So, 30 mins ago I remembered why I ABSOLUTELY hate operating trains when it's night in TSW (at least TSW2) with cockpit view. I was just doing an evening (night) run with the ICE train, Cologne - Aachen route, and I can barely see ANYTHING, with the beams at their maximum. I prefer cockpit view and switching now and then to outside view to see the scenery. Here I'm forced to outside view because the view from the cockpit is absolute garbage, it's terrible. It looks like I'm looking through an added layer of dark, black color that has been added to the usually transparent frontscreen. Now, I've worked on ships and know everything about light pollution. The bridge is absolutely pitch black with only a few instruments displaying minimal light to improve the visibility. Here, it's like there's a completely different setting within the cockpit. Even though no lights are on, except the instruments, it seems that the offwhite color of the cabin is projecting so much light on its own, thereby creating light pollution, which in term is "making me blind". I have a pretty good TV, so that isn't the issue. See images below (it seems the images are not displaying automatically, so I've added direct links) ; https://ibb.co/G00Tfvt (view inside cockpit) https://ibb.co/2PV1ckQ (view outside cockpit) https://ibb.co/n7N2sZY (view of the cockpit, no lights inside and should in theory create OK view outside) The images seem to add even more dark, so the images look even worse, but rest assured the view from inside the cockpit = BAD! I can't for the love of me believe that this is how the view is to train operators at night. Eyes do adjust to the dark, but even looking at the two images above (inside and outside of the cockpit) the differences is massive! Why?
It depends how good night lighting is on a route by route basis. Some are fairly decent, others pitch black.
So basically, the eyes will at times not adjust at all, you'll be looking into a black wall and the signals will be the only thing giving off light? That bad, even IRL?
No I am talking about in game, the quality of their night lighting can depend on which route you are driving. In real life, there are some locations on my routes where the only light will be that of my headlights and the next signal(s), but even then it is not as extreme as it is in some TSW routes. The ambient light in cities, even towns, or of a bright moon is rather amazing.
The Koln to Aachen route is a TSW2 route. It uses the old lighting that predates TSW3. The result being it is pitch black at night.
All routes released for and after TSW3, including those that have been remastered from earlier TSWs, use the new lighting.
Sometimes I prefer a night time run, I like the dim lighting of only the speedometer and buttons, passing through a station on a fast run, the shadows of the lampposts giving a beautiful effect inside the cab... speed feels faster at night too... magic!
I don't mind the dark, but this just feels dark due to poor lighting imo. And it seems this is what the issue is in these older versions of the game, since they can't adjust to the dark as human eyes can. Hopefully I'll be doing a lot more night runs once I move to playing TSW4+.
You'll notice a difference with more modern routes... And secondly you'll be getting TSW5 for free in the next few weeks if you got TSW4 now (minus the routes, but with all the updated technology).
I'm looking forward to that, everything from TSW2020 and onwards, on TSW5. Except TSW3, didn't get that one.
