Holding onto my refund from the WCL debacle and thinking of picking up Cane Creek 9along with Cathcart) assuming a reasonable discount in the forthcoming seasonal sales. However Cane Creek doesn't seem to be getting much love despite the very nice screenshots which keep popping up. I first came across the line in Trainmaster 4 where, apart from the tunnels, the tech of the time did a good jo of rendering it. There were also freeware versions created for MSTS and Trainz, both great to drive. So really how could DTG stuff up what is a relatively simple branch line or have the cons been somewhat exaggerated?
Well, I purchased Cane Creek on day one, mainly because I'll probably buy every single Union Pacific route ever released. But I can list some honest pros and cons: Pros - Scenery between Seven Mile and Potash looks very nice. Very nice landmarks such as the canyon you drive through just beyond Seven Mile, the elevated section that runs beside a large freeway, and the beautiful rocky area before Potash that runs next to the Colorado River - An exciting challenge to drive, as the route switches between uphill and downhill gradients quite a bit. You'll have to figure out the perfect timings to let off the throttle and charge your dynamic brakes, as doing it too early will stop your train on an uphill section, and doing it too late will lead to overspeeding on a downhill. - Calm experience to drive. Cane Creek is a single track branch line in a desert, so you get plenty of time to relax, with no schedule to follow and no signals to worry about. - Loading and unloading is common on the route. It's not a simple A to B run before going into a portal, and you actually get to load your train at Moab or Potash before heading back, where there's unloading at Brendel - 12 scenarios, 5 of them being free roam, if you enjoy those - AC4400CW offers both clean and weathered versions Cons - Route is quite slow. The Cane Creek branch has a maximum speed of 25 mph. The only time when you can go faster is past Brendel towards Thompson, where the mainline has a 60 mph limit for 6 miles. - Sounds on the AC4400CW and SD40-2 are fully reused from the CSX versions of these locos. - Bugs such as broken trucks on AC4400CW, some floating scenery assets, and rolling stock broken in the Livery Editor Overall, I would recommend Cane Creek. It's pretty good for the first release by Skyhook Games, and is a neat experience for freight fans. There's not much I can really say about the route, the best way to know if you're interested is if you'd be interested in driving through a desert for 1.5 - 2 hours at 25 mph. It's a cool experience, but a slow one.
Just want to add some things to the comment above To summarise massively, the cons are mostly about the trains and some pieces of scenery, while the pros are more about the route, and the fact it is mostly really good looking, with some great landscape. The trains (the AC4400CW in particular) has some problems, it sits too high above the track, and the rear bogie (or truck) does not have moving wheels (animation issue), the sounds are the same as the relative SPG trains, so take that as you will. The scenery is also fairly well made, IMO it's the route with the best distant scenery to date, which is a good thing given the flat and desert nature of the route, it has some odd bits, like there are some floating rocks or here and there, but in my experience they are not all that noticeable or distracting, your mileage may vary. The only scenery related annoyance is that there are some chunks of terrain that pop in front of you, so on the more straight sections it does look like you are going towards nowhere before the terrain and the scenery pops in, at least on Xbox (both Next and Current gen), might be different on PC, but to my knowledge the Next Gen should be in line with PC on this sort of stuff. Gameplay-wise, as said above It's a nice, somewhat challenging (but not really), slow, 1h long drive through the desert, and not much going on, also agree with the Krazy's conclusion, overall it's a nice experience and I would recommend it even if it has some rough edges. Just be aware that it probably won't receive any improvements or fixes in the future.
I was looking forward to the route a lot, I don't mind slow rides from time to time and the scenery seemed amazing. I still would like to purchase the route but will wait for them to fix the most glaring issues. The route is out for quite some time and Skyhook basically hasn't touched it and just thrown out a second fail. Really makes me cautious about HSC. But that's just another point of view. Cathcart is great though, definitely go for that one.
