I downloaded and ran the free version TSW7 a couple of days ago. I played around with the settings menu and I am very pleased with the perfomance of the game. Frame rate and graphics quality is much improved over previous iterations of the game. My Nvidia 3070 is experiencing new life. Reading other threads on this forum makes me wonder if I'm playing the same game. Bear in mind I'm not playing new TSW7 routes.
I got better performance in terms of raw FPS at the same settings.And DLSS is inarguably an improvement over the atrocious UE4 TAA. It's just that literally every other aspect of the game was worse.
Yeah even on my aging system I'm really loving my time with the game. Epic settings and DLSS support really are game changers for me. Makes it feel like a whole new experience for once instead of just TSW n+1. Happy to find I can run the game on Epic and Ultra settings (sky is on medium though) without most routes giving me any problems so far. I've never had great FPS performance in the game natively so I've been using Lossless Scaling for a long time to upscale and double my frames, but now I only have to use it for one of those things (frame generation). Even on the heaviest routes I usually manage enough frames natively for LS to give me a good experience. My one exception so far is Berninalinie as that one got down to 10 FPS pretty often and I'm not going to downgrade my settings just for one route because the rest of them look and perform just fine. I don't own a lot of routes to be fair (I'd say less than five of them are outside of the core routes from TSW 3 onward), but I've tried a good handful of the ones I do own. Really enjoying the TSW 7 ones though surprisingly. Also did some runs on Zwolle - Groningen, Blackpool Branches, Frankfurt - Fulda, Leipzig - Dresden, and Riviera Line. I only have a few more I haven't tried yet and so far it's been great. Still need to pick up a few of the TSW 6 routes that released, but I'm waiting for some big discounts first. People with cards that support frame gen/smooth motion will have an even better experience. For those that don't (like me), I highly recommend LS for the frame boost. It takes some learning and tweaking to get it right but it's worth it. I lock TSW to 30 frames and double it with LS.
I myself also only jump on the Free Version this year and I am very pleased as well. So far tested Stuttgart - Heilbronn, Linke Rheinstrecke, and Frankfurt Fulda. It looks so much better! One of the things that are letting this game down for me is the look of distant sceneries, especially hilly forests. This update really did improve it a bit. It all depends how you frame things. If you see TSW7 as a whole new game, of course, you might be dissapointed by the minimal changes. If you see it as a free, annual, major update to an existing game, the additions are totally reasonable imo.
For console I went back to tsw 6 for the time being. Couple things im not pleased with. UI is hard on the eyes. Frame rate issues is biggest issue.
I've stuck the graphics to HD instead of 4k and turned the AI conductor off and touch wood it's running alright on my Series S. I have only been doing scenarios and training modules at the moment though, so it remains to be seen how I'll do on a busy timetable run with all the layers activated but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, assuming I don't get kicked back to the dashboard on my way there...
I am playing tsw7 on PS5 with controller have ai conductor off, have set on 4K downloaded some older tsw 6 routes and have the 3 new routes from deluxe version ,,enjoying it so far have a few stutters but not too bad yet,,,have not had to many blurry textures minor ones , but this time i am not installing as much content at one time installed most of my US routes a few UK routes and no German routes ,,i have safety systems switched to off . all faults disabled , use custom weather, so far no crashes yet ..and testing freight hauler mode that worked decent for me so far .been ejoying tsw 7 so far looks pretty decent on ps5 for me..next i will download free starter on my potato lap top PC and test out on there later
I'm playing on XSX and apart from the wonky controller method they've implemented and the yellow text at the top right on the hud have no complaints. I've also got the starter edition on steamdeck but found i spent most of my time fiddling with graphics settings which isn't a complaint about the game, just me! Hopefully we get the option to enable the enhanced lighting (at our own risk) soon on console, if so I promise not to complain for at least 2 with weeks.
After a couple of really terrible "shader cache" drives, I´ve done some second runs on Frankfurt-Fulda, Nürnberg-Würzburg etc. I´m really happy with the TSW 7 graphical improvements. It looks stunning and I will be using the game a lot more in future. Still a couple of stutters on my gaming laptop, but mostly smooth. Only location that is terrible is Nürnberg Hbf. But I´m not alone from what I hear. I Hope they can make improvements to that area and I hope Jetwash will keep bringing more improvements to the core!
I am on PC with Win 10, i7 8700, 16 gig ram, RTX2070 VRam 8 gigs. Screen res. 3840 x 2160. I am amazed that I am able to run TWS 7 on Epic and Enhanced lighting at very high settings, mostly Ultra. I would not have used previous iterations of TSW at all were it not for the modders. Now it is very enjoyable to run TSW without any mods, but I am sure the modders will soon be gilding the lily and providing an even greater experience. This new iteration has shelved my plans to move to a different simulator. The reviews page on Steam is a bit misleading as anyone who has simply upgraded without purchasing any of the new routes has their review marked in orange "Product received for Free" which implies a possible bias in the reviewer.
I’m starting to warm to it, having accepted my current hardware is not really up to 4K and adjusted accordingly. I’m still not fussed by the new routes though and will be saving my money for some of the upcoming DLC, more to my taste.
On Series X and have only got the 3 core routes and Preston to Crewe installed, leaving everything else on TSW6 for now as right now it’s meaning without all the hundreds of gigs of routes loading in, it’s actually really fast and smooth and not yet had any blurries. Also P to C has yet to crash at all in its “out of the box” state with no additional layers. I actually like the new UI, not finding it too bright as I don’t have my contrast levels jacked up to “surface of the sun” levels. The tweaks to the controls are horrible though. When walking around, side stepping slightly to either side completely halts your momentum and it’s just not a pleasant experience. Have tinkered enough with the camera settings to make it bearable but that’s about the best I could say about it. Taken on the basis of it just being a route pack though I’m fairly satisfied. Airedale has loads of variety and aside from the limestone not disappearing from wagons on unloading, the freight aspect is excellent, with my personal highlight being the Rylstone branch. Not played the Florida one much as I’m not really into US content and it’s mostly a straight line, but it’s fine. The German route was my surprise highlight though. Really enjoying it and the 440 is great fun. There’s a section (can’t remember where but towards the west of the route) where the line is going along the hillside but you can see right down to the valley below and it’s really impressive.
Thank you folks for the positive highlights, team are working hard across a range of other feedback shared, but it's great to see the areas that are working well for many of you!
But you really do need to get something sorted for the save game - more slots and the chaining bug (which Matt P is more than well aware of) which completely negates using routes like Leeds Local for ongoing and emergent gameplay.
Just had a run in GWE remastered (which I must admit haven't really played), and what an experience with the new lighting, wow. HST to Paddington, zooming past all that traffic, possibly one of the best experiences in TSW so far. So smooth, this is from an old PC as well. This lighting enhancement really is a game changer, especially in overcast conditions, feels dank and moody. Love it. Now if only we could extend to Oxford, would be epic...
I play on XBox and don't have any mods. When I'm next home I can show you what my menu settings are set to?
Beyond the upgraded lighting, which many of us on PC have been lucky enough to have for a couple of years now, the overall performance improvements are leading me to dig out routes I haven't used in donkey's years and find new pleasure in driving on them. If ever there was a route crying out for a DLC and a new timetable, it's Spirit of Steam.
Indeed, extend from Runcorn through Chester to Crewe. Large passenger tank engine or perhaps a BR Standard Class 4 along with some LMS P3 (or suburban) coaches and a few more wagons. Could also layer onto Peak Forest.
