Who is actually satisfied with TSW5. Overall it ok but it can do better. Wanting more freedom in the simulator. Like taking any train on any route using time table services. Make it more unlimitless for everyone can enjoy. Besides scenario planner it not bad as well. But kinda feel even that is limited some how. When I’m in scenario planner it seem I can’t go end to end like some of the station doesn’t exists. So I given up on that to. Well maybe if there is TSW6 let hope there is more freedom to do what you want what ever you want with out some sort of limit. But enjoy to drive any train you wish on time table. So what are your thoughts are you satisfied. To add specially if you have full collection. Of loco and route. I’ll give TSW5 8/10 they have potential. They are gaining momentum as well. Still in nice standing. Overall bugs crashes that doesn’t bother me. Nothing perfect in the world. You’re gonna get some damages. I am looking for more freedom to do what you want with your collections.
I would perhaps think that may be heavily based on whether it’s console vs pc. I have taken full advantage of the mods and really enjoy TSW. But I strongly suspect that may well be to due to the phenomenal work all the folks do on making mods that really enhance the overall gaming immersion and experience. That’s not to say TSW is without it’s issues but I’d give it a solid 8/10
It is what it is. It's the best out there at it's specific combination of features. You can always say something could be "better" but that's true with everything and it breaks down when people are asked what to change and how. Lots of different opinions, not everyone can be happy, and many demanding change don't have the hardware to support what they want. I'd prefer more bug fixes and curation on the older routes, but that's just not their business model. Customers by and large seem to accept that too, like just accepting that the cheap Chinese knock off you bought for half price is worth just tossing out if it breaks vs fixing it. You can keep telling a company "make higher quality" but if the lower quality stuff sells.... *shrugs* As I said, it is what it is. I continue to enjoy playing it, and that's all that matters really. If I didn't enjoy it enough, it'd be collecting digital dust with a lot of my Steam game collection. 9/10 maybe? Loses a point for routes and loco bugs (those now uncompleteable scenarios for example) and loses a point for lost opportunity by teasing with so much more content like unfinished sidings and track that exists but isn't used. Freight that doesn't use sidings, etc. Those would put it at 9/10. But if people keep buying and playing it even as a 7/10, then that's good enough. The bugs and omissions are "irritating" but don't make it "unplayable" by any means. Just learn to accept or work around them. I'm not gonna bash my head against the wall worrying about it. It doesn't have a many direct competitors. DIFFERENT games, but not direct competition. Lots of AI traffic and huge maps on Run 8 for example, but graphics are terrible by comparison and there's no real passenger, just freight. On the other hand, Derail Valley has really nice graphics and physics with a dynamic economy, but zero AI trains (which is kinda good given the map size), no passengers, limited locos, etc. Nothing is comparable to DTG's TSW (and TSC) offering all of it's features including timetables and wide variety of rolling stock from so many countries. (And no, Simrail offering a small selection of limited things from a tiny region of one country is not comparable at all) Overall, TSW is as reliable as my old 2012 Ford that has it's mechanical quirks, but is more or less reliable.
I think the current iteration of TSW is fantastic - and that is said as a console user (PS5). I did, however, play TSC from the very start so it is a little frustrating to endure the limitations of TSW. I do expect TSW6 to have a much improved scenario planner, but accept moving back across to PC is the only real way to fully experience TSW.
That sums me up 100%. I play with baseline set of mods such as JetWash's enhancements and the various route packs, without which the game would be a lot poorer for me.
At the end of the day If the game wasn't satisfying then it wouldn't be using up space on my pc. Although it's one of those games you have to be in the right mood for, when I'm in the right mood I'll spend several hours playing it. Out of all the train simulation games I have, the only one I spend more time on than tsw is TSC. And to be honest most of the time spent on TSC is editing.
I don't find TSW5 very satisfying at all and rarely play it due to it crashing at some point and I like to edit my routes with a lot more detail to make them more realistic. I spend most of my time on TRS22 these days and occasionally TSC due to their great editors and being more stable on my system.
I’ve said before when TSW does things well, it really shines. However the current situation seems it has got a bit big for its boots and the people running the project have become over ambitious with what it can deliver. It is also starting to get rather expensive. The neglect of and failure to build on older existing content is also annoying. At present I would rate it 6.5/10. Good but could and must do far better.
My satisfaction with TSW got worse and worse over the years while playing on my Xbox Series X console. It started with TSW4 and missing mountains on Vorarlberg. The final nail in the coffin for TSW on console came with all the blurry mess we got broadly introduced in TSW 5 on some more demanding routes. And lets not forget the Mittenwald Scenery Desaster for Xbox on release, until it got improved after lots of complaints. The reality now on Console is : Pick your Poison ! - Either stripped down timetables or - blurred graphics and crashes. In case of Frankfurt S-Bahn You dont even have the choice anymore .. DTG picked it for You. Now after the move over to PC Gamepass my satisfaction with TSW 5 rised again significantly.
