I just thought I'd share something I encountered the other week and thought I should share. I'm not sure if it was a rogue Steam agent or not, so treat this purely as a fyi. I bought Rapid Transit during the sale. At the time when I tried it I didn't take to it much so thought I'd refund. I'd tried the route for no more than 30 mins. I requested the refund, restarted TSW and went on my merry way playing other routes but not Rapid Transit. Steam came back to me the next day to claim they would not refund as I'd used the product for more than two hours. I pushed back to confirm I had used TSW but not Rapid Transit. I was subsequently ignored. It's not a biggy to me but just consider that if you want to refund something on TSW that you may need to park the game until the refund has been agreed. I guess they can only monitor overall game time and not overall dlc time. Just thought I'd share on the off chance it helps someone.
Sadly it is in the small print somewhere. I think Steam generally are getting a bit more tetchy over refunds, I had what I regard as a yellow card a couple of weeks ago, that I was making rather a lot of refund requests and that I should check reviews before buying. The implication being it’s not meant to be used as an “approval” style system. The fact refunds go back into the Steam Wallet and usually recycled back to DTG doesn’t seem to cut any odds. Bottom line is, if some of what DTG publish wasn’t a bit rubbish, wouldn’t need to refund. Reviews aren’t necessarily a good guide either - whether it’s the rose tinted variety or the I hate everything type.
The concept of DLC does not fit well to the routes or locos we buy. At least routes should be considered as a game in itself, where TSW2 is the game platform built upon the Unreal game platform. It might even be an idea to DTG to do it that way, just give the TSW2 core a way as a freebie, without any routes and then distribute at leats the routes as games. This would solve some of the testing issues they now have (a DLC cannot be a beta on the consoles) and it also would solve the refund issue. For reviews the proper playing time would show. I guess there would be some issues in starting the game, you would need to be able to jump right into a route. It is interesting to see how a business model influences the gameplay experience and vice versa.
Really miss the old days when you could get a demo to try out. Now you have to YouTube before you buy.
This may cause issues with DLC interaction such as the 101 layering into other routes. If they're classed as completely different games that might cause further issues
My view is that refunds are not there for games that you try for a bit and decide it isn't for you. They are there for the buggy messes which are actually unplayable and shouldn't really have been released in that condition. Steam are quite right to say maybe check out the game before you buy it to see what you are getting. On a similar point it makes me laugh when people with 200 hours in a game give it a thumbs down review. I mean really?
Like most of the Rivet releases... However even then you still get the wide eyed fanbois who post eyelid fluttering reviews which can lead the unwary into thinking maybe it's not so bad!
I once refunded a DLC for Train Simulator, but was sure not to play TS until after the refund has been processed, being well aware of the 2-hour refund window policy of Steam. After a few days, I still had no reply for Steam about my refund request, so I submitted a ticket asking if I could continue to play Train Simulator while having the DLC uninstalled. They said it was fine, and in case I ran into troubles with the refund request, I could refer to the ticket number. Shortly after, the refund request was granted without any problems. So, to be safe, don't play TSW if you have a DLC refund pending, or contact Steam support about it. I guess you could still try to create a support ticket to attempt to get your refund request granted. I'd also recommend to uninstall a DLC, rather than only 'not playing it'. Not sure if Steam can see the data, but at least it means you're 100% sure you're not having any benefits of the DLC at all.
It's not that bad. But I guess just saying that means I'm a fanboi now. I quite appreciate Rivets attempt at making a narrow gauge mountainous Swiss route, while DTG takes the easy way out creating the same old stuff over and over again. And although Rivets products have their bugs, it hasn't stopped me from enjoying their products. So perhaps you should reconsider your opinion about the reasons people leave positive reviews on Steam. They may actually like a product, rather than being a simple fanboi.
One wonders if the fact that the DLC is mounted (see recent PS5 issues as reference) then steam would see this as it being used, so if you've got it installed, and the game running as far as steam knows it's "in use" Would be good to get some guidance on this so we could have updated advice for people in this situation Might also be fixed by the update / fix DTG are working on to dynamically load and offload DLC as required
and you have some people like me that find some redeeming value in those routes and have no regrets what so ever on purchasing them. - guess that makes me fanboy by your definition….
Same principle. Not everybody is a critic and a train nut. Some people may actually like the route, despite its flaws. No need to call people fanbois for simply having a different opinion.
