Another screenshot from the new #OpenRails v1.6 #RailSim running the #WupperExpress12 route addon.

Some #tips when #installing Open Rails on #Linux using #WINE:

1. use the 32bit versions of WINE and Open Rails as you need to apply some winetricks which may not be available for 64bit WINE (I will test 64bit installation seperately)

2. after installing OpenRails in WINE run the #winetricks script for the WINE prefix you have just installed Open Rails into

3. from wineticks install the following DLLs:

a) .NET 4.7.2 - this will take some time as you will iterate through versions 4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2 and finally 4.7.2

b) DXVK - this requires 32bit #Vulkan libararies for your video card (e.g. AMD) installed in your native Linux install. DXVK will fix issues with shading and textures (e.g when they are black in the distance but normal when coming closer)

c) XNA 3.1 - this will install .NET 2.1 as a dependency, don't worry.

4. The built-in content downloader (and network support in general) doesn't work too well with WINE, grab the free Content off the official Open Rails website.

I spent the past few days abroad as I had to attend some family business. We went by #train (german ICE bullet train) and being somewhat of a #trainnerd this sparked a renewed interest in #trainsimulator software that will run on #Linux using #WINE.

Aside from #Zusi3 which is a professional simulator also being used in training centers in germany, there is oldie-but-goldie #MSTS (Microsoft Train Simulator) released in 2001 (!)

Yes, this was 24 years ago but still, a lot of #railsim fans here in europe consider it one of the best of its kind and third party patches have been released over the decades to keep it up to date with modern hardware and to iron out some longtime bugs.

However, there is also an alternative to that called #OpenRails which is an open-source remake of MSTS able to run commercial and free content originally designed for MSTS. I installed it using #WINE and #PlayOnLinux on my #VoidLinux box to check out how it performs. Note that I had to use winetricks to install .net 4.7.2 and xna3.1!!

So here are a few screenshots of Open Rails running the commercial "RhB Bernina" Content I bought decades ago.

https://www.openrails.org/