A Question For Console Players: How Much Are You Still Playing Tsw 7, If At All?

Stopped in Feb of this year, finally!!

Downloaded free TSW7 starter pack just to see if any better. Played 30 mins. No better, maybe worse.

Done again.

 

Haven't played much as really, I haven't found anything worth playing really and tonnes of other games I am playing such as wolverine, hellraiser revival, gta 6 eventually, gta 5 replay, list goes on

 

Nivalis Nights all the way! Riding the trains around my cyberpunk dystopia.

 

I was on last night. All my routes appear to be showing again. I did a Blackpool Branches run, and started a run on Over Shap but it was getting late. They looked really good. Over Shap had a few frame skips here and there. I've got quick restart disabled for it. I'm not sure I'd want to do a run on a busier route like Brighton Mainline, but I'll keep hopping on for a run now and again.

 

Playing alot less than I had previously. Blurring has just got to a point that if I am playing and they hit, I just close the game now as just too hacked off to continue.

It's also changed my buying habits. Cannot justify anymore being any kind of customer to DTG. Did I purchase the TSW7 roites as preorder, yes, but that was hoping it would cure my save game issue which was one journey away before it corrupted (had to fallback to PSN cloud save to keep saving the character but alas it didn't work)

So now done with any purchases until DTG gets it act together and starts to show what they are doing is making progress on the 17 routes I have seen blurring for me.

Considering that I think DTG are just a bunch of incompetent liars, guessing I am done for good

 

(PC/Steam) Last played 21st September. Says it all really. And they couldn't even set up the October Mastery to offer a flicker of interest.

And thoroughly engrossed now in revisiting multiple maps and buses in the delightful openOMSI.

 

Why do we have to have an annual edition as it brings more bugs and multiple patch fixes etc. l have been continually downloading more than l have been allowed to play.

When TSW8 is prepared for release, they should let the Beta Testers play it for six months before issuing it to the general public. I certainly don’t want to sit through all this downloading of multiple patches on my slow internet and also l don’t want to see passengers stepping on to the line as l see every time l play the game.

 

how's the AFB working now on the ICE4 on xbox? it didn't work at all on console stream

 

I've only driven the Coradia Continental on the German route so far. As far as I can tell SIFA and PZB are working as they should on that train, although I'm a relative noob to German safety systems so take that with a pinch of salt.... I've not dived into the ICE4 yet and can't comment on AFB or LZB.

 

Barely play on it. With the issues that plague us console users, at the moment the controller sensitivity, I'm barely playing it. Weren't we told that Controller sensitivity would be sorted with the patch?

So, for me. It seems the focus is more on PC players and we are barely remembered. I'm on PS5.

Also, it's interesting to note that the class 70 article, when it mentions the enhanced lighting...it doesn't mention that it's PC only that gets that addition.

 

The blurring makes TSW of little appeal to me, nor is there any point getting excited for future addons (unless it's SWT).

On TSW6 I would enjoy the occasional run on routes that don't blur but on TSW7 the console joystick movements have been completely fudged, and brought me more frustration than enjoyment, so there is barely any point in playing anymore. Which is a shame because having safety systems always on is quite convenient.

 

It certainly runs better on PC, so we're lucky in that sense, but don't forget PC players also have the frustration of putting up with the limitations and design choices of a game being developed for consoles (and now Steam Deck).

Short routes
UI weirdness
Delays to releases because it doesn't work on consoles
Clunky menus with unnecessarily huge tiles.
Patches that optimise the game by introducing reduced texture quality.
Patches that optimise the game by introducing reduced timetables (sometimes without even changing the name, so you end up with duplicates)

Etc...

 

Tried after the last update to see if any improvement on PS5, no change just wish they would get the contoller/camera settings sorted which might just tempt me back, but till then back to FS2024

 

I played a short scenario on MML last night which in itself wasn't bad. But once again upon loading MML everything was blurred catastrophically and all the sounds were 30 seconds out of sync forcing me to quit the game and reopen again. It's getting really frustrating and it's happened with so many routes now as well.

