General North American 3rd Party News (non Dramatic Version)

Since DTG has yet to uploaded it to the Live Article section....

Reppo is releasing a brand new version of the AEM-7 in Phase 3 and 4 paint.

https://live.dovetailgames.com/live...PZoKq-Q1DWjwYx2-0VOxL_9JkR4N95VDigpv_y_x5o9AU

 

and probably developing the loco in parallel for TSC and TSW?

But, however welcome the 'Toaster' is, what about the new(est) Amtrak locomotives? No licensing agreement yet for the Siemens Charger?

 

Finally! Something to replace the ancient New York - Phily AEMs from over a decade ago!

 

And the new version has a nicer control desk than that old box that blocked the view forward

 

The model looks awesome, a real Reppo. Instant buy!

 

the GG1 still measures up to today's standards?
No Pennsy heavyweight or streamlined bagage, mail, combines, coaches, sleepers, diners, Pullmans though
The good old NEC unfortunately not anymore.
A new NEC was in the works? Or an extensive upgrade IIRC, but nothing came of it? Instead we got a small extension Baltimore-DC

 

The southern part of the NEC is poor by todays standards but the northern part to New Haven is not that bad.

 

There's a Washington to Philly route out now, still in development though.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfi...20615&searchtext=Washington+DC+to+Philadelpha
There's also the NJT network route that I think has some reworked NEC to Trenton as part of NJT's Northeast Corridor line.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2161940190&searchtext=New+Jersey+Transit\
We actually have all the pieces to the NEC now, be cool if someone was able to merge them all into a mega route, or at least two separate routes divided by NYP.

 

Focus will surely be on the L-131. The others we have seen before.

Now this is interesting. Definitely going to have steam traction on it.

 

Another secret article released announcing an enhanced route for Feather River Canyon from High Iron:
https://live.dovetailgames.com/live...icle/announcing-feather-river-canyon-enhanced
Steam Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/...ather_River_Canyon_Enhanced_Oroville__Portola

 

while the rolling stock in general looks quite poor this could honestly be rather nice. Feather River's really not my kind of route but the end points were always super frustrating and an extension/signal improvement will be nice

 

There is no reason the sale for existing owners is only 15%, and only lasts two weeks. Let's be honest, how many man hours really went into this? The scenery was generated via AI (and in some places looks worse than the original), and there are only 40 miles of new trackage, along with custom assets, and, per usual, the stock is all recycled repainted shovelware to okay quality locos, of which I already have 3 as is. As someone who owns the old FRC, not only am I forced to buy it immediately if I want to get credit for owning the old route, but I have to pay $34.00 for it, instead of waiting a year or two for a sale and then getting the bonus on top of that, and paying, say, 65% off. If the discount only lasts two weeks, it should should be 50% off, to match the rate of other route expansions. The current model that is being used is outright predatory.

 

Where was it said the scenery was generated through AI? How does that even work in TSC? Route looks fine to me and a good upgrade to the previous Feather River Canyon. Still as usual though I will probably be buying it on sale as I do with mostly everything in the game. Either way I’m still interested in this enhancement and some of the included stock. Yes, I am aware most of the stock here is from High Iron Simulations and DTM and they don’t exactly have the best track record. But I’ve learnt to look past it and enjoy their DLC because I don’t go looking for inaccuracies everywhere I possibly can. If you did that for everything in this game you probably wouldn’t be able to enjoy any DLC at all in this game. It’s just something I have learnt to accept. However this doesn’t mean I don’t want said DLC to get better, US DLC especially needs some much better stock out there and where there are better options available I will purchase them if there are also scenarios available. For example that Reppo AEM-7 looks lovely and I’ll buy it when it’s on sale, a vast improvement from the 10+ year old one in the original NEC route. Just wish it also came with a Phase V livery to completely phase that one out. I’m sure someone will eventually release a third party livery for that though.

 

Wayne Campbell of GTRAX made a program to generate distant scenery a while back, and it has since been used in every gtrax and HIS route. It looks nowhere near as good as trees that are handlaid, and while its not terrible, it just doesn’t look all that great. The easiest spottable feature of it it the even, quite unnatural spacing of objects, which is clearly visible in several of the screenshots here.

The bigger problem here is the two weeks part, because in order to get credit for owning the route I have to buy it right when it releases, with a discount only as big as the release discount thats been offered on some previous DLC. IMO-discount should be 50%(assuming its a $40 route) so that it gets treated like an actual extension and not a completely new route, and have no deadline to purchase by, because that part is unethical via strong-arming people into buying.

Don’t get me wrong, I want to get this too, and personally I think most of the stock doesn’t look half bad-but the pricing model is unfair to owners of the original.