I think it does do, and I believe Matt's said it's less of an issue on PC rather than it doesn't happen. probably due to the massive memory discrepancy between consoles and PC
Reading above, the only thing I didn’t think to do was immediately uninstall it, I foolishly assumed not opening content would suffice That said, sure I’m not the only one
Well, I don't think Steam users can unmount a DLC without physically uninstalling it, and thus removing the local data. As far as I understood, unmounting on consoles means the data remains stored locally. However, that doesn't mean that Steam can't see if you have certain DLC not flagged as "installed". After all, this is a Steam setting that may be stored on the Steam servers.
ARuscoe, this is what I recall from streams, but I don't have the time to scour all of the streams to find quotes: That was in reference to the library of contents Unreal has in memory during the game. Because a normal gaming PC has more RAM than a console, it doesn't nearly affect PCs as much as consoles. As Purno said, on PC, everything is essentially mounted all the time (all the files are ready to be accessed). On consoles, a distinct mounting process needs to take place so that the console can access the files. Correct.
Can you think of any other product that you might purchase and it be a load of old twaddle but you’re not allowed to return it? Digital media is an absolute racket really when you think about it. Hype the hell out of something, get people to buy it and when they don’t like it or it’s no good tell them tough, hiding behind ‘piracy’ as a get out clause. Some of the stuff on sale for FS2020 for example is an absolute disgrace, but the consumer has absolutely no come back once they’ve clicked purchase. It becomes really tiresome having to sit through YouTube streams of every product to determine if it’s actually a worthwhile purchase. Half those streamers are given advance copies for free so aren’t exactly impartial either. No comment on DTG or TSW by the way, just an observation on this particular marketplace. TSW is normally a reasonably safe bet, but then there is a lot of inconsistency with DLC quality even there. On the flip side, the producer has to have some level of protection against piracy. At the moment I think the balance is to weighted in the sellers favour though. At least Steam refunds are a ‘thing’. FWIW I experienced the same as the OP at some point in the past…it’s a mistake you make only once!
I realise that on PC all files are available all the time, but from what I can gather about how the game (and the engine) work, they source the file and put some part of it in active memory to populate the menus, so the game builds the route, timetable and journey options at game load from whatever it is you have on your system. It does not offload these, so in some fashion they're "open" or "in use" or "retained" in some fashion and my supposition is that therefore Steam is seeing them as "being played" Seems reasonable from how DTG have programmed everything on all systems fairly equally so I would see it as quite strange for them to have put effort into PC that didn't then extend to other platforms
To be fair, I think the same would apply to a game like Fallout 4. If you bought a DLC, the one which takes you to a separate area (forget the name but full of mutated creatures that kill you even quicker than normal) but then carried on doing the main plot for two hours, you would lose your entitlement tona refund.
Purely by analogy, I would assume this is valid for Epic and most other stores out there so it´s a general remark I would say. I remember asking for a refund on Steam back in the day when they had the ¨no refund¨ policy. They obviously said no but I got back to them with the law that protects the European customers and gives them the right to get their money back within 30 days from purchase. They haven´t got back to me but instead quietly credited my Steam wallet with the value of the game. I was ok with this, I would have purchased other games anyway from them. This is the life of a customer nowadays. Stores try their luck and we have to try harder to make sure all is in order. I am in the middle of an RMA process with Noctua for a faulty A14 fan. They want me to ¨break a fin or two¨, send them photos with it and a number to be certain I did it in order to get a replacement all this under warranty. I don´t know how others feel, it makes me feel I am some sort of scammer and they need to be sure I´m not lying. There must be more civilized ways to get through this. After all they are the best name in the industry, they should have some bright brains working for their customer service department. In the end I can only thank God it is not a faulty cooler, they could have asked me to hammer down or melt the radiator so I don´t dare to use it after.
Epic is the same, your time spent on TSW counts regardless of how long youve spent on a specific DLC. Not sure if it would stand up in court but then a) who in their right mind would issue legal proceedings over a £25.00 piece of software & b) how would you even be able to prove how long youve spent on a DLC. Since learning this fact Ive been careful only to buy game/DLC at a time, because if you brought say 4 DLC you'd only have 30 mins to determine if you think it was worth it or ran into compatibility issues (not so much an issue for TSW persay).
Refunding can be tricky at the best of times, I agree that Digital Media get away with a lot but I had a strange refunding experience. I bought the expensive wireless headphones from SteelSeries which developed a fault. I thought they would want me to send it back but they told me I had to destroy the headphones and showed me where to break them and wanted photo's of the destruction/bar codes rather than risk me possibly duping them and having a spare headset. I don't know if this usual practice now but never had to do that before.
