In recent years, Dovetail Games has increasingly frustrated me and many other players with the release of their Train Sim World series. The series, now available in versions Train Sim World 2020, 2, 3, and 4, shows a worrying trend: instead of improving the existing game through updates and fixing bugs, "updates" are repeatedly released as new versions that offer little substantial innovation, and soon "TSW 5" is expected? This approach, which seemingly aims for quantity over quality, is particularly disappointing. It is frustrating to see well-known bugs and shortcomings persist in the game while new content is added. These problems carry over from version to version without significant improvements being made. Instead, new DLCs continue to appear, which are also not free from errors. I feel that Dovetail Games is primarily focused on generating additional revenue through new releases rather than providing a high-quality and bug-free gaming experience. This gives the impression that the concerns and feedback of the community are not taken seriously. As a loyal player who is willing to pay for new content, I expect a certain level of appreciation and continuous improvement of the game. Therefore, I urgently call on Dovetail Games to rethink their priorities and invest more time and resources into fixing existing bugs and improving the game quality. They should not release another TSW version for at least the next 10 years but rather continuously develop the current "TSW 4." We must make it clear to Dovetail Games that we are no longer willing to pay for unfinished and flawed products. Our goal is to receive a game that not only offers new content but also addresses existing issues and ensures a thoroughly satisfying gaming experience. If Dovetail Games is unable to meet these expectations, then the community must act together and consider boycotting future releases. Only then can we ensure that our concerns are taken seriously and the necessary improvements are made.
As part of the wizardry of how bundles work, they actually sell the most dlc when it’s cheaper, in that I mean the 3 route bundle.
True, but prioritizing revenue shouldn't overshadow the importance of customer satisfaction and trust. The best businesses excel at both, especially since they already make money through all the DLCs.
Why are you out? Do you actually think it's good that they keep selling updates as new games? It's not just about the DLCs for me; it's primarily about the base game. Other developers manage to continuously update a game for over 10 years without charging extra. As long as people like you support this practice, nothing will change.
oh yeah, I do not support it, but there is definetly no escape. DTG will keep doing it, no matter how many boycott it. a single forum post wont get you many boycotters anyway.
Of course, there's a way out. Remember, DTG depends on us, not the other way around. They need buyers, but we don't have to buy anything One single forum post might not be enough, but if everyone reading this gets involved and spreads the word, we can make an impact. Just through platforms like Steam reviews, we have the power to deter potential buyers by leaving negative feedback. There are many avenues for us to influence change.
We really don't need yet another TSW5 thread. DTG Alex or DTG Harry even if no one can comment officially can we at least try and roll some of the threads into one as it's starting to get ridiculous and dilute other threads talking about everything but TSW5...
Boycotting a company on their website, and encouraging others to do the same. That’s a good way to get yourself banned. You probably don’t care though, since this is an alternative account which you made today I see.
Hate to break it to you, but making long threads criticising DTG will do nothing, people did this last year, DTG will never change, what they do can be wrong, yes, but there is ultimately nothing that can be done, DTG will keep being like this
which will ultimately make DTG worse off and unable to improve themselves? how do you expect a company to improve their business model by cutting off their funding by boycotting? genius.
People they have no clue what the amount of buyers is and dind't realise that what here on the forums is.... I guess here on the forums are 1% of the customers are actively so if you presume this will make a big difference i can tell you dream on hehehe
I will give it to you mate, a few valid points made, but nothing I haven't read in the hoards of other TSW5 threads across the forum. Not happening mate. Everyone here will use their own brains to assess their own situation to decide if TSW5 (assuming this is what is happening) is of value to them. If it is then they will buy it, if it isn't than they won't: simple as. I always find the whole rebel/boycott ideas a right laugh so don't let me be the one to stop people from proposing them!
I don't get where all the fuss is coming from... this is an evolving game. tsw5 will contain - 3 new routes, possibly with new locos - all (most) their core bugfixes of the last year (i sure hope the fog dissappearing in 1 second is gone) - new features that i don't know yet (but will lure me) for a 'reasonable' price. the only negative is that we have to download it all again and there will be issues of what you actually own, considering packs etc
I’m with you pal and yes, I don’t see the fuss either. It’s just a different version which is identically the same, unless they improve the graphics and overall mechanics in TSW5 which I doubt they will. It’s people who are solely one country route buyers or complain about having to re-download everything again (as you said also) that don’t want another addition. I buy routes in all counties available, so it’s a bargain for me and im supporting a game I love and enjoy in my spare time.
