Is Anyone Actually Excited For Thomas?

It is a big deal they got a franchise yes but we are not a bunch kids who play this for fun its Like a hobbie for some of us and should not have been a season finale reveal something that's aimed at kids yes I was disappointed others will like tho that's there choice.

 

Regardless of whether you like the idea or not, the undertaking is once again typically loveless, ala DTG style. Instead of actually modeling the real (comic) landscape of the series (which would have been kind of funny), they use a finished (rather boring) route and put a few comic locomotives on it. Wow. You can say whatever you want, it's uninspiring and almost embarrassing, especially if you have to pay for it again.

Of course I don't have to buy it, and I won't, but it was simply time and money that DTG could have used much more sensibly, given the bugs and missing content that TSW has to offer. That annoys me and makes all the surveys that they do every year obsolete.

It's funny, I really didn't expect anything for today and was still disappointed.

 

Not at all, this is a complete miss for me, I'm not the target audience. I've never seen Thomas, so I have no emotional investment.

I play TSW because, since I was little, I have wanted to be a train driver. However, due to health issues, I cannot. So TSW is a way to do something I cannot replicate in real life. Thomas the Tank Engine (and Holiday Elf for that matter) don't fit into this.

 

Definitely not. What a wasted opportunity for a "big" reveal

 

I'm excited, been honestly wanting it in the game for a while lol.
It's pretty much the perfect Collab.

 

Absolutely no. Even when I was a child I preferred authentic modell raylways instead of fictional cartoon like train toys and movies.

 

"You can say whatever you want, it's uninspiring and almost embarrassing"

Counter point i'll say it is inspiring and certainly not embarrasing.

 

The Amazon river runs for thousands of miles.
At some points it runs through areas of the rain forest that are almost untouched and have been barely explored.
Because of the porous limestone in these areas, the river water leaks through the stone and travels deep into the earth, and forms underground pools almost a mile below the surface.
Over hundreds of thousands of years, small blind transparent fish have lived and evolved in these pools. These fish have never seen the sun or surface and have never been seen by the human eye......
These fish care more about this than I do.

 

Honestly, I always was a fan of Thomas. I didn't like the recent changes much, so I'm glad we get the classic combo. I look forward to this, although the concept is strange...

 

I won't buy it, but probably everybody with kids will! The Thomas the Tank Engine weekend in the Dutch Railway museum is always SUPER busy with young families.
Don't underestimate how big of a brand Thomas the Tank Engine actually is, worldwide! I for see a lot of people will buy it!

Edit: *oh* *blush* I remember even having a small tea set from TtTE...but for me my love for trains didn't start there, I was just a bit too old for it when it became popular in my country.

 

Hang on, that was actually a serious announcement?

Blimey

 

your story was more exciting

 

Grew up with the books and then the TV series. My brother still buys me Thomas goodies for Christmas, Even if I am nearly 50.

But no I am not excited about it. I am just glad my brother has no idea about buying stuff on steam.

 

Had a good chuckle when I checked the last reveal earlier whilst on an actual train ride, knew exactly how it would polarise, checked the forum, proved my suspicions right, showed my colleague I was travelling with, had a good laugh together. I didn't see that one coming, thought it to be a possibility though and am actually happy DTG was able to aqurie such a huge license.
It's something fresh and that's generally a good thing and something to look forward to, if only out of curiosity.
Then I just watched the reveal video on the news page once I got home again. I have to say, I got a bit of a warm feeling when I actually saw dtg_jd introduce it, watched the doors on the reveal train graphic open and both logos revealing from a black silhouett. I'm usually excited by new ideas, but after that trailer I will certainly get it.
I'm looking forward to the very special guest later today and keep guessing who it may be.

 

What really annoys me is DTG have been spending time developing this, when we are all crying out for various improvements and bug fixes, that DTGs time could have been used for the betterment of the game!!!

No we don’t want it!!!

 

The special guest by the look of it is Ian McCue one of the former producers of the show as they've changed the season of reveals photo.

 

What are the odds of all negativity being ignored in this chat, I wonder?

 

Thanks, I completely missed the festive Vectron being added to the photo.

 

Nope. Wouldn’t bother even if it was free TBH. Nothing inherently wrong with it, just not something I’m remotely interested in.

 

I might buy it for the giggles tbh.

