London Commuter (brighton) - The Definitive Feedback Thread.

I’m genuinely not seeing all these timetable issues/lack of AI.

As I mentioned in the timetable thread, I played 5 varied services with no issues whatsoever, I would recommend anyone having a go at the services I mentioned.

 

Having been playing on BML (aka London Commuter) for about 24 hours now, I will say first and foremost that the amount of services & layers included is incredible, the route definitely has a lot of activity and has a quite a bustling commuter atmosphere.

However I find that in terms of the scenery its rather a mixed bag. Whilst I do find that generally the route definitely has quite a dense amount of buildings, foliage, clutter etc I still feel that it is giving me a bit of SEHS "deja vu". One of the best (worst) examples of this is just outside Gatwick Airport where the runway is. It looks completely and utterly dismal. There's no joining taxiways connecting the main runway, the second runway is missing as well as the second terminal, no proper grass textures and the buildings that have been used to represent the only terminal is shockingly poor. Whilst I understand that this is a Train Simulator and not a Flight Simulator I at least expect there to be more effort placed into making it look like an actual airport and not some abandoned airfield with a strip of tarmac on the ground. It is an important landmark of the Brighton Mainline and it can be literally seen from the cab if you look in the right direction.

Another big complaint of mine (and I believe others have mentioned this) is the rather poor state of Reigate Station. It is in my opinion one of the poorest parts of London Commuter. For starters, the level crossing is completely devoid of any Barriers or Wig Wags, the car park is missing buildings, the footbridge is incorrect & there are trees in places where there shouldn't be. Personally if there was any bit of London Commuter that needed major improvements it would be Reigate for sure, it looks like a last minute job. I should at least be thankful that the block of flats has been replaced with an actual station building otherwise that would have genuinely got on my nerves.

Other issues that are worth noting:
Poor performance & occasional stutters mostly around the London and high asset density areas
Incorrect font used on the internal PIS screens on the Electrostars, should be a much bolder font
Interior on the 387 is far too bright/clean and is missing proper shading
Horn loop start & ends on both the 387 & 377 seem to be bugged and not want to play
AWS warning horn on the 377 (and I think on the 387) has a tendency to not play
There are trees placed way too close to the mainlines
Rush Hour passenger levels are not present?
Tunnel shadings appear to be broken
Front gangway doors sometimes are left open when trains are split
Gatwick Express PIS is read as "This is a Southern Service"
Speed set needle on the 377 is broken? (Apparently aren't used IRL)

These are the issues I have encountered so far, I'm not sure what else is broken/bugged but I'm sure someone else will add their gameplay experience.

In conclusion I find that BML is definitely quite a fun route to play, there's plenty of adverse signals, tight schedules and nice looking landmarks but it could really do with some improvements in terms of the scenery to bring it up to an even nicer standard.

 

I dont have any problems.

1. I dont save and load
2. I dont load services from the menu
3. My usual way is to start on foot and enter a service.

Usually i run services over 5 hours + without leaving timetable mod. The only issue i had that gwr services to reading start to struggle after 4 hours (not moving at green signal from redhill).
Beside that the entire timetable is stable

 

Good for you. However not all of us want to spend hours at a time in front of a PC and don’t complain to us in later life when your eyesight is all burned out…
The point is, DTG offer a save game feature and it should work properly, period.

 

Gatwick is dismal.
You'd think they would try harder with iconic scenic items.
All routes have them and simmers who know the route will always check them out.

 

Just done my first run in darkness and found I have weird effects around lights that I don't get on any other route at night.... Particularly noticeable around Battersea.

 

How do you turn the passenger lights on/off on the 377/375/378? I can't find any controls or switches for them.

 

The rainbow lights are from Mastery.

 

I'd like to know too being as the TMS is missing the option and the MCBs don't operate. Bar pressing Aux Off (Don't do it) XD

 

lol I know.... I'm talking about the chequerboard effect in front of all the lights.

 

I stand to be corrected, however if I'm not mistaken, passenger lights are usually toggled through the screen, specifically the one on the left side. But it doesn't have any functionality in game other than changing PIS and seeing what doors are open/closed.