I like Preston Carlisle and the Dutch route but that's about it. Honorable mention to Mittenwald because it's a really well made route but I just don't enjoy driving the included stock on it. Been waiting ages for GWE Remaster and the Koln Aachen timetable on console but both seem to be out of reach for a while. Core issues aside I think i've spent way less on content this year compared to previous games mainly due to lack of interest or in the case of Cardiff lack of polish and scope.
Bit underwhelming for me. Constant crashes, takes an age load up, the 2D map is faulty, The passenger system is kaput, blurry textures, FPS can be dreadful at times. For UK DLCs the effort by DTG has been lacklustre and are now reliant on Rivet which is never a good thing. However for the stuff that works it's pretty good, Fast Travel for the most part works, Just Trains and Skyhook have worked wonders with their DLCs, Johannes has been outstanding with his North London Line DLC and a free extension is a great touch. But on the whole.... underwhelming, it's the first game where DTG have made it clear they are chasing the money. So yeah, for me underwhelming. This is on PS5.
I used to be. Knowing I've been incredibly critical of TSW and DTG recently. I still can't deny that TSW does alot of things incredibly well that I haven't been able to find on my recent purchase of TSC, understandably so. What I know now about the alternative rail sim options that PC has, and having experienced those. I can say that TSW, still is somewhere near the top of my list. Graphics. The graphics of this game are and have been always impressive, no doubt to the usage of the Unreal Engine. Even back on my console, from Xbox One S to Series X, it is incredibly stunning to look at. It is at times despite the frustrations of the game, that when the sun is setting and you're playing on something like Tharandter Rampe, that this game really hits well. Ease of use Getting into TSW was never a hassle, no annoying control schemes, no lack of support for gamepads and still maintaining most of what you need for more advanced functions. Something that the game does so right, and therefore makes it relaxing to drive. More recently, due to need assistance options, it's much easier to learn something like PZB than it has been before, as in having to watch vague youtube tutorials and flip through the PDF manual a bunch. Freemode This feature, by far is my favorite as it's allowed me to run whatever I want, wherever I want with the timetable without the hassle of having to create a new scenario. It's something that I've regularly used before I left and I still very much crave for something like TSC due to the fact, that while quick drive exists, you have no control over through where it routes you. For example, Leipzig - Dresden routing me over the slower commuter route instead of the faster route. As much as I like the creativity of scenario creator, it's just a whole bunch of extra time I'd rather not have to use. Platform Accessibility TSW has always been very much the first to bring a Train Simulator of its kind, onto consoles. The primary reason, why I got back into rail Simming, was the day I saw TSW2020 on storefronts for Xbox. It genuinely blew my mind that a studio would do something like that. None of this, of course negatesthe current mounting amount of issues that are just piling up in the corner. But it's something I keep in mind for whenever this game is finally improved enough. 6/10.
4/10 on console. PC is no alternative for me. I want to use my gaming machine like a car. I want to press the starter button every time and it runs for years without tuning and upgrading it the whole time. Another thing is the missing of the fast moving external camera on consoles by using a controller. We had that feature in TSW, TSW 2 and TSW 3. Then DTG took away that feature with TSW4 and TSW5. I don't think it is rocket science to make that feature possible again.
It remains one of my top played games. I always end up coming back to it, so they must be doing something right. It doesn't get a 10, because nothing is ever perfect. I'll give it an 8/10.
Prior to the blurry textures 8/10 but with them probably an 6.5/10 currently. I do have faith it will be fixed but I don't expect it anytime soon, and expect more cuts to gen9 content. I'll be real upset if they have to cut the 350 and 390 on the ATS route. But looking at my stats I'm up to 197d 21h 05m with the entire TSW franchise. So I may have a problem quitting.
I started rail simming in Railworks back in the day- missed the whole MSTS thing despite a friend badgering me to try it. I've got a stupid number of hours in the franchise-- the precursor to TSW in particular. I've enjoyed the TSW experience from it's beginning, some iterations more than others. TSW5 is good- I'm really liking the latest couple of dlc, Spoorlign-Grolle, and Frankfurt S-Bahn. Quite satisfied at the moment.
