Enough Is Enough Thomas And Friends Edition

I grew up with Thomas (or the Railway Stories as they were called when I read the books as a kid) and my own kids loved the original TV series. They were well written and the Rev W Awdry wrote them with real railway operations in mind. Sadly, when the Americans took over, the realism went out of the window and Rev Awdry himself hated the later series (before he sadly passed).
The real problem with this reveal, as has been stated elsewhere, is that it was built up as “The Big Reveal” and has turned out to be an absolute joke of an announcement. You must have expected the backlash you have got from this. I mean, how much did the licencing cost you for a start? ( a rhetorical question, I know and understand that you cannot answer this but it must have been substantial). Money that could have been better spent on development and fixing existing problems. Did you honestly expect your user base to be cheering with glee and excitement?

Oh, and your opening statement about “seeing as it’s the season of giving”. Is this some strange usage of the word “giving” or do you mean selling? And it won’t even be out for Christmas so it’s not even for said season. Maybe a lower key announcement earlier in the year with a Christmas release would have led to a better reaction and potentially better sales.

This is not aimed personally at you JD, but at DTG and Focus Entertainment in general.

 

Not JD's fault, he's just a Community Manager and I bet you there were orders from way above to make this DLC a big announcement to "expland our product reach to a younger playerbase". This is just the least offensive way they found to rip the band aid.

Last Community Manager that tried to challenge orders is no longer at the company. His name is Sam. Search up Colonel Failure on YT if you like, he's hilarious and very much not a company pushover.

 

Cannot reiteriate enough that when people use the term "we" you do not mean everyone.

 

All I’m gonna say is, there was a thread a month or two ago about fictional routes and trains. Check out the discussion.

 

The implication of a massive reveal for the TSW franchise means: new routes/trains, which appeal to the current audience. For example, a Class 91+ECML South or something. The expectation created was completely the wrong one. If it had been a standalone game, advertised as a stadnalone game, I think there would have been little to no pushback.

 

DTG JD
Huge, indeed!

...But since you have spent hours of hard and passionate work, perhaps you can partly quench our thirst for technical details.

Does the "thing" possess a fully detailed cold startup sequence and, most importantly cold shutdown (i.e. death)?

Does the "thing" start with safety systems enabled (IMO the unsafer, the better)?

Is it possible to carefully arrange a derailment, in order to damage its mug?

Asking for a (little) friend.

 

Maybe if the higher ups actually came out with quality DLC, then we wouldnt have community managers going "That isn't right" or "That won't work".

 

Honestly it seems like this announcement was just for DTG to get them excited rather than the fanbase. I've got no idea why DTG got us excited for this, I understand that its a big company that they have got the license for but why is this supposed to get us fans of simulators happy? Of course DTG are excited to work with them but I'm not sure how this is supposed to get the community excited. From the sounds of it, the DLC is clearly aimed at very young children, who likely don't even have a console or PC, so I don't see the point of marketing this as a big reveal to people who most likely play this game as a simulator.

 

Seems like DTG knew the reactions weren't gonna be good by the community anyway.

From Jan on the TSC Discord.

 

Said my piece(s) in the official reveal thread but tl:dr

If the money from this gets invested back in the core product for the 99.9% of us trying to play this as a serious simulator, all well and good.

If it leads to a rethink in the stance on steam traction and physics then next year we get the Somerset and Dorset or Riviera Line in the 50's, it will have served a purpose.

Concept is half cocked, if they wanted to do Thomas then they should have gone the whole hog and recreated the Isle Of Sodor which might then have piqued the interest a bit more. But essentially it's a content pack for WSR, with the 25 MPH A to B baggage that brings.

And it certainly shouldn't have been hyped as the "big reveal".

 

Our local heritage railway at Wansford has its own Thomas. Because of loving the TV show as a kid in the early 90s my Grandad took me there on one of the days Thomas was running and Grandad asked the driver and fireman if I could climb up onto the footplate and have a look at how Thomas works in real life. They got me up in the cab and let me look at all the controls and let me watch them cook a quick fry up on the shovel and coal fire. And pull the whistle of course! Always a fond memory of that railway and my Grandad, started by Thomas and my interest in how he ran!

 

I can't but notice the dangerous amount of "If"s in your post. Careful mate. Too many ifs make it a speculation. We know how they turn out.

Talk about Stockholm Syndrome.

 

This is a very reasonable take IMO.

My biggest worry is that it sells bigly, and then DTG/Focus are constantly chasing that dragon at the expense of reinvesting it back into TSW "proper".

