A Little Concerned

things feel very quiet considering this is still a fairly new release, could be a good or a bad thing at the moment but I'm wondering what the sentiment is out there?
are the majority of users to young too give a flying monkey what us older Thomas fans are yapping about in this isolated corner of the internet ? or are we the only ones at the party standing around waiting for the no shows?

don't get me wrong I've loved my time in Sodor (despite my hatred for the odd controls) and that's where my concern is coming from. I Want More of the content, locos, story packs, entire new line extensions . it would be an awful shame if this really cool game that I've wanted ( since the early 90's) didn't get further support

with that all being said I hope dovetail are beavering away behind the scene's cooking up some more cool odd's and sods.

just wish I could get Ringo to voice the game

 

I think someone recently confirmed the first update is a big one, so it's likely they are working full steam to get that out. If it's a big one, something tells me it's more than just bug fixes.

 

I’m guessing it’s quiet because there’s no concrete news to share yet but there will be a patch coming at some point. There are a lot of bugs to iron out or, as I would put it, the development of the game needs finishing properly. So much is missing that should be there. I don’t know what follow up is planned and there is nothing on what might be getting attention.

I mainly want the game to be like it was in some preview videos with all the weather settings available in timetable mode. All I can add is fog, which I do not want to do. I want to add clouds and maybe rain or snow and I want the date slider fixed so it doesn’t take an entire week to change the date with my controller. I also want the HUD to have everything it should have so I know when speed limit reductions are going to happen. These are my main concerns although there are many others.

I’m not that eager for DLC yet, new engines and branch lines etc. There’s plenty of time for that kind of thing after the game itself is finished.

 

Would love Ringo but can’t see it happening

 

When the update does drop, I'd suggest keeping a look out for anything new in the game. I don't expect a new engine or a new branchline, but maybe we'll see new easter eggs and references that weren't there before.

 

It's a flop.

Further to my separate post, Steam DB shows a whopping 82 players currently in game, with a 24 hour peak of 119.

By contrast, the ancient OMSI 2 bus game, which I'm currently enjoying, has 1192 currently in game (shortly to be joined by your's truly) with a 24 hour peak of 1278.

Even if you allow for console use and people hiding their online status, that does not bear the hallmark of a successful business venture. Seems DTG went wide of the mark - people interested in Thomas want to read the books or watch the TV series, not play with it in a spin off of the flawed TSW game engine/mechanics...

 

stop being so negative and go out there and encourage people to play the game

 

Nothing negative about posting simple facts… A game that’s only been out a couple of months attracting less than 100 players is a flop in anybody’s book.

And it’s certainly not my job to go barking up the game on DTG’s behalf - that’s their job and why they have a huge PR and marketing department. Who sadly don’t seem to have found much of an audience for this one. All they’ve done is abstract time and manpower that could have been directed into sorting the many issues TSW has and facelifting TSC.

 

Yeah not gonna lie, this is about where I expected this venture to end up at.
I haven't met many... well frankly, anyone who would be even remotely interested in playing a Thomas the tank engine game.

 

Might have had more appeal if done as a proper branching RPG but with trains, rather than a few scripted scenarios then A to B and back again, same as TSW rinse and repeat.

 

Some are likely waiting for the physical release like me, which means hopefully more improvements and content by the time that releases.

 

I’ve wanted a game exactly like this for about 20 years and love it, look forward to them expanding on it with DLCs

 

Can you explain what the 216MB update today was?

 

Its a flop game. Don't get your hopes up

 

I wish I could live in your world and have Dovetail focusing on a Thomas the Tank Engine video game be a problem instead of actual real world problems.

 

Awesome. Wonderful.

Youre still very much in the minority.
Train Simulation already is fairly small in the video gaming space, Thomas the Tank engine even smaller when it comes to putting it in Video Game format. Especially having to spend money on it.
It's just a very hard thing to sell to the average person without them calling it a bit cringe.

 

How about, instead of you and others on this forum incessantly fearmongering and putting down users who enjoy a Thomas the Tank Engine game you personally don’t like, you find something better to do with your time?

There are clearly people who genuinely enjoy this game; that much is obvious. If last year’s TSW DLC had truly been the “flop” that you and others claim it was, Wonders of Sodor wouldn’t exist in the first place. It may not pull massive traffic, but there’s obviously enough of a following to justify the time and effort put into developing it and continuing to support it with updates.

