Steam Sale. I Want A New Toy But Not Sure Which One. Any Recommendations?

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by Purno, May 25, 2021.

  1. Purno

    Purno Well-Known Member

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    Oh boy. Discounts at Steam. Which means being tempted to spend some money and difficult choices to make.

    Not sure which of the 'missing' DLC would add most to my existing collection. Perhaps any of you can give me some insights in stuff that's worth picking up?

    I'm not a fan of shunting, Sand Patch Grade is my least favourite route, and the BR182 is the ugliest thing in the game. :P

    Any recommendations?

    upload_2021-5-25_20-0-30.png
     
  2. Dinosbacsi

    Dinosbacsi Well-Known Member

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    Well I just got Clinchfield, as I hear a lot of great feedback about it. Will give it a go tonight or tomorrow.
     
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  3. breblimator

    breblimator Guest

    HRR + BR 101 :D
     
  4. Clumsy Pacer

    Clumsy Pacer Well-Known Member

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    The Class 20 is nice to drive, even if it doesn't add much to Tees Valley.
     
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  5. Blacknred81

    Blacknred81 Well-Known Member

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    If the OP doest like SPG, they aren't gonna enjoy CRR.
     
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  6. Inkar

    Inkar Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, looking at what he has bought previously I think HRR is a safe bet.
     
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  7. synthetic.angel

    synthetic.angel Well-Known Member

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    This. Absolutely this. Absolute must purchase.
     
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  8. Monder

    Monder Well-Known Member

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    This hurts to read :( Such a nice sleek loco :D
     
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  9. Ravi

    Ravi Well-Known Member

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    LGV if you like fast trains but not much variety in the route.
     
  10. Inkar

    Inkar Well-Known Member

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    I got LGV in the sale. You get to 320 Km/h in this one, and there are almost no stutters because of tile loading but it comes at the cost of graphics quality. I think it is the lowest I have seen in TSW.
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2021
  11. ralphy_porter2000

    ralphy_porter2000 Active Member

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    I must admit Legends is now looking a bit more tempting at this price as I have all DLC for it.
    Any 'red flags' I should be aware of?
     
  12. Ravi

    Ravi Well-Known Member

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    I got it today. Its ok. its a bit jarring running the old locos in a modern route/signalling. But at this price, thats excusable.
     
  13. Purno

    Purno Well-Known Member

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    I do like Tees Valley. Not sure about the Class 20. I heard it doesn't really add any timetable services, and just uses substitution.

    SPG has some annoying locos I just can't seem to get started. Plus for the slow US freight you really need to rely on pretty scenery to keep the route interesting. Not sure CRR offers both an interesting scenery and locos that I can manage to get started :P

    I've actually waited with buying HRR has its yet another modern German passenger route. Not sure how much that'd add to my collection. The 101 isn't on discount currently, and although I'd like some intercity traffic, not sure I quite like the looks of the 101, but that's a personal taste :P

    I do like a fast train once in a while, but I fear LGV is a one trick pony, and it's a pretty short route (duration wise). I already have Köln-Aachen and London-Reading if I fancy a high speed run. That's why I haven't bought LGV yet.

    I've also considered Diesel Legends. Would open up more opportunities to use the BR Blue locos I already have. It's not a new route though, and London-Reading isn't the most scenic route IMO.

    That's what make the choice hard. Everything I really like, I already bought. Everything I don't have yet, does have some kind of downside which makes me doubt wether it'd be a good purchase (and for some of these, probably waiting for a better discount).

    I'm actually surprised no-one mentioned SEHS yet. Makes me wonder why.
     
  14. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    This one sneaked up. Might treat myself to the Coastway later, teetering re Arosa but needs to be a bit more of a discount (90% :o:o?) before my twitchy finger hits Buy Now.
     
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  15. SonicScott91

    SonicScott91 Well-Known Member

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    East Coastway is a solid recommendation, one of the best routes in TSW.

    You also can’t go wrong with Tees Valley with the BR Class 31 & 20.
     
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  16. Monder

    Monder Well-Known Member

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    But the train itself is very well made and has good sounds. LGV is a weird one, it has many unique features, but I agree the scenery is lacking. At least you run around it super fast, no crawl through like on Arosa seeing it in detail the whole time :D
     
  17. stujoy

    stujoy Well-Known Member

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    I’ll mention it. It’s a really good DLC. There are some bits of the scenery that are a bit badly put together but nothing that’s really visible from the train and the worst bits are when you are travelling at high speed, so they may be gone in a flash. Everything else about the route is top notch. A few bugs here and there but fewer than other routes in my experience. LGV has a more thrilling high speed drive but SEHS has much more going on and I highly recommend it.
     
