The GWE is showing its age IMO and whilst Adam's team are working on updates realistically it will never be as good as more modern routes. Another issue for many is it set in the Diesel days and doesnt reflect the modern route and apart from the most demanding and dare I say unreasonable among us, I dont think we expect the route modernised. BUT what if DTG released GWE MkII, set in the electrified era with Class 800/0's, 800/3's, 387's and 165's (for the Greenford branch if modelled). Would you buy it again, given in many respects it would offer a completely different challenge and include more modern rolling stock? Let DTG know your views?
I'm all for a GWE-Remaster down the line, however I'm against it as of now. GWE came out a few years ago now, granted, and yes, it does show it's age in places, however overall TSW has hardly scratched the surface of railways, even if we just include the typical countries, and I think expanding the in-game network should take priority. However, I'm not all against it. A modern timetable with the IET, 387 and such could pose an interesting concept. It could include the Greenford Branch and line to Oxford, and a case could probably be made for the Windsor & Eton branch from Slough, the Marlow branch from Maidenhead, and the Henley-on-Thames branch from Twyford. On top of that, a strong arguement could be made for the Class 345, to offer the more regular stopping services. At that, if this were made, I'd rather it didn't become the norm. Those people who think that all routes should be updated to match the modern day are just dreaming. It'd be a huge waste of time re-releasing a route when someone changes on it. By their logic, we should have NTP, TVL, WCL and soon Crewe-Liverpool on the modern day ASAP. I'm for it in GWE's case just due to it showing it's age. However I'd say no to it for the time being.
(Un?)popular opinion, but I don't like GWE in general, it just feels like a straight set of parallel tracks going through the London suburbs and outer city limits. A possible extension to Oxford might possibly make me change my mind, but mostly to revive the days of playing Rail Simulator - so I'd prefer if it was diesel. Also I can't see this route being more compelling than BML - I would assume the timetable (That would surely have to be rebuilt) would be about the same level of complexity as BML and while the Class 800 would add high-speed (lacking in BML) it's just an A-B run, which would make it less engaging than LGV to me personally, and would be lackluster compared to SEHS (again, personal opinion), also it's another Electrostar route, but at least this time it would accelerate a bit faster. If this project would use a similar amount of resources as a new route I'd rather see something completely new, I think a lot of people just want the IET rather than actually modern GWE, but focus on GWE as it appears the easiest way to get the train, but IMO it's so widely used I think there are plenty of other possibilities, bonus point if we get to switch between Diesel and Electric if it's one of the bi-mode sets. Sadly it's a no for me, but surely an interesting proposition.
I agree. There are MUCH more interesting UK routes to be built. Only if this hypothetical route ran to Oxford AND had the Greenford, Windsor and Henley branch lines AND the run to Heathrow AND had the full RL timetable with the appropriate trains would it become interesting. Brunel's Billiard Table is just inherently dull. The only reason for its having been made in the first place - five years ago - was to give the HST a place to run at full throttle. (Keep in mind also that DTG long ago gave up providing a lavish three new locos with a route. Nowadays we get one.)
Yes and this should include Class 345 800 802 387/1 165 & class 59/66 sheds as freight lastly class 57 for Sleeper Train job. For class 800 & 802 tutorial level make that start at North Pole Depot including cold starting them in Diesel & Electric Mode. That way there could be a scenario involving class 800 & 802 trains that have a pantograph electric mode failure and must go onto London Paddington on Diesel power as a hard difficulty scenario.
If it became another " electrostar/emu " route, I would lose all interest. As it is, I only drive the Class 101 and the 52 on the GWE.
There's a Class 345 Aventra instead of Class 387 if DTG gets MTR Hong Kong subsidiary MTR Crossrail London licence. Journey Chapters if Class Chapter 1 Aventra Driver Chapter 2 IET Dual Mode Driver Chapter 3 Freight driver Class 59 66 & 70 Chapter 4 Sleeper Train driver Class 57 Chapter 5 DMU Driver Class 165 Chapter 6 Electrostar Driver can be redundant if DTG lets BML owners run Class 387/2s by using pantograph mode Chapter 7 Rush Hour this will be chapter 6 if DTG lets BML owners run class 387/2s here
The problem with this idea is who’s going to do the work? Adam’s team has more than enough work to do, so that leaves the core team. I can’t see DTG pulling the core team off a new route to rebuild GWE. The amount of work involved is probably 80% that of making a new route anyway. I’m all for an updated GWR mainline but I’d much rather they make a new section instead of rebuilding what we’ve already got.
Why? So it could be exactly the same as all other modern british EMU routes with the same boring rolling stock? At least it's different and characteristic this way with the HST and the 166.
I’d rather see the original route extended for longer HST runs instead of remaking it to modern day. Why downgrade from the Class 43 to the 800?
I’m in the no camp. It is what it is. Any changes would basically be a new route and there are plenty of more deserving ones. Plus having known the Oxford route well I don’t think such an extension would be all that interesting operationally or scenically.
Better to back-date it to match the ‘Diesel Legends’ DLC, but as that’s already been done by some brilliant modders, it would only add anything if there were a route extension. Even then, there are much more interesting routes to build, for the reasons discussed.
Yes i would buy it if any extension was added... But like said by some here I far more prefer DTG doing some other new British route unknow until now.
Personally I don’t think that route offers anything really. It was ok to use the 43 but there is nothing in it (that I’m aware of) to make me think “yes I need a 3rd variant of this “ (diesel legends being 2nd to me). I’d need something interesting to warrant consideration
I would rebuy a vintage version but the electrified GWML is about as exciting as driving my Kia Sportage to the supermarket. It would also need to be significantly extended, at a minimum Oxford but possibly the branches too. Also a Paxman HST, Class 50 and Mark 2 aircons and a Class 117 DMU.
I would not mind a extension to it, but honestly I have zero interest in it going any further forward in time. I'm not a massive fan of the super modern stock, and even if I was I'd rather see new routes with that stock then a rehash of a existing route I already own. Because lets be honest, a modern remake of it would be pretty much the same, just with more wires above the track. If they were to change the era of the route I'd rather see it get backdated to the 50's, or even before then, at that point the amount of changes needed would make it feel like a entirely different route.
If we could edit the routes properly then each one could be remade in various eras via mods, there could even be an era selection option as standard. As it is though, I don't expect DTG to revisit their existing routes re-doing them for different eras while there are so many other routes that don't yet exist at all in the game.
I voted no. I'm sorry, but I think GWE is a pretty boring route. It's a boring straight 4-track railroad though a flat landscape with scenery that's nothing special. It's best enjoyed at high speed, but it's pretty short for a high speed route. Setting it in the electrification era doesn't fix any of these things.
Not interested in a modern version of the route. For me it’s already quite uninteresting and the only thing that kept me playing was Diesel Legends. I‘d consider it if it was a historic version, but even then I think there are far more interesting routes to do first.
I think the (potential) appeal of GWE is in the traffic density and high speed running rather than the scenery (similar appeal to Brighton Main Line but with mostly different rolling stock). Yes, I'd buy an expansion pack for it, but then again I buy nearly all UK content anyway. I think it would be good to extend to Oxford and have all the short Thames area branch lines including Heathrow Express and Crossrail/TfL Rail. I'd reuse the 166 and 378 that already exist and add the 800 and 345. I did work out at one point that the branch lines are only something like 10 miles of extra track (although probably quite a few more stations). Paddington should be busy and it's a shame that it's a touch empty at the moment. To be frank though, I think this is highly unlikely as the scope of the work indicated above would probably come up to close to a new route altogether (£25) - and most people would prefer something actually new as TSW is still pretty young.
