I agree, though you also left out HIS and DTM, because DTM and HIS are the biggest criminals when it comes to low quality. Even DTG usually does better than those two, and DTG can be very lack luster themselves.
I left them out because I don't play US stuff and have never bought any US 3rd party content, so have no knowledge or interest in 3rd party devs or the drama's associated with them, I do occasionally play US stuff that's been bundled with other stuff I've bought but that scratches a mild itch that I'm usually over and done with in a single game session. I just like the UK routes and stock generally.
You'd better learn to love them, as that's all you'll be getting from now on. For better or worse, developers are moving to TSW or dropping out.
Most drop out because they get tired of being criticized about every little nit some can find to pick no matter how inconsequential it be.
Depends on where you look Austrian, Czech, Dutch, French, German & Romanian routes and stock are still being built
Diesel Workshop is there... Not everyone is moving over to TSW as not every developer is happy with DTG's 3PP strategy and gatekeeping.
AP have released a gallery of all the liveries in the new HST pack. There's quite a good selection, but with some missing ones. I guess Major Wales will still have a job after this releases.
I see that all the examples shown have LED outer light clusters. I'm not a Class 43 expert, but do they go back to the start of the MTU programme?
Yes, although I think they were part of the associated refurbishment programme. The VP185s got triple headlight clusters instead.
I did found out that earlier this year that DTG would no longer spend money on TSC, which was evident when we had a Dovetail Direct annoucement of which there were no TSC annoucements. Armstrong Powerhouse is definately the way forward!
... and in the TSC universe, DTG were only a small fraction of content developers, thanks to the open design of the game allowing anyone to make content.
Don’t think it’s been mentioned here yet but Alan Thomson is streaming the new MTU pack tonight on his twitch channel (alanthomsonsim). Starts at 7pm uk time. Barry Price (Bazzares47) is also streaming starting at 8pm uk time. Won’t be able to watch it myself, but just in case anyone is interested.
Trailer for the MTU pack here: Have to say i was a bit dubious as to the need for revisiting this pack but it looks and sounds incredible.
So does that mean that DTG is not going to fix the issues with build 77.6b? Are we going to officially get 78.1 at some point. I remember reading the blog posts for the development update that DTG was far from done regarding support and optimizations, as they were working on designing it to work better with multicore processors, silverlining, the code and more. When I saw that, it seemed we would get further optimizations and potential DLC's directly from DTG at some point down the line after all the work was done. I guess that is incorrect. When is DTG going to officially confirm that no further improvements and optimizations will be made to the simulator if this is true? I hope I am completely wrong about this as I do enjoy playing TSC. While I like TSW and it evolving, I don't view TSW as the successor to TSC
Not sure DTG will ever admit that they are done with changes to TSC core. Just crickets. All we have now is 3rd party vendors optimizing what we have. Respectfully
It's not what we wanted, but it's best to assume that development of Train Simulator has come to an end.
It all comes down to economics. DTG had all of the best intentions to improve the TSC engine. They were taken over by another company. Who knows what really changed from within. We have seen desires to expand their portfolio with new apps. As witnessed during the last communication cycle nothing was mentioned for TSC.
Do you have any information, instead of speculation, that development of TSC by DTG has come to an end?
They most likely were however time and funds had already been allocated. Curious to know how much is in the 2025 DTG TSC budget. I suspect very little. They are tapping into the VR space and looking for glitzy solutions rather than investing in older platforms. I do not expect to see TSC being anything more than a cash cow for DTG, It is all about money.
Do you think one of the forum users would know what DTG are doing regarding the Development of TSC? I doubt it and people are just speculating
Ugh, AT is not my cup of tea. His Class 745 pack was... Any way, yeah not my cup of tea, but Barry Price sounds pleasant and worth a view.
To be honest, the pack is okay. I'm not from the UK, so I have no knowledge on how a class 43 works or sounds, but comparing the real-life motor sounds of a Class 43 to the motor sounds in this pack, shows that there's some adjusting that needs to be made, though it's mostly that the motor sounds just need to be a little louder because they only ever get loud at very high speeds. And AP could have just used the DTG model instead of their outdated Class 43 enhancement packs they discontinued. This isn't even a locomotive pack. This pack itself is also nothing more than the outdated Class 43 enhancement packs with a new cab and a price tag of 29 quid.
I guess we've been looking at different packs. The new HST pack (and yes, it is a loco pack; there are no requirements for it) is a large improvement over what was available before. The Kuju model was used because it is proportionally correct, unlike the DTG LNER HST model which is way off.
I make the Kuju model 17.5m excluding the corridor connection or 17.8m with. Wikipedia says 17.79m for the length of a power car so even if that doesn't include the corridor connection, I wonder who would ever notice 29cm. Even if the DTG model is the correct length, there's too much else wrong with it as aluded above to be worth using over an enhanced Kuju model.
