If it is a big hit, I expect that to be a future DLC. That's a LOT more work though and probably a higher entry cost. Having access to a few of the locos is one thing. Having access to the entire catalogue of the franchise and having to build an entirely new place without any physical references (can't just pop in and take pictures for scale/etc) is another level of work. Even more so given that Sodor once started would be a huge multi-route project (maybe 4-5 of the normal DTG route sizes) so maybe 4-5 DLC linked together....or a MASSIVE map for an ungodly amount of money. Makes sense to dip your toe in and see how the response is. Once you get enough people "hooked" on Thomas, you can then go for the big deal.
Nice! I expect a lot of rail fans will be sharing it with their kids! It would be cool to see a thread of that. That's the future after all. I agree on Cardiff. Not my cup of tea, but it looks nice for the people who are into the urban network thing. Networks are a great move, but the urban commuter... meh. Pass. But good luck to all those who do buy it!
I will likely buy it for my daughter. I do hope it's a huge success, because this brings revenue, which should hopefully lead to more and better development resource.
I think they're based upon some of the LBSCR 4 wheeled coaches although I could be wrong. The bluebell railways run a vintage 4 wheeled set at the moment which are an interesting but bumpy ride to say the least!
Basis LB&SCR Stroudley coaches Gauge 4'8½" (1,435 mm; standard gauge) Vehicle Rolling stock Type Coaches Wheels 4 each Designer(s) William Stroudley Builder(s) Brighton Works Railway North Western Railway
Wait... the "North Western Railway" link says it's the "main standard gauge railway of Sodor." So does that mean there are OTHER railways? Including narrow gauge?
The Skarloey Railway (abbreviated as SR) is a 2'3" (686mm) narrow gauge railway which runs from the North Western Railway's station at Crovan's Gate to Skarloey. Beyond Skarloey, the line continues to a former slate quarry, now used as ammunition dumps. The Mid Sodor Railway (abbreviated as MSR) was a 2'3" (narrow gauge) railway which operated from 1880 to 1947 and ran for 25 miles. Some 10 miles of the line were later rebuilt in 1966/7 for the 15" gauge Arlesdale Railway.
Miniature engines, who run on the 15"-gauge track, live and work on the railway and their line is mainly used to transport waste materials from several of the abandoned mines at Arlesdale for use as ballast, but it also attracts popularity due to the novelty of being pulled by a 1/3 scale engine. The engines also transport wool for making clothes.
The met sets have bogies! But they are absolutely beautiful what I'd give to get a set of them in game! Saw photos of Beachy Head on the set from the Bluebells Branchline weekend and she looked absolutely beautiful! (Image was from Declan Hargreaves on the unofficial bluebell group! )
What’s the point, as they rarely answer any questions? I suspect as part of the agreement with Mattel any and all publicity has to be micro scrutinised so that not even the slightest slip could demean the product in any way. Also if the gameplay is entirely story based, they can’t show much without massive spoilers.
Yes, but at least a few "calm" questions by people who're looking forward to the addon should have been able to be answered. I had a few ones, too. For example, how many face expressions Thomas and the others will have, if there is a possibility to get Sodor or more characters in the game, how many timetable services there will be for West Somerset, how many power Thomas actually has, How Thomas' eyes actually can be controlled etc. Nothing too hot to demean the product. DTG Jamie
Good point, so DTG will have to stay away from the story and just show off Thomas and Diesel in free roam I am guessing?
I still find the cartoon train in the "real world" environment quite jarring - which is increased further by that cab picture. I'd have gone for either a custom route that matched the animated loco style, or a "real world" Thomas like those seen at preserved railways on their popular Thomas days - which feels like it would have been even more suitable for the WSR route it's being placed in. The way they've done it feels like you need to be a kid to have that wonderful suspension of disbelief that most of us no longer have to match the two disparate styles. Perhaps placing a "real world" Thomas on the WSR when we've spent years asking for real steam locos on there is too much of a kick in the customer balls for even DTG
Agree Pete. An Isle Of Sodor route based on a suitable island and built in the style of the books and show might even have tickled my fancy as something a bit different. Just demonstrates to me the continuing lack of vision or innovation in the project management at DTG/TSW. Do the minimum possible and hope the punters will just open their wallets, like the £30 for the abysmal Cardiff route.
