Is The Editor Expected To Go Online This Year?

I am just trying to be pragmatic, playing devils advocate, looking at it from both sides. Something very few on here are willing to do.

What if they have no choice, what if, as has been alluded to releasing an editor is just impractical and will not work? Just try thinking about that?

You can keep telling them you want them to do so and so, but if they can't do it then they won't do it.

Anyway I am leaving this discussion, it will go on and on for weeks, the editor isn't going to happen, certainly not in the foreseeable future, it has been alluded as to why, yet most people don't want to listen and don't want to hear and I think quite frankly have their heads in the sands.

And, for the record, I am no happier about the lack of editor as any of you. But I have better things to do than spend my time arguing on a forum.

 

Look, the point you bring up is correct. But the thing is, they have been showing off the editor and promising it to the player base for quite a while after launch. Now whether the reason for the decision to not release an editor at the end is simply laziness, greed or really some major technical/legal/financial challenge, it doesn't matter. Well it does, but not in my current point. Something was promised quite heavily, then it turns out it's not coming. Whatever the reason for it, they obviously made a big mistake by promising an editor that apparently will never come.

Now I don't hate them for it, and I wish the best for the whole TSW project, but sadly this seems to be a big mistake they've run into, and sadly mistakes have a cost. This time the cost is an angry and disappointed community. While I like the DTG guys, because they look like nice people and usually enhusiastic about TSW, I think the anger of the community is completely justified. DTG doesn't seem to question this either, as they themselves called the recent news disappointing as well.

 

If it IS a serious legal/technical/financial issue then we need to know, to prevent speculation. If it IS that, then DTG really have no choice in whether or not they can release an editor.

 

I’m sorry, I don’t accept that being on console should mean we are excluded from the ability to edit content. Games like Forza allow modding on console and while I accept route and loco building isn’t feasible on console I don’t see a reason why console players couldn’t expect scenario and livery creation and sharing. It just requires the game developers to get creative and put the hard hours in creating a platform to edit and share on consoles.

It is completely within the remit of DTG. Last year they promoted it on their website and said it would be ready for a ‘beta’ very soon. Read the link I sent earlier in this thread. The editor was there and working. Are you saying that DTG have been ‘forced’ into not releasing it because it wasn’t practical? Where is there any evidence for this as opposed to the huge evidence that they have just chosen not to? They have a track record of not being honest with customers. If it was a problem with Epic or licensing they would have known about it for years and therefore why publish articles and videos on the editor like they did last year, going into massive details about what you can do with it. Not releasing the editor to the public and keeping it to themselves is a DECISION, pure and simple, and one they should reverse.

 

That's not quite what I was saying, livery editing and service planning are certainly things that they can, and well, are going to make available on consoles.
What I'm referring to is the UE4 developer kit based editor, that's a whole other beast, especially with content baking and such. Consoles don't have filesystem access, something which is very very important for any kind of development platform.

 

DTG have stated that the experience has to be the same or similar on all platforms, so as long as the creator tools and sharing mechanisms on each platform are cross compatible... but they're not

 

Really? When did they say that? That’s not what they put on their website:

‘The UE4 Editor is a Windows PC only application; it won't be possible to use it to create content on the Xbox One or PlayStation 4. We're looking into some potential options for console owners to join in the fun in some other ways for the future but the UE4 Editor itself will be exclusively for our PC players only‘.

And even if they now say the experience does have to be the same that just backs up my point that it’s a decision they have made and it’s not that have been ‘forced’ not to release it. This debacle reminds me of my schooldays when if one student threw a rubber at the teacher the whole class would be punished. If DTG are reading this, here is an idea, and I know it’s quite radical, but just release the editor on PC and let console players use the content that is created. No one, absolutely no one would complain about that.

 

About two years ago and in several streams since... including the TSW2 stream last week. Matt's stated that they want the experience to be the same across the board.
Of course it's not something forced on them except by their own decisions.
Personally I think that the two experiences are pretty separate, developing the consists and scenarios is separate from driving trains, but they want to keep it as a single consistent package. That's their right
And anyone who wants to develop a competitor package now has a target to aim at, a completely open world editor available to all. Good luck containing the content though

 

So why in an article they published a year ago did it say differently? In that case they have literally been feeding us two opposing narratives.

