Upcoming Release Santa Fe On Cajon Pass - Coming Soon!

Its worth noting UP still has those trackage rights, as it's still the only way to get to their line that connects to the BNSF mainline just East of Barstow that goes to Las Vegas and Utah, just that they go into the Palmdale Cutoff on the pass. But DTG forgot those trains existed when they made the original Cajon Pass in TSW3.

 

Have you not been checking suggestions?

 

Uhhh did you forget that the db red 363 is £11.99 which only includes the train and a wagon.
So no I don’t think this is overpriced for value, hell going off your local the scotrail 158 and scotrail 380 are overpriced

 

The 380 is an entirely new loco so your comparison is totally illogical. And I didn’t even mention the 363 or 158 in my original post so I’m not sure why you’ve brought them up. At the end of the day, a tsw gameplay pack has never cost this much and it’s concerning that this time it does.

 

Pricing for gameplay packs seems to be all over the place and it's very difficult to see where the prices are drawn from.

You have something like the 380 pack which had an entirely new model and timetable at $26aud.
The 158 pack which was arguably a reskin/remodel and at the time a single timetable for $24aud.
Then you have the cargo line packs, each at $16aud iirc.
Thomas the tank was almost $30
The XC/WMT Class 170 was also weirdly priced competitively.

I guess what I'm saying is that the pricing has always been a little whacky so it's not exactly new to this gameplay pack. Maybe the developers of the DLC has some say. JT for their class 86 for example, or HIS for this pack?

 

7 liverys and new timetable (2 train and 5 wagons)

Basically my point was this is great value for money compared to the 158 and 363, and other loco packs

timetable packs are normally more expensive, so what’s your problem?, like it’s £3 different from another loco pack, it was never going be £10 pack

 

It's not the "up" that's the challenge =-)

 

That's the thing. It's entirely different gameplay. Instead of managing timings on a commuter route, it's managing braking and speesds to prevent disaster. Different but equally fun for different people. Some German routes have enough grade to be interesting, but most UK routes are pretty tame by comparison.
Different styles for different players.

 

Yeah, I get that they're reskins, but the timetable is a lot of work plus 5 scenarios.
While it could be more, it's not like the price is "breaking the bank."
There's no cheaper modern DLC with as much content out there as you pointed out.
It's like a Cargo Pack (6 new wagons and a timetable)...with two extra locos thrown in *even if they are variations of ones we already have in game)
And if you pick it up as a sale...that's hardly anything.
It's one of the better modern deals available for TSW.
I guess it COULD be cheaper, but as someone pointed out... it's not going to be a huge seller given how European-focused the game is.
You have to cover payroll to hire people to make the content so there's a lower limit to what you can charge and still pay people.

 

It only seems great value compared to the 158 and 363 because they were overpriced to begin with. The 158 shouldn’t be £12, this pack certainly shouldn’t be £15

 

And cargo packs... and 170.... etc.

 

the starter pack will not be free for much longer, as it ends next Tuesday 11th. I bought the deluxe edition on the day of release.

 

You would think some people could accept that what doesn't appeal to them might appeal to someone else.

I will get this pack. I don't play US freight very often but when I do I enjoy it. It's good to encourage new developers. Is £15 expensive, as ever it is down to what an individual gets out of it.

People on here are often keen to assert what they think a developers time and effort is worth.

 

£15 is nothing today, a round of drinks with a friend. What we pay for add ons is not expensive, but in the scale of other packs, l feel that this has more of a £12.99 feel to it compared to other releases, but it’s a first day buy for my xbox but will look for a discount before l add it to my steam collection. When l was working l didn’t blink at paying the full price for both Xbox and Steam, but now retired it’s only Xbox l buy for, as their are fewer Xbox sales than Steam.

 

If they have updated engine sounds , it will be day 1 purchase for me as well

 

Been confirmed the only sound changes will be the horn.

 

There was talk earlier on Facebook of including the C41 variant, but it's not mentioned in this article. I hope it's included.

