Route Cardiff City Network - Feedback Thread

Not seen any updates stated in any of the recent game update notes.....

Has the "Bay Blockage" scenario been fixed by DTG yet .?

 

No.,I got stuck on it yesterday evening

 

I tried it once, a few weeks ago, and I completed it without problems. One thing: when prompted to contact the signaller, that objective completed the first time I contacted, but I didn't get the 'proceed at restricted speed' message at first. The second time I contacted, I did. Maybe that is a factor. PS5.

 

I caved and bought this in the sale, though 25% off wasn’t my original target though probably what the package should be pitched at for full price.

Initial impressions after the inevitable twice around the pointless Training Centre and a couple of Journey runs. Not as bad as I thought it would be. I mean yes the overall route is tiny so 3/10 for realisation of the concept. If DTG/Rivet didn’t have the resources to do a full Valleys network or the savvy to do at least one of the full length runs north of Cardiff, as a bare minimum it should have gone to Barry Island and at the top end Caerphilly (or Ystrad Mynach) and Pontypridd.

However viewed from the cab the route doesn’t look too bad and rounding the corner past Canton into Central then on up to Queen Street the cityscape was quite satisfying. The Coryton branch is actually quite a bit of fun with the gradient changes at Heath Jn keeping you on your toes. Of course in the back of the mind is the shortcuts taken to make Cardiff Central, so overall quality of the route (what there is of it) 7/10.

On to the trains. Well without a doubt the 153 is the star of the show. Like SHG’s 158, I could spend a lot of time driving this. Seem to have hit the sweet spot with sounds and physics, very very nice. My only caveat is that it needs somewhere to stretch its legs properly, pretty much wasted on this short low speed route. Going with 9/10. And the 150. Oh dear. Still pretty much the same scorned version from WCL with a bit of a makeover. The physics may have been tweaked but the sounds disappoint. Almost sound like they were lifted from the JT 142 and not at all 150 like, to me anyway. Given the 150 and 153 use identical engines and transmissions, they should - as noted at the time - have used the newly acquired 153 sounds as an alias for the 150. Well I’m going to persevere with it and see if I can find it in my heart to love it a bit more but at the moment can’t offer more than 5/10 (as in fairness the 3D modelling, cabs and paint jobs are nice).

Playability… well yes it is pretty much a bus service but at least it’s a diesel one and in the 153 the tightly timed runs between stations will have you thrashing the guts out of the thing. The saving grace is the permutation of different runs on offer, unlike Glossop, Goblin or other similar routes with linear all stations A to B. It will be a good route to drop into if you just want a quick 20 or 30 minute blast. For those of us who attempt the monthly mastery a good one to grab passenger stops and XP and plenty of short runs to do a Conductor mode service too. So “legs” I would go 7/10.

Overall score then 31/50 or 62%. I certainly wouldn’t have paid full price for it and couldn’t recommend it at any more than I paid (25% off), but that said I’m not reaching for the refund button either as there is fun to be had. This also a route which would benefit from DTG getting off their behinds and sorting out the chained run save game issues as ideal for spending an extended period of time working and travelling on multiple consecutive services. It would also be great if DTG commissioned Rivet to do a follow up 2.0 version which gave us Barry Island and at least one of the full north Valley runs with a substantial portion of the rest too.

 

I, like OldVern decided to buy while it was 25% off but I've had nothing but issues with it. Guard mode doesn't seem to work at all for me, it get's stuck on the objectives normally on 'wait or check tickets', it doesn't register the station stop so it never moves onto the 'unlock doors' task.
I've had this happen now on multiple tasks and it's stupidly annoying and makes the guard mode completely useless in my experience.
On the Bay Shuttles you can't even be a conductor if you wanted to because the game doesn't let you.

The normal driver mode is alright I guess but nowhere near long enough to 'stretch your legs' so to speak and certainly feels like far more could/should be done with it to give it a bit more life and make you feel like you are going somewhere. Even just to Barry, Pontypridd or Caerphilly.

AI trains appear far too early and end up sitting around for 4 minutes at Cogan or Radyr etc between arriving and 'service starting', this is just daft and should be reduced.

Timetable is a mess and trains are platformed regularly into the wrong platform or at least not the correct half of the platform (Treherbert reversal services use only half of platform 7 and don't go into the full platform. very few valleys services should be using platform 4).


It just screams of just yet another rushed DLC thanks to lack of accountability in DTG offices. I urge anyone to not make the mistake that I did and buy it.

 

That’s a pity re Conductor mode, will have to give it a quick try myself later to test.

 

One more incidental thing to mention. During the route introduction I was very surprised no mention was made of the fact the 153's were created by splitting the original 35 2 car Class 155's that were allocated to Western Provincial sector of Regional Railway/BR for longer distance "Express" services. As some of us recall the 155's had a rather chequered and ignominious career before being displaced by the 158's which released them for conversion, but it ought to be in the route briefing as part of the fleet history.

