Thank you My plan was to build the Hayling branch for TSW, with the obligatory Terriers. I just couldn't get on with the lack of documentation for the editor. I'm very happy to put in the work but it was such an uphill battle to even do the most basic of things I couldn't commit the time to it. But never say never, I might get back to it one day.
lf you are keen to do it, have a chat with Matt at DTG! I am sure you will get every assistance with your project.
Absolutely, the price isn't bad at all. I'm often the same with games. I'd rather get 100. Hours from a game, than a meal. This add on isn't something I'd personally really use, nothing against the little blue chap personally.
l agree. When buying a route, l always think what would it cost me to ride on the real route and the price to pay for a TSW route that you can be the driver, not the passenger, just doesn’t compare.
Likewise it'd be a day one for me as well if you do ever go back to it. Would be good for some more Devs like yourself to get into the TSW side if DTG could find a way of making it slightly more accessible.
Oh, it does. It might be a tad expensive but the whole footplate experience on the IoW steam railway cannot even start to be replicated in a videogame. I even remember briefly driving a class 101 in a maintenance yard as a very small child......again, incomparable to driving a 'pretend' version of the same train up and down TVL.
DTG need to be very careful they don’t just sit on their hands and expect to keep the market share they have. A new sim could come at any time that has more/better accessible features for creating content as well as more premium paid content made at a faster rate.
Well, I said I'd buy it for my daughter, but having seen the stream, as somebody else said, something inside me clicked – hearing the music, seeing the engines... I do wish the characters like the station master would cheer up a bit.
Just looking at the reviews (haven't gotten hands on it yet) is anyone else pleasantly surprised at the sounds? Without having to worry about if they are "accurate" or not (since they're fictional rolling stock), they sound "appropriate" for that older rolling stock in a general sense. They give the right "feel." From flange squeal, to the track gaps, to the brake sounds, diesel grumble, to even the steam "huffing" they seem to me as a casual train fan to just seem decent. Sounds are so important in a video game. They give you a lot of the "feel" that you'd normally get from other senses. It actually feels like they're actual, heavy trains on the rails and not just fluffy cartoon characters or mock ups. I was frankly expecting them to be a lot quieter and "glide" more in a childish sort of way with simpler physics. The throttle and such yes, it's very simplified but the physics, sounds, etc.... I'm kind of impressed. It's definitely what it's supposed to be on the tin.... a train sim DLC for kids.
I have to say, I warmed to this a bit looking at the stream. Not enough to buy it full price, but if there's a sale later in the year I might get it as a fun festive-y thing - or if not reduced but they pledge x% of the proceeds to, say, Special Effect as one of their periodic fundraisers.
l shouldn’t have said l would get this in 30 minutes!! It took ages to appear in the Microsoft Store! It’s always a nightmare finding new TSW5 releases.
Just watched the Thomas stream from yesterday... What can I say ? This little guy has caused a lot of emotional responses on here recently which have often been humorous to witness but seeing the final product rolled out will probably put an end to the surprising level of acrimony generated and we should be thankful for that. So what do I think? Firstly I must comment on the obvious missed opportunity by DTG to represent an incomparably superior competitor small steam engine based in Wales [] but it is what it is and I may be a bit biased. As for our boyo Thomas, I found him to be really cute and sweet. Little touches like the moving eyes and facial expressions as well as emotive sound effects just made it all work as a package. The team that worked on this project should feel proud to have delivered what we watched on the stream and I hope they get a good return for the investment of their time and resources. At the risk of rude replies to this post, I am just saying what I feel. The little guy brought a genuine smile to my face which is something I was not expecting. Saying that it wasn't a big enough smile to prise open my wallet but I am sure there are many others who will be enamoured enough to buy and enjoy this product especially if their kids get involved. Perhaps the only thing left unanswered for me is why on Earth does his speedo go up to 125mph? Is there a plan to release a DLC that allows the attachment of solid rocket boosters to the sides of Thomas?
