Hey I was just wondering if there’s any new news on the formation designer as it was promised to launch in the winter post launch patch? Has it been scrapped, or something?
I think there is a whole queue of people wanting to know the definitive answer to this one. It shouldn't be too difficult for DTG to tell us an actual date now. They have had long enough to get it ready now.
Well if they announce the date now and it misses it, it doesn't result in a good reaction either. Updates come when it's ready and don't usually get release dates even in other games
It also doesn't look good saying things are coming and then leaving us in the dark about them for weeks or months. I am by no means against DTG but their communication with regards to things like this hasn't been great recently.
6 months since they introduced tsw4 with its outstanding new features... Only photoshoot/free-adds-source-for-DTG works as intended... Rest of features slowly turn to
Sorry but on this one I think you are out of step. There were a number of things that were loudly trailed at the launch of TSW4 and, quite simply, they haven't been delivered yet. This is what DTG themselves said..... Two additional features will be coming to Train Sim World 4 within the first few months after launch. Improved Suspension Physics - Vertical movement in the suspension is now simulated when the train passes over track joints. Watch as the suspension reacts to every undulation in the track and get a more dynamic feeling ride from the cab. Formation Designer – The formation designer will allow you to build your own consists for use in the Scenario Planner and Free Roam. Custom Formations will be shareable via Creators Club. We are now in the fourth month after launch. I therefore think it is perfectly reasonable to expect DTG to announce an actual date this week. After all these were not, as is being implied, updates.....more they were new features that were being advertised to encourage us to purchase TW4 and to put extra pennies in the DTG coffers. Let's hope that we hear something very soon. Surely we can agree on that?
To be fair, they have been in Christmas hibernation for the past few weeks. Be patient and wait at least another 2 for them to return, catch up on things and then to issue the inevitable apology.
It must be really really hard to implement a feature that saves something simple as a consist. It's a text string in SimRail.
There could be worrying implications if they do get it wrong. The screenshot below shows the current picture within Scenario Editor whereby if you use a formation from a different route, to that in which the scenario is set, then no details are shown. (You will see in the image below that only 1 formation, the CL101 3-car shows up in a TVL scenario that is based around the CL158). This is with the limited number of DTG formations we have today. Think what the position could be like when thousands and thousands of 'homemade' ones are added to the mix. I hope that the current game architecture can cope with that?
Dtg is also having an event in february to announce future content and such so it might be announced during probably
Could someone from DTG at least bother and intervene in this discussion for an update on the current state of the Consist Editor, or is that too much to ask?
I don’t have anything to do with DTG, but as with any other thing (like the routes/loco addons) it comes when it comes, deadlines won’t be released cause anyone asks, it will be announced at a certain date and not before (provided it don’t get leaked)
Whilst I'm sure that what you have written will turn out to be true, it is rather weird that DTG have Community Managers who appear to subscribe to the view that we should leave the community in the dark about this (and many other matters). There is no reason at all why DTG couldn't have started a Formation Manager thread themselves, and be drip feeding it with information each week, telling us how well, or how badly, the development of this 'missing' part of TSW4 is going. Just a couple of sentences each week would have been sufficient. That's what engagement looks like and, guess what, might have got DTG a bit of sympathy if we understood what the challenges still were. "Winter Update Part 2", by definition, has to be released before the first day of Spring. That means Formation Manager will be with us before 1st March (or 20th March) depending on your belief as to when Spring begins. Either way DTG must know that now so why not just tell us. I think we all know the answer to that one. I don't know why DTG seem frightened/lazy to engage (it is too simple to say "they are damned if they do and damned if they dont") but they do appear happy to let relations slide with a chunk of their customer base for no apparent reason. Take the thread about DTG's commitment to steam. Why don't they just say "Yes we will continue to back steam" or "No we have found it too difficult to develop steam locomotives any further" or even "We aren't going to do it but the plan is for us to teach third-party developers over the next 12 months to take this project on". Any of those 3 answers are better than the current deafening silence. Going back to Formations, and their failure to show up in Scenario Manager, then I have had a reply to my DTG bug query. To paraphrase the reply was "Thanks for your query. We have added it to the list. Query closed." What am I supposed to learn from that? Another example of poor communication I'm afraid and seems to be par for the course these days.
I have a feeling they're not allowed to say anything until its been approved for release. That would explain why they've been silent on the matter.
it’s the same with any other game, it doesn’t matter their job role they aren’t to talk with the potential customers about it until it’s decided when they will do that.
Precisely. It's not a DTG thing, it's a game thing in general. Otherwise they put themselves in hot water if they announce something too soon.
