Hey all, as you may know, it's almost 2022! If you're viewing this in 2022, good for you, you're still allowed to vote! 2021 has been an... interesting year for this train game that we spend so many hours staring at. We got some great routes for sure, some routes that truly set the standard for what we want to see in future routes. We also got some routes that received criticism from the very beginning, seeing many threads that were full of pain and suffering. But who cares, I simply want you to vote for what YOU liked this year! Forget the public opinion, this is a poll where you choose the routes that YOU thought were amazing! So here's what I would hope to see: You are allowed three choices to vote for. One vote can be for what you think was the best overall quality. Your second vote can be for the route that was your favorite for personal preference. And the third vote, just do whatever other route you like. It's not that deep, just choose your three favorite routes from 2021. Here are my choices for this year: - The best route for me in terms of quality has been the Cathcart Circle Line. - My favorite route to release this year has been Sherman Hill. - I also really liked Southeastern High Speed. So go nuts, go crazy, and maybe even go wild, vote for your favorite route of 2021. (This feels kinda awkward to put in the PlayStation forum considering all of the issues we had in 2021, but it was either here or Off Topic, and I chose here)
1. Boston Sprinter, ACS-64V handles sweetly, good scenery, passenger traffic addressed nicely (no more "ghost trains as in TSW 2020!). 2. Clinchfield Railroad, for bringing in the F7 (personal favorite engine) and the beastly SD40. Coal drags are gratifying 3. Because it's a service local to me, I appreciate the LIRR. As a retired NYC Transit train operator, I enjoy the chance to operate slightly more sophisticated equipment and see sights I actually recognize.
Best overall route for me has to be Nahverkehr Dresden. It seriously raised the bar for German routes in TSW in pretty much every way. Personal preference is Clinchfield. The first US vintage route coming with a tremendous timetable and classic F7s. Lastly, shoutout to Sherman Hill for its lovely scenery and more prototypical train lengths.
1: London commuter . Unlike some other routes , I have not got bored after about a week or 2 . I’ve not lost interest in playing because of the variety of services and all the realism in the route 2: Nahverker Dresden . This route has also kept my interest , mainly because of the variety in the route . The scenery is also excellent and makes for a relaxing train journey 3: Southeastern high speed . This route offered a variety of traffic , with local passenger , high speed and freight services all being available
1 & 2 are tied place for me, Dresden and London Commuter elevated TSW in their own ways, LC showed us that TSW & DTG can achieve not only end to end, long(ish) mileage routes, with branch lines, but also expansive timetables, even with some pretty nasty bugs, LC is an achievement, and it sure is fun. I say this as some who really does not like electrostars (at least the corridor end series). Dresden, whilst maybe not as technically accomplished as LC, brought with it one of the most varied timetables in the game, we have a spectacular array of service options, something that should scratch anyones itch, along with 2 alternative ways to traverse the mainline, 2 branchlines and a chemical plant, there’s plenty to see and do here. DTG shipping this route with almost every layer built in, without any dependency on owning other content (barring the IC layer & base route SKA for ICE), really makes this route one of the best, not only for value of gameplay, but also because of it having practically 0 barriers to that gameplay. For my third vote I went with SEHS, perhaps controversial (although maybe not looking at the current votes it has), this route was easily one of the most anticipated releases for TSW to date, the route offers a unique gameplay experience thanks to the Highspeed to commuter line transition. It’s also a pretty lengthy route, and welcomes the 465 to TSW, which IMO, is one of DTG’s highest quality units to date. The negatives that weigh this route down are that, IMO, the Highspeed section is one of the poorest sections of scenery across all of the DLC’s, yes, after some rather aggressive feedback, DTG did retouch it, however the ‘fencing’ and sound barriers they installed were frankly offensive, they are a laughable attempt at realistic scenery. Dagenham as a whole looks like a wasteland, that’s all I really have to say about that. My other niggle about this route, is that it seems to have a confused identity. I won’t list this as a negative since the way the DLC is designed leads into its positives, I do have to wonder what could of been, if the route was truly a Highspeed line, or if it had been a more fulfilled take on the Chatham Mainline, as it stands we have a weird merge of the two, which stumps the gameplay of both experiences, the commuter services only seem to provide AI, you don’t really get much from driving them, since the section of route you get to play in doesn’t really give any meaning to them, they seem to be a gameplay bonus to support the 395, however not much effort was really put into the 395 timetable, we don’t have use of the sidings at Ebbsfleet, or even services to lower Ebbsfleet. Overall this route has a mixed identity, but it certainly scratches an itch for mainline UK operations, in a modern era, and I have to wonder if this route got more time in development, if we would of had perhaps a truly great route, alongside LC and Dresden.
