Koln Aachen Tod 4 Remaster Discussion

I tried that mod and loaded up Brighton Mainline, London Victoria station had crazy lighting. Deleted mod.

 

Indeed, I explained in the previous post that the MOD makes RSN enjoyable.
There are some trade-offs.
However, when used, for example on Bakerloo, this MOD is undoubtedly harmful.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth...

 

I don't think the mod includes Bakerloo anyway.

It's great on some routes, ECW for example where it will soon be defunct. And I'm grateful it exists.

It makes you realise how great London Commuter would look, especially the very dark cuttings, however Victoria appears to be in the middle of a power cut but the mod was never going to fix that.

 

TOD3 is to dark, the tinted window effect makes everything even more dark from in cab, the outside camera is more balanced. The downside of TOD4 is the fact everything is much more highlighted, this makes the shadow pop-in more visible but also scenery can look less real because of it. Also colors can look over saturated which makes it look less realistic.

So the ideal lighting is most likely something in between TOD3 and TOD4, the more natural look of TOD3 with some more bright sunlight from TOD4.

 

In getting ready for tomorrow's remaster, I ran a freight service over the route and will re-run it after I have the remaster installed to see the changes.

 

looking forward to this as love my German content

 

After having done 2 runs with the new Update I just want to thank you. Combined with the updated timetable this is great.
But night lighting still needs serious work. This should not have been called a Remaster and be released together with the GWE Remaster as expectations were of course much higher. But thats DTG's fault not yours

 

Disappointing as expected. Sure the route looks better but it's not what I expect from remasters. I really don't get why remasters are being rushed. This route still needed some extra love to be called a remaster. It's just a TOD4 update to me.

 

I am convinced they do not get "rushed". It's a project management and communication issue like it has always been. The scope is either not clearly defined or inconsistent and the communication is not clearly defined and inconsistent.

So you get results like this. What probably always has just been a TOD4 update was thrown in with the GWE REmaster and also called a Remaster and the communication made people believe it will be the same consistent quality and scope. I can't understand why this happens again and again

 

This is my take as well- we just had an awesome remaster for GWE released last week- what was the rush? Take another couple of months and do it properly with the new suspension, announcements, etc.

Never been a huge fan of this route, so i'm not really upset but i just wish DTG had more consistent standards with what they release.

 

Thinking about remasters, historically DTG have referred to simple TOD4 upgrades as "remasters," such as BPE and SMH. So, what we got with SKA fits this past branding. The problem of course is that we now have GWE and ECW "remasters" that entail so much more. Perhaps it would have been better to call these two "TSW6 upgrades."

As for SKA, the lighting is a welcome improvement and I will definitely play and enjoy the route more because of it. The one thing I would mention is that, if we are going to draw the players back to a past DLC with some upgrades, why not fix a few of the more longstanding bugs to go with it, such as the 218 service that has never worked? Yes I understand that these types of things are not done by the same people, which is why such things would need to be coordinated among different teams. But, the improvements we did get are still much appreciated.

 

Very reasonable points. And i DO appreciate what has been done, and know it's not just pushing a button.

I guess my frustration with DTG is that when TSW is "working", with all the features acting as they should, it's really brilliant! And then (not this remaster in particular to be clear) you'll get something dreadfully broken that it's obvious nobody really tested it, and i'm stunned that it's the same company's product!

I realize 3rd-parties muddle responsibilities a bit, but at the end of the day DTG decide what gets released for their game, on what schedule, and in what condition.

 

Not all "remasters" are the same.
It all depends on who is doing it.
There's no set checklist of "this stuff needs to be done."
In this one, it's really focused on lighting and signage from what I've seen from a few runs on it.
I think some vegetation was improved, but to be honest I can't tell that much.

A lot was not touched, like the harsh "blocky" houses that stand out, and the empty textureless fields.
As I said in the other thread, it's... okay.

The lighting definitely improves things, and it was free so.... it's tough to complain about free.

