I have no problems with redownloading every route if necessary but I was surprised to see I already own Cajun Pass. Haven't played this route and even will not play it in TSW5 but will have to download it anyways for the layers. I want to reduce loading times and prevent having to scroll trough lots of routes I will never play again when I want to pick the newest route (which is on consoles always located at the bottom in the finder). But all routes seem to be connected in some way. Need this train, need that wagon, ... Are there any routes I can retire and reduce loading times without losing layers?
For me, probably Sherman Hill and Cane Creek maybe HSC as I haven’t in all honesty played it that much. For the UK a bit harder, maybe WCL but then do we need it for layers on upcoming routes. IOW 2022 is also fairly low down by play list too. Germany, made more complicated by the layering and the fact there’s no really bad routes, even Maintalbahn. Maybe RRO and HRR, outside Munich to Augsburg and Koln to Aachen. But as someone posted in another thread, this is why we need a DLC manager including on PC so we can manage the content from within the game.
probably LIRR 1.0... the 2.0 version, despite the cameras and some details removed, is far superior in looks, busy stations, and overall safety stuff implementation I will be keeping the whole thing tho... maybe try to get a decently priced SSD again - I remember the loading times when mine was still functioning were drastically lower
I remember I started off TSW 4 having not downloaded all the routes to retire some but it seems in the meanwhile I downloaded everything again I'm on PS5 so I'm already on an SSD
LIRR original, good shout. TBH not bothered with V2 much either and I might extend that to Harlem Line. Thinking on, Boston Sprinter doesn’t get much play time these days either.
I am keeping Harlem cos it has slightly different ACSES/ATC implementation - LIRR has a lot of stuff (or all of it?) via radio, this one has transponders and balises
waiting for SSD prices to drop a little, or for a favorable discount, at least a 1TB, 2TB ideally ... my last SSD died on me literally like one day it was ok and next it just died... taking TSW with it (had to redownload the whole thing), Witcher 3 and couple other games that had a lot of GB
Retiring NY might indeed be a good idea. But I already predict a new enticing NY route might come in TSW5 making me having to redowload it all again
For me the US routes are prime for a chopping. Doesn’t seem to be much exciting happening there anytime soon & for one reason or another I haven’t touched the ones I do have in quite some time. On the subject of route requirements I do wonder if we could start to look at a shared library of basic layers. The 146 & dostos, 185, 66, BR Mk1/2’s etc are fairly old & can’t imagine DTG are making much from them any more. Having some core layers included in the training centre would allow me cut off quite a few GB of content that I haven’t used in a couple of years, but stays there just for the sake of layering.
Think that could be my policy too. Looks like Cajon needs to stick around for layering on AVL and SBO but I am veering on the side of just leaving behind all the older US content except maybe Clinchfield, which occupies a soft spot. Just got to seriously think how much the old stuff is going to get played with all the new content coming out. Serious triage required. Another two that might get the chop are Rivet Arosa and Sursee.
This could be useful for decision making: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UKHp810bCFdbXWhhmnYzyISBja6wiEQ4tBs8h2DyFJM/edit?gid=0#gid=0 I've left all the american routes on TSW3 (the applicable ones). Hardly play them. And it reduces significantly screen loading time. On both, TSW3 & 4.
ah, Sursee... a still open wound in form of broken ETCS :'( ... but I still have a sliver of hope - because ETCS is one of things that will pop up more and more in EU and also elsewhere (cos it is a good system, if implemented well IRL), so sooner or later it will have to be correctly implemented here as well, at least level 1, maybe level 2
Definitely Rapid Transit and old LIRR. Other than that, I’m having trouble picking other ones. I haven’t touched arosa in years because the scenery is ugly, but I do like the loco. I’m never going to play a full cane creek service again but it’s good for a screen shot once in while. Honestly I’m starting to sound a bit like a hoarder and I might need someone to intervene on this lol
Well I'm not really planning on running CJP either as Run 8 caters nicely for that, but leaving it installed for its own layer on to AVL and SBO. This is why we need a detailed matrix of each route and its cascade into layers on other routes.
I like the play now feature so try and keep everything on, also for layers. It's a pity we can't just pop some routes into a TSW library in game to make space like on steam, then reactivate them when needed.
This is where you're going to have to go through your own favorites list and find out what you want and don't. The Layers list is available online, but I don't know what ones you're playing and not playing. That's a personal choice based on preference. If you're not playing it... and you're not using rolling stock from a route... then get rid of it. I ditched most of my German content for example since it holds no appeal. I only play 3 or 4 of them on occasion. Also I ditched anything that only yields commuter rolling stock since I don't care for that. It really improved game responsiveness without all that extra bloat to load.
