Dearl All / Hallo Zusammen

I have been running the demo for a while and I am really impressed. Because I have been running MSTS for so long , I am just wondering when I purchase the program there is just a bit of similarity? I like driving clearly knowing at which station to stop
and using the unload/load facilities. Also found the train lights , although they are showing , do not light the tunnels up.
I know that when you press F8 you get the drivers help , i.e. speed limit , actual speed , and next station . Is there still a clearer way to see this on the screen ? Love to get some feedback from English Zusi users. As I said before I do know German , but because of many years in Australia its a bit rusty sometimes.

But all in all , I am very impressed with this product.

Greetings / Gruss

Father Ed Bakker

I think the main difference between MSTS and Zusi is that Zusi is a real simulator - and MSTS is not. Zusi tries to be as realistic as possible. In reality the driver has no head-up-display, he has his timetable with speed limits and his railroad line knowledge. This is what most Zusi users are looking for I guess.
Dim light is one of the features which are not working yet but maybe will become functional in a future update (which are for free as well as all of the addons btw).
Zusi really needs a period of vocational adjustment, but it's worth it

Greets,
Thomas

_________________
Grüße,
Thomas (eh. ElektrikTrick)

For sure Zusi 3 is worth the money I have enjoyed MSTS for years these days by using Open Rails program . I started with TS2012 but soon got disillusioned with DTG stripping what bit if simulation was left from the old RW Engine & just adding more & more poor DLC & more Eye-candy.

Zusi 3 for me a is a Simulation , one you have to put some work in it to get the most out of it . no plug & play here.

Learning curve is steep you will find yourself tripping all sorts of emergency systems if you try & use it like TS or MSTS it is little unforgiving that way.
If you use Zusi Display instead of the Cab views or combined as I do then you can use fully simulated touch screen panels.

These do require some extra ram usage though , here you use a dynamic fair plan or root detailing your trains current location . line speeds . warnings for lower speed sections . stations stops for passenger routes & stops for freight trains . along with distance points & waiting time that is the basic for the Display.

However that can only be used with current Loco models that use those types of displays . if they do not then you will be using the standard fair plan where you will have to use the track side marks to work out were your next stops & end stop is along with speeds & warnings for speed restrictions. a lot more work load than the knew systems.

This is what make this a sim the complexity of mastering all the Loco Systems Sifa . AFB . the three train parts of the Train protection system combined with the warning lights for the PZB systems . & then the Signals them self keeps you very busy indeed . one slight attention slip & all hell can brake loose & can leave you baffled to what went wrong at first.

The Manuel for now is all in German so is the manual for the Display the main sim as an English option but an English manual is not out yet & I have no idea if its even been work on at 700 pages + that is a big undertaking to translate .

But I have since found many good site's for info on the DB Signaling systems through the ages covered in this version of Zusi 3 .

You will find links to such site within this English Section of the pages if not feel free to ask I can put some links up if other here with far more knowledge than me do not first.
Its is worth spending a day or two reading & trying your best to remember what the signals mean & what actions to take.

Same goes for the PZB systems combined with the train braking protection systems , this for me is the biggest factor to successfully mastering the simulation & it is very easy to trip up & come to grinding halt after failing to operate them correctly.

I am sticking with the BR185 for now & trying to learn using the systems on some of the sorter routes very much focusing on the PZB systems & the route plan & speed limits I use the AFB to manage the speed & Braking while keeping an eye on the PZB lights & looking for the Sifa light as well & my current location on the route & the track side distance markers & Signals lights them self's.

For the old trains its a lot harder I find mores Manuel systems heavier workload . more thinking ahead , different braking systems that work a lot slower so longer braking distances, on older Electric trains you can trip the power circuit beakers resulting it a total drive power outage until you re-set the systems.

If you like your sims hard this is one for you . the Graphics & lighting effects are not TS or MSTS .I would not want that here the Simulation come first other things should they choose to add them can come later.

I love this Sim its hard yes , rewarding yes. I also like the fact that I have learned some much about the German Train systems , that even when I stand waiting for my morning S-bahn train in Hamburg I start looking at the track side signs & stuff .

I only really got into this Train thing after Moving to Germany & Hamburg with its large transport hub & many stations .
Here Trains are such a big part of life.

Anyhow welcome to our small English speaking section.

Hello John

Thanks for the welcome and the time you have taken to explain some issues to me, this will help me in the future to which direction I want to take. Am getting much better now with running the demo's.

I ll keep in touch.

Cheers,
Father Ed Bakker
p.s. how much RAM would you recommend ?

Zusi is not that hard on medium PC*s like the one I have at the moment.

So running the main program with out running extra displays is not an issue,
You may get the odd stutter if you GPU old t.
I am still on a 4 year old AMD Radion 1024 Gigs on the mem.

But its running fine in Win 10 with a intel i5 & 8 gigs of ram.

But lets say you wanted to run with the Zusi display software be it withing the main simulation screen or on
a separate drive consoles with its own screen for displaying the various system in a more real world driver
Layout then that is going to need more Memory

Running displays at 800 X 600 on a intel X86 1 ghz Duel core Atom would require 1gig of ram.

Running on a 2GHz Intel X 86 . would take 4gigs of ram.

seen people running small format micro PC's like the R PI series for that use , with touch screens at that.

But you can run the displays in the main windows but just be aware that it can crash if it runs out of memory . I have had that few time , but have tweaked my pc now to free up Mem space , until I get so new stuck in later this year.

If you have a good system you are safe to run it but if you have a few weak points like the GPU speed & amounts of mem you should still be fine.

Hello John,

Thank you for your comments, much appreciated.
Here are the specifications of my Asus laptop
Asus sonic master
Processor: Intel (r) Core (TM) i5 421iu cpu@ 1.70 ghz
Videocard:Nividea Geforce 820m
Videocard 2: Intel (r) HD Graphics family
RAM 4GB
Operating system MS 10 ( Build 10586) 64 bit

I am fine with operating TRAINZ T:TANE , have had no problems with Zusi demo so far , but am inclined to think that I will have problems when I purchase it unless I upgrade. Right ?

Best wishes from Tasmania

Father Ed Bakker

Though there are probably better qualified people within these forums on what is a good enough setup to run Zusi 3 retail.

I ran it the other nigh in windowed mode . with task master running . i could see no major hits on Memory nothing over 4 gigs.
not sure about how much read ahead it needs for the bigger route.

But there is only one big route I think off the top of my head about 200 or 300 Km.
Most are a lot short more like the Demo maybe a little longer avg 80 km not long if you are running in the ICE class of Trains.

Remember you can scale the game up or down to lessen the work loads .
shorter view distances . lower screen resolutions & so on.

Worst thing that will happen its it may stutter now and again . its crashes now & again but its a sim in progress evolving all the time.
Several updates have happened both beta & official .

There is always some body willing to offer advice it may take a while as naturally the German language site see's more posts than the English section & is were the bulk of info & problem sovling can be found.

Its worth while running the forums through a translator if you are struggling with the language or still learning it while having to work like me.
I have found lots of info out like that .

The Sim is worth getting its pricey but may be not for what you are getting not just a very realistic sim but all the tools for editing track building & the display software all in one bundle on a nice USB stick & personally licences in your name seen at the start every time you fire it up.

Its a quality product from a very small team.
That you can even talk to the developer direct is even better.

Hello John

Very much appreciate your comments.

Some years ago I spoke German fluently , but like I said , because I don't use it every day , its getting a little bit rusty now.
I will carefully look at all the issues before I buy.

Enjoy your Sunday

Father Ed Bakker