Made my first train/railway-related gaming purchase in months yesterday. Discovered the new, totally redone Trainz Healesville route on sale for half-price on Steam. Being a fan of old Healesville, I took the plunge. This new version is indeed a marked improvement over the old, graphically. The entire route runs through sparsely populated plains/prairie, which tends to be one of the hardest landscapes to realistically emulate in both Trainz and Train Simulator. Here it looks pleasingly realistic.

I haven't driven a Trainz session in ages. Not since sometime mid last year (2020) if memory serves. Saying I'm rusty is a gross understatement. I first attempted a graded session/scenario, but almost immediately realized I'm nowhere close to being able to drive those successfully. I then settled on the route's Quick Drive, treating it as both a steam-loco driving refresher and a first look at the route. My driving left much to be desired, but I at least made it to the end without any fatal errors. I 'filmed' the drive, primarily to critique myself afterward. After five (!) viewings, I've halfway decided to create an YouTube episode of it. It's really not half bad, all things considered. Inept driving aside, it does serve to show off the route's scenery. Will it happen? Who knows. I certainly don't. I do know that if I do, the majority of my narrative text will be spent explaining what goes wrong (or at least doesn't go right).

ADDENDUM:
One thing I simply HAVE to do is alter Trainz keyboard settings so that they closely resemble Train Simulator. That in an of itself will solve some of my driving issues.

I recently returned to Trainz 2019, a game abandoned a-year-and-a-half ago in favor of Train Simulator 2021. What brought me back to Trainz is the recent release of a total redo of the old Healesville route. This new route, VR Healesville 1913-1920, is visually lovely, possibly my favorite route in either Trains or Trainz from a graphical perspective. Due to my long Trainz absence, my driving skills had atrophied to near non-existence. I used the new Healesville to reacquaint myself with Trainz, deciding to capture a driving practice session for private, self-evaluation purposes. When all was said and done, I opted to publish the footage, driving warts and all. Here it is:

(video) Trainz 2019 ep03: VR Healesville 1913-1920, route tour & driving practice (video)

Just played game number 22000 of Windows Chess Titans at level 3.

Finally got to work Two Worlds II on PC and immediately installed the World Merge mod. A lot has changed in Antaloor since my last visit, it apears! Hauk can explore the Savannah while I finish up and release version 1.1 of my Skyrim for Oblivion mod. Then he and Lena are finally going South to Elsweyr, and he'll have the stories of the Savannah to entertain her with along the way. One desert is much like another, isn't it?

My gaming slump is weakening. I've recently driven a number of Train Simulator and Trainz 'Quick Drives', creating a video of my most recent TS2022 run. Here it is:

(video) Train Simulator ep16: Purbeck Colliery to Smallbrook Wharf coal delivery - GWR/BR 4200 class 2-8-0T (video)

Steam had "Call of Juarez: Gunslinger" for the low, low price of 0, so I decided to try it. The review that pointed me toward it was positive, and since I like shooters as well as Westerns, why not?

Early days, but I like the narration, the graphic novel look, and the mechanics. The story is also pleasant, as it weaves the player character into historic events- such as the arrest of Billy the Kid at Stinking Springs, as well as the subsequent jailbreak.

Just picked up Baldur's Gate II Enhance Editions for $2.99 on Gog. I used to play it years ago. Though I've no immediate plans for it, I couldn't resist the price and having a reasonable 'no internet required' rpg just in case.

Ooh! Will we see a return of Baldur's Gate Buffy? Wasn't she in that?

I've spent the half of my youth playing BG II (and also BG to some extent). Good choice!

Although I haven't played it for years, I still know a lot of quotes by heart.

"Ah, the child of Bhaal has awoken. It is time for more [pause] experiments."

And as I got slightly bored of BG II, also I had a non-serious girlfriend back then, who didn't really like that I game, I discovered how many mods for that game exist! And I guess that I spent a few more years playing it. Another important reason why I stuck to BG II for such a long time is that my computer at that time couldn't handle any modern games, that's why I kept playing BG, Fallout (original two) and original GTAs. But I wouldn't want to change it in any way, now that I think of it.

Morrowind and Oblivion are on sale at GOG.com right now for about $5 each if anyone here somehow doesn't already own them. Horizon Zero Dawn is 50% off, too.