 

Yes, and I also wonder if the reaction wouldn't have been different if the remaster, along with updated timetable and scoring, came out together. Plus, while GWE seems to be often thought of as a classic route for TSW, I doubt people generally feel the same way about SKA. But if one were to compare what we have now to the original SKA, the vast improvement is difficult to ignore.

 

In the update does it still have the wheel blurriness. This feels more like an improved not a remaster.

 

After playing the SKA remaster, I fired up TSW3 and played the original SKA to compare. I can't ignore the fact I prefer to play the original instead of the remaster. The changes aren't an improvement, it just ruined this great route.

I feel sorry for the guys who worked on this remaster, but in the end DTG is the one who released it.
I have the same with the Dresden - Riesa remaster, it's just not good enough, GWE remaster is an improvement and a true remaster.

 

I think it looked way worse with the completely and utterly broken TOD3 lighting.

 

Agreed. I have no idea what lexie is referring to.
Can you explain what was "better" before, lexie?
Do you just like the older lighting?

 

Can someone tell what build number the updates im playing for an hour now and had no updates for anything. Not sure if updated earlier. On xbox series x

 

TOD3 is not broken, older games are often having this kind of lighting, missing a bright source of light. TOD3 has pro's, like everything is not highlighted and because of that, trees and buildings for example, are looking more natural. Also the shadow pop-in and the texture pop-in is less noticeable. TOD4 has that bright sun effect/feel, like in the real world, however due to limitations you will see all the shortcomings better, because of everything being highlighted.

The problem with this remaster is, a lot of assets are made for TOD3, with the bright TOD4 lighting highlighting everything now, a lot of assets are looking terrible off. I also mentioned earlier the desklight of the BR423, it's almost not visible anymore, because everything is way more bright. So for an upgrade from TOD3 to 4, you really have to do a lot more then what now has been done for SKA. But I think Liam can tell exactly what has to change for a good upgrade, GWE remaster proves it can be done in a good way.

 

Above I've tried to explain why I think the original is better in my opinion. In general I prefer routes with TOD4, it's more like how light irl works. TOD3 is more like you take a picture, if you don't want to over exposure the photo in general, you have to accept less lighted areas, like in the shadows, are becoming to dark and visa versa.

 

The main issue with older routes and TOD3 was always that black tar effect over everything. But I have never been a huge fan of TOD4 either, with its propensity to wash things out and of course the dread adaptive eye effect.

I haven't tried the revisited (probably a better term than remastered) SKA yet, it's not a route I've ever spent a huge amount of time on. But not feeling optimistic reading some of the comments here and in the feedback forum. GWE remaster has a few issues, but overall the route was transformed. It rather sounds like SKA was given a quick washover by an intern, so as to tick the, "Look at all these remasters" box in the TSW corporate office.

 

I just fired this one up and is it me or does the lighting look too over-exposed. I was running light clouds (40% cursor bar) and everything looked why too bright to me.

I know this is a post TSW2 route so there is only so much the remaster can do. Even with the TOD4 treatment it still looks and feels like an old route. Still, I appreciate the effort from the team and making this remaster. Any remastered route is a good thing.

I supported the release by picking up the new journey’s pack. Although I think the revamp timetable is better…

 

I just a night drive in the snow and it looked way to white and bright.

 

IMO this is one of the least interesting German routes in the game, I only really enjoy the drive when I come into or leaving Koln.

If we were to ever get another German remaster I would love to see Tharandter Rampe: Dresden-Chemnitz, it’s a more satisfying drive with the constant speed changes, scenery and of course the tilting system of the 612.

 

I never really swing in any direction more than the other when it comes to TOD3 vs 4. The former is too dark but the latter is too bright, as others said - something in the middle would be ideal.