 

And I have never understood what is so fun about most modern EMU's. they are incredibly boring and repetitive, nothing interesting.

In, US freight you have to handle thousands of tons , you have the diesel engines roaring up the hills trying to climb the grades.
Also keeping adhesion in underpowered trains with adverse weather conditions is challenging. And as others mentioned , managing the speed downhill with combining the brakes is also a big challenge , and with so many cars behind you , you have to plan thoroughly and in advance when and how much to apply the brakes.

 

I don't understand people who come on here to criticise content just because it doesn't match up to their particular interests, if all you want is the latest EMU then just pick up whatever route DTG throws your way.

It's great to see High Iron fill the void left by DTG's abandonment of US freight, much like Just Train's content caters to those disappointed by DTG's "BR blue doesn't sell" rhetoric.

 

That's an incorrect statement.

 

I explained my thoughts and attempted to justify them, so it would be nice if you could apply an equal level of debating skill, instead of the classic ‘I disagree with you so therefore I’m right’

 

HIS confirms 70+ services for the UP SD40-2 layers.

 

Well you didn't explain really. You just said "it's illogical" which it wasn't, then you made the absurd statement there has never been a gameplay pack that expensive...which is untrue. It is incorrect.
The Class 86 was $24.99
The BR 194/E194 was $24.99
Thomas and Friends was $24.99
The Pandolino was $22.99
The 218 was $17.99
Most of the stuff you are referring to like the 380 are $16.99...which is only ONE DOLLAR different not a huge difference. Also that's one vehicle, which while yes it's new, the two are mods not just liveries, with 6 new rolling stock wagons and a timetable. So all that extra for a DOLLAR is not at all "illogical." It's a decent value for money.
Even the entirely livery series like Union Pacific are still $14.99 and there's no timetable or new rolling stock in that.
So yes... you were incorrect in your statements.
You are expecting an unrealistically low price compared to the rest of TSW DLC.
You are the one being "illogical."

 

And there we have the root cause of our disagreement, we both define differently what constitutes a ‘gameplay pack’. To you, a whole new loco, often called ‘loco dlc’ on platform stores, constitutes a gameplay pack. But to me, a gameplay pack is something such as cargo line or the upcoming AWC 805, which contains little new rolling stock content but changes and improvements to, you guessed it, the gameplay. That’s where our disagreement is. Maybe it would have been nice for my argument to not be labelled as ‘absurd’ when the difference was simply how we define something, but I’m glad we’ve come to an agreement

 

Boring is subjective. I find the US freight routes relatively interesting when you learn how to do them properly (which most people don’t, and blow speed limits as a result). The biggest problem with them is the primitive physics/systems modelling.

Conversely I find the UK routes with their absolutely 0 challenge electric trains, stop go stop go stop go in a straight line, and ridiculously simple safety/signalling to be pretty boring yet other people can’t get enough of that stuff.

 

I bet part of the explanation here is the consists need to be built with stuff just from this pack and the base Cajon route. As great as the Worcester consists are, you need hundreds of dollars of DLC for those services to even appear.

 

They can easily still do it with only the content from this pack and Cajon as a base.

-The Boxcar liveries should be mixed in to create not full strings of ATSF boxcars while other have the faux TTX boxcars, they should be mixed together. Same can be said for the autorack, a UP one which is close enough to the 90's (Since it lacks the Building America slogan) can be mixed in with the ATSF cars for better looking autorack consists.

-The ATSF 3 bay covered hopper should of came with more liveries, a generic grey one with DTGX marking, and maybe something like a BN one since that falls under the same BNSF livery (HIS had no problem doing this on TSC)

-There is too many long strings of the same car type back to back, these should be broken up with one or two cars of different types to avoid looking bland.

EDIT: Looking back, Horseshoe Curve by Skyhook Games had one of the better looking manifest consists using only stock they included with their route.

 

I'm going by what a gameplay pack in is TSW, but if you wish to continue with your narrow, personal definition unattached to TSW, then even by your own standards you lost to your own argument.