 

Ah I see what you mean now. Indeed it is quite pricey for an extension and the fact that you only temporarily get a small discount if you own the original is not good. Should be permanent for sure.

 

Pretty sure this AI business has stuff to do with trees and vegetation, far off scenery and things like that which were clearly stated by mfeets. Nothing to do with buildings and structures from my understanding.

I do not mean to be a "conspiracy theorist" here but mfeets never said anything to do with buildings and structures being AI generated. My gut is telling me the subject of AI is sort of being dodged around a bit here as yes, this is technically true, buildings and structures are probably all custom made but you said nothing about vegetation which is what the AI seems to do from my understanding.

I am somewhat optimistic in hoping that yes no AI was used, I certainly want to believe that as I am not a fan of AI replacing passionate human made work. But the circumstances are just a bit suspicious at the moment.

Also while we are it, why are a few recent DLC and Dovetail Live articles not being posted to the live article discussion section anymore? All we have for 2024 so far is Brockenbahn which is good but where are those discussion threads on the new AEM-7 and this Feather River Canyon enhancement upgrade? It is not a major complaint on my end I am just curious.

 

Does the AEM-7 pantograph actually "touch" the overhead? It certainly doen't in the "publicity/sales" photo. There you are a discussion point.

 

It looks like it touches the overhead wires just fine to me in the Steam store pictures, am I missing something? Only the last picture of the DLC on the Steam Store appears that the pantograph isn’t touching the wires. I may have to research further by watching gameplay videos to see in more detail. Schnauzahpowahz Steam review on the AEM-7 mentions nothing about the pantograph not touching the wires. I assume it may have just been some kind of issue during development but the screenshot was still used?

 

Thanks for the transparency Jamie, much appreciated with the clear communication over these issues!

 

Fair enough, I really appreciate the transparency here like I mentioned earlier, pretty quick too in under 24 hours since my initial post, we as a community playing this game love to see that sort of thing! I’ve never heard of TreeGen before, it sounds interesting. If the tree assets themself are made by a real human to achieve a somewhat realistic and natural effect and AI is only used for placement here and there then I’m fine with that. Placing that many trees on a route would get tiresome and repetitive, AI generation would come in handy there for that sort of thing. But please do keep making the assets themself through a human, it’s the best way to make an asset look natural.

 

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is this "Treegen" you're talking about?

It sounds like a quite nice game-changing tool for route building that I would definitely appreciate.

 

Treegen is a tool that Wayne Campbell created to create the foliage scenery along routes that he's been apart of.

Though AFAIK, he charges quite a bit per route for its use per Anthony Wood (VIA the TSC discord.)

 

Thanks for your response Blacknred81

Is there a way where one could get in touch with Wayne?

 

Clio Trestle in 1974

Notice anything different from the one included in the HIS route? The color maybe?
Here's another pair of photos, both from 1984 after the UP takeover. It appears as if the UP repainted the bridge into its current colors after the WP takeover, and somehow those colors are the ones the were used by the HIS crew when making this route.

As this is a keystone structure on the route, and something I found without meaning to, this is a huge oversight on HIS' part, this goes to show how much effort went into the route...
Sucks too because the model and textures in game look beautiful.

 

Have you tried informing them? Maybe it could still be looked into, if they can be bothered. Are they on this forum?

Not trying to sound like an apologist, but if that's the biggest offender on this route (not saying it is, but) I can live with that. I can see why that would irk one though.

 

I have. All I was met with was distain from Gary himself [Removed - Insensitive], got my informative post about what bridges were what colors censored for "too many images,"(and now for no reason at all!) and basically told to stop saying anything anti high iron. I agree it's not the biggest deal breaker, and Great Northerner gave me a really good response about it, but the way they can't take any criticism of any kind-even when I gave them information-that's the deal breaker.

EDIT: Gary just told me to flat out stop. I cannot stand the attitude of these people.

 

I think that's just because the pan is narrow and the OLE on the NEC routes isn't always as close to the centerline as it should be irl

 

Searchlight Simulations has released the Jointed Rail NS SD70ACU.
https://www.store.searchlight-simul...gC_6TRGm50B0tL9KT5dFux2E1IIQN2D57G6BwhibYQW3g

 

Very nice! Will have to pick it up for sure.

 

It was the height that I was looking at. In the picture it doesn't touch as it appears that the panto doesn't reach. Personally I don't care as I do not run any US based electrics other than the Sacramento Northern steeple cabs.

 

I *think* it's just the angle of the screenshot, but I don't own the toaster yet so I can't confirm

 

it's very good and at an excellent pricepoint as well. If you like modern locomotives I can't recommend it enough

 

As long as AI generation is limited to trees, this would be acceptable. But it does mean less man hours into the project and should be priced accordingly. I personally will wait to see what the final price is, but being an extension, I would imagine there has to be a lower price point to start with. If it's a full price point for an extension, this is a hard no even at 50% off.