Personally though I just want my content to feel consistent, it’s too jarring going from all the TOD4 routes to the odd TOD3 one. That being said I think the way it’s been handled with this update is the wrong way to do it, when you take assets that were designed for TOD3 & just force them into a TOD4 environment, it looks incredibly poor & I can certainly see why some prefer the older version.

 

For the revamped timetable you also need the new journey's pack to have the s-bahn trains. It's a TSW2 route, but GWE is even older and the remaster looks good. Remasters like GWE, yes please, remaster like SKA and DRA, no thanks, but that's me.

 

After playing some more. Yes this needs at least one more big update before I would consider it a Remaster.
At least they should fix the blackout during night in build up areas. Köln still looks laughable during nighttime. Not sure there was any improvement at all done for night lighting

 

I was going to say if one old German route is crying out for a remaster, it's RSN but on second thoughts unless they can make a better jib than this maybe best left as is.

 

I would raise the point that technically and in terms of things like scenery, BPE and GCC (can't speak for SMH) are pretty strong routes in their original state and all that really needed done was lighting.
BPE does, if you take your camera out of bounds (mainly from the Boston section located in a trench), show it's flaws but compared to GWE and ECW - which do show those flaws from the driver's POV - then it's much less work.

I think remasters are fundamentally about getting to a certain standard - for routes which are closer to that standard (BCC, SMH) then they get the TOD4 treatment, for those further off (GWE, WSR, ECW) they'll get the 'proper' remaster treatment.

 

God thats bright i really dont think I have been updated. Should be that bright making my eyes ache.

 

Have had a run on the remastered route and it is far better in my opinion. Dismissing it as not being a remaster is unfair, it isn't just the lighting which has been updated but the foliage too. I am sure not a five minute job so I don't think the work which has gone into it should be diminished. It is free at the end of the day and someone has spent time working on it. I certainly wouldn't go back to the old version. If you prefer the old lighting then you can always install an earlier version of TSW if you have one. I had a walk round Koln at night, it looked better than I as expecting although probably could do with a bit more lighting.

I hope DTG can find the time to update trains like the Talent 2 with working suspension.

 

I hear you - this, GWE and East Coastway are old routes now and the fact that DTG aren't charging an upgrade fee should be commended. It was only about 4 weeks ago people on this forum were complaining that DTG had been quiet over January and were lamenting the death of TSW due to Metro Rivals. There's no pleasing some people.

I welcome any remaster or enhancement to the TSW 2020/2 era route collection and hope DTG continue with this going forwards. There's so many good routes in the back catalogue which would benefit from these changes.

 

Indeed, however if people are going to start moaning then DTG might just think "sod them". Certainly in MSTS and TSC days complaining about freeware was frowned upon. Folez is a new developer finding their feet. I am sure constructive criticism is welcomed and useful but dismissing what he/she has done as just piffle and not worth it is poor in my opinion.

 

Are "null" zones not a thing in this map because it's an older one?
I know I went over several, but nothing ever kicked off.
Just kinda figured that might have been updated but I guess not?
I know there's a limit to what you can expect for free.
I'm not complaining, just wondering what was and wasn't changed.
A list of the changes in detail might be nice since I don't have TSW 3 installed to flip back and forth =-)
I appreciate the time involved in doing ANY changes for the good of the players.

 

As usual, I am confused. We now have 4 timetables for SKA and I have seen it said that the latest version is basically an update to the last one, which I understand to be the 2023 timetable, with the new one being the 'Koln Aachen revamp'. However, the new version seems to have fewer playable services. Also, the timetable is changed and layer descriptions are often cryptic. On my system, with all owned layers enabled, I have 28 of 42 layers in the 2023 and 23 of 36 layers in the Revamp, with 1/3 less playable services. Do I have the order of release reversed, 2023 being the new version? A timetable release date somewhere in the UI would be helpful!

 

Weirdly bushes does not have proper dark side and will illuminate entirely under the sun.

 

4 timetables? SKA has 3, original, new journey and revamped. Have you maybe installed a mod?