Since a "gameplay" pack to you is just a few wagons (no locos) then a DLC that is two locos PLUS the wagons must be far better than a simple gameplay pack. It's a gameplay pack PLUS a loco pack together. The Santa Fe pack has 3 times the wagons and two locos on top, making it far BETTER than the simple cargo line packs, right?

So... what should the price be for a loco pack added to a gameplay pack?

To be clear, the secondary argument about "different gameplay" is facetious. There is no "new gameplay" with the military pack or the intermodal packs. You don't load or unload those, they're just different freight wagons. I'm not sure why you thought that was a thing. Have you purchased those at all to find out?

Bottom line is that you're not sticking to your own arguments and simply want to attack the Santa Fe pack as "too expensive" but can't back it up beyond your "feeling." That's fine... you can value anything you want by "feelings." Just don't buy it then.

However, if you want to cross the line and compare it to actual TSW DLC, then you are going to fail because it's not highly priced compared to similar other content already released.

Let's do an actual comparison with what already exists in TSW:

Worst case scenario is that you compare this to a 6-wagon cargo pack added to a 2-loco reskin pack.
The Union Pacific pack (very similar to the Santa Fe) offers 5 skins for 1 loco, the SD 2070 for $14.99.
Let's again, saying "worst case scenario" assume that it's 2 liveries (overlooking that the C40 and SD-40-2 are refreshed and not just liveries) But IF we just considered them liveries, then that's 2 liveries for... $10.00? That'd be fair.
Now 6 wagons and a timetable for them is roughly analogous to a standard Cargo Line pack. Multiple liveries, few scenarios, runs on a route... so that's $14.99. Not all the Cargo Packs are the same, some are better than others (more liveries and routes for Aggregate vs Petroleum or Intermodal) but you get the point. $14.99 is a good price point for roughly a few wagon liveries and a timetable with a few scenarios.

A "fair" price therefore would be $24.99.

They are selling it for $17.99.

You are getting a discount of around $7.00 with the combined Santa Fe pack compared to what it "should" be.

Again, this has nothing to do with whether YOU as an individual should buy it. Honestly I don't know or care if you like Cajon Pass or the ATSF railroad. That's not the point. You jumped that shark when you pretended to compare it to other similar DLC and went beyond personal choice.

In summary to YOU it might not be a good purchase. That's up to you and how much you'd enjoy it.
However, in the context of TSW it's a fair price that is similar to other DLC in the store.
In fact it's a bit BETTER deal than a considerable amount of DLC in the store for what it is.

Have you seen the price of the F59 or the F125 "holiday pack" prices for what they offer? But it or not based on personal taste, but stop trying to pretend it's not offering value. If you have an issue with TSW prices in general, that's a different issue and being discussed in about 6 other threads already. This was about comparative value remember.

If I was looking for a "good deal" for money, investing in TSW DLC would be one of the worst investments =-)

 

Maybe I’m wording things wrong. To me, a loco dlc is a new train. A gameplay pack does not contain a new train. That’s the key difference, which is why I argue that a gameplay pack should not be more than a loco dlc.

 

Whatever you need to tell yourself.

 

You’re still not getting it are you but I’m not going to beat this dead horse forever. I think you already know what my argument is but simply can’t see the logic in it. Maybe that’s me wording my statements poorly, maybe it’s you not being able to understand what I mean. Maybe it’s both. At the end of the day, I still stand by my opinion that this pack is overpriced.

 

As someone who think that prices can be high, this isn’t bad. It’s not even $19.99. I’m sure High Iron simulations put a lot of work into this product. I’m also sure that you didn’t complain about price when Mildmay was released in the state that it was.

 

You're making a lot of assumptions, but whether they're true still remains to be seen. And the fact that something is sold at a higher price says absolutely nothing about its quality. In fact, sometimes cheaper is actually better. So let's wait for the release before drawing any conclusions.

 

As seen in the early streams the gullwing isn't modelled inside the cab of the C40-8w, only on the outside. Is the speedmeter correct in the C40-8W?

