run a few trains. This also served as a good test for our own event coming in April. I'm working on some cement car models as well in an attempt to get them done for our April event.

Beyond that, I've been having fun talking to some Microsoft-internal railroad enthusiasts who've come forward since our announce to introduce themselves and ask how they can help. In a company the size of Microsoft, there’s bound to be other train fans, and lo and behold, they’re coming out of the woodwork with offers of assistance. How cool!

--Rick

Well, it seems we got your attention....

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 06:59:07 GMT

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Boy, all I can say is wow. I've certainly had a lot of fun reading all the forum comments about our recent announcement. Understandably, there's some skepticism, but there's also tons of enthusiasm. It's great to see the support, and I'm confident we can win over those skeptics as we move forward.

Many of the suggestions being offered are already "on our list", which puts a smile on my face. We also have plans on how to get the work done, and to that end we're "talking to the right people" to help make that happen. You know who you are....

I do want to reinforce one point, though: we read the forums regularly. I mean, hey, wouldn't you if you had our jobs and your goal was to make the best product possible?? Go where the customers are! What's more, we do listen to the comments and suggestions being offered.

So, keep posting those comments, speculations, and wants. Aside from being entertaining, it's insightful as well. See you in the forums!

-Rick

Rumors, rumors everywhere....

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:01:44 GMT

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If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer...

--Alan Lewis

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Hello, my name is Rick Selby, and I like trains. There, I said it, out loud, and for all to hear.

While most people my age grew out of their train set, it turns out I never did. In fact, I still play with trains - I build models, I railfan, I do railroad photography, I research things like freight car designs, locomotive roster numbers, and signal systems, I utter phrases like “dreadnaught end” and “approach-medium”, and I play with real trains every chance I get. It's a sickness, I tell you. And as far as I know, there's no 12-step program for this affliction. Thankfully, I know there are others out there who suffer the same fate, and in no small way, there’s comfort there.

With that, you can probably understand why I feel like I've found the perfect job as the Lead Game Designer on this new version of Microsoft Train Simulator. Some of you may remember my name from our previous TrainSim efforts. I was involved with Version 1 as a "volunteer" - put another way, I did my real job at Microsoft during normal business hours, then came down to the Games group to spend evening hours reviewing documents and helping proof art models. Then, when work started on Version 2, I joined the team in a full-time capacity to help build a follow-up to the popular first version.

Unfortunately, we hit our collective thumb with the hammer on that second attempt. Hey, it’s the software biz, it happens sometimes. But, once the swelling goes down and the throbbing stops, you pick up the hammer and carry on. Many of you reading this are probably wondering if Microsoft is REALLY working on another version of Train Simulator. I'm pleased to confirm that the rumors are true. I've been constantly amazed at the loyalty and passion people have around this title, and being a railroad enthusiast myself, I understand what it is that makes it so compelling. This is the sort of passion I want to build into the product this time around.

I know there will be lots of speculation, skepticism, and musings about what it is we're going to build. That's OK. In fact, I look forward to it. Truth be told, we have some of those same questions here on the team. But we also have many great ideas on what we can offer this time around, and these ideas, coupled with our Flight Simulator X technology, make for a most-excellent starting point.

Yes, I think we have the right hammer this time....

--Rick