TrainPlayer News, May 2008

[TallDude]

TrainPlayer 3.1 with Premium Layouts & Cars

We set out last fall to add a few new layouts to our collection, and we got completely carried away. We acquired over seventy great new layouts and more than seven hundred (yes, 700) stylish new cars, including European and Canadian cars and every steam locomotive you ever heard of.
To handle all this new content we had to make a few changes in the program, and we got carried away with that too. 3.1 features an elegant new system for browsing and managing layouts, cars, and sounds, with direct access to our huge and growing library of content on the web. We also added snap features for serious track-layers, double rail display, help buttons, track coloring, publishing features, and a lot more.
Mac users: sorry, Version 3.1 is Windows-only for this release. Mac updates are coming.
To see this newsletter on the web, click here. If you receive more than one copy, it's because we have multiple e-mail addresses for you. Use the link at the bottom of this message to remove a name from the list.

3.1 Special

$2995

Not a reduced price
but a great deal!

For all licensed users -- upgrade to 3.1 and get Premium Layouts & Cars, Screen Saver, and 101 Track Plans.
Windows only.
For CD, choose shipping method at checkout, add $10 handling. Download is immediate; CDs will not be shipping before June.

New Features in 3.1

Premium Layouts & Cars

Original railroad art created exclusively for TrainPlayer! Elegant layouts by Peter Lloyd-Lee, beautiful scenery by Nicolas Villarreal, vivid real-world railoading on photos of actual yards from Bruno Pigozzo. Hundreds of custom passenger, freight, and motive cars. For a glimpse, see the Premium Layouts page.


Choosers
Handy three-panel two-tab dialogs for choosing layouts, cars, and sounds! Customize the tree to show your favorite content from all over the disk. Web tab makes it easy to browse and download from online collections. Drag in folders from Windows Explorer, organize the tree by drag-and-drop.

Track Snap
Precision tools for creating switches, yards, and curves! Set choices for standard angles and radii, draw them quickly and accurately. Parallel snap tool makes short work of ladder yards. Great for sketching track plan ideas.

Double Rails
A more realistic view of your layout! TrainPlayer now knows that track is not a single brown line but two steel rails. See the difference.

And More
Improved help system, with context Help buttons on all dialogs. New features for faster and more flexible zooming. Individually-colored track. Export complete image to jpg. Improved track checker for diagnosing problems. Publishing dialog for authoring layouts and car collections. Improved preferences dialog.

How to Upgrade

If you are a 3.0 user: Upgrading to 3.1 is free. For this you get the new version of the program and the screen saver* working with your existing layouts and cars. Or, for $29.95 you can upgrade to Premium, which gets you the above plus access to our entire web library -- almost 700 layouts, over 800 cars -- a vast variety of railroading enjoyment. Both choices are excellent bargains.

* screen saver comes free, even if you didn't have it before
If you use an earlier version: You are not entitled to a free upgrade -- your only choice is the Premium upgrade for $29.95, which gets you a whole lot more than you had before.

If you are not yet a user: We added new products for 3.1, but also removed some and simplified the product line. Take a look at the updated shopping site to see the whole list. Or, for your convenience, here are some shortcuts --- grab your credit card and pick a product:

The whole works: Premium Layouts, 101 Track Plans, TrackLayer and TrainPlayer

Operator's dream: TrainPlayer plus Premium Layouts and 101 Track Plans

Tools and inspiration: TrackLayer, TrainPlayer, and 101 Track Plans

Run the classics: TrainPlayer plus all 101 Track Plans for Model Railroaders

Track planner's toolkit: TrackLayer, TrainPlayer, and sample layouts

Run trains for fun: TrainPlayer with about thirty sample layouts

All products include the TrainPlayer Screen Saver, online user manual, sample layouts and cars, and access to part or all of the downloadable collections on our website.

Anyone: Try the free demo for ten days. The clock starts over if you already tried a previous demo. Write and ask if you need an extension.

Details

New Installer
Version 3.1 is delivered by a new mechanism built on Windows Installer. A single small installer now brings you the program and supporting files, providing access to most of your layouts and car collections online. The installer is simple, clean, and Vista-ready.
CDs Coming Soon
Premium CDs will contain the complete Premium and 101 collections, for easy delivery to your desktop.
We are still working on CD installers and printed materials. Orders are being taken now, and will be shipping by early June.

What's Coming

Electrical Wiring
In the next version, you will be able to touch a live lead to a rail and see where the current flows. TrackLayer will help as you wire your layout, showing where you need gaps and blocks and insulated switches.
Freight Loads
Premium users will find a great set of freight car loads in Peter Lloyd-Lee's collection. In the next version, TrainPlayer will know how to use these, dropping off and picking up goods in accord with industry or station type.
Improved Speed Sounds
Jerry Dunn has provided a fine set of loco chuff sounds, and we are working on finding the equivalent for diesels. The next version will make these available as choices.

What Else

Visit our forum
Stop by the TrainPlayer forum on Yahoo Groups to chat with other users, ask questions, and be informed of new developments. Join free with a few clicks.

Free software
Do you have an interesting track plan of your own design? If you permit us to add track and post it on our site, we'll send you a free copy of TrackLayer.

We are happy to contribute TrainPlayer products for door prizes at train clubs and meets. To inquire, send e-mail to the address below.
Contact
TrainPlayer Software
4200 Arcadian Dr.
Castro Valley, CA 94546
E-mail: info@trainplayer.com
Web: TrainPlayer - Software for Model Railroaders
For phone support, send e-mail to arrange a call.
Thanks
for your support.