Niddertalbahn: Bad Vilbel-stockheim Feedback Thread

The HUD shows a weird speed limit in the Next speed limit HUD. driving south just past Niderdorfelder in the scenario 373 Sugar Beets.It does not affect the speedometer or the height profile screen.

 

In you video I have seen the emergency brake tripped and I saw you recover. This happened after the tree fell.

I tried one last time and tried to do what you did, but nu success. BC remains at 2.8. So Mike needs to do something.

 

I had that on the “Shape Of Things To Come” scenario, can’t remember the exact location but near the end. Assumed it was part of the “fun” but looks like there are a few stretches of track on the route where the speed limit has not been correctly defined. If the TSW editor works anything like the TSC one it is very easy to miss a bit but this ought to be picked up during testing.

 

I'm not a prophet, even if the BR52 wasn't difficult to guess. But the "Höllentalbahn" would be a good candidate for a next special project route. It's located in Baden-Württemberg or in the Black Forest area and is scenically very attractive.

BTW: I like turtels and portals, probably a remnant of the Celts. Maybe the donkey has also disappeared through the portal!

 

Same here (PS5). The engines are always running and I can't turn them off either. Not a massive problem, but still - I like doing cold starts.

 

I'm having trouble with "RB Stockheim train preparation part 2" at 06:58. When I start the service from the main menu, it works fine, but when I start with part 1 and stay in service mode afterwards, I can't complete part 2. The level crossing opens and never closes again, even if I wait in the siding until after my train should depart for Bad Vilbel. Also, while in the siding, I can't walk to the cab at the other end of the train as there's some sort of invisible collision in the way, both inside and outside the train.

Same on (my) PC -- this even happens in the tutorial.

Another issue with the 628 is that the switch for the desk light is labeled "FahrplanL euchte" on the textures in the cab. It's a small thing, but it really sticks out because everything else is near-perfect.

 

I actually like the DLC a lot, but unfortunately the bug with the security systems, several text errors and logic gaps ruins the fun for me

 

Completed quite a few services now in a range of weathers/times of year, and my favourite part is always going through the forest on the single track. One of the absolute stand-outs compared to other DLCs is the foliage density, and the care taken with tree placement, that ensures every part of the forested area looks natural and not uniform. Even in the misty, pouring rain the forest just looks totally real.

I hope that DTG can take note of this and do something similar with Peak Forest.

 

the forest, the fields, swamps - everything adds to the route DLC. it feels like a labor of love by TSG!
feels that i am in a Witcher or Kingdom come deliverance game in a train.
i never taken so many screenshots in any other route.

 

+1

 

I like the route very much, but decided to not play it again until the security system bug is fixed, because it’s a little bit annoying to start a service and can’t proceed because it has to be done with the BR 928. But that doesn’t change my opinion that this DLC is outstanding. And I love travelling with the 628 at Linke Rheinstrecke. Did a journey from Bingen to Koblenz the other day and it is so challenging to be just in time, and not to loose too much speed. And you can enjoy the beautiful landscape even more while travelling with 118 km/h maximum speed!

 

The route has some little polishing things, but overall is just soooo good. It is detailed and immersive, with the slow speeds being enjoyable because there is just so much to look at. It is also relaxing, while remaining engaging (you need to keep an eye on crossing signals, speed and you can look at the scenery for hours aswell). It is very fun, and a nice break to the German content we're used to, both era and gameplay-wise (together with LFR, but that needs some significant bug fixing and really a bit of DLC to feel even nearly as complete as this one, and it will never be as pretty). All in all truly great work.

 

Were you playing with PZB on? I found that to complete the scenario without the emergency brake before the bridge, I had to turn off safety when shutting down the cab and then turn it back on at the other end. You'll need to use keyboard controls for this as there's a known bug concerning the Sifa and PZB valve controls in the train.

 

Oh, the swamps! They look so real.
I love the little industrial town you drive through, going past the tall factory halls, an amazingly recreated water treatment plant and the swamps with their photorealistic green texture on top. Especially superb at night with the awesome lighting, using warm and cold light sources (and not just one color for every lamp like on other routes).