I would buy it and floor it on HS1

 

Yeah, I will play it with my almost 4 year old. He likes seeing TSW but its too complicated for him to do by himself, and he's a big fan of Thomas. I was watching a youtube video about the reveal and hes already asking if he can play it. He also likes the Holiday Elf DLC which is something I personally have 0 interest in but its fun to play with him.

Seeing a bunch of middle aged men pulling their hair out because they didn't get the Christmas surprise they were hoping for is more amusing/childish than Thomas is tbh.

It would have been cooler if they made a Sodor map with the locations from the show though, vs just putting it on WSR.

 

I could be wrong, but I think they are thinking broader with this. Playing Train Sim World obviously isn't for kids unless you are a parent and have a very enthusiastic kid, or kids, who love trains. It may be enough for them to want to play TSW. I am not British so I have no idea how popular Thomas the Tank is with the kids today in the UK or even if they know much about it, but it could very well be a marketing gimmick to try to get younger generation on board.

I am looking at myself, 41, who started with TSW2020 back in 2020. Over the course of 4 years I've clocked some 700 hours of TSW-gameplay across different releases. I think I have 23 routes and additional 10 loco DLCs. So far, I've completed WSR, NTP, GWR, MSB and Aachen - Koln, meaning I've acquired 100% trophies on these routes specifically, additional trophies related to DLCs locos on these routes and have at least 100 services completed on these routes also. Beside these I've sporadically played on RSN, SPG and RT. This means I still have 15 routes in my inventory I haven't even touched.

Are people really "content deprived" here? Some people like German routes, some people dislike German routes. Some people prefer British railway and do not play anything else. Same goes with this release. Some releases some like, other releases others like and you don't like. Hard to please everyone. Not sure if its even possible!

 

Very much so!

 

Island of sodor would have been cool but DTG aren’t rockstar games!

 

If it was more of a Thomas world, the Island of Sodor and a regular release of new ‘friends’, I’d have been very interested.

As it stands, adding just Thomas and Diesel to WSR isn’t igniting any urge to purchase. Hopefully now that DTG have the license, the world of Thomas could be created as a separate game or a ‘non-realistic’ DLC branch of TSW.

 

I guess DTG saw your post from earlier this year and the challenge was accepted

Good job.

 

When this casualty comes into DTG now the Simulation part of it certainly will fall down. Strange direction for a Simulation. This aside, what i think will be more disappointing than this reveal, will be the implementation into the game. I cant imagine that it wont be any different to driving another steam train in tsw and therefore be a rather dull experience in that regard. So i struggle to see the point of this DLC, wouldn't this had been better placed within the roblox universe ? I grew up with this blue tank engine and surely i have good memories with this, but i think it wont recreate any of the goodness of the Series. Its purely a marketing stretch.

 

Very high I would think. Certainly DTG's plans are not going to change.

 

Answer: YES

i am very excited

 

If I'm honest a big part of my frustration is that US players didn't do very well in the reveals.

And I wouldn't think many Americans " grew up " with Thomas so this is pretty much a thing for UK children. And the UK cornered most of the reveals anyway.

But this is not a game for children, is it?

Frankly I would say it's a waste of time and resources from a player point of view. The notion that somehow it will advance the return of steam traction is nonsense, it won't really be a steam train. From the business end, who knows.

 

Thomas was called Shining Times Station in the US. And the narrator (known as Mr Conductor) was played by George Carlin and Alec Baldwin at times. Now its all just computer animated and called Thkmas and Friends. And yes it was very popular and still is.

The Day out with Thomas events across the US usually sell out.

https://www.ticketwebdowt.com/

 

I see great potential in this.

From what it sounds like they are going be narrated storyboard style scenarios. With 2 of the characters.

So the scenarios could each be its own 15-20 minute little story you play through.

This is great for any adult wanting to have their kids play along with a game you like to play as well and perhaps get them interested in trains at the same time.

Of course obviously the demographic they are going after is not going to be single adults who have no children or any interest in Thomas for nostalgia.

But I don't see how a character who is loved by millions across this world won't be successful. Or a postive for DTG.

Thomas the Tank Engine is a very popular franchise, with annual retail sales of over $1 billion.

A piece of that pie is a nice thing for them. And us in the long run.

 

Very excited. Every non-railfan I talk to about this game always asks two questions: "Can I drive on [my local route]?" and "Can I drive Thomas The Tank Engine?"
I'll definitely be getting it. If Ringo Starr narrates it I'll pay any price, day one, no questions asked.

