Yeah, a typical PlayWay game (SimRail is very much the exception for their catalogue, most of them aren't at all serious).
I had the same issue. It seems you have to own NTP, Heavy Freight plus WCS to enable the class 40 railtour. No way am I going to buy the WCS money grab.
Had a play with the demo, just ran sim mode and not the game aspect, and was pretty impressed tbh. The sounds were awesome, and it was pretty complex (in a good way) to get the loco started and running. The physics felt very nice, the only thing was that the track gradients seemed a tad extreme in places which probably isn't like real life over there(?) but having them showcased the nice physics and the care and attention you needed to get get it going, coasting and braking. Quite fun actually.
Anything published by Playway is absolute garbage. They have the occasional, and I mean occasional decent game, but most of their published titles become abandonware within a few weeks.
The route still looks as though it was hauled out the back of a drawer that it had been thrown in several years ago. Still way under par and in no way can it be considered up to what paying customers expect as a new TSW4 release. It's still a disgrace. Amateurs could probably do better. [Edit - Jan - Crossing the line from criticism to personal attack]
If some of the talented modders here are capable to fix the entire route within 1-2 weeks incl. new timetable, leaves me to the question who is here the amateur? People should really use their brain who they are paying with buying the route.
Anyone got a sweepstake going on when we’ll get improvements for the FC? I’m saying October 2024. The longer this sorry mess drags on for, the easier it is to see just how much of a mess the route is and how it should’ve been delayed. Rivet are doing themselves no favours, again. Sub par route, mutterings and mumblings, and again still no patch,
Probably they will just announce their next dlc even before the 158 is out. Havent seen such a s.hitstorm like after the fife circle preview ever since i got into tsw. So my guess is Rivet is clearly not aware of the amount of trust they botched. This shows how they threated the update. Seems like a very small *lets calm them down* fix, and nothing compared to skyhooks effort after release of the mml. /still didnt buy fife circle, wont buy anything anymore from them.
This is a rare comment coming from me but I wish rivet would stop making Scottish content. We don't need anymore of our routes and trains trashed thanks to rivet. I'd prefer it if another company like JT, Skyhook or DTG would do the next one cause I rlly can't take another one by rivet. ¯(ᗒᗩᗕ)(〒﹏〒)
And no rain on windscreen amongst others. Have given up hope that it’ll ever be sorted. Main reason I didn’t buy the Fife Circle after the preview, had zero confidence in it bring fixed.
Rivet have done what, 2 DLC’s that weren’t in a poor state? The quality they have shown in FC isn’t that different to what they do with other DLC’s IMO. They’ll give a token patch when it’s time to talk about & sell something else - spoiler alert, the patch will break more things & their next release will be to the same typical Rivet standard. Rivet were among the first to work on TSW, so their DLC should be more refined, have all the TSW standards & not generally be in the states that they often are. When they get outdone by the likes of JT & Skyhook, that should tell you all you need to know. Rivet wont improve, they wont become better at fixing errors & their attitude to feedback will remain the same.
DTG who are still the publishers should really read the riot act to Rivet and stop just meekly accepting their mediocre output to get a bit of commission on the sales.
I have to assume that some sort of conversation has already happened between Rivet & DTG, weather we will see anything come of it is to be seen, but I’m utterly deflated by anything Rivet related now, regardless. It’s a real shame, Rivet have good ideas for content, but their execution is just woeful.
Iow & iow2022 is really enjoyable in my opinion, so probably Rivet should focus on small enclosed railway lines in the future.
All the more reason for DTG to start exercising more oversight and QA. However, Rivet remain the main offender. SHG ain't perfect, but at least they fixed up MML.
Giving rivet their dues, their vehicle modeling and scenario skills are top notch, sounds are passable, i mean, to me, I think it's pretty good. But some will disagree. But route building definitely lets them down, longer routes especially. IoW and IoW22 are my personal favourite rivet routes, don't get me wrong, I do like rivets offerings, but I can see where they could be reasonably improved. My only dislike is that JT are focusing on BR blue, which for the most part, I have no interest in :'(
They've had 2 (Bernina & IOW2022) maybe 3 (EDN), which have been good. That's an abysmal run for the most prominent third-party in TSW.
