Dovetail Games Mattel’s Thomas & Friends™ Is Coming To Train Sim World!

Thomas is gonna be put to work on the pfr. By the time I'm finished with him, he's not gonna be blue or smiling.

 

Well if the Class 104 fails to materialise, maybe it will get the Buxton shuttle layer!

 

Haha. I'd rather use Thomas as a work horse, moving lime.

 

Has anyone watched a Thomas short lately? Try it. These are aimed at a very very young audience. How anyone could get freaked out over this new DLC is beyond belief. It’s for younger kids and their parents, basically. The shorts are charming. Good for DTG for expanding their audience. They’re looking ahead. Unlike some I’ve seen complain about this here.

 

The game is a simulator. How do you simulate something that isn’t even real? That would be like if Euro Truck Sim let you drive Optimus Prime and at least then he’s actually a real Kenworth W900. If you’re going to add fictional content, it’s time to take the “Sim” out of the title.

 

Ahh but see the adults in the room have decent judgement about how to spend our money. Children have parents who, as long as they can afford it and its age appropriate, will buy them whatever they ask for no matter how inane. Look at what’s happening to gen alpha with iPad kids having hundreds of dollars of KSI and Logan/Jake Paul merch and lunchboxes full of Prime and Lunchly. Perfect business decision. Kids can’t and won’t complain about accurate sounds or physics or bugs or sparse timetables or AI generated content. They won’t put out long and detailed YouTube videos pointing out issues that scare people from buying new DLC. They will spend the $15-20 this will probably cost and then go on the platform of their choice and leave a positive review that, rather than giving measured pros and cons to help people decide whether or not to buy, will simply read “TRAIN! SKIBIDI!!!”

Call me jaded but DTG continues to strain to inspire credulity in their insistence that this is a “simulator” with realistic representations of trains from around the world. The flight sim world and MilSim world are laughing at us right now.

 

It feels like whoever is behind this Thomas dlc didn’t take into consideration as to what the majority of the community was interested in AT ALL. Making this the big announcement in December, rather than something minor like a middle of the schedule release, shows the absolute lack of passion and Lack of credibility to what the Players Want. But instead what the higher ups wanted, all for the sake of money.

I don’t hate a dlc like this. But for a big announcement? It’s pitiful.

 

Didn't realize that Dune and Halo were real. Why are they in MSFS?

Guess they need to remove the simulator title.

How about Powerwash Simulators new Wallace and Gromet DLC. I guess they need to change their title as well.

Funny how it's some the adults in the room that sound the most like children, not the ones who are just dissapointed. The ones who are acting like the world is over and sound like they won't eat their dinner beacause there are peas on the plate. Or not wanting to share their toys with others.

The adults in the room are dissapointed but have moved on because life will go on and so will TSW.

 

I completely agree, it was a really bad decision for that to be the Grand Reveal.

But would you have been disappointed if the Grand Reveal was the new Metrolink train? As that seems to be the only actual previously unknown DTG item asides from Thomas.

So if the choices were Metrolink or Thomas they probably did make the bigger announcement.

Either way I would have been disappointed.

But after 5 years of similar disappointments from DTG, I wouldn't expect anything different.

And unlike others I'm not giving up on TSW, i still enjoy 70% of the game so why would I.

I wouldn't quit guitar because I was asked to play the Cat and Fiddle once.

 

It's really quite simple.

If you want it, Buy it.

If you don't want it, Don't buy it.

 

But can you do it to a death metal riff?!

 

Wow we are still arguing the same thing lol this is funny. Its simple if you don't like Thomas then don't buy it.

 

Yes, it might be that simple if there were several alternatives to TSW.

But there really aren't right now for most players. So we have to care where TSW is going.

And a toy store is not in the future hopes of many TSW players.

 

Eat sleep rave repeat!

 

Which is why the game we have needs as much diversity of content as possible in order to be as successful as it can, to be able to deliver stuff catering to the many niches within its playerbase. Basic business logic.

 

Literally every character in the series is based on a specific real life locomotive. You simulate that. And then you have that locomotive ingame as a non-cartoon variant you can push out in a separate release for people who don't want the aesthetic.

 

It’s not the fact that no one really likes the DLC, it’s the fact they put development time into a non serious dlc, that could have been used elsewhere. With the addition of making it a grand reveal in a community of serious railfans

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1332100/Starship_Simulator/

 

I'm sorry, since when is a major licensing deal with the single biggest international railway-adjacent media franchise "non-serious"?

 

Actually I can, just like Green Jelly and the 3 little pigs.