Thanks for the alert, Kane! I might add that among the older games Witcher 2 is on offer as well, and that one comes with the REDKit which is the thing for making mods... Also Dragon Age Origins is on sale and has "tools" included, although they don't specify which tools. (Witcher 3 is also on offer but my PC is only about half as strong as the minimum requirement, the same problem as with Skyrim SE.)

Oh, and Morrowind and Oblivion not listed among the RPGs? So look through the other offer categories too.

Thanks, Kane! Would love to hear impressions from anyone who's played Horizon Zero Dawn.

My GoG $3 purchase of BGII EE runs perfectly and have gotten a good foothold back in the game. My extensive notes and guides from years ago are invaluable. It is fun to have an alternative game (to ESO) that requires no interwebz to play of perhaps during some of the longer ESO maintenance times.

It's a big game with a big world, but you need to like technology-based games for it, and I mean technology going beyond bows and arrows.

I've only been playing Azur Lane (mobile) and Animal Crossing (Switch). I haven't even touched my Xbox Series S or PC games since like EVER!

I surprised myself this morning by successfully completing a Train Simulator standard scenario. My driving wasn't always as elegant as it might be, thanks to my right hand being in a brace. (Plus, I hadn't driven the scenario's driver locomotive, an LNER J50, in quite some time.)

Buffy and I are actually splitting our time now between ESO and Baldur's Gate II Enhanced Edition.

Happy Balduring! I still have not finished that game.

Playing FNAF Security Breach on my PC. Beautiful game and pretty fun too!

Well, I meant to start Horizon Zero Dawn over the holiday but Stardew Valley sucked me back in instead. Also got a new Switch and Animal Crossing, so once could say I've taken a stark departure from what I usually play.

Near the end of Far Cry 6 and waiting for the "Oh- you only THOUGHT you were fighting on the side of Good ending to slap me in the face." Okay, I don't KNOW that is what will happen, but... just a feeling.

So, to switch things up completely, I have started Disco Elysium. Um... it rather defies simple description, but it is definitely compelling, once I got the PS4 control setup figured out. If anyone is considering this one, let me know, and I will provide a detailed first impression.

Please do!

Buffy is now passing between ESO and Baldur's Gate II Enhanced Edition pretty seamlessly. In BGII she has found herself as the scout/archer for a group of five.

The group is led by a monk searching for his lost childhood friend.
Constantly by the monk is his knight protectress.
A sultry fighter dual classed to thief deals with traps/locks, and packs some good combat power.
Buffy is an archer ranger scout who is also handy with magical staves when needed.
Rounding out the group is a fighter dual classed to mage who thinks very highly of his own magical prowess.

With my right hand doing better, I've resumed playing Train Simulator every now and again. Here's a couple of screen captures from recent drives:

1) A LSWR class T9 (in BR plumage) hauls passengers on the Purbeck Line, a freeware third-party route.

2) A NER P2 / LNER J26 delivers girders along Weardale & Teesdale Railway Network.

The NER P2/P3 / LNER J26/J27 is my first TS locomotive acquisition in some time. I almost didn't buy it due to cost. (When British pounds to US dollars conversion rate is factored it, plus the addition 8.5% my state wants in tax, it ran me close to $24.) What finally swayed me is that part of the cost goes to an NER preservation society, and lit being the first Caledonia Works loco to upgrade from SimNation Locomotion v1.4 to v1.5 scripting.

3) A GCR class 8K (in its later LNER days) delivering fish on North Lincolnshire freeware third-party route.

Decrepit, glad to hear your hand is doing a little better.

Rainbow Six Extract on PC and Xbox Series S.

Launched Mashinky for the first time in forever this morning. I've got quite a project ahead, applying all sorts of changes to correct purely placed signals, as well as having way too many unneeded signals almost every junction. I've too many avoidable turns in the track, each of which slows trains down. I've too many unneeded changes in track bed height than can be corrected. Some passenger stations don't have money-earning restaurants attached. Some locomotive need to be upgraded, but not updated as plan to remain within the steam era. Some passenger trains need more coaches. And so on.

The one downside in this morning's session was that the game launches info windows so that their exit X's abut the Exit Game X. Me being me, I hit the wrong X as often as not. Still, I enjoyed myself.

Mashinky has somewhat revived my atrophied gaming interest. I've played it a lot these past few days. I do mean a lot, as in probably more than is good for me. Day before yesterday, for instance, I launched the game right after breakfast, played fairly constantly until lunch, played much of the afternoon, then returned after supper and played until somewhere between 2230-2245, which is a good three hours after I normally retire to the sofa to read until falling asleep. I didn't play nearly so strenuously yesterday, but definitely devoted more hours to Mashinky than is my norm.

