Following Sam's comments on the roadmap last night I thought I'd do a straw poll of what people look for, as train enthusiasts, when they see a new DLC coming up. Do you care if the latest train is a rehash of the old one. Do you care if you're driving a 465/1 or a 465/9, or would you prefer a pacer? Do you want the route, does it have to be very specifically one you like? Or is it stations, architecture, buildings!? Start at around 28:40 in to hear what was said
Can an interest in a train simulator really be defined into one category? Let’s say you are all about routes, you just need the BML in your game, you want it set in today’s time, and for it to be realistic. You’d obviously want the 377’s and 387’s, because that’s the route you know and love, maybe you dislike the electrostars but that’s ok because it’s what you know and it’s what you want, you obviously want the scenery to be correct too. The same logic can be applied to any of the 3 above categories, but at its core TSW is more arcade like than most sims, and it does market to many people that wood otherwise not of played a train simulator, so the gameplay factor must be important to DTG at some level, and making sure the content feels fresh is a vital part of the gameplay experience. If we separate Rush Hour from every other release, what you essentially have is BML, which is a route that is massively popular on TSXX and is requested a lot for TSW, then you have the Dresden line, HMA was praised massively for its layering and traffic volume (talking from a PC prospective obviously), modern German content is also very popular, so this route is an all round no brainer for DTG. Now we have NEC, NA hasn’t seen any passenger content for TSW 2 yet, and the want is there, if you look in polls also, Amtrak is usually one of the top voted for the operator people want to see, overall DTG have delivered some of the top content requests with Rush Hour, and the rolling stock is accurate, whilst the entire bundle is £24.99. Moving on from all of that, TSW 2 still needs a lot of content, and it is disappointing to see DLC after DLC arrive with similar trains, when we have so much still to explore. In the end my opinion is that all 3 of the categories are just as important, routes need to be realistic scenerywise, whilst using accurate stock, but the DLC choices need to be more diverse, because the thing that suffers the most at the moment is gameplay variety.
Different Routes is the key thing for me. I don't care if the train isn't 100% correct. I don't even care if the rolling stock isn't quite right. For anything other than Swiss routes, I probably wouldn't know anyway. I drive 99% in the cab so I rarely even see what's behind it. I do enjoy different routes though and different types of operations. I count myself as a train enthusiast - I read about the history, watch lots of DVDs and travel on them quite a lot, but for me TSW is just a way to relax and I treat it as a game. A few inaccuracies don't bother me at all.
I would say the trains are the most important thing to me, however that is because I think the trains are by far the strongest aspect of the game. Even when DTG don't provide completely new train models, the models they provide are always pretty amazing, the detail and overall aesthetics are just phenomenal. There really isn't anything else that comes close. So on this, it is the most important thing, but also it's more of a keep up the good work, obviously more variation would be welcome, but no real need for them to focus here urgently. Stations are probably the least important aspect for me. I don't spend a particularly long time looking at or around them, and really I'd be happy just for there to be more passengers to make them feel more station-y. The models are ok, I certainly don't think they require lots more effort as as far as I know they have all been pretty recognisably the stations they are supposed to be. The routes need most work I think, and are of course hugely important to the experience. It's difficult because clearly there is a trade-off with detail and quality vs. memory usage, but I think there must be a happier medium between the two they can find, something that is better than SHS but not necessarily as extravagant and therefore dysfunctional as HMA.
I would love some more British locos, some modern & electric stuff! We have enough 3rd rail & emu's now.
I suppose for me personally, it routes above everything else although elements of each creep in. For example, I would prefer to see trains authentic to the route, when I am aware of it. However, if the engine sound is slightly off or the wrong Dostos are used, that wouldn’t be a deal breaker as long as the route looks good (although the Dosto issue isn’t an issue as I wasn’t going to get this route anyway). Variety in locos is welcome though. Similarly, I would have liked to explore more of St Pancras in SEHS but it didn’t stop me buying it. Just shows what a difficult job DTG have in pleasing everyone.