Plenty of new screenshots too on the store page https://store.steampowered.com/app/...eed_London_St_Pancras__Faversham_Route_AddOn/
No screenshots of St Pancras, I wonder if DTG will model the entire station (which would be quite ambitious) or just the Javelin platforms.
I assume only the SouthEastern platforms will be adequately modelled, with the rest of the platforms and station being very basic in detail.
I can't spot it, but there is a brief glimpse of Stratford International. The background scenery (trees etc) looks quite prototypical, I wonder if DTG used the same techniques as for the LGV line (it's almost as long), which came in for some criticism.
This is one of the screenshots, and I think that's the closest to St Pancras we have. I didn't see it in the trailer at all, having just re-watched it.
I think that's just after departing St Pancras before heading into the tunnels over the ECML. If what I said is correct then those supports holding the track up which goes over the line we're on is wrong. IRL it's a box tunnel which is 185 ft long.
Yeah, this is a very similar shot taken in Google Earth, so not the best but you do get the vibe. I think the mess on the right-hand side is the track you see on the far right of the screenshot. There also appears to be quite a bit of greenery that's missing.
I’m disappointed with the lack of ground scenery and very poor looking ballast textures. As you can see below, there is a distinct lack of foliage and the ballast itself looks very shoddy looking. Not to mention the ballast itself is completely the wrong colour. How hard is it to include another texture variant of ballast, like seriously? These issues have been raised for previous DLCs but nothing has been done to fix it.
As someone who’s used this line a lot I was pleasantly surprised that how well it was modelled and how much I recognised from the limited clip and screenshots. From the green fields of Kent to the ghastly streaked concrete. The town of Faversham itself is of great architectural interest, though sadly the station is not. For £20 it’s not going to be perfect, they’ve not spent five or six years, or multimillions on building it. The moaning over minor missing or incorrect details has already begun, but I shall certainly be buying it as they’ve captured the feel of the route and it’s trains. I’ll be watching tonights stream, so don’t let me down guys!
I think you’ll find on closer inspection of the screenshot that bridge is constructed correctly in the game. There is certainly a box tunnel there. Zoom in.
I have mixed feelings about route accuracy. On the one hand, I think it is very important the route is modelled accurately, but on the other hand, when concentrating on driving the train, the scenery is just nice to look at. Given DTG’s own words - in that they look at countless pictures, Google Maps etc, to reference the route, I really don’t understand why things get missed or built incorrectly in game. As it stands, I think the route looks very nice and I’m looking forward to playing it soon.
OMG I hope the ballast is the correct colour, literally unplayable if the fence is missing AND the box concrete underpass is missing and ballast is the wrong shade. WTF DTG!!! Literally unplayable, pitchfork ignited!
I think you're right, I just zoomed in 500% and you can just make out the box tunnel shape, it's also a slightly different colour of concrete. I think it's just the angle of the shot which make it look like there's not a box tunnel there. I'll happily hold my hands up and apologise to DTG for this.
I ended up enjoying LGV even with its shortcomings regarding some details which are being discussed here (such as the ballast) and the fencing along HS1 wouldn't be a deal breaker either for me. The only gripe I have is seeing the 375 not much upgraded from the ECW's 377 (from what we can tell right now), and at this point the only deal breaker would be whether or not the braking performance has been fixed for the Class 375
Man, some of you guys seriously need to take a chill pill. You're freaking out and moaning over minor issues you THINK exist based off of screenshots of an unfinished, unreleased product that you haven't even bought yet, that only costs £20. This is the official definition of first world problems right here! LOL. And if you have pre-ordered it and you're moaning already then you're an idiot for pre-ordering before seeing the live stream. I saw the screenshots and the preview video and pre-ordered immediately because I think it looks great. I don't know the line well, so can't tell if there are small innacuracies but it looks 10 times better than the old TS one, so that was enough for me to feel confident pre-ordering.
These are promotional screenshots and trailers on the store page - it's very likely the route is done bar bugfixing and gameplay (otherwise, what's the point in putting it on pre-order and giving a raft of screenshots). Notice they don't have "work in progress" in the bottom corner like they did on the first lot we got. They are, broadly, rather minor and I'm not usually one to bash DTG, but the route doesn't look finished without the aforementioned fencing.
Looks good to me and I will be pre-ordering it when I get home. Obviously it won't be 100% accurate but who really expects that. There will probably be things I will notice and think "I don't like that much" but they won't be enough to stop me enjoying the route.
The comment about the ballast being the wrong shade of grey almost made me laugh out loud in public. Thanks, we need all the light relief we can get in these times.
“Why are you so upset, darling?” “Some simulated rocks are the wrong colour. How was your shift at the hospital?”
I agree, the inaccuracies are a bit annoying but don't ruin it. the route still doesn't look bad by any stretch, For me the big factor's the engines, if they're still solid I'll still be happy to buy it.