 

Doesn't look like you can... No idea why that isn't simulated as ECS moves would normally have the cabin lights off

 

, its more ment to check how fragile a timetable is. Thats why i enjoy the 24h service mode, you can jump from one to another service.

Brings the definition of a sim much closer to an immersive experience.

 

Yes but you should be quite able to do that saving and resuming as you go along too.
The best use for BML at present is a test track for the UK classic diesels. I'm currently thrashing a Class 40 out of Gatwick towards Brighton and later I have a mind to run the Western on an overnight parcels service from Brighton to Victoria, hopefully finding a path that serves Redhill.

 

After a few drives on timetabled services my overall impression is that this is a fine piece of work from DTG.

What makes this my favourite TSW2 route to date;
*It's a cracking route, the quintessential English commuter/tourist line and it is incredibly well modelled.
*Despite the challenges and some stuttering, the level of service is superb. It's the first TSW2 route that feels as busy as the real thing.
*The trains drive well and sound good to my ears.
*The addition of Networkers (if you have them) adds more depth to the route at the London end, I like variation.
*The noise at Gatwick station and passing planes, I've been there so many times and it feels like the real thing.

Why I'm not giving up on the legacy Train Simulator version just yet:
*The awful lighting. Palid, washed out in the sun, luminous/fuzzy trains and cars at night. Dusk looks fantastic without the trains!
*The god awful weather system. I've moaned elsewhere, I'm sure DTG know it's awful and have it on the list.
*The really simple things that DTG could have done to add to the immersion. Imagine if the pack used reskinned versions of the rolling stock already there to give us Purple Thameslink 377/4s Southern 5 car 377/6, 377/7s and White Thameslink 387s. How insanely varied and immersive would that be?
*Armstrong Powerhouse packs in the Legacy Train Simulator only.

I'll ignore the obvious glitches mentioned in the various posts, they are there and I have confidence that DTG always expected there would be a fix a few weeks into the games' launch. So, overall 8/10.

 

I believe if you hold aux on the 377,375,387 for roughly 15 seconds it should turn the passenger lights of but also shuts down the whole train

 

The save/load feature is most certainly broken and needs to be fixed, but the service mode can be enjoyed without it if you play one or two services at a time. So I'd absolutely argue against the best use for the route being for scenario planner, the service mode is outstanding in terms of quantity and variety.

 

If you like driving soulless Plasticstars…

 

As opposed to the soulful (but normally on fire or broken down) metal ones of the past?

 

Looks like it's the apostrophe in certain station names that's causing the PIS cutoff issues; first Shepherd's Bush and now Christ's Hospital. Bit amusing seeing a train just displaying 'Christ' though.

 

Couple more things I've found at Redhill this time.......

Firstly the canopy posts are very close to the edge of the platform on platform 3 which when you look at pictures of the real station is not the case on that platform.

Secondly there's a section of missing rail as you depart towards Reigate.

 

Anyone else noticed there are stop markers on the side of the track just south of Horley on the up slow line?
These are about 1/2 a mile away from the station.

 

They are used for shunts onto the mainline so the driver knows when he has passed the junction etc.....

 

Interesting as I noticed that too but put it down to the track being slow to draw in - would seem not. Slightly more serious than the absent lineside fencing on the Quarry Line!

 

Does anyone know if today’s update fixed the silent AWS issue?
Haven’t had time to try it out yet.

 

No it hasn't at least for me. Services that were crashing to desktop for me are also still crashing. Frame rate is slightly improved across the route though.

 

no is still in and as random as it was before

 

The shading has been discussed elsewhere: the reason is that ambient occlusion is not enabled in train interiors, and it isn't because it would inflict even more of a performance hit where last-gen consoles and older PCs are already challenged to keep up.

 

1) There's nothing at all "simple" about obtaining TOC licenses
2) Building 377 variant models is much more than just "reskinning"

 

Regarding the 377/387's you keep losing the line light too much, it seems to act as though just one shoe is touching the conductor rail.

And as someone else said its a shame that there was not some white Thameslink 387's added so at least we could see some Thameslinks running around.

 

Except that would make it look really stupid to people who know the line. The equivalent is seeing a 375 on the line from Rochester to Gravesend. Stick to running trains that actually run there

 

It would be good to see something Thameslink on there too though I'm not sure with the issues some are having with layers it will happen unless its substitutions.

