Dovetail Games Maintalbahn Preview Q&a Thread

Its not wrong, but dtg seems to follow their pattern with their tunell sight. Maybe a look to the release of their partner dlc would inspire them that average minimum just isnt good enough!

Despite, the route looks great and same for the train. Ill buy it, just on a sale.

 

I wonder whether DTG tied their hands behind their backs by releasing the original red 363 as DLC for Ruhr Sieg Nord, which means they are avoiding putting that same version in a route DLC.

I don't believe any of the locos that were first introduced in a loco DLC have then been made available as a core loco within a new route, instead only allowing them to layer in.

 

at the maintaly why are there Bwegt in 1990 there must be "Drei Löwen Takt" not Bwegt

 

What music would be local to the Aschaffenburg area Robert?

 

Well, the RSN Version has Railion logos, so they could still do a DB Cargo branded one, a different vintage livery, or a private one. PRESS blue would be a fun option, maybe even featuring some matching blue freight cars.

 

Although the Main valley lies within the political boundaries of the State of Bavaria, that has only been the case since 1803, when Bavaria absorbed Franconia-- a very different cultural region.

 

None. It's just in the said alpine region where they play this specific kind of remarkable traditional music. The other regions in Germany do not really have a unique music style connected to them.

However, if I were a developer and I really would want to create a 100% mind blowing route with a level of detail we only can dream of in TSW, there is at least an idea would have to provide a musical act or event beside the route, beside of thinking whether this even could be technically possible to implement.

Very popular (but also a bit annoying for some ) in Germany is a weird musicstyle between folk and pop music, in the 70's more influenced by country and nowadays more containing 4 to the floor techno/EDM elements, called "Schlager".

"Helene Fischer - Atemlos durch die Nacht",
and
"Roland Kaiser & Maite Kelly - Warum hast du nicht Nein gesagt"
are two very popular examples for the modern version of this music genre.

In Germany, there are actually open-air Schlager events and if the profile and the landscape allows it, you could set up an event like that beside the route in summer.

One concert I can refer to with a landscape many of TSW players already know is this annual one in Dresden in the near of the bridge over the river Elbe between the stations Dresden-Mitte and Dresden-Neustadt. Something like that along the tracks would be very nice but again we're far far away from that in TSW in terms of level of detail:

 

Could you please show footage of the various safety-system lights, i.e. the sifa and PZB buttons, working correctly? As in lighting up when action is required?

 

Well,

why layering in the ICE 1 in Aschaffenburg...the ICEs at Aschaffenburg are a vast majority of ICE 3, I could only find one ICE 1, ICE 920/922 stopping at Aschaffenburg on Fridays and Sundays at 23:35...

 

ICE's with stops in Würzburg and Frankfurt run through Aschaffenburg as well.

That would be at least ICE927; ICE928; ICE929; ICE1020; ICE1021 and ICE1022
some of those even stop at Aschaffenburg Hbf

 

Ok, 6 ICE1 out of 48 ICEs in Aschaffenburg, so round about 12% ICE 1, 88% ICE 3/T...

 

With the new route we will get AI layers for Aschaffenburg Hbf. So will we get AI layers for MSB too? AI 401 like at RT on MSB would be very nice for immersion.

 

if we ever did it won’t be with this release, Aschaffenburg is only getting it as it’s on the new route. Aschaffenburg on MSB is still the same or similar model of building but everything else is different meaning one for one doesn’t mean one for both.

edit: its the same way ECW Brighton doesn’t have class 387 but BML Brighton does.

 

Was there an update for East coastway after the l2b rushhour release?

I doubt, still no 387 / 700 a.i, and still the old 377 incl. Old sound.

My money will be spent on sales and heavy discounts. Not supporting that bar.

 

Since all questions about the Maintalbahn probably have been raised, I'm asking another one which is important for me and many others currently on route and timetable building/creation.

It's now your 3rd livestream in November but the last PC Editor masterclass stream with you and Lukas is over one month ago.

When does DTG plan to broadcast the new masterclass video? Many people waiting patiently for more tips.

Can we expect it at least in the first weeks of december?

And can we have another thread to raise our questions for it?

