Glasgow Cathcart Circle - How Is It?

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by Ben_Broomfield, Jun 10, 2021.

  1. Ben_Broomfield

    Ben_Broomfield Well-Known Member

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    Just wanna say that the team at DTG have really pulled it out of the bag with this one. Only played for over a hour and damn, i really enjoy it.

    First off, please please can we have a option to skip the damn default intro though, after we've done it once it should be optional.

    The 314
    The unit is very enjoyable to drive and handles great from my first bit of driving. Sounds are good as well although feel like they need to be a bit louder to get the full effect of APs recording.

    Model is wonderful and with great external texturing, bar the main headlight - looks very meh personally. Cab texturing is good too, with a lot of stuff to play about and twiddle with in the cab. Really love the guards panel, hopefully unlocks a bit of playability, in a guard sense, in the future; plus for it to be incorporated in future stock!

    Did find the breaking a bit stiff with it sometimes not liking to come on (mite be my end) but still great to drive!

    Also the tutorial - much much better style and introduction to players for stock, covering a load of areas. Let it continue please!

    The Route
    Really enjoy the lines I've messed about with so far. I personally find around 9am looks the best at the moment; mid-day at Glasgow looks like someone's taken all the shadow out of everything!

    Performance off the bat is great - best performing route so far personally;

    Intermediate clutter/detail and overall look is great and a real step-up - lets keep it this way! But some of the medium-far distant scenery is a bit bland (although you dont notice from the cab). Love the floating bit of grass at Neilston headshunt though! ;)

    Signalling is what i really pay a bit of attention to and the new VMS Signals are great! I've found in some instances the double yellow aspects are not being utilised in some areas and as a result just get a few single yellows coming up to a red, which is odd! Also in some instances, shutting doors on a red to step-up the aspect is a little immersion breaking (and i understand its a weakness on the dispatcher but still). However, i do love how in some instances you'll be held to allow other services pass if your running behind schedule.

    Normally i dont worry about the collectables (makes it a little arcade imo) but the station caterpillar flower planters are great!

    It does feel a little 'dead' though especially with the 208 services; no idea if that's how it is on the real deal though irl. Plus 6-car formations in services would of been nice & given some variation, but hey ho!


    Again, its just early days but that's some of my opinion of the route so far!
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2021
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  2. Disintegration7

    Disintegration7 Well-Known Member

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    Nice summary, and i generally agree with your points.

    Out of curiosity, how many drivable services do you have on PC? I'm on Series X, and am wondering if there's any difference.
     
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  3. Ben_Broomfield

    Ben_Broomfield Well-Known Member

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    Looking at 208 drivable services (includes layers) :)
     
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  4. Disintegration7

    Disintegration7 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks- same for me, then. Feels a little empty, but maybe it was a just a bad time of day. Gonna keep at it when i get more time to play later tonight.
     
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  5. Cramnor

    Cramnor Well-Known Member

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    The route is great, I enjoy it. However, does any one else has problems with the passengers? I did a couple of runs now, and had at most 3 people in my train. The stations are crowded, but nobody makes a move to enter the train. Has anyone else experienced this?
     
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  6. Ben_Broomfield

    Ben_Broomfield Well-Known Member

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    Been finding that my train starts rammed, then suddenly is empty. Did one of the shunt moves with passengers on it, mostly all gone after I’ve released my doors. Little odd lol!
     
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  7. paul.pavlinovich

    paul.pavlinovich Well-Known Member

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    My first impression is that I like it. This is my kind of route. Lots of yellow and red signals. An elderly train which means you need to actually get used to it because it doesn't accelerate quickly and doesn't brake quickly and the force applied from the brakes especially when it transitions from rheostatic to air is variable and interesting making for a fun and challenging drive.

    Things I really like
    The buffers at Glasgow are fantastic - wonderful level of detail, and better yet each one has individual stains and marks - I wish they'd compress when you bump them with a train...
    The Glasgow station itself is great. I think modelling with this level of detail on this line is warranted because most services start and finish here.
    There is a nice variety of services and runs with different ending points and differing timings making the route interesting and fun - its a bit like LIRR in that respect
    The flange squeals, frog, crossing and track joint noises are awesome - might wish them to be a tiny bit louder in the cab but I can live with it as is
    The wet textures on the platforms are really good all through the line
    The scenery is nicely modelled lineside and there is enough distant to get you to glance at it - you're restricted from flying high enough to get a good look though
    The tutorial is the first one I've seen with changing ends - this I like - great for new players
    The train sounds nice
    You can nearly do a guard's mode with an AI driver (prompted by David one of my stream viewers this morning) - you can kind of make it work or at least pretend its working.
    I kinda like the space passengers :)

    Things I don't like
    Nothing really - there are a few spots here and there where the underlying default texture shows through but its only noticeable because I went looking for it - had I not looked deliberately I never would have seen it

    Is it worth the money? Yes the game play fun is great and I can see this being one of the routes I come back to repeatedly for the gameplay.

    Paul
     
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  8. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    Reading these reviews I might get it sooner than I thought I would!
     
