Xbox Its The Season Of Goodwill So A Positive Tsw Post Is Needed!

Hello all,

I know I have been pretty critical of elements of TSW and indeed there was a time during the summer where I completely uninstalled everything in frustration around performance and quality on Xbox Series X driven specifically from the disappointment of the NY to Trenton and Midland Mainline Routes which were either not very performant or felt unfinished. It was he quality of Just Trains Blackpool route that pulled me back in a few months back.

I do think however, that its only fair to post my positive experiences and what the sim does well and that in general its a very enjoyable experience and a great way to chill out after a tough day in work.

Firstly, a caveat - I'm new to the interest of trains, a lot of my enjoyment comes from driving in different parts of the world on real world routes, which I think is why I get so hung up on performance and scenery details rather than the actual mechanics of the trains themselves so forgive me for my lack of knowledge in this regard.

I have noticed that there is a bunch of routes, mainly from the TSW2, early TSW3 era that are particularly solid such as London Commuter. I absolutely love all the German routes. I love the variety on offer, from the different locales and the different types of services, whether slow paced passenger, freight or high speed. Add in the layering, which the German routes are specifically good at and that whole bunch of DLC is impressive. I enjoy immersive, busy lines, so it hits the sweet spot and im looking forward to the update of the Koln Timetable.

I'd say the German routes are my number one go to.

I've also grown a real appreciation for US Freight, especially in regard to Sand Patch Grade. This DLC is phenomenal and is only let down by some mountain pop in thats very apparent in places. The whole ambience of the trains and cab and the detail of the route and great graphic fidelity, plus some of the branches are extremely enjoyable and is a great escape from the real life of the dour UK. You can tell it was created with a great love of the source material and Ive been watching some real life footage of the route. We need more of this care and attention moving forward.

With the current crop of routes its been a mixed bag. I actually wasn't going to buy Maintalbahn but my love of German routes caused me to cave in. Its a really nice route but its let down with frame drops, stutters and tree/LOD pop in. I'm hoping it will get fixed. Its the same with Voralberg, which is another great route with lots of traffic and details but let down with performance problems, not as bad as Maintalbahn but still noticeable.

The biggest let down was Antelope line - it seems promising at LA Union but quickly starts to unravel the further you travel, and the Doncaster route is just a bit too straight laced and fast, but hey ho some people will love it.

Going into the new year, I think DTG could possibly just work on certain scenery elements within their routes. One of the most important away from trees and LOD is vehicles and roads which tend to be used assets and don't really match in with a countries typical road look, as US roads typically don't have markings the same as the UK. Passengers are another, they are improved from when I started playing and the addition of bags and suitcases ae nice, but they need a bit more life and to be less buggy. I think the addition of some static people on platforms with different baggage setups and clothes would blend well with the active passengers. The addition of the calls for stops in BPO where great and add life to the train - id like to see this on German routes!

So I know the staff get a little kicking on here now and again but I would like to say I appreciate what they have done, because when they do it well its extremely enjoyable and I am grateful. Just 10% more care would go a long way and that little bit of polish, as demonstrated within the offerings of SPG, BPO, SKA and DRA. So thanks to DTG Alex DTG JD DTG Matt amongst others for their effort and responses in this forum.

Happy Christmas all!

 

Yes there are things to be positive about. BPO continues to please as do many of the older routes.

The Class 104 is eagerly awaited too.

However I do think DTG need to be taking some lessons going forward and coming up with fresh ideas in the New Year.
Goblin line has been met with some dismay because it is an ultra modern, incredibly short A to B one handled EMU run.
Railroader needs to be inspiring ideas of a different approach to US railroading.
The new German route with its semi vintage electric loco looks promising, as does the WSR revival.

 

Agree with Vern, I don’t want to derail your thread OP so I’ll refrain from a long post, but whilst there has been good, there has been plenty of bad & red flags for the future.

JT really lit a fire for me with BPO though, such an awesome bit of kit.

 

I think most of peoples issues with the Goblin line is just the potential length, especially when compared to the version in TSC. Plenty of people seem to not mind the 710.

