There are a few ideas that I think would drastically improve the GWE route and make it a more interesting experience. I have outlined them above in the form of a poll.
I think branches for gwe would be good. Everybody who got tsw-tsw2020 got gwe for free as well so they could make the branch lines as sorta a route extension for the 166s
yes, because the train model is there, the terminus stations are there, such as slough for the windsor branch and twyford for the hemley on thames and the branch line going somewhere from maidenhead
West Ealing goes to Greenford, Southall to Brentford, West Drayton to Thorney Mill and Colnbrook, Slough to Windsor, Maidenhead to Bourne End and Marlow and lastly Twyford to Henley on Thames. As for the trains, the Class 166 already exists and only needs minor changes to become Class 165.
In the latest roadmap stream Adam explained that they tried to introduce the full PC GWE timetable to consoles, including the AI trains that use the branch line portals. They couldn’t do it because the performance hit was too much. This rules out any changes to the timetable and therefore any addition of branch lines. They would not be able to add the trains that use them. It doesn’t rule out new trains for the route but they would only be able to substitute for existing services so would be of limited appeal. What is happening is a DLC pack that will use a completely separate timetable with some lovely old trains in BR blue livery. Definitely something to look forward to. But none of your poll options will happen.
Class 180 DMU. I have a soft spot for them but aside from that, they would be a nice addition and a unique traction. Also, extend to Oxford which would be fitting as the Class 180s were used exclusively (apart from the very early days) for the Oxford/Cotsworld fasts so at least you can complete an entire service as oppose just going to Reading. Class 165? It’s effectively identical to a 166. Apart from a few minor differences, most notably a 165/0 having only 2 coaches whereas a 165/1 and 166 have 3 coaches. But the driving experience is pretty much identical. However, it would be good to see variable set formations like 2 or 3 sets to make anything between 4-9 coaches. And it would be good to see services which are timetabled to couple/uncouple. Such as you might be a 3 coach approaching Paddington. You approach the final signal into Paddington which stays red and you’ll get position lights (2 white lights) instead as it’s permissive working. You couple up to another 3 coach before releasing doors and completing service.
I found that strange because I played and others with these secret extra services on gwe with my Xbox One S with no problems at all with performance and nobody was complaining about performance issues otherwise they would have removed those extra secret services like they did with HMA so I question whether or not it's actually a performance problem because I don't think it is.
I know. I’ve played some services after unlocking the secret but obviously not all of them. The difference in AI is extensive in the scenarios so I don’t know if they have been testing the performance issues just with the scenarios but I assumed when Adam was speaking about it that he was including the AI in timetable mode as well. DTG must consider the route to be on the brink of what’s allowable within their performance targets though, even if we’ve not noticed it when we have unlocked some of it.