Haven't touched it since March and barely over 30hrs involved, so my satisfaction with it is decently down. Though as a whole I'm just not interested in Train Sims atm (TSC was last touched in February)
It works no doubt, but for the money I’ve put into it I don’t expect crashing and blurry textures to persist for nearly a year
I do find it remarkable the ‘stuttering’ is ever present. This issue was raised when Microsoft Train Simulator was released over 20 years ago
I don't expect cuts in timetables on gen9 for the next view years. Otherwise console players will kept their wallets closer than before. DTG should prioritize at the core of the game, the train simulation. Watch at London Commuter it is much more crowded the Frankfurt SBahn. Especially at Clapham junction there is a Commuter train each minute at minimum. You have freight there too and it runs on Gen9. Matt self said, that there are a lot of things to reduce memory consumption massively.
Thing is, its not how many trains are on the map that is the issue, its how many types of trains that are loaded in. The area around Frankfurt is a monster on resources, Brighton Mainline has nothing anywhere near as complex track wise. Then you have the stock running on the routes, BML is mostly Electrostars which are plain, basic trains. Meanwhile in Frankfurt, you have various types of ICEs running, which count as multiple vehicles as each coach is unique, then you throw in all the IC, S-Bahn, Regional and Freight layers then yeah, it's going to get heavier on the hardware. Another thing to note is that BML's stock is from TSW2, older stock tends to be lighter on resources when compared to more recent, more feature-rich rolling stock.
Exactly that is the point, the newer stuff needs much more memory compared with the additional value of the stuff. The problem is the combination of always new not really important things, that cost a lot of memory with not not proper data consumption optimization. We had that years ago already. When SPG came out on TSW2 freight trains had 50 freight cars on Ge8. 2 years later at Cajon Pass they had around 40 only. And probably if we will get ever an american freight route in the near future, perhaps Gen 9 will have 50 freight cars trains. Instead of the 100 we got at Sherman Hill 4 years ago.
Frankfurt also has those miles and miles of overhead catenary above pretty much all the track to draw, compared to a diesel or third rail route.
3rd Rail on the other side has more rails, the electric rails. And London Commuter had 40 percent more timetable stuff and that 4 years ago.
Tend not to play too much these days tbh, lost a bit of interest. Feels it’d becoming less of what appealed in the first place. It hasn’t improved as a sim since TSW2 in my eyes, despite some gems mostly down to Just Trains, rather than DTG. Repeated issues with new routes, unfinished or lacking care, rarely revisited to fix. As minimal timetable as they can get away with, increased unbranded stock, random end points, terrible passenger system. Very meh for me at the moment.
(PS5) Haven't touched TSW for a long time but started playing again as i just wanted a bit of train siming. I don't want to be overly dramatic but i thinks its in shocking condition. I cant even play a full service in Kassel-Würzburg without getting Game crashes. I played a lot of Farming Sim and haven't encountered a single Game Crash in many hundreds of hours, it is as an example much more refined. Half baked features, unbelievable inconstancy between routes and rolling stock, unrelatable decision making (passenger spawning points right on the platform next to your train f.e.) absolutely annoying sound problems, NPC that belong into a Zombie apocalypse game, and a severe lack of creativity. Also, i dont know since when but the game was severely limited in terms of the free roam features. One day i wanted to take advantage of all the different rolling stock in my collection and created and small regio-typed freight train with a DB 143. First of all, we still cannot choose between empty and loaded wagons and i don't get why this wasn't added from the initial release, it makes absolutely no sense to me to miss a fundamental part like this. Anyway, i created a nice train with various freight wagons from my collection. It looked niced and added a bit of variety, isn't this feature all about this in the end ? But NO. Cannot spawn, memory lock. On DRA. Heck i cannot even spawn a 642 or a 628 there ? What's the point of having the option to spawn trains freely, when they are locked anyway from the get go? Im often thinking back to the early times when i played Ruhr Sieg Nord so often and was eagerly awaiting what cool trains and routes may come to the game, that feeling is long gone as im just sitting there hoping that with every hitching the game wont crash and i might finish my service. It has become way to frustrating and actually unbelievable too see what they still trying to sell to people, years have gone with empty promises. Needless to say that im not planning to buy any more content for the time being, as im actually planning to reinstall the prior version of TSW4 in hope to get at least a bit more stable experience.
I've been playing since the original TSW. It's gotten consistently better over the years so yes I'm satisfied. I was satisfied with the original too when it released. My favorite improvement recently is the new physics. I'm happy they're looking into memory and performance. I'm also glad they SEEM to be moving away from the older consoles. I emphasize the word seem. Yes I'm on PC but I don't think PC is the end all be all of gaming. The amount of simulation titles on console these days is really awesome. Simulation used to be a PC only type of thing. That said, technology moves ahead and at some point the onus falls to the end user to upgrade. I'm currently looking at a PC upgrade so lots of overtime shifts to be worked in the coming months. I am very happy to be one of TSW's passengers. I've always preferred the journey over the destination anyway .
