Hi again I’ve just been thinking is WCL really THAT bad like I’ve seen people say the scenery is bad or whatever but like the route as a whole is it that terrible? Please tell me
Yes, it is. Even not taking into account the scenery, the rolling stock used on the route didn't in reality. In fact, most locos on the TSW WCL route were retired in the time period it is set. Not to mention the awful 150 physics and sounds.
You really need to suspend realism or not know any better to enjoy the route. Imo we have a few bad routes but it’s not even close, this one takes the cake
I’d play this route more if the awful 150 was sorted. The sounds are the worst out of anything in TSW.
Only contemplate buying in a very heavily discounted sale. Probably the worst route/train in TSW and that assessment includes Rapid Transit!
Have never seen the places from the route in real life. Im also not expecting a 100% 1:1 recreation of the area etc for tsw. But: for me surprising is, that Rivet manages to recreate routes like luzern - sursee in a very accurate way and places litterally in their backyard are generic and show lack of passion. Yes in luzern etcs is broken, signalling is broken becsuse the route isnt developed for tsw4 routes.., but i have been on those places and they look very accurate in tsw. So..technically Rivet could decide alltime to go back to their routes and make a rework. (+connect the free route update with a loco dlc). Unfortunately Rivets approach led me to the decision to not spend any further money on their products.
I use to play WCL a tad more since release of Blackpool with 142, where the version correct for WCL was included together with the announcements.
When I play on WCL it's often to do the St Ives branch. I was looking at it the other day and I've done no scenarios and only a quarter of services and they are mostly the St Ives shuttle.
I’d probably recommend it more in sale, it has some great things and not so great things. on the plus if your an Xbox user I’m fairly certain the 150 is one of few trains without Z-fighting, rivet trains do better on that front but aren’t totally immune.
It just doesn’t reflect what it looks like in real life, plus the rolling stock and the poor sound quality of the 150. If any route could use a remaster/remake than this would be it. Just thinking about its potential, it’s heart breaking to think that this route will never receive anymore <3 since it’s a Rivet product. All the current remasters and LIRR remake have all been DTG routes.
The fact that this route was yanked back shortly before scheduled release to be worked on more (so close that it actually couldn't be stopped from releasing on Xbox), and then came out 2 weeks later with the only noticeable change being that the Timetable actually had layers, says everything you need to know really. And it hasn't gotten a single bit of love since its release.
To be honest, it’s not a bad drive but as someone who lives in Plymouth and rides the route regularly, I am appalled at the lack of authenticity. At least they had the gumption to improve Truro Cathedral and St Michael’s Mount and the stations themselves are pretty good (this seems to be their forte) - not so much the outsides of the stations - but the St Ives branch in particular leaves a lot to be desired. The fact that no trains stop at Lelant Saltings is a particular problem as it was in regular use at the time the route was set.
It's something else that makes me think this route was supposed to set in the GWR era with the current timetable
The fact that the Pacer can be driven on it with fully accurate announcements etc. (so it almost feels like a loco DLC for the route and not just a layer) is definitely quite cool. Its suspension physics really make you feel the bumpiness of the St. Ives branch. That being said, I don’t revisit the rest of the route often. The stations themselves and the ride alongside the coast out of Penzance are nice, but the rest of the scenery is pretty underwhelming. Something I do want to point out though is that Rivet added PIS to the stations long after release, this was definitely cool to see. But that’s about the only love the route got post-launch (apart from 1-2 new building models that were already mentioned). So I’d only recommend it during a heavy sale. You’re still gonna get some fun out of it if you don’t mind the barren scenery or the rolling stock authenticity issues. I personally don’t since I’ve never been in the area and have never been on a 150 either, but some parts of the train like the missing guard control functionality behind the cab are still frustrating. There was a rumor going around a while back that the route was supposed to be much more modern, but then they didn’t get the license and had to make it work somehow. This would explain the route’s rough around the edges vibe.
Yes it’s really bad. WCL is by far the worst route in the game. The scenery around St. Ives, Penzance and many other places don’t actually resemble the likeness of these places, they are fantasy offerings. If it was offered for free, l still wouldn’t recommend you get it. l hope one day DTG take it on board to remaster it!!! The only way to play it is in night mode.
I did a run in a pacer and actually kept to time! Nice, plus a tried the announcements which were good apart from calling Penzance St. Austell.