 

I see this bug being posted a lot, however, I never seem to have an issue. The way I do it: Turn off the cab you want to leave, switch off PZB and Sifa. Go to the other side, switch the cab on and afterwards switch PZB and Sifa back on. Don’t just leave it on while changing ends. Could someone verify that this actually works or does it only work for me?

EDIT: I am not using any keyboard shortcuts.

One point to note, though, I am driving this without Sifa. I don’t see a reason why it should only work for PZB, though…

 

Thanks for the tip, but after four tries, I will take a break on this one for a while. Let's see what TSG does with it.

 

This is the main problem I noticed. As always AI passengers are a problem in this game.

 

I noticed that on BR 628.2, the use of controls does not cancel the triggering of SIFA. I sometimes have to confirm SIFA immediately after changing the throttle or brake.

I would also like to express my wish to correct the sound loops of the signals of both trains, which now sound intermittently.

 

That's the way Sifa works, on all German trains. They don't have a control interlock like US and British alerters do.

 

That explains it all, thank you.

 

The same for me, I've really never taken so many screenshots of a TSW route, just because it looks so beautiful.

I also have the problem that the engine doesn't want to stop (PC). Sometimes, really rarely, it works, but most of the time it doesn't.

 

One question after an entire weekend Niddertalbahn: On some rare occasions it happened to me, that I can insert the brake key but can't turn the key - just remove it (and insert it again). Why is that, that I can't turn the key sometimes?

 

There's a slightly different hitbox for "key insert/remove" and "cut in/out" - this is because if it was the same hitbox on-screen you would never be able to remove the key once it was inserted, only change from cut in/out. It is the same, for example, with the original Isle of Wight loco which has the key down to the left of the driver seat.

 

Just to echo, absolutely stunning route, even with the low speeds I'll not get bored of chugging up and down the Nidder.

One more bit of feedback, Maik - the brake squeal sound doesn't seem to have a properly working speed/volume curve so always plays the sound when you are braking - even from 120km/h. It is a bit odd and should only squeal at low speed.

 

I will check that. Thanks for the hint.

 

I've been exploring...
First up - end of the line


And now, a new project:- Canoe Sim World..


I am loving this route!!

 

Has anyone else had difficulties getting a gold medal in the Prep Work scenario? I was honestly extremely happy with my run, always stopped on target and only went over the speed limit 1-2 times. So my AP score should have theoretically been within 100 points or so of the absolute maximum. But I only got a silver medal in the end!

 

Is it normal that one end of the passenger train is number 628 and the other is 928, if so why

 

Yes, that is correct. The 628 is a powered vehicle and the 928 is a non powered and therefor they have different class numbers.

 

Thank you for the explanation

 

Did you get out and examine the tree? once you do, the scenario continues normally.

 

Excellent route. The 628 is great fun, the foliage is done really well, it even sways in the breeze. The night lighting effects are good.

There are even a couple of cool scenarios too, one with a ghost in it, which I think is there to show off their fog/mist effects and one where you haul both sugar beets and a broken down 628 in your 363.

DTG need to up their game, because this is the best route for ages, it really is on another level.

 

Same issue.

 

Why would you deserve gold when overspeeding 1-2 times?

 

Had a nice situation again yesterday in timetable mode:

In the evening, twilight when it rains, 2 minutes too early in Niederdorfelden, red signal, short break and waiting for the oncoming train, then continue. Those are exactly the things I like about this DLC, among other things. It just feels real.

 

If I recall correctly, there was mention in the release stream that the team were working on an additional wagon for the route (Type G?).
I'm hoping that we get to see this, plus a couple more 2-axle wagons, such as the type Kbs; Td; Fc; Hbi, or for 4-axle the Eaos which is sorely needed for all the German routes.
Perhaps some might come with Maiks' next loco release? (Hint )

 

have a look at this: https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/niddertalbahn-brakes-can´t-be-used-solved-by-rtfm.68619/#post-628467

 

I do think part of this is the prototypical timetable, where you really will be held for operational reasons at a stop and get a chance to enjoy the scenery. It's really great that not every run is end-to-end either and there is plenty of variation, as well as freight services to change things up a bit - please keep using prototypical timetables DTG, it makes a huge difference to the 'real' feeling of a route.

