There has definitely been a step up, but there are still shortfalls cropping up like floating buildings/cars, trees clipping into trains and roads being poorly laid in some places. There was also some rail missing on the London Commuter route near Redhill.
I think DTG is improving a little bit. But not substantially. I believe DTG has the capacity and hardware to create a truly amazing simulation. But I think they lack various subjects. But when JUST focusing on route building, yeah they have improved quite a lot compared to the 2017-2018 releases on TSW 1. That 's a great thing as well.
They have also upped their game with rolling stock: the Dresden versions of German locos (and freight wagons) are marked improvements over the TSW2020 originals, as is the Brighton 377 compared to its ECW counterpart. And while I wouldn't call the 313 or 314 altogether brilliant on a par with Maik's work (whether for TSG or DTG), they are very, very solid entries, as is the Clinchfield F7. And then there's the wonderful 465.
They are clearly improving. For example, the latest Sherman Hill route is quite good for the most part. There are weak spots, like the quarry of the bigger yards, but most of the route looks really well done. The biggest problem is their inconsistency and bugs, likely both coming from deadlines rushing the releases. Because usually most of the issues we have with each and every add-on are smaller things that could be easily improved, where they given another few weeks or so to work on them. I think they have to slow down just a little bit, give every route an extra month or so to polish the almost finished product.
Just for fun, I decided to make a graph of what I feel to be the quality of each route at release. I may have some rose-tinted glasses for some routes, and maybe I am unjustly harsh for others, but I think this does show a general positive trendline for DTG's route quality. I think it would probably look a little more impressive if it weren't for the fact that both SPG and GWE were very well-made routes from the start. In that sense, I consider those outliers. Besides those two, only RSN and SFJ ever really impressed me before the release of TSW2. I think that, since the release of TSW2, route quality has gone up more consistently, with the only major outlier in my opinion being LGV. Neither SEHS nor HHL were really that bad in my opinion (I know there are users here who would crucify me for saying that) but they failed to leave an impression because of the lacking HS1 for the former and incorrect rolling stock/bland timetable for the latter. BPE (is that the right code for Boston?) is let down by wonky safety systems, and Sherman Hill, while I have very much enjoyed it the past week, has too many performance issues and lacks the motive power diversity for me to feel right giving it more than a 7. The others, such as SPG2, SKA, HMA, CRR, CCL, DRA, and BML, are clearly a cut above the rest, with Clinchfield only dropped to an 8 because of outstanding issues with headlights and such. What do you think, is this a relatively fair assessment? I tried to judge the routes regardless of personal running preference (commuter vs freight, etc.) and tried to focus mostly on scenery and rolling stock quality. But my judgement is probably different from what others may generally think due to being on PC as well as mods skewing my memory. Cheers
I think we have a mixed bag. I do like they try new things like the Dresden night lighting, the Brighton Time table etc but then the next route comes out and its all gone. One of my biggest gripes is "we started with this but had to reduce". I know they don't need to be transparent with this but Dresden, then Sherman Hill, what next. I think there needs to be some serious discussion internally about their project length. I know there is a sweet spot between it being cost effective vs doing it for the players but if they are going to try new things then why not blend the route extension project in some descript to Pay £35 for Dlc get the full route (flughafen, track 3 etc) or pay £25, don't moan about the length of it and what's missing. I suppose the downside to that though is if no one buys at £35 the accountants will be whining internally that it's not commercially viable. Someone has to be brave with them at some point. I guess Nat or Sam need to give them a cup of STFU on one DLC
I think much depends on the artists involved which is why, with the exception of Rapid Transit, the German routes seem of a better quality overall than the UK/US ones. Of course we don't know who is actually building the routes, it may well be third parties who the work has been outsourced to but still marketed under the DTG banner. For example, if you look at NTP and TVL, I would have to say the build quality is generally better than (say) BML or BKL. Personally I wouldn't rate BML quite as high in the chart. Yes it was an ambitious project but when it was handed off with items like the missing track at Redhill, the utter disgrace at Reigate and the complete absence of lineside fencing in many places definitely gets a 5 or 6 from me.