 

After a bit more play yesterday evening. Yes, the 150 definitely sounds more like the Cummins engine 142 from BPO etc. Not like it should with a throaty roar. Also no brake rub sounds evident when slowing down - the 150/2’s are all fitted with tread/clasp brakes.

And as Mark mentioned above, the short runs start to irk after a while. Journey mode produced a Cardiff to Radyr run and it’s over in less than 15 minutes. I posted separately in the Troubleshooting forum about issues trying to chain services, even without the save game complications. So the whole point of a network where you can jump off one train or turnaround and work another is rendered moot when the core game doesn’t properly support this and DTG CBA to get off their posteriors and sort it out.

 

The 150 was supposed to have had an update to its sounds a few weeks ago.....shocker it's been delayed.

 

Well any lingering thoughts about buying this route for a paltry 25% off have been extinguished by what I'm reading in this thread today, especially when you look at other, more generous discounts in the sale.

I think I'll pick up Bremen- Oldenburg and add the 425 to my collection. At half price and $20 it's a much better bargain. Plus it adds some content to Frankfurt S Bahn which I'm playing a lot these days.

( Sorry, bit OT I know. )

 

Was never delayed mate. Alex said it’s expected to come around the first week of July as he stated in the roadmap stream.

 

I’m sorry but the CCN 150 and BB class 142 Cummins sound nothing a like. I’ve driven both units many times over and over again and I just don’t understand how you have come to that conclusion lol.

The 142 is spot on with its sounds as I’ve been on many. As for the 150, the overall sounds aren’t terrible either, it’s just how they have been implemented which is where it went wrong. The CCN 150 has been improved a lot since WCL, not perfect but definitely better.

 

You are of course entitled to your opinion but that's exactly how the 150 came across to me. Obviously an element of perception there but having travelled on real Class 150's many times, however Rivet acquired and mixed the sounds it's nothing like the real thing. About the only thing they did improve over the WCL version is the pitch cues including the initial rev up and the transition into final drive.

 

It was delayed. It was supposed to have been released in an update several weeks and was even mentioned as such in the initial release article.

When players mentioned the sounds were the same the DTG staff said the sounds were never meant to be released then as they had been delayed

 

Mate, I spoke to Alex on the forums regarding the sounds and he told me that it was always bound for July. What you are referring to is the patch notes from may which at first mentioned them but got removed as DTG Harry told us that they were still WIP.

Was never delayed, just wrong information in the article that was not supposed to be included, as DTG Harry stated to people a few weeks back!

 

Of course! As someone who works at A OSD (Outstation Depot), I can assure you the 150’s aren’t even far off. We get them every night along with 156’s and 195’s and hearing them 24/7, they do share sound similarities with the in game one. (Even when I walk home, their idles ring and live in my ear hahahah)!

as for the your thoughts about the 142 sounding the same as the 150/2 (made me giggle, can not lie ) they do both share Cummins engine which is Correct but not the same exact engines.

The 142 has a Cummins LTA10-R engine (230HP) which is a truck based engine being light due to the weight of a 142 whilst the 150/2 (and /1) share a Cummins NT855-R5 engine (285HP) which is a more, groggy, powerful engine. (My personal favourite type of engine). So although from a similar heritage/Family, 2 distinct types of engines.

 

Well hopefully the sound changes will make things a little more to my liking. My abiding memory of Class 150’s is a harsh gravelly roar even in the passenger saloon area. They were very rough on the ears, compared to the AEC and BUT/Leyland heritage DMU’s they replaced.

Anyhow I regret to say that yesterday evening I took the decision to refund CCN at the 11th hour. Not so much for the shortness and (perceived) quality issues, but because a route that could nevertheless still be quite fun with chaining cannot even do that due to the broken core. Small network routes are pointless if you can’t change ends or jump across to another service and keep going, even without having saved the game in the process. Maybe I’ll pick it up again with more of a discount and/or when DTG pull their thumbs out and actually fix the “World” part of TSW so it works properly.

 

Yeah the ones at my depot, get thrashed every night. Always turning on and off, performing engine tests on them, having them in Notch 7, they are loud beast and I agree with you regarding the harsh roar they have, because they do have that roar to them.

Even I said in the feedback thread when CCN first released is that the 150/2 and 153 needs more roar/oomff to them when departing in Notch 3-4 as that’s how drivers start when they move. I do still enjoy the 150/2, much enjoyable for me to play compared to the WCL one which was just a complete disaster.

I hope you do come back to CCN one day when it’s better because I agree it’s a route that has lots of potential, but with the state of the core, it’s understandable it’s not easy to play. I’m on Series X and even I get stutter/ Low FPS issues on the route lol!

 

I will probably come back to it when there is a more generous discount and/or DTG sort out the core issues with service chaining.

 

OldVern What issue with service chaining? Is this the one whereby if you finish a service, walk over to another train, and then drive the route the timetable won't show your stops etc.? If so, glad it's not just me (thought I was doing something wrong)!