Funny thing is, if everyone boycotted the game (which won't happen) across all platforms, it wouldn't for one second make them re-evaluate the way they sell the game. It would most likely make the company not financially viable and you can guess what happens next............Lots of posts about 'How could this happen'. As above, not fussed, and I wouldn't be able to influence it, even if I was. Just like European cup finals and politics. Just make the routes good ones please....
They put out a survey earlier this year to get a feel of the community. That survey was basically a disguise for a subscription service. If they throw out a version every 12 months its basically a stealth subscription.
I know, I put my 2ps worth in on it. Don't want a monthly subscription personally, but have no issue with it being a yearly release, if that's what they deem financially beneficial to allow them to continue providing content. Reality is, there is no way they can please everyone, so its lose lose. I've said before I don't think TSW5 is required or warranted this year. I would rather they got the TSW4 upgrades released, as sold last year, out first. Then upgrade the majority of the old routes and locos up to TOD4. It would also give the newer design partners a chance to get fully on board with the software. Next year would be more logical, but then it's not my company.
backlashes have worked to improve games before, minor ones have even worked on TSW. I’m fairly certain TSW is DTG’s cash cow, you don’t just put it out if you can buy the medicine first if you know what I mean. it doesn’t matter anyways as boycotts work as a group, a group that can’t unite unless everyone in the group is willing too, that group will always have a membership number whether 0 or not, if the group reaches a certain un determined number DTG end up with a problem.
Another TSW5 thread, yay (yawn emoji) Don't people have better things to do than create yet another thread on the same subject? There isn't even really anything new to say. Everything that needed to be said was done so months ago.
Think DTG should create a separate TSW5 sub and shuffle all the threads off into that. Okay, don’t call it TSW5 if they don’t want to reveal yet but something like “Future Of TSW Development” or similar. Problem is the situation has now gone viral, whatever your views on the situation it’s dominating discussion of the product until DTG decide to put us out of our uncertainty. And they certainly haven’t helped their case by keeping schtum in light of the clues like TSW4 ending on Gamepass and the Epic games database. Also goes to show, despite being top heavy with marketing and PR people as a company DTG are shockingly poor at that sort of thing. They must be reading the mood on the forums, both the anticipation and the angst, surely someone has the wit to think that moving up the big announcement to clarify and calm things down might not be a bad idea. But no, all set in stone so we can look forward to several more weeks of people getting alternately excited or wound up and the inevitable keyboard skirmishes that follow.
This the same exact thing that happened last year. DTG are so predictable at this point. I have already stated they are pulling TSW 4 off of game pass a clear sign that TSW 5 is coming. You would not pull your game off of game pass where you can make a lot of money off shear amount of players. I myself do not know why DTG is hiding this behind "New Content". I will be very shocked if this is not TSW 5 but the reality is it is. I already stopped paying for DLC after TSW 3 and ONLY bought LIRR 2 that's it. I will certainly NOT be spending money on DTG until they get their act together. To all the fanboys that defend DTG your not helping either with your constant false claims of quality over quantity. Countless youtubers have pointed out the scummy nature of this company. My favorite TrainspotterfromTuranga is a awesome person who reviews TSW critically with unbiased opinions and he is not payed or endorsed by DTG like the usual people are. I suggest people to watch his TSW reviews. Don't be blinded by the false and broken promises DTG gave TSW Where is the multiplayer? Where are the rapid transit and unique and engaging routes? I will give DTG credit for their implementations of real routes even though the U.S content is very bad and that is where their market is made up of from. Us U.S players deserve way more, heck we deserve top treatment like the UK and German content. This game has so much potential yet it's lost in a company that cannot seem to realize their visions.
