Just wondered if any of the Classic routes and/or trains can be ported over to TSW4, think I know the answer but just asking? Col.
TSW and TSC are different games running on different engines, so no it's not possible. Personally I would have a problem with purchasing the same route but in an enhanced version a second time for TSW. IMHO there should at least be a heavy discount for TSC owners of the version. But since I am not an owner of TSC and the respective TSC versions, I don't complain. It's not the costumers fault that Dovetail Games decided to create a new game with enhanced versions of the older content. But we know this developer and game too well, that this will never be the case and is immediately justified by some seem-to reasonable statements. However, if you would ask an outstanding person they would ask why they would need to pay twice for something they already paid for. And yes I know this is a controversial statement and I will immediately got some nice replies to that, but just to say that as the opinion of one single individual.
Everything has to be rebuilt for tsw and there's much more features and gameplay making the same price better value for money. It's not just a port or enhancement. Like you say, they are completely different games so wouldn't make sense to get a discount. It also wouldn't make sense the other way around. Other games don't do it so why should tsw
I think Matt mentioned in another thread they tried to devise a conversion routine but it didn’t really work and required the route to essentially be built from scratch anyway. And on a personal note, I would rather see TSW get some more unique routes which haven’t already been done for TSC. Semmeringbahn is a typical example of that, already got the TSC version which as a route is okay but the Taurus not exactly my cup of (Yorkshire) tea. So I passed on it. Or, if they are doing a route also in TSC, maybe set in a different era. I’m sure if Semmering had been set in the 1980’s with classic OBB locos and stock I would have taken a Day One plunge.
While there are obviously things which are much different and therefore need to rebuild about 80 to 90% of it, I'm not exactly sure in which way and amount some stuff could be reused from TSC routes if the Editor would be able to do it. The Lidar data to create the terrain is one example. Anohter one is - even if it would be lot less LOD - reusing assets from TSC. However, this question has been raised by the launch of the Editor quite often, and Matt's answer to this was if I recall "No, it's not possible to use the assets from TSC, you need to original files from Blender." - I'm not sure if being able to reuse some assets directly from TSC ever had make much of a difference to be honest, as I don't think much of those got reused for TSW routes. I found some grass types on some TSC screenshots which exactly like the one you can use in the Editor, but not sure whether they are the same. I guess we're diving deep now with the question whether TSW could be rather seen as a enhancement or successor to TSC, than being - in the relation sense - a completely different game. And if it's the case, then it makes sense why somebody could ask for a discount. But also the other way is possible. Giving discount on a TSC DLC, if you own the TSW version. As I said I'm not having TSC yet and don't plan to get it because the price for some content is still too high for me in relation to the quality. A loyalty discount for older TSC versions could maybe change that. Examples? This is also something I see to be very critical. DTG seems to have a favor to create TSW versions of routes already were existent for TSC. Semmeringbahn is the latest example. I mean it's nice to have something like a remastered TSW verison, but what about completely new routes, which do not exist in TSC/TSW world yet? With the focus on routes which already exist in the DTG world, I think it can get a little boring after a while in TSW. And DTG shot in their own knee with this practice, because people always compare both versions with each other and in some cases this comparison doesn't end good for the TSW version.
The TSC routes are often by far the most requested routes to appear in TSW, I mean it's no surprise - they are the favourite routes and experiences and people want to be able to enjoy them in the new sim. We try to do a mix of different things and try to mix the extents of the routes around - e.g. Semmering is not the same, Clinchfield is not the same etc. Sometimes that means it's less, sometimes more, other times it's perhaps equivalent but just different. Of course hte major difference is the gameplay is entirely different as there's no timetable mode in Train Sim Classic. As i've said before - 3D models can be brought over by simply re-exporting the original 3D model from "modelling tool of choice" into Unreal Engine, there is no way to convert a TSC asset. However, simply doing that doesn't give you a good asset or even a complete one, as Unreal requires other data like the PBR information to be set up in the material. So while we have brought some assets over, they've always had subsequent work done on them. In terms of the route - TSC can't use LIDAR, and the entire source 30m DEM SRTM used by TSC can just be imported from source if that's all you want to do, no need to try and import it from TSC. LIDAR is all new to TSW, its not even a UE4 feature. Track - we tried to make an import tool for track from TSC but because track has fundamentally different maths behind it (particularly on easements which are completely different in TSW) while the track "kinda" comes across, none of it actually joined properly and it looks awful, requiring basically to be re-laid from scratch again. We concluded there was no value to continuing to develop the route as often our TSW routes are NOT straight copies and we often have more data than we had - so re-laying the track from scratch we can do a better job of it with more information and a better toolset that TSC had. Scenery placements - no import for that, no point, nothing to be gained really, entirely differente engines with different assets and rulesets etc. Signalling - again, no comparison between the two, while we did import physical signal locations along with the track data, it saved the tiniest amount of time in the process so we discontinued that at the same time. The TSW signalling system works extremely differently to TSC's signalling system, so there's no real way to map between the two and honestly it's much easier to setup in TSW than it was in TSC anyway, and you can make it do a lot more than it did in TSC so why hold yourself back. Trains - the 3D model itself could be re-exported and has been done a small number of times- the nose shape of the Talent 2 was taken from TSC for example and most of the BR155 model came from TSC's model. Beyond that, setup, physics, audio, material information on the model etc is all new, and we structure our 3D models differently so often, to be honest, unless it's a super complex shape like the Talent 2 was, or an exceptionally good model like the BR155 was... it's just easier to start from scratch and have a better looking model that will run more efficiently in TSW/UE anyway. Gameplay - nothing to import here, all different and much of it doesnt even exist in TSC. Matt.