 

I will try next time.

 

I’ve just played my 7th service and had that level crossing bug with the cars crossing at Eichen but only for the first time!

Apart from that, I can’t fault it, well done TSG!

 

The first two freight timetable drives have a gold medal issue. I think this is a DTG problem, you simply cannot get gold (I got stuck in bronze level). I will report this as well in the forum thread on this topic.

 

I experienced the same problem you did on my first play through of that scenario - Second time after the last passenger stop - I did not receive any instructions to continue but did so anyway - I saw the tree fall after the emergency brake application and then noticed the blue position marker by the tree. Once I got out of the cab and walked to the spot , I was prompted to use "E" to inspect the tree - then the scenario prompted me to return to a station and like I stated then completed normally. Not as smooth as other scenarios - but definitely doable and I did like seeing the tree actually fall on the track -- nice

 

I think you’re probably joking, but I‘ll explain nonetheless. We‘re talking about an overspeed of 1-2 km/h for a few seconds in a 30 minute run. So maybe 30 AP are lost in total. But a lot more (double to triple that amount) is missing to gold. We‘ve seen that with quite a few services and scenarios on this route, gold medals are extraordinarily difficult if not impossible to obtain.

 

Today driving RB 7072 I noticed one thing that is not correctly simulated, that is exchange of trains in stations without independent access to platforms. It might not look obvious at first, but these have some very strict rules to ensure everybody's safety. The situation looked like this:



As the train from bottom is allowed to enter first track in full speed, lot of sims would die that day. How it works in reality (I don't know german dispatcher's code, but I remember it is simulated correctly in Zusi) is that the train on the nearest platform to the station building must arrive first and leave last.

The train from north in this case which arrived first would either have to be rerouted to first track, or held on entrance signal until the train from south safely stops at the platform. That ensures that no passengers cross the path of the train. Same goes for departure, first must depart the farthest train because it is the only one that does not have passengers crossing in front of it.

Not sure if the simulator works with that at the moment (doesn't look like it) as this is probably the first route where it applies. But it shouldn't be difficult to implement (tie signal triggers on train positions rather than on path availability), and it would increase gameplay fun as well (driving the train from north would get stopped on signal, train from south could enjoy some scenery with the other train arriving and departing).

The other way how this is solved in reality (when the station is sufficiently oversized, especially when it was historically built for few pairs of long, distant trains and now is served by small local MUs instead) is putting the H-boards in front of the middle crossing so that the trains stop effectively head-to-head rather than one behind another, and the passengers are safely crossing in front of the train closer to the station building where the driver can see them.

 

I am pretty sure the in-game dispatcher would implode if it had to sort trains in stations based on which one is closer and about to arrive sooner.

 

I just wanted to chime in and say I really appreciate the whole route.
One thing I've noticed that I really like is on the BR365. The sensitivity of the key presses for the independent brakes is different to the 363. With the 365 you tap on your keyboard once and the independent brake goes into the next notch. Makes it really really easy to control the brake by tapping the keys. Compared to the 363 where you hold down the key and it slowly moves the brake lever into the next notch its a real pleasure as I always apply more brake than I initially want to with the 363.
Another thing: in the 628 you can activate PZB/Sifa behind that closed latch in the passenger compartment. How do you activate it in the 928? Couldn't find any latch to open it there.

 

The PZB / SIFA Controls are only in the motor unit (628). So for use in the cabcar (928) it has to be activated in the 628. You can also just use the keyboard shortcuts CTRL + NUM ENTER and SHIFT + NUM ENTER

 

The levers activate it for the whole train, although the implementation at the moment is a bit buggy (patch coming).

Any Sifa/PZB switches in the game are fictional, as IRL they are on permanently- and any driver who tried to deactivate them would be fired.

 

Haha that makes sense It would be so great if the game had options for having PZB and Sifa and LZB and whatnot on as a standard, simply an option in the main menu. Sometimes the scenarios really don't leave enough time to do so manually.

 

Is that really so? What if you are manned pushing loco at the end of the train? That would trigger 2000 Hz on every signal. Safety systems in other countries I know come with fuse or at least more complex mode selection than PZB modus that allows some level of suppression.