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  18. Blacknred81

    Blacknred81 Well-Known Member

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    The route maxes out at 30mph, most of the interesting scenery is either at Dante, Elkhorn City, or the coal loaders. Everywhere else is just trees and rivers. The F7 is different in terms of locomotives due to its older layout, though not hard to set up. The SD40 is pretty much identical to the SD40-2 (Aside from the transition level for power and dynamic brakes.) Both locos lack an engine room so there's no priming of the engine for a C&D startup.
     
  19. Purno

    Purno Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, so far it seems SEHS is the most likely candidate for being my new toy. More variety of services and I don't have a lot of modern UK routes yet.
     
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  20. Purno

    Purno Well-Known Member

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    So a lot of trees, feels like SPG again. I don't think Clinchfield is the right route for me. I think I'd better wait for Cane Creek if I want some US freight.
     
  21. stujoy

    stujoy Well-Known Member

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    If you thought SPG had a lot of trees then CRR would be a shock to you, it is trees trees trees, close to the tracks, and in the bits where you get to see further away, it’s more trees trees trees. From what you say you like and dislike, CRR is not the route for you, even if it is fantastic. It’s a good route for fans of waiting in a passing loop for twenty minutes for a train coming in the opposite direction too, part of real railroad life and a good chance to make a cup of tea at home, but that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea either. I always find that after a slow session in CRR I have to fire up LGV and have a blast to balance it all out.
     
  22. cwf.green

    cwf.green Well-Known Member

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    Hard to make a suggestion without knowing what sort of train driving you like. Do you prefer A to B main line freight driving or running passenger trains? Commuter trains with many stops or more long distance passenger trains? German, US or UK trains?

    Do you like super realistic "study sim" type DLCs or easier/more arcade style gameplay?
     
  23. Clumsy Pacer

    Clumsy Pacer Well-Known Member

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    It adds 4, plus 3 scenarios, and substitutes with the 37. It's really nice to drive and the lack of extra services doesn't matter to me. The 4 services are limestone trains between Tees Yard and Eaglescliffe.
     
  24. Purno

    Purno Well-Known Member

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    I like variety. I can enjoy A to B runs. Don't mind a bit of shunting, but it's not something I can enjoy for a whole hour. I like freight as well as passengers, modern and historic/heritage, express or commuter. I like a bit of everything, and thus want to add variety to my collection. Also variety in scenery, so definately not limiting myself to one or two countries. (Which was one of the main reasons to purchase Arosa).

    Something easy to learn, so not with the annoyingly complex SPG locos with their setup. But I can enjoy trains like the Class 101 with the gears and braking system, or the locos from Peninsula Corridor with their brake system. Never been a fan of PZB which is I never really understood how it works, but I enjoy driving the ICE with LZB and AFB. The BR155 is also an interesting drive. All these trains aren't overly complicated to get moving, but offer some extra challenges or features to make the drive more interesting. But I can also enjoy the pretty simple trains with combined brake/throttle lever like the modern German or UK multiple units.
     
  25. cwf.green

    cwf.green Well-Known Member

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    If you like the BR101 I definitely recommend buying Hauptstrecke Rhein-Ruhr since it has 30+ timetable services for the BR101 and several scenarios. The timetable runs are never longer than 30 mins (for the BR101) but even so I really liked them since I love the BR101 and you have one scheduled stop between Duisburg and Bochum and many of the timetable services have adverse signals where you either have to stop for a train crossing your path or are following a slower service.

    If you enjoy the Peninsula Corridor maybe the Baby bullet would be something you'd be interested in.

    Clinchfield is (in my opinion) a very well made route both in terms of the route layout and the included rolling stock (all freight) but the speed is never more than 30mph (afaik) so that might be a negative?

    If you aren't too picky about the scenery issues some people have pointed out for SESH you might like it, especially if you pick up the Class 465 which has gotten good reviews (I don't own the Class 465 though so maybe ask someone else about that one).

    If you are interested in the BR155 (which is one of the most well made German locomotives from DTG) I'd suggest picking it up together with Ruhr-Sieg Nord since the loco was "meant" for that route.