The version of Thomas coming to TSW is from the fully CGI version of the series, produced from 2009 onwards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_&_Friends I'm not going to argue petty semantics on whether you consider a fully CGI series to be a "cartoon", you know exactly what I mean - it's not a real locomotive that's been modified and painted with a moulded plastic face on the front to resemble Thomas, as say the ex-NCB Hunslet at the Mid Hants Railway. The scenery is "real". The loco is "cartoon".
Why can't they just enable devious diesel to work alongside his brothers Class 08s on the following routes TVL WCML Over Shap Huddersfield Line 1983 Blackpool to Ormskirk via Preston routes. At the same time these routes have Daisy the class 101 DMU if made for WSR to work alongside her sisters on this route. The next logical step if they were able to do this is bringing in DB Baureihe 010 Frieda which would mean enabling steam operation inside her former main lines of the West German Deutsche Bundesbahn Bahnstrecke Hagen Finnentrop Siegen RSN Bahnstrecke Venlo Mönchengladbach Wuppertal Hagen Rhein Ruhr Osten Linke Rheinstrecke Bahnstrecke Wiesbaden Frankfurt am Main Fulda which is actually Kinzigtalbahn & S-Bahn Rhein Main Main Spessart Bahn Hauptstrecke München Augsburg. Unless she has an alternate version 18 201 for the former East Germany routes RT DCZ DRA
Not to argue the semantics either, but it isn't a "cartoon" in the game. It's not like the "Toon World" movie. It's a physicalized object. You can call it "goofy looking" or "not realistic as a loco" but it's an object with shadows and physics. It doesn't look like a "cartoon" it looks like the "Thomas" engines that exist in real life that real railroads have made for "Thomas Fun Days" Like this and this and this See my point? You can it "looks funny" all you want, but there are REAL working engines that look like Thomas that have been built and carry passengers on real railroads. Now it's not the WSR technically (that I know of) but just like any substitution in the game, it COULD if someone drove it there. Yes, most of them don't "talk" but you get MY point. It's far from a cartoon. Any more than it'd be "jarring" to see a Class 66 on the WSR.
If you can't see the similarity between a normal TSW loco and a real world loco, verses the photos you posted above of real world Thomases (what's the plural of Thomas? Thomasi? ) vs the TSW version, then I don't know what to tell you. Lucky you? Many of us can, and it's jarring and still seems like an odd choice to go 100% CGI loco and 100% real world route when I would say there were better options to match the two.
Wow, this forum's always been bad about taking things very literally, but lawyer speak's out in full force today... Technically it's a term used for 2D animation, (which in turn could be made more strict depending on what counts as a drawing, but I ain't going there) but that's literally like getting grumpy at people for using the term literally wrong. People have bent and used the term in technically incorrect ways for years to the point the slightly off definitions in use matter just as much as the literal dictionary definition, whether you like it or not. Case and point people use it often when referring to games like the Wind Waker, or Okami, which look a lot like 2D animation, even though those are technically as much a cartoon as the live-action Lion King is. Cartoon at this point is just used to mean "Anything with a deformed look or style", simple as, and that includes CGI animation and video games which really don't qualify under a strict definition.