If anything, this game has the potential to serve as a gateway for a new generation of players to discover Train Sim World, which ultimately helps keep your side of the hobby relevant for years to come. This is no different from model railway manufacturers like Bachmann producing Thomas ranges in multiple scales to bring new people into the hobby. Some move on, sure, but many don’t, and they remain active members of the community. The impact that has had on this niche is undeniable.

What’s truly baffling is the need for you and others who post in this thread to go out of your way to complain about it on a Thomas-focused sub-board on Dovetail’s forum, instead of simply engaging with content you actually enjoy. At that point, it stops being criticism and starts looking like needless hostility.

Frankly, it’s not a good look and you lot need to find something better to do with your free time.

 

Son, I’m very much aware of real world problems, every time I put petrol in my car at the moment or look at the BBC News site.

So I’m not really sure where you’re coming from with that clip as entertainment software provides a valuable escape from what’s happening. I get that you’re passionate about TTTE and respect that, just as I’m passionate about not seeing DTG squander resources that could go into making TSW and TSC much better games. As you may or may not be aware, they just ditched Metro Rivals which was the other new game they had in development so I wouldn’t hold your breath about the future of Thomas either at this point.

 

It's very brave for a game studio these days to go into unknown territory and test out something slightly different Unfortunately metro rivals was slated and from what I'm hearing the Thomas game is not doing so well, innovative ideas for games are very lacking these days and in an already nich corner for us train fans, i think in my humble opinion it was very brave from DTG to invest money and time in these projects

 

“Son”, I think you’ve missed my point.

I’m not saying you’re unaware of real-world problems; obviously everyone is. What I’m questioning is why something as low-stakes as a Thomas game is being treated like it’s actively harming the hobby, to the point where people feel the need to repeatedly shut others down for enjoying it.

Entertainment is an escape, (like you said), and that applies just as much to the people enjoying Wonders of Sodor as it does to those playing core TSW routes. It works both ways.

As for resources, there’s no real evidence that a project like this is meaningfully “squandering” development effort. Different teams, different scopes, and likely very different budgets. The existence of one doesn’t automatically come at the expense of the other.

And regarding Metro Rivals, that situation isn’t really comparable. Projects get cancelled all the time for a wide range of reasons; it doesn’t automatically spell doom for anything else the company is doing, including Thomas content.

At the end of the day, if the content isn’t for you, that’s completely fine. But going out of your way to discourage it, especially in a space specifically meant for it, just comes across as unnecessary.

 

First, fearmongering definitely isn't the word to use when it's just concern over where this idea is at in terms of success.

Second, yeah there's people who engage with it sure. Never did I say that zero people are playing it, what I am saying is that the numbers are looking low and the reason why I think it's struggling. I don't know what DTG's minimum number for success is, but externally looking in, it's not looking great. No need to treat it as an absolute Death Statement.

Third, I don't think you'll find many people being introduced to the train simulator hobby via this DLC as much as you'll find them being introduced by other media. Sure, there could be the potential but if you're a child, it'll probably be from a TV show or YouTube Video, not TSW immediately shoved in front of them.
If you're older however, youre definitely not getting into the hobby via Thomas the Tank engine unless out of curiosity.
Otherwise you'll usually dive into the other content thats available so you can actually dive deeper into the systems that these trains utilize to learn about how those trains actually work IRL as much as TSW allows you to.

Fourth, crazy work to assume that this is all I do and that I dont engage with the game.
The same can be said about you if we're going with that flawless logic since you went out of your way to respond to me twice, and respond to another user's criticism.
Most of us don't leave comments out of malice, but because we care about this platform and where it's going. Otherwise, I wouldn't even have looked at the forum.

Thomas the Tank Engine, as an expansion isnt a horrific idea and im not saying it shouldn't be done. But, it's a fairly hard thing to sell to people outside of it being a nostalgia product. It's not exactly very strong in the simulation front.
You like it? Great, more power to you. But if you're going to tell people to "Find something better to do with your free time" and that it isn't a "good look", it might be time to look in the mirror ngl.

 

Was pondering a response too but you hit the nail on the head there. I don't have any ill will towards the product or those who are enjoying it either.

