So I was wondering - I am driving on the edge, keeping to the speed limits, and at stops, I could say I stop pretty accurately on the stop marker, and a lot of the time, I am either on time or well ahead... how come then that I get major scoring deductions? I still get platinums, but I wonder - how much under the speed limits should I go, or in terms of speed, what kind of style should I employ so I dont arrive too early (happens to me a lot, since I drive fast but under limits)? Or do you have any other kind of advice regarding this so I achieve better scores? It is usually for stops that I get deductions, so I guess this is an area where I can improve and learn more
I stopped caring about scoring ever since I've learned that sometimes it's just broken, like on Nahverkehr Dresden with Talent 2 you just don't get any safety systems bonus. As long as it's gold, I'm within 5 minutes of the schedule, and I haven't done any grave mistakes, I consider my task done. In some cases, if you operate realistically, penalties are unavoidable - say on LIRRv2 you have no way to know that an ATC signal has changed (there are many "dark" signals that are only transmitted to a cab without an actual trackside lightpost), so you'll get points deducted for "speeding," but you had no way to know and IRL no one would say a word, the ATC done its job and you followed it as required. If you want to specifically go for the high score, you can study specific services/scenarios and try to execute them perfectly, braking well ahead just by the power of knowing the "future", but it's completely unrealistic.
Arrive within 30 seconds either side of the time displayed to avoid penalty points. For example, if the arrival time says 12:00:00, arrive between 11:59:30 and 12:00:30. I think it is stupid that you get penalised for arriving more than 30 seconds early. It doesn't help when the timings are silly anyway. For example, on the Glossop Line, when heading towards Piccadilly on a passenger service, you get around 7/8 mins to get from Ashburys to Piccadilly when it really only takes 4. So unless you are happy to unrealistically travel at 15-20mph, you will always arrive way too early. As for advice, all I can say is if you think you are going to arrive early slow down a bit. And if you still arrive too early you can always crawl along the platform at 2mph to reach the stop marker at the correct time if you are desperate for maximum points. If you are still getting the platinum medal though, I would not worry about it too much. Simon
If you would like to follow the advice about ignoring scoring entirely, you can hide the score in the settings, or press Ctrl+6 to do the same. It makes it easier for me.
I noticed this recently and created a support ticket for it, so they know about it as for the rest, I dont really aim for the score, but knowing I have stuff turned on and drive almost perfectly (by game standards) O , it would only be fitting to see platinum at the end ... as for speeding, thats ok, sometimes when I am a bit sleepy I forget to slow down a bit, but I have noticed I have been getting a lot of pts deducted for arriving early ... so I was just curious what can I do about it, if anything one thing I have always been interested in knowing (since I got TSW2 back at the start of Covid to kill time, which sparked anew my interest in trains), was the driving patterns - kN, acceleration, braking, how they manage speed IRL... cos when I ride as a passenger IRL to Vienna and back, they dont really drive on the edge that often (aka tightly under the limit), usually they drive quite below it, even if there arent restrictions cos of construction... so what I am interested in, among other things, is stuff like, how many meters from station to start braking, what speed to have when entering platform, then later leaving it, etc...
Unlike TSC where being two minutes late can wipe out your score in a single error for career, or fail the objective and thus scenario in Standard you can fairly comprehensively mess up in TSW and it matters not a dot.
I try to reach 25 mph (40 kmh) at the beginning of the platform, then brake accordingly (changing the brake as needed, but you also have to be aware of what's in the brake cylinders and the bleed-off if you lessen the brake) to arrive at the best stopping point. As to maintaining speeds, I'm usually 3-5 mph/kmh under the limit on a new route until I learn it well enough to find those zones where the speed changes happen in quick succession, or there is a sudden change in the elevation that's not visually noticeable. Once I start feeling comfortable my speed usually hovers at 1-2 below the limit, sometimes a bit less. Recently started learning the GOBLIN route and there are a couple of declinations that have caught me off guard, causing overspeed, so I'm still running services at 3-5 mph less than allowable. Trying to cut my overall late time (2+ min) down is my current goal.
recently I have learned not to rely on AFB solely when maintaining speed - first put throttle to zero, then brake accordingly, then lower AFB ... also learned to use electric brake on descends in Semmeringbahn (also not to rely solely on AFB) - quite cool as for starting from a stop, I sometimes observe trains while waiting for my train when travelling to/from Vienna or elsewhere, like watch for brake indicators on the side (green/red), or watch how it speeds up etc, so I can then transfer some of the experience into my own virtual runs I mostly do passenger stuff, so it is not as complicated in-game as freight if you want to drive more realistically, that is
Deducting points for being early should only apply to Japanese routes. They like to be precise to the second with their timings.
I read somewhere that a speed sign is not a target but a limit, sounds obvious I know but when you actually think about it it’s telling you if you’ve got a 70mph limit for example, you don’t have to reach that speed and stick to it precisely, especially if you pulling a heavy train or running with adverse signals. Also, don’t pull out of stations at full power, 20- 40% power or notch 2-3 is usually just enough, a speedy departure but still comfortable for passengers.
some ppl suggested 30-50 kN per traction motor when departing/accelerating (I tend to use around 50-60% when starting ), that way by the time the rear of the train leaves the platform, I go around 40-50 kmh, which sounds realistic - when I watch trains depart IRL, from my perception they go around 30-40 when leaving platform... in case of Siemens Desiro ML (which I ride a lot since it is THE backbone of Viennese S-Bahn) it reaches this speed in a heartbeat ))
I try to keep the head-banging icon as close to the middle as possible, although I don't think I've lost game points for face-planting the passengers (!). I'm not sure the icon functions like it does in TSC tho, where taking curves at speed causes passengers/freight to get pressed into the sides of the car...