I think Clinchfield could very well be a 10, if it had a lot more coal loading services, especially on the branch lines. As it stands CRR has only ONE coal loading service... It's really disappointing to me that CRR doesn't have more coal loading in service mode, it has a lot more in scenarios; but I think that all could be implemented into service mode. Then you have the missing loaders on the Fremont branch, the SD40's blatantly wrong horn, and all the red light bugs that people report all the time. So I think if Dovetail ever went back and put some quality effort into CRR, then it could definitely be one of the best routes in Train Sim World..
Clinchfield is one of my favorite routes but does have flaws (no whistleposts, no people, wonky signals) - but all of these pale, IMHO, to the impossibility of doing anything at night (except in snow), a combination of zero ambient light and useless headlights. No mounted lights in shuntyards? Seriously?
I think right now I can't really make an informed decision on this. IMO 2021 was not the year at DTG. They've done some great things this year, don't get me wrong, but all that good is well overshadowed by all the bugs and inconsistencies. Sherman Hill: phenomenal route with more realistic train lengths, but the save bug, performance, draw distance, and every service starting with the air dumped in the train takes away from the experience for me Boston: I really want to like this route, but it remains unplayable to me until ATC/signalling, and the F40 brakes/brake stand get fixed Dresden: Another phenomenal route with better physics (and some sound) for the German stock, but Dresden is very poorly optimized and I'm still on the fence with the lighting Despite the signalling flaws (thankfully I haven't encountered much) and absolute darkness on CRR, CRR and the BR101 win best of the year HHL and the wrong dostos (didn't buy this one, but am familiar with the complaints) Can't say much to Brighton or other UK releases since I'm not that into UK stuff Stuff started to look up with the first preservation crew update with LIRR, except LIRR ended up worse for me than before. Not to mention the time it takes for these updates and the related QA backlog for everything keeping fixes from releasing. Personally, I'm really looking to see if some of the restructuring Matt is doing as EP now will make a difference in quality of the routes and expedition of the updates to the preserved collection to get rid of the QA backlog and tie-ups.
I think DTG have been better (noticably moreso than the third-parties anyway). There was also a clear push to try and push different experiences, route lengths and timetables. Brighton Mainline is probably the only British route to date that I can say surpasses Great Western Express. However, some problems still exist : - Routes seem to be hampered by use of current-gen technology. We have preservation crew to try and keep the older stuff current, but there's clearly only so far that can go. BKL, LIRR, GWE etc all could benefit from new dispatchers and an updated timetable, but quite clearly DTG are hesitant to go all-in on making these the best experiences they can be (especially ones initially promised like BKL) My point being, how long before the 2021 releases encounter the same problem? - Still a clear bias towards tighter deadlines and short-sighted experiences, as opposed to creating long-lasting content. - The Americans still feel completed shafted. There isn't the same inter-connectivity as DE or GB content --> That also leads me to the second point, TSW's biggest strengths are timetable mode and interconnectivity of trains. It doesn't seem to be something DTG are really exploiting. Also the fact that routes that could theoretically be linked... are not currently. What a huge missed oppurtunity. Get the building blocks done now, and enjoy the fruits later. - Slipping back into a tendency to fumble around ideas, bug fixes, desired features etc. - The experience we got in BML only really exists... lets be honest... because of Joe and his passion project for the dispatcher. It was a huge project to assemble the data and testing required to get a timetable that complex. It was very much out-of-the-norm. I doubt we'll see too many of the same experience. TLDR : I doubt we'll see something like ECML, GWML, WCML on the same complexity anytime soon tldr : Some interesting and varied route experiences... now lets get some of the core tech right and done now... and a focus on more multi-purpose route choices.
I am seeing improvements and remember if you have Riesa-Dresden your DB BR146.2 VVO Doppelstockwagen can run Schnellfahrstrecke Köln-Aachen Rhein-Ruhr Osten instead of using the original layered version from the preserved Main Spessart Bahn
I think this is kind of hard to do with the fan base of North American content, since some people prefer freight, other passenger. Some want modern, others want historical. And DTG has the licenses to cover all of those ranges. Granted Dovetail could just stick to the NEC and keep making Amtrak routes with various commuter rail things put on it, or just keep making routes around New York, but they would lose sales from those who seek mainline US freight services. Or those who want a route not set in the northeast.
