The AC4400CW tells you what % the automatic brakes are applied in the control tooltip, which I really like. Makes it easy to know how applied the brakes are from the outside. I just wish the GP38-2 and SD40-2 did the same thing. (Those only do the % on the independent brake.) You could possibly even apply that to the Class 66, maybe by adding the target brake pressure to the PBL handle tooltip (much like the way the slow speed control rocker works).
It is how it works in real life, but what he is implying is it would be easier to operate the brakes knowing how much brake pressure is being used instead of showing what setting of braking you are using.
This is indeed not about being realistic. In real life, you don't control the train from the outside, so you always know what the brake setting is. Since TSW does let you control from the outside, it would be nice to know the brake setting even though it's not realistic.
it is a good point as you are doing the job of both engineer and conductor, so if you were using the automatic to couple up a consist and you were watching from that pov it would be very useful,
But if you have not noticed, the only gauges on the outside are the HUD gauges, which are pretty useless since they have no actual numbers and because there is a delay between setting a brake application and that application actually being reached.
No kidding? what about when your in third person @ the other end of the train trying to couple up a cut? gauges in the engine don't help when your being forced to to the job of both engineer and conductor.