It is quite good but hampered by the lack of a route editor that allows you to import real world terrain and mapping data to produce prototype routes. The driving interface is not entirely mnemonic either. However at least it features a fair few classes of heritage DMU sadly missing from TSW (or TSC for that matter), though I suspect some of the sounds have been synthesised. Also the guy making the programme has now been distracted on a new project, Constracktion, so not sure how much more love DRS will get. Certainly worth a punt in a sale.
Thanks Vern. It looked good for a sale buy. What do you mean by not mnemonic? The controls aren't intuitive? Do you mean the keybinds or the actual controls of 60s DMUs? =-) Can you keybind new ones then? I was looking at Constracktion but it looked...meh. It's more of a conceptual game than a sim. It's about the building of track, not running the trains (which look to be just AI afterthoughts) so it's more like an Empire Builder sorta game... like railway empire with Roadcraft added on. Not really appealing. I like building too, but Railroads Online does a much better job in that regard.
Just got a huge update - DTG eat your heart out! The gameplay update is finally here! This update brings more goal-oriented gameplay mechanisms and several quality-of-life improvements. New features: CAREER MODE The new career mode offers an alternative to the individual runs, providing more continuity and balance between player choice and randomisation. Pick any route and start with the easiest runs, working your way up to the more prestigious ones as you gain experience points from successfully completed runs. STEAM ACHIEVEMENTS A total of 21 achievements wait for unlocking. Some of them are meant to expose you to different styles of playing and experiencing the simulator, in ways that might not be immediately obvious. TANDEM DRIVER MODE Locomotives and powered units in the same formation that can't be multi-unit controlled from the leading vehicle now have tandem drivers. The role of a tandem driver is to help accelerating the train whereas braking is still handled by the leading driver. You can choose to play as the tandem driver on services that have multiple drivers, otherwise they'll be operated by AI. GUARD MODE You can play as a goods train guard, operating the handbrake to keep the troublesome trucks in check. DETAILED SCORING SYSTEM The scoring system has been revised to be more accurate and easier to understand. New penalties have been added to encourage prototypical driving that minimises wear and tear. The HUD has a new helper option that shows penalties live during the run for instant feedback. USER PROFILES AND STATISTICS The game now supports one or more user profiles per Steam account. Statistics like miles driven and average score per train type are recorded for each profile. Old profiles will be imported automatically from the scoreboard of the old version. DERAILMENTS Trains now derail when negotiating curves too fast. The derailment threshold speed depends on the curve radius and the length of the fixed wheelbase of the vehicle. Once the train has derailed the run ends and cannot be recovered. TIMETABLE MASHUPS It's now possible to layer different traffic patterns for a single run by selecting multiple timetables, for example, to create a mega busy timetable where nothing runs on time. MAIN MENU The new main menu system is more consistent, discoverable and easier to use than the old one. It's navigable with arrow keys and gamepad instead of being mouse only. The visual style is not final and will be improved in some other update in the future. MAP VIEW A simple top-down map view similar to other train sims has been added. The main purpose is to visualize the path for complex reversing manoeuvres that previously were explained in text only. The default key for accessing the map is [9]. Hold down right mouse button and use WASDEQ keys or the mouse to zoom and move around. IMPROVED CONTROLS Cab controls can now be operated with the mouse wheel and gamepad triggers. The operating principle of 'simple controls' has been changed to be more intuitive: instead of selecting the target acceleration/deceleration, simple controls now set the target amount of power or brake directly. NEW HUD The new HUD looks better and presents data in a clearer way. The visual style is not final and will be improved in some other update in the future. WORKSHOP TRAIN MODS ARE EASIER TO USE The new menu system allows adding and removing vehicles using the "Edit formation" option before starting a run. Previously, in order to use a train from the Workshop, a whole new timetable had to be created for it. HEADBOB Headbob has been upgraded with forwards and backwards motion to give an idea of how fast you're accelerating and braking. CAMERA EFFECTS Changing to a different view within the train now has a short transition, making it easier to understand which car and cab you are in. It's also possible to view any car in the train, keys defaulting to [Home] and [End] for moving to previous/next car. ADDITIONAL SOUND EFFECTS All trains have automatically generated flange, jolt and derailment sounds for extra immersion. ROBUST COLLISIONS Trains no longer telescope or disappear when colliding with each other or track end buffers. Depending on the speed, they'll either stop or derail instead. LEARNING The main menu has an option for accessing a list of learning material about signals and the operation of railcars. For now these are just Youtube links to real driver training videos. BUGFIXES AND OPTIMISATIONS This update has tons of bugfixes and performance improvements. For instance, the AI systems for pathfinding, signalling and driving have over 60 individual fixes to them.
This update is actually really nice, the new career mode gives a new meaning to playing the sim. As always, the physics are really nice, loving the sway motion in this sim as well. Graphics are much improved since the last time I played, the countryside scenery is v good.
I did give it a quick try the other evening but quickly aborted. I know you can switch some of the prompts off but they seemed very insidious, nagging almost as soon as I pulled out of Yarmouth. Constant penalties for minor infringements, for some reason it decided I had brakes applied when I had fully released the handbrake and train brake. By the the time I had faffed about with that I missed an AWS warning and the cycle started again. The first job it gave me was a twilight run and everything looked a bit muddy, even in the area with station lighting couldn’t see the track.
Yes, quite tricky at first, but a bit of practice and it's quite rewarding to get it right. Took a few runs though. Some runs are in fog, but I guess real drivers had to deal with that though! Quite impressive that they are able to do that really, thinking about it. Wherry Lines is nice, all seems good track wise, but it's built on the level from what I can see. Even the real Wherry Lines has it's gradients. There are some other cracking workshop routes avail, Harbord Valley is impressive. Must check to see if there's others.
I bought it with the discount on Steam. Bit busy now but already looking forward to diving in and see what it is all about (had seen some gameplay on youtube and was already convinced)
The main thing DRS does is show how far DTG and (most of) the 3P’s are behind when it comes to getting more heritage DMU’s in TSW and with accurate sounds too.