WCMLOS, Riviera, ECW, MML.

 

Downloaded TSW7 unlocked all the achievements and gone back to TSW3 to work through the DLC achievements on that

 

Such a hardship. It's a shame there isn't a dedicated community of people who modify elements of the game on PC to ease your oh so difficult life. If you think TSW is being developed with console in mind you either haven't read these forums much or watched the console preview streams when they do grace us with them. If you were waiting for PC content to release because it was properly functional on console you'd never get anything.

 

I agree with every word. You spend money on upgrades, and the developers don't want to use the capabilities of your hardware. They just offer poor optimization.

 

Its the first time ive got the 'free version'. The base routes are of no interest to me. Played it for a couple of hours. Waiting for kings cross - peterbrough where i will probably invest my time into it again. Its a console port where the IP is only properly catered for PC users, some of whom are utterly arrogant about it. Reality wise i reckon its console users who spend the most money on DLCs for it overall. More and more delays and issues as the years and iterations go by. New implementations are lackluster at best. Its just turning into what FIFA became with just a yearly release to boost the coffers. Only reason its accepted is purely because there is no true competition on the console

 

Not quite sure why you're blaming consoles for a decline in PC quality because versions of the game are supposed to be developed as separate entities and therefore shouldn't ever affect one another. The main reason why you got enhanced lighting and we didn't....and not even a reduced element of it!
Anyhows, onto your list:

Short routes: TSW also has long routes for both console and PC
Delays: You mean one delay...Tadami? A route that was delayed multiple years for EVERYONE!!
UI weirdness: That's a design choice and has nothing to do with consoles.
Clunky menus: Again, a design choice. If it's a controller friendly thing then guess what? PC gamers also use controllers!
Patches...textures: Can't PC users just turn the settings back up again?
Reduced timetables: I can't comment on that one because I don't know the full ins and outs.

 

And it’s not just console users. Those of us with older PC’s are seeing many of the features introduced for TSW7 aimed at those with high end RTX xx90 cards and bang up to date CPU’s.

 

Got the free version, downloaded only all the German, Dutch, Swiss and Czech DLC. Left the british routes back on TSW6 and the american routes on TSW5. At least it helps with the loading times and I have no intention anymore to increase the british and american collection. Unless something really spectacular is released, there's enough for a life time.

New German routes, *IF* of any interest (BR23 & BR232), will be bought only with heavy sales discounts. Just another high speed route with 50% of tunnels will be no attraction.

I'm utterly disappointed by TSW7. The GUI came out of a very sick mind that should seek professional help. Ever heard of CONTRAST?
The free camera movement is a major PIT@ and blurry textures don't need any comment anymore. I fail to see the lighting improvements?! Low sun and long shadows make a route undriveable. Around noon the scenery is still over exposed. Floating track shadows are a loyal companion. So are the floating cars and the suicidal NPC.

I still play from time to time but for me TSW7 falls into the category "If you ever thought things can't get worse ..."

On PS5 BTW

 

Downloaded a few routes for 7 on PS5 Pro as thought I'd give it more of a go after recent patches. Did half a run from Crewe to MKC earlier in the week, saved, just went to pick it back up and crashed back to home screen. Great.

 

Yes, but only have the free starter pack. Had pre-ordered the deluxe edition but refunded after the console preview stream. I haven't got around to buying the full bundle yet - definitely want to, but don't feel confident enough yet that the German route will run satisfactorily.

Haven't encountered any major issues with routes I already had.

 

If only everything were so. But alas, something can be removed from the timetable on all platforms. Even where there are no problems.

Mid-range cards and processors, as mentioned in my signature, handle the job just fine. Flagships are only for 4K.

 

I think you should probably refrain from commenting until you know what you're talking about.

