Just had a look at the stream. Once again the route looks well- modeled, DTG know how to model track and field, as it were and they know how to build a train. It's a bit dull to be honest, the stations are much of a muchness. I was getting a little bored. And the route looks a bit too neat and tidy, trains too clean and shiny. Piccadilly looks pretty good but not enough noise, hustle and bustle. And, like Penn and GCT, it should be brighter. I was expecting more AI along the route, given the many announced layers. One passing train between Manchester and Glossop is just not enough. And then there's the night lighting. Unbelievable. A city the size of Manchester and its environs surely has lots of ambient lighting, lit-up buildings etc. The almost total darkness just beyond Piccadilly beggars belief. I guess the developers at DTG simply don't know how to do lighting, day or night. Wish I didn't have to be so negative, but can't be helped. Love the game, but not the way it's trending. Thinking a lot about the good old days of NTP, TVL and SPG. Glad I have those routes to fall back on. Maybe in a hefty sale sometime?
I think someone from DTG needs to visit a conurbation at night and see just how awash it is with ambient light. They haven’t learned anything from the complaints about Manchester in the original NTP or more recently Birmingham in BCC. Are the people building these routes and adding the features like lighting that oblivious to how the real world looks?
I noticed that there is still the reflection on the front window that was also present in bcc. Considering shg patched it out of the 158, I think the same should have been done for the 323.
I don’t think the lack of dirt, rust and decay is due to a lack of love and care. I think it’s due to the need to keep the operators who allow DTG to use their liveries etc, happy. There’s no way Northern are going to allow DTG to use their livery on a railway portrayed as being in a poor state - whether that be stations, infrastructure or the trains themselves. When they were re-creating the days of BR long after BR were extinct, DTG had free rein to portray things as they were. Now they’re creating modern routes they have no choice but to create a clean, sanitised version of reality.
Clean or with some rust or dirt is a matter of personal preference. I prefer the trains to be as new, while others do not.
When the real life prototype is rusty, unkempt and generally not maintained to a high level then the expectation is the game should mirror this. At least in my book anyway.
Some modest weathering ought not to be a problem and so far as the infrastructure is concerned, Network Rail ought to be ashamed of the weed strewn track, 6ft high in places weeds and grass on embankments and bushes/trees so thick and encroaching you can't actually see beyond the line itself. If that is depicted in game, it's only showing reality.
I absolutely agree! I spent hours on TSC 50s Woodhead, and we already have some steam that could be put to use on a TSW version of the route. Would love to be able to drive across the Pennines to Sheffield Vic in a black 76 or 77.
Just to get back on topic, I found the route rather underwhelming although guard mode was definitely cool. If they had implemented it for service trains I would have probably picked it up, but otherwise like our friend Vern says, it’s a heavily-discounted sale-only purchase for me.
I would like to know if this is going to be fixed on release, I'm talking about the glowing inside of the cab and the ground as well.
I’ll probably get it on a sale. Not really interested. What I’m waiting for is the new NYT and the 700 which I think will follow with another route
Well, I for one am looking forward to this route. A few reasons: firstly, life is busy, I work long hours, have a family, and don’t get the time I would often like to play games. This route will scratch that itch and allow me to complete some journeys and scenarios. Thanks for that DTG. Secondly, I’m a northerner, and would like to see more northern routes! Therefore, supporting this route and making a purchase will hopefully encourage the devs to make another up here! Finally, the new ideas look fun and for the money, it’ll give me a fair few hours of enjoyment I’m sure.
Have to say I was looking forward to it but found the stream a little underwhelming. I like end to end routes, shorter distances don’t overly matter to me & I also like the 323, but it just didn’t entice me for some reason, I can’t quite put my finger on. Will await reviews post release before I decide if to buy it or not.
RailfanTV schedule says the ambassadors will be streaming Glossop Line on monday. You might want to watch some of those.
I agree. I was looking forward to it but have some reservations having seen the initial views. I think I might have to wait and see what the forum feedback is like.
It's still frustrating to see the annoying windscreen cloud reflection (as was from BCC too) with the 323 - especially when the 158 from MML had this ripple visual effect finally resolved if I remember correctly.
To be honest I think they need to revisit the lighting in TSW3. In my opinion routes in dusk and dawn look great but everything else in between it don’t looks as good.I know that is up to debate but is just my opinion. Also the passenger system really needs to be looked at as it seems it just getting worse and worse. I’m driving empty trains with passengers just standing at platforms
But you realise that the lighting is dependent on season and could cover right? I get that it’s your opinion but surely it doesn’t look all bad? For me the game looking washed out is only a problem with near 100% cloud cover. Maybe it’s just my screen but autumn and winter afternoons with a bit of could look really good to me, you should try it.
I do think it must be down a lot of times to people set ups. I don't think it looks as bad as I often read it is. There are certainly occasions when it does look a bit too washed out but I haven't found very often.
I don’t have much of an issue with the lighting either. It’s generally ok on my Xbox x Just wondering, as I’m not a technical person, is the lighting problem linked to the dynamic weather or is it a separate issue?
