Alternate Discussion Forum Options?

Since DTG seems to not be interested in hosting discussions of TSW, are there any other active forums that you use? Or would anyone be willing to host a new forum?

I'm hoping they change their minds and see the torrent of feedback from active forum participants regarding their misguided proposal, but just in case it'd be nice to have a Plan B ad give people the option to choose if the worst does happen.

 

Trainsim dot com but membership over there is low and mainly revolves around Open Rails.
Steam but it’s not really the sort of genial atmosphere with regulars that you can get here, discussing gameplay aspects etc.
Train Sim Community and DTG’s own TSW group on Facebook. But again not really suitable for progressive discussions.
Discord I do not and will not use and I’m not a fan of Reddit either.

 

It's only day one so I'm going to see if DTG back track with such a fierce resentment of their plans...

However, hypothetically, I'd hope someone would create an unofficial, but specific TSW forum that can fill it's void. But we'll have to give DTG a week to see if they back track.

 

I’ll stick around for the feedback thread as long as it’s honest and not overly-sanitised. Feeling quite peeved with this complete shutdown of General though. Speaks volumes.

For the record, I will never use Discord. Reddit tends to be only mildly better than Discord too, so probably I’ll just lurk around Feedback until they kill that too

 

I wonder what is going on at DTG, they don’t make routes anymore, I have lost count of how many community managers they have, but with this move it seems like they want to shut the community down

 

I can tell you right now what DTG is going to do – DTG will go ahead with it no matter what any of us write.

If you TSW users would like me to set up a forum on this topic, I’m willing to take the time to do so.

If I see that my post here gets a ‘Like’ – and the more there are, the more it makes sense for me to take the time to do it.

I would set up a forum run in English, just like this one, and I can also integrate the existing forum sections here into the new forum.

Another important point is this:
Which forum sections would you like to see, so I can get a bit of an idea of what forum topics I should include?

It would also be interesting to hear from you or to hear your suggestions for the domain name.

 

Train Sim Word

 

The Roundhouse? The Depot? The Station?
I dunno what the proper railway equivalent or term would be to an airport concourse where there's flights in and out and there's those little bars and restaurants around for people to hang out between legs.
Something like your local pub or break room or community center.

Wouldn't have to be limited to just TSW, but this is the reason it's happening.
I think the same basic categories make sense.
GD definitely, but also Off Topic, Creators Club, Suggestions, and a News section. If it's not the "DTG official forum" then any releases would just be tossed into News I guess.
Feedback/reviews?
Bug reports/workarounds?

 

Long term, if it's needed and it works cross-pollination with sections for other rail/sim related games would be a good thing given how many people are into many at once. However, the immediate issue is this forum and community.

 

I’d contribute to a new independent forum. I honestly think the one big bucket (per game) works best for most discussion. The way to make it manageable is to moderate the creation of duplicate threads, enforcing that all discussion related to, for example, a new route stays in the same thread. That together with (fairly relaxed) “staying on topic” moderation so that not all threads devolve into the same complaints would be all that is needed to begin with IMO. If you then find that there are a whole load of threads popping up on a similar theme (eg modding) you can create a new section then if appropriate.

 

I think roughly a similar build to the UKTS layout could potentially be a real hit...

A simple "Train Sim Forums" name or something very simple that could be inclusive for TSC & TSW users. Obviously that would take a bit of work, but it would be worth it for the sense of community it could potentially build.

I'm still holding out hope for a possible redemption though... We'll have to wait and see for now!

 

"the depot" sounds cool

 

Train Sim Depot!

 

I'd be in, good call Emmy_MAN.
I'd also second operator#7940 suggestions of TSWRoundhouse or TSWDepot as there pretty much universal terms in Railway Circles.

 

The odd thing is, that means we can make threads about problems, but not about about anything positive, as that’s off-topic for a Trouble Shooting forum and there’s nowhere else.

It feels as if they’ve achieved exactly the opposite of what they intended to.

 

I noticed that. Only list the troubles.

 

Hey lets start a BBS.

 

Depot gets my vote!

 

I'd join another forum if one develops.

I also wish the TSW subreddit was more active- imo it's a much better format than the total chaos of discord at least.

 

The Third Rail?

 

They are probably working on new Train game as the same happened when then worked on TSW, they stopped releasing DLCs for TSC. Thats why they got many 3rd party now for TSW. As TSW is here 10 years i can imagine that this year they will announce new train game in their august stream.

 

Haha.
I see what you did there =-)
That and Depot are both nice.

 

Not sure what the practical difference would be between that and a forum like this.
Isn't a forum just an evolution of the BBS?

 

Who was serious about building an alternative solution? The window is closing and if General Discussion disappears there won't be anywhere to discuss it since most of us only know each other through this forum. There would be no way to coordinate if it were shut down.

