Query Re C40-8w

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by solicitr, Mar 17, 2021.

  1. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    Considering buying it (SPG may be my favorite route)- but: does the C40 come with its own layer of timetable services, or does it just sub in for existing locos on existing services?
     
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  2. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    I’d be interested to know too, my finger has been hovering over the purchase button all day. I might be wrong but I believe it does bring a number of new services.

    I read it has some issues with the ‘Banking Comm’ not working. Does anyone know if that’s the case still?
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2021
  3. Amtrak131

    Amtrak131 Active Member

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    it brings new services
     
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  4. 7orenz

    7orenz Well-Known Member

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    I don't remember if there are any additional services (to and from the Shadow Mine) along with new coal wagons. But for sure on the C40 the dynamic brakes work well so it's a pleasure to drive it downhill.
     
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  5. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    Last edited: Mar 18, 2021
  6. Blacknred81

    Blacknred81 Well-Known Member

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    Its brings at least 1 4 part service up to one of the mines and back again with 4 lead locomotives (Usually only the Dash 8 but sometimes an AC4400CW will sub for 1 of the locos.)
     
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  7. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    ...and the banking comm...does it work? Thanks for the info.
     
  8. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    Quadruple-headed, it doesn't need banking comms. Just a straight MU setup.
     
  9. 7orenz

    7orenz Well-Known Member

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    Banking Comm doesn't work but that doesn't stop you from climbing up to Rockwood with 2 loco in front and 2 loco in back in DPU but without Banking Comm, still pulling 50 wagons and about 6000-7000 tons.
     
  10. Monder

    Monder Well-Known Member

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    It ads the mentioned U877 4-headed 4-parts service. It also ads 6 other services (N401-N406) running coal along the up west and east.
    From my experience, it is definitely an interesting loco and you can really rely on the dynamic brake of it. The U877 is a stellar set of services especially if you delay yourself at the very beginning... AND it's a 4 header, the first of a kind in the timetable. There are some bugs with the DLC, the unresolved banking comm being the most "how is that still NOT fixed???" But if you avoid selecting it for autoracks with helpers, you should be fine most of the time.
     
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  11. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    Either banking comms are working, or you don't have DP. In which case you're dragging 50 wagons and two locos with 2.
     
  12. 7orenz

    7orenz Well-Known Member

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    By "Banking Comm" I mean the switch.
    The switch does not work (there are also those who claim that in real life there is no switch) however the convoy also works in DPU. If I release the two rear locomotives, I don't have enough power and traction to move. So in DPU it works even without the Banking switch.
     
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  13. stujoy

    stujoy Well-Known Member

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    The C40 subs in on many services but you can’t use it on any services with helpers because of the Banking Comm issue. I tried to bring this up in last roadmap stream (alongside the AC4400 dynamic brake issue still there from launch and the new bug of no dynamic brakes on the GP and SD units, which may have accidentally fixed itself on PC but not on consoles) and I was brushed off with just a woolly answer about the new bug. SPG is in a very sorry state at the moment with no loco actually working properly.

    The C40 extra services and the subbed services not requiring Banking Comm are still working I believe and apart from the odd other little bug here and there is a good loco DLC. It would be better if it was fixed but I don’t know if that will happen any time soon. The dynamic brake is very powerful and I would say probably too powerful comparing it to other US locos but don’t know if that’s how it is in reality. Dynamic brakes, it would appear, are hit and miss with DTG.
     
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  14. geloxo

    geloxo Well-Known Member

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    DLC has not been updated since release if I´m not wrong, so any issues are still open. But it´s a really nice locomotive and quite well modeled.