 

People might complain but as I said this is not the fault of the modder that created this update/Remaster. It's a simple project management and communication error by DTG. Project management issues plague this simulator since it was create so people are rightfully complaining about this happening again.

They just set the wrong expectations by bundeling this with the GWE Remaster, giving both the "Remaster" name and not making it VERY clear that the scope of both is VASTLY different.
It's not the fault of the modder who made this update to the route.

 

My criticism is directed at DTG, not at the third-party developer. It's not the third-party developer that named it a remaster. It's not the third-party developer that has to provide the trains with suspension. It's not the developer that put SKA on the billboard next to GWE.

I had not played TSW for a long time. The GWE remaster lured me back in. I even bought the 805 add-on, which surprised me a lot because of the gameplay it provides, and the cab interior is so awesome. When I read GWE was not the only remaster, I was under the impression DTG was trying to rectify their image, but then we get the release of SKA remaster, and TSW feels the same as when I left it.

I don't understand why we can't moan when the quality is not on par with expectations? What's the point of having remasters that you will not play? Should we be raving how good SKA is? What will be DTG's reaction? They will think we are stupid and treat us accordingly. They released a remaster that is getting rave reviews and one that has meh reviews. Lessons can be learned here.

 

I agree RE this being a marketing issue rather than a development issue. DTG made a mistake lining this up with GWE & ECW.

I do have my opinions about putting TOD4 into a route with assets that aren’t setup for it, but I’m not paying for it so that is what it is.

Germany certainly needs someone to go back its older routes much in the way the UK is getting, especially with how UK content is now starting to take over TSW. It would have been nice to look at this project & be able to say it’s great but X could have happened differently.

Instead though the conversation is overtaken because people were understandably believing this to be something it never was. I think there are people on this forum who believe the only people who play TSW are fully engrossed into it’s community, but even I who has probably more interest than a more casual user have come away from this community space in the last couple of months & the first I saw of this project was it being advertised under the ‘festival of remasters’.

Once you’ve come away from direct communication with the forums etc, there is very little if any outer marketing. It’s actually surprising how disconnected DTG is from outside audiences. Once you do step back inside its community space, you’re just hit with a barrage of marketing buzz words & graphics. The only way you actually get any detail is to either read a huge blog post that entails many other projects, or you need to watch a 2+ hour stream. It takes a while to actually get situated with the current state of the game & ongoing works. That’s of course from my own perspective of being a long term member of the community - I can’t imagine what it’s like as someone coming into it for the first time.

Whilst I’m not overly bothered by the end result as I don’t really play German content anymore, it was a surprise to me that this project was not aligned with the goals of the other remasters.

Going forward I think DTG need to be careful with this remaster branding, they’re simultaneously hyping up how big of a change & complete revamp GWE has been, whilst not setting expectations for SKA & branding it all the same.

 

Unless it’s prefixed with Thomas or Sodor… Apologies for my Friday morning cynicism!

 

2023 timetable comes courtesy of this mod:

https://www.trainsimcommunity.com/m...4387-cologne-aachen-timetable-2023-version-18

 

With all due respect to the author (who's already done a great job), if TSW is now in the hands of modders, let's hope DTG commits to developing a successor to TSW.
A bit quickly, I mean...

 

They already have… Sodor!

 

On PS5, half the services, when selected to drive, still spawn you at some random point in the map with the train you're meant to drive not even being present on the map. How is this game breaking bug still not fixed?

 

Nope, had the same issue lately with many services on Bremen - Oldenburg, I'm on Xbox btw.

 

To this day I cannot use the 375 in SE white because it consistently fails to spawn me in the correct location.

It’s crazy how many bugs TSW has, many of which go unfixed and often under stated due to the presence of larger issues.

 

Exactly the point I made in the gibbering, capering thread in the Sodor corner but got shot down in flames for my views!

 

This has nothing to do with the Sodor game and was always an issue even a decade ago when the first TSW was released.