For me it’s The Brighton Mainline, Dresden - Riesa and Cathcart Circle. While SEHS is my most played route the way it was released was shocking, If im honest.
the correct answer is clinchfield three times superb route aesthetic, john denver take me home country roads vibes immersive, feels like i'm in a bygone era, something I don't get in modern routes no timetables to keep, just comfy switching and moving stuff down the line no annoying passengers that all look alike, just me and my mute helper can drink a tropicana orange juice while while pulling some florida perishables for added immersion long live the f7 sd40 in that beautiful livery
To put mine in order, without adding reasons because my tea is nearly ready… 1. London Commuter 2. Clinchfield RR 3. Nahverkehr Dresden
1. Boston Sprinter, because it's a " true " Rush Hour route. 2. Dresden, for it's superior modeling. ( would probably be #1 but for the terrible lighting. ) 3. London Commuter. ( might be #1 if it had Rush Hour passengers ) 4. Clinchfield. ( might be higher if the locos had headlights so I could drive at night ) I know, that's 4, but, well, Americans never play by the rules.
I went LC, Dresden and SEHS. If not for the bugs the first 2 would easily be the best 2 routes for gameplay and scenery. Even with the bugs they are hugely ambitious projects and there are a lot of great things with both routes when they work. Plumped for SEHS as my third choice. Boston really doesn't do it for me, I'm not interesed in freight (so not bought any) and Cathcart, although it looks good has limited appeal. I like the juxtaposition of SEHS, certainly keeps my attention. Probably helps that I have no idea of how the fencing looks !!
Had to think long and hard between London Commuter and West Cornwall Local, London Commuter as far as I'm concerned is a triumph, I can spawn at Victoria at any time of the day and have about 10 services to choose from, either drive an express to Brighton or an all station stopper to Balham or Purley or East Croydon etc etc, Where as West Cornwall Local takes me back to my childhood holidays in Devon and Cornwall in the early 1990s, especially as the 101 was added and Local hauled stock as well. The 150 is a beautiful addition to the TSW franchise and with the route being what it is you can create scenarios set in any time period which is what I have done, In the end West Cornwall Local got my vote.
It’s not. There are some aspects of the night lighting on Dresden that are good but there are other aspects that are not an improvement at all and are further from realism than the lighting in most other routes. A lot of people liked it but there are some people that really dislike it.
Granted I haven't put a ton of time into all of them, but the one I like the most is the Boston Sprinter... I like North American commuter rail, the F40 is one of my favorite locomotives, and I've been to Boston a few times... so those things add up to make it an enjoyable route for me. Clinchfield I just got and have barely played but I love it due to the F7 and being a retro US route. London Commuter I am liking a lot just because of the sheer scope of it and how real it feels with so many trains flying by at all times. That said it does need some work to improve stability and the FPS around Victoria Station. It brings my PS5 to its knees if I load into Victoria at a busy time, terrible FPS until I get out to about the Battersea power station and even then it is a little choppy here and there throughout the runs, if it can do it without a crash.
1. London Commuter 2. Nahverkehr Dresden 3. Cathcart Circle I like these routes because of: LC’s timetable, Dresden’s scenery & lighting and Cathcarts overall detail.
This poll has been up for about 47 hours, so screw it, let’s view the results up to this point. Unsurprisingly, London Commuter is at the top of the votes. It’s a UK route, it’s freaking busy, and is built quite nicely. I personally have no opinion to form on the route yet as I’m not a fan of the low frame rate. But being voted as the best route, that makes total sense. It’s nice that Dresden received redemption, it was originally the most hated Rush Hour route with the removal of the S-Bahn lines. I bet the addition of the Meissen branch helped a bit, but with the great variety of rolling stock, busy German timetable, and quality of the route, it’s quite nice to see it get the #2 spot! The current #3 spot is really surprising to me. Southeastern High Speed? That route could never escape criticism back in the beginning of the year. Was it the addition of layers and other little bits? Was it the Class 465? Did people simply realize that it’s a fun route to drive? I definitely love the route, but #3 is a bit surprising. Especially since it’s above the Cathcart Circle Line, a route that received very little criticism, even after release. Cane Creek is at the bottom currently. Geez, lower than the Arosalinie and Hamburg-Lubeck? Interesting. I guess that Cane Creek ended up being the most forgettable route, being the most boring of the three American freight routes we got this year. I guess being forgettable is a worse fate than just being a bad route. This is a fun poll right here! Maybe I'll do a loco add-ons poll in the future for fun.
What a shame ... It's simple things like this that drag down so many routes and are completely inexcusable.
DTG more or less said just after its release that it would not be fixed and promised it wouldn't happen " next time" and it hasn't I believe. Not much of a consolation.
Great poll Krazy I checked back every so often to see the votes flood in. nearly posted to ask the 1 voter of cane creek being the best for them and to explain why, curious to hear. I owe the route but hardly play it. please add a best/favourite loco poll here soon, that’ll see us through to the new year. Plus DTG will see this as feedback, what was loved and what was loathed.
Cane Creek's problem is that it was trumped by Sherman Hill, since for anyone who is into western US Union Pacific freight, the latter is clearly more interesting (and less buggy).