 

Haven't seen the article you're referring to. Do you have a link?

 

Though on the studio update article about the editor they also stated that they know a full editor cannot work on consoles, so they always planned it to be PC only. So this is not the reason for the editor not coming.

 

Read posts from from DTG Protaganist, there is evidence. Provide the evidence that they have just chosen not to?

 

https://live.dovetailgames.com/live/train-sim-world/articles/article/train-sim-world-studio-update
"We're looking into some potential options for console owners to join in the fun in some other ways for the future but the UE4 Editor itself will be exclusively for our PC players only."

 

DTG Protagonist would say that though wouldn’t he, he works for them. He’s not going to come out and say ‘we’ve chosen not to release the editor’, there would be anarchy on here (even more than there is on here right now). You have to read between the lines. The evidence that they have just chosen not to is clear. Just read the last few posts by other users. In 2019 they stated:

“The UE4 Editor is a Windows PC only application; it won't be possible to use it to create content on the Xbox One or PlayStation 4. We're looking into some potential options for console owners to join in the fun in some other ways for the future but the UE4 Editor itself will be exclusively for our PC players only.”

Now apparently they are saying that all platforms require parity. That is the evidence for the assertion that they are choosing not to release it.

 

The pictures in that article were uploaded in September 2018...

 

Given we know there is an editor (we've seen it) and given we know other companies are using the editor to create content I don't think anyone with half a brain cell believes that an editor in some form does not exist.

The question is whether it's going to be made available for public use, and the choice by DTG is "No"

I don't know why anyone thinks there's any ambiguity on this point since the TSW2 stream

 

As stated by DTG there will be no editor for the public in TSW2. There are references to the ability to create new liveries, but who knows to what extent it can do. With the issues with licenses for certain railroads (BNSF) will you be able to add logos or will you only be able to change colors only? The editor WAS promised for TSW (I have seen some of the original postings and promotional releases) and now there will most likely never be one for the player to use. All development will be kept in-house or within the partner program. No more support for the original release of TSW Heavy Haul and TSW2 needs to be purchased to get the NEW attributes. It is obvious that the marketing is now heavily directed to the console crowd. There are fewer issues with hardware and software conflicts and this crowd expects a different play-ability experience. That being a point to point scenario, achievements, and points, similar to an arcade game. Steam DB shows this to be a very successful marketing strategy. This is where the money is and it does help recoup a lot of development costs. Will the PC version of TSW2 be supported in the future, who knows. When considering the overwhelmingly negative reviews of current players of TSW and the apprehension of those same players to embrace TSW2 because of DTG's past broken promises and obvious game limitations it may be available only on a console in the future. As TSW players decrease this would be a good argument to do so. Recommendation: back up your current version of TSW before the new release of TSW2. You never know what will happen to it. I for one, will not participate in this new franchise. I am happy to play TS2000 and be able to have the flexibility the game provides, access to 3rd party content, and use all the creative tools within the game and available from other developers.

 

I love "It's not happening, end of, get over it" type posts. Okay, but you're still reading a thread about it?
"DTG know best", yes, so did all of the bosses of companies I've worked for that no longer exist.

DTG have backtracked on a TSW editor. Any distrust in what DTG are saying is legitimate because they've just shown that they can't be entirely trusted because they've just backtracked on the TSW editor. Worthy of a discussion I'd say.

Just an observation.

 

It amuses me that I'm reading about a failed technology project (TSW editor) on my Microsoft mobile phone. At least MS got their phone to work, but without the large base of 3rd party apps, nobody wanted to buy it. DTG take note.

 

I'm locking this thread as it's going round in circles. I will, however leave you with a definitive answer to the original question of whether any fully-featured and open editor will go online this year. No.

This will remain the answer to the question of "will there be an editor" until the answer changes. Assume there will not be a change to this answer.