Krazy got it pretty much spot on. It’s a beautiful route visually as it captures the look and feel of the American southwest quite faithfully, but there’s not a lot going on otherwise. Managing the drive is the challenge here. It’s basically the polar opposite of BML or Dresden and I’ll admit to dozing off more than a few times on the route (sans alerter system).
Thanks for the info guys. As I liked the route in the other sims mentioned, then I will go for it definitely. I guess it's always possible to go "Off The Rails" and take the Clinchfield F7's for a trip.
If you're on PC, I have created a mod that fixes most of the issues with the UP AC4400. Namely, the animation issues, so the model is no longer half-unanimated. For reference, the AC4400 Fix can be found on Train Sim Community.
Purchased the route on day one too and have driven more than 600 miles now. Mentioned cons are all there but honestly not game-breaking for me. And those floating rocks I encountered maybe twice or three times only. Anyway I feel it worth the full price for me. With the right rolling stock for tailings it would have been even better of course!
They spent more effort on the rock than on the train. I would strongly advise you not to buy this unless it is on sale for no less than 80% off.
Oh I will definitely be waiting for the seasonal sales, though doubt the discount will be anywhere near 80% off, more like 40% if I’m lucky.
Looks like skyhook doesnt care much about fixing their broken locos in a dlc. This is low and ignorrant. I should not spend any more money in a company with a lazy customer service (same as with real products too) Since you have done a brilliant work i would be intetested if skyhook ever considered your mod to official implement in an update?
Cane Creek is a little rough around the edges due primarily to the locomotive bugs, but I went ahead and picked it up during a recent sale for 15% off (because there are mods available for PC that address the primary concerns) and I'm glad I did. It is a very different route for TSW. It doesn't cater to the popular variety of routes that people expect from TSW, but it doesn't have to, and that makes it stand out against something like Hamburg-Lübeck. Perhaps its primary selling point of the unique desert landscape will be lessened by Sherman Hill's release, but they are still pretty different experiences. And given the right angle of sun, it is downright gorgeous. I have been enjoying a nice relaxing drive through Utah with some music to wind down after a long day. Cheers
Hi OldVern. A major "con" of this route is the complete lack of developer / publisher support for significant, glaring issues, still unresolved, months after release. These are well documented above and elsewhere on these forums. Recommend getting this route only if: The setting and service types are you cup of tea You are on PC You use the excellent route, sound and loco mods created by ngc, griggs & TheShotte You are willing to accept and support the behaviour of the developer (Skyhook) and Publisher (DTG) relating to this DLC
Actually just one further thing to query, I see reference on the Steam reviews to an intrusive road traffic ambient sound. Has this been fixed or is it still present? With Sherman imminent it does present a bit of a conflict, though Sherman unlikely to be on sale at a discount before Easter next year at the earliest.
I believe the road traffic has been fixed. On PS5 at least, I haven’t heard it since the Rush Hour update. And hey, if you ever ask me to choose between Cane Creek and Sherman Hill, I will say Sherman Hill. Because it’s Sherman Hill.
What is the avarage speed on Sherman Hill? Considering one of the main cons of Cane Creek is the slow speed limits, I wonder if Sherman Hill is a bit faster, therefore appealing to more people. That being said, I'd like to get and try Cane Creek out one day. I'm just waiting for a patch and/or a good sale. The slow speed limits don't bother me as much, the scenery looks lovely.
Indeed, the slow speed limits on Cane Creek are a turn off for quite a few people. But as Callum B. said, Sherman Hill is a much speedier 50-60 mph. It’ll also have more variety of freight, having manifest, intermodal, autorack, grain, and coal trains.
Thanks for the answers. That's pretty nice then, will be looking forward to it. Wish Cane Creek also featured more of the mainline, as I've hear that's a pretty good section, but pretty short in the modelled route.
I'll pass for the time being... I'll buy Cane Creek if, and only if, Skyhook gets around and fixes the glaring issues. I'm not driving engines that have non-moving wheels, that's some GTA level stuff; not simulation. Same thing for the 187!!