Hi folks, Thought I would get my thoughts down in here with some feedback, with the hope some of it may get picked up. This is my first train sim and Ive come from a background of ACC, Automobilista 2 and MSFS. I've had this game for about two weeks now on xbox game pass and I also picked up a copy on steam so I could compare the two systems. Ive been fortunate enough to find DLC on offer for both platforms so managed to pick up a few bargains which is great as I think the DLC is very expensive, much like some of the DLC for MSFS. Ive come to TSW because of my complete dissatisfaction of MSFS, which started off epic and has decended into a farce, as Asobo and Microsoft have wrecked the game with each patch, I've found myself losing interest and moving away from it. Anyway here's my two penneth worth. SIm aspects, Train models and cabs Really enjoying the depth of these. Whilst no train expert theres enough depth here for longevity, and enough surface level to get into the game from the off. The trains look great both inside and out. Im also loving the layering system, especially with the UK and Germany, the game really comes alive when extra services start running, at times the ambience can be quite relaxing, its a great, relaxing de-stresser after a long day. You would think it was fairly easy to drive a train but its opened my eyes. I like the mix of freight and passenger services plus the scenarios. Graphics Graphics are a bit of a mixed bag. For the most part, things look great and perform well. The tracks seem to be well crafted, and having spent a lot of time on the London commute, theres a lot of attention to detail. However with this new lighting system there is some very immersion breaking issues. Any early morning or early evening trips with mostly clear skies and full sun results in a horrible shadow creep which is terribly distracting. I know that the draw distance for the most part works, but can be destroyed by the shadows on foliage and structures, not to mention the tracks. As someone with both a 2k PC build and the worlds most powerful console with the xbox series x, its really disappointing. This really does need better optimisation, much like ACC has when that first launched on next gen, its now in a wonderful state. If DTG can get the shadows even partially fix thats a great step, because at times the game can be absolutely wonderful, its just let down by that little lack of quality. So far ive managed to get better shadows on pc at a cost of less sharp visuals but can get sharper visuals and good FPS on xbox at the cost of the pop in. Dynamic weather is very good, but needs a time multiplayer and a bit more granularity. Lastly, there needs to be a bit more work with the scenery and passengers especially roads and cars and some more distant assets. Sometimes cars float or disappear or move awkwardly or have no shadow. The roads just look a bit flat and some of the ground textures are a little bit basic. Passengers are passable but again, disappearing passengers, repetition and movement that can look a little robotic lets it down. There should be passenger models that don't move at the station that appear randomly, with bags etc and a set of animated passengers that move on and off the trains. It just feels a little bit old tech. For next gen consoles this can surely be improved? DLC The dlc in itself is mostly great, the UK and German DLC is strong, the US is a bit weaker and some of the DLC needs a bit of work - if you can get them cheap enough. The original pricing though is really expensive and if I couldn't get any deals theres no way I would be able to fulfil and broaden the game. If the graphic quality was up to scratch for a top end PC or XBX I could justify the cost, but personally I think some people will be priced out. Bugs I do get a lot of niggly bugs. Sometimes in tutorials you cant complete them because the throttle won't work, or ive used the external camera and the map has messed up. You also get some pop in as mentioned, cars floating and some general textures being a little rough. Summary All in all ive enjoyed getting into the sim scene, its a relaxing game with great ambience, when you work a line and its busy its very, very engaging and enjoyable. I'd say if DTG can work with it now on the next gen consoles and work on improving the immersion and performance they will be on to a winner. Hopefully they don't go all Microsoft and churn out constant content to the detriment of actually improving the game.
Ooh you're gonna stir up a hornet's nest here Welcome, and just remember as you read replies to this thread beyond this point, opinions are opinions and not facts
Heh heh thanks. Don't worry I can take it, Im a User Experience Designer Professionally for an IT Software Company so I know all the caveats.
That’s a very fair summary of TSW and its major good and bad points. If you stick with it some of its downsides may start to annoy you more or you might learn to accept and live with them. The shadows issue isn’t likely to be improved much soon going on past experience and is one thing that I put up with because I like to play with the sun low in the sky when the shadows are the worst. It may improve a little but I’m not holding my breath, it’s been a known issue forever. In general, improvements and change are very slow in TSW and being a player can get frustrating at times but lots of people like myself get plenty of great enjoyment out of it. I’ve bought most of the DLC over the last few years and some of it is better quality than others and my interest varies between them. They all have some bugs, as does the game in general, and sometimes updates do break things. Overall it is a good game though. There is a bit of a content mill from DTG and things that are broken can take forever to get fixed but by and large most things in TSW are playable. There’s certainly nothing controversial in your current opinion of it.
Interesting analysis. You've managed to touch on some very prescient aspects of the game which come up frequently on the forums. Optimization is one, the quality and behavior of NPC's is another. Also there's some discussion of dlc prices fairly often. I should point out that multiplayer is not coming any time soon, if ever, so scratch that from your wish list. Your last sentence touches a nerve that is currently a hot topic on the forum. So you've hit many of the current talking points. It's a great game overall and, from your outlook, I'd say you're in for an enjoyable time. Although many, including yours truly, are critical of some aspects of TSW, most of us are train junkies and love the game and would never leave it if we're honest.
Great observation post. I bought it through Steam from the beginning and have been enjoying it on my PC. First of all, there is little language support, there is none in my country That's why I'm having a hard time. Naturally, I don't understand the meaning. It's just an opinion, but it's evolving little by little, but it's very slow to respond to bugs. A route that can't be cured even after a year from the release. Is it okay to exchange money? I doubt it. The basis of this work is the railway. It is out of the question that there is no traffic light or that the railroad crossing is decorated. Can't operate properly Warp when selected from the timetable Dresden: Still not cured. In addition, the score setting that can not achieve the gold medal In Chemnitz, freight trains are red and cannot start. Signals still broken in Boston Harlem also loses a place to go to a splendid AI. Why aren't they inspected before they go on sale? A little improvement would make it much better. I would like to change to a system that does that first.