 

From my perspective as a customer, I couldn't give a doss. That sort of stuff is all 'behind the scenes' stuff and its not up to me to get excited about some licensing deal with some other company I've never heard of, who happen to own some television programme I have never seen before!

 

Day 24 in the TSW Big Brother house. The housemates are still arguing about Thomas the Tank Engine.

 

It's just another one of these posts that end up going round in circles and to be honest won't matter a damn.

 

For money, it is a serious thing for the company. But it still doesn’t appeal to a good 70% of the community. This is what happens when you rack up a community who want the most realistic simulator. And for a huge hyped up and awaited announcement, give them something that is far from Realistic and serious.

Good for them, yes. But for the community, it’s different.


I don’t know what DTG were expecting. This is like going to a zoo to see alligators, only to see Blow up inflatable ones. It doesn’t add up, and it doesn’t fit in.

 

Couldn't agree more. So where are the steam traction, heavy diesel locos and freight routes. Or are they not part of your diverse game content while toys are?

 

I mean, I don't know what you'd call the LBSC E2 if not "Steam Traction".

 

By all accounts it’s going to be even more simplified than the existing steam stuff. A good analogy might be one of those old Triang Hornby locos with the smoke generator where you put special oil in the chimney and it “vaped” out when heated. Had the Jinty with that feature and it used to stink the house out, even more so when I subbed 3 in 1 oil for the correct stuff…

 

Do you really think they're going to model it and *not* make use of it later? This is DTG, recycling content is the name of the game.

It surprises me how selective some people's cynicism can be, when experience teaches us it should be broadly applied.

 

Well it would be nice to get a full on E2 tank loco in the game but the problem there is, 1. None were preserved so physics and sound are a stab in the dark. 2. We don’t really have a suitable route other than (fictionally) on the WSR and they would look out of place on SoS or PFR in lieu of a Jinty. From what I’ve read they were primarily used as ECS pilot locos for Southern Railway/Region terminals.

 

I feel like people commenting "Just turn him into a proper E2" aren't thinking hard about how much work would go into it. Because this-

-and this-

-are completely different, and remodel one into the other is basically going to be the same as starting from scratch. I imagine on a physics level that they'd be rather different as well, they'll likely want higher top speeds and acceleration to closer match the show. Bare in mind the engines in the show go from dead stops to track speed in about a second all the time. And it's worth baring in mind this is just as true for the rest of engines 1 to 6, except maybe Gordon.

 

They can re model anie and clarabel whilst they are at it. To southern region push pull.

 

Well those of us who criticise TTTE may be guilty of cynicism.

But to extrapolate a toy train to the return of steam to TSW is the height of rationalization. You can't be serious.

 

Hey, if it means they're willing to return to steam, I'm all for it.

Or I'm just giving myself false hope.

 

Like, were I putting this together from a modelling angle, I'd get a start on the prototypical one to leave on the back burner for a future crack at a steam reprise when the money's there, as steam's still a market they are gonna want to crack at some point, and then extrapolate the low LOD version into the cartoon variant.

 

I hate to labor the point but there is presently no " future crack at steam " and It's never been a question of " the money not being there ". And DTG have shown no indication that steam is " still a market they are gonna want to crack at some point " in TSW.

In fact all the evidence points to just the opposite of your post, ie: steam traction being as dead as the proverbial dodo in TSW.

The appearance of TTTE demonstrates nothing beyond a toy train development on the part of DTG and Mattel. If this were anything to do with the revisiting of steam traction DTG would have surely indicated it in their cringeworthy fireside chat or gushing PR output.

 

Not suggesting it's any kind of immediate term plan but down the line it's an obvious market that they failed to penetrate once, and put on the back burner while approaching other opportunities for accessing broader interest like this Thomas DLC. But it's always going to be a major untapped segment of the train sim market, just one that the prior steam releases didn't succeed in generating enthusiasm for, on numerous grounds, be it complaints about the physics, launching it to coincide with some disastrous bugs in the core game that made many services unplayable, not finishing promised features many considered red lines for them buying into it, etc... At some point they will no doubt want to have another go at getting that potential money. At a time when the studio can properly invest the necessary people and time in reworking the much maligned systems of it.

And I CERTAINLY believe that if this DLC is a success, not only will we see more of this tie-in, but that its presence and increased profile would lead to a knockon impact of increased demand among the audience for actual realistic steam content, perhaps enough to justify the necessary investment.

