I've done a bit on my railway

[Graskie]

I actually got round to doing a bit on my railway the other day. After I had cleared that up I tested the latest Elite and RM versions and......much to my amazement......everything went pretty smoothly for a change. I had to sit down afterwards, what with

 

all the totally unexpected excitement. Are others finding the combination works well now?

[LMSTim]

It has always worked well for me. The latest update adds more features and fixes a few little bugs, as they do each time there is an update.

 

[David55]

Having gone straight into the elite and railmaster, I wouldn't have anything else.

 

Only problems I've had is with updates but a phone call to Hornby Customer Care these have been sorted quickly. Well done to them.

 

The only other DCC problems

 

I've had is one point motor playing up and one train which lost its number. But a re program up and running again.

 

Good system

 

I actually got round to doing a bit on my railway the other day. After I had cleared that up I tested the latest Elite

 

and RM versions and......much to my amazement......everything went pretty smoothly for a change. I had to sit down afterwards, what with all the totally unexpected excitement. Are others finding the combination works well now?[/reply]

[DCCTinker]

I'm a relative newbie to all this DCC stuff but I must say that I cant imagine going back to just using a controller after RailMaster. It makes operating my layout so much easier and I don't have to remember any numbers of locos and points.

 

It works

 

very smoothly for me and I know I'm not even using all the facilities yet.

 

Just as well I got into this now and now pre-Railmaster.

 

 

[Fishmanoz]

Graskie, before answering you, I gave this topic quite some thought. Let me say that overall, I believe that Hornby and their software development subcontractor are doing a very good job and have been particularly responsive lately as the handheld apps

 

have gone from beta to initial full release. So let me give a report card, not just based on my views but also summarising the views expressed in threads more recently, and in comparison to older threads:

 

- The product "niche" or the user market addressed

 

- aimed at the non-technical user who just wants to automate their railway without being a lower level computer language expert or a network engineer. The product seems to be addressing this niche pretty well. Some are finding challenges with com port settings

 

and IP addressing for the handheld apps. Both aspects would benefit from auto search and set features in the program given the target and actual user market.

- Operational reliability - again seems to have been good lately. There have been no recent forum

 

threads from those who have previously found the software missed commands in programs for example. Recently, issues have only related to initial setup not ongoing performance.

- Features - general satisfaction with what the program can do with the clear

 

exception of loco detection where a number will consider the program of limited use until this long-foreshadowed feature is added. One suggested interim solution of gently running against buffers from time to time has been found inadequate by a number due

 

to the variability found in loco running between buffer points. Many would prefer concentration own this aspect rather than such mooted features as voice control, and even the handheld apps.

- handheld apps - for a very new product that had only just reached

 

any level of operational utility and stability at release date last month, the apps seem to be going very well. Some see them in the gimmick category but many like them. The major issue is clearly I tails network IP addressing which some are finding beyond

 

them, even though the manual contains reasonable plain language instructions on how to go about it. This would clearly benefit from setting features in the setup program for non-technical users.

- Track plan design. This feature has come in for criticism

 

from a number before they try it and others doing design. Some would like to be able to upload their Trackmaster layouts directly into the program but the schematic nature of RM layouts preclude this. Once they try it, most report it easy to use though with

 

quite complicated layouts being designed in quite short time. A significant exception has been found in not being able to orient points at 45 degrees.

- Configuration control, or changing version number when changing the program - the developers, I think

 

due to the high rate of ongoing development currently, have not always changed the version number when they've changed the program. This means that the latest version is not downloaded by the auto update feature in the program but has to be directly downloaded

 

from the developers site. A case in point is the current v1.48 which has had at least 3 iterations without change to version number. It is obvious that this has happened if you look at the release date on the downloaded program over time, and the fact that

 

the program went from few inbuilt track plans, to having the first 7 loop programs in the Hornby track plan book installed, and then back to few again at last checking.

- Licensing policy - an area where much heat has been generated and some paranoia on

 

the part of Hornby to avoid abuse of licence provisions is apparent. Major sticking point is the current need to pay full price for multiple licences, although the developer reports this is being looked at. Current single licence instal/uninstall/activate/deactivate

 

procedures are good and allow users to move their licence between different computers and handhelds while ensuring that only one fully functional version is available at any one time on any hardware, with good instructions on how to do it in the manual.

-

 

Purchasing policy - current requirement to purchase a physical DVD in order to get a licence key is antiquated (even Windows 8 can be purchased fully on line without leaving your desk these days). Given the facility to purchase online has been in the program

 

for some time but not activated, it is not understood why this is not available. I suspect it is a marketing decision associated with the number of DVDs currently in the market, and the imminent release of RM bundled with eLink has something to do with it.

 

Hopefully it will change soon. Then again, who am I to criticise as I have purchased my copy at considerable discount by doing it via the Liverpool online retailer and from outside the EU.

 

Apologies for taking up lots of room in this thread but hopefully

 

you now have a better insight into what is a good product and clearly going to get even better in the future.

[Fishmanoz]

Under handhelds above, red I tails network IP as just network IP, and there is an own which should be on.

[Fishmanoz]

And that's read not red - oh for an edit feature.

[Graskie]

Wow, fishy. Thanks for what must be somewhere near a record length post. Are you trying to vie with LC? I must now go and sort a few more locos out on RM.

[Fishmanoz]

Definitely not trying to vie with LC Graskie, it just took me that long to list the features and issues in what I believe is a balanced fashion. There has been a tendency of late for some to say that everything Hornby do is excellent and everything they

 

are not doing is bad or unreasonable. The product is better than needing that kind of support and only by recognising areas where it can be improved or features added is there any chance of them being addressed. Put another way, the product will be better

 

for healthy discussion of its good and not so good features.