 

Not having any issues with layers... bring it on (I'm sure my seven year old machine won't die too hard)

 

i updated to the new nvidia driver 496.13 from 472.12 and now i have these micro stutters too in dx11 or dx12 im going back to 472.12.

 

Why would it be stupid as Thameslink did use 387/1’s for many years.

 

Because they don't now, when the route is set.

 

I mean, the route uses a 2018 timetable and includes diversion services that haven't happened since what, 2013-4ish? I'm not sure the route has a very specific time period other than 'the last few years' and I think it is certainly better to be slightly flexible and have a better gameplay experience personally. The last 387s weren't replaced by the 700s until December 2017 (unless someone has better info than me - happy to be corrected!).

Absolutely I would rather see a Class 700 DLC (it would be really nice to appreciate the route through a full-width cab windscreen for starters) but if there was some sort of impassable roadblock to getting a 700 (for instance if Siemens weren't interested in getting involved) I would much rather have some TL 387 services to ensure that we do eventually have a 'full' timetable with all stations served rather than having several stations modelled that will never see a timetable train call at them.

 

A full cab view would be amazing

 

Or they could put some 319's in as the Thameslink layer?

 

Frankly Preston park needs replacing, the subway doesn't work and there's only one exit, there should be white spiked fenced on the hill side

 

Todays update/patch has reduced the stutters and freezes for me considerably on London Commuter, biazarely given that theres no optimisation of Dresden in the patch notes the game runs smoother as well on this route. Without tempting fate and allowing for the fact that Ive only done 3 runs on LC and 2 on ND, Ive also had 0 UE crashes either

I am quick to criticise so it is only fair that I am quick to praise as well, so well done and thanks to Matt and the team!

 

It's a pretty easy negotiation if you have a good lawyer.
I wasn't suggesting perfect versions of those variants. There isn't a perfect version of any of the UK EMUs yet if you want to be really picky.

 

There's no full length TS38s in service when the Bakerloo Line is set, so what's with the sudden need for realism?

 

I would have commented on that had I been bothered. Don't drive Bakerloo
I prefer realism because I want this game to be a simulator for the railway rather than some cobbled together train game which could basically be anything.

 

I totally agree. My comment was directed as sarcasm at DTG. Sadly there's no imoji (or whatever they're called) for "I'm being painfully ironic".
There's a market for train games and there's a market for realistic simulators, TSW won't benefit in the long-term from trying to be both. MSFS/Asobo can afford to flood their game with new content, DTG can't, which makes their decision to kill the editor look like an own goal. Imagine TS classic if there was no modding, for example.

 

What, you mean I wouldn't have AP withdrawing content (which in TSW would break the timetable) or have to go to twelve websites to get assets for a single scenario only to find three are down, one has discontinued the asset entirely and one website which I bought an asset from last year is up, but the owner no longer resident on the planet so there's no customer service?
Where do I sign up?

(all of the above HAVE happened, hence me moving to TSW in the first place, where all content is totally available and all services supported for the DLC I have)
PS And I have only recently had crashing on TSW as well... can't say that for TS1 before 2021

 

Hi,

First of all, I don't know if this has been said or not.
Yesterday I did a GX service from London Victoria to Brighton, and select a light rain weather.
As expected, there were no wet platforms, or so I thought until I got to Brighton station, so, why is only the wet platform system enabled in this station?
I don't know if this is a bug or is the beginning of work on a future patch or something like that, but it's funny that it's only at Brighton station (or so I think, I didn't see any more wet platforms along my route ).
What is your opinion??

Greetings.

 

I saw in another thread that not all collectables on BML can be found. It was theorised that one was attached to the flats that were incorrectly used at Reigate. The building was replaced in the final build of the route, but I took a screenshot of the old building before the update, and you can see a collectable poster there (behind the bin in the centre).



Hopefully, this has been noted by DTG and gets added to the new building, so the achievement/trophy is attainable.

 

A stupid question; How do I uncouple a train within a minute so that I can start driving? No matter what I press or do, uncoupling is not. And Streg + C with and without the arrow key is just coupling.