Recently I've become increasingly frustrated with this route, enough to where it just boiled over and I have to get it off my chest. How did this route *ever* get released?! The sad part is that it's not even an "opinion" that the route is bad, it is objectively bad. From the glaringly obvious bugs that are present for 2 years now, to things that are just straight up fabricated and not true, it's not even remotely close to say the route is "good" or even "passable". You can be picky about the US stuff in TSW all you want, but this route is just straight up wrong on the least picky things, and its endlessly frustrating to think about. Lets start off with the actual route itself. The route has random highway noise in the middle of nowhere, somehow this is still in the game too. They have european-style concrete ties in the middle of a seldom-used branch line in the middle of the Utah desert. For some godforsaken reason, they decided that it would be better to recycle assets and throw realism out the window and into the landfill, and use 2-bay hoppers to transport radioactive dirt. It takes 2 seconds of research to find out the correct way they do it, in enclosed boxes on specially built cars. The locomotives are another story. Both are copy+pastes of the Sandpatch locomotives, so much to where the UP SD40-2 still has the B&O-specific battery boxes on the front. Both locomotives have a completely wildly inaccurate horns (UP uses 3-chime horns, CSX uses 5-chime, both the actual model and sound are incorrect). The AC4400 even has the CSX-style split up reflective tape on the sides of the locomotive. It's just shocking to look back and see that route was even considered okay to release, let alone actually even released. I really, really, REALLY hope we actually get a complete redo-from-scratch of this DLC (or even just pulling it from stores and leaving it at that), its just so unbelievably shameful that this is in something that calls itself a "simulator" that prides itself on realism.
I totally agree. This short route could be excellent if they bothered to try and do a little research. The fact that the speed limits are wrong all over the place is infuriating. Much fanfare was made about the rocks and mesas being accurate and how hard it was, and then they drop the ball on the easiest of things to get right. To be fair the horns were the crappy fake horns used everywhere on North American content, but when they started using actual horn recordings it would have been a small, but significant, improvement to use those recordings. I feel we get a really raw deal on the North American freight content.
I think you should take into account that 95% of the player base never ever saw that route in real life, and never ever will. I´m one of those ignorant (in a root sense of that term which is "lacking knowledge or awareness") and that´s why I pretty much enjoy this route. Same goes for other routes, WCL as the classic here. Which is categorized by connoisseurs as the pinnacle of inaccuracy and product of phantasy in many senses. Yet, I enjoy a run with a Class101 on that route. E.g. DTG´s business model seems to be based on that. And that´s why I also think you won´t see your "really, really hopes" and desires fulfilled any time soon. I did notice and wonder though about the mentioned "2-bay hoppers to transport radioactive dirt". How come, indeed? Maybe that´s the reason for TSW3´s nuclear lighting?
It is not a perfect route and I agree I would have liked more realistic radioactive dirt transport. Also the unloading installation is unfinished. On the other hand, the landscape overall looks gorgeous. I do not know the area and to be honest I really do not care about a wrong battery box model and things like that.A good knowledge of the region will definitely lead to disappointment, because you cannot cover all the details someone would see in a simulated world. So in general I liked the route, though for me the drives are a bit long with not much happening.
Agree, actually one of my favourite US routes in the collection, better than the yawn fest that is Sherman. I’ve driven this route in several sims, starting with Trainmaster 4 in 2000 or thereabouts and the TSW version is without a doubt the best rendition of the route.
I've just bought this route, as it was the only US route that I didn't own. I stayed away from it because it didn't seem interesting enough, and my fears were not only confirmed, but even exceeded. This route is extremely boring! I will leave aside the inaccuracies, because they would not prevent me from enjoying a route. The main issue is that this is, for most part, a single line route, with almost no sidings. Once you're on the Cane Creek Branch, there are no signals, all the way to Potash. That means no traffic, nothing interesting happening. Some people say it's the low speed limit, but 25mph is not so low. Go on Clinchfield, and there are many places you only drive 10mph or 15mph, without being boring! Because there are sidings and you can do a lot of switching, dropping off empty wagons and picking up filled ones. Also, on that mainline, which is quite long and slow, there are many places where trains can go past each other, allowing for some excitement on a mainline run. tl;dr This route is incredibly boring, because you're going slowly on a one-way line.
I was promised by SHG they will refix rear boogie in AC (on the consoles we still have it reversed directed beside this CCB is different rom everything, I like to drive it from time to time, but its definitely not for everbody, it is connoisseur route
I particularly enjoy the 1980s UK police sirens used in Cane Creek. I keep expecting Inspector Jean Darblay to pop up whenever I hear them.
He literally said the route’s name in the title it’s Cane Creek route and CCB means Cane Creek Branch
I haven't played this route in a long time and I can't believe the " phantom traffic noise " is still there. How about the plants with radiation sickness? Overall, I think the route is OK, but, as Vern said, I usually drove the branch well above posted speed.
Think I was doing 50 at one point where the track levels out and is fairly straight. The other quirk of this route is that you cannot push over trailing manual points by just driving through them and the wheels move the blades. You have to physically change them, either on the ground with the lever or from the plan view. Otherwise you derail.
Glad I read this, for I was thinking of getting it. It sounds like a joke. It is sad at the lack of effort put in to it. Just lazy and 0 attention to detail it seems.Sad... Could of been something good, but you know it's an American route so make an embarrassing piece of LOVE.