- There have been multiple delays over the years because DTG can't get routes to run properly on consoles, or the game suffering in the long run because DTG has to dedicate 500 man hours to patching DLC to make it work, instead of improving the game.

- The clunky UI is a design choice *because the game is designed for consoles*, and I play TSW using a controller on PC, I can tell you the game *definitely* wasn't designed with PC controller users in mind (where are the options to remap buttons?)

- No, when DTG issue an update for a model that reduces the quality of the texture files it uses you can't "just turn the settings back up", there is no option to "reinstate original high-resolution textures"

- Reduced timetables were issued to improve performance on consoles.

 

I still see no real arguments to say consoles are holding back the game.

- "delays" for optimizing are caused because developing in the wrong order. DTG and 3rd party are developing for PC first and then porting it to console, while Epic for UE(5) said, target the weakest platform and then crank up the game for the stronger platforms.

- The cluncky UI is not caused by consoles, it's just a design choice and without proper scaling. We now have a bigger hud for example, because of Steamdeck, but no console user asked for it. Remapping buttons on a controller is where more games are lacking, most likely because the limited amount of buttons available. Also on console you can't remap them in TSW, but in other games you can, also on console. That's just a choice of the developer.

- The decrease in texture quality is also not an issue caused by consoles, but a choice. There is no proper scaling of texture quality per platform and also on PC you can waste your VRAM. The Last Of Us 2 on PC for example, has blurry textures because not being proplerly optimized for lower end PC's.

- Reduced timetables is not really a thing on PC, as you have always the option to use the full timetable if your hardware can handle it.

So, those are not points where you can say, consoles are holding back the game for PC. PC can even benefit from optimizing propely for lower spec hardware, as it will make the PC version running better. Even Series X and PS5 can benefit from proper optimizing for Series S, like what happened with Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. The devs where not aiming for 60 FPS for that game, but after optimizing for Series S, they found out it's possible to let the game run at 60 FPS at Series X and PS5.

Supporting gen8 hardware has hold back the game, because of not unloading textures from memory, as loading them again from HDD took to long. This is not an issue with the SSD's from gen9 consoles and PC.

Route lenght is maybe limited because of console, however there are longer routes in game and with proper unloading textures from memory, this should be less of an issue anyway. Making longer routes will just take more time to develop, especially when you want to do it right and properly, so I guess this is more a choice, so they can release more routes and get more money.

You also forget the income DTG has from consoles sales, where would the game be when they missed all that income or what would the price for 1 route when there was no console and they missed half or their sales?

If a developer does it right, PC can benefit from the optimization for lower end hardware like consoles. If a developer does it right, the UI can adapt to the device/platform played on. But in case of DTG, wrong choices where made and no platform benefit in one way or the other. So blaming console for your bad experience on PC is just bollocks, blame DTG for there choices with developing this game.

 

If the platform split really is even in terms of sales numbers they'd lose between half and two thirds of their sales And therefore income if they did drop console.

 

The problem of course being that if nothing gets fixed, sooner or later more and more console players are going to be taking that decision out of DTG's hands by dropping the game themselves, instead.

 

I fire up the game every now and then. I prefer driving the expert-level locomotives. If blurry textures appear, I quit the game. To be honest, I opted for the free version; the state of the game on consoles is the worst it has ever been in TSW history.

 

From a console perspective, the game is becoming somewhat unplayable in many areas, I do agree that there's a balance though, if we want highly focused detailed routes, console play will always lag behind. But, is this game being fully optimised, no. Some may argue a work in progress.

Routes such as Riviera, Medway and East Coastway for me play flawlessly on console, bar the odd crash very few and far between, as does Great Western Express surprisingly, albeit laggy at Ealing Broadway. London to Brighton plays well, a remaster may well do aswell, if the 700 is fully optimised. But WCML Euston to Milton Keynes is a disgrace, almost unplayable even in normal weather conditions. I can only really play the Bakerloo line section properly. But to be honest, I only bought the route to unlock that section of remastered route, and unlock the 377/2 and 350 for other purposes.