After my experiences with FSN the last couple of evenings, I’ve revised my overall satisfaction rating down from 6.5/10 to 5.5/10. Just isn’t fun, not knowing whether or not you can complete a run due to AI train/signalling snarl up then going to the 2D map to sort out the tangle crashes the game. Really, really wish I hadn’t spent £30 on it, though I still have the quiet satisfaction of saving myself £60 by not buying Ludwigsbahn or Cardiff. I know there’s numerous threads saying similar things at present but DTG really need to buckle up and sort this out as even the loyal supporters will decide to cut their losses and uninstall the whole thing. In contrast, even though I ended up sinking into the ice on Kola Peninsula, after the latest CTD on TSW found myself back in Snowrunner. Big grin on my face, beautiful graphics, running smooth as a button in 1440p, bloody marvellous 9.5/10 extremely satisfied. In fact it’s only my current PC hardware that’s stopping me buying Saber’s new Roadcraft as, despite the slight dumbing down from Snowrunner, looks like another 9.5/10 gaming experience.
I am a PS5 player on TSW5, and have played since TSW2020. I am actually enjoying TSW5 and have already played it more than the entire year of TSW4, this is probably due to the fact I have more routes which I enjoy now. The WCML South launch was very disappointing though with the lack of AI, and thankfully they have improved it. Though my favourite route is Just Trains Preston-Carlisle route. The German (Frankfurt-Fulda) route is okay but I do not really play it that much. I have had problems with crashing though, seems to be more on the WCML South route, which is frustrating. I now have the Dutch route and am enjoying this. Overall my rating is 7/10.
Gotta admit my satisfaction recently went down. Bought myself a new gaming PC, yet I'm still getting stutters in TSW. Any other game ran totally fine on my old PC, yet TSW even struggles on my new PC. I have no other expanation than TSW being very badly optimized. Even when running TSW on lowest graphics settings, it still stutters. And it's the only game that performs badly on both my new and my old PC.
This. I know my potato PC has been scoffed at and I will be doing something about it later this year. However that will be more to run new titles like Roadcraft which specify a 6Gb GPU rather than any expectation TSW will perform any better.
Bored, timetable mode is great, but once the same services have been played then it starts getting very samey. JTs releases have brought some old school BR feel but for me it's not enough. The pace of releases and lack of older content (with the excuse book coming out every time) mean for me it's hit a dead end again. We have a good over Shap route on TSC and have class 85s and 25s. One loco and route a year isn't keeping the interest going. The stuttering and other bugs don't help and even the modern stuff isn't great. The Cardiff route with it's poor rendition of the main station and truncated services is just another turn off. Uninstalled.
Gonna agree with most of what's been said already. In its current state, I'd give TSW a 7/10. It's not a bad game, not at all... if it were, I wouldn't be playing it and I sure wouldn't get so invested in it. But there's so much room for improvement! My main issue at this point is the very obvious lack of good quality control in the recent months/years. New routes these days are usually riddled with problems, many of them so obvious that they SHOULD have been caught in testing before release. I've had many more signalling issues on routes like Ludwigsbahn, Frankfurt-Fulda and also Mittenwaldbahn than on older ones like Tharandter Rampe or Bremen-Oldenburg. Passenger behaviour also seems to have gotten more attention in older routes than the more recent ones. And then there's this annoying behaviour of pretty much abandoning newly released routes in terms of support. This reeks of cash-grabbing, once the route is released, patches for it won't generate any more money (or so "they" think). I think the game itself still is in a pretty good spot. We've got a good range of routes, many rolling stock to choose from (although variety could be greater, at least for German content). But right now, the developers should seriously consider stepping back a little and consolidating the game, instead of just haphazaradly slapping new content on top. Try to stabilise the game core, fix years-old old bugs, freshen up older routes and older rolling stock, keep it relevant! Games like TSC have shown how much mileage one can get out of a game, if done well. Players in 2030 should still think "I wanna get a rail sim, and TSW is my best option". And players in 2030 should also think "I'm gonna buy this Ruhr-Sieg-Nord DLC, that looks fun and up to date" Phew, I hope that wasn't too preachy.
It's only the thought of how much money I've spent that is really keeping it installed, including the latest Frankfurt escapade. Then again could say that about TSC which collectively I've probably spent more on it. Well that and the JT Class 86 pack, when it eventually appears. However as you say, even then the driving experience is going to be broadly similar to what we already have with the 87 plus more varied consists.
