Out Now Niddertalbahn: Bad Vilbel – Stockheim, Out Now!

Today is the day!
Still remember when they accidentally revealed the route during one of the TSW3 preview videos last summer, now we finally have it in our hands.

 

It’s a great route I love the high detailed scenery bringing lots of life on that small branch line, there’s seem to be a bug with SIFA and PZB as I activated both of them on the cabinet but it doesn’t work, I’m on PS5.

 

"Master the Nebenbahn"

I'll be F5-ing so hard in steam this evening ...

 

Seems like this is some PS4 footage of the route, it honestly looks very good even on old gen consoles!
https://www.youtube.com/live/TvxGHwJ5BFU?feature=share

 

Not out yet on Steam in USA. Of course, that little shunter intrigues me, but I'll want to know more about how many activities are included for it & whether it will also be available on other German routes.

 

PC Steam Release is the same time worldwide just different timezones but is always the last to the all TSW DLC's thats why im calling on a change to the system where dovetail need to talk to all partys they add the DLC's to so its fair across the field and all DLC's are released at the same time no matter what Timezone u are in around the world

 

It's a steam thing, most DLCs for any game will release in the afternoon/ evening.

I doubt they will change it for anyone other than the major studios.

 

I’ve bought the route. I’m watching the British Ace stream because I’m teaching a class. It looks beautiful. I can’t wait to play it

 

At first glance, due to the color palette and vastness of highly detailed landscapes and objects of different shapes on the screen, it seems like a DLC for Train Simulator.

Am I the only one who thought that?

 

The question is how long do I wait until I buy it?

Too late… already bought and a service played. Lovely stuff. Best looking route in TSW by such a big margin. I had great fun driving a service in the layer on Linke too. I love a train that takes its time getting up to speed. Not tried the little freight loco* yet.

*I’m at the point in TSW now where I can’t remember all the numbers of the train classes so phrases like ‘little blue train’ and ‘the fast old German loco” might start appearing in my posts more often and readers will have to work out what I’m on about by noting the context in which I speak. Sorry A side effect of having so much stuff.

I did get an odd reward for driving a very specific distance in the 628 that I think was 42.8 km and not 62.8 km like I suspect it should be.

 

I think you just explained what a tsw dlc looks like which has highly detailed landscapes and objects of different shapes of the screen. I mean tsc can look great but still low res compared to what unreal engine can do

 

It's live on Steam now so a couple of hours early. Purchased and looking forward to playing after tea.

One quick question - given the discussions previously, how does the 628 sound compared to the real thing, given the sounds were sourced and synthesised from another unit type?

 

Slowing down the 628.2 just a bit is very tricky for me. Applying just a little bit of brake slows me down a lot. Maybe I do something wrong. I set the brake lever to minimum and release it immediately. The speed reduces rapidly, it’s very hard just to slow a little bit, to avoid for example over speed. I need to practice. But the 628 ist easier to accelerate than the 612, which is a little bit odd to handle in this case.

 

Here we go again…sigh
As I told you last week, the dlc is released when the platform specific stores update. There’s not much that can be done to change that

 

I have to say that even though I've only managed to drive about 4 miles so far, the quality is evidently outstanding and it's an extraordinarily pretty route. Hats off to all at TSG.

 

That's not really how it works.

 

Hats off. Don’t have much more to say. The atmosphere is incredible (largely thanks to the phenomenal scenery) and both the 628 and 365 feel good. The changes to the 365 brake controls are especially appreciated.

 

First impression at Bad Vilbel on foot: Lovely, even though the grass there is floating in the air a bit. Also: Rheinstrecke had signs saying "into the mountains!" and this has posters for Berchtesgaden which is in the Alps...?

Edit: Since you use the horn a lot on this route, it's a shame that you hear the sample edges so clearly.

 

I'm pretty hyped...

Great DLC!

 

Is anyone else having this DLC crash with the unreal engine error or is it just me ? I can play with it for 5 minutes and then it crashes

 

The GP discount is live on xbox now (!)

 

Is anyone else unable to find the new German passenger and freight bundles on Steam?