 

That happens to me as well on xbox x

 

Yes. There was the pre existing issue of chaining after loading a saved run losing objective data but it appears the process is still partially broken even if you continue playing within the same session.

 

I have the same issue, thought it was just me

 

Anyone know if DTG is aware of the issue/looking into it?

 

No clue, I can give DTG Alex a message on the discord to see if they are aware of it.

 

Is the audio popping on the 153 just an issue on my end, or do other people not care about it that much? Like I've seen very few other posts mentioning it, and in general people seem to talk fairly favourably about the 153 sounds.
Personally, I find it to make driving the 153 almost completely unenjoyable, and it really needs to be fixed.

 

I have to say I played about 3 hours on this yesterday and had no issues chaining services (radyr , penarth, heath and coryton). The only problem I encountered was being able to get out of the 150 cab at heath high before the serviced AI’d off to Merthyr. I am on PS5 so maybe a Pc issue?

 

Did you try calling up the timetable to view it, as that's the issue if you chain without saving and reloading? The objective data updates on the HUD but the timetable ends up showing the previous (or first) working. And it's still broken, more like never worked properly in the first place, once you save and reload your game.

 

Aha! The age old ‘on foot’ issue again that masquerades as ‘previous completed service’ if you jump from one service to another and stays on screen like an unwanted grey hair? Yes, I have that issue BUT it doesn’t stop you from chaining the services, it’s just an annoying bug…. Matt said he was ‘aware’ and that they were ‘looking into it’….. make of that what you will vern

 

JT announced the TFW pacer on 1 April 2025. Supposedly 0-3 months but that’s now passed, hopefully an update in July roadmap.

 

They're just pacing themselves

 

Any update on the 150/2 sounds that were bound for the start of July?

 

Yes I have noticed the audio popping when the throttle is idle and when the unit is stationary, on PC/Steam

 

Departure boards are saying the 00:00 train expected at 12:00

Trains on this route don’t use platform 4 at Cardiff Central

 

Hey, at least the passengers will be able to claim their delay repay

 

Any advance on this? Toying with trying again from the current sale even though 25% off not that great an incentive. However the wife just popped me a Steam Gift Card for my birthday (Happy Birthday To Me…) and there’s not much else to get, apart from another tiny mid West State (Iowa) for ATS.

 

Happy birthday

 

Happy birthday vern waste your money like we all did lol

 

Happy birthday Vern!

 

Happy Vernday!

 

Happy Birthday Vern! Last time I heard about the sound updates to the 150, it was last week. Alex told me that they are still basically WIP but should be coming very soon. Something is telling me that it’ll end up coming with TSW6

 

Will the 150 driveshaft ever be animated as advertised?

 

Any update on the Class 150 sounds that were due for July? It’s almost August and not really heard much.

I have a feeling that either the 150/2 has been Abandoned or that it will come with TSW6. If it does come with TSW6, then that’s not great.

 

Probably been pushed back to a tsw6 thing, just like the 158 timetable for Fife Circle that was also supposedly going to arrive in July

 

Agh man I been waiting like almost 2 months for these sounds. Why are they so far behind in certain add ons/fixes man.

 

Any news/update on the updated class 150/2 sounds that were meant to be expected in July?

anything? It’s been very quiet.

 

I would imagine at this point with TSW6 on the horizon you won't hear anything on this till the winter now, and then only when someone manages to make Matt or Alex cough up some details on a stream. Also given that the 150 comes from a Rivet DLC you might be more likely to see flying pigs!

 

I forgot that it was made my rivet, thanks for reminding me that it’ll take another 3-4 years for another developer to come along and fix it!

oh well, we get told one thing and then another, great!

knowing rivets past, I’d be safe to assume that the 150 will be forgotten about… Again!

this is primarily one of the reasons I am looking at moving to TSC and PC for the first time later this month, this game and organisation (not the individual people) are inconsistent a lot.

why aren’t things tested before they are released? Do they take on any feedback at all? Because I feel like DTG are becoming like rivet games, grab and dash :/

 

Further to earlier reports, is the Conductor mode still unreliable or have DTG managed to fix it?

 

I just got this on PlayStation sale and I'm very happy with the route and rolling stock. The passenger AI is some of the best in a very long time. Trains are actually empty running from the depot to entering service. All things the player are complaining about lately, this route has it all working correctly.

The reverb on the sounds is very odd and times on the 150 and 153 but when it's sorts out the 153 sounds very good to me. The units also have the extra clag that Just Trains use on their routes now.

The scenery falls down in places yet is very good in others. This route has so much potential and it's a shame it did not get another 6 months in the oven for a bit more polish and to extend some of the route branches a bit.

It really deserves a revisit like SEHS got for TSW3 and well worth the punt on sale in my opinion. I had low hopes trying this out on sale and I was very pleasantly surprised.