    Cheers
     
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  15. Crosstie

    Crosstie Well-Known Member

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    It's a really well modeled locomotive and I love to drive it. It just has that one fatal flaw, which would really matter if and when we have a consist editor. It seems that no matter how many times we bring it up, no-one is paying attention. Frustrating, to say the least. It's the same with the AC4400CW's dynamic brake. I've come to the conclusion that SPG will never get any attention from this point. However, I would still recommend the Dash 8.
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2021
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  16. Lamplight

    Lamplight Well-Known Member

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    My guess is that we‘ll have to wait until Adam‘s team gets to SPG for any of the needed fixes apart from the current EMD dynamic brakes situation. I believe that one will be fixed prior to Clinchfield‘s release because it was some sort of core work that broke those. But for all the other issues - best to get cosy I guess.

    Looking past all this - if you can live with the frequently reported quality of sounds solicitr, I can recommend the C40-8W. It‘s a lovely loco and feels like a beast to drive in all the best ways :)
     
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  17. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    I bit the bullet this morning :cool:
     
  18. Costpap

    Costpap Member

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    All of the locomotives on SPG have varying levels of quality and are all broken to some extent, which is really sad, to be honest. For example, on the SD40-2, the fans on top of the body are nicely modeled and are clearly spinning when they're on. On the GP38-2, the fans have a lot less detail and you can barely tell when they're spinning, especially on YN3b. Not only that, but on the YN2 version of the GP38-2, the number boards have awful lighting from afar, which doesn't happen on the YN3b version of the same locomotive or on the other 3, for that matter. The SD40-2 has working mirrors, albeit that's more of a secret, while no other locomotive has them. On the C40-8W, you can only touch a few switches on the electrical cabinet, compared to the AC4400CW or the GP38-2 and SD40-2, where everything is user-accessible. The MU start/stop controls are working on the C40-8W while not on the AC4400CW. It's quite sad, to be honest. The locomotives should all receive an overhaul to ensure that they're properly up to spec with each other and features which should be available throughout all locomotives are available throughout all locomotives. Of course, I'm expecting too much from DTG, and I know that this will never happen. Still would be nice to see it, though.
     
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  19. Anthony Pecoraro

    Anthony Pecoraro Well-Known Member

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    The EMD dynamic brakes do work. I drove the SD40-2 last week and they worked fine.
     
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  20. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    Initial feedback is it’s pretty good. Sounds are not as bad as I was expecting given some of the feedback and I would say they’re no better (or worse) than any other SPG loco. My major gripe however is the texturing. Yet again.

    In places the only word to describe it is ‘terrible’ (it might even be the worst I’ve seen in the game). I just don’t know what they’re doing having it look like this. Does the game really struggle that much for performance that this level of texture is all that can be used? It’s really such low resolution it makes an absolute mockery of playing this game in 4K.

    That (fairly major) gripe aside, I like it and would recommend it solicitr if you haven’t bought it yet, particularly at the sale price. Just don’t look too closely.
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2021
  21. DTG Matt

    DTG Matt Executive Producer Staff Member

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    Can you share some screenshots of where it's terrible? Thanks!
     
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  22. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    Of course!

    It doesn't look too bad from a distance admittedly, but when you get in close as you do in TSW it becomes apparent that the texture map is of low resolution, with the weathering being particularly low resolution. It’s a really nice model, it just seems that the textures don’t really do it justice.

    I would give it 7.5/10, 8.5 if the textures were better, and 9.5 if the sounds had a bit more oomph to them. It sounds a bit lightweight for such a big & powerful machine to me, but then I wouldn’t know what one of these sounded like in the real world. That’s based purely on a perception.
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2021
  23. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    1.jpg 2.jpg 3.jpg 4.jpg 5.jpg
     
  24. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    6.jpg 7.jpg
     
  25. Crosstie

    Crosstie Well-Known Member

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    My eyes aren't what they used to be, but I really don't see where it's "terrible". As I said before, I think this is a very well modeled locomotive. The weathering looks fine to me. I'm looking in-game, not at your screenshots.
     
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  26. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    That’s entirely fair. Everyone has their own perception of what is good and what isn’t. There are plenty of examples of the good in TSW, so I find it really jarring when something doesn’t seem to meet the same standard.

