I didn't at first either, but when I noticed it I was certainly surprised! That's pretty transparent of them, especially knowing how much they've relied on mystery to build hype for marketing. I think it's a change for the better, and... quite frankly I can't wait to see what's on it. In fact, it's even smart marketing-wise, as people who REALLY want to see a route that's listed on their can hype about it for much longer, while people who see a teaser for a new route and get excited won't be disappointed when it's revealed to be something else, as they would know what was coming.
It might also make some people buy more of the DLCs when they see a bit more of what's coming, a... "bigger picture". If on the roadmap I saw DLCs improving, for example, the Oakville, I'd be more willing to pick the route itself.
Yeah, that was something that jumped-out at me too. Something I've long moaned about was that lack of a bigger picture, so I applaud DTG for this brave step. Let the guessing games commence.
I do wonder whether (a) how far into the future the roadmap will stretch and (b) if this is a one-off or a regular thing? Sorry to be somewhat cynical but over the years the only consistent thing about DTG has been their inconsistency.
I saw this and immediately thought they’ve got that idea from the new Microsoft Flight Simulator that’s currently in development as they publish their roadmaps and provide development updates every week.
Quite a lot of what we're trying to do ties into transparency. We have some history (as you're aware) of operating in an almost secretive fashion. This hasn't helped you, and honestly hasn't helped us much either. Moving from where we are to "total visibility" isn't going to happen overnight or easily, but hold us accountable. Whether something is or isn't happening, when something is occurring... we won't always be able to give exact answers (honestly, our moving pieces count is significant) but you should not see important questions being ducked or evaded.
I've thought a lot about TSW2 in the last few days. I think this may be part of a larger shake-up of the DTG business model. I suspect the time it was taking to build routes and DLC was the problem. TP builders were struggling with the editor and DTG themselves couldn't keep up a regular-enough stream of content to make it enough of an earner. Maybe DTG has found a way of making TSW so that the basic structure of new routes and its environs can be based on 3d photography to speed up construction (placing endless miles of trees and fencing for example). Maybe they also added an ability to port DLC from TSW to TS saving time there too. Faster turnover will increase the potential for profit. In the sixties, many reggae bands would record soul versions of each song to increase sales. Then sell the song to US folk bands, UK rock bands, etc. It's called "sweating the assets" these days.
Agreed. Now we’ll be getting a road map, people will be able to set their expectations, look forward to upcoming routes/loco dlc. On the other hand, it would be nice for DTG to give small progress updates along the way to keep us on track, things may get pushed back, an update about the delay would be welcome. Having issues with a loco or route? Tell us, update us, make us feel involved in the process, it’ll go a long way imo. It’ll also (hopefully) cut down on questions such as “when will you do THIS ROUTE or THAT LOCO”. I’d like to thank DTG Protagonist for asking the awkward questions last night, it was a breath of fresh air to get upfront answers and not be left in a grey area wondering what they actually meant. I hope it’s a sign of things to come. Great work.
