Well the Class 76’s were quite well done in TSC so could at least provide some reference for a TSW version.
This is my hope too, though biased of course as I lived at various spots along the Atherton line when growing up (though unless they did "3-ways" (Chorley/Atherton/Westhoughton-Bolton) they'd miss the Atherton line off by just going via Chorley and Bolton. It would give us a much better Manchester Victoria to explore too, I honestly can't believe that the current one doesn't have the infamous subway (infamous because you'd be knackered running up the ramp to catch your train). As for new rolling stock, isn't there a "Cravens" supposedly coming out around a similar time to the Peak Forest diesel era? If there is then a blue variant would drop on nicely as we did have a right mix of DMU's just before the Pacers and Sprinters took over.
I’d love to see the woodhead route in game from Sheffield Victoria to Manchester Piccadilly. Even better if they included wath and Tinsley marshalling yards too
Class 104 which is a Birmingham RC&W type. Cravens were Class 105’s (mainly) but would also be very welcome in the game and essential if we ever got an 80’s era East Anglia.
Hoping one of the upcoming routes is the GEML though. Set in the First Great Eastern/ONE/ NXEA era so we still get the 321s and the 90s/Mk3s 315s on the Metros and maybe the 360 on the Clacton-on-Sea run. Of course the 66s on freight from Felixstowe and the occasional 86 too.
If the GEML was to ever be done, it would be better set around 2008 - 2010, just after the 'One' brand was disappearing and being replaced by NXEA. The route between Liverpool Street to Ipswich. Rolling stock: Class 90 + Mk3 set with DVT. Class 321, and Class 315s. (Although I don't know if asking for 3 items of rolling stock is to much though? But it wouldn't be the GEML without these as a bare minimum ). The MSTS add on I had many years ago was the 1st edition of 'Great Eastern' by Making Tracks, it was set around 1990 and included the the lines from London Liverpool Street to Ipswich, Southend, and Clacton. It included an incredible variety of rolling stock. (Classes: 302, 305, 309, 315, 317, 321... Class 86 + Mk2 set with DBSO... Class 31, 37, 47... and a Class 150 for good measure! ). Although in those days I'd imagine developing such a wealth of rolling stock for one route was a lot easier, particularly with how simple MSTS was set up.
I do agree modern GEML would be rather dull, at the minimum would need 90s with MkIIIs, though 86s/47s and MkIIs would be preferable.
I hope it’s the c2c route. On the Goblin line I noted that Barking has signs in the c2c house style. I don’t know if this means they have the licence or whether they don’t need one for those signs as it doesn’t say c2c anywhere. Fingers crossed for c2c.
As much as I'd like it to be the LTS, I don't think it will be that... As I said in a previous post, I think it will be either WCML North (Carlisle to Glasgow) or WCML South (Euston to Milton Keynes). I think it will be one of those on the basis that we had the ECML last year, and we've yet to see a proper appearance of the WCML... What era it would be set in I don't know (as WCML on TSC was set in the late 1980s).
Really don't think it will be the northern part, purely because there just isn't enough going on. For the most part, you'll have 2 main stations, and three intermediate, one which rarely get services, and the other two.. might possibly get a very short run. That, to me, just wouldn't be enough to sell the route. Southern part, I just hope we don't have any more London routes for a while, there's so many other parts of the country that need representing.
The TS version had a large variety of things to do as it had a sizeable suburban network in and around Glasgow and had plenty of freight opportunities. If it only had the main line it might get boring, but the TS version was popular years after its release because of its variety and its nature of being a network.
But then again, that route was over 100 miles, which is extremely unlikely. If the route was the WCML north, it's odds on that it'll just be the main line, and not any additional network
If I had to two chose between the two, I'd hope it would be WCML North set in the late 1980s like the TSC original. Purely because of the mileage aspect. But I suppose what we hope for, is A) subjective and, B) different then what we get... To be fair though whatever the route is I look forward to it. Last year didn't let me down with the ECML, so even if we got another portion of that and a extension to York I would not moan at all!
Keith Ross was a route building master to get all that done, along with the complex that is Carlisle. A shame DTG can’t get him on board to work the same magic in TSW assuming, 1. He’s still active and 2. Interested in working on a different sim. As we haven’t seen much from him since in TSC have to wonder if those massive projects burned him out and he gave it all up.
Those massive projects burn out the single dedicated individuals. Like we have seen with Minerman, Tomcat, Barnez, Toripony, VRR on the USA scene where routes are much larger in length and scope. These individuals put high demands on themselves, often are unable to delegate or lead a team of 'subordinates', and often take any critique as a personal insult. Such attitude will wear any person out, and the commercial rewards, do these weigh up against the time and effort spent? Many work out of passion to recreate something from their youth, to honour their forebear's employer railroad etc. And no single individual can be an expert 3D creator, graphic artist, audio engineer, scripting expert, track layer, signal wiring expert, scenery designer all at the same time. Even many commercial rolling stock developers who are good at 3D creating and texturing struggle with audio, simulation and scripting their creations at the same level.
Too true. I remember taking nearly a year on the first Cambrian Coast for MSTS with 3DTS. It cut into my spare time, resulted in hours upstairs sat away from the wife (didn’t have a laptop then, just the main PC). Didn’t play any other games or even run MSTS for fun. And at the end? Probably less than £2k in royalties but two years of having to fill out additional earnings income tax returns was no fun either. The smaller project I did for Blue Arrow took less time, but paid an even lower return and still the extra work sorting out income tax.
And you even filled out the tax forms, there's a good lad ;-) I doubt many of those 'kitchen table coders' bother with taxes if they can avoid it and a couple of hundred quid a year might even be exempted? Or the tax inspector actively going after them .. . Anyway, developing for niche games like train simulations is more of a hobby, a passion, a labour of love. Those individuals who want to develop themselves, buy the necessary 3D, image and sound manipulation programs, take courses to learn to use them effectively, those will sooner or later want to earn something back when they find they have become good at their hobby and consider it a job. Hence they subscribe to contract work for ATS, AP, DTG or any other studio allowing them to be supplied with program licenses, credit, orders etc etc. Plus the provision of drawings, erecting plans etc from commercial sources like historical societies, large libraries etc etc needed to get the detailed information to create a specific model in high fidelity. Smokebox spend several thousands on such drawings and I remember was quite pissed off when he found his new FEF4 in a Steam sale only 6 months after its release.
Funny anecdote on that one. Back when I was distributing my MSTS routes on “at cost” CD-ROM’s, I eventually had a knock on the door and it was two guys in black suits from the Customs and Excise to discuss my “business”. Went away with a flea in their ear when I pointed out that SWReg or Paypal whichever I was using were paying VAT and not only that, all the materials such as blank discs, sticky labels and printer ink were all being bought from WH Smith and being paid for at normal retail price including VAT.
Last time I heard about a Keith Ross was seeing a preview on the WCMLOS remastered, doubt that will ever come to fruition though as he’s gone silent
Watch the suffragette line preview from around 22 minutes and 23 seconds for a hint which I did not quite understand.
With the LT&S (if it comes), I'm torn. A modern route could add AI to GOBLIN and SEHS, and take AI from them, but wouldn't it be great in NSE era with all those NSE stations and the slam door EMUs. A 310, a 302, with BR freight locos layered in, and you could stick the 101 on the AI services from Gospel Oak. It'd could be up there with Blackpool branches. In both cases you have the issue of a quiet District Line though.