I think they are clearly improving, for an extreme example compare RT and DRA, the First and worst and the latest and best German route. The ,,Sound" of the RT Talent 2, the Track layout, ballast and overall looks are not great to say the least, the lighting is also very bright and the scenery looks very cartoony, i only drive or create scenarios for this route at dawn. The tracks are very good looking in recent releases, so are the stations like Dresden or Brighton. Of course the newer routes arent perfect too, but cleary a step up compared to earlier releases.
It really sucks, that patches are not rolled out as soon as they are available with the excuse of console players. Pc players could get patches every hour if DTG would release them but no we have to wait like the consoleros. Oakville is still not released. Simple fixes like a missing track have to wait until the preservation crew gets to the dlc in a few years. That's what grind my gears.
For me there is no doubt that routes are improving. The main issue I have is the speed of fixes still seems very slow. If there is a queue for QA, as has been mentioned then I hope they are recruiting. 4.26 alone seems to have caused red signal issues and impossible scenarios across multiple DLC. I’d really like to see something happening to resolve this. With the rate DLC is arriving at the moment, the issue isn’t going to go away, no matter how much the routes improve.
I still think SPG, though not perfect by any means, set the standard for scenery, lighting and gameplay. It has been matched from time to time, notably with CRR and Dresden. But there's still an inconsistency with quality, even if you exclude 3rd party routes. That's why we always anticipate new routes with a certain amount of trepidation. There's enough quality in Sherman Hill to suggest that an upswing may be ongoing, but the next 2 or 3 routes will be the pudding to provide the proof. As far as locos are concerned, in my view the Oakville GP9R, the UK Class 101, the Baby Bullet and the DB 363 are the high points in an otherwise inconsistent roster. Again the Sherman Hill locos are generally excellent, so just maybe...... All this is, of course, overshadowed by the baffling slowness ( or complete absence ) of bug fixes, some of which are so ancient one wonders if the code to correct them isn't buried in a time capsule somewhere. To end on a positive note, TSW is still our best hope and, if we keep whining, cajoling and, yes, encouraging DTG, the game will, I believe, gradually develop into the experience we all want it to be and sometimes really is even now.
They improved a Lot when looking at an individual route by it self. In terms of the gameplay overall i think they still have a long way to go. Still too much related to the ts based A to B routes, which usually include 1 hour driving time. So Dtgs best improvment is the 24h time table, which allows much variety and a solid base of experience and use of dlcs to get the most benefit out of the route. But unfortunately it doesnt always use its full potential on every route. Best example of a full success is london to brighton in terms of services On the other hand we get routes, where ending points doesnt make sense and it feels cutted to reach that 1hour gameplay. In my opinion the player should have the impression of being part of a giant world as a "small driver" doing his service. Network based routes should get a focus. I would like the extension of the gwe to oxford etc.
I strongly agree with the first half, but not with the second. Clinchfield doesn't even come close to SPG. It's just filled with a bunch of trees, but the overall scenery quality alongside the route is very weak. Ugly ground textures, wonky terrain at places, ugly level crossings, no whistle boards, weirdly bright bridges at night, etc.
Well, I take back what I said about lighting. The lighting on CRR is non-existent for the most part and on Dresden it's positively apocalyptic, but for scenery and gameplay, I do think those two routes are very good.
Locos? Yes, generally. Other than with sounds on some trains (the 395 is undriveable, for example), the features are improving. But the routes themselves? Absolutely not - the quality of scenery seems to be getting worse with every DLC. The quality of scenery in CSX Heavy Haul and GWE is so much better than what we have now, and I very much doubt we'll ever reach those heights again. TS1 assets are frequently used (SEHS is particularly guilty for this), and close distance scenery is so bad now that I genuinely think I could do better.