Santa fe cab Ride tehachapi

Also the dynamic brake fans are continually spinning on the SD40-2, pitty.

 

I just realized this. The cab is not modeled correctly. The speedometer is supposed to be digital, and the Santa Fe cabs did not have a CFM gauge (air flow meter) or fuel gauge. There should also be a flashing alerter light above the amps gauge, and an EOT module on the left side of the desk. Seems like HIS either got lazy or simply didn't look into it enough. The picture of the cab posted looks like an exact copy of the CSX one already in game. Honestly pretty disappointing and i won't be paying for something that isn't accurate.

 

Alright i just watched the british ace video and i am genuinely a bit upset with this. IT TOOK A YEAR AND A HALF TO GET THIS OUT AND THE CAB IS COMPLETELY WRONG!!!! Also the sounds are terrible besides the horn. They reused just about everything from Sand Patch. It just seems like a cash grab at this point. Not a good TSW start for High Iron...

 

So if ambassadors are playing this already, where's the release date? After the 18th release of Cargo Line 5, i assume...

 

I was expecting them to reuse the same sounds from the CSX engine since HIS said somewhere they only changed the horn.

 

santa fe pack releases tomorrow

 

But with the same old cab we already had? Since the cab is what you are looking at 99% of the time, that is a HUGE blunder/cut corner. My interest in this pack just plummeted (this recalls the BNSF SD70 disaster)

Sorry, HIS, but from a studio with a solid rep building rolling stock for TSC, trying to fob us off with nothing but reskins is a real loss of form.

 

based on british ace stream:

it seems to be just a reskin of the SPG C40-8W (this one with a different horn only, otherwise everything is the same as the SPG version)
however, I can't say much about the SD40-2 because it wasn't shown on the stream...
btw, what are the so-called "ambassadors" for if not to show the content that will be released? which wasn't exactly what happened since the SD40-2 wasn't shown in action (I don't even know if it has a different horn like the C40-8W has)
the so-called "ambassadors" are more like DTG fanboys who have the role of defending it at all costs just looking to get dlcs for free

 

Missed that somehow- thanks!

 

That’s literally what do they. They never talk about the bad things in dtg’s product.

 

That's not true. @trainsimulatordriver was very critical of the SD40-2.

 

This should have been mentioned in the article on the previous page. Bit disingenuous.

If the locos are just cloned from SPG, I'll share the disappointment.

Actually though I am buying this for the wagon stock, specifically the spine car, TOFL and the autorack. I wasn't expecting much from the locos, since they're not new.

I notice that the nuclear cargo pack, which is somewhat similar in content and interesting because of the Class 20, is $16.99. So at a dollar more I guess this pack is really not overpriced in comparison.

 

Typical HIS, when the Northern Pacific route was announced for TSC, several prototype photos from the modeled era were posted.
And guess what, HIS just removed the 'Radio Equipped' placards from the locomotives, just because his subcontractor DTM was/is too lazy to include a train radio model in the cab.

The UP AC44 model that was included in Cane Creek still has CSX marking all over the cab, besides having its rear truck the wrong way round. Surprisingly, Cane Creek DLC (one of the poorest route DLC) hasn't been seen yet in the 'junk dump' 90% off discount category, where some other routes feature almost every sale.

 

actually, I hadn't seen his analysis of the santa fe pack, I'd only seen the british ace's (who didn't even bother to show the SD40-2)
on the other hand, trainsimulatordriver showed it and was even impartial, a totally honest analysis on his part
kudos to him

 

British Ace was very critical about the blurry textures on the Crewe to Birmingham route, he was clearly very frustrated by them. So your statement of "fact" is indeed not!

 

Yes, the " Ambassadors " ( strange name for them if they claim impartiality ) are very variable. Won't mention names but some are worth watching and others not. You find the ones you like and stick with them.

 

SKYHOOK+nuclear train hmmm... First fix Cane Creek... Skyhook is on my personal black list after shameful treatment for this short but very intriguing us route.