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Mac OS X Version Now Available! After a long winter at the PowerBook, we're pleased to announce the first version of TrainPlayer/TrackLayer for Mac is now ready to try and buy! Prices for the Mac versions are the same as for Windows, in fact even
lower with this newsletter! See the special. |
Mac Version
Mac
Introductory
Special! Just enter the following Coupon Code when ordering any Mac product: MAC-507 then click Recalculate to claim your discount.
offer expires 8/31/07 |
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New Products |
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Now your Mac friends can join you in discovering the pleasures of onscreen railroading! The Mac version has all the features of TrainPlayer and TrackLayer, and all 101 Westcott plans plus the hundreds of other track plans on the website can be used in either version. With the same great control panel, car-top images, controls and devices which have made the Windows version so popular.
The Mac versions have been under development for over nine months. Working with the experts at Generally Helpful Software (Nashua, NH), we created a completely new framework and user interface with a very Mac-like look and feel, built in Cocoa, Mac's latest development platform. Railroad logic is shared with the Windows version, so the train operations and tracklaying tools are built of solid, tested code. The Mac program has been in beta testing for over two months, and has received good reviews from the testers. Most found it easy to use, Mac-friendly, and fun. There is very little model railroad software for Mac users, so many have been eagerly awaiting the release. Says Dave Reichley: "I've been checking your website almost daily since January in hopes of being able to download Trainplayer for Mac." Dick Nelson calls it "a fantastic variety of layouts for less than the cost of a decent model locomotive."
The initial Mac version is called 2.0. It doesn't quite have all the bells and fanciness of today's Windows version, but is roughly equivalent to what TrainPlayer Windows was at 2.0. But it does have some of the more popular recent features, such as Car Collections (above), introduced in TP Windows 2.2, plus a nifty new program icon by Bruce Bates, and a great-looking railroad clock by Glenn Howes. .
Pricing for the Mac products is the same as for Windows. Four levels are available: TrainPlayer ($29.95; includes ten Westcott layouts); TrackLayer ($49.95; includesTrainPlayer and ten layouts); TrainPlayer Deluxe ($59.95; includes all 101 layouts); and TrackLayer Deluxe ($79.95; includesTrainPlayer and all 101 layouts). Products are available for purchase online via credit card, for immediate download or delivery on CD by mail. The 2.0 Mac release requires OS X 10.4; a version for OS X 10.3 will be released soon. Individual layout packs are not available for Mac. Downloading of layouts and car collections from the website is not yet convenient, as the installer is only for Windows.
Please pass this newsletter on to your Mac friends!
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New Layouts |
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We are delighted to present another great original plan by Ed Avetta in Florida. Ed does beautiful CAD work in this fifty-foot around-the-room design, with plenty of opportunity for long runs and intricate switching. Download a copy and try it out.
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| What's Coming | |
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We have been developing a radical new feature to be released in TP/TL 3.0 this summer: "scripting," the ability to write little programs to drive the trains. Using a simple language of intuitive commands, you can develop procedures to operate all the trains on the layout and play them back with one click. Use it to record your favorite operational sequences, teach them to others, record solutions to switching puzzles. There's nothing else like it.
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| What Else | |
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George Baustert We are saddened to announce the passing of our old friend George Baustert, a great friend of TrainPlayer and a prolific designer of track plans. George has been a railroader for over fifty years, contributing articles to many publications and filling the train forums with modelling tips. Over the last two years he has spent a lot of time with the mouse, contributing over 150 plans for TrainPlayer use and testing every one of them. If you haven't visited the Baustert Gallery for a while, take a look. Learn about carfloats and high symmetry and maximum tonnage per square layout inch. There are still more of George's plans coming soon.
Gorre & Daphetid reminiscence site Visit Peter Prunka's site devoted to the model railroad many consider to be the most spectacular ever built: John Allen's Gorre & Daphetid in Monterey, California. The website includes history, photos, layouts, references, and more. (Note that the screen shots above show the original 4x8 portion of the G&D as presented in Linn Westcott's book.)
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.
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.
Giveaways for clubs We are happy to contribute TrainPlayer products for door prizes at train clubs and meets. To inquire, send e-mail to the address below. Have a laptop? Would you be interested in demonstrating TrainPlayer products at shows or club meets? We can provide materials, and a coupon code so you will receive commissions. Inquire by e-mail. Contact TrainPlayer Software For phone support, send e-mail to arrange a call. Thanks for your support. |
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15%
off 
Scripting
in TrainPlayer 3.0
