PC Still (kind Of) Excited To Be Here...

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by Gascan, Nov 2, 2018.

  1. Gascan

    Gascan Active Member

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    Eh guys.

    From my profile I think you can see that I've been here since about May and haven't contributed much. When I first learned about TS and TSW I was a bit confused how the two fit together (they didn't) and immediately felt a bit mislead since I'd dumped money on both not fully understanding that they didn't fit together at all. I then bought an add-on that was for TS... Still not really understanding where it would fit... then it turned out it was a module for the broader scoped / older TS while TSW is actually the... blah blah blah.

    Buyer beware- I know... I know. That was my fault. (NOW I get it... I'm slow that way.)

    So I wasn't feeling great about the investment back then and actually "playing" the game wasn't helping since there were some nagging sound and graphic glitches that were endgame for me. My interest in trains started when I was very, very young and I could literally watch and listen to them for hours and hours- if we could find them.

    So a big part of my interest in getting TS / W was to be able to just fire up a US train, plop down in front of my computer with a sock in one hand and mouse in the other, turn up the sound with my high end headset on and push my nose into my 34" ultrawide 4k monitor and just go for it. I invest in the hardware to get the most of the experience so I held up my end of the bargain...

    Things on that front didn't turn out so well for me between graphic glitches and obvious issues with the sounds... and I was pretty disappointed in the overall experience. There wasn't much sense coming in here to complain about it then (or now) since it had already been complained about. So I took some time away in hopes things would come back around 6 months later.

    So I'm back and many of the glitchy graphics behavior still exists... sounds are... well... let's call it less than inspiring but again everything that can be said about everything that isn't done has already been said so I don't want to dwell on it. Other members of the community have pulled me around with their insistence that the game is on the right track and that good things should be incoming.

    So I'll focus on another evolving element of my passion for trains and that is more about the particulars of the power setups. How much power is needed to move how many cars that weigh how much up what % of grade. Considering tractive effort, HP, drawbar limits etc...

    Unfortunately it looks like a lot of the stuff is incorporated into all of the "services" missions and the "scenarios" from my understanding pretty much already assumes you're in the right lashup for the "mission."

    I'm wondering if they're going to implement some sort of power manager capacity where you can be in the back half a little more, helping figure out what power is needed to most efficiently move certain weights through distances and grades at track speeds. Calculating what each loco would use for the trip... so that a player could earn more "XP" to put the extra effort into calculating fuel efficiency since that seems to be the driving factor behind rail operations. Especially if they're going to look into multiplayer capabilities... having someone who was responsible for making sure the consists will make it from point A-Z may be an interesting undertaking... Might not be a practical expectation but I'm curious about whether or not any of that type of planning is on the radar?

    Regardless, as a new member of the community even though I might have an opinion about where things are at every now and then- my focus now will be in learning how to best learn the fundamentals of railway operations within the simulation. I look forward to learning how to squeeze the most out of TSW!
     
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  2. Anthony Pecoraro

    Anthony Pecoraro Well-Known Member

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    New features get added. These things take time. TSW is capable of so many things.
     
  3. Gascan

    Gascan Active Member

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    Speaking of new features being added...

    I bought TS2019... I don't think it was 2019 when I bought it but maybe it was.
    Thinking heavy haul was a module of 2019 (or whatever it was) I bought it... but as I pointed out earlier and you guys already knew they're not related. And now there's a 64bit version of 2019... that I either did or didn't get? No idea.

    So before I knew the difference I bought the AC6600CW module because of reasons which apparently was for 2019 but not TSW HH. No idea if it will work with 64bit? Not even really sure where that fits in.

    I recently bought the GP40-2 module for TSW since I was hoping it would freshen up some of the scenery in TSW... insofar as the rolling stock. Unfortunately while the stock on other service trains is varied (the ones that go by the other direction) all the stock in the scenario trains that I actually drive is either intermodel, coal / empties or autoracks. Not a huge deal but... kind of disappointing- again.

    So I've been reading about NEC a lot lately and trying to figure out where I can buy it since I think it would help to add some real diversity to the experience but I've recently read that if I want to get it I pretty much need to buy TSW all over again.

    I want to maintain my positive outlook... so can someone help me understand where NEC fits in? If it's not an add-on then... I'm confused.

    Thanks,
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2018
  4. Railfan722

    Railfan722 Well-Known Member

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    If you want the NEC: New York route, then yes, you do technically have to rebuy the package. However, for $52 USD, you get CSX Heavy Haul (which you already have by the sound of it) plus Great Western Express (London-Reading in the UK), Rapid Transit (Leipzig S2 S-Bahn in Germany) and NEC: New York (New Rochelle-Liberty International in the US) in the package. On top of that, as an additional purchase, you can get the West Somerset Railway (Minehead-Norton Fitzwarren in the UK) or Ruhr-Sieg Nord (Hagen-Finnentrop in Germany) plus, in not too long now, the Long Island Railroad (Penn Station, Atlantic Terminal and Long Island City to Hicksville in the US). So for $52, you get an additional 3 routes that you probably don't have. However, I would wait for a sale. The next big one should be Steam's Black Friday Sale towards the end of November.
     