If we end up getting 5 Mattel DLC's/year (let's not kid ourselves that it will be limited to the Thomas IP if it's successful) and less real-life ones, I'm probably out on TSW.

Tbh, the fictional path is probably more profitable for DTG/Focus in the long-run, whether we like it or not.

 

After all, for Gordon they would just have to repaint the Scotsman blue (acc to the lore, Gordon was an experimental A1 later rebuilt to A3 standard; the Scotsman was called his "brother")

 

You know, if it would be a big and shiny new DB route with ICE4, which I'm not very interested, I would say, ok it's a big cool thing, but not for me. If it would be a some new UK steam route, it would be a cool reveal, but again not for me. A lot of this could have been a really cool announcement for many, but not for me.
And I understand perfectly well that this game is not for me alone, but for many. And everyone's tastes will never coincide.
But this thing... Yeah, someone will likes it. But I saw too many disappointed people. Cause for them, like for me, it's not a "big" announcement. It's just something like 'new journey' gameplay packs.
DTG marketing went way overboard. That's why many are unhappy, not because you decided to add Thomas. Because you decided to make Thomas the star of the whole show.

 

What a waste of hype. I'd expected something alot bigger than this (I.e a core update or a highly requested route), in all honesty, this should have been added as a bonus announcement during one of the other days. I'd have been alot more content had there also been a Sodor route added with it, but considering it is just a WSR DLC, i am utterly annoyed at this.

 

Nobody likes an autocratic company however!

 

So if we take that out of the text, this thing was created because some at DTG are fans of it? Well, yes, to each his own, but the community is really angry, I mean this thing should have been announced beforehand and not, well, so that you piss off so many people (public opinion) I mean, of course, all this, but those today's marketing are really fired.

 

Hopefully in the future Rivet will be able to model Toby the Tram and put him on the Edinburgh Tramway.

 

It can be both. It's not as if we haven't had fun routes before.

 

So there was this much backlash when the Holiday Express was announced.

So basically we have the same thing but with a well known worldwide IP. That most of us on these forums are aware of and probably watched as children.

Or like me watched as a teen while intoxicated on a green substance because Ringo Starr and George Carlin were the conductors. We got both the UK and US versions in Canada.

I don't get the hate.

 

Do not _ever_ fall for marketing speak.

 

Nobody knows why Sam chose to leave; neither he nor DTG have ever said, nor do I expect them to. There is no evidence that he "tried to challenge orders." The one thing that is known is that he had recently suffered a dire family tragedy, and I could understand no longer wanting the stress and drama ssociated with being a CM.

 

What the puffing hell are you lot smoking?

 

Not sure what I find funnier, people losing their minds over this.... or when it ends up selling loads, which may contradict the 'the community hates it.

 

True.

 

Well he certainly was the only one being honest even stopping Matt from making empty promises. Hasn't happened since he left, it's more smooth, happy and less controversial now. I feel DTG wasn't the right place for an upright person "Transport Fev... uhm TrainSimWorld" Sam is, but that's just my take. He'd for instance feel the urge to tell TSC players that their game is not in development anymore, which nobody admits and CMs are ignoring that part of the community if it's not for telling them to not insult each other.

You are only interesting for DTG if you make them money, they're not your "friends". The whole Roadmap thing is to pretend you're all part of some family which you're not. Sorry to say this.

 

I'm concerned that people are disappointed. Waiting 20 days to be punched in the face is not exactly pleasant.

 

Holiday Express was a bit of fun and it was specifically marketed for Christmas and with it's own fantasy route. I didn't buy it, but a concept nonetheless I could respect.

This is effectively a steam DLC for WSR when DTG adamantly stated a while ago steam was done in TSW. with no plans to fix up physics or create further DLC for existing routes. So instead of something like the BR(GW) Riviera route with a nice Hall and Pannier tank, or a LMS tank loco for SoS and PFR we get this.

Anyhow wonder what other fictional railway franchises DTG will now go after?
Polar Express complete with trains navigating 1 in 3 gradients and skating across the ice.

Ivor The Engine.

Plus a few others no doubt.

 

Well yea I still wait since 10 months for a simple fix and I still hear I will look for it.

 

What the absolute chuff are DTG doing releasing a TTFTE add on? I mean really? You'll be giving an absolute fortune to whoever holds the licence this week and I don't think that many people will buy it unless they are like me and want to release satirical (obscene) TTFTE episodes on youtube along the lines of Teesside Tin Tin. I have attached a sneak preview for you all

 

Does anyone remember a website named something like UKBL or Magandy, who used to make custom content for Trainz 2004 and 2006? I'm sure someone used to make Thomas content for them, but fans started to reskin his models to make them more colour accurate. This guy then got rightfully angry and refused to make anymore.