Being fair, the 385's model is good, as are the major stations. What lets it down is the timetable (and the missing AI services) and the lack of bug fixes.
The worst part is, they didn't learn in FIfe either. They literally had the timetable for EDN-GLA services researched, but they didn't add in the Dunblane services at Edinburgh, which could have been driveable and made use of Edinburgh Park.
I dont think they worry, they have found the standard they work to and it still sells enough so why should they put a similar effort to JT in or TSG. If people keep buying it then it wont change, West Cornwall was something I regret buying and its never really improved and also as a result we have a 150/2 which isnt of a great standard although looks ok so that will do......
Trouble is, I'd even go as far as to say, if nobody brought it, they'd not improve either. I suspect they'd still just pump out the content
There’s videos on ScotRail socials that looks like there’s going to be a special livery for the Levenmouth extension on a 158. Looks quite cool.
Looks like it's the livery 170414 wore for a while. Curious to see if Skyhook will include it with their ScotRail 158 or sell it as a reskin later on.
Picture on social media today of the Levenmouth branch livery. Unsure how many units have had this applied tbf. May just be one.
It looks great! Given that Skyhook is likely to want the full loco add-on price for the 158 (Yes, there are differences to the MML version. But you can’t tell me it’s as much work as making a new loco from scratch.), I reckon including this livery could sweeten the deal. It would also be a nice tie-in to Rivet’s free Leven branch extension that is supposed to come out at about the same time.
Nice time-lapse Edinburgh Waverley to Leven promotional film from Scotral released in conjunction with todays opening of the Levenmouth Rail Link. Best viewed in 4K. (You need to accept all cookies to be able to view the video.)
I notice this is on sale on Playstation and still unsure to get it or not has much improved since release and is it worth a buy even at 20,99
I’ve also spotted this. My hunch is that it’ll be made better if it hasn’t already, so is worth a buy. We’ve got until 3/7 to decide anyway!
I bought it in the PS sale and other than the approach to the big bridge having a track loading issue so it looks like a big red block gradually being eaten away as you approach it the route is very pretty and the 170 is a good train to drive. I think the forum’s bad press doesn’t do the route justice and for the main part it is probably Rivet’s best looking route to date. I was pleasantly surprised with it and was wondering when driving along it if I have got a much better version than everyone who has been saying how bad it is.
It has had an update since launch which included among other enhancements, procedural foliage tech used in Goblin, so scenery probably does look better. I’ve not gone back in since the launch period, as want to wait until the 158 is out and I can jump back in with all stock / layers / services and any other improvements they may make. I did really enjoy it though and looking forward to jumping back in
Although not perfect, this is still a great route and definitely one of Rivets best ones. This is the only route with on board automatic announcements to my knowledge, that extra immersion goes a long way for me.
As it's already been discounted on PS, wonder if they will take 40 or 50% off for PC users when the Steam sale starts next week. Guessing with that sort of discount the flaws can be forgiven?
Yes, I've been mulling over whether to take a chance with FCL in the upcoming Steam sale. As you say it kind of depends on how deep the discount goes . 40% at least I'm thinking.
Of all the TS4 era routes, would say it’s my second most played (and enjoyed) after Blackpool Branches. Can’t wait for the 158 and Levenmouth.
I just replied on another thread that I personally don't think it's worth it even at 30% off on PlayStation. I bought it on PC to play the modded version which is pretty good thanks to a decent timetable but on console we are stuck with Rivets offering . If a route is good I'll often pick it up for PS5 as well as soon as it comes on sale (can't beat a bit of TSW on the Sofa on the big TV with surround sound!), but I still can't bring myself to pay again for this one - If it gets reduced to 50% or more in the future and the branch line is good, then maybe I'll pick it up then. On PC if it gets a decent reduction and you are fine with MODs then absolutely get it. I really enjoy running a Scotrail HST over the bridge!
It’s definitely worth a sale buy. The route isn’t the world’s worst…. I reckon we will get more fixes with the Leven Update.
