Train Life

Discussion in 'Off Topic' started by dhekelian, Sep 2, 2021.

  1. dhekelian

    dhekelian Well-Known Member

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    Anyone following this game? It is currently in early access on steam but I noticed Colonel Failure playing it so I gave it a watch.

    People have been saying the game is like a cross over between TSW and Euro Truck. The Graphics to me look good and on par with TSW if not better. The tutorial they are showing starts in Germany but it is stated when the full game gets released it will include other regions. The game is states you will be able to travel all over Europe, hopefully that includes the UK.

    Could this be competition for TSW2? I think it could be if the minor bugs are sorted and has a variety of regions, what you think?
     
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  2. Inkar

    Inkar Well-Known Member

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    I don't think this is the direct competitor. SimRail is.
     
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  3. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    The description in one of the reviews sounds like an iPad/Android tablet train game clone, zero physics and simple controls.

    I don't think DTG have anything to worry about.
     
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  4. The SimTrain Tube

    The SimTrain Tube Well-Known Member

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    Not going to be a competitor I think, graphics IMHO look worse then TSW, then there's the signals that look like normal traffic lights for on the road.

    There's also some very steep grades like the track is following a hill.
    Also the locomotive that I saw looked like a fantasy shunting loco, and apparently you can only couple wagons on the rear of it.

    Could be a fun game, just not for me.
     
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  5. Oystein

    Oystein Well-Known Member

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    Looks like very simple physics, so it isn't a train simulator at this point. Tracks looks so much better than in TSW (render distance)
     
  6. DTG Protagonist

    DTG Protagonist Has left the building Staff Member

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    Flinging this over to off-topic.
     
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  7. 7orenz

    7orenz Well-Known Member

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    A hybrid between Transport Fever and a fully arcade Train Simulator. If they put in the weapons and equipment, there is still time to turn into a battle royal with a pinch of management strategy. :D
     
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  8. KoeleKoen

    KoeleKoen Well-Known Member

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    People who buy this like it's a simulator and then rant in reviews smh.. It's basically transport fever but you drive the trains, i'm enjoying it for what it is, a fun management game, if i want a sim i use tsw, if i feel like yeetin some cargo and lvl up cities i play this
     
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  9. Yerolo

    Yerolo Well-Known Member

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    Ive watched a few streams...it heavily reminds me of Derail Valley in terms of gameplay.

    The simulation aspect is quite arcade-y to the point where I think they should remove the word Simulation from its title.
     
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  10. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Though Derail Valley is quite deep when it comes to the simulation, with good physics and interaction with the trains and infrastructure. I haven’t played it for some time but looking forward to revisiting when the upgrade with diurnal cycles goes live.
     
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  11. dhekelian

    dhekelian Well-Known Member

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    Looks like Colonel Failure likes it. The game definitely has a few issues like with signalling but then the game is in early access. All these games are 'arcadey' even TSW2 to a certain extent.
     
  12. Rudolf

    Rudolf Well-Known Member

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    It is not really a simulator, but more arcade game like. The amount of realism is fairly low, but you may like it as a management game. I really enjoyed Colonel Failure play it it. You will not like it if:

    - You complain about buggy locos and wagons in TSW2
    - Signalling issues in TSW2
    - Safety systems in TSW2
    - Scenery quality in TSW2
    - Physics in TSW2

    If you like lots of track and delivering goods or passengers to other locations, you may like it. You also can drive long distances, but do expect any realism. You may though see they are inspired by names of existing German cities.
    On al these aspects Train Life is not very good. Let's see how it develops. Personally, I am not interested.
     
  13. stujoy

    stujoy Well-Known Member

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    I watched a video where the player pressed a key and some wagons appeared coupled to the train, then he had to go into a menu to magically turn the train around to point in the right direction. I turned the video off after that and promised myself never to look at the game ever again. That’s not how trains work.
     
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  14. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    This is NOT a simulation game, more a tycoon type game and has serious flaws.
    There is no "dispatcher", the signals relate to whether the speed limit increases or not and they've removed ALL AI trains because they've not managed to distinguish between the two lines in a segment (so if a train's coming the other way the game penalises you for being in the same track segment)
    DO be aware that if you've watched the Colonel Failure vids he was playing on an old version (presumably he records loads of vids at once then puts them out over a few days). the latest version has no AI to avoid the constant penalties Sam was getting
     
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  15. Coastway trainspotter

    Coastway trainspotter Well-Known Member

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    Is it available on Xbox ?
     