What do I do there that eats up so much time? Mostly I repair damage to 'signaling' caused by changes to the game during my super-long absence, re-lay track to remove unnecessary changes in elevation and curves, change to better-suited locomotives on numerous routes, replace multiple short trains with one long train where that makes sense, add 'upgrades' to selective towns, and just basically fine-tune the map. I've a long way to go, but am now far enough along to see results, as in better profit margins on a number of routes.

Yesterday I installed a mod that adds beer making / distribution. I've not yet monkeyed with it, and am not sure I will. The map is already so crammed full of railroad routes that I don't know that I can squeeze another industry in. Time will tell.

On the Train Simulator front, I did nothing but purchase and install a newly released dirt-cheap set of LNWR railway carriages.

Yeesh, I'm playing Mashinky beyond common sense. From just after breakfast to Lunch, then much of the afternoon, and from after supper until bedtime. I'm getting in next to no reading, and surprisingly little YouTube.

I'm on a mission to 'update' my zillion railroad passenger routes so that they again collect and deliver passenger and all stop. They used to do so. But the game's become more sophisticated during my long absence. We can no longer simply connect one station to another and expect satisfactory business, as was once the case. I still don't understand exactly how we 'know' which connections are good, but do know that too many of mine aren't. I'm still earning an overall profit each game-year, but no long make money hand over fist. The task is Herculean. I don't expect to reach anything approaching total success on my current map. Far too many train lines for that. But I can at least whittle away at it until I grow bored and go on another sabbatical.

Well guess who had $70.00 to burn?

What the bloody heck?!?!?

Spent much of my afternoon putzing around with Mashinky, straightening unnecessarily curved tracks, adding extra station platforms to lessen congestion, and so on. Decided to end the session with a few passenger train rides, either in-the-cab or floating above. I began to notice a 'strange' thing. The several trains I rode weren't boarding or offload passengers at any stop. Now, thanks to updates during my long Mashinky sabbatical, passenger trains don't make a rake in the greenbacks they once did. Sometimes they neither offload nor board at individual stations. But to not do so during an entire multi-station run? That's not happened before.

I started looking around. Not a single passenger train now carries passengers! They still cost me in fuel they consume, but make no income whatsoever. For instance, one train has been bringing in just one 1k in money tokens a game-year, minus roughly 18 tokens in fuel cost. Then the year prior to when I noticed the SNAFU, it earned no tokens, still costing me 18 tokens in fuel. That must have set back my finances a pretty penny, considering the wealth of passenger trains on the map, all earning nothing but burning fuel token. Thankfully, freight train seem not affected, earning as usual.

My hope is that exiting and relaunching the game, which I'll do after supper, will set things to normal. If that fails, I'll validate files via Steam, and hope for the best.

ADDENDUM:
A ray of hope. The game received an update today. It kicked in during my afternoon session. One other person has reported train passengers not boarding. He also reported 'ghost train', which i too noticed but didn't bother to mention earlier. The developer is already working on a fix.

Woot, Mashinky's empty-passenger-train issue was fixed sometime overnight. It of course doesn't solve my issue with too many passenger trains traveling empty to some stations. But that's a theoretically correctable problem I can solve on my own by rerouting. I suspect I'll never work it all out, but it'll be fun attempting it, and provide many months of gameplay in the bargain.

Well poot! I spent several hours submitting a phlegm sample as requested by my pulmonologist. Got home right at lunchtime. After that, I decided to play more Mashinky. Steam showed yet another update/patch ready to install. I did so, then launched the game . . . to be greeted with 11sec freezes followed by 11sec play followed by 11sec freezes followed by 11sec play, and so on like clockwork. The game being unplayable as it now is, I hung around maybe 20min, in pause mode which isn't affected, then exited. Sometimes ya just can't win for losing.

After a few problematic updates/patches, Mashinky is at last stable again, with passenger trains carrying people/mail as they should. I'm back to trying to improve some poorly utilized passenger lines, rebuilding certain railway stations, modifying some cities so that their populations reside nearer to said stations, and just generally fine-tune things.