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  9. Redbus

    Redbus Well-Known Member

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    Great route, just a couple of things of concern to me so far:

    - the signal aspect glare is way over the top and needs reducing to a point where it’s still very visible but with less glare. Some fine tuning required perhaps?
    - when changing ends in the 314 the 1st time in a scenario or service, the brake lever seems to be in the release position instead of step 3 which according to the tutorial is how it should be left. This means once you insert the master key and activate the reverser, the brakes are effectively off. Obviously changing ends again will be fine because you already left the lever in step 3 from the 1st change. Perhaps the default state of the cab needs revisiting?
     
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  10. Anthony Pecoraro

    Anthony Pecoraro Well-Known Member

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    There is a mod that does that. It's made by londonmidland
     
  11. Nick_Brad

    Nick_Brad Member

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    I agree there, I went to the other end, started setting up and was confronted with the brakes off, either it's wrong to have them set like this, or it's wrong to put them in step 3 when you leave the cab.


    One other thing I would add to those above is that the no functional lights mean that driving night services are a bust. I don't mind the lights not being powerful, but having nothing at all means that you're effectively reduced to only seeing the destination marker in the 314. There is no way to visually see where you are at any point and so you're reduced to staring at the hud in the bottom right of the screen as there is literally nothing else to see. How Dovetail ever thought this was the correct way to go is beyond me, I'm hoping for a hotfix to add lights to this unit, otherwise I am cancelling my plans to pre-order Cane Creek and resorting to my old style of only buying dlc when discounted by 30% or more.
     
  12. Ravi

    Ravi Well-Known Member

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    The route is great, the loco is great but feels more like a desolate rural route during night running. I really wish they fix that. Ruins the complete night running experience.
     
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  13. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    It does make you wonder if they drove it with a night setting. I would assume they would but I can't see how something like the dim stations and dim lighting on the unit didn't stand out. Unless it was already past the point of no return regarding a release date.
     
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  14. synthetic.angel

    synthetic.angel Well-Known Member

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    They could have postponed the release date if they wanted to, probably up to about 24 hours before release.

    They had about two weeks (in real human time) from the first dev stream, where it was obvious (to the public) that the lighting for the Class 314 had issues, before the announced release date. At that point it was clear that the scenarios had been eye-balled (they were all shown as completed for that build), including a very late evening one where the poor station lighting could have been noticed.

    But to be completely fair to DTG, there was this myth going around that British trains should not really give out much light from the front when implemented in TSW (but okay for this to happen in TS2012). And that delusion was quite widely shared. But now, of course, we all know better. Thank Google for that...! So I think DTG can be forgiven now, as long as they now implement those lights on the Class 314. No need to keep hauling them over burning coals, or putting their feet to the fire, um.... whether or not the coals and the fire are light sources.... ;-)

    Anyway, I am so glad the myth about zero watt lights on the front of British trains has now been completely busted, and we can now move on to a future where British trains in TSW are given light sources on the front (like they are in TS2012). Maybe we will now see the other locos restored as well, including those based on NTP and TVL. One can only hope - although I have a strong suspicion that this would completely break NTP on the first gen XBox One.... which is/was a route that was pretty marginal for that platform. Maybe they will clean up NTP a bit more.... only time will tell.... ;-)
     
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  15. martschuffing

    martschuffing Well-Known Member

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    I'm enjoying it, DtG have done better with this release than the previous ones imo, the 314 is very nicely modelled too, sounds aren't as loud as I'd like or as comprehensive ( Comparison: ) and this route is crying out for extending; the Glasgow network is pretty big, then we can have more diversity re trains, as has been mentioned they haven't got the night lighting up to par and it is nothing like reality, passing trains give off more light than stations except Central which is beautifully modelled. The only slight niggle is the lack of drip pans over the track sleepers as in reality. All in all though it's a cracking effort, I'm happy to recommend it.

    There was a reasonable diversity of stock in 2019.
     
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2021
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  16. Cramnor

    Cramnor Well-Known Member

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    Small hint: don't open the doors while the train is still rolling. Seems to have caused a bug for me where I would close the doors, but they would immediately open up again without me anything doing, making it impossible to move the train... ;)
     
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  17. Inkar

    Inkar Well-Known Member

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    Maybe you were close to the UFO crash site! ;)

    BTW, has anyone got a picture of it?
     
  18. Cramnor

    Cramnor Well-Known Member

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    That might explain a lot that happened on this ride. It got really bad at Mount Florida, just in case someone wants to go hunting :D
     
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  19. Jamy

    Jamy Well-Known Member

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    How the hell are you suppose to do this?
    Untitled.png
     
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  20. cp1400

    cp1400 Member

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    To be honest I haven't bought this one yet, but I do like the nighttime if it's darker. Now if there isn't anything going on on the route, that might kill the mood and I also think that adding a bit more light to stations and buildings would help here. But I really really think darker nights are the way to go, it looks much more realistic than the previous shiny trains at night and bright ambience, even when it was a cloudy night without a full moon.
     
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  21. cp1400

    cp1400 Member

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    What are the squeaking sounds that happen throughout and specially around 4:28 ? I hear similiar sounds in german cab videos. Is that some sort of "suspension" squeaking or is that the cab seat that needs some lubrification?
     