If you return electrical goods to the manufacturer they're liable for disposal. If you break them YOU are liable for disposal. The onus on companies for WEEE waste is much higher than on individuals so it's likely they're "meeting their environmental targets" by getting you to handle their waste for them
Amazon have done this before when something has been faulty in fact didn’t even want a photo. Could be a Covid thing of course. On the other hand, I had an Amazon seller send me the wrong fluid for our central heating a couple of years ago and they wanted photos of the item, the packaging and the invoice before sending the correct item. Even then, they didn’t want the incorrect item back, so I have a bottle of leak sealer sat in the airing cupboard, just in case!
Whats wrong with West Cornwall? Yes there is one St Austell to Penzance freight run that doesn't let you complete, or in some, if not all cases the 150/2 doors dont shut, or St Ives and Penzance doesnt look like either place, and the Truro Cathedral was put together by someone who hasnt looked at a picture of Truro Cathedral. But apart from that what's wrong with it?
Assuming this is not tongue in cheek… 150 physics and sound totally whacko. Route over-run with trees and tree stumps. Lower case lettering instead of Caps on some station digns. Missing lineside fencing. Accommodation crossings wrong style if protected at all. Dubious interpretation of gradient profile. Stop position for some stations too far ahead of the station leaving only last two coaches on the platform. Many more but just go back and read the threads posted at the time of release.
OldVern my tongue was firmly located within my cheek! I agree there are far too many trees...Carn Brea is like a forest in the game. Whereas its clearly grass/moss in reality with a sodding great granite castle and memorial on top. The area around South Crofty in the 1990's was an industrial wasteland of an operating mine, not a forest. St Michaels Mount isnt there, when it clearly is very obvious from Penzance. (draw distances I know). Penzance Harbour and town on the hill isnt there, when its extremely obvious from the station. (draw distances I know) Hayle harbour area is an abomination of mudflats- it would have been easier and prettier to have it high tide! Missing W signs at all crossings. St Erth to St Ives trains...they stable in Longrock/Penzance at night, yet the last train of the day finishes in St Ives??? the game was not "improved" by going to St Austell, without doing the Parkandillack branch, where you have driven the 37 with clay up and down to St Austell "pretending you were going off to Lostwithiel." Still think the Falmouth line is a gaping hole in the West Cornwall Local element of it. The best fun is do off rails 43 down the mainline, its a lovely beast to drive up and down the gradients. Apart from that its quite nice.
I caught a stream last night of the Cornwall route, he was using a 150. With it stopped at a station with the doors open the passengers got on the train then sunk in the floor, it look so strange. Is this still happening?
As soon as you've requested the refund uninstall the DLC, then it shouldn't rack up hours. You might want to check the local consumer laws near you, in Australia if you can demonstrate something is faulty then you can return it for refund, credit or exchange at the consumer's choice. I've won this argument many times with Steam. I've only lost once . Paul
I so wanted to purchase WCL especially being a BR fan but I couldn't bring myself to do so. The class 150 physics are so wrong, that distinctive rev up sound they make when pulling away being absent just ruins it. The abundance of trees is another factor and the missing/incorrect landmarks. Including the Falmouth branch would have turned it into a nice mini network. The final straw when I was still wavering slightly were those stupid unrealistic layers, personally I don't know why they bothered, it isn't exactly the Brighton Mainline I am sure no one expected it to feel like it was. Maybe if they sort the class 150 physics out and if you can select layers in the future I will get it despite the trees. The only routes I wish I had refunded were the original TSW NEC route and LIRR. I did think that about RT but I quite like it now.
Same as you, I was wavering and although I'm not familiar with the 150 I wanted it but so many people have said it isn't like the real thing. Surely if TSW2 wants to be taken seriously as a sim the thing it must get right above everything else is the actual train no?
I saw the same on a stream from Squirrel. Not only that but in the middle of the run he got the doors jammed open and had to get out of the chair and go and press the close door on one of the door controls in the middle of the train because the controls in the cab had stopped working. Something like pressing the open door twice quickly got it stuck.
Yeah it was the same stream. Even though some of the scenery is good to me it seems the problems with the actual train puts me off which is a shame.
I do remember when they were operating on the Stourbridge line if ever there was a failure a lot of the time it was something to do with the doors! Maybe Rivet unwittingly have made them more prototypical than they intended!
If you don't know the real thing, then I would suggest getting it and trying it for yourself. I don't know the real thing either but I'm quite happy driving the 150. Paul
I DO know the real thing, quite common in Cardiff when I lived there, but still happy to drive it on Cornwall understanding it's flaws...