Part of this is upgrading some 'early' steam locos to later steam locos, for extra speed and hauling capacity. However, I've backed myself into a corner. 'Early' locos consumed money-tokens as fuel. Later steam locos consume coal-tokens. Thanks to those new coal-token burning locos, I now generate fewer coal-tokens per game-year than my locos consume in that time. In the long term, that's not going to cut it, especially considering that coal-tokens are used for more than steam locos.

For now, I'm halting further 'early' to 'late' steam loco upgrades, and searching the map for ways to increase coal-token production. In this latter regard, I admit to a bit of cheating, but only a bit. I deleted one Coal Mine and replaced it with another Caol Mine in a better location.

The game doesn't allow deletion of industries. A mod does. That's what I used. My reasoning (as if I need it) is that the now-deleted game-placed Coal Mine was situated so far from either of the two industry-types that convert coal to Coal Tokens that it was uneconomical to transport between Mine and any of those Industries, when train fuel consumption is factored in. I placed the mod-allowed replacement within 'reasonable' distance from an underperforming industry, but sufficiently far enough away to ease my conscience.

I'm playing this Legendary Series on my Switch .

Just started my 5567th playthrough of Star Wars: Rebellion and as usual I'm Empire. Biggest galaxy, hardest difficulty and standard winning conditions.

And I have already had Coruscant being attacked! Thankfully I had two shields, one laser defense and one ion defense in place from the start so they couldn't do anything other than destroy my TIE fighters and then they fled.
As usual I concentrate on three out of six sectors in which I build new fighters like crazy and I have Vader conduct diplomacy and Palpsie recruiting new people. Standard routines.



Also; just passed 23.000 plays of Windows Titan chess.

I've been playing Mashinky to obsession. More than is good for me. Early this afternoon, following a short Mashinky session, I decided I needed a change of pace. Fired up Train Simulator and drove a Standard Scenario to completion for the first time in ages. What a drive it was! When all was said and done, I logged 106 miles behind the regulator of a Caledonia Railways 812-class steam loco, seen in British Railways livery. The journey, from Carlisle to Stanraer on West of Scotland Lines, took 2hr, 25min, 15sec, during which I allowed myself to pause the game only once, for a potty break. I did allow myself to stand at the computer desk, with the game running, for periodic stretching sessions, eyes glued to the screen the entire time in case the train needed my attention.

I'm surprised I stuck it out. My mental stamina/endurance ain't what it once was. Not when it comes to something that needs constant focused attention to avoid disaster. Mashinky and its ilk, yeah, I can play them hours on end no sweat. But that's a whole other kettle of fish.

This being my first extended steam loco drive since my right wrist/hand came out of its bracer, I found the train brake difficult to manipulate. More so than it ought to have been, in any case. Otherwise, the drive was challenging in that it was mostly inclines and declines, which of course require frequent adjustment on regulator, reverser and brake. On the other hand, the session was not timetabled, removing one potential cause of failure. In any case, the game gave me credit for completion, dinging me only for numerous minor speeding violations.

Glad you enjoyed your run, Decrepit!

Any Chorrolite interest in Elden Ring? I think I might grab it later on, after I see what it's really all about.

It is going to be expensive to start with, and will undoubtedly require a week to download (literally, our internet is slow), even if you buy the DVD-ROM. I might wait and see, I wasn't so keen on the previous Souls. Ultimately I'll probably still get it, when the price drops.

I've never played a Souls game, just thought this looked cool in the trailer. I've got $40 in Steam cards, so $20 for it isn't so bad.

For $20 I would get it too! Here a new game typically costs around $75.

Doing good in Rebellion. The three sectors I'm concentrating on are producing TIE Fighters like crazy, or rather TIE Defenders now as I just unlocked them!!
Still waiting for Star Destroyer II and the Super Star Destroyer but I have started to build Interdictors, so that's good.


I'm noticing a stark difference from my usual playthroughs where I conduct sabotage non-stop. This time I'm simply building facilities in order to expand my fleet and fighter defenses. I haven't done any sabotage at all! Well, not in the usual sense anyway. I have sabotaged when I've reached a system via ship but I haven't sent anyone from another system like I usually do.

Star Wars: Rebellion



Things are rapidly advancing now. Not only have I just unlocked and started to build the Super Star Destroyer, I now fully control Sesswenna, Corellian, Fakir and Sluis Van sectors. I have also had my first major fight between two massive fleets with my side being the victor. That battle finally put an end to the rebels terrorizing the Sluis Van sector.

