Some general feedback regarding the class 800. I have attached below reference of the real screen. Disclaimer - All images were taken from a position of safety, I also fully sign the traction discussed. When keying in and upon moving FNR to neutral, fault alarm will sound as part of the self test, which needs to be acknowledged with the train fault button. This is followed by the AWS and TPWS system self test. TPWS should also light up during this process. Windscreen wiper should be on the right hand side selection by default. Missing carriage letters and unit numbers. The carriage letters will only display above the formation once the train’s head code has been entered via the journey page and SRS (seat reservation database) downloaded. You must press confirm or the displays on the carriages both inside and outside will remain blank. If not in service is selected this will also place the respective (Not In Service) on the external displays and blank the internals completely. When operating in a 10 car format, you are able to flip the carriage letter formation. For example, ABCDE-GHJKL being normal or EDCBA-LKJHG. If both First class carriages are towards the middle it will show ABCDE-LKJHG or GHJKL-EDCBA. This done via Journey page and SRS, flip formation option. The Driver symbol only shows white when keyed in, and white arrow when FNR switch is selected. If the TMS is logged in from another cab you will also get another driver icon, just outline above the respective cab. When the Train Manager keys in at the panel, a guards hat will also show above the respective coach on the TMS and the BIL will flash constantly on that coach. Guards buzzer and operations are missing - this is a real shame! Speed set control is missing from the TMS. When enabled the maximum selected speed will show in the top bar on TMS. In order for the Train Manager to open a local door, the driver must select local door control button on respective side. This will illuminate yellow when pressed. Can only be done when a full interlock is present, cab door must be closed as well. There is no way for the Train Manager to release the doors if this button is not pressed. To couple a unit together, front or rear prep must be operated to open the nose cone. A visual check must be made! The train wash mode must then be selected to restrict the train speed to 3mph throughout the movement. Once contact has been made and a successful tug test carried out, the couple button is pressed. The TMS will then take some time to reformat before a door release can be given. The rear nose cone will also auto close if left open following a detachment once the train speed exceeds 6mph. Next stop indicated should be more central on the screen. It will illuminate yellow when approaching the station stop is announced. The line light should show orange, through a neutral section this will disengage and VCB will show solid red briefly, before extinguishing and orange line light re enabling. You will hear also a thump as the VCB closes and opens above the accessible toilet. Happy to help further if needed.
TMS showing 10 Car formation, red fault indicator above coach D. ASDO system shows the platform and doors to be released from the database.
Now with you showing all of these screens on the TMS as Matt said in the of one the streams for the 801 "the TMS is not like the one on the Class 385" meaning that it's not at functional as you want it to be it's good enough what we have now. Edit: another thing you need to remember is not every 8XX trains are the same I see the one in the picture is the GWR 8XX.
The above is only a brief overview of basic TMS features, there will and should always be a cut off for safety and security. Software versions also differ believe it or not from unit to unit, even in one TOCs fleet. Like most people in the community, some do like the fine details that make the simulation immersive, something TSW continues to lack. The sounds are actually pretty accurate. The TMS however is the heart of the IET, and by using the above screens as an example, I’m sure the team can gain some reference for potential improvement. Such as being able to log in, input a head code and confirm your stopping pattern etc. Getting access to these trains is difficult, not only for potential developers, but believe it even us train crew have issues. There are currently drivers on up skills at the moment that are even yet to put a key in a real set due to availability.
Would be really neat if someone could also take note of how the cab is lit in the those pictures. Just a thought.
If the cab was that dark in game I don't think people would take it well. People would be asking for it to be brightened in a heart beat. It's fine as it is imo.
Since you’re here, I was wondering if you could clue me in on something. What is the purpose of that little “pillow” on top of the cab desk?
The location it's located at, softening hitting your head/face after a sudden stop/jolt is the only logical thing I can come up with.
The cab is not that bright in reality, there are two main light sources available, one being the central cab light, and the other being the rear cab downlighting. The cushion is rather large in relation to the model in game, I’ve attached an image of it for comparison. It’s there to prevent the driver from suffering a head injury during a potential collision. The cab lights in the attached image are the desk lights only.
I also work the Azumas. I’ve noticed a couple of things wrong - typically the Azuma runs with rear pantograph raised. Not forward. The fire door in the kitchen opens from the wrong side. It opens out from hob side. In game you have it opening from the opposite side.
agreed, one of my first thoughts of the cab was it needs some light baking done, didn’t feel like there was walls just seemed like I was outside. I’ve seen cab rides on YouTube of the the 800’s and they were all rightly darker.
Please no shadow baking. Baked in shadows always look terrible. There's no excuse to be using them in 2023.
maybes it’s not the treatment cabs usually get, but the 801 does need to be darker inside the cab as per reality.
Baked in shadows would completely ruin the cab. They 100% of the time look terrible. It's low quality and makes assets look bad. Their real time lighting needs tweaking that is all. You do not put baked in shadows in a place that people are going to be looking all the time in a game with dynamic lighting.
like I said my “light baking” reference was purely a reference to making the cab darker not an actual method DTG would choose to technically program. but undeniable the cab should be made more darker.
They just need to ensure the cab is casting the right shadows from it's geometry. You on PC or console? Can probably improve how shadows are with an ini edit on PC.
console (XSX), the cab probably just needs to done to the light of the 395, that one was more darker if I remember correctly and no one seems to have mentioned on issues of it being to dark.
Fundamentally, and I stress this is my opinion, DTG are using the right tools but have set it up incorrectly. Very little (if anything) has been done to TOD4 since the release of TSW3 and some of the levels in the lighting system are just off the chart. If you took this years RedBull F1 car and set it up for Monaco but then tried to race it at Spa it wouldn’t be right. The same applies here. Right street, wrong door.
