Hi there! I'm new here. I was wondering: what's the difference between Train Simulator 2020 and Train Sim World 2020? At first glance, they look the same; can someone explain me the differences? I want to buy one, but I don't know which one. Thanks in advance!
Hello, Frost. TS 2020 is what I would call a "classic" train simulator. It has Dovetail Game's main train simulator for a while. There is a ton of routes and locomotives to chose from, and many different countries. The main regions you will find trains for are the UK, North America, and Germany. TSW 2020 is a first person simulator with most of the same features as TS 2020.It is one of Dovetail's fairly new projects and is very impressive. Its graphics and visual physics are a step up from TS, but with a major load on your computer as the cost. Don't buy it like I did unless your computer meets the minimum specs. It doesn't have as large a selection as TS 2020 as far as routes and locomotives go, but what has been created is fantastic! I have both, but can only play TS 2020 because I have a low spec system. I can definitely say that you won't go wrong with either. The physics and graphics are accurate and I really enjoy it. I have played other train sims, but none are as good as TS and TSW. Hope this helps and God bless.
I'd much rather play TS2020. TSW feels more like a game and less like a simulator. The physics are unrealistic in quite a few trains, the sounds are disappointing, and the game just feels extremely unpolished and janky. It may be personal preference, but TS2020 feels more playable, if that makes sense. It's hard to describe but TSW just doesn't scratch the itch of wanting to play a train sim as much as TS2020. For now I have to recommend TS2020. Maybe in a year or two you should check out TSW as more features and hopefully simulation elements are added. It has great potential, but doesn't live up to it currently. TS2020 is pretty much set in stone when it comes to polish, due to it being around for so long. Large things are much less likely to change. This isn't needed though, since all the necessary changes were already made to the game ages ago. I hope this comment helped you decide.
Although TSW looks good and there is a lot of out of cab walking around you are currently restricted to what DTG gives you. Generally you can only run the trains on the routes that the stock comes with. And the Scenarios and Timetables cannot be changed. With TS2020 you are free to run what you wish where you want Along with DTG where you get the base route from there are a large number of add-ons both Payware and Freeware. It is much easier to run what you want where you want. You want to run a British loco with Hungarian coaches over a Swiss route - ok, why not It would not happen in real life but no problem in the game Peter
My ha'p'orth- (from the perspective of someone who has TS but not TSW) TS is old, a bit buggy and poorly optimized for new hardware but even a cursory look at the forums will tell you that its dedicated users are well aware of that. It's still going beyond what might be called its natural life span because it still delivers the goods and I agree that TS is the better choice at the moment because of the choice. There's over 100 routes available just from Dovetail and many more from third parties and in the Workshop so you're almost certain to find a route or five that you can really get into. You'll also find trolls trying to start a flame war about the "complete game" costing ten thousand pounds but we usually tease them until they go away. TSW will get me one day (I've got the hardware and North Pennine and Teesside are mighty tempting) but I'm very happy with TS for now. Are you aware that there are ways, other than buying TS2020, to get into TS? Older editions of TS can be found on other websites- TS2016 was going for less than a pound at one point last year and you may find an old edition has a route bundle that appeals to you more than the current one. If you already have TS this can still be a way to add to a collection of routes. (Naming other sites here can cause problems and offers change all the time but you know how to use Google don't you?) If you look at the Store description of some routes (London-Faversham and West Somerset from memory and the novelty routes like Holiday Express) you'll notice that they don't need you to already own TS- they're effectively single route edition that can be added to like the regular game. (Caveat- I've not actually tried this but it's been done.)
Having has TS since 2012 I have bought both the London to Faversham and West Somerset add-ons and they just integrate in to the game. And as such you run what you wish over the routes Peter
I fell for TSW because of the better graphics, not realizing the computer-powers needed. That because i had an about 10 years old I7 920 Asus P6T SE with a later bought AMD Radeon R7 360 2GB OC (OC = important i guess) GPU, and it worked with the motherboard slightly overclocked. I just upgraded my PC with far better specs, and bought TS 2016 for some 9$ on amazon. Registered that and Steam upgraded it automatically to TS2020. TS 2020 runs more game like, the graphics are quite less, and yes soooo many pay- and freeware add-ons..., Being a rookie i am struggling to get those free ware add-ons installed and properly running. I don't like it very much but still keep trying to run it as some seem to get a decent screen environment. The variety in TS2020 is what makes it quite interesting. If you like steam era stuff like me. And right now the graphics look real bad since i have a lot of aliasing i can't get rid of. PS I started with IL2 Sturmovik Great Battles; it's about the same thing with that compared to IL2- 1964, the now 20 years old version.
One would hope so just as buying the current edition of TS (or indeed any edition if you can get your hands on a key) would add the bundle of routes to those you already have as It did when I bought TS2019* last year. I got started with TS2016 so couldn't speak from experience hence my caveat. * For £7.50 in a sale BTW- "Thou shalt not pay more than 50% of the regular price" has become something of a golden rule for me when it comes to TS.
You're right Jack, there is a TON on freeware stuff for TS 2020 and they can be quite tricky to get installed. I have my graphics set on low as well to get a marginal framerate. TSW just about screwed my computer when I tried to play, so I've set it to the side until I get an upgrade.
What are your specs regarding TSW, i played it first at a middle class 10 old PC with a 4 years later bought middle class better GPU. The latter not as much for gaming, but video editing.
OC stands for "overclocked" which is where they take a processor designed for a certain speed and then ramp that speed up. Usually means better cooling and higher power requirements than the "old standard card" (the base card is probably the same, but it might have a fan on it rather then just a heat sink. Plainly put, it means the card can put more data through per second, and more data means more things done on screen which means better framerates (or more detailed frames at least)
As to the OP, when you look at TSx you KNOW that it's not trying to be ultra realistic, so you're not comparing it to more modern gaming standards, TSW is trying to be almost photo realistic, so comparrisons are made (and TSW loses) When you look at the breadth of content for TSX you see ten years of development by Microsoft, Kuju, RSC, DTG, AP, DPS, Vulcan etc etc etc. TSW only has content put out by DTG (with one or two collaborators) over three years. If you look at TSx you see steam from the very beginning of the railroads through to modern EMUs and high speed lines across Europe, China, the US... TSW has the UK from the 80s, GWR from the end of the HST, A few German lines and a few US lines. Yes, theres the free roam in TSx which may not be there in TSW. Yes there's the editor in TSx; which causes many many issues but also allows people to create scenarios, locos, consists and whole routes should they wish. TSW has none of that So right now I would say that TSx gives more playability, more value for money (I have more scenarios than I could ever wish for) and probably more longevity than TSW will have in the end. On another note, I would also recommend looking at SimSig if you're into signalling. I started playing this recently and have played Southampton on Simsig more than anything else (and that route is completely free)