Dtg also wouldn't get good reactions no matter what they say. If they say they will continue with steam, then players either wouldn't believe dtg or get false hope and get disappointed. If they say no, then players would say they abandoned steam and that they are some sort of lazy and incompetent or anything in between. I would also expect similar responses with teaching 3rd parties since dtg are just passing the buck instead of actually improving. Dtg also have to wait for the correct time or be careful or something like others have said
There is absolutely nothing wrong with DTG saying that they won't be developing any more steam locomotives. Of course they will get flak for it but, so long as they explain the rationale behind it, they have nothing to worry about. It would be disappointing but, for many players, not the end of the world. (Actually - DTG teaching third parties would be welcomed by a lot of players as, often, it is the third parties that end up making the better products). Equally, with regards to Formation Manager, DTG have to say something as, last year, they launched a new product TSW4 with one of the selling points being that there would be a Formation Manager issued within the first few months after launch. We are past that point now and, certainly at the very least, past the point that an announcement should have been made. Otherwise DTG could be said to be guilty of selling a product based on false advertising / false premise. (Even more so if it turns out that there is a TSW5 later on this year). IMHO I just don't think that you can ever have too much communication whereas, at the moment, things in this area with DTG appear to have taken a backwards step. Personally, I think that is a shame and is an area that we should Focus on in 2024.
theirs no reason for them never to produce them ever again, they need to sort out the physics first but apart from that it should be decided like any other train when it comes to sounds.
Couldn't agree more. Personally I hope they do both. Improve the physics for the purists and make a couple of new locos (esp a tank engine) for the rest of us. IMHO that would be a "Win, Win" but, of course, I don't know what the sales are and whether it is worth it for them to do so. I'd just like them to tell us. When you really think about it, all this secrecy and silence is quite bizarre.
may not be the best for players at times but it’s pretty normal, every other game does the same thing, DTG do often share quite a bit of insight stuff at times.
If you are referring "photoshoot", to the Phote Mode... I am really suffering with it! I have reported strange things happening after taking a picture! Like you are through it away of the train - to the underground with the scenery above, or even stacked in the middle of the frame of the locomotive, etc. This started to happens after the last patch they included in December. After that one, everything worked fine! I am on PS4. It is really strange as it does not happens always, and on all routes. On someones never. On others, almost always I took pictures. Others just on some areas. Unfortunately no reply at all from DTG about it!
Apart from the Formation Designer - which it seems to be a very useful tool! - it is also missing the announced traffic upgrade for Koln-Aachen route. I believe that upgrade would be great, if they launched it at the end of December, as a gift for us, like a Christmas one. They mentioned it - so that created attention about it - but we ended the year without "something special", for our holidays.
Joe is also only 1 person doing it with limited working hours maybe even as a side project, who knows. He wants to make it busy and make sure it works so it's going to take some time.
With regards to the question about the future of steam on TSW4 it appears that Alex has given an answer closest to my 3rd suggestion. Which was "We (DTG) aren't going to do it but the plan is for us to teach third-party developers over the next 12 months to take this project on". Disappointing news in one way but, IMHO, goods news if there is a chance that more third party developers may be coming to the table. But, to be fair to DTG, they have now given an answer and that is all that I had been asking for. Now we need to be given an answer to the O.P question here. Is Formation Manager still going to be with us before the first day of Spring? (ie Winter Update). It shouldn't be too hard to answer this one now.
I think it was already teased a few times, that there might be something in February along the roadmap which we can look forward to. What about we stop this childish 'DTG doesn't talk to us', be more like 'Hello DTG, we suggest this and that and here is some constructive criticism of this' and wait what they come up with in February? The formation designer is already there. There is a mod that gives access to that. It's not very stable, which is why it's not unlocked yet ingame. But it proves that formation designer isn't just an idea, but something they already worked on and you can assume they'll continue working on it until it's ready for release.
Ignoring the fact that this is a bit patronising then "Been there. Done that. Mainly got no constructive reply / feedback or help". Yes I know. TBH even you must see, having written "it's not very stable", that DTG advertising that "Formation Designer will be available in the first few months after TSW4 release" is now starting to look a bit misleading. We should be pushing DTG to create a first class product and to provide first class communication. The danger of accepting less is that you end up with, not the second class service you might've thought, but something nearer to third class. That would be a shame. I don't know why but I have a feeling that Formation Designer may have more implications to the smooth running of the game in general than we might think. (There are issues with scenario manager already). Hopefully I am wrong as I, for one, am looking very forward to using it.
Crazy thing is you would think a formation tool would be a fundamental element in a train game that has sim in the title.
I'm itching for Formation Designer to come our, sure it was fun to simulate manually making a consist but it gets boring after awhile. It also is a bit annoying that I can get the electrics to work on the IC car when using the Vectron.
I believe Formation Designer is releasing part of the Winter Core Update part 2 which shouldn't be too long now
Well at least something has now been written about Formation Designer in the Festival of Rail announcements. So we should 'know' by February 12th. Winter Core Update pt 2 and Formation Designer – Coming Soon! Full Livestream Schedule between 8th – 12th February
Formation Designer beta for Steam should be coming next week with the Core update alongside. This will allow us to test the many different permutations which are associated in you creating your own formations. https://live.dovetailgames.com/live/train-sim-world/articles/article/festival-of-rail-2024 (from here).
And? The formation designer was advertised as being ready on release of TSW4, and not as a beta four months after