To be fair, cutting corners isn't always a good route to go down. Sometimes it works, but most of the time it fucks everything up. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a dev or railroading know-it-all. Hell, I don't even come from the United Kingdom and barely know enough about railroading and trains in my own country (US). But I know that, when it comes to cutting corners in development, it never ends well. The main reason we don't get a lot of good stuff, whether it's American content (specifically US content), European Content, or from the rest of the world content, is because corners are constantly being cut. I'm not saying that's the only issue, but it's one of the biggest issues, and because of that, we end up getting slop from devs like High Iron Simulations and Digital Train Model, as well as Armstrong Powerhouse, and I know that last one is going to be a very unpopular take for AP fanatics, however I also like AP content, but that doesn't mean I can't provide constructive criticism where I feel it's needed. That 29cm might not be discoverable to most people, but a lot of people (including me), will still notice the difference, and considering this is a Train Simulator, the dlc should at least be of very good quality. You've got people who leave negative reviews on VRC content because they don't read the manual and just expect the locomotive to get up and go on command. That being said, I think in some areas, the Class 43 dlc is wonderful, but it needs a lot of work, and if the DTG model truly is a mess, then perhaps it was a good decision on Richard's part for using the Kuju model instead, so maybe that could count as a valid excuse. I still think that the DTG model could be fixed up and cleaned up with enough time, which is what Richard should be doing. Devs should be their time, and not spending so little time on stuff, just to rush it out, because it ends up being half-assed and deplorable. But that's just my take anyway, I'm not here to LOVE on anyone for no reason. I just like to provide constructive criticism, because constructive criticism is important, so people can improve, including developers. That's why I watch and listen to YouTubers like Yawwie and Schnauzahpowahz. I'll happily listen to their feedback on TSC dlc before I buy TSC dlc. Again, that's just my take on things. Everyone has their own opinion and I'm not here to tell anyone that they're wrong or shoot them down and start a riot.
You can't edit a model without permission. No AP enhancement packs to my knowledge, or even the standalone packs based on DTG models, have had changes to the model that can't be done with child objects. As for the YouTubers you've mentioned, Yawwie was tolerable until he became quite childish, culminating in the truly moronic ATS 745 review, which is not credible in the slightest. Schnauzahpowahz seems to be a bit less of a manbaby, but with equally weird opinions and a picky nature that gets old very quickly. Neither are to my taste in the slightest.
That explains a lot and is quite a shame. I saw someone post on a forum some photos of the TSW-port 465 with the relevant details that differentiated the ABB and MetCam Networkers, would've loved to see AP pick it up an release a new Networker V2 pack...
I disagree. The two provide constructive criticism, and when you keep making slop, you can't expect people to continue eating it. Those two, are a lot more critical than I am. This isn't manbaby behavior either, this is needed, when it comes to developers like HIS, AP, and DTM. I say they are up to par with their reviews. When developers like the ones I mentioned stop cutting corners and do better than they typically do, then there won't be anything to fuss about. I myself didn't like the Class 745, and Yawwie's review was nothing compared to how I felt about it. Their reviews are really justified. It gets quite annoying when devs expect you to pay through the nose for slop that a 5-year-old could make. To each their own I guess.
I doubt a 5 year old could make this stuff. Some long hours and knowledge has gone into these products. Let’s see your work if you are so critical? It is easy to be a critic. It is much harder to do the work!
I used to really enjoy 'At the Railyard' (Nick Ozorak), which was well produced, balanced, and with a calm engaging style. It looks like Nick stopped a few years ago, unfortunately. Maybe he's pursuing a career in main stream media, he certainly had the potential.
If you think that AP produces slop, then you are clearly expecting the impossible from the TSC marketplace. A computer simulation is never real life. It will always be a simplification or an illusion of real life. The only way you can truly experience what it's like to be a Class 43 driver is to be a Class 43 driver. In any simulation you have to accept inaccuracies and limitations. Where you draw the line on what's acceptable is personal, but if you are looking for a true recreation of life then simulation is not an activity for you.
Real life has it's illusions and inaccuracies too; years ago as a newly wed in the first home, I fitted a nice plaster fireplace. Made a brilliant job of it too, all straight and level. Unfortunately when I stepped back to admire it from the other side of the room it looked a mess. IT was square and level but the house wasn't. So, in the end after a bit more work and swearing, we has a fireplace that wasn't square and level but looked as if it was because it fitted well with how the the house had settled (West Yorkshire, you'll be hard pressed a find an older property that hadn't been affected by mining subsidence) Moral of the tale....accept the little *faults*, and if you can't do that fix it yourself, or junk the offending item, or even find something else to do.
So all the stupid things that Schnauzahpowahz does like zooming in and out fast, trying to run a train without seeing how it works first, not checking where the trains is going in a free roam so it derails is Needed? Why? If people are going to review something they should work out what to tell the audiance without making themselves look like an idiot - unfortunately some reviewers seem to think they have to put a show on for people watching.
Just run one of the 378 AP scenarios. These are outstanding. Lot of thought gone in to making them really busy (unlike TSW). Graphics look just as good if not better than TSW. What is not to like about AP craftsmanship. Oh by the way I did NOT get my simulated tape measure out to verify the exact length of the train. I just really enjoyed driving the scenario itself.
Personally, they haven't made my life worse, but they don't have to affect me on a personal level for me to not find them just as bad as the developers who produce lack luster content. Sure, we can all spend our money however we want, but I argue that spending money on content that's Trainz Download Station quality, is encouraging the devs making that content, to continue making it since it doesn't seem to affect other people. It does affect the quality of the stuff that comes out though. You're basically letting developers (like HIS and DTM) know that it's okay for them to produce terrible and half-assed North American content. It's very inconsistent for German, UK, and Rest of the World content to be higher quality, while North American content is usually low quality unless an actually good developer chips in.