The team at UKBL then decided to make their own models, but then if I remember right, they then also eventually refused to do any more, as they said fans were either too demanding when real models were released in between Thomas ones, or they would go over the models with a magnifying glass and point out/criticise any modelling flaws. I'm sure most of the team there said going over to Thomas was a huge mistake as the fan base was just too demanding and they'd rather just carry on making real world content.

I bring that all up because I think whilst bringing Thomas to TSW is a great idea, he shouldn't now become the main focus or to signal a gradual shift in direction for TSW. It is meant to be after all a real world sim at heart, and like UKBL found out, Thomas fans are incredibly dedicated to him and are very vocal when things aren't right. And then DTG wouldn't be pleasing anyone.

 

This is now my favourite pic of the day xD/ and yea I really don’t now waht the this is

 

So that's it for the reveals then? I was kinda hoping Doncaster works was next, so I could take Thomas and friends to be scrapped.

 

Think this also sums up the situation nicely...



I'm off to play SimRail for a bit...

 

DTG JD
Sorry to get into this thing, but someone has to pass it on, that's not my job.

But the person is absolutely right. I also remember extremely vaguely what happened there and this should never happen again in the gaming industry.

 

Jesus people. If you don't like it, don't buy it. You're not forced to.

You don't want to hear that, but it's just the way it is.

Lower your expectations.

 

It was years ago wasn't it?! I started making a few Thomas YouTube videos after school in 2006 using their models and I think I stopped around 2008 or 2009 and there was this massive drama on UKBL around that time, about how Thomas fans were not grateful for the effort and work they were putting in and how they fine combed everything, and if one thing was wrong then it was basically like how the community are reacting now to this DLC, that it's the end of the world! I swear i remember the owner Magandy saying that he would get a flood of messages if there was a lull in Thomas content and he basically was juggling his ill wife and creating Thomas content, and he refused to do it anymore. And other creators on the site backed him up and said 100% going full time Thomas was the worst idea they'd had.
And then didn't all the fans complaining then open their own website named SI3D, saying how they were even better than UKBL, and then eventually they closed too because the owners said Thomas fans are too demanding?!
I just think DTG need to be aware yeah, that if Thomas is going to become a regular thing, be prepared for the fan base because they are verrrrrrry demanding.

 

The community requested a tank engine on more than one occasion. And I believe thier expectations where a little higher than Thomas the tank engine.

All joking aside. If they release a model with and without the face. They can be put to some use maybe.

 

Why would this affect DLC going forward for the rest of us.

That doesn't make sense it only 1 DLC and no one has to buy it if your not interested in it.

I like how there are all these licensing experts who know how they aquired these rights. It surely has nothing to do with maybe Mattel contacting them and askjng if they would be interested.

Not every license costs you.

Just an overblown reaction to something you don't have any interest in because you built up your own expetations on this Grand Reveal and are dissapointed.

It fine to be disappointed but to say TSW is ruined or dead is way overblowing the issue.

What about the rest of the reveals we had? I guess none of them interested you.

The game is built for all kinds of people with different likes and of all ages. Unless there is some rating I don't know about that has an age restriction on it.

 

Thomas just isn't BR Blue enough it seems

 

Close to network southeast Blue I guess.

 

Well, they got what they wanted. No one specified exact details.

 

You do have a point with the tank engine and iirc the 4f and the Jinty shared many common components, wheelbase, boiler dimensions etc, or close as damn it so a Jinty shouldn't be too hard to produce from the existing 4F model?

 

It's not the DLC, it's the marketing building up expectations, the "Grand Reveal". That's shameful imho (not for me, but I see the reactions.)

Don't like it don't buy it unfortunately seemingly applies to everything not from JT , so buy once a year and the game's ok. Expect to have TSC variety in 2035 to 40.

 

Thomas is an E2, not a Jinty. Unless they're similar.

 

What frustrates me is that some people are actually giving good ideas in the suggestions section and they're ignored and then stuff like this is made.

 

Rarely will they make a route from the suggestions forum. They make what they want, not what people want.

 

Welcome Thomas to the magnificent world of TSW !

Here’s a small leak of one of the upcoming scenarios with Thomas on TSW:

Spoiler

 

Cinders and Ashes. It must be the season of the Grinch.