God i hope they don't waste time and resources on multiplayer. Games are to escape from people not play with them.
Hahaha why so negative dude? You do realize it’s not your choice if multiplayer comes and if it did why should you care if you don’t want to have realistic multiplayer then just stay in your single player campground
I have heard conflicting reports where claims have been made that Dovetail have stated that MP is not longer being developed and that threads are being locked/deleted in some places which discuss multiplayer. Can anyone offer proof that Dovetail have taken the stance that multiplayer is no longer on the cards or should I dismiss it as misinformation?
Unfortunately Multiplayer doesn't seem to be a possibility. The costs of running a multiplayer server for Train Sim World 2020 may be expensive to set up and maintain, not to mention that multiplayer will also bring in new issues and bugs for the base game. If multiplayer was to actually come, then it would have to come with a subscription in order for DTG to keep running the server. I understand the frustration about multiplayer but at this point in time, it would cause massive headaches for DTG and other players because of the issues that can plague the game as well.
I still can't see how multiplayer can effectively work. You want multiple people running multiple trains at a set frequency on relatively short routes, so how would that actually work? When a train is starting out, would a slot would become available (which you've had to wait hours for because quite a lot of people want your first choice of timetable slot)? Then you'd set off and the person in the train in front of you maybe needs to answer the door, or make a phone call or just gets distracted by something on their computer, so their train is at a station, you're on a red light getting later and later. There are enough posts on here about people struggling with the Save Game feature to know that people don't always run a full service in one, unbroken sitting. Sure, run parallel universes on multiple servers, so there are more points to jump in, but you still need the other trains to be in the right place when you start. And if they are, it'll only work until someone messes up again and there's just a chaos of red lights and people spending their time... w a i t i n g. Services don't always run correctly when the AI trains are keeping to the timetable - humans in each of those trains isn't going to improve the situation. It's not like a race game where you can just leave and join another game because you're doing a few laps of a circuit then going back into a queue - services are an hour long, and you can guarantee someone will always be dicking around at the end of it to stop you getting to your destination. And what's really the point? You're in your train, they're in theirs. It's not really conducive to interaction - if everything's working correctly, you should never see the people going in the same direction as you.
I can see 2 options for multiplayer, the first being a co-op experience with 2 players, driver & guard respectively, which would mean creating a guard mode... (don't see it happening and if so, it could be boring as hell) and with most train operators (and freight companies too I believe) pushing driver only operation, this in a modern setting at least, probably would not be realistic. The second is a lobby of a certain amount of players, let's say 12, with one player acting as a "controller" or "signal box operator" (similar to air traffic control on flight sim) with complete control of all sets of points/signals etc. The drivers would have a predetermined list of tasks to achieve and working together with the "controller" ensure tracks are kept clear and collisions/ spads don't happen. I have no idea how this could be implemented, or even if it's possible, but I see it as the most realistic method for a multiplayer experience in TSW...
Co-op working with a Driver and Secondman/Engineer and Conductor is what I mostly envisage, I don't see why Dovetail would necessarily have to host a server at all in that scenario. I can't imagine more than 3 or 4 people ever wanting to play together, so player hosted sessions should be fine for that. A massive multiplayer session does run the risk of being derailed, (excuse the pun,) by one person who needs to go afk for whatever reason, so I cannot imagine many people wanting multiplayer in that kind of setting, most are probably like me, they just want to drive whilst their buddy does the point setting, couplings, industries etc or vice versa.
I guess that could possibly work - literally just having a second player in your world with you as you drive the train, so they could fly around with an external camera or physically walk and set points, refuel, complete tasks etc. That way you wouldn't risk being an hour or more into a game and it all going to pot because someone had left a train in your way. As you say, it would be simpler to link to a friend via PSN party play or similar, rather than have the whole drama of setting up lobbies and queuing people into games with strangers. Not sure I'd ever use it, but seems workable.
Exactly. One engineer, one conductor. The way things are going with TSW I really doubt it is going to happen any time soon or ever, but I would love to have the ability to join in with a friend, one of you is the engineer, one is the conductor. Conductor gets out, sets the switches, calls out distances to couple or spot cars etc, engineer stays in the cab, drives the train, listens to what the conductor tells him to do with the train. Sounds like a blast to me, especially with switching scenarios.
God, you made me choke on coffee you have a great sense of humour (at least I hope it was meant as a sarcastic joke)
Personally speaking NO I dont agree. I would rather see them working on more options for the game such as a better User Interface, a better end user experience, steam locos, more routes and loco / rolling stock DLC other than wasting time on developing multiplayer. I bet they are wishing they never uttered the word now. I use sims to have peace and quiet on my own. I dont want my P&Q ruined by some muppet LOVE arsing about because we all know they will. Do not waste time on developing or releasing multiplayer. Hentis
I love the idea of multiplayer! 1 engineer & 1 conductor per train. 1 train doing services. And 1 train per yard. Plus AI on all other services. Also all of the train cars need on siding and in yards.
I completely agree with all your comments. However, I would add one other thing that DTG should be doing and that is fixing the bugs, all of them including those that only affect consoles.