May 17th, 2007

Someone pointed me towards a web site this week called TopTrain It's a set of links to just about all the train simulator sites one could care to visit. Not just MSTS sites, but most any train sim software or information site. Hopefully I'll remember to add the link above to my link pages.

What's really "cool" is that the links at TopTrain are all functioning! This means that these pages are all still out there and most, if not all, are still maintained. This fact alone has a lot to say about the state of the train sim hobby in general. Although the rest of the model railroading hobby doesn't seem to take simming seriously, it hasn't seemed to affect the growth of the sim community one iota.

This is great news. For a program whose last official update was published in 2002, MSTS still has a wide, and apparently dedicated, user base. The sim has been saved time and again by the folks who purchased it and pushed it towards, if not beyond, the programmers wildest dreams. So much so that Microsoft AND Kuju have gotten back into the fray with new and separate versions of their own. Most simmers take this news with a grain of salt, however, as there have been several abortive attempts to by other entrepreneurs to produce a replacement for MSTS. As a result add-ons and routes continue to be released for the old tried and true. This is especially prevalent now that MSTSbin has breathed new life into the program by finishing what Cujo and Micro$oft started all those years ago. At this point about the only thing MSTS really needs is a new graphics engine. Even that may not be as bad a sit seems. Recent postings at Train-Sim seem to indicate that some functions of the graphics engine were never turned on in the sim. A Russian group has figured out how to do just that and Paul Gausden has been experimenting with some of them.

Going through the TopTrain links is like taste testing a dessert cart full of international flavors. I am totally amazed at the variety and quality of offerings that come from EVERY corner of the planet. I think the only place not represented is Antarctica, but only because penguins don't use computers (yet). It's always been a joke that the French language can make anything sound beautiful and romantic, but "l'Etablissement traction virtuel de Moulinsard" are about the prettiest words I've ever heard. I also like some of the screenshots at "Web de Annette et Nicolas". They look like paintings by some French master. Was Gaugin a train simmer?

I'm still exploring the various links and pleased to see so many folks I admire on the list. I'm also very honored that this site was included amongst them. Knowing MSTS is still as viable as I think it is helps keep me interested and involved in the hobby. 

Well I think that's about it for now...Thanks for listening.