 

Who would join the new alternative, who could help create and who could help moderate?
Anyone know what the options are?
Sites, cost, etc?

 

No, I wouldn’t put it like that, because there’s loads of forum software out there – one has this feature, whilst another has something else to offer.
And BBS has been dead for ages anyway.

This forum here was built using XenForo.


Personally, I prefer working with the WoltLab forum, which you can see here.
https://www.woltlab.com/community/

This is the WoltLab forum.
You’ve chosen this design, and you can customise everything in your own forum however you like.
There are even forum themes available to download and apply to your forum.


And regarding your other questions.

Yes, I was serious about what I wrote yesterday.
I can start at any moment by buying the web hosting, purchasing the domain, installing the forum, and then setting up the forum sections you want.

The very first and most important thing is the domain!
Because once you’ve bought the domain name and it’s listed here, everyone would already know where the new forum will be hosted.

We have some very good web hosting deals here in my country, most of which even include the domain as part of the package.

 

for tsc they stop making dlc for that game and let third party take over for dlc area. as for tsw there main focus is blurry texture on console and ps5 mounting issue. until that get resolved you see less dlc from dtg and more from third party. and since new tsw is coming soon it keep going. good news is they been releasing alot of patches witch is good and also what keeping dtg busy.
come on next gen xbox and ps console lol.

 

I remember years ago when the BBC were shutting down their 606 football forum, everyone was up in arms but luckily someone decided to create a very similar forum site and many people moved across using their original screen names, though the BBC did give a few months warning, DTG have given us just a 1 week warning, hopefully someone here can create a site we can all move over to, but no chance of this with just a couple of days left and how would they get their message across

Poor poor show DTG, just poor!

 

I vote we all just protest and make threads in the troubleshooting and issues category...

 

This seems likely to happen even if not intentional. General discussion will be had. Not everything is feedback, sometimes people just want to talk about the game.
If DTG are going to enforce against this, they just gave themselves a lot more work.

 

I'd be willing to join this and possibly mod a sub.

I really like the suggestion of The Third Rail as a community name, as it implies an option beyond what we have now.

 

Not fussed what its called but Im deffo in. If this goes ahead I’ll close my DTG forum account down!

 

I think that's a very generous offer, Emmy_MAN.
I like Third Rail and Depot... Third Rail Depot?
=-)

I've been on forums but never hosted one.
You can just change it up as it grows right?

I'd seriously consider setting something up to have a place to coordinate from. Things could get dicey here if DTG does move forward.
If they don't... well, it's good to have a Plan B and it could cover more than just specifically TSW.

What do you need from us to make this happen?
Is it expensive?
What sort of outline do we need for structure?
Sections and such?
Moderation/adminisration?
Invittes?

I don't think it's fair to put this on one person.

 

I like "Third Rail" because it's dangerous but necessary for an electric train to function, just like honest open discussion.
Depot I like because it's a gathering place for all sorts of rolling stock and where it goes in down time.

 

Just adding my name to the list of people who would post on a new forum if one were created. I’d also be happy to do some moderating if that would be helpful, and donate towards the cost.

 

Dropping my hat in the ring, too. If an alternative starts being built, I’d be interested in posting there.

 

I'd also happily use any new forum made by the community.

How else will the TSW World Cup persist?

 

The Third Rail sounds like a pub, and also it's a play on "third wheel" making it delightfully self deprecating.

 

Should DTG persist with the ongoing alienation of their customer base, I would like to propose a couple things for the new forum.

First, I would like its moderation to be limited to spam/flood, illegal stuff and such. Maybe a reasonable "keep on topic," if need be. Certainly none of this tone policing nonsense or tut-tutting paying customers whenever someone gets heated. To be clear, I don't remember personally ever getting hit by such actions, but it bothers me immensely every time a corporation's employee censors or deletes a customer's post because it was too mean to the corporation. That's just not right.

To further that idea, I propose adding more reactions. In addition to simple "Like" and "Helpful" there could be other levels of approval or disapproval for a post, similar to old/current Steam post awards. "Genius," "Funny," "Dislike," "Unhelpful," "Toxic," "Poetic," "Moronic," "Effort Made," "+1", "-1," "Wallet Opened," "Wallet Closed," "Wallet Tempted" (shout-out OldVern) etc. That way, we could regulate ourselves simply by using positive or negative reactions. A user would see 10 dislikes and 1 like and know immediately not to take the poster too seriously. Or see 10 Toxics and know not to engage. We're all adults here and this is a tried and true approach that doesn't require multiple on-the-clock moderation staff. Sorry for stating the obvious.

Finally, there could be an option for a user to automatically hide/spoiler posts with an amount of negative reactions above an adjustable threshold.