 

1 - Why is the BR 204 completely absent considering it was a DLC for MSB? I've always liked the 204 and prefer driving it to the 363; it's frustrating that you can hardly use the 204 in general anymore as it was playable on a lot of German routes previously but nowadays only MSB which if baffling.
2 - With the 642 interior featuring many side-facing seats, are passengers yet able to sit on these; I wonder because otherwise it would make the carriage always look rather empty.
3 - From the list of locos providing just AI services, are these permanent or is there any flexibility on loco substitution - basically, if you own other DLC such as the 187 for example, could this be instead of the 185, or the ICE 3 instead of the ICE 1 etc.

 

My biggest long-term frustration with TSW is that older routes hardly never get updated to include newer, more adequate rolling stock DLC over time. Some great examples include:
- 700 for BML
- Pacer for TVL
- Missing ICE services for HRR, RRO, MSB, or more specifically for HMA (Munich-Augsburg) completely missing the iconic ICE 1 as well as the 101 etc
- Azumas for E-G
- Extra AI traffic in general to make some of the older, emptier routes more busier

I understand that from a developer's perspective updating older timetables is very time-consuming, however if DTG want an authentic sim, then they should really consider such. I certainly would prefer to see some older routes get a timetable update instead of new route every once in a while. Would I like to see MSB/BML get a TOD 4/timetable update, yes please!

 

contributes to the problem of big empty station routes aswell, some say they will fill up at some point but would they actually be added in, that remains to be seen.

 

To my knowledge Alex organises those, so you're probably not going to have any luck asking in a Q&A thread for a livestream featuring Jan, Matt and Lukas.

 

However, Matt or Lukas will know when they roughly plan or schedule to do that since one of them high probably will participate in it again.
(I personally hope for Lukas since I'm more into routebuilding than making a timetable like you currently do yet which more is the topic of Matt, but I would be thankful for either of these)

Alex probably will participate again, as well, and he's the only one who could do the thread I asked for.

The answering today in the stream per se is not so important to me, as rather any feedback on the next upcoming masterclass. Maybe he could do so in any upcoming article.

 

No worries at all, great to see that the audio team (and Lukas) have been to record sounds from the real thing, thanks for answering this one Alex

 

Misread your comment and my heart sunk for a split second!

 

They also need the staff. The people that make timetables are also busy making timetables for future routes. Joe is the main person but he alone can only do so much

 

As someone with knowledge of German railways.... the route choice is flat out terrible. I was shocked when this was announced. There is SO much interesting stuff they could be doing in Germany.

 

Thank you for the information. I hope we can get at least one in december, maybe as a pre-christmas gift. Because you need remember, that until let's say mid of january it's still a long time to go left (about little less than 2 months) and some useful information in there is missing us to create the things we like to and might be too late to incorporate in our projects.

 

Appreciate the confirmation. Money staying in wallet on this one, then.

If they wanted to do a short diesel branch part of the Obereruhrtalbahn or one of its branches might have been better.

 

You seem to now have the Bahnland Bayern license?
Could you have a look, if it was possible to add them on the BR 423 from Munich-Augsburg, as they wear them irl?

 

But, my main argument was why does it always have to be a new route. It would be nice to see more older routes get a timetable update while new content can come via lots of loco DLC. TSW already has so many iconic routes which are in vital need of more locos and freshness - with Maintalbahn (as well as Wurzburg already) MSB is surely a logical choice for an update with thus some passenger and/or freight loco DLC.

 

Some players like these types of routes. I know one person who is only interested in single line diesel branch lines. Well only buy those day 1.

 

Even if that is the case, there are much more interesting and scenically beautiful single track diesel lines in Germany... The Harz mountains or the Eifel mountains beeing two excamples of the top of my head.

 

I don't see any thing looks like "suspension" on stream. Does it implemented or not?

 

I agree with this. Also, Maintalbahn doesn't feel as exciting as it should be for a new route considering those who've played MSB for many years already know Aschaffenburg very well. I'd very much like to see more places across Germany represented in TSW.

 

The route seems okay by dtg standards? I'm not a German Rail fan and have no clue about sounds and everything. But I dont mind small branch lines.