On the whole, the trajectory seems to be a decision for the vast number of console players.
1. Play old or smaller routes and only purchase those.
2. Spend considerable money on a high end gaming PC
3. Stop playing altogether as lets face it, DTG will not get this game into a playable condition for all routes before the next same .... different day iteration comes next year.

 

Honestly, I've heard it all before....but yeah, it's always nice to have a little humor thrown into an otherwise downbeat conversation so keep up the good work.

 

I always have to laugh when people telling others to shut up, blaiming them to have no idea where they're talking about, but then starting talk bollock themselves and proving they're the ones not understanding a single thing

 

And yet tiled interfaces as opposed to easily navigable lists, are the bane of console users. Because consoles don't have touchscreens, or even a mouse in many cases. They're a leftover of the brief era where everyone wanted to emulate the Wii, and Microsoft wanted to standardise its Windows Phone interface across Desktop and Console users too.
TSW did long expect you to have a keyboard plugged into your XBox or PS in order to use certain controls, as well.

Alas, all too many devs see that as Steam's problem now. If your PC players are all using Steam, why bother adding internal remapping options when SteamInput can do it?

 

Funny if consoles were holding the game back then why were most of the new features in TSW7 PC only?

Seems to me that instead of improving the console experiennce for TSW7 they focused on PC users. Even though console users were told our issues were priority.

And all the articles seem to keep throwing this fact in our face.

 

Couldn’t be more right. I would be surprised if us console players ever see enhanced lighting. Such a shame honestly

 

It's strange because I thought that Dovetail's recent focus on the PC version was because it had increased in popularity, but that doesn't seem to be the case. When comparing Steam's concurrent users figures with TSW6 for the first month of launch, TSW7 was around 20% down on 'day one' figures and is maybe 40% down as of 8th October, so that's quite a substantial decline in interest levels.

 

I've downloaded TSW 7 but haven't started it even once. I hate waiting 3+ minutes for TSW 6 to load and was hoping fast loading give me a reason to use TSW 7 but sounds like that 'feature' traded one issue for several others, so for me TSW 7 his several downsides and no upsides. Eventually I'm going to hit the issue that corrupts the save file for high-experienced profiles, so I'm also trying to fully complete the scenarios in some routes before making the jump.

 

It's possible to tell how popular it is on pc going by these figures which come directly from Valve's steamWorks API:

TSW6:
https://steamdb.info/app/3656800/charts/#max

TSW7:
https://steamdb.info/app/4678800/charts/#max

Unless the vast majority of players are now on epic?

 

Don't forget the blurry textures thread from Matt just before they were getting ready to sell us TSW7 or the time on the TSW7 preview stream he agreed it would be a good idea to also do console previews.

I haven't seen any improvements to blurry textures and also haven't seen a console preview stream except when they were trying to sell us TSW7 which is also broken in more ways than the previous version!

 

The selling part failed on the console stream, because of the crash when only a few minutes in.

 

TSW7 is the first time I didn't buy the Deluxe edition of the annual release, the routes didn't really interest me.

But my main bugbears are still that it takes over 7 minutes to start the game (I'm on PS5 Pro and have bought probably 90% of the DLCs), and the fact that Dovetail removed Trophies from route and loco packs.

Dovetail aren't getting another penny out of me until the load times are sorted and the trophies are restored.

 

...and the blurries not long after that

I'll definitely be buying the deluxe edition, but TSW isn't my 'go to' game any more so I don't have a problem waiting 'til it's 70%+ off because I'm only getting the content to archive for a time when the game is good enough to be taken seriously again. Until then it'll just sit alongside the (not yet played) TSW6: Full Monty edition.
Besides, Vern inspired me into rebooting TF2....and after not touching it in what has to be forever, it feels like a brand new game again. Just a shame consoles don't have the option for gigantic maps to take better advantage of air freight.