Another English Zusi Review

[Vern]

I've just posted a review of Zusi on my site...

http://www.trainsim.org.uk/zusi.html

Hope you like!

[Pegasus-wtal]

WOT ?? Only 90 % ???

Seriously, this is a fine review !!

I would mention also that the Buchfahrplan can be printed out so that it's window can be closed before starting a run.

And added to the AFB, you could also mention the LZB, (Linienzugbeeinflussung), some kind of "Autopilot" (not the same as the Zusi Autopilot) that is used on certain sectors of High-Speed routes with the ICE.

(Originally I accidently used the term PZB which was wrong, that explains one of the answers below)

[Carsten Hölscher]

Thanks Vern, well done!

Carsten

[Christoph Blümer]

And added to the AFB, you could also mention the PZB, (Punktförmige Zugbeeinflussung), some kind of "Autopilot" (not the same as the Zusi Autopilot) that is used on certain sectors of High-Speed routes with the ICE.

I think you mean the LZB...

Christoph

[Vern]

If Version 3 has BVE (or Loksim) style track appearance that will jump to 95%

[Pegasus-wtal]

I think you mean the LZB...

Christoph

Of course I mean LZB, "Linienzugbeeinflussung"

This happens if you concentrate more on the foreign language than on the topic

[Roland Ziegler]

@Vern:

No complaints


(and you can now finally order this new sports car)

[Bruce Kennewell]

As a fellow English-speaking Zusi enthusiast, I can agree with 99% of Vern's personal assessment of the program.
The 1% where I differ relates to our feelings regarding the graphics.

The one major benefit of the simplified graphics is that the frame-rate is silky smooth and it is possible to have several trains on screen at the one time without the action slowing down one little bit.
This means that just about any computer produced in the past five years is capable of running Zusi with excellent frame-rates and this fact means that those enthusiasts out there do not need to immediately think about upgrades to their PC systems.

I would hate to see this flexibility change at the expense of "modern" textured graphics.

Bruce.

[Christian Gründler]

Hello Bruce,

that's exact the way I feel about it. Lately I tried Trainz: many visual effects are overwhelming, but when rain started to fall the animation slowed down to nearly a slide show, and the sound terribly stuttered.

Nevertheless I think that your statement "just about any computer produced in the past five years is capable of running Zusi with excellent frame-rates" is a little bit misleading: on my computer (PIII, 850 Mhz, 384 MB) Zusi 2.4 didn't run with acceptable framerates before I installed a new graphics card. I suppose this is roughly the minimal configuration for enjoyable framrates.

Kind regards,
Christian

[Vern]

Please don't misunderstand what I said in the review - the graphics are fine as they are, just the track could benefit from a slight upgrade in appearance which hopefully wouldn't hit the frame rate too much.

Of course it will be interesting to see what Carsten has done with the graphics when he posts some Z3 WIP pictures (hint)

[Bruce Kennewell]

Nevertheless I think that your statement "just about any computer produced in the past five years is capable of running Zusi with excellent frame-rates" is a little bit misleading: on my computer (PIII, 850 Mhz, 384 MB) Zusi 2.4 didn't run with acceptable framerates before I installed a new graphics card. I suppose this is roughly the minimal configuration for enjoyable framerates.

The subtleties of the English language, Christian, allow me to say that that is what I meant when I used the phrase "just about"!

Seriously tho', of course you are correct. But at least the upgrade only needed to be performed on one part of your system.
As you found out, to run Trainz (or MTS) with any degree of speed and graphic quality/quantity, you would have needed to replace the CPU as well.

@Vern
I think, because of your suggestion that the graphics could be brought up to the same type as BVE/LokSim, I have misinterpreted your words.

Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder and I have found that the way the track is represented in Zusi to be perfectly acceptable.
It's simple, yet is not out of place because it matches the simplicity of all the other objects.
It defines the location of the train, where it's going and where it's been.

For me, it's like driving along a road; I take no conscious notice of the colour or definition of the road.........it's just there in my view but not in my attention.

I would be perfectly content to see Zusi-3 appear with exactly the same graphics as is featured in Zusi-2.4

(There is a side benefit to the graphics as they are: anyone creating 3-D models can do so without having to concern themselves with incorporating textures.)

Bruce.

[AndiK (Too lazy to login)]

In my opinion the Zusi graphics have their own charm because they leave so much room for fantasy. Think of most of the MSTS-rolling stock. Didn't you ever find that the 3D-model just seems to be something like a rounded shoebox with more or less realistic textures on it that often do not even match the overall color scheme (e.g. how the landscape seems to be illuminated)? In Zusi everything is lighted the same way. There are people that put all their efforts in the 3D-model. Some things have to be left out in the model like the running number of the loco. But what the Zusi-locos have is something you can almost call a 'soul'. If you're standing at a station and see a train approaching it's not hard to tell what class it is. When I look at some german MSTS locos (i.e. DB-class 217 made by Aerosoft) you can clearly see that it's a loco from the V160 family at first look. Then you read the number and know it's a 217. And THEN you notice all the stupid deviations from the original, stripes on the finish that are much wider/smaller than in reality or similiar. Compared to reality this model looks to me like a cartoon. In Zusi you have no textures. You have your model, you know what it is and things like stripes or running numbers depend widely from your phantasy.

[Bruce Kennewell]

In my opinion the Zusi graphics have their own charm because they leave so much room for fantasy. ......In Zusi you have no textures. You have your model, you know what it is and things like stripes or running numbers depend widely from your phantasy.

That pretty much sums-up my feelings precisely.

In my opinion also, because Zusi offers so much more than do MTS or Trainz (as Vern said in his review, it is really the simulation of a rail network), the graphics are secondary to the rest of the sim.

In addition, the sounds are so excellent that our imaginations don't have to worry about that aspect of Zusi and can spend 100% of the time concentrating on the visuals instead.

Bruce.

[Vern]

Actually where I find Zusi graphics to be extremely effective is during twilight - dawn or dusk, particularly when all the little lights come on and start twinkling.

As those of us who've created routes for MTS and Trainz have found, having to make and then texture all those objects adds greatly to the time it takes to make a route.

I'm itching to do something with Zusi route wise, even if it's only Bridgend to Maesteg!

[Bruce Kennewell]

Actually where I find Zusi graphics to be extremely effective is during twilight - dawn or dusk, particularly when all the little lights come on and start twinkling............

Yes, that is beautifully done, isn't it?
Really does give a good impression of that time of day.

I'm itching to do something with Zusi route wise,....

Amen to that!

Bruce.