Have spent a fair bit myself, end result is it's just not entertaining any more. Waiting months or years for DLC I may want just doesn't seem worth the hundreds of GB space it takes up for a rigid driving experience. Quick drive in a heavily modded TSC install does it for me.
I would rate my satisfaction with TSW at 4.5/10, mainly because of the absence of steam, older diesel traction and US freight, but also due to the decline in variety of routes, the inconsistent quality and the seeming complacency evidenced by the continued presence of ancient bugs and the failure to advance the game in key areas like route length and networking. There are some bright spots like LIRR and the current SBahn, but the long trail of mundane bus stop routes has dominated since Rush Hour ( when I gave the game 8/10.) And JT has brought a slice of quality, but that's only an annual event. Overall I just don't see where the game is headed. If the fall brings the same uninspiring routes and gimmicky " new features " as 5 did last year, my satisfaction score may dip even lower.
Mundane seems to sell, where TSW comes alive is the community timetables and content. TSW appears to be heading in a formulaic direction. It's hard to develop for and low hanging fruit is the order of the day.
That's why I think DTG should best focus on keeping the core game as stable as possible, and make it much more accessible for 3rd party programmers, who in turn supply the game with routes and vehicles. Most 3rd parties tend to pour more of their hearts' blood into those projects than DTG currently does.
I’m fine with it so far but because two gaming laptops have had to be cobbled together into one I do now have 64gb of RAM. Also the new one is pretty high spec. TBH that has made all the difference and nothing seems to hold up proceedings now. I’m loving the heavy traffic timetables!
Since getting into this hobby back in March this year I'm up and down to be honest and really depends on what Modded TTs are available that include custom repaints/trains and more service variation even on the Linear routes to whether I'm invested or not.. Im not big on the US, and enjoy UK + Germany the most, while I prefer railways of today not yesteryear My main gripe though is how linear basically all routes are with no branch lines added to offer variety.. some might only be a few km long and are still left off, that's quite frustrating.. would like to see more branches/lines in differing directions, similar to S-bahn Frankfurt going forward. While some of the HS routes feel too short to actually enjoy them as its over to quickly Because of this majority of the DLCs get boring fast, and thankfully I got them on sale, especially those I only wanted to improve layers for others. While the scenery is Meh in areas, especially landclass and waterways and feel they could clean this up better using more brushed sat imagery and autogen rather then trying to make roads etc with 3d models that take up memory Like most The continual use of the same rolling stock/Operators can be a bore but understand that licensing issues are the main reason for this From my limited experience, TSW for me only gets a 5/10...moves to a 7/10 with mods!
With tsw4 I was very satisfied with the game and was always looking forward to new releases. But since the release of tsw5 it has been a slew of disappointments and frustrations to the point that the game feels like work to play. It simply isn't fun troubleshooting the myriad of issues, the long load times, blurry textures, broken scenarios, empty timetable, frequent crashes. The game is no longer fun and until it is fixed it will continue not to be. I've been playing roadcraft and enjoying the heck out of that massive game that only cost me 34.99 nearly the price of a broken route. I wish a developer like sabre could get their hands on the IP to be brutally honest.
True, but look at where those routes are set and how many trains there are, not just how many cars. If it's just you in the desert with 50 cars that's a lot different than you pulling 5 coaches (with fully detailed 100-seats and animated NPCs inside) vs empty boxes on wheels for freight cars....and you're now running next to 10 other trains in the same basic area while the game now "tracks" all those other trains more closely for map purposes more than ever before. People don't think about it, but those NPCs are fully modeled even when sitting down in a seat, so it's like pulling a "village" of people around in every commuter train. Other games get laggy even with more than 30-40 NPCs in a "town" in an RPG. A single EMU can have that many every time. Yet that's what the player community wanted... fuller trains, with fully articulated NPCs, with more and more trains on the tracks. You get what you ask for sometimes, like the "Monkey Claw" wish =-)
There's issues, sure. It's not the perfect game. Glitches and graphical hitches and the ability of the stutter to arrive just because it wants to play the 'objective complete' sound. The routes I've looked forward to most have been the most disappointing, particularly Cardiff. But I'm still back on most nights, blatting around in some timetable mode or other, whether it be Brighton or Preston or Frankfurt or Koln. It reminds me of Football Manager in that every year (until this one) we all moan about the cost and the lack of changes, then promptly sink a thousand hours in for the cost of thirty quid. Routes are expensive, but of course they are, they cost money to make. Maybe they could be better. But I'm still getting enjoyment out of the product, far more than I would for the equivalent spend on just about anything else. 7.5/10