    It could also come down to in-game resolution and monitor size of course. I’m playing in 4K on a 31.5” monitor and it looks noticeably low resolution to me. Perhaps in a lower resolution on a smaller monitor it’s not as obvious. I don’t know.

    I goes without saying that you need to view those screenshots as full size, as any compression will obviously make them look sharper.

    Anyway, perhaps ‘terrible’ wasn’t the right word. Maybe ‘terrible up close’ would have been better.
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2021
  27. Anthony Pecoraro

    Anthony Pecoraro Well-Known Member

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    The C40-8W definitely seems to have lower resolution textures compared to the other locos.
     
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  28. Lamplight

    Lamplight Well-Known Member

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    On PC - yes. On console - no. They‘re still broken on the PS4.
     
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  29. LucasLCC

    LucasLCC Well-Known Member

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    The C40 is one of those add-ons that I'd only recommend if 50% off or greater.

    It's a nice looking loco, the desk is nice etc. The physics (especially brakes) seem a little off. It stops on a dime, which is not something I'm used to with American freight services.

    The lack of a banking comm and the further lack of fix from DTG is a bit disappointing, as it means that you're unable to drive some services. I'm not sure why DTG have this habit of dropping features on newer DLC. Surely each should grow from their previous DLCs...
     
  30. JustWentSouth

    JustWentSouth Well-Known Member

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    I really like this loco; the combination of a wide cab and analog gauges is irresistible to me. The Shaw Mine services are also nice and create some wrong line running just west of Mance.

    My only real gripe is the horn. Apparently, they had to settle for the AC4400 horn which is not ideal IMHO; it lacks a certain resonance or a “house shaking paint peeling” effect. Is there a chance of the C40-8 getting its own horn?
     
  31. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    If DP is working, then it doesn't matter if the switch is functional or not; "Banking Comms" have turned themselves on and there's nothing to worry about. But other users are reporting that with a C40 lead, DP does not work and the helper MU is dead weight.
     
  32. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    At that scale, you'd be seeing every wart and defect in Charlize Theron's skin- "What a hag! Look at those pores! Doesn't she moisturize?"
     
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  33. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    Hah. Well, I had a look and the external skin texture is 4096x4096 which is obviously pretty sizeable. The issue, by the looks of it, is the sheer amount of texture on the map. I suspect areas have been completed then shrunk down (but not very well) to go onto the map, hence why it looks low resolution in game.

    I’ve used a nifty program to double the texture (which makes it a crazy 8192x8192 which is obviously massive), but it does look better. Not right, but definitely better. I don’t claim to be an expert in this by any stretch, but something can’t be right when what is almost an 8K texture produces such blurry, low-res looking in game results.
     
  34. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    I believe that in-game textures are compressed as a jpeg, and scaled to a size which won't completely crush a console's or low-powered PC's ability to process. You can see a similar effect with custom liveries- they are much, much sharper in the Designer than they are in game. Especially noticeable is the way gradients get rendered as colored bands.
     
  35. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    It's a bit of a mixed bag. When I've looked at some of the in-game non-loco texture maps they're really very small indeed. Compared to the other locos I've looked at the texture map for the -8 is a fairly standard & pretty decent resolution. The issue seems to be the sheer amount of stuff squashed into it.

    Although the map texture size is big, the texture for nose of the unit (for example) is squashed into a very small space indeed. With my limited knowledge of these programs (I use GIMP), if this was textured at a normal size then shrunk to a much smaller size to fit the map, you lose a considerable amount of detail. Although not perfect, there are ways to mitigate that but that doesn't look like it's been done in this case. It likely explains why the weathering in particular looks so blurry. The images are saved as .tga files for what it's worth.
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2021
  36. Rudolf

    Rudolf Well-Known Member

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    I agree. It looks a bit dirty and needs a train wash, but we cannot blame DTG for that ... The only thing is this blue area has a bit of low res texture.
     