    If you like UK freight I'd suggest Northern Trans-Peninne + BR freight or the Tees Valley Line.

    LGV is quite well made both in terms of the route and the TGV Duplex, but the downside is that the services aren't very varied and even though the route is relatively long the high speed makes it quite short in duration.

    I personally wasn't a fan of the Arosa Line (the trains have some physics bugs and the low speed is boring to me) but YMMV.
     
  26. Purno

    Purno Well-Known Member

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    I never said I like the BR101, I said I like the Class 101. The British 101.
    I already own the BR155 and Ruhr-Sieg Nord, as well as NTP + BR freight + Tees Valley.

    I appreciate you taking the time to write some recommendations to me, but you could've saved yourself some time by reading my posts so you didn't have to recommend me stuff I already own ;)

    I think I'll pick up SEHS without the 465. Does the 465 add any services or does it only substitute?

    I think I'll wait for picking up LGV. I'm familiar with the route in Train Simulator, and I expect it to be a one trick pony, and a pretty short duration. Might pick it up later for a better discount.
     
  27. Clumsy Pacer

    Clumsy Pacer Well-Known Member

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    465 only substitutes, because people kicked up a storm at the base route being too quiet, so they decided to include the services the 465 should've come with in the base route.
     
  28. Purno

    Purno Well-Known Member

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    Ok good to know, thanks!
     
  29. KoeleKoen

    KoeleKoen Well-Known Member

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    Peninsula corridor combined with the mp15 shunter and baby bullet is great fun, tons of services, shunting, passenger, freight, an end to end route. It really feels complete and alive, i prefer German stuff but this is my nr1 in the game, content and gameplay wise
     
  30. Monder

    Monder Well-Known Member

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    Have they fixed the low 465 appearance on AI services since release?
     
  31. Purno

    Purno Well-Known Member

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    I already own Peninsula Corridor and I like the Baby Bullet services. It's a decent route, but haven't bought any of the loco add-ons for it. Aside from the fact that I'm not really into shunting (sorry MP15DC) and don't really like the exterior of the Baby Bullet (sorry MP36PH-3C), biggest downside is that both loco add-ons are usuable on only one route. And as far as I understood, the MP36PH-3C doesn't add any services, and I expect that the MP15DC mainly runs around the depot area?
     
  32. Rudolf

    Rudolf Well-Known Member

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    If you don't like shunting, go for SEH. It is not briiliant, but it is OK and there is a lot to do. Clinchfield is about shunting, but a lot combined with longer, though slow drives and a lot in the dark. Very challenging and it may learn you to like shunting. If you really don't like shunting, kick the 3636 from your wishlist. You also may go for the baby bullet. It is nice, but does not add really much. The Caltrain switcher has some longer drives as well and it looks nice is nice to drive but, yeah it is a switcher...

    I considered Oakville, but after some thought decided to save the money for Rush Hour and Cane Creek. So I do not spend anything in this sale.
     
  33. sequencer2k16

    sequencer2k16 Well-Known Member

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    The Class 20 is nice, it's a lot of fun to drive it and especially to listen to it.
     
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  34. Purno

    Purno Well-Known Member

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    Yeah I know. But that 363 looks kinda cute though. I think I'll keep it on my wishlist waiting for a real good discount. :P
    Not sure how much traffic the 363 adds to Ruhr-Sieg Nord. Even if I don't like shunting much, it's a cool little loco to see when it's AI-controlled.
     
  35. KoeleKoen

    KoeleKoen Well-Known Member

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    The mp has ballast runs along the route, local shunting in depot and also adds an extra special train service with 2 f40's, first you assemble the train and when you drive it back you use the mp15 to split it up into 2 seperate trains again. The baby bullet adds "baby bullet" services with limited stops
     
  36. Rudolf

    Rudolf Well-Known Member

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    363 is really about shunting. It may travel a bit on the main line for say 3 kms. That's all and you get some additional services in timetable mode for long haul freight trains. These make sure the trains are in the yard, otherwise there would not be anything to shunt.
    The 363 itself has 13 services and some scenarios. They are fun, but shunting and I agree, for me the 3636 is a great loco and quite favourite for me.
     
  37. dbrunner#4864

    dbrunner#4864 Well-Known Member

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    SEHS and Main Spessart Bahn if you don't have it already.
     