It´s a TSW2 route. Consider it abandonware as most of the older bugs. If nobody didn´t even care about fixing the flying rocks during the initial TSW2 support time, being a so evident error and one of the first things everyone reported, nothing will be fixed. Last week I noticed that grey class 37 engine sounds are also still missing in West Cornwall route. That was another incredible and basic release day error that ruins the gameplay completely too and once more demonstrates that things are never tested and are abandoned very quickly when nobody has any real interesest in those DLCs. Hagen route has missed the freight consists sounds for years as well and they are still missing. There are many examples of this fire and forget approach in the franchise. Cheers
JD has told me there basically is no way they are going back to redo the horns. So im gonna assume thats the case for anything related to older content. Its done and nothing will change on them. Its sad but we wont get a fix for it. Its a sad route. There was 3 free roam missions on that route. why??
It's from Skyhook - never buy their stuff on release or without checking reviews. Their last DLC, the livery pack, showed that they're not even able to wire a switch to the Numberboard lights. The unwillingness to address the issues (many would only take an afternoon to do) speaks for itself. Take the money and run.
Because there was basically only 1 service per week in real route. They didn't do too much there. Free roam allows some more extra freedom in game.
I thankfully don't own this route after reading this, but then again I consider any US route that focuses on freight boring.
Freight is not boring if it is done right and there is a lot to do. ..like switching, and realistic gameplay.
Agree..piss poor the way to do things. They had a great opportunity to make something wonderful band blew it.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/...lk_Southern_Heritage_Livery_Collection_AddOn/ And yeah, you're right about the BNSF SD70ACe. The list gets longer... Just checked the blueprint exports. There's no LightMaterialReferences defined for the NumberLights... they just forgot. I cannot mod what isn't there... DTG Matt how about giving some modders access to the source files to help you fix bugs?
I think what's funny about this is that ngc, the OP for this thread released this fantastic mod for this route, which changes the garbage lazy copy and paste CSX AC44, into an EX-SP Union Pacific AC44, with proper markings and whatnot, on top of alot of other fixes for this route. It is absolutely shameful that a full time video game developer makes content that is WORSE that a modder that doesn't have access to the official editor. It's just another proof that no one really gives the level of detail to US freight in TSW as the rest of the content. Link to the mod for anyone on TSW3 or before. https://www.trainsimcommunity.com/m...reek-enhancement-pack-v15-incl-beta-16-update
One question, why? How can this pass? I was thinking, there has to be a checklist for this stuff, right? Such a nice engine to have something so silly overlooked. I just do not understand. Will they fix it? Something so minor as that shouldn't be hard. It's always one thing to ruin the realism. Never ever can you have something spot on, all the bells n whistles checked. It's just sub par effort.
They don't have standardized checklists. The thing is, having the source files, this Numberboard light is fixed within minutes. I can understand there's issues that are complex to solve - but not a missing light.
Totally agree and really just fed up with this LOVE, half done lazy attitude towards anything American. Piss poor! What sucks is, I'm stuck with it ..because I'm on Xbox s. I can't enjoy any of the modders beautiful work and realism.
I don't think Matt has time for this - he's doing what he was always best at - being a tutor for the editor right now. I'll raise a support ticket for this one... done.
Thank you sir..hope it goes somewhere. It should be done...its not like remaking the SD70 from the ground up..lol
This will be very low priority I guess... The troubled console ports are eating up most of their time it seems.
If it makes you feel any better, I just got HSC and was shocked at the utter stupidity and down right ugliness of that route. Holy smokes is it bad! The worst one I have bought so far and refuse to even play it. On a side note..the GP-38s are decent.. that's it.lol
TBF, Skyhook did put some more effort into the scenery in places than DTG on their routes, like including the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona, while DTG didn't even bother to add anything to represent the Western America Railroad Museum in Barstow.
Think the Run 8 version with billboard trees and Dulux green paint ground textures is a close second though!
Aww come on. It looks nice in the morning and afternoon, and Run 8 is simulation first then the rest. Can't compare DTG's with 3DTrainStuff's budget. What use is a (morphing LODs) 3D tree if the loco don't work as it should? I want a train not a tree sim I expect your absolute loyalty to a game which has a feature named after you, Sir!
Oh don’t misunderstand me, I love Run 8 in its own way particularly serving the industry and I have had some great trips across the desert with the time fixed at dawn or dusk. But for me the environment is part of the overall experience too. Back OT I find Cane Creek interesting as it was a route chosen for one of the first cab view sims, Trainmaster 4 back in 2000 (just before MSTS came out). However it was a curious choice for the nature of operations in TSW where people are expecting a reasonably busy timetable and several scenarios. Nice scenery, tedious operations and of course the many issues which we know will never be fixed at this point.
For me skyhooks lack of communication, (which only happens right before and after one of their releases), together with ignoring reported bugs from paying customers, is the reason i avoid paying full price for skyhook content. (Cw44 rear bogie still the wrong around after so many years..) Despite that, i enjoy cane creek and its atmosphere, but i was never there and have no base to make a real comparison. The 187 is fun with all the mods.
it is OldVern's perennial frustration with Run8, which also included a mysterious jitter that persists to this day. And he isn't even wrong, because nowadays CPU and GPU are powerful enough to allow a better scenery without affecting the simulation. Simulation in Run8 is probably top of the bill. But like with any of the more complicated world simulation type of games, multithreading could improve visual quality even more when more graphics rendering, culling, shading etc can be spread over idle cores. Regarding TSW in this aspect, I am disappointed with the UE engine not making full use of all available hardware and putting those cores and GPU to work. Cane Creek is more like a rock face simulation, the trains only take second place. Even then, there are lots of floating boulders, cars that glide on air besides very poorly executed paved roads. Is the rear truck of that fake UP AC44 still the wrong way round? Does it still show CSX markings in the cab?
