[cjakeman]

I wonder how many of you have noticed a small change on the Home page of the website?

The pop-up windows with the 2 free offerings have been dropped (but made prominent elsewhere). In their place we have a new menu item (highlighted below) for a new webpage supported by a prominent new button that takes you to the same new webpage.




The new webpage has been created by Hendrik who works with me on the website. His aim with this change is to cater for people who are new to Open Rails and tries to answer the simple question "What can I do with Open Rails?"

There are 6 sections that open up to provide answers to that question.




Also the two standalone routes that used to pop up on the Home page are now featured here using a carousel of images and also buttons to download the content.




Please take a look at the page - how well does it answer that question? Is there anything that should be added?

[R H Steele]

I just quickly scanned through everything, looks excellent. Organized clearly, thoughtfully designed....seriously nice improvement on the old version. All the links I encountered worked. I like it. Read all the new stuff...thanks for the effort! http://www.elvastower.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/hi.gif

One criticism...getting questions about use of Raildriver and OR on the forums and....

Manual still states:

Quote

3.5 Raildriver Support
Open Rails offers native support for the RailDriver Desktop Train Cab Controller. Instructions for setting up RailDriver for Open Rails are included in the Installation Manual that is included with the Open Rails Installer, or it can be downloaded separately from the Open Rails website.

Logical location for the download would be "Learn > Manuals and Tutorials" ---- cannot find link to Installation Manual in that section.
However, it can still be found in the Documentation folder that is contained within the most recent stable version -- but I've found that many people do not bother to look in that folder ... you know the human allergy to reading instructions and manuals.
That manual may need updating to mention PerpetualKids work with Raildriver and the Raildriver calibration tab in specific branches of OR?

Generally -- thanks to the OR management team, devs, testers, volunteers and all the users of this fine Open Source train simulator. In the past ten years of development all sorts of wonderful advancements have occurred....GitHub, Trello, troubleshooting and refining code, bug fixing, worldwide translations, etc...just too many to mention. Hat's off to all of us....a truly admirable "best of human" project run by a bunch of train nutz. The Best.

[Weter]

Hello, Chris.
So good to spot, that official site have taken some good new ideas. And happy to know, Hank have helped so much.
About 1,5 year ago I was concerned with the same question: what to advice to those, who have just entered ORTS doors.

[Csantucci]

Re Raildriver it must be taken note that starting from next Testing version, that should be released this Friday evening, Raildriver setting will be possible from a specific tab in the OR menu thanks to César's porting (as already possible in ORNYMG).

[Jack@Elvas]

Csantucci, on 21 September 2023 - 11:37 PM, said:

Re Raildriver it must be taken note that starting from next Testing version, that should be released this Friday evening, Raildriver setting will be possible from a specific tab in the OR menu thanks to César's porting (as already possible in ORNYMG).

This is great news!

[Jack@Elvas]

R H Steele, on 21 September 2023 - 11:31 AM, said:

I just quickly scanned through everything, looks excellent. Organized clearly, thoughtfully designed....seriously nice improvement on the old version. All the links I encountered worked. I like it. Read all the new stuff...thanks for the effort! http://www.elvastower.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/hi.gif

One criticism...getting questions about use of Raildriver and OR on the forums and....

Manual still states:
Logical location for the download would be "Learn > Manuals and Tutorials" ---- cannot find link to Installation Manual in that section.
However, it can still be found in the Documentation folder that is contained within the most recent stable version -- but I've found that many people do not bother to look in that folder ... you know the human allergy to reading instructions and manuals.
That manual may need updating to mention PerpetualKids work with Raildriver and the Raildriver calibration tab in specific branches of OR?

Generally -- thanks to the OR management team, devs, testers, volunteers and all the users of this fine Open Source train simulator. In the past ten years of development all sorts of wonderful advancements have occurred....GitHub, Trello, troubleshooting and refining code, bug fixing, worldwide translations, etc...just too many to mention. Hat's off to all of us....a truly admirable "best of human" project run by a bunch of train nutz. The Best.

Gerry the reason for the confusion on the raildriver documentation is that it no longer exists.

https://ibb.co/CKSVYm1

https://ibb.co/1vxXtmt


Note the circular reference above - The install manual tells you to check the manual, and the manual tells you to check the install manual.

[R H Steele]

I understand that, however, since the reference is circular -- it is confusing and should be removed from the manual altogether. Users should be directed to one of the OR branches that contains the RailDriver calibration tab...the tab should be available with the stable version.

I think there should be some direction for folks on which branches have the calibration tab and how to use it...although it's very self-explanatory -- easy to use and more precise that the normal RailDriver calibration routine.

I still have a copy of the Installation Manual for OR Ver0.9 ( pdf attached ) which contains the old instructions for using and calibrating RailDriver --- out of date now that the OR calibration tab is being phased in for the different OR branches.

Attached File(s)

•  Installation Guide En.pdf (1.08MB)
  Number of downloads: 68

[Csantucci]

Paragraph 6.6 of the OR manual available with the actual Testing release provides info to the use of the built-in Raildriver configuration option. Unfortunately paragrapy 3.5 (Raildriver support) hasn't yet been modified, and should not be considered. Note also that the Raildriver tab in the OR menu window appears only if the Raildriver is connected to the computer.

[Jack@Elvas]

Csantucci, on 22 September 2023 - 11:53 PM, said:

Paragraph 6.6 of the OR manual available with the actual Testing release provides info to the use of the built-in Raildriver configuration option. Unfortunately paragrapy 3.5 (Raildriver support) hasn't yet been modified, and should not be considered. Note also that the Raildriver tab in the OR menu window appears only if the Raildriver is connected to the computer.

Good to know, thank you!

I don't know if the devs watch this forum, but it would be good to have the tab visible at all times.

This way users will see it and know the functionality exists in the version they downloaded.

Also it would be good if the raildriver could be plugged in, but not used. There are times when it may be connected but out of reach, and the user just wants to use the keyboard. Run8 has this feature and I've used it many times.

- Jack

[Weter]

Quote

There are 6 sections that open up to provide answers to that question.

Does it worth to discuss these 6 entries order?
I see it like this:

• Play
  
• Socialize
  
• Collect
  
• Learn
  
• Create
  
• Contribute

WRT "create" category, I suppose it's having sense to mind.
(from simplest - consist composition, to most complex - routes and rolling stock model building)

"learn" category repeats "create" in some points, but sometimes does it better.
I think, the accent in "learn" would be better to put in getting advanced with some kind of knowledge.

Addition (possible) to "play" category: learn World-wide railroad history and geography, as well as physics of modern and past traction.
Follow designers ideas, forming railroading evolution during last 2 centuries since Trevitik till vectron or ES44
Give the second chance (life) to obsolete MSTS content, adding/developing advanced functionality, investing the new breath to old trainsim hobby.
Participate historic reconstructions (in observer, expert or creator roles) of greatest periods, related to railroads.
Perhaps, it might be better to add just into "learn" category - what are others opinion?
To Multiplayer: try yourself being virtual engineer or dispatcher.