Route Medway Valley Line Feedback Thread

I did wonder that, basically any three digit number serves as a wild card. The sim isn’t that pedantic (yet). Just my OCD/Fen Shui made me do it properly. Though it also entailed tea and biscuits- when I stopped at the signal in the middle of nowhere I opened the doors… Oops.

 

Oh, that IS an issue

 

Could always use universal 992 for southeastern, which would be used if you couldn’t register (with signallers permission)

 

Because there's been an issue on consoles since they brought in the setting that focuses on screens which means that the cursors don't work. The GSM-R is the latest victim of that. You can only operate the screens with that option turned off.
DTG kept saying they'd fix it but it still hasn't happened.

 

This route is great, interact ability is awesome, this route has clearly been loved and is a great experience to drive.

the introduction of GSMR is great, especially it’s usage in some of the scenarios.

The scenery is beautiful, the lighting is perfect and all round a fun route.

My only tiny tiny nitpick is the brakes release too fast, but that’s me just being an ass

Great job firefly

 

ROG Class 37/7 on Medway still has no GSMR ? PS5. Will check Steam, Epic and Xbox later ... but it is a DTG add-on, not Rivet or other, right ?

 

Strangely it doesn't happen all the time, I just started the second scenario (Unexpected Express) and when I select the GSM-R screen the cursor does actually work.

The next issue is the on screen instructions are wrong, I stopped at Maidstone and opened the doors as I've done on every route for the past few years. Then I couldn't work out why the passengers weren't loading, on the screen it says set the reverser to neutral, then open the doors. When the reverser is set to neutral the door operations don't work.

I think I might just leave this route until there's an update - I've learned my lesson, don't buy new routes until they are on sale, no matter how good they look,

 

Have you got expert mode enabled? I read elsewhere that if you don't it may default to standard GSMR

 

If in a timetable are you in expert mode?
It has to be selected from the settings before you pick a train from the front end. If you don't, the GSMR number buttons are dead as it reverts to basic core behaviour.

Our scenarios are different. They force on expert mode for those.

 

So I got it running and have done a few runs, mainly round trips between Strood and Paddock Wood with one or two out of Tonbridge. I am absolutely blown away by the detail, I've only wandered out of one or two stations at the moment but even just along the line it is really impressive and immersive. (It was the engine.ini)

I think the sounds on the Electrostar are great, I've not had any issues with the GSMR which while a simple thing is a nice and welcome addition, yes I went and checked the toilet too, a nice addition and I wonder if in guard mode passengers will hide in there... I'm not a fan of driving that from the cab though (same applied to BML) as the view is quite restricted, or it could be that it feels "fake" - again same applies to the BML 377 however I do enjoy driving it from outside, the benefit of that is I can appreciate the sounds even more - as well as those lovely sparks

The 465 has finally got a route where you can stretch its legs too, great to drive from in the cab thanks to those large windows.

I did start the Class 33 railtour but switched it off after a few miles, there is just so little noise from the loco, granted that's not the fault of the devs but more an issue with the 33 itself. A pity really as it's great to finally have a route to give that a good thrashing, just no thrash, I've had the (dis)pleasure of driving and secondmanning 33s and they are noisy buggers in the cab, especially when they are working hard. I've not done the 47 tour yet, bit gutted that it is not the JT version which is far superior to the WSR one but again, not the dev's issue.

Anyway, I'm going to go and take a shed for a run now

 

i haven’t been able to recreate this, the doors always work when DDS is in neutral

 

Great route, really scenic and well put together. Unfortunately, the Class 375 suffers z-fighting on the text next to the buttons in the cab (Xbox Series X), causing it to flicker at certain speeds. This has been a ongoing issue - one of which DTG acknowledged couldn't be rectified on older DLC, but would not be happening with newer DLC moving forwards in TSW6. Unfortunately, it's a real personal irritance and, although the 375 has been reworked, it's such a shame that this element wasn't considered.

 

PS5 Pro
I tried two services with Class 395, one thing caught my attention, when arriving at Rainham, or rather on the service starting in Rainham, the set was scattered, as if there was a problem with the tilting of the car body or something, after leaving Rainham it then straightened out on the track

 

Thank you for reporting it, we're looking into it. We haven't touched the track there, could you possibly see if the same thing happens on Southeastern Highspeed on PS5?