While I will not comment on your discussion itself, I also had a weird encounter with Gary once simply by pointing out a typo in one of the product articles and offering to help proof-read articles before they were posted. As you can imagine, it was a no, but it felt more like I was being brushed off as a blithering fool (which I might be at times, but still...).

 

It looks nice and it seems more effort went into this 'extension' compared to the pretty lame original truncated route.

But ...
more than 10 years into the game, DTM still uses the cut and paste RGB(0,0,0) headlights? Finding the correct incandescent values and adjusting the emitters and re-colouring the textures is too much work already for a full price product?

Anyway, anything HIS has had his hands on is an instant 'wait for the next 50% off sale' for me.

The OP's dealings with HIS (I presume on his storefront Facebook page) are indicative of HIS' attitude to any critique, constructive critique included. I will not support this attitude towards prospective/paying customers. DTM, TBT included.

Got myself those nice Searchligh Simulations NS SD70ACu's without hesitation.

 

In response to a query, I received this email from Kerry Cochran, General Superintendent Achieve Manager Western Pacific Railroad Museum

Here is some information that we found:
"The Clio Trestle is a railroad trestle on the historic Feather River Route of the Union Pacific Railroad. It is located in the Sierra Nevada near Clio in Plumas County, California. The trestle is 172 feet high and 1,005 feet long.
Built in 1909 by the Western Pacific Railroad as part of its transcendental railroad. Its single track or standard gauge (4 ft 8 ½”). The Clio Trestle is the longest and tallest bridge along the route. It crosses Willow Creek in Plumas County
The original color of the trestle was Black and it was painted silver later after the Union Pacific merger."

 

You neglected to say that you were asked to continue the conversation in a PM. He just asked you to stop taking it public and plastering the forum with pictures. That, to me, doesn't sound like he cut off all discussion.

 

Ah yes, the post with two pictures, and the other one with none. Additionally, seeing as he posted a picture of the bridge painted black and then called it silver in that same picture, and claimed WP used silver as a standard color, when the 3rd sub had a near 50/50 split of brown/silver bridges(all of which that have been shown in advertisements is silver), I don’t see a point in PMing when he clearly does not care nor know anything about the route.

 

I really want this route. The DTG FRC has many shortcomings and is pretty poor in places.

So if a bridge texture (which can be replaced in a matter of minutes) leads to this kind of conversation, it's over the top in my opinion.

I'm thankful for all the fine routes we got from HIS. Take it or leave it, but I don't want to lose another TSC developer.

They are doing the route their way, and that's to be accepted.

 

Thank you for confirming his offer of continuing in a PM format. At least he made the offer to continue the conversation that you declined. This puts more light on to who ended the exchange.

 

Unfortunately, HIS does have TSW plans along with DTM, (and possibly Reppo) So there is a chance in the future that they won't be developing TSC content anymore (If they choose to abandon TSC for TSW, instead on doing both or just sticking to TSC.)

 

I know. And I don't think it's good to discuss personal differences with members of the dev team in this thread. It had been locked before.

A mod for the bridge will be out the same day as the route, be sure of that

 

It is people such as yourself who love this game that help smooth out some of the rough edges and make it more enjoyable. I thank you and others who have been working with developers to help improve this grand old lady.

 

Thank you - but without these routes we'd have not much to play. So thanks to HIS and crew.

 

To be fair, they are pretty much the one dev carrying forward American content for TSC and are probably the only dev still doing so. It's a near monopoly on new content by this point for routes, though the rolling stock indeed leaves much to be desired.

I will not comment on their arrival in TSW until I see it firsthand. At that point it would be more fair to comment on the work in question.

 

Milepost doesn't count?

 

It is important for any developer to strike a balance with the cost of development and providing a product at a fair price point and make a reasonable profit. If you haven't noticed the cost of everything has gone up in the past 2 years. A lot of things directly or indirectly add to the cost. No one outside of the developer knows the cost to produce content, others can only guess. With some of those who have issues with the existing price of content, ask yourself that if more development time to create higher detailed content were spent and released would you be willing to spend the additional money without complaint?
One must look at the broader scope of things to put this in perspective. Remember that this is a hobby to most and income for others. I agree with others that if you beat these guys up bad enough, it won't be worthwhile for them to provide content and then comes the gradual decline.
Anyone is welcome spend the time to develop your own rollingstock to share, or sell to others, for a reasonable profit.

 

I dunno if you noticed but searchlight just released an extraordinary new locomotive, additionally there's a number of very promising freeware projects in development as well, at best HIS is stagnant, which I suppose is better than abandoning the sim completely, but isn't exactly carrying the torch of TS1 development.