Have Dtg Finally Redeemed Themselves With Tsw5?

I am very impressed with the upcoming route catalog in TSW5. In my opinion, it's banger after banger with great variety and time periods offered. I most definitely will be purchasing most of the DLCs, so they have succeeded in that. However, I won't go so far to say they have entirely redeemed themselves. More trains need to receive the suspension update instead of the paltry offerings we've already had, and I would very much prefer it if the new track view distance technology was backported and increased for every route, instead of only TSW5 routes moving forward. They are on the right track though, and I hope they can keep this momentum going strong.

 

Not a fan of the 390 being locked behind the deluxe edition but other then that this is a welcome change compared to previous years. Could we be seeing a de-EAification on DTG?

 

They have solved a rather major issue that was having to pay (at least, close to full price) for each core update. Yes, dev time and work goes into each and should be compensated, but seeing how the routes and stock have their price and updates almost never got backported, rather appear with new iterations most of the time, free core and paid DLC is a great solution, especially for returning players. Hell, I haven't even completely finished DE-FR-CH-Ö in TSW3 yet so despite having bought deluxe 4 I didn't even get to play 4 per se, the timeframe was too tiny lmao.

This change alone is a massive rep boost, so all I can say is congratulations, great job.

But to talk about redemption I think a bit more attention should go towards bug fixing. If it was less of "taking two version numbers to fix an incompletable scenario" and more of what we've seen with the team behind the Expert 101 and their somewhat live-updating buglist, now that'd be redemption. I can't in 2024 get a Zwangsbremsung because I failed to acknowledge a green on Muenchen-Augsburg.

 

I'm still on TSW2 with TSW4 Standard edition paid for full price (and then upgraded to TSW4 Special Edition when it was 80% discount) but yet to even install the game, never mind playing it! :-D

Not sure what to do next, get on with TSW4 or jump straight into TSW5 when it releases. I still got about 5000 miles to do on TSW2 for that last trophy in order to get the Platinum on the PS5...I reckon it will take at least a month, by which time TSW5 will probably release.

 

I'm pleased with the free version for one reason only - it will allow me to play TSW5 with the upgraded features for pre-5 routes the same day as everyone else. I only buy the physical version of TSW for every release, and last year was around a two-three month wait before I could join the party. While I won't be able to play the new routes straight away, I'll be able to enjoy the live map, track shadows etc with everyone else plus GWE when it arrives (which I think will be before physical edition arrives)

 

ive said yes but the way they handle the leak was wrong they should of just moved the live stream forward

 

DTG is finally unifying the thumbnail style of those DLCs this time. Nice work.


Not without problems though. Apart from two styles of dlc badge in the corner, some routes included in the special edition also has old styles:

 

The free upgrade is good, but US customers still do not get much in terms of freight trains and routes.

Also, did DTG fix the horrible lighting issues from inside the cab when looking outside?

 

No redeeming necessary! I've been a loyal customer since 2014, may have been earlier than that.
I've always rated their products, not always been happy about the quality but name another company that's delivered such fantastic simulations, for as long?

They have put up with some outrageous criticism on the forum some may even call it abuse! And they may not have acknowledged it but they certainly was listening.

Over the years, I've tried numerous train simulators yet the only ones still installed on my pc are tsc and tsw!

 

Much of the criticism was warranted though, and there's always been a mix of constructivism and of course bashing (the game does have bugs that can drive you mad at times). DTG took all that "like a man", respect for that.

I think much of the criticism actually helped DTG in finding out what players want / struggle with. Of course, not everyone can be pleased, and I'm surely guilty of outbursts too. Now I'm just taking it for what it is, not what I'm expecting it to be.

 

That choice element hopefully will be more productive in not only driving sales, but also showing more directly what's in demand. I hope it works out for us all, DTG included!

 

Maybe it would be easier if there were developers/creators from the US as a standalone studio to do US passanger/freight routes?

 

I am not the most outspoken regarding issues, being a rookie and driving trains more like a recreational activity, but I do understand why people get somewhat pissed when bugs are not fixed and just "forgotten". The usual answer being "we are no longer providing support for old TSW versions". You paid for the route/train, and let's be honest, they are not cheap considering the sheer number of routes and locos being released.

Hopefully, a lot of these issues will be fixed with TSW5 with DTG giving existing players free upgrade to TSW5. Meaning, hopefully, that all old content will be upgraded and bug free on this new platform. This is a huge step forward. Obviously, you got 30 days to secure the free upgrade, but previously if you wanted TSW2 bugs fixed, you had to buy TSW3.

 

No.

The Dovetail Direct was cool, but then I remembered this is DTG we're talking about, and had second thoughts.

I'm gonna wait a few months and see what happens.

 

You can still grab the free core and as you say pick and choose the routes as and when they hit a decent sale discount, or a completion bundle.