Why don't they release a kids version of TSW for Thomas & his friends I passing on this one & the new Dutch route. I considering Frankfurt to Fulda as my next route & the Manchester Commuter ( if & when it ever get released ) other than that i only want Cargo line 3 & 4 & the East coast main rail tours ( confirmed for the 3rd April 2025 release date ) & that will be about it for TSW 5
I can't help but think a mirror and a bloody good head wobble is needed for some in here. It's not a sim, people would moan whoever made it, whether it was a whole new team. If you're trawling here daily at some point you'd have seen this is not a sim, this is a separate experience so the moaning is just peculiar. Cant help thinking most people would moan if they got what they asked for at times to make noise Personally I hope it's a tremendous success and I hope it is the dawn of a whole new group of railfans. I went to see him Sunday
My God, are those photos Chieflongshin? The TSW5 version looks a lot better and closer to the original. Reminds me of a Mr Blobby knockoff that turned up when we were on holiday once.
Mattel footed the bill for the narrator. Mattel also was the one who approached DTG for the project, so it kinda fell into their laps. So many assumed DTG have paid a fortune and in fact all they had to do was collect money and give a share of profits to Mattel. And if it generates enough interest Mattel would probably contract DTG to make standalone products, or other addons for TSW. And judging from the amount of people that were watching the Stream and the quality the DLC looked to be. More than the've had for other preview streams lately. It should do just fine.
Incidentally I have a picture of thr reverend Audrey naming it but my phone won't uplosd as too big so it's been in the creators hands so to speak
So, I'm now trying to imagine how a conversation between Flying Scotsman and a Pacer would go. (They are in the background of the first image for those who can't see them).
Pete I definitely wanna see a Adams O2 tank engine or a terrier in TSW but like you said the editor is frustrating such a shame# I drove this for the first time recently loved every minute of it
I do have to say watching the preview definitely hit something in me. Just hearing those sounds and just seeing kind of a new way of seeing TSW has kind of brought me around. Hearing Jamie talk about shunting puzzle type content (always loved that kind of thing) really did kind of interest me in what they can put into the dlc. I feel like this may be something I do invest in. I think the simplified controls are a bit eh and not something I'm a particular fan of but I can understand why they've made those decisions. But I do have to caveat that while it's kind of a fun nostalgia trip for me and I'm sure many others I hope this doesn't detract from the real life content. I do hope that TTTE content doesn't mean we're left with spotty scenery on routes, unfixed bugs and other shortfalls we have seen in recent releases. And it would be nice to get some line from dovetail just reassuring us that these recent issues are being looked at and haven't fallen by the wayside especially with recent releases and a new seemingly standard route price of £30.
was watching a Hentis stream thomas was on HS1 he was struggling up hills kept slowing down very sluggish hentis was holding down R2 to go faster but to no joy got to a flat bit and picked up speed
I was very impressed with the live stream, DTG have worked hard with Mattel to recreate Thomas, they have applied what they have learnt in creating real trains, use some of that knowledge and applied it to Thomas. The result is we get a Thomas and Diesel with outstanding detail and worthy of the Thomas brand, which is important. Now, people will search for a Thomas the tank engine game and now TSW will come up and that will not only bring a young audience, but it will also attract the attention of mum or dad or older sisters or brothers..."Build it and they will come." Once the dust settles, people will realise this is a good thing for the future of TSW as a whole. I drive UK routes, I don't really like US content, but I still want DTG to make US content because I want players who enjoy US content and players in the US to get their chance to enjoy TSW as much as I do and same applies to Thomas. Thomas is going to create some really happy memories for families, mums and dads who already play TSW will now be joined by their sons and daughters wanting to drive Thomas on TSW. And all the bigger kids who are fans of Thomas or someone wants to go back and re-live their childhood, to go back to a time when life was better, simplier or whatever.
Do we have a link to the stream archive? It seems to have been done fairly low key and certainly no forum Q&A for it. Anyhow good luck to those that want to try this. Now must hope DTG will be turning their attention to the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway with a replica of Locomotion and its stock to drive on TVL.
This was the pic I was mentioning where the Reverend was naming Thomas. Thomas may look a bit out of proportion but been blessed by its creator.
l was thinking of doing the same until l watched the stream and thought £20 would normally be wasted on a few drinks, so although l possibly won’t use it a lot £20 is a reasonable price to add to the game and will get this in 30 minutes time.
