Hi all, I want this thread to be about the small things that you (and I) discovered in TSW, that you thought are nice, but somewhat underappreciated. I'll start: SWR 1000: I really like the way everything in the cab starts rattling and you can hear the wind whistling through the cab. Really a neat detail Spinning fans: As far as I'm concerned, I like the way the fans are simulated. There is the Class 45, where the fan turns on once the engine reaches a certain temperature (at least I believe this is the way the fan works), the Class 47 where the fans are tunning slower or faster, depending on how much beans are given. My favourite at the moment is the MP36, which has 2 fans for the dynamic brakes (only spinning when dynamic brakes are used), 3 fans for engine cooling (depending on engine temp), and one last fan for that Caterpilar Generator. PC: There is a small part of the route, where the rails are joined using fishplates (I really hope I used all the correct words here). This also means, that on a small part of the route you get to hear the nice click-clack sound of going over the fishplates. I enjoy this very much. What are some of the details you think are underappreciated or maybe not everybody noticed?
Driving the 101 in heavy rain, I love the way the sound of the rain on the roof stops when you go under a bridge.
The growing feeling that you are being watched by the AI characters, and that one day they will escape and start a new life in Milton Keynes, while you will find yourself trapped, forever, on a chocolate and cream coach stabled at Minehead sidings.... with the heating off.
The headcode discs on the 40 - a simple hinge/door script. You might only click them once or twice, but it's nice to know that they are there, and flip up and downable... But I am not sure if this meets your criteria - as surely everyone has found these and clicked them....! ;-) But there is something else here.... Standing in the four-foot (between the rails), with a high power P-Way lamp, does indeed look exactly like this... The context, atmosphere, artwork and UE engine all blend together to provide a stunningly authentic scene - for a 5.00am wet and wintry morning.... It is often worth stopping what you are doing in TSW, and having a really good look around, because sometimes everything just snaps together beautifully. And it is this sort of stunning that DTG has brought to the masses, with TSW - and why people WANT MORE.... ;-)
The first thing I particularly noticed, not so much because it is a nice detail in itself but because it is a visual demonstration of how well DTG have modelled the braking system, is the tiny bounce on the brake gauge when you put the brake handle into lap on the class 101 DMU, as the vacuum evens out throughout the train after closing the valve (which is what putting the handle into lap does). The longer the train, the bigger the bounce, which is as it should be. I think the 101 is the only train in TSW that has a brake valve with a lap position. Do let me know if there are any others.
Are we only talking about vacuum brakes? If not, the F40PH is my first thought. It has a lap and holding position.
It appears to hold the brake cylinder pressure (as you would expect from the lap position) but also recharges the EQ resovoir and brake pipe back to full pressure.
Although it has no practical use for driving the train, I like how you can test the fire alarm in the Class 45 on NTP (can't remember if it's in the 47 as well). Sometimes I'll constantly press the alarm and turn the cab light off and on at the same time to make sure the person in the secondman's seat is still awake. Will be fun for the other person if / when TSW brings in multiplayer
I’m not sure if this counts as a small feature, but it’s certainly a hidden one. Using the all UK locos on all routes mod, I was able to confirm that the knob in the back of the 47 and 45 do in fact switch between air and vacuum brake simulation (confirmed with MK1 coaches on WSR); it’s not just cosmetic. This is a great news from a development standpoint, showing that the underlying physics simulation isn’t just tied to the locomotives, it also works inter-connectedly between completely separate DLC.