  22. Inkar

    Inkar Well-Known Member

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    Try with a service Neilston -> Glasgow. The first leg between Neilston and Patterton is 3.6 miles long -1.0% grade, with an speed limit of 60 mph. I'm guessing you will need to overspeed for a while (wouldn't be surprised if this mastery was Sam's idea ha ha ha ;) ).
     
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2021
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  23. Clumsy Pacer

    Clumsy Pacer Well-Known Member

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    I've done a couple runs on Cathcart and doing something I don't normally do, which is spawn on foot and get the collectables - I often ignore them, possibly because often they're in between stations, but I quite enjoyed my little run out (slightly ruined by the rapture - this is the worst route from what I've seen for it - but still enjoyable). Might even have a go at a scenario or two (am I alright?) I don't see it going stale too quickly for me. Personally, I'm not too sure on the ground paint being a different colour to the ballast though.

    Or stick it on HS1 using the scenario planner ;)

    Could be suspension (doubt it's the cab seating unless someone's having a particularly fun time). Sounds to me a little bit like some form of flange squeal too?
     
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2021
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  24. martschuffing

    martschuffing Well-Known Member

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    I think you get that sound on the 156 too? Maybe suspension?
     
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  25. paul.pavlinovich

    paul.pavlinovich Well-Known Member

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    I open them as I'm slowing down all the time and have no dramas (except when I open the wrong side).
     
  26. Cramnor

    Cramnor Well-Known Member

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    The service numbers (e.g. 2N15) - are these supposed to be unique codes throughout the day? Or can such a code be assigned to multiple services during a day? Does anyone know?
     
  27. Clumsy Pacer

    Clumsy Pacer Well-Known Member

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    I believe they are unique in that at any one time, two trains on the network cannot have the same headcode (in this case, 2N15), but that headcode may be reused later in the day.
    Note how both these services have the headcode 2N15 yet run at different times in different parts of the country:
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:L08895/2021-06-12/detailed#allox_id=0 (10.55 Morpeth to Carlisle, Northern England)
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W94055/2021-06-12/detailed#allox_id=0 (08.28 Neilston - Glasgow, SW Scotland)
     
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  28. Cramnor

    Cramnor Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, okay, but if you go into GCC and type 2N15, there is three Glasgow Neilston services throughout the day. But since it is one in the morning, one mid day and one in the after noon it seems to be fine :)
     
  29. Ben_Broomfield

    Ben_Broomfield Well-Known Member

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    I would of assumed it’s correct procedure to put the brake into step 3, as part of the shut down procedure - just like any unit/locomotive? Otherwise when you key in your brakes will come off?

    But yeah, odd that the tutorial wants you to shut down with brake in step 3 as part of the process, but then it’s released when you change ends. Possible bug?
     
  30. Monder

    Monder Well-Known Member

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    If you have NTP, railtour from Nielston to Newton is probably your best bet. Take Class 47, pick passengers in Nielston, stay for a couple of minutes, so the 314 in front of you gets well ahead... GRIP IT AND RIP IT!
     
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  31. hyperlord

    hyperlord Well-Known Member

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    I'm totally surprised how much fun this route is. Compared to ECW, RRO and HRR it's the best one.

    Has anyone done the Class66 run yet? I need to do the tutorial before that, haven't used a 66 since years (because reasons)
     
  32. Cramnor

    Cramnor Well-Known Member

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    Unfortunately rather boring, 6 wagons plus a tail Class66 with all the way greens and no traffic into Glasgow.
     
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  33. Redbus

    Redbus Well-Known Member

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    Done quite a few services now, have to say although the route is overall very good, the night runs are a big disappointment- it’s like there’s been a major power cut in the Glasgow area (apart from the catenary and signals) and the walking dead infest all the stations. The street and station lighting really need work! Hopefully this will be addressed in the next patch.
     
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  34. formulabee#1362

    formulabee#1362 Well-Known Member

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    To summarise in one word: brilliant!
     
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  35. ASRGT

    ASRGT Well-Known Member

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    Overall i find the route to be rather nice, looks decent as well.
    The ambient audio on the route is really nice with football game audible in the background at one station for example really nice touch.

    A solid route and the main issues with it are not isolated to this route but are fundamentals the sim just does not do well across the board such as lack of dynamic weather blah blah blah.

    Edit Note: I originally the running sounds are to quiet or non existent, turns out since the DLC update my master volume slider had changed its value from its normal 100% down to 24% leading to the feeling of no running sounds. With this resolved I retract my criticism over the audio.
     
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2021
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  36. Anthony Pecoraro

    Anthony Pecoraro Well-Known Member

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    There are running sounds.
     
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  37. ASRGT

    ASRGT Well-Known Member

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    You know what I apologies you are correct, for some reason since the last update my master volume in game had turned it self down to 24% leading to the feeling of dead silence in the DLC.
     
  38. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    Don't know if that's something DTG Protagonist might want to raise tomorrow on the roadmap as I went on yesterday to do a run, found my TSW was much quieter than youtube (Dan Coffey...) and found my audio turned right down (which I wouldn't have done myself)
     
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