Hey, Mike, lookin' forward to part 2.








I'm havin' some fun here...

Can someone tell me if U.S. Zinc Supply is located at Fly Gap?




I'm lost and can't find US Zinc supply.

Hi Rickster! Glad you're still havin' fun!

Lost, eh?

Have you tried looking at the maps found within the Ozark route folder in a sub-folder named "Documents"?

You just may find what you're looking for.

Oh, yes, they're all printed out and laying all over my floor but I can't find a U.S. Zinc Supply on any of them.
Is it a snake? Will it bite me?

Rick:

Have a look at Map BB, schematic BB 2. The US Zinc Supply Track is the spur on the north side of the mine complex.

Toldcha, OUCH!

Thanks,

Hi Rick, Glad that your havin' a good time! Sorry that you had a time finding US Zinc Supply and doubbly (I know !!! I can't spell ) sorry that I wasn't there to help ya. Thanks Andre! I hope to have part 2 by the end of summer but real life........ See ya, Mike the Yank BTW your rolling stock over at Elvas Tower is outstanding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I'm catchin' on to this route the more I play on it.

Great route although, I personally would like more details and vegetation, but that's just my opinion, mind you.
It does play well and doesn't crash, so that's the good points.

Anyway, it's a lot of fun and I'm having my share...

Thanks, Mike. I guess we all have our little nitch in this hobby and mine ain't route building.

Oh, you gotta do something about that 'real life' thing, Mike. Sheesh! What's more real then trains?

Have fun, I am...

Hi Rick!

Simply open RE and add trees/whatever from the existing reference file 'till your heart's content! All it takes is time.

You'll find that all of my routes will lean toward good performance, even if that means holding the static objects down in order to have acceptable game play on "typical" machines contemporary with the release date.

I've seen and read about the routes that are gorgeous to look at, chocked full of objects, lots of trees, etc, and then read the forum questions/concerns/complaints concerning machines that won't run them, or random (tile/texture overload) crashes, choppy graphics, slow tile loads, too low FPS, etc.

My philosophy has always been, and will always be: Good operational potential first, scenery second. Any compromises made will be determined thereby.

Andre,
You did an excellent job. I'm not complaining, it was just an opinion.
I do understand why you build the way you do. It's a smart option on your part.
As I said, it plays well and doesn't crash which are to great points here. It looks good, too.

Personally, I like a well detailed route. I don't mind the occasional studder or even a crash once in awhile. When it comes to 'playin', I like the eye candy.
If I had to 'buy' this route again, I would, hands down. It's a wonderful piece of work.

Don't change a thing. Everyone has their own style and yours works. Keep it up.

Hmmm... wonder if "one of these days" a pictorial tutorial (pinned above) on how to place static objects would be of interest to some?

Certainly not on my account. I don't build routes.

Chicken.

I'm gonna reply to this...

No, not chicken. I bought Vone's book many years ago and gave it a try. I found it to be too much like work to be fun. Possibly the route builder (RE) itself although, I also found that there is a ton of extra content throughout the world, (trees,flowers,ground textures, etc.,etc.,etc.) to make a route look real.
Now, there is also 'landscaping' and knowing which tree grows beside which bush and what flowers belong and don't.
Nope, too much work involved for me so, I've let those who enjoy doing it, do it.
I even tip my hat to those who build 'em, because I know how hard it is to make a good looking route and have it work.
It's an art form like a painting you hang on your wall.

I'll stick with model building. It keeps me refined and within a single screen area. Much easier for me to deal with.

You route builders are a unique bunch and I commend all of you. Keep it up.
We model builders need someplace to run our models on.

Have fun!

Of course you know I was just funnin' wit'cha Rickster!

Agreed: We route builders are a unique lot. Odd that some of us find pain and suffering "enjoyable"?

Only kidding. Route building has its own set of personal rewards that appeal to some of us. As I've mentioned many times, I find two types of route building each give different rewards:

* The fun of protolancing with a free-flowing concept.

* The reward of seeing a favorite (past) prototype coming back to life.

The former is typically quicker, the later more exacting.

Scary part is though: Laying track is USUALLY the FASTEST portion of route building! Like you accurately surmised: Filling all those blasted tiles with realistic looking "stuff" one has to create takes the longest by far!

Andre,
At my age, I take it all with a grain of salt. Too damn old to care much anymore and just enjoying a hobby I started way back when I was just an adolescent.
No, I'm not offended and a little 'pokin fun' never hurt anyone.

This is a very interesting hobby, the virtual aspect of it anyway. We can sit back in our easy chair and never get our hands dirty.
There is a great mix of varied RR fans doing it. We've got the 'players', the builders, the 'photographers', the FRAPS guys, the skinners, sheesh, we've got a wonderful mix of folks foolin' around with virtual trains.
If at any given time you want to take a break, you can always sit back and view screenshots or watch videos.

Best advice I can give is, find your nitch and enjoy it to the max.

Yup, to me, it's all I need for the rest of my life.

I love this hobby and I love retirement.