  37. Rudolf

    Rudolf Well-Known Member

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    Maybe DTG should give max specs for your PC and screen as well. If you blow it up far enough in resolution this will happen to any game or model. Buying a smaller monitor is an idea. DTG cannot use vector graphics for all modelling.
     
  38. breblimator

    breblimator Guest

    I was angry with this locomotive for a long time. Then I bought it. Please don't insult Her again here or I will ask for satisfaction! :love:
    Bravo \o/
     
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  39. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    I understand, all I’m asking for is the same sort of texture resolution you see on the vast majority of other TSW locos.

    There’s a danger that if the only game you ever play is TSW that you forget what other games look like. The texturing of 95% of the locos in TS1 is sharper than those images I’ve posted. I think that’s the first time it’s ever been suggested that 4K on a 31” monitor is too much! :o

    It looks fairly obvious how it’s happened. The textures have either been created and shrunk down to fit the map first, or the map has been shrunk down as a whole with the textures in place and in that process a whole heap of detail (on the weathering particularly) has been lost. There are ways to limit that loss but they’re not perfect. I believe that explains why the logos and decals look sharper and more detailed than the body of the loco, because they’re different textures.

    It is a minor distraction to what is on the whole a lovely DLC.
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2021
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  40. Anthony Pecoraro

    Anthony Pecoraro Well-Known Member

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    Are you able to increase the size of the texture map, and release it as a mod?
     
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  41. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    I tried and although it looks a bit better it’s only a bit. Because the detail has already been lost it’s just interpolating what is there now and making it twice the size. To be honest the pretty minor improvement is probably not worth the extra memory that a texture that size would need (it’s 8192x8192).

    I don’t particularly see a performance hit with it but I’d imagine if you were tight for VRAM and/or FPS it wouldn’t be ideal.

    I’ve just learnt not to look too closely :) I’m currently enjoying slipping & sliding down SPG in the snow.
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2021
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  42. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    ps Does anyone know what the AFM Indicator is telling me? I assume it’s something to do with airflow in the brake system but without a manual I’m a bit clueless!

    Thanks.
     
  43. breblimator

    breblimator Guest

    In-game texture compression is being realized via Screen Percentage - 100% by default / 200% = 'uncompressed'
    Via engine.ini = r.SSR.Quality=2
    Don't know, if 2 ('200%') is the cap or not.

    Maybe you can turn off the compression ... 'more'? Theoretically, it is possible, but in my opinion, it is not worth it.
     
  44. breblimator

    breblimator Guest

    Air Flow Meter.

    Air propagation through the whole train (BP, brake pipe).
    Air needs time to 'go' from one end to another for brakes to work.

    IRL, AFM should indicate <60 before you can use the throttle and pull (& >75 PSI EOT, end of train device indication)
     
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  45. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    Brilliant! Thanks.
     
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  46. stujoy

    stujoy Well-Known Member

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    Now that would be nice in game but, as well as the banking comm not working, the EOT can’t be activated either, and the AFM reading is well dodgy. This is why this loco needs a patch as none of these issues have been acknowledged by DTG so far. If you waited in game for a reading of less that 60 on the AFM before setting off you would still be there next Tuesday.
     
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  47. breblimator

    breblimator Guest

    TSW doesn't simulate it (yet?), but attempting to move a non-fully 'unbraked' consist could damage couplers. Tractive effort is a force that moves a train, at the same time acting on its every element, including the weakest (couplers). >300klb (kilo-pounds) can lead to this:



    This phenomenon also occurs during braking, only then the force acts in the opposite direction, but on the same elements. BR

    Hehe, true. I love the heavy role-play style :) Up to ~10 minutes (depends on train length). TSW is pretty accurate but seems to be more scripted than simulated. You are right.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 19, 2021
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  48. Michael Newbury

    Michael Newbury Well-Known Member

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    Would love to see physics such as this added into TSW2 it bring us one step closer to realism.
     
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  49. Jonsutt1

    Jonsutt1 Active Member

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  50. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    Its definitely fixed then, because before, the C40 didn't have a banking comm switch!
     

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