I have been an avid TS and TSW follower for several years. When DTG launched TSW, I thought, "WoW!", this is going to be the next generation of train simulator! The graphics were amazing, via the UE platform! Textures, GUI possibilities were exciting, amazing; and then it STOPPED. For me, and I like to tinker, TS20xx had an editor, that allowed you to make the game experience my own. It had an open source feel, and allowed users; anyone who could research via point and click, to created routes, edit consists, make scenery. TS 20xx was the gold standard of train simulators. Then came TSW. Fantastic graphics! I felt like I was in a cinematic world. DTG had reached a new peak! I was developing a route for TS20xx and I stopped at this point. Why continue, if the TSW platform was the new gold standard? Until they released an editor, where I could make my scenery, my consists, my routes and contribute to the TS community. To date, DTG, has not released an editor, although they have promised to do so, for over a year. TS runs on an out dated graphics engine. Comments on forums have suggested that, 'They will have to release their source code', or something like that. Well, if that's the case, that's an epic failure on their part; not vetting their development research. On the other hand, maybe they just gambled on the fact that enough people would buy their product and say, "Cool, I have a train." For me, not so much. I have recently discovered X-Plane. Being a long time flight sim user, I appreciate their open source attitude. Trains are a passion for me (people in the rail industry would call me a 'buff'). Perhaps, there will be an X-Train.
Its been 2 years to be precise.Wouldnt get my hopes up on a nearby release of the editor. Their intentions are perfectly clear just by simply looking at their priorities/the development of TSW: Release a dlc - port it to the consoles - fix some bugs of the dlc(but not all of them, looking at the PZB in RT) aaaand repeat. They are also already working on 3 new dlc's xD Looks like theres one guy working on the editor while the rest work on ports/dlc's. Happy for you though discovering a new passion for a different simulator. Unfortunately for me, trains are my biggest passion :/
Its getting to a point were I don't think we will see a Editor. 3rd Partys and the community making stuff is the main cause of the success of TS20XX I feel. TSW isn't going to grow bigger without that 3rd Party and Community support for it in regards to stuff being made for it. I haven't been playing much TSW due to that. I think I would get into TSW a lot more if we see 3rd Partys involved in making add-ons for TSW but its looking unlikely we will see that.
I have a gut feeling when the editor is released it will not open the game up the same way it did in TSxx. To me TSW just feels more like a confined experience and DTG may not want to create too much a content gap between the console versions and PC. Like I said, it is just a gut feeling with nothing to base this on and of course hope I am wrong.
What the UE4 editor is capable of and what DTG decide can or cannot be done within the framework of their game are 2 completely different things though. I just have a feeling whatever content gets created via the editor and tools may be subjected to tighter restrictions to how it is in TSxx due to it being only on a single platform. