BVE, is it still alive?

[JModulo]

Evening all,

I've recently started using and developing again for BVE (something I've been meaning to do for a while) and was wondering if anyone on here can recall several projects that were started a number of years ago, cab views of 84, 86, 87 etc, but would now appear to have vanished into thin air. I used to be into BVE back around 2009 and can recall there being several videos on youtube and also on BVETMD of them as a WIP. I have now since got back into BVE and due to being interested in the sleeper workings being operated by the locos, I have started to work on an 86 (cab shots of 101/401) for Open BVE, with external views and mk3s. I remember that the old project was put on hold due to the scripting for the tap changer being difficult to create. This is something I hope to put asside for now and would just focus on getting a fully functional loco.

Regards, Paul.

 

[OBTS]

Paul AKA JModula:
Get the latest OpenBveTrainSim program, trains, and routes at
obts.wikia.com/OBTS_Wiki
obts.wikia.com/AddOns
obts.wikia.com/Britain

Enjoy
OBTS

 

[JonathanP]

A long, long time ago I created a HD(although no-one called it that back then) Class 87 Cab, but I don't think even I don't have a copy any more. There was no tap-changing functionality, although I corresponded with the author of one of the DLL addons that implemented AWS functionality for UK trains, and he confirmed that it was possible.

This was all BVE4 though, I have no idea how things work in OpenBVE.

In my view, at it's best, BVE, the spare-time freeware project of one Japanese programmer, could be better than MSTS, the product of the world's largest software company. I can still remember the magic of heading out of Redditch on a misty morning on Anthony Bowden's Cross City South route, the distinctive sound of the Class 323's AC traction motors captured to perfection. However, with the advent of much more advanced simulators from the DTG stable I suppose not many people use it anymore, and pretty much all of the sites that distributed addons 'back in the day' have gone offline.

 

[GusB]

I discovered OpenBVE a few years ago. I was dabbling with Linux at the time, and it was in the Ubuntu repositories so I gave it a try; the Cross-City Line was the route that it came bundled with. The Network West Midlands route was superb and I had hours of fun with it, but it wasn't exactly the most user-friendly program to use. It ran well on WinXP (even in a VM on VirtualBox), but I had to tweak the configuration files to get things working in Linux, which kind of defeated the whole point of it being cross-platform. Some route/train developers used .exe files to package things up, while others provided .zip archives, along with instructions on where to put things. I eventually got the hang of it, but setting it up could be a bit of a nightmare to the uninitiated. There was, if I remember correctly, a move towards having a "universal installer", but it didn't seem to last long.

From the various websites around at the time, I got the impression that the main developer (Michelle?) was getting a bit cheesed off, and eventually announced that she was packing it in completely. I lost interest after that, and discovered TrainSim shortly afterwards. I've no idea if it's still going and/or if people are still developing content for it.

 

[another smith]

Yes it's still being updated on a regular basis, which can be found here http://openbve-project.net/

 

[leezer3]

Glad to see I've been mentioned

Anyways, a small potted history of what is (or isn't...) going on!

Michelle was the original driving force behind openBVE, and she left somewhere about 10 years ago.

I've been involved in the community since the beginning (BVE1 on CroTrainz anyone?), and somewhere about 2 1/2 years ago, I kinda gravitated into working on the main program itself. (At the time I was working on a Western, and there were rather too many things I just couldn't do with the program available....)

Development is ongoing at http://openbve-project.net or at my GitHub page: https://github.com/leezer3/OpenBVE

Contributions or bugs always welcome

Edit:
As a note, openBVE should (in theory anyways!) be compatible with anything produced for BVE1 ==> BVE4.

 

[jonathan01n]

Thank you for creating such good routes and trains. I love simulation games and I highly appreciate developers hard work. Thanks leezer3!

 

[Ayman Ilham]

I've recently made the 195 for it, basically edited over a 170 and drew the exterior myself as well as taking 172 sounds for the engines! Due to the complexity of making a new cabview, I just used a Voyager cab cos it was the closest I can get! You can download it here http://trainspotteruk.webstarts.com/extras.html

 

[NightStar]

OpenBVE arrived on the scene about the same time as MSTS replacement Open Rails was being developed. Open Rails can use all MSTS content and is many times better than MSTS. http://openrails.org/ There are several things OpenBVE can do that i wish the ORTS developers would be more open minded to incorporating into ORTS. I also much prefer and like the abilities of the RTrainsim from Russia and feel both MSTS and ORTS should have these camera views and abilities.

My feeling is there is still too many different train simulators under development in the open source community. There is 6 or 8 such programs currently under development. I wish there could be a collaboration in a way that resulted in 1 or 2 really good programs competing in the open source world.

ORTS development has slowed due to a lack of programmers. There are only a couple people active in the development of ORTS now. They really need more help in order to reach the V1.3/V1.4 release over the next two years. ORTS releases a new version every year.

Robert

 

[Ayman Ilham]

Open Rails can use all MSTS content and is many times better than MSTS.

Does it require MSTS to run various content (i.e. if I wanna buy some content by Making Tracks for example such as the Great Eastern Mainline, would I also have to buy the MSTS software as well for the content to work) or does it work standalone (i.e. I could buy the content without having to purchase MSTS itself) on OpenRails? Is there any modern (i.e. after 2000) British MSTS content that works on OpenRails without MSTS?

 

[NightStar]

That strongly depends on whether or not a specific addon needs sounds, shapes, or textures from any of the default MSTS stock. There is a demo route from Making Tracks available on the ORTS site that can be plugged into ORTS to get a feel for ORTS. http://openrails.org/download/content/

The best place for MSTS/ORTS content is www.UKTrainsim.com There are literally hundreds of addons available. Some of them have been reworked for ORTS.

For ORTS development there are specific forum sections on www.trainsim.com and www.ElvasTower.com The latter is where the developers of ORTS are and is also a place to report bugs and other things and ask questions.

The biggie with MSTS British content is when DTG released their programs alot of the MSTS developers just abandoned MSTS for DTG offerings without updating stuff for ORTS. New ORTS/MSTS developments are now a very slow trickle. The V Scale world is pretty fragmented these days.

Peter's website has alot of additional information on ORTS physics and setting up MSTS files to take advantage of the ORTS advanced physics system. http://www.coalstonewcastle.com.au/ There is also the very in depth ORTS manual on the ORTS website.

Robert