My issue is that despite being a small route the trackside is so clean. There's not a lot of clutter. Idk if German railways are clean and clear like that the whole length but just some little finer details would've been really nice.

I thought they could've included a red livery for the shunter (my understanding is that its more correct?) and just a few bits and pieces like that.

I know they said they didn't have a lot of time but it just seems like its missing a little spit of polish and detail here and there in my opinion which would have made it into a much nicer route. it feels like a DTG route honestly. Had potential but seems a little held back by time and probably budget?

 

No, coming later, after it gets added to the core TSW4 locos.

 

Just to clarify, the situation is as follows: The blue livery (usually called ocean-blue-beige in Germany) was the main livery of the Bundesbahn in the mid-70s to mid-80s though a lot of locos weren’t repainted in newer colours until the early 2000s. Today, DB-owned ones are red, similar to the red 363 for RSN (minus the discontinued Railion branding). However, a handful of V60s (the loco family the 363 belongs to) owned by private railroading companies were repainted into traditional Bundesbahn liveries like ocean-blue-beige.
So, blue 363s are not impossible to see in real life (saw a blue 362 a couple of months ago myself), but those are very few privately owned ones. Realistically, all the blue V60s we got should have been red with the exception of Niddertalbahn, were the blue V60 is absolutely appropriate.

 

This route feels like a fake Niddertalbahn if I'm being honest here. There were other German routes that people that have been asking for since day 1, and what do we get, a Well modeled DMU that has an overly bright interior that I'm pretty sure won't get fixed and a bland route with mixed scenery. I'm not surprised we didn't get the the full run to Wertheim. The only plus side Abt this route is the 642 imo, but even with for the most part beautiful model the sounds are absolutely LOVE

 

The one big negative thing I've noticed from looking through part of the stream is that there are multiple level crossing gates that don't close.

 

That's an issue since like 2020. They learned nothing, forgot nothing.

 

Alright, they did claim (in German) they have already fixed all the level crossings in the release build, then let's see.

 

the thing that german routes have more then other country's i note is more micro shutters then any other country plus im so sick of the lack of fixing the npc system i want to see people come off and get off trains this is becoming a real joke and needs to be looked into a fix once and for all instead of hiding from the truth about the passenger system

 

Earlier in this thread I'd originally asked this question about loco substitution:

According to the route article about AI traffic for Maintalbahn regarding the ICE services it listed these as 'Kassel - Würzburg: DB BR 401 ICE 1'.

However, if you see the preview stream at 1hr 49mins exactly as they arrive into Aschaffenburg there's an ICE 3 instead, which there has been no mentioned of prior. Thus, as I asked initially, does this mean loco substitution works and will I see the 187 instead of the 185 etc.

 

How can the sound be LOVE if they took a record from the real train?

 

Implementation. They also mentioned in the stream they couldn't get professional recordings where you attach microphones everywhere and get full recordings. They had to get some sounds were sourced from the community

 

There was something peculiar going on with the rev counter in the Hud when pulling away in the new DMU. It was bouncing up and down all over and the power notch didn't change.

 

Hmm I'm going to watch again. It might be the implementation of the 5 speed automatic gearbox.

 

They don’t just take the recording and put it into the game, it still needs to be cleaned up & implemented - also Lukas mentioned they didn’t do a full high quality recording.

If you have a look at some videos of the 642 IRL the differences are very noticeable.

This train IMO falls into the category of both wrong & low quality. I’m used to being fed incorrect train sounds (you have to be at this point with TSW), however when they’re both wrong & poor quality it’s completely off putting.

 

I enjoyed the stream with the bi-lingual presentation and the scenery, and makes me seriously consider buying the Route. It was stuttery in places, but that is nothing new! However the 642 is an attractive train and the detail put into the Route (such as the footpath) is very good and better than we have seen in some past previews of other Routes.

 

At this stage it just seems the DTG audio department are struggling when it comes to mixing sounds, even when they get high quality sources let alone lesser material. Whether it's a limitation of UE or staff competence I wouldn't want to say, but after the experience with the Class 700 and Azuma (and even the 142 in BPO isn't that great) I have become a bit jaded with that aspect of the sim. Not going to buy something if the sound only bears a passing resemblance to its prototype.