  16. dhekelian

    dhekelian Well-Known Member

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    I'm not sure. I saw it on steam but it would be a good fit for the XBox, could get it on my series S if it were...........
     
  17. thundergaming11

    thundergaming11 Well-Known Member

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    I've got about 10 hours of gameplay on this. Imo it feels like a ETS2 meets trains. Yes it's not exactly a "simulator" in terms of simulating irl physics, starting up the train and using safety systems but it's great for those who perhaps don't want anything to do with that and just want to get in the train and drive it easily. There's quite a bit in terms of managing your train company again feeling like ETS2 where you can manage drivers, overview of your company, view contracts and upgrade your train with various components.

    A lot of complaints so far are aimed at the signalling and AI traffic, which they recently disabled. The route pathing is a bit weird too, making you switch to different parts of the track which you probably don't need to. Their roadmap is extremely ambitious imo with mentioning London (and 4 other regions) as being a new map in the next update but seems to be no UK like trains to come with it. If you intend to buy it don't expect anything that's irl. If you want realism stick to TSW, if you want to relax and haul various freight/passenger service using different fictional loco, creating and expanding your own company, then train life is for you.
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2021
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  18. schorni

    schorni Well-Known Member

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    As always, it depends on what you expect. Train Life offers me just the right variety to TSW. Just sit in the train and drive. As already noted, it is more like Transport Fever to drive yourself, only without construction mode. Instead of PZB, Sifa or ATC you have to take care of your own company. Buy locomotives, maintain the locomotives, hire staff, find orders ect. I think this is very well done and it occupies a niche without real competition. And above all, it came out of nowhere. You have not heard before that something like this is in development.
    Sure, not everything is perfect, it is Early Access, but already in better condition than some other game or DLC that is sold as finished. And for the price you call up with 15 euros, it is in my opinion very cheap, if you also consider what still everything comes in. Honestly, it's a mystery to me how you can do that at this price.

    With the enormous route network it is logical that not everything can correspond to the real model. I'm already curious how other regions will differ visually. And you can drive completely through them. For example, from Hamburg to Munich. I'm willing to put up with the simpler presentation for that.
    And the game can certainly look nice....
     
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  19. schorni

    schorni Well-Known Member

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  20. Mr heff

    Mr heff Well-Known Member

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    It's god awful, not a simulator in the slightest.
     
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  21. stijn.claessens

    stijn.claessens Well-Known Member

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    I enjoy Sam's streams of train life. Not sure if it is for me ( signals not realistic is a no for me)
     
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  22. schorni

    schorni Well-Known Member

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    Sam is streaming Train Life? Where can you find that?
     
  23. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    HERE
     
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  24. dhekelian

    dhekelian Well-Known Member

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    Still a few bugs to be sorted especially passenger routes watching Colonel Failure's video. He did drive a train at night though and looked better than TSW2 imo.
     
  25. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    The lighting in game CAN be excellent. I was driving at dawn and the sun coming brightly through the treetops (including rays) was great. But the detail level on the trains and lineside assets is much much less than TSW
     
  26. LucasLCC

    LucasLCC Well-Known Member

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    It isn't designed to be a simulator in that regards though
     
  27. Mr heff

    Mr heff Well-Known Member

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    Apart from 'simulator' in the tile.
     
  28. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    Railway simulator doesn't necessarily mean train driving simulator
    Not saying it's a good "simulator of anything" but it's not a train sim as much as a train company / operations / tycoon type game
     
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  29. Mr heff

    Mr heff Well-Known Member

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    Simulator to me means based as accurately as possible on reality.
     
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  30. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    That doesn't answer the question of "what is the simulator simulating"?
     
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  31. Mr heff

    Mr heff Well-Known Member

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    This game doesn't simulate anything, well it simulates itself technically so maybe that's what the devs meant when they called it a simulator?
     
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  32. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    it kind of does, but then no "game" simulates anything in reality so you're right
     
  33. Mr heff

    Mr heff Well-Known Member

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    You're living inside a simulation Mr. Anderson.
     
  34. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    something like that. Luckily there's no woman in the red dress littering the platform, though plenty of twins in the background, so maybe they did take inspiration...
     
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  35. dhekelian

    dhekelian Well-Known Member

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    I have only seen a few videos but I thought the graphics were a bit crisper and it didn't stutter so much but then I wouldn't trust my eyes that much, lol.

    I see people are having a go at Train Life for not being a sim. It is right to say a simulator should reflect real life. Any game can claim to be a sim it just depends how good or bad they are. PES claims to be a football sim but doesn't have one of the most basic laws in the game, handball.