P.S. Search says these forums use a platform called XenForo, and their website does indeed say it offers custom reactions. Native support for automatic hiding/moderating of posts based on said reactions doesn't seem to be there, but I found an addon called Reactions Plus that seems to offer exactly these capabilities. Why don't DTG use that instead of closing the most vital section of their forum? The answer is obvious.

P.P.S. I like Train Sim Depot. It sounds purposeful and also kinda implies that the forum would not just be limited to TSW or TSC. The Depot (General Discussion), The Station (Routes Discussion), The Roundhouse (Locos Discussion), The Turntable etc. could be names for the forum's sections, with their actual purposes written underneath.
I think "Train Sim" has to be in the name for it to sound serious, so I don't like The Third Rail as a name for the entire forum. However, I think it would make a very cool name for its "Off Topic" section.

 

The 'Third Rail'? Wasn't that a bar in Fallout 4? LOL I
I'd gladly use an alternate site. Can you play TSW 6 without an account? I ask as if there is another site many would like to delete their accounts.

 

I think the forum and Dovetail Live that is used in the game are different accounts. But I wouldn't delete your account here, keep it just in case.

 

One thing I would say, in my opinion, would be the abolition of any like/dislike features. It would give a level playing field for comments. Facebook felt like it deteriorated in quality once they added the emoji reactions... I think absolute neutrality would be a better idea altogether. (Although that's just my opinion I'm not saying I'm right or wrong!).

 

I noticed run 8 uses "The Depot" for one of their forums.
I do like "Rail Sim Depot" though.
I also like "Third Rail"... it could be the nickname for the "General Forum" part of it where the more contentious discussions take place?
Treat it like the local pub or watering hole people gather at after work.

The idea of different sections having nicknames does have some merit.
I'm not enough of a railfan to know what the themed equivalents would be, but some place for News/Announcements/Releases (Signal Box?)
"Waiting area" or something for introductions?
A Creators Club sort of area for mods and such (Workshop or Mechanics Bay or something?)
"Training" area for new people and Guides/FAQs
There should be some sort of place for bugs and such, but since it's not the official forum, I don't expect anyone to post feedback or bug reports expecting any fixes. Work arounds yes. Tech advice on your setup, hardware conflicts, that sort of thing. No idea what that would be beyond "tech support" or "Gremlin Alley"

Then of course the catch-all "Off Topic" for things not rail sim. personal stuff, flight sims, sports, trainspotting, etc.

Subforums ("Platforms? Sidings? Tracks?") on the bottom for other games like TSC or Simrail or Run 8 too that people might be into.

 

I disagree. I don't usually have time to read every single post, which I would have to do without an easier way to determine their readworthiness.

...But why does it have to be my way or yours? There's an addon that enables users to hide or show reactions. You could toggle them off if you want to see a level playing field, and I could toggle them on for time saving purposes. Everyone wins. More options = better experience.

 

May I propose:

'The Third Rail'

• The Newsstand (articles from all games and other relevant business news, Dovetail content and otherwise 3Ps - maybe have subforums for the various games)

• Train Sim World (same for Train Sim Classic, by and large)
  • The Newsstand (Articles)
  • The Waiting Room (Gen Discussion)
  • The Engineers Room (PC Editor)
  • The Signalbox (Guides, walk-throughs, etc.)
  • Railfan HQ (or something to similar ends - Screenshots, Creators Club stuff, competitions, etc)

With sub forums following that for the other simulation games.
Maybe small, single-section forums for misc. Simulation - thinking of ETS2/ATS, Bus Simulators, as well as things like Transport Fever and Nimby-Rails.

---
One of the big downsides of this forum I've always felt is that is quite narrowly on Dovetail's franchises (obviously - I'm not complaining) but there is such potential to make a forum like this into a proper simulation community, and appeal to more people.

 

I would post on a new forum, and help in anyway i can, this includes helping with any setup costs

 

Also to throw another suggestion out to those considering making one that they maybe go for a free-to-use site first for a sort of proof-of-concept / to make sure you aren't out of pocket if Dovetail see sense.
Sidenote - I'll throw my name in the hat to be involved with running it. I have plenty of experience running (albeit non-TSW) communities online.

 

I’d definitely be interested, I kinda miss the wider scope the the ukts forum had for different games, so would be great to try and create something along those lines. Would be happy to chip in a sub to help with costs if needed

 

There are a lot of interested people here in setting up a forum.
I have the willingness but not the expertise, there are people here with the expertise.
Could I suggest the next step would be to set up an email group or similar, so the willing people could continue communicating and work on a way forward?

 

Third Rail… that sounds familiar.

Maybe the future isn’t another traditional forum at all, but a community built around actual rides. It’s an idea I’ve been exploring with ThirdRails⁠, and it feels like a natural direction.

Just thinking out loud.