Funny you should say that as I unticked all my German content from TSC recently. I think that's where I might have to start on TSW5 as I don't play it much now. Shouldn't have bought it really but DTG have such good marketing people!,
Last year with TSW4 I just downloaded stuff as I wanted it, so I downloaded my sort of top 5 routes, then assessed which routes gave worthwhile layers for those and installed those, and over time I have just naturally installed routes as I felt like it or if they added layers. There are still some routes, such as IoW, ECW & BKL which I don't have installed.
Yeah, a lot of it was sale bundles. Some of it had some promises that weren't exactly what they seemed. I like the routes mostly scenery-wise, but the rolling stock and choice of timetable and scenarios aren't great. The shortlines, MSB and Dresden are about all I touch anymore. Honestly shouldn't have gotten the 218, but I THOUGHT it wouldn't be just limited to passenger operations. Those just bore the hell out of me. To each their own.
Is this a DTG list or a fan site list? I do feel strongly that the developers should be providing this information for players, without them having to dig around the Internet.
Not sure yet but I think in the route hopper it says what DLC you own and what is missing. Maybe it's also somewhere else mentioned in the UI but it already helps a lot to see in game what DLC is missing
I actually like Rapid Transit, but only with BR 182 ... the old 442 there is, not ideal ... but I love me some almost Taurus action in relatively high speed
The route hopper is only applicable to routes that share common locations. A change to the UI would probably not happen, but a simple matrix could be knocked up by an intern in a morning.
Right. Route hopper is indeed limited to supported routes. I think this site is very comprehensible for layers https://train-sim-world.fandom.com/wiki/Layers_and_substitutions
I'm sure it's been suggested before but I would love to have a favourites option added in the game. So you only get to see the routes you want to play and hide all the others that are only still installed for layers.
That is useful thank you. Unfortunately what it doesn't do is a reverse lookup; to find what a given route is layered on to, only what content is required for all layers on a given route. However, in the meantime Ctrl-F is a workaround.
The only route I can think of that doesn't layer anywhere else is Isle of Wight (483). The 484 will layer to the remastered GWE (ai only, so missable). Bakerloo Line also won't layer to anywhere else; WCMLS will include the 72 Stock within it so you could give that a miss, too. BCC and Glossop Line don't layer out anywhere, either (although that may change if the ATS thread is right..)
Deselecting routes is easy for Steam dwellers. You can just untick and retick as you wish. Problem is the lack of a comprehensive layer and sub spreadsheet, partly because the matrix is constantly changing.
Same on PS5. It's easy to remove them. But there is almost no route you can delete without some route missing layers. Sometimes the route browser can feel like the Netflix browser hopping from route to route (the old way). So you need to have all the layers ready because you never know which route will fit your mood.
You still need to manually identify and delete the pak files though which is the issue here. Though with TSW5, if you deselect at the outset then they shouldn’t download in the first place (I hope).
Sherman Hill will probably be needed for San Bernardino Line, as a shot shows Union Pacific equipment populating their LATC yard near Downtown Los Angeles.
I'm thinking of just having TOD4 routes installed only. I saw a list here where the orange has the TOD4 lighting. https://dovetailgames.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/80001072374
So it basically comes down to that instead of retiring routes I will need to buy an extra one as I don't own Sherman Hill.
I think it’s going to boil down to how desperate you are for the layers as to whether you want to keep an old route lying around otherwise dormant. It’s a shame the route can’t be split from the traction, allowing you to keep the latter while disposing of the former and its several Gb of dependency asset data. And ultimately maybe the answer is just to buy a bigger hard drive but I don’t want to do that ahead of possibly replacing or rebuilding the PC in the New Year. Oh well, adios SimRail…
I second what a lot of people have said here - I have so many routes that I have installed yet don’t ever touch because I simply don’t enjoy them like I thought I would, they’re ridden with bugs or just outdated - yet I still have to keep them installed for the sake of the stock layering into other routes. I could just uninstall them, yeah - but one thing for me that is a huge key factor for routes is traffic levels and variety. If I were to uninstall Route B because I don’t play it and it’s just taking up storage space, but stock from Route B layered onto Route A which I did enjoy, and removing that layer significantly changes the feel of that route - then I just couldn’t play that route either, because that too would then feel “dead”
I'll be keeping all my UK and German routes, I was going to remove the free french route but I believe the TGV will be layering into the new Koln-Aachen timetable so will have to keep it, all US routes will be removed, they just don't interest me though actually IRL they do (passenger routes) and would like to travel on them one day when I retire in a few years
Problem is that most TOD4 routes have traffic from non TOD4 routes I was thinking of retiring everything without track shadows improvement but I guess I still will need all other routes to keep them busy routes.
Just realised the Antelope line uses AI / stock from Cajon, Cane Creek, and Sherman Hill. Best keep the last two then, as I enjoy an occasional trundle along the Valley.
Problem, due to DTG's oversite, you cant use the layers on AVL without Cajon Pass (Which IMO was still a dumb move due to who ACTUALLY operates out there) but you cant fix the past.