    TSW2 is supposed to be a train sim but there are things missing like stations on incomplete routes or not enough traffic in the game. I'm not having a go at TSW2 I am pointing out sims have different levels of accuracy and what the player wants. After if it totally reflected real life it would stop being a sim and be reality but no sim will get that close..........Or will they? hahaha
     
  36. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    It stutters more than TSW... a lot more
    Some of the graphics are great, others less so
    The trains "aren't real trains" and the track layout "isn't the real track layout", so it's not trying for any form of realism

    Again, depends on what they are trying to simulate. TSW is a train driving sim game with attempts to make things realistic around this.
    Train life is more of a tycoon game with elements of train driving, contract control etc but it fails in lots of areas. What it does do is give a fairly mindless way of passing the time

    But agreed, I don't think any sim will get that close to real life, because train simulation is a complex beast and there will almost always be something amiss
     
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  37. stijn.claessens

    stijn.claessens Well-Known Member

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    I saw the game has now been given a major update. (UK included, return of AI,...) Anyone else had a go since the latest update?
     
  38. dhekelian

    dhekelian Well-Known Member

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    The game has positive reviews, mostly anyway. The update apparently has improved things a great deal and the game is still in early access so looks promising imo.

    As ARuscoe says it isn't a full blown sim but has other things in the game TSW2 doesn't. I have always felt TSW2 is lacking like a 'career mode' for those that want it. Just to have something extra than going from A to B all the time. This game might provide that, be worth keeping an eye on.
     
  39. Coastway trainspotter

    Coastway trainspotter Well-Known Member

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    Is it / will it be available on Xbox ? If so then when ?
     
  40. dhekelian

    dhekelian Well-Known Member

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    I have only seen it on steam. I'm not sure if it is available on XBox, might be not sure.
     
  41. domanton

    domanton New Member

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    It is not really a simulator, but more arcade game like.

    The amount of realism is fairly low, but you may like it as a management game.

    I really enjoyed Colonel Failure play it it.

    You will not like it if:

    - You complain about buggy locos and wagons in TSW2
    - Signalling issues in TSW2
    - Safety systems in TSW2
    - Scenery quality in TSW2
    - Physics in TSW2

    If you like lots of track and delivering goods or passengers to other locations, you may like it.

    You also can drive long distances, but do expect any realism.

    You may though see they are inspired by names of existing German cities.

    On al these aspects Train Life is not very good.

    Let's see how it develops.

    Personally, I am not interested.
    __________________________
    Sharp & Fellows, Inc.
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2021
  42. Patrick Kolinski

    Patrick Kolinski Active Member

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    That's will be a great game, with things to do not just going from point A to B....
     
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  43. Shackamaxon

    Shackamaxon Well-Known Member

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    XD
     
  44. junior hornet

    junior hornet Well-Known Member

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    It’s available from today on Xbox. Doesn’t have good reviews so far. Seems to be lots of bugs.
     
  45. Mr JMB

    Mr JMB Well-Known Member

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    If you read the more recent dev blogs there is a lot of back-tracking. They are now saying it isn't and never was meant to be a simulation, just a fun experience of train driving with some management built in. This is to say they won't be worrying about complex signal systems etc so anyone after authenticity should look elsewhere. If you just want to have fun on a large joined up map that has some familiar names in familiar places but not the bits inbetween then it might be for you.
     
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  46. TinTin_57

    TinTin_57 Well-Known Member

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    I’ve been quite enjoying it to be fair. You’re right though, TSW is the simulator and TrainLife is a company management game where you run the trains yourself. You can’t compare the two at all and if you look at it that way you’ll be fine
     
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  47. royalscot#3684

    royalscot#3684 Well-Known Member

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    Bugs, poor generic scenery, unrealistic operations, very limited choice of locos... more of a child's game than a simulation.
     
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  48. dhekelian

    dhekelian Well-Known Member

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    Was hoping for more, shame really.
     
  49. TinTin_57

    TinTin_57 Well-Known Member

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    Have you played it?
     
  50. tallboy7648

    tallboy7648 Well-Known Member

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    Train life was never gonna be a full on simulator or anywhere close to tsw. People can't compare the two at all

    It does have nice features such as random events like construction or deer running across the track something tsw is lacking. It looks nice graphically as well. It's not a bad game for what it is but it certainly isn't a competitor to tsw. I do like the management aspect of the game as well. It has a decent selection of trains and you can upgrade them as well.
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2022
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