The notion of being loyal is an odd one to bring up in relation to not wanting to pay for the base game. If you are a loyal content buyer then the yearly base game is the best value content you will ever get. The routes included are usually the longest and best made flagship routes and the cost per route is lower than any of the DLC in between. It’s the not so loyal players who only want to buy that one Just Trains route every year that end up having to spend more than they would like for that route by having to buy the game version it is for. I can say with some certainty that it is the DLC between releases that is the biggest expense for those who are said to be loyal. The base game and associated bundle of routes is the cheap bit and the best value by far.
Thanks to DTG not fixing, I heavy rely on modders and the Train Sim Community. And with every (re-)release of TSW there is the fear, that IMHO mendatory mods are not "ported over" and all the glaring shortcommings are back. That's my biggest fear. For TSW4 I held back 6 months and have a wonderful working game at the moment. But the developer already plans to "take that away from me"..? I hope not! And I hope the well known modders don't get fed up and quit.
What I don't get is that there are still a lot of people on the forum who complain about TSW yearly releases. Every year it's the same serenade. I would have expected all those people complaining last year would be moving over to the TSC section never to be heard of again as it was already very obvious with the announcement of TSW4 that TSW5 in 2024 was a no brainer. What I am most surprised about is the most mentioned reason why TSW5 would be a bad thing: Because you need to redownload all the files again? Is this the year 2000? I can imagine there are still a lot of spots in the world where there is no fast internet but those people know the world evolves further and further and this is not a TSW exclusive problem in a world that depends on the cloud. Fast internet is the speed the rest of the world is running at. Blame your provider but not a video game for your lack of modern internet.
No one is holding a gun to your head saying you have to buy it. If you're not happy, don't buy it. Its never been that easy.
TrainspotterfromTuranger awesome and unbiased?! He is the absolute rudest and worst tsw content creator there is, he is the complete opposite of awesome and most of the time he doesn't even know what he is talking about! I would sincerely urge people not to touch his channel with a barge pole!
Apart from the fact that any future DLC won't work on previous versions. Personally I think they are missing a trick here, instead of freezing out all previous TSW owners from buying DLC, make DLC the focus, everyone can buy DLC because the base game is free, and offer the 3 new routes as an upgrade, season pass, what ever. Now, I don't have all the numbers, but I reckon more people would buy DLC to pick up the revenue from the decreasing amount of people who pay for TSW at release (full price) rather than wait for a sale.
I watch his channel. I think his reviews are fine. They seem to be popular. Certainly better than the ambassadors who seem to just blindly praise everything. He has some knowledge of the routes that he reviews so to say he doesn't know what he is talking about is false.
Mostly by this kind of creators is more the schock effect and the negative Manor that attract people. Negative attention is a good way to get attention better than positive in most cases. So its easy scoring with this kind of channels
So recommending routes and prasing some routes is negative? He does recommend routes and says the pros and cons of a product. A person can be negative about a particular product if they think it isn't good. For example, NY-Trenton when it came out had alot of negative reviews. The route was riddled with bugs, had poor scenery, an incomplete timetable and even though DTG added a new timetable, it is still riddled with problems such as a singaling system which causes a player to be late if they have the safety systems on. Red Light issues, locomotives with their alerter on and ai passenger cars leaving stations with their doors opened amongst a few other problems. It would hardly be suprising if someone left a negative review of that route for example
Yes, it is very striking because of its critical side and, in my opinion, it is a bit controversial. But he is also no ambassador for DTG...
When will the human species learn, to start a revolution, you always need to pee the direction of the wind, because as the OP has found out, peeing the opposite way just gets you looking like a bit of a muppet with pee all over oneself and zero revolution on the cards.....
Just last week he complained that the class 380 was using copied audio from the class 387 which is obviously incorrect and having watched other videos on his channel I can safely that a lot of the time he hasn't got a clue what he is talking about.
We will just have to agree to disagree then because I don’t agree with that. I guess you just don't like his videos. He didn't even do a review of the 380
Disagree all you want pal but I fully stand by what I've said and again as I said earlier, I wouldn’t recommend anyone touching his channel with a barge pole.
If he is just going to complain constantly and not actually provide anything constructive then of course I'm not going to like his channel.
So saying pros and cons and explaining why he does or does not recommend something isn't constructive? Got it
Given pros and cons is constructive yes but let's be real here, that is hardly what he ever does, he almost always just complains about everything including the most pointless little things that don't really mean anything.