 

Now I am remembering my own experience of giving up on SoS entirely out of sheer frustration after three randomly selected services I picked in a row ALL got AI SPADs ending my run with nothing I could do. I've gone back to it since, but I don't know how many would, or would even know they addressed that bug finally, long down the line. You only get one first impression, after all.

 

If Thomas does well frankly the most obvious conclusion to draw from that, well, Thomas does well, and more of that should be done. Assuming that will have impact on "real" steam is like saying that JT's success with Blackpool will cause everyone in the TSW space to rethink its stance on quality. Or that because 80's BR content did well that routes in the same timespan in the US & German have similar demand. Or indeed going back a ways that because that "Smokebox" guy is pulling off such insane steamers in TSC that we might see DTG up their game to his level, which as great as that would've been just never happened. Dovetail for better or for worse have their way of doing business, and they're rather stubborn about moving away from it.

Also I think people are overestimating how well Thomas will do, don't get me wrong, I think he'll do well based off sheer novelty factor, in particular I could imagine a lot of content creators messing with it just for memes and gaining free advertising for the game in that regard. And I do imagine there will probably be enough demand for Percy, James, and probably Gordon down the line at least seeing as those characters have remained consistently in the show (at least last I checked, I have zero clue how prominent the latter two are in AEG). And I could see some oddballs 08's like Paxton, or Arry & Bert being done alongside them solely because DTG can retool Diesel so easily for them.

On the flipside I do question if there's demand for to it last long enough to get characters beyond that, Most of characters the older fans want aren't necessarily going to be ones fans coming from BWBA or AEG are familiar with, even major mainstays like Edward & Henry got demoted in those eras. While newer major characters like Nia & Rebecca probably aren't going to go down well with older fans, especially if they arrive before older Awdry characters. So I question if we even get the whole "Steam Team", much less if we get characters like Skarloey, or Duck. IMO if we're comparing this to other established Thomas lines the scope's probably going to be more in line with Lionel than Bachmann.

 

Perhaps Mattel are just testing the waters to see if there will be interest in such a product.

And if it meets what they are looking for they will contract DTG to develop a stand alone Isle of Sodor game.

From what I read they are going to be storybord like scenarios with with narration.

So basically a Thomas short story with every scenario.

So if you were to make an entire map of the Isle of Sodor have it come with 5 main characters and 10 scenarios each. And of course some NPC's like Mr Conductor, Bertie, the Toublesome Trucks.

That would be 50 short stories.

Then you can make more character packs with more scenarios for future DLC.

I think that would sell. It would be like an interactive Thomas cartoon.

But Mattel probably is just testing the waters and if it doesn't do what they want that will be the end of it.

They probably picked DTG because they already have a base product built that is on both console and PC so a cheaper feel out option.

And no matter whether you like them or not DTG are the biggest name in 3D train games with more years experience than others of comparable looks.

But I highly doubt this would lead them to fix steam even if succesful. They probably want the Thomas stuff to run like an EMU more than an actual steam train.

 

I have a question for the Thomas fans.

Do Thomas and the other characters have engineers driving them? Or do they drive themselves?

 

Of course they have engineers. Who's gonna put coal in their firebox.

 

But is it just a fireman and then Thomas does the actual driving?

 

I seem to remember a bit of both Thomas waiting for his driver, and the driver finding Thomas has left without them.

 

DTG are so committed to Thomas they couldn’t even raise their enthusiasm to creating a nice fantasy route or layout on which to run the equipment!

 

You could always treat the training center as a hornby oval layout.

You could even go as far as putting Thomas and diesel, head to head in a race.

 

Don’t give them ideas…

Oh and Thomas, don’t forget that coasting is important to save energy!

 

You just need to look at how much the announcement of this got people whining about real steam being cancelled, while this is being worked on. This isn't even out yet and it has more people talking about Steam. If it's a commercial success, and I am fairly sure it will be, those voices are only going to get louder, and I daresay there'll be more of them as we get more "fake" steam locos.

 

They have drivers and firemen who often take a pretty active role in their escapades, like when Douglas' crew helped disguise Oliver for his escape to Sodor...

I wonder what DTG are going to go with for their appearance ingame? Will it be the standard human models, more in line with the books, or have they specially modelled versions based on the TV show?

 

In the Railway Series and select eras of show more specifically, there's huge chunks of the TV show, most notably under Hit Entertainment where engines are effectively just on their own. Where as most (keyword being most, I'm looking at you Magic Railroad) of the Britt Allcroft era series stick with Railway Series rules. From what I've been led to believe the Andrew Brenner-led series follow the same rule, but I could be wrong.