The lighting seems mainly linked to the "Adaptive Eye" introduced with TSW3. It's the effect that makes exiting a tunnel into daylight more like how a camera records it than the human eye perceives. At the same time we went from the ground being permanently covered with a black tar like appearance in TSW2, to the oversaturated eggshell gloss we now see on the ballast and ground of many routes in TSW3 during bright lighting conditions.
Ok thank you. TBH I think dynamic weather could just do with some tweaking and fine tuning. Right, got you. The ballast does look like eggshell at times , thanks for explaining.
After watching several streams this morning I have to say the route does look nice. the 323 is a good looking train
Watched a bunch of British Ace videos, and it's looking good. I was a bit on the fence, but after seeing those I'll go for it.
How many routes has this been fed back on so far, I believe every single one in tsw 3 thus far with a tunnel.
Not watched the streams but can anyone confirm if this is another route like BCC where the line's depot is left off stage so to speak, so there are no ECS moves at start or finish of service?
I watched the stream ( except I skipped the photography lesson ) and I didn't see any depot or service moves, just A to B and C. Of course, it was so pitch black at night that I had no idea where MP was going at those times.
And before that. It was an issue with the Brighton line on release, and was eventually fixed 2 years later. It’s great that it’s been fixed (with its long tunnels, the Brighton line is much better as a result) but it does seem odd that we have to wait so long for such a fundamental issue to be fixed, and then it’s fixed for that one route only - when a new route comes out, it has the same issue.
Really looking forward to this, captures the route well! Class 323 is brilliant but we knew that from Cross City and it’s a lovely little line, one I know quite well. But my only criticism is the service shouldn’t end at Glossop? Is this a limitation of TSW, due to changing ends and effectively reversing, it’s difficult to implement? A full run is Manchester - Glossop (reverse) - Hadfield, then Hadfield - Glossop (reverse) - Manchester.
Should have been going to Sheffield Victoria as the Woodhead route code C DC 1.5kv OHLE Class 76 & 77. Speaking of the 4 track section were they originally electrified or unwired?
one thing i have spoted is the lack of OHLE NS just outside ardwick station as its there IRL and seems to be missing in this route
I watched one of the streams yesterday and it looks good. There is some lovely looking scenery at the Dinting end and some nice atmospheric scenes, especially the sounds of church bells in the background and traffic on the roads. I liked the modelling of the two viaducts. Manchester Picaddilly looked nicely modelled with some nice detailing. The 323 looks good in Northern livery and it will be nice to have a route to drive this excellent train on. The service I watched was set in summer but had some very autumnal looking trees. I also would like to know why the services are split at Glossop? Especially as it seems that if you aren't quick enough the AI will take over. This could be immersion breaking. Overall though I am looking forward to driving it tonight.
IRL these services would essentially be a loop, not too dissimilar to Cathcart Circle, the parts are to break it up so you can just do the trip one way. (Personally I don’t think trips that would take an hour need splitting into 3 parts but hey ho). Also I bet DTG didn’t mind that this method makes the timetable look busier than it is
Stourbridge shuttle surely still in production. "Its hard as there a bit of a hill" quotes from the production team and this will be the flagship TSW4 route for £39.99 and may feature working chocolate vending machines or wasps nests.
Yes true, it does make the service menu look a lot more substantial. I don't think they need splitting either and I am can't see why it is necessary.
To be fair this route isn't a £29.99 route. With the discount it isn't even £20. Watching last nights stream you can see a lot of work has gone into it. It is almost certainly a filler route before something more substantial comes.
Far too much filler IMHO 3 years without a decent classic era route and the modern ones lack longevity. Why I'm I still playing rhur sieg Nord but barely touch SEHS? Hope it sells well and it probably will but this is another not even at sale price offer here.
Yup, should have just been Manchester to Hadfield via Dinting & Glossop as one service, then Hadfield to Manchester via Glossop & Dinting. AKA the usual method of timetabling & also the way these services are structured IRL. In total it’s a 40 minute run that I really don’t see the need to break into 3 parts, if anything that seems like it’ll make it longer to do.
RRO was a fairly short route but apart from the shonky track and gradient placement it adds longevity with numerous layers of different train types and two separate routes between Wuppertal and Hagen within the whole. Glossop has none of that, just back and forth over the same unchallenging section with the same train.
I can’t help but think that this DLC would have been better off including at least one other Northern route. Most of the services running out of P1/P2 at Piccadilly are Northern short commuters, such as Rose Hill or New Mills Central. Would of made for a very interesting mini network.
A minor point, but ‘Piccadilly’ is missing the second ‘c’ in the route intro subtitles and one of the chapter titles. Service names, station signs and route maps look to be fine though.
Why not set it in 1997 and they could have added 305 units too? But that would have involved Devs actually doing some work, rather than recycling old content.
But only on PC, Xbox is ridden with bugs and the PS5 version is delayed indefinitely due to another Sony issue DTG ignored
I want to download it from the game so I get my 10% discount for having BCC, trouble is the last 2 or 3 routes I've downloaded I've had to go via playstation store and this means I don't get discount.
Exactly what it should have been. It's not like these routes are being created by hobby builders in the spare time (well maybe they are). This is supposed to be a multi £million software house with resources to match. Or are they top heavy with PR, management and admin staff with actual route and model/train builders thin on the ground?