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  5. Gascan

    Gascan Active Member

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    Thanks. I'd read somewhere that if you had parts of the package already it would be a reduced cost? Don't get me wrong- I'm okay with spending money on things- but spending money on things I've already purchased is less inspiring.

    I do see where waiting for a sale would be the best idea at this point but really I'd expect the costs of the new module (GP40-2) and heavy haul to be removed.

    One of the things causing me some issues is this week's screenshot contest is about water and the water on the sand patch grade is pretty limited... I'm really only a US freight guy in terms of my interest so while that is limiting it is what it is so I'm trying to get the most out of it :)
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2018
  6. Railfan722

    Railfan722 Well-Known Member

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    NEC: New York is kind of disappointing with passenger operations, but the switching services at Oak Point and Fresh Pond Junction are fun. The trip over Hell Gate Bridge is one of the better things about the DLC in my opinion. There should be a "Complete My Collection" on the Steam Store for the "Digital Deluxe Edition Upgrade" - is that any cheaper than the base package for you?
     
  7. Gascan

    Gascan Active Member

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    Hmm- thanks for that input! I'll take a look :)
     
  8. Gascan

    Gascan Active Member

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    Okay got on steam finally (was at work before) and you’re right it does have the option to top up the bundle and excludes the ones I already had. Still ends up being about 50 bucks cdn which isn’t bad like you said considering the content.

    I’ll still take your advice though and see if there’s a sale since while I do appreciate the work that goes into the content I’m not at all interested in the European domain- at least not insofar as locomotives are concerned.
     
  9. Cael

    Cael Well-Known Member

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    Before buying a product, you need to be aware of the requirements. In Dovetail store, you can see either TSW logo for Train Sim World add-ons and Train Simulator or TS logo for Train Simulator 20XX.
    Also, if you check the description, it says something along the lines of "This content requires: Train Simulator 2019", so you know into what product it integrates.

    On Steam, you can see it clearly on the right-hand side of the product page. addon.png

    It's always important to pay attention to these so you don't end up making the wrong purchase.

    In regards to new functionality and fixes, as Anthony said, these are incrementally done and take some time to get pushed out.
     
  10. Gascan

    Gascan Active Member

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    So the save game function... from everything I have read (most of it over a year old) you can only save once and resume in last played.

    Could you just modify the saved game file name slightly and restore the proper name when you wanted to use it? This would allow a person to just correct the file name of whatever save they wanted to play... and allow for multiple saves.

    Do others do that? Are saved games still buggy?
     
  11. SamYeager270

    SamYeager270 Well-Known Member

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    Gascan The answer to all your questions is Yes. Personally I find it such a PITB to operate that I only ever have one save active whilst being mystified why DTG ever came up with such a useless system in the first place.
     
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  12. Gascan

    Gascan Active Member

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    You know... I came in with the intention of trying to focus on the positive but as I get more involved I'm trying to see what it is that others have had issues with it. I've been playing a few days now on and off and I remember why I walked away the first time.

    And then to learn I can't even build a train and take it anywhere? Seriously... wtf.
     
  13. Juxen

    Juxen Well-Known Member

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    Part of why I love Run8 so much is because you don't just run a train, you run a railroad. You build trains, set the power on them, do the brake tests on them, flag them for a crew, then see them go on their collective ways. Or you can tag cars for destinations, and route those cars to local freights, where they then get delivered to different industries en route.

    In my mind, the perfect train sim would have the physics and in-depth railroading of Run8, the content of TS2019, and the graphics of TSW.
     
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  14. Gascan

    Gascan Active Member

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    I've never dabbled in Run8 but maybe I should since that actually sounds more intriguing than turning headlights on and moving 3 handles once in an hour an a half.

    I also like your version of the perfect sim... I'm wondering if the editor will be versatile enough to create such an environment?

    I imagine a mode - possibly even multiplayer when / if that is ever a reality - where a certain freight package (I don't know... is a bunch of rolling stock without power still called a consist?) with a stated weight is available and it's up to the player to choose what power will most efficiently move the freight to the desired location.

    I imagine the number of cars / type / weight and destination would be randomized so that it's always a little different calculation. Weather conditions would also be randomized to add a little extra challenge to the track adhesion problem.

    The game would need to be able to account for how much fuel is being used on specific locomotives and under certain loads... and I'm not sure where scripting is going to come in versus what the game is already doing in the background. I mean- it IS actually calculating fuel usage since the tanks empty over time but is it actually done precisely based on throttle and load? Or is it just ALWAYS being used at x amount?

    Additional experience / coins (whatever they are) would be earned for moving the load in the most efficient manner possible while still arriving on time.
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2018
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  15. Juxen

    Juxen Well-Known Member

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    The learning curve for Run8 is a vertical cliff; I used to be a conductor in the rail industry, and still had some issues. They model everything. That being said, most of the advantage of Run8 is the physics; the cars move realistically, the air brakes are modeled perfectly, and even coupler forces are introduced. The size of the Run8 world (literally 8 hours from end to end in some regions) is totally unfeasible on the Unreal Engine, and I'm fully willing to accept that. But I really wish the physics could be modeled like Run8's.
     
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