I know I might come across as a miserable old bag (or snowman) in some threads but as I said before and I’ll say it again, I’ll give credit where it is due and the aesthetics and sounds are superb and extremely realistic. The Class 377s sounds from the traction motors to the dynamic braking, sounds of the door hustle alarms are all spot on. But more specifically, these little details are what amaze me: 1. The power brake controller (PBC): When you whack the PBC to full power (notch 4), that sound you get is exactly the same as real life. (That little ‘click’ sound) 2. PBC again: That slight movement to the left when you go from ‘off’ to a power position to get through the ‘gate’ is spot on. (Or vice versa, the slight movement to the right when going from a power position to ‘off’) And just generally the sound of the PBC moving. 3. Hill start: The way they got the hill start differences in 377 and 166 are again spot on. On the class 166, you have to release the button to release the hill start. On the 377, the hill start will automatically disengage when the power circuit is made. In fact this is so realistic to real life that I’m wondering if they happened to get this correct by accident In all seriousness, I’m very impressed. 4. The reverser switch when you move to ‘Forward’ makes that little beep sound which is spot on. 5. When there is a gap in the third rail, the way the power instantaneously shuts off and you get that ‘jolt’ (you should really have power shut off haha) and the way the auxiliary converter all turn off (e.g. the fans go off). 6. AWS: When you get a bell (clear indication, ‘ping’ sound), you get the sound as soon as you are passing the AWS magnet. Whereas when you get a cautionary (warning indication), there is a slight delay before receiving the sound when passing the AWS magnet- again spot on like real life. 7. When the auxiliaries are tripped on the 387s, you can hear the air dissipating from the main reservoir. 8. When you uncouple a 387, the sound it makes when you press the ‘uncouple’ button, you get the ‘hissing’ sound because of the electrical connection disconnecting. 9. When the HST is at a station or when just leaving a station, you can hear the air hissing from the suspensions on the Mk3 coaches. 10. Just generally the whole cab environment, buttons and controls including colour and texture. E,g, the interlock buttons have crossed lines through them. I’ve mainly focused on the 387s but many of the points could even apply to the turbos (166s). Aside from the aesthetics and sounds, the basic handling is superb for the modern units such as 387s and 166s. I would genuinely say it’s not far off from real life if not the same. The braking force, the almost instantaneous response in the brake cylinder pressure, the cab sway so you can ‘feel’ the braking force rather than just having to look at the speedometer for the rate of deceleration are impressive.
On the new OSD route, they seem to have improved the coupling sounds dramatically. Not only when actually coupling to another car, but during acceleration/deceleration, taking the slack when starting from a stop, etc. Much better than the disappointing thud that used to occur when coupling. Really nice effect, IMO.
Class 31 did it for me, the way everything feels/sounds like it is rattling in the cab when a bit of speed is achieved. Still seems to start off a bit quick for mine though, but really I would have no idea about a real life comparison, just being picky.
The sounds of DB422 are stunning accurate. The first DLC I finished everything that's there Rain (sound) is well done from inside the cab. I'll post again when I'm more awake hehe
The seemingly endless pockets of beautifilly-detailed scenery on the German routes hidden away on diesel-only trackage. (RSN)
Ok, do they have a lot of diesel-only trackage on RSN? (I don't own that route) I knew about the section on MSB that isn't electrified but thought that was it.
There isn't as much trackage as on MSB, no, but there are still various freight spurs along the route that are left empty despite being fully modelled. The screenshot I posted was taken here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werdohl-Elverlingsen_Power_Station Love details like that. BR 218 when?
I hope very soon. The German DLC is always of consistently superb quality. I would love to shunt wagons around in Aschaffenburg Port and the Lohr sidings. So much extra trackage gone unused!
You know, I've noticed a lot of great touches with most of the routes that make TSW a much more realistic simulation than the original Microsoft TS game. I have the PS4 version, so I'm sure it plays a little (a lot??) different than the PC versions. As for something that I really don't like? Well, in the CN Oakville Subdivision route, the large "auto manufacturing plant" looks nothing like the actual area or buildings. DTG did a good job of getting 'most' of the trackwork correct but, as a retired employee of this location, the Oakville Assembly Complex of the Ford Motor Company of Canada, I was disappointed to see that when the end doors were opened on one of the autoracks, they were full of generic looking European automobiles. I mean, c'mon DTG! That plant builds the very popular Ford Edge CUV that is shipped to, and sold in, over 40 countries around the world ,including Great Britain! How about an update to correct this error? While you're at it, how about some different roadnames and colour schemes of the autoracks? They're all not TTX yellow! Maybe I should pay closer attention to all the routes, to see if there are any other issues!
What I like is the feeling of driving at night it really is as if you're alone out there. The simugraph engine is superb - we just wish more people had access to it