 

I'm sure alot of us watched Thomas as a kid but this doesn't belong in TSW.
This is another cash grab when we have most issues and requests ignored.

I mean they could've at least done a Sodor map instead of slapping it onto WSR.

 

Maybe I'm wrong and things have changed, but to people saying that this Thomas DLC is taking away time and resources from fixing outstanding issues...hasn't this always been the case when a new DLC releases? That previous pieces of DLC still have various glitches but new items keep being announced, and quite often the old ones are left to eventually and gradually be updated? I don't see how this has changed or become worse just because of Thomas, I thought this was normal for DTG. I've just started getting into TSW again after drifting away after the launch of 5, and it seems like most of the biggest annoyances me, such as popping audio, flickering textures in the cab and chasing shadows, are still as prevalent as they were since TSW2, my first entry. So I don't think announcing Thomas has suddenly made DTG any less worse in going back and updating previous content, it just seems normal to me!

 

Haha brilliant!

 

We are adults here, and toys should be adults))

 

Judging by the reactions from people about this one thing, I doubt it.

 

The Isle Of Sodor is roughly the size of the Isle Of Arran off the coast of Scotland. Well within the route building resources of DTG to put together a route using the basic geography. Or this is one nobody would have objected being outsourced to Rivet. The point is, getting the licence then just using it for a glorified train pack on WSR seems a bit of a waste, unless there are bigger plans in the pipeline.

A full on Thomas experience including the route would have gone down far less like a lead balloon than this announcement. If turning the Isle Of Arran or similar into Sodor was too much work for this multi £million company just handed a lucrative licence from Mattel, there are plenty of model and miniature railway plans out there which could have been scaled up to build a nice little route.

 

Yes thats the part i really not understand at all.

Its like you put the "diesel legends dlc" as grand reveal over the "westcoast mainline shap" or "blackpool branches".

 

I have see this carton when i was a child, so why not drive Thomas on my new PS5 (yes, i finally upgrade to gen 9 at crhistmas)

 

I am not excited but I think this could be a good thing for TSW and I might get it if it looks like I might get something out of it. If not there is plenty of other content coming.

I would have preferred to see some of Sodor created, especially Thomas's branch line. Maybe that will follow.

I am sure it isn't the end of "serious" DLC despite what the tin foiled hat brigade are determined to paint it as.

 

Never watched TTTE when I was younger I can't stand it to be honest, but then I'm not your usual train fan, I don't stand on platform ends I don't take pictures or videos of trains in fact I'd never given trains of any description a second thought before I got TSC, I'm a sim collector/player not a train spotter.

 

Well the "anti" group really doesn't have an argument, just emotion so it's not really an "argument" per se.
You kinda need two sides for that.

 

I'm still waiting for Jim Button & Lucas the Engineer. But I wanna have the whole Morrowland to accept it as an DLC. As far as I know, the licence is holding by the "Augsburger Puppenkiste".

 

I believe it is called sharing an opinion. Everywhere I see your name on this forum some advocation for an argument always seems to take place, when often none are needed. People can have opinions based on emotions, it is fine to share them, and often very little that can change them. That applies for people who support this DLC and those who don't.

Personally, I have absolutely no connection to Thomas as I have never seen it, I never had it as a child, nor did my son, so my thoughts on it are from a different perspective to someone who may have grown up with it, so that's fine, and I understand why some may like the idea of this, but personally it is the wrong place and could lead DTG down a very slippery slope.

 

It also seems impossible to have a reasonable debate on the issue, as I just found over on Facebook. White knights not prepared to accept there are widely different views on the topic. Like you, I’m not anti Thomas, just don’t think a simplified toy loco belongs in a game focused on real world simulation. Should be its own spin off title, specifically aimed at the kids.

 

It's marketing, now they must buy WSR and Thomas when they want it

 

thats exactly the problem with this dlc….’every non-railfan’ This group will get the game only to play Thomas & they will not be purchasing other dlc like everybody seems to believe in my opinion.
DTG and the Exec Prod have made a very dubious decision following this path of cartoon/toy tie-ins. I mean, it’s not like the game has any problems that need remedying is it? Add in the fact that real world licensing is a big problem for them now I guess following the child toy train market is the only option left. I may just dump TSW and go back to TS Classic which is far better!