Well my british bias is definitely going to show here lol but looking at this list I'm suprised by how many routes I didn't buy. I bought all the UK routes plus the rush hour routes and Arosa Linie but everything else just didn't interest me. 1. For me this is an easy choice it has to be London to Brighton because the timetable was brilliantly done and its the first TSW route that feels like a realistic experience with all the AI traffic everywhere. 2. This one may suprise a lot of people but I'm going to go with Southeastern High Speed because while it does fall flat in a number of places, I still enjoy playing the route especially with the 465 which really enhances the route and I would say is a must have if you own the route. The high speed section is pretty bland but the kent section is decent. 3. I'm going to put Cathcart Circle Line at #3 because while technically it is a better produced route than SEHS, I would still rather play SEHS because there is more rolling stock to play with, whereas Cathcart only has the 314. Its still a good route with plenty of polish and the branches can make for some interesting gameplay but boy does Glasgow Central feel dead with only 314s.
I only managed to buy two (I ran out of money and then my PC did a dead) so I guess SEHS and Cathcart Circle, Cathcart is my favourite of the two, though I really enjoy the 314 and the 465 very much.
1 - Cathcart Circle Scottish Bias shows here, however outside Glasgow Central (which was never going to feel alive without all the Scotrail stock that runs to it - 380s, 156s, 220s, 390s, 170s, 320s, you name it - the route feels as a live as it normally is. I say that with the majority of my experience of the line being for Scotland games at Hampden (Mount Florida), so the line is inherently busier with specials and more 6-car trains. However the Cathcart Circle Lines aren't the busiest lines in the world. As for the route, it's very well done in terms of scenery and stations, with most enjoying a good degree of accuracy. The 314 - which spent it's last couple of years on the Inverclyde Line, my local line - is very authentic in it's recreation, the cab, the looks, the passenger areas, the sounds, all really well done. Could do with a lot more break squeal though. 2 - Riesa - Dresden This route got me into German Stuff, and I'm not mad at all. The variety of rolling stock on the route adds to a very good 'Rush Hour' experience, and all the locos feel good to drive. As for the route, parts of it look very nice, such as the Meißen branch, and urban areas feel much more alive with the new night lighting. 3 - Brighton Mainline Having experienced - and thoroughly enjoyed - London - Brighton on Train Simulator, my expectations were somewhat high - and they were smashed. The timetable, of 1,000 services on Gen8, and 1,400 on Gen9 and PC (I've experienced both), make for an immersive and busy experience. The layers from SEHS/465, GWE and such add to it as well, very much so. The ability to run short - but not too short - runs on the Metro services, or run the full length to Brighton, really add to the route as well, as you always have something you can do. It's below Dresden and Cathcart because I prefer them a bit more, and also the performance on Gen8 was ridiculous. (although Series X is really smooth.) Honourable Mention - Southeastern High-speed Before Cathcart released, this was by far my most played (by time) route, a lot thanks to the 465, which is an excellent loco DLC, and also thanks to the variety in the Kent Section. The 465, 375 and 395 all make for a good bit of visual variety on the line, and the Kent Section - overall - isn't too bad. Compared to HS1, which is better off on TS...
Another Clinchfield enthusiast, excellent! Great motive power, both the F7 and the SD 40 are big time for me. I was surprised at how "mechanical" the cab is on the F7, but I love the exterior, she's a good looking beast. Handles predictable too. The SD-40 likes me too, surprising torque and polite brakes. Your opinion?
1. Clinchfield- I like the coal drags a lot and the turns are pretty interesting to run, particularly the first time you do one. I like the slower running on the main and I really like when you have to hold in the siding for another train to pass. The route is beautiful and is a bit of a challenge to run due to the steep grades. The route needs more coal loading, though, and a couple extra mine runs, too. I really would like to have the U36C made for this route in TSW. 2. Dresden to Riesa- This route is my favorite of the Rush hour trio. The diverse timetable makes the route interesting; from freight to IC and local shunting you've got a lot to work with. I really love the scenery on this route, and the night lighting really stands out among the other TSW routes made, so far. 3. Arosa line- After the patch this route has become more fun to drive on.
1) Brighton Mainline. Has become my most-played route; endless variety with that marvelous timetable. Fortunately I'm not getting crashes like some other folks are. 2) Clinchfield. What's not to like? Classic American heavy freight in the mountains. Only complaints are the dreadful night-lighting - not even any lampposts in switchyards? - and the nonfunctional banking comm. Oh, and the mistaken pathing which runs all northbounds through passing sidings. But still a champ in scenery, service interest and the magnificent F7. 3) Nahverkehr Dresden. Redeemed in great part by the Meißen branch (best scenic architecture in the route!) And I like the night lighting, so there. Honorable mention: Cathcart. Would have been #3 but for the awful night lighting, which makes half the services if not undrivable than at least no fun. But such a splendidly created little gem of a route!