Ok, gave it a go. One suggestion I'd make is to have an animated throttle bar or some indicator to see where the throttle is at. As it is, it's kind of just guesswork. Thomas will slow down slowly over time through (track friction modeled?) Again, a bit surprised by the detail. Even the texturing isn't bad, although there are some weird artifacts, like if you look out the side window while moving. It's not there when on the outside looking in, but it is on the inside looking out. Kinda weird. Doubt most kids will notice though.
I'm curious, is the Thomas DLC exempt from the Game Pass 10% discount, maybe because of it being a licensed product? Would be good to know if possible DTG Alex / DTG JD, because if so, I can just grab it rather than waiting on a discount that may never come. EDIT: Discount went live just after 14:00, let's goooooo!!!
Microsoft like to wait a day before adding the discount, they like to squeeze that extra bit of money out of those desperate to play day one.
Not having a reverser kinda throws me off on keyboard controls The new menu mode for the Thomas journey is nice. Though the theme song repeats wayyyy tooo quickly. Maybe DTG kindly ask Mattel if they can use the full version of the song. Its a couple of minutes long Also having some of the other music in-game would be a nice touch. I haven't played all the scenarios yet though
I did decide to purchase this just because it did get to my nostalgia and will post feedback accordingly. Although I only paid £10 for it due to a gift card I had left over. So I managed to break Diesel attempting to reload a save as he turned completely invisible, unsure of how they managed to not test the save game? But none the less I completed the scenario and made some memes to accompany the situation!
Clearly DTG targeted the right audience with this DLC (contrary to the claim of a closed thread over there), because I bought it for my 5-year-old and she loves it. It helps she's able to control it herself. So, job well done, DTG. We also went to a Thomas birthday celebration at Statfold today, which was a surprise for her. Again, the right choice made; she loved it (hey, so did I).
So, your daughter can now play TSW with daddy, which means she can have fun with dad and you can build some happy childhood memories for her and the DLC is worth every penny and more.
Exactly, this DLC has created a stepping stone for kids to come onboard TSW and play with mum and dad. Hopefully DTG do some more bolt ons to this, expand the DLC.
My 7 year old had largely grown out of Thomas (but still loves trains and is decent at TSW) but we got this and he loves it. My two year old daughter is too young to play but gets excited when she sees who’s on the screen. Overall it’s a really nice and fun piece of DLC.
My kids are only interested in planes nowadays but I'm certainly enjoying this dlc. Thomas and diesel have been working hard on peak forest.
Some of this feedback is lovely. Thanks for sharing. I'm glad you've been able to make some memories with your families (and, by yourself!)
I couldn't pick this up until yesterday (with yesterday being payday and all), and I have to say I absolutely love it. As someone who's purposely avoided steam on TSW due to finding steamers too complicated, I love that this has a very simplified control scheme. I know some people have been annoyed about the control scheme, so perhaps adding the classic steam controls as an option would make those people happy? But, for me this DLC is absolutely spot on, from the looks to the sounds and even getting in the actual Thomas narrator. The only way that could have been improved would have been if Ringo Starr was available, as I'm a child of the 80s lol. Any chance of some new engines from the Thomas and Friends lineup in the future? I'd be all over that.
We can definitely hope. This could be a goldmine for TSW because let's be honest, most train enthusiasts love Thomas and Friends!
While i still have my doubts if something like Thomas should have been brought to the game, I do love the stories some of the guys shared about playing with the little ones and having a great time. Since Thomas is out, why not bring the Island of Sodor with all the engines to the game. That way everyone has a living Thomas ecosistem to have fun in, while exploring the beauty of Sodor, an unique route. You can put all kind of scenarios but also a full timetable maybe with some random twists? That way Thomas will become a fully fledged add-on, and people can create there own stories each day while doing tasks in the timetable Just an idea.
