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I haven't seen hard specifics on the upcoming MSTS2 but I'd be dismayed if they go the way of Trainz 2004. I just had a bad experience with the new Trainz in that I couldn't run it on my present machine! My HP notebook is no slouch for RAM or HD space and it has a reasonably fast P3 1.2 GHz processor. but I only have 16Mb of VidRAM and it's not an NVidia or Radeon compatible. So are they going to make it so hardware dependant that half of us out there have to upgrade good machines just to run it at all? I hope people don't stop all development for MSTS because it's going to be a year or two yet before I can justify updating what I've got. I only bought it 18 months ago and it runs MSTS just fine if a little choppy. I do hate having to deal with the clunky interface for activity design but it may have to do.Sign me Dismayed and Discouragedwmalder
Welllll....Notebooks aren't typically thought of as gaming platforms and as a consequence can get away with vid cards that don't exactly push the envelope. You're probably lucky to be getting anything even halfway acceptable performance-wise out of MSTS on a 16 Mb vidcard in a notebook platform.Surely you don't expect that, given the current state of the available technology today, any new gaming software product is going to support technology that was low-end obsolete 2 years ago.
Thankfully that is rapidly changing.I play MSTS and develop models exclusively on a laptop with the Mobility Radeon 9000 chip. My favorite quote about it:Mobility Radeon 9000 : ATi is breaking the number one rule in the world of laptops. They take the old school, "Thou shalt not play real games on mobile equipment," and thoroughly disobey it.I couldn't agree more.(Edit): and that chip is already almost obsolete... high-end laptops now run even faster graphics hardware that supports DirectX 9 with 128MB of video ram.cheers
I have a Mobility Radeon 7500 on my laptop too, and it flys. Remember that these Radeons have 3d chips in them and can process the 3d demands Trainz requires. On games and sims these days, its more about the graphics card than the processor or ram.-Adam
Adam, you are talking about higher priced Laptops, usually with at least 15" TFT monitors, limited battery life under heavy use, weighty and usually more expensive than Desktop machines with more suitable for MULTI-MEDIA hardware installed, usually using at least 17" TFT monitors ?I got 3 affordable Laptops / Notebooks, none of which are any good for MSTS or FS-2004, I tried, Chess just about ! The lighter ones can't accommodate the hardware needed and the heavier ones are a pain to schlepp around Europe and the States !No, give me a good WIN-XP, ATHLON XP2000+ or P4 3Gb+ with at least 1 Gb DDR RAM and a RADEON 9800Pro/XT or nVIDIA FX+ anytime !!!O t t o
Bill,you also got to remember that anything going into a Laptop or Notebook got to be as small as possible, consume a minimum of battery power and produce as little as possible heat inside the case.Most portables use on-board graphics chips, their performance just about good enough for less Graphics intensive and complex 3D-Multi-Media stuff.The latest releases of FS-2004, TZ-RS2004 and other top 3D Games demand the best in Graphics Technology under DirectX-9 and possibly AGP x8, way beyond what you can put into a Laptop ! Just look at the size of the latest nVidia FX cards, them and powerful CPUs producing enough heat to do away with room heating ! O t t o