 

Yeh I was disappointed with the horn on the diesel unit. Just needs a bit more fade or something.
However the horn on the shunter seems like it’s been improved over the DTG one.

The horns/whistles are so important and yet always seem to be disappointing. They are capable as some of the br diesels in-game have beautiful horns.

 

There are new bundles?

 

Really impressed with it so far. The scenery and stations are really nicely done, and the route feels alive.

 

Route looks pretty good so far... Kind of reminds me of Forest Rail in TSC a bit. 9.5/10 so far.

628, well as I've said previously many years since I travelled on one. If you listen hard enough you can definitely hear the 612 in the engine mix. Not too perturbed about the horn but the track joint sound is a bit tinny and I haven't heard any squeal on curves yet. Brakes do seem a bit harsh even in minimum but maybe the real thing is like that. Still I can live with it - 8/10.

Not tried the shunter yet, but this route is crying out for a V100 (211/212), a 216 or 218.

One slight disappointment - only 10 items in Journey Mode of which two (intro modules) are at the Training Centre.

Need to drive a bit more later on...

 

I am also unable to find them

 

OK, so I was just 2 minutes late at the middle point of the route where it intersects with a mainline (Heldenbergen-Windecken). Just as I came to a stop, another 628 and two 110s took off. It made me feel downright bad that many of my passengers missed their connection. Great stuff!

 

Thanks for that. That's something I missed on the mostly all routes I drove so far, sounds great!

 

This route looks great, the scenery density is amazing, it is obvious how much love and passion went into this route. And also the sound, the 628 is top notch. But also the other sounds, i.e. the satisfying clank the semaphores make when changing aspect.

 

Well you know the 218 is being made by tsg but he also has to help with fixes on this route, 420, 232 and any second party he works with. Going to be waiting a while

 

Wow just wow, stunning graphics, great performance, the 628 is cracking drive, runs are busy even at low speeds with lots of PZB to acknowledge and whistle boards. This is a great purchase and I love it.

Thank you TSG for such an amazing add on.

Just one question - on the BR628 should I be running with the electric brakes on or off? Whats prototypical for the period does anyone know?

 

How do I turn on PZB and Sifa on the 628? Somehow I'm unable to find any workable switches for that in any cab.

 

On an otherwise really good route with very few bugs this was a big surprise... guys... UIC numbering started in 2007, so it's very inaccurate here. In fact, a lot of these writings are rather modern compared to what they would be like in 1992.

 

https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1998966/manuals/Niddertalbahn_Manual.pdf?t=1679587225

page 11 shows where the switch is for SIFA & PZB

(Its a really good manual as well)

 

I have to say, this route is something different. The scenery is very well done, so detailed and lifelike.
It's clear this is a work of passion.

The Glimpse into the Future scenario was also very fun and interesting idea. Hats off for that one.

 

Yes I was half expecting a shadow a G6 coming towards me out of the mist though, that would have really been something. But even without it was a fun run.

 

Thanks! Very informative manual indeed.

 

Welcome back to the forums Northrail

 

Back on the route... One slight bug I've noticed, working RB 7061 from Stockheim to Bad Vibel, at Lindheim the level crossing barriers approaching the station only drop as the train is at the actual crossing. This is not, so far as I can tell, a situation with a crossing failure just a normal timetable run.

Edit:
At Eichen departing towards Bad Vibel, there are no signals showing on either track, just the crossing signals. The HUD is also counting down towards signals that are not visible and the home (Haupt) signal for trains in the opposite direction.

 

These are the BR365 services on the Niddertalbahn:

 

I’ve had the same on PS5. It looks to me like the valves only work if the cab at that end of the train is powered. Enabling safety systems with keyboard shortcuts does work at either end, though.

Only a minor issue and really enjoying the route so far.

 

It’s funny because even when I activated the safety system and sit in the cab from the same coach it still doesn’t work but guess we’ll have to wait for a fix but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying the route which is amazing

 

Indeed. Despite the (possible) bugs I mentioned above, the route sets new standards for TSW it is a totally different experience.

It's a route where I really wish DTG would crack on and fix the save system after taking over a fresh service, as it would be fun to keep going and cover an entire day's operations.