 

What a glorious route, even after only the two runs so far, one on the 375 and one on the 700. Playing on PC Steam with various mods, including JetWash's lighting mod, took out other mods that might have interfered such as the orange PIS mod.

No crashes at all on either run. My engine.ini only has JetWash's mod settings and some other passenger settings.

In a word, brilliant.

 

Yes, that's definitely annoying, but the route seems overexposed even on PC, according to the British Ace stream.

 

Yes, I also noticed that the GSM-R code doesn't survive a save and reload. Suppose I could just make a note of it and reenter.

It also didn't like being told to deregister before leaving the cab.

Not that any of this breaks the game, but it somehow feels good to do this stuff correctly.

 

I had that earlier and just flipped the circuit breaker behind the driver at the top right off and on again. No idea if i had the right codes entered after but i still managed to call a signaller.

 

I assume the game isn’t sophisticated enough to work with the wildcard for GSMR registration?

 

I’d like to thank and congratulate the team at Firefly Simulations on an absolutely brilliant product

You’ve shown that what was impossible in TSW for six years is, in fact, achievable. I hope it proves profitable for you as well!

On this forum, I mainly complain and moan, pointing out the countless flaws, absurdities and bugs in the successive DLCs I’ve wasted my money on, and how deeply disappointed I’ve been by them.

I won’t be writing anything like that today

What you’ve provided on the Medway Valley Line is exactly what I’ve been waiting for and asking for for a very long time. I’m very grateful to you for that!

First and foremost, it’s impossible to overstate just how crucial realistic sounds are to realism and immersion. You’ve done an absolutely brilliant job in this regard! Everything, from the sound of the engine and the clatter of the wheels on the tracks to the sounds of nature, feels so true to life and so authentic! It’s as if I’ve been transported to Kent and am driving a real Southeastern train through the Medway Valley.

Lighting, including the train’s headlights, is another area where you’ve really excelled. At last it looks realistic, and the headlights aren’t just for decoration, but a useful part of the simulation. I don’t know how you’ve done it, but I no longer need to brighten the scenery by editing the Engine.ini file, because even though the night is as dark as it should be, I can still see things through the windscreen of the train I’m driving.

The finely crafted details, which I’m still discovering, are absolutely stunning. From the puddles on the platforms when it rains to the functional recreation of multiple devices in the driver’s cab.

Honestly, the MVL DLC is the complete opposite of everything I’ve seen so far in the TrainSim World series. Instead of facing disappointment at every turn and having to accept compromises – something I’ve come to expect from the TSW series – I find myself constantly opening my eyes wider in amazement, exclaiming: "Oh! That actually works too!"

Your implementation of the train guard works superb, despite the annoying limitations of the TSW engine.

A functional GSM-R radio is a great feature for a virtual train driver and voice calls from signalmen are more than I ever dared to dream in TSW.

I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination, because I find it hard to believe this could actually be doable in TSW, but it seems the number of passengers on the platforms clearly depends on the time of day! The later it gets, the fewer people wait on the platforms. On some stations (Beltring) there’s no one at all. And on the last train from Tonbridge to Gillingham, the stations are practically empty and passengers are just getting off.

I’d also like to praise the beautiful photorealistic scenery – the first in TSW that managed to distract me from driving the train. And the calls of the collared doves sound so familiar…

Dear God, I could go on like this for hours!

I’ve only spotted one bug:
On ECS service "2T75 Gillingham to Gillingham E.M.U.D.", the train spawns with passengers on board. In the "Cathcart Circle Lines" add-on, DtG demonstrated that it is possible to spawn empty trains and used this for shunting manoeuvres at Nielston. You’re obviously familiar with this trick too, as another ECS service, "5R75 Gillingham to Ashford Down Sidings", spawns empty, with no passengers on board. Could you fix the 2T75 service in the same way? It’s really important to me, as I’m one of those maniacs who can drive… well, maybe not the whole 12-hour shift, but certainly 2-3 laps. And the trip back to the depot is the icing on the cake.

Apart from that, it’s a truly wonderful route that I just can’t get enough of. It looks and feels just as good by day as it does by night, in fine weather as well as in fog and rain. It really is sensational.

And I’m already starting to tinker with creating scenarios to recreate the missing weekend services on the Medway Valley Line...

 

I'm currently enjoying my TSW time on SEHS. Still think it's a great route, but dare I say when I get MVL SEHS will soon be as outdated as pretty much every other route I own.