With the Super Star Destroyer now being in production I have begun building up my usual Main Fleet consisting of two Interdictor Cruisers and then nothing but the SSD. This fleet will then begin advancing on the remaining two core sectors and remove them from the rebel clutches.


Fun fact: I took over the Corellian sector completely without any assault. As soon as I had removed the troops stationed in each system, that system swayed to my side


Game pic image search

I attempted two TS2022 standard-scenarios back-to-back after supper tonight. The first saw me drive a stopping passenger train on Riviera Line in the 50s, the train pulled by a GWR/BR "Large Prairie". This is my first complete run since installing "AP Sky & Weather Pack" this morning. I'm not always the biggest fan of APS&W, but it makes a definite improvement to this winter run:

(image) Riviera Line in the 50s - GWR "Large Prairie" passenger run on a sunshiny winter day (image)


While sticking with a winter theme, the second run is quite different from the first. In this case, it's snowing heavily. The world is a dreary white-gray. The route is Great North of Scotland Railway. The train consists of a Caledonian Railway class 812, in later British Railways livery, hauling milk wagons. It is seen paused, awaiting signal clearance:

(image) GNoSR - CR 812 (BR livery) hauling milk wagons on a dreary winter day (image)

I did not receive completion credit for this one, due to running two warning signals. One I missed stopping for due to it looking to be YELLOW rather than RED until the train was almost on top of it, too late to stop in time. The second I never saw. Despite the damning infractions, I was allowed to finish the entire run before learning of my failure. APS&W makes a noticeable visual improvement here too.

I've a new TS2022 video on offer. This one sees us deliver milk in heavy winter snow. (As opposed to heavy summer snow?) Unlike other episodes, full-screen viewers will benefit by watching it at 1440p, bandwidth and data-cap permitting, even on a 1080p monitor. The higher resolution better survives YouTube processing artifacts, which can be severe at times at the lower resolution. It's all that falling snow in white skies, I think.

(video) Great North of Scotland Railway, Milk Delivery in Winter Snow - Caledonian Railway 812-class locomotive (video)

Rebellion


Another sector is now overtaken, with mimimal resistance too. I have my Main Fleet with ten Super Star Destroyers but I could have done it with less than half. Also, all systems were already on my side so I just had to remove the rebel troops and they instantly joined my side. No diplomacy was necessary at all. And all those resources were desperately needed!


I'd aim to have twenty SSD:s in that fleet but I think I'm gonna have to settle with fifteen. Resources won't be enough and my computer seriously lags in battle mode with the amount of fighters a fleet of twenty SSD:s can have.


I now only have one core sector left to take and then it's off to look for the rebel base in the outer rim.

Bought two official DTG products to take advantage of Steam March Madness Sale

First, a route: South Wales Coastal. I bought it mainly coz it's required by a freeway third-party route I contemplate downloading. Additionally, scenery is quite well done by Train Simulator standards. That's always a draw for me. The downside; it's a 'modern' route with no steam-train scenarios, confining me to Quick Drives or creating my own Standard Scenarios (which I don't yet know how to do.)

Second, a well-discounted locomotive: British Railways Standard Class 2MT, a smallish steam loco with tender. I had and have mixed feelings toward it. It's an older product, made for DTG by Digital Traction. As such, I suspected it lacked custom cab lean-out cameras, relying on the game's more limiting generic side-cameras instead. I was right. Yet, for whatever reason, I find I don't mind lack of custom lean-outs as much as I normally do. I certainly regret their absence, but for once it's not a lease-breaker. What's more, the loco is fun to drive. Sound and graphics aren't bad at all, especially considering its age. Drove it in a Western Lines of Scotland winter snow Standard Scenario and quite enjoyed myself. What's more, for once I didn't fall behind schedule!, despite occasional whip-slippage due to ice on rails.

About to wrap up my Switch KotOR playthrough after taking a break and playing Skyrim Anniversary Edition on PS4. I’m not sure what to play next. Probably more Skyrim. Feeling a V:TM-B itch, but I don’t have my computer at my wife’s house due to no interwebz service.

Rebellion


Last core sector has been taken and quite easily too. Very little resistance and all systems joined me without any need for assault. They just liked me

So now I have started to explore the outer rim in search of the rebel leaders and their base. Currently with ten Super Star Destroyers.


And that's an itch that needs to be scratched!

Horizon Zero Dawn is good fun.