oh I am sure that my driving style would cause many a spill / fall / injury IRL ... especially if I am tired and all of a sudden I see that I am still going like 100 kmh and it is only 500 m to go in lets say 4024 (it has quite strong brakes lol), so I slam the brakes
I finally hid my score back when TSW4 came out, and I’d absolutely recommend everyone to do so. It makes everything so much more relaxing and realistic at the same time - after all, are real-life drivers worrying about action points? And the HUD looks cleaner, especially with the mini HUD. It’s a win-win really.
for me it is more an indicator that I didnt forget to turn stuff on - like safety systems... in newer routes, WHEN it works, you get +35 for every quarter mile with safety stuff off and +65 if it is on... so to me it shows that I did my initial setup right mostly lol
Not caring a fig about scores and what color your medallion is makes the game much more enjoyable in my opinion. It doesn't mean I drive with less care and attention, I still observe speed limits, signals and stopping points and pride myself in arriving on time. Ignoring arcade points makes the game more realistic. After all, do real drivers get fancy medals or extra moola in their pay packets for just doing a safe and professional job? Do they get rewarded for using the wipers or turning on the headlights? The whole nonsense about points, achievements etc. is just plain silly. This isn't pinball or space invaders you know.
Yes very much this, the speed you actually travel is very dependent on the situation, like the examples you give along with weather which is another big factor, and a 125 board does not mean you need to reach that speed and stick to it at all. I say all this but our new stock now has limiters and so I do spend most of my time just sitting exactly on 124, of course adjusting that when limits change, signals don't play ball or the weather deteriorates, etc. Yes, very much so, though of course what you give depends on the location too as there are some stations I can think of where I give it a little bit more juice to get moving quicker and not cause delays behind, of course it is still smooth and safe but closer to the 30-35% power rather than a gentler 20-25%. Then as discussion above has mentioned braking is the same, always nice and gentle unless, of course, a harsher application is needed; being behind time doesn't warrant this! The only thing that gets me through my day is the thought of me getting enough Action Points to have a DM welcome me with a medal as I arrive at the end of a run!
I am a biiiit OCD, so even if I dont care that much about points, I DO care to have everything turned on that should be turned on, and scoring kiiiind of checks if stuff is set up properly... it happened (not many times, but it did) a couple times that I forgot to turn some safety switch on and it showed in scoring (it was one of those routes with TSW4 new scoring), so I knew I had forgotten sth and as for scoring of stops, I was just wondering like, if I get less pts, am I doing sth wrong about my stops? because I care to make my stops as close to perfect as I can so again, scoring is just a little berth in this... thats why I am asking to get maybe some advice on how to make my driving and stopping even better than it is now if it is possible, in-game-wise, of course I know real drivers are crazy precise in stuff, cos they are well trained
I knew it lizards give you medals to keep you hooked on trains! anyways, jokes aside, very nice pieces of information you provided in there... every piece like that enhances immersion and heightens the enjoyment like when I learned that AFB is not really for managing speed (speed drops etc), because it would send passengers flying all around IRL, so you need to zero the throttle and then brake accordingly, and THEN lower AFB... this one thing improved my enjoyment of speed changes on routes makes it all nicer, feels more like real... I would love to try my hand at real train driving, but since I love mostly German and Austrian stuff, the biggest hurdle for me is the language my German sucks and I feel it will forever suck
Ah the secrets out! Lizards is certainly one way to describe them, though those are your words not mine! No sweat mate, must admit I am less clued up on German Systems then you but can see where you are coming from with it. Always interesting to learn something new.
The railway is not a highway, nor does the train weigh as much as a car (trivial, I know) Generally the style (or conduct) depends on the type of service and the type of train. Intercities and high-speed trains usually start and arrive slowly. Metropolitan and urban services are rockets both at departure and at stops. The latter usually have very tight times, if you don't hurry and brake (almost) to the limit you arrive late. On the contrary, important trains travel in comfort, never too close to the limit (except for delays to recover and free line). You wrote that you get platinum so you're fine. Maybe to raise the score even further you can try to improve the travel comfort of your passengers (provided it exists in TSW) accelerate and decelerate not too abruptly. Also if you approach the stop more slowly you will also have greater precision in stopping. Below 5 meters you should get the best score. Finally, I've been playing for 2 or 3 years without the score indicator on the screen (also because it was often wrong in the past) so I'm probably the least reliable person to have answered your question. The first part I wrote is true though.
In German content, plenty of stations have dedicated stop signs per different lengths of the train, sadly on large portion of the TSW routes the point-awarding spot is completely elsewhere. Make sure to a) fit the whole train to the platform, and b) stop with middle of the train as close as possible to the middle staircase. Passengers will be happier, even if you lose points for "precision"
It will be interesting if they ever make the Elizabeth Line, as some of those platforms have sliding doors which line up perfectly with the train. I'm not sure how the in game passengers would cope if they were faced with a wall instead of a door because the driver stopped a couple of yards away from perfection.
And that's exactly why they won't ever make it, or if they did, it would be a "historic" route without them
On the Tokyo route in TSC some of the platforms have “anti jumper” platform barriers. But the passenger loading mechanism works regardless of where you stop and the whole thing is purely cosmetic. The HMMSIM based on Seoul Metro also has stations on the sub surface section with platform doors but from my limited experience you don’t have to be perfectly aligned.