 

Absolutely loving this route. Have been playing it since release and have had no problems at all on XSX. Beautiful route! Yet another third party dev who put dovetail to shame! Only very minor niggle for me is passing Hoo yard and it being devoid of 66's every time. Have gotten so used to passing it on SEHS at any time of day and there being anything from 2-7 66's on the yard

 

I'm going to check it out, try it on SEH, because I don't know, I haven't really used this map much, in the past I've only used it on the Ashford - Pancras route and then we only had it as a map for other layers.......
But I still have one thing to learn from Medway, it practically only happens on a player-controlled train, when I waited in foot mode in Rainham, the AI-controlled train wasn't so scattered.......
So I'm going to test it on SEH

 

So I did a test service Pancras - Faversham and I must say that it is the same on the SEH map, so it is taken from the original map ....... but it is strange that it happens probably only in this one station, I then set off to Farvesham, the train slowed down again after a while, so we did not continue to the finish ....... I can possibly do more tests then, but I guess they will not show anything much new, I will be available on Wednesday
1. photo SEH, other Medway .....

I can ask one more question, how were the textures edited on 395, TL700 etc., was the JNA freight car also edited together with the Class 66, or was there no need to optimize the texture size for it? Just out of curiosity, this wagon appears on practically most English maps as part of the layering

 

Thankyou!
I've reproduced that in both SEH and MVL. All trains with suspension lean over in a 50m zone at Rainham, as if the bogies are disconnecting from the trains. It wouldn't have been seen before as no trains on SEH had suspension until now. Its also doing it if I spawn trains such as the 33 from WSR.

Interesting! Nothing unusual about the track settings and it's not just the SEH trains, so I fear it would require relaying the track which is somewhat impossible. We've asked DTG to see if they have any ideas.

 

An issue that ive noticed is at night the cab door of the 375 seems to change colour and appear black instead of white. Image below shows this.

Additionally, something id like to be added is being able to guard in the cab. This isn’t currently operable and would be a nice feature to add so in guard mode you can use the panels in the passenger area or the cab. Currently you can’t insert the key or anything would be a welcome addition .

 

Also i had a question that if anyone knows the answer to please could you answer, do the 375s on MVL have working SDO? If not that to would be a nice addition as we have seen in previously on other trains.

 

I’ve noticed a bit of floating track near Beltring heading towards Paddock Wood and floating track at the ends of the Training Centre sidings at Paddock Wood - platform: PS5

 

The manual explains how to only release doors on the platforms

https://store.steampowered.com/manual/4035800

 

Scenario "Looking For Trouble", loading back into a save game the DRA had switched itself back on.

 

I've just had another run out, Strood to Paddock Wood in the 465 (what can I say, I'm a BR era guy) and I really appreciate the effort that the devs put into the houses, they are not all just a generic design but there are several types and they also went to the effort of making different styles of back garden too so they are not all just identical in terms of sheds, greenhouses, furniture or trambopolines

One unfortunate side effect of the route is that if you happen to be a sad git who has at some point enjoyed the work of Bob the Fish and his history of ITV (particularly the Southern/TVS/Meridian episode) then one does find themselves singing "Portakabin-TV" as they approach Maidstone...

 

May have been mentioned, but quite hard to make out what I thought were flashing yellow sigs between Tonbridge and Paddock. I'm guessing this may be a core issue as I have noticed this on other routes but slightly worse with this one. Of course may be my graphics settings as well. Again, minor point, superb effort. Looking forward to their next offering.

 

Our driver described the flashing incandescent bulbs on this part of the SEML as being rather hard to make out so it was rather by design, but we'll see if they can be adjusted. At least its a right side failure if you miss the flashing -you're expecting a red at the junction.

 

Nice one, thanks for replying.

 

As much as this route is fairly quiet, there's still a lot of that goes on within the, the freight sidings with the large amount of freight not just down on the Medway valley line, but at hoo junction too the amount of line-side graffiti and attention to detail really got me.

The wow factor for me was the this train doesn't stop here announcements and the terminating announcements. Firefly have set a standard for DTG for follow, these little things such GSMR need to be really implemented in future/past DLC content.

I would love to see some more Southeastern DLC in the future, I'd prefer inner London busy routes, but hey that's just my style not the developing team. As much I'm not the biggest fan of quieter routes this one really makes the mark.

 

I think I have managed to stop the crashes at last.... I deleted -HTTPAPI prompt from the start screen which I think is from the real weather mod.