On the topic at hand, I'm certainly happy with what DTG have done. Could they do some things better? Definitely, but on the whole I'm happy with the game. Always room for improvement though!

I'm hoping for more detailed, and longer routes in the future!

 

Yes, of course there are positives to TSW, otherwise I wouldn't have been playing it for 7 years. The Rush Hour routes were excellent ( eventually, if still flawed ) and Blackpool has breathed some life into the sim.

But my main issue is that there hasn't really been a lot of progress since the early days. It speaks volumes for me that SPG and GWE, along with TVL and NTP are still the standouts and they are rather ancient now.

The latest offering, the Goblin Line, is so disappointing. Once again another A-B, probably one modern electric go-kart route ( we suppose ). It continues a trend beginning with Cathcart, BCC to Glossop and ECML. Little in the way of freshness or imagination. Filler routes, but the main course never comes.

And then there's the continuing problem of lackluster American content ( or should I say just lack ). BPE was finally made into a very good route and it seemed that a better future was in store. But then came the disaster of NYT and its ongoing issues which don't appear close to being solved.

And the " new " features such as eye adaptation, kickup snow and volumetric fog are so underwhelming and sometimes just downright amusing or cartoonish and add to the ongoing issues of poor night lighting and US headlights.

Let me end with some positives:

The skybox is very good.
Some trains are excellent, many are very good.
Route art is generally high quality, though often lacks detail and omits important landmarks.
The HUD and UI in general are good.
Gameplay is smooth and reliable, for me at least.

If this is not entirely positive, sorry, but it's the best I can do.

 

I'd actually say BCC is one of the best routes in the sim quality wise. Actually a decent length, the 323 is well modeled, scenery is good. All it was missing is the Soho Depot, but its easily a 9/10.
Glossop and Cathcart I'll agree on though. As well as loving TVL and SPG.

 

When TSW is on point, it can be really excellent.
This is why I get so frustrated when it’s not on point (which is happening more and more in my opinion).

 

BCC is actually a route of two halves. New Street and north very good, but the southern bit looks like a different builder took over. The broken canal section, missing lineside fencing and MSTS style countryside on the Redditch branch. It’s also still a bus service with little variation in the stopping pattern and of course the lack of much else to represent other trains seen in the area.

 

Boy, even a simple request like "just say something nice" can't be honored without making sure to insert caveats, or making the nice bits the caveat. But no doubt that's DTG's fault somehow.

How about like this?

I've been riding the CTA's EMUs, and occasionally Metra's and Amtrak's diesel-powered trains, most of my life. Extra awesome, especially as a kid, were the gigantic and loud freight trains that pass through the area 24/7. So one day a couple of years ago, it popped into my head that if there are sims for everything else, there must be a train driving sim that would let me see what that was like. I ended up buying TSW2 and loved it. Not only do I get to drive those massive freights, but also the different flavors of commuter trains. Plus as a bonus, I get to drive European trains at speeds unheard of here outside auto racing.

So thank you, DTG, for delivering a dream, with extra toppings.

 

The biggest thing I'm grateful for this year is free roam, it completely changes the game for me and is very fun.

I don't think it's surprising to discover that the two best routes released in 2023 were both passion projects Niddertalbahn and Blackpool Branches, they are both extremely high quality routes and DTG and Rivet should take notes.

I suspect the third party line up will only get better going into 2024 and beyond and will outshine DTG's routes which have been a real mixed bag so far.

 

Hope you have a great Christmas!

 

Yes, has certainly not been a bad year, with BR blue coming back to the game and an old Eastern Region route appearing. Next year is looking up too with Peak Forest and WSR updates/dlc.

I were going to say a bit early for Merry Christmases but I don't know when DTG towers such it's doors so will say my initial Merry Christmas to all at DTG now just in case!

 

The low hanging fruit grab continues. No doubt with class 66 layer to boot. At least some good stuff is in the pipeline. Unfortunately there is no shortage of one handled EMU routes to be made and that's what appeals to the TSW day one crowd.