 

You’re right: “fearmongering” might not be the perfect word. But when the same talking points about low numbers and “struggling” keep getting repeated without any actual insight into internal metrics, it starts to come across less like concern and more like speculation being presented as fact.

On the numbers point: you’ve already acknowledged you don’t know what DTG considers a success. That’s kind of the key issue. We’re all “externally looking in,” so drawing firm conclusions about performance is guesswork at best. The fact that the project exists, received post-launch support, and continues to be discussed internally at all suggests it’s doing well enough for its intended scope.

As for bringing people into the hobby, I think you’re looking at it too narrowly. Nobody’s saying a kid jumps straight from Thomas into hardcore simulation overnight. It’s about entry points. Thomas has always been an entry point, whether through TV, toys, or games, and this is just a modern extension of that pipeline. Not everyone converts, but enough do to make it worthwhile. That’s been proven for decades.

On your fourth point, I didn’t say this is all you do. The point was about behavior in this specific space. When people go into a Thomas-focused thread or sub-board and repeatedly emphasize why it’s not successful or worthwhile, it naturally comes across as dismissive, regardless of intent. Saying “we care about the platform” doesn’t really change how that lands.

And yeah, it is a harder sell as a pure simulation product, that’s obvious. But it’s also not trying to compete 1:1 with the most hardcore simulation content. It’s a different lane, aimed at a different (and broader) audience. That doesn’t make it lesser, it just makes it different.

At the end of the day, no one’s asking you to like it. But there’s a difference between offering measured criticism and repeatedly framing something as struggling or ineffective in a space meant for people who enjoy it. One adds to the discussion; the other just drags it in circles.

That’s really all there is to it. If either of you two continue this, that’s on both of you. Not me, or anyone else on here who has common sense.

 

Ok so several points to follow up on regarding this.

Your first point you are both doing exactly that. It comes across to me as "we aren't getting what we want because of this thing so lets drag on it to make ourselves feel better"

Secondly only Dovetail themselves can judge its success. They have all the facts and figures and everything else is purely guess work on everyone else part. However Dovetail did produce Thomas DLC and off the back of that WOS was created. As someone who hasn't played any trainsimworld games I've seen many a YouTube video and people within the fandom throw their weight behind the project and support it. I've also seen many YouTuber (not kids but fully grown men in their 30s, 40s) playing this game.

Third point. Again you are just judging this based on the Dovetail "fandom" and not the Thomas one. I'm sorry to say but you have no idea what will be popular and what won't be. Its an 80 years plus franchise at this point. Many people have said what lines and characters they'd want to see and I've seen many people say "I'll jump on it when the Skarloey railway is added as a DLC or the little western" This is tailored towards a different part of the community which is completely ok. Yes DLC might not bring in "as many people" but it does serve a purpose. I'm sure many of you would rather a Trainsimworld game have your favourite locos and lines introduced, as i am sure theres people out there who say "I'd love to play that but theres no Talyllyn line. If that was included I'd be buying that day 1"

On your fourth point which loops back to the first it does come across like "how dare Dovetail make a game aimed at someone else other then myself" unfortunately its also the same in the modelling world. As soon as someone mentions "Thomas" you are instantly dismissed and treat like a child (which I've already seen done on here) someone is making a point and then instantly they are shouted down "listen son"

This game is a perfect gateway for people to explore more of the Dovetail range. The better it does then the more money Dovetail make which gives everyone more content. Like I say I've seen many YouTube video of grown men playing this game and saying "I don't play games normally but this is such a fun game" surely that is the point of any game to grow an audience and get more people involved? Or is just a gate keeping community where you need a special password and handshake to enter? Because all I'm seeing is the latter.

End of the day if it is a success and Dovetail are happy then its a win for everyone. If it "flops" then you all can sit there and point at us Thomas fans and laugh and say we told you so.

However I will say one thing. Us Thomas fans maybe a minority to you all but end of the day we all wanna just drive trains. Only ours have faces and names. We aren't so different and certainly aren't a community to look down upon. In fact if you looked at some of the Thomas community and the work they do, it'll shock you. We aren't all 3 year olds who roll engines around on a bit of carpet. There are some EXTREMELY talented people in the community and most of them also extend out to the model railway world. We aren't just a bunch of simple kids.

 

It's not that serious guys, just wait and see what they make with the game.
If you're really unhappy with it get a refund, you can always re-buy later.