I know right? Let's be thankful for the good stuff we have. If that's the biggest problem we have today, we're doing pretty good compared to many people in the world right now. I'm not saying we should let DTG churn out crap, but honestly this looks far from crap to me. It's a not seeing wood for all the trees type of thing. Mind you the proof will be in the pudding of actually playing it I guess.
So you are calling people idiots, needing to take a chill pill and calling them out for moaning for pointing out inaccuracies when these said people may well know the line very well when you yourself admitted you don't know the line well. OK.
Honestly, in my personal opinion, this is actually one of the few things that actually makes the route look extremely unrealistic. I realise that "the wrong shade of grey" sounds extremely pedantic, but imagine you're in cyberpunk or gta 5 or something and suddenly a big building that's supposedly made of concrete in the centre of the city actually looks like it's made of dirt. For anyone who has been in that line irl or driven it in TS21, things like this become a major disappointment, as the route feels more like a downgrade from the previous game than an improvement. However, that doesn't mean that the route looks horrible, it's just some things in the London - Ebbsfleet area that are missing, along with the unfinished sounds.
Yes, I am not from the area, but the St. Pancras to Ebbsfleet section does not capture the true High Speed Line feel with the dirt ballast and missing fenceline. The rest of the route on the normal 3rd rail trackage looks fine to me, bar the few holes in the ground. It is really just the HS1 section that looks wrong, even to my untrained eyes. Imagine if HMA used a dirt ballast for the express lines, now that would look pretty strange. Cheers
As stated in the stream the route is not finished, so you are looking at something in development. We cannot have it all, expect release screenshots/promotion and have it early in development demanding DTG to bring us news. Let's be reasonable and save criticism ttill the product is officially released. Just ask questions before that moment. Personally I don't care about the colour of the ballast bed. I have never been there and it is unlikely I ever will be at the spot. Who doesn't know, doesn't care and many casual player probably will not care about it. I like the variation in playing style required and my only comment would be I really would like to see some freight vans in Hoo Junction freight yard and an additional layer to do some shunting while enjoying the high speed line.It would be awesome to have a freight layer with a class 08 running around, or maybe even the class 20 would be great. No idea how realistic it is, but it would be awesome to have.
Would definitely not define myself as a casual, have been involved with train simulators for the past decade, but must say if we are down to the color of the ballast and missing fences, TSW2 has come a long way from the days people were complaining about improper signaling, locomotive performance curves being inaccurate and unrealistic braking. While the visuals are important, and especially so to people who ride the route daily, (being a Yank, only had the privilege to ride the route 4 times) I am more interested in the accuracy of the 395, how it drives, the accuracy of the signals, basically the operations side of it all. Seeing the 3 different signaling systems, the power change over needed and the finely model cab (where I spent most of my time driving anyway) convinced me to pre-purchase the route. If you miss fences when driving, go run Sand patch grade - when it came out, there was an uproar because of the amount of fencing when in reality( like most North American lines) there is minimal. After driving the line once or twice, do not even notice them any more. Especially when focusing on bringing that heavy freight down the slope during snow or rain.
As a user of the line I thought they caught the character of the line well. I rewatched the video this morning and was glad I bought it. Yes there are minor inaccuracies, but nothing too aggravating. Ballast, sound of the 375 isn't there yet and the trees too uniform in size and colour. (Take a note Matt). Ninety percent of all sidings are empty. None of it is game-breaking. Or triggering my OCD. The important thing will be the gameplay. Only time will tell. I'm optimistic.
Well, not being from that neck of the woods, I don't know the route well (just 2 or3 trips to the Channel ports some years ago). But I thought the route looked pretty decent, albeit a good chunk of it was in very dark tunnels. Certainly the cab of the 395 was very nicely modeled with lots of functionality. On the downside, the train seemed completely silent both inside and out, felt very strange. I would expect that to be fixed. I had to chuckle to myself about the missing fences, since here in the US we rarely have fencing along the railroad. And the color of the ballast? I myself would prefer a deep orange.
There is some really cool stuff in this route with the different signaling and safety systems, the PIS boards, and the functional crossing gates tied to the signals. Also, the Javelin cab looked amazing. I can’t wait to drive it. First route I have ever pre-ordered. All routes have flaws. However, even in the routes with flaws that had kept me away such as the non-functioning crossing gates and non reverberating horn sounds on SPG, there is still amazing stuff. I have really enjoyed rediscovering SPG. Just yesterday, I sat by an automated switch and was amazed to hear the whir of the switch motor and the soft click of the points. So, yes I am in! Can’t wait to discover all the cool stuff in this route.
I have preordered it too and im looking forward to play it. If you compare it to other routes, its flaws seems like nothing i mean on rapid Transit (crossing at Dessau Süd) YOU ARE LITERALLY RUNNING PEOPLE OVER BECAUSE THEY WALK TROUGH CLOSED GATES. What is a bit brown ballast compared to the AI commiting suicide? I hope this doesnt happen with the working crossing gates....