I really hope DTG and skyhook do new sound for all the locomotives and freightcars. It really needs improvement.
Interesting how some players are more concerned with sounds, while others are more concerned with lighting or systems modelling. Audio is impossible to get right as it’s so subjective, and dependant on speakers, speaker placement, acoustic environment, reflectivity of the listening environment, realistic volume, etc.. Have the sounds at a realistic volume and the neighbours would be round with pitchforks. Horns, bells and flange squeals. Oh my! Even then I doubt the existing software could handle it smoothly. Regardless they are all subject to the over-riding game play requirements and limitations of the weaker consoles. So I wouldn’t get my hopes up
I think it is an American thing, the sounds of the locomotives are important to American modelers and gamers. There is a certain physical and tactical quality to the real sounds. When you stand next to the mainline and watch a freight come by it hits you to your core. The American sounds are definetley lacking, the other thing especially with older locomotives is the horns were actually controlled by variable air valves so as you crack the valve the tone of the horn changes and has a certain musical quality to it. I think all the European sounds sound great, but the American ones are really lacking. As to the software handling it, if they can have very realistic sound in and HO scale model locomotive I think that the developers should be able to figure it out on the game.
As an American I can agree. I am not an expert on locomotive sounds and probably would never notice if you switched the engine sounds of a GEVO with an SD70. However, the horns are absolutely something that need to be improved in the these upcoming freight routes for me to seriously consider them. I find the horns on SPG to be so depressingly inaccurate to what an American horn should sound like. I think a huge step forward was taken with the horns on the ACS-64 and F40PH from Boston Sprinter, so I am excited to see what they come up with for these upcoming routes. As an aside, I really hope they sell the routes as some sort of American Heavy Freight bundle, as it would make me more likely to buy both instead of just one. Given the problems with Cane Creek, I am thinking of avoiding Horseshoe Curve unless it is discounted or the previews and reviews leave me reasonably satisfied that it is worth the money.