  38. cwf.green

    cwf.green Well-Known Member

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    Lol, I got tricked by your screenshot. I thought the greyed out DLCs were the only ones you owned. I'm not at my PC currently so I can't check how the system works but I presume the blue bars indicate the DLC you (actually) own. I did save myself some time, that's why my suggestions were so wrong. :D

    Either way, maybe my suggestions can help someone else instead.
    About the Class 465: Since I don't own it myself I cannot know for certain but If I remember correctly it does not add any new services.
     
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  39. Purno

    Purno Well-Known Member

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    Greyed out are ignored. Small blue bar are owned (in library) and small white bar are wishlisted.
     
  40. dbrunner#4864

    dbrunner#4864 Well-Known Member

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  41. mclitke

    mclitke Well-Known Member

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    Hey Purno,

    From what I see on your wishlist, I would recommend SEHS.
    From the routes released for Tsw2 it is the one I played most. A complete run will take around an hour, but you can do shorter runs with the electrostar 375. Overall I like the feel and visuals of the route, stations look nice.
    The best feature in my opinion is that when using the javelin, that you get to use the normal track speed in one part of the route, and a high speed section on the other, where you have to switch your train setup. You will also change between KM and miles, as well as between French LGV and British signaling.
    It is huge fun tome to start in faversham with standard route speeds, and then being able to finish of the service at the HS1 section.
    The class 465, while not necessary, I would also recommend. It looks marvelous and sounds even better. There are a couple of twists that you can do (like activating the electric breaking, which also changes your breaking sounds) and while I really like driving the electrostars, once I bought the 465, I only ever used that one on SEHS.
    Oh, and there are a few freight runs as well!
     
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  42. Purno

    Purno Well-Known Member

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    Thanks all.

    upload_2021-5-26_16-6-28.png

    I'll keep my eyes on this topic. Might buy something extra during this sale, or I'll keep your advice and recommendations in mind for future sales. :)
     
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  43. Warspite

    Warspite Well-Known Member

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    I cannot add anything to what has already been said except to say I just love the dogs in your avatar!
     
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  44. dbrunner#4864

    dbrunner#4864 Well-Known Member

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    Enjoy, that is a great route choice.

    Also if you want use the mods bellow in order to greatly enhance your SEHS experience

    Realistic fence mod:
    https://rail-sim.de/forum/filebase/entry/6605-dtg-southeastern-highspeed-zaun-lärmschutzwand-fix/

    Londonmidland excellent route upgrade pack
    https://mods.trainsimcommunity.com/...h-eastern-high-speed-enhancement-pack-revised

    Superb sound mod for 375
    https://mods.trainsimcommunity.com/mods/c3-train-sim-world-2/c20-sounds/i708-class-375-sound-mod-v1
     
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  45. Inkar

    Inkar Well-Known Member

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    Yep, the train is really great and the sound quality is also very good. I even power it off after a service because the sound is awesome. The cab is really well done, and comes with all safety systems, the full brake test system and the voltage change procedures.
    There is still a bug in KVB that needs fixing but it does not cause gameplay problems. The interior of the coaches is also well above average.
    Just wish the scenery had the same quality as the train itself.
     
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  46. KoeleKoen

    KoeleKoen Well-Known Member

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    Hold up, the kvb is functional now? Last i played i only had tvm, is this new ?
     
  47. Inkar

    Inkar Well-Known Member

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    It has always been there, but it doesn't tell you much if you are below the speed limit. Most of the time it just shows "- - - - - -" and it is only working near Marseille, as it is disabled in the TVM-430 section. I think it doesn't work properly when you arrive at Marseille, as you get the yellow 00 (warning, approach to a stop at less than 30 Km/h restriction incoming) but it never gets to green "00" (approach to a stop at less than 30 Km/h enforced).
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2021
  48. maxipolo12

    maxipolo12 Well-Known Member

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    You can always ask for a refund dude
     
  49. mclitke

    mclitke Well-Known Member

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    So Purno, now that we "convinced" you to buy the SEHS route, I am actually quite interested on what your thoughts on it are after you probably had a spin? Are you happy with it so far?
     
  50. Monder

    Monder Well-Known Member

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    Although I'm not him, I got SEHS after recommendations as well (paired with 465) and I have to admit... after downloading some mods for it... the route is pretty darn good! A nice variety and interesting trains (ok, 375 maybe a bit less so). But yeah, mods are needed here.
     

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