 

Currently doing my first timetable service, and I’m blown away. This feels like a wholly different game, a new benchmark for TSW DLCs for sure. Scenery is legendary and the loco is amazing as well. Timetable with the regular loco crossings/encounters is so good.

Two small questions regarding the cab of the BR 628:

• What does the magnetic brake lever do?
• The toggle for the horn seems to be able to go up and down, but only up (I believe) produces a sound. Did DB remove the low horn without changing the switch, which would be a very 1990s thing for them to do?

Feedback (just some very minor things, I play on a PS4):

• BR 628 training module only gave me a silver despite completing all the tasks. Fell slightly short of 2000 AP.
• I did notice a station where leaves clipped into the station signs, like in the preview stream.
• One of the platform staircases in the big middle station seems broken, with gaps in the model appearing when walking upwards.
• There is a floating lamppost near one of the last stations prior to reaching Stockheim.
• There is a small red and white sphere between the rails on the approach to the big Stockheim level crossing (going towards Stockheim). Not sure if this is intended or a placeholder artifact.
• A weird spike-like dark texture appears on one of the walls in the middle section of the 628 powercar interior when walking towards it from the unpowered car. It disappears when getting within a few meters.

EDIT: I’m adding more feedback in the feedback thread over here! https://forums.dovetailgames.com/posts/628069/

 

Love the positivity of this new DLC! Definitely will need to pick this up!

 

This is a very good first route for a third party. Quality is top notch.

The scenery is very good, I'd say it is easily the prettiest route in the game, the density of the foliage is quite something, and it really does evoke a rural branch line crawling through overgrown cuttings and across fields, behind houses, and across rickety old bridges. Occasionally some foliage cuts into the cab, which is unsurprising given how close it is to the train, and that I like, because that's what makes the route feel unique, you travel between wide open fields and dense undergrowth, the route tells a story visually and does it very well. Of course the flip side to the dense foliage is how haunting the route looks in winter when there are no leaves on anything, it looks like the set of Sleepy Hollow (which is no bad thing), some of the trees in particular look positively sinister.

The 628 is a mixed bag. It is a superb model, no doubt a very good likeness of the train, interior and exterior look great, sounds are fine to me, and there are a lot of buttons to click and switches to flick. But the train itself, as in the real life thing as well as the model in the game lacks even a smidgen of dynamic prowess, these things are surely the German equivalent of a Pacer? The train is in no rush to get anywhere, take it for a run on one of the RE services on Linke Rheinstrecke and getting it to 120kmph feels like driving a Sinclair C5 down a motorway. I can grow to love these kind of tinny trains though, so let's see.

The gameplay and timetable is similar to West Somerset Railway and Island line really, the actual timetable doesn't deliver anything spectacular, but it does give what only those mostly single track low speed routes can give, a relaxing back and forth, and in this particular case it has the benefit of stunning scenery the whole way (quite literally there is not a single stretch of this line that does not look stunning), and there are three stations where you'll see some non-playable AI traffic in the shape of the 110 (haven't seen the 103 yet but assume it is there). My main criticism of the gameplay so far is simply that for a relatively relaxing and slow route, it has an awkward combination of a lethargic train, tight timetable, and PZB monitoring speed drops, which all keep you on your toes and get in the way whenever you think you can truly sit back and relax and enjoy the view.

I think it shows there is a lot to be said for building an atmosphere as much as anything else. Unassuming back and forth runs at low speed need not be boring when the environment is so rich and dense that it drags you in and makes you feel as if you are there.

 

This route is truly amazing, stunning graphics, great performance and a couple of lovely locomotives.

Certainly sets a new benchmark that others have to achieve to aspire. Makes Rivet routes look totally amateurish and ill prepared. I cannot see Rivet turning out this quality and I suggest that they stick to locomotive replication in the future. It’s what they are good at.

Congratulations TSG, l look forward to purchasing your next offering.

 

I can only say...yeeees! I would also like to do this

I'm a big fan of this PZB work, speed drops etc. it is not really relaxing for sure, but much more fun then a one and a half hour AFB ride with the ICE on KWG (which doesn't mean I don't like KWG).