Acronym’s (abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word) I have noticed are being used more and more on our forum, is this a lazy way of getting your message over, particularly for new members who have just purchased the sim and are looking for advise, even i have problems with some of them.? Mike
Good point Michael! I agree. Not everyone has been here since release last August. For new players, acronyms and jargon can be off-putting. Best to make new people feel comfortable, right?
Maybe someone can write out a list of commonly used abbreviations and sticky it to the forum. I would suggest putting them into categories. To get you started, most of the ones mentioned are shortened names for routes, if you look at the DLC (downloadable content) available on your store page you will be able to match most of these up. DTG is the maker of the game - Dovetail Games. PIS is passenger information systems. There are actually many other acronyms that are technical terms like PZB, AFB, SIFA, LZB, AWS which are things like safety systems used on some of the trains which would also be good to put in a glossary of terms.
Just to be pedantic, it’s not really an acronym unless you can say it as a word, like NASA. If you say the letters instead, N T P it’s not an acronym but an initialism. The ones used to represent the routes, LIRR are fair enough on the forum, apart from those instances where someone has chosen a name for something with the initials PC, like they did with Peninsular Corridor and Preserved Collection because that already stands for Personal Computer, Politically Correct and Police Constable. Is it PC to refer to a PC playing PC from the PC on his PC? No, it should be a PC playing PC from the PC on his or her PC. That would be PC. SMH
Interesting point of view, Michael. On the one hand, right. On the other hand, it forces you to think a bit, to seek, and it leads to gaining knowledge. I do not know. +1 <<< I know I know I know...
I agree although I am guilty of using initialisms/acronyms for the route names, especially the German routes, purely out of laziness really. I tend to avoid them otherwise.
Well, I do not define myself as lazy for avoiding to write Long Island Rail Road each time instead of LIRR, for example. I should also note that a basic search on google for "TSW route acronyms" would have brought to you an answer to any doubts. I personally see the laziness here.
You're right, of course, Michael, but, given the standard of spelling on the forum, acronyms might be safer, especially with some of the European route names, which I can barely pronounce, let alone spell correctly.
I wouldn't either, but I take Michael's point about being helpful to neophytes and suggest a compromise: "Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)" or "Hauptstrecke München-Augsburg (HMA)" and thereafter LIRR or HMA . Save the extra typing while also being helpful to new people.
Just for the record, the plural of acronym is acronyms (no apostrophe, but I'll happily view that as a slip of a finger).
Isn't there a Wiki somewhere for that? Come on, it's not that difficult to find out what those letters stand for since you see them used in every 2nd post here in the forums ;-)
While we‘re at, could someone tell me whether we have reached a consensus concerning Hauptstrecke München-Augsburg? HMA follows the convention but I read that DTG calls it MAG?
Just testing something - I'm going to add a list of common abbreviations to our glossary and create bb codes that you can access across the forums. It is currently a work in progress. Long Island Railroad Main Spessart Bahn
DTG Natster, I urge you to be consistent with your links to the store. Your LIRR goes to TSW2 add-on, while MSB goes to a TSW1 add-on. I have seen a several posts from angry people who have purchased add-ons for TSW1 when they only own TSW2.
This is what leads to confusion. This knowledge is missing. 2020 is REQUIRED. PS There is no such information in the DLC descriptions for TSW2020.
If I am writing to a newcomer I try to write a route's full name the first time I have to write it but from that point I use acronyms... Although sometimes it's just force of habit, you think of a route and automatically write the initials, but I have to say they are all pretty clear except the Munich-Augaburg which is either abbreviated as HMA or MAG (I still think if Koln-Aachen is SKA, Munich-Augsburg should be HMA)
OSD (Oakville Sub Division) and the H of Hamilton? OSH Oakvile Subdivision Hamilton. Sometimes we adopt for "adjusted" acronyms cause probably OSH sounds bad. Now, SFJ (for San Fancisco San Jose) sounds good? Ok, SFJ cause we choiced for acronyms of 3 letters...Except for LIRR (Long Island Rail Road instead of Long Island Railroad LIR) Anyway, seriously, you got GWR but the mine is GWE, probably a different route! lol Edit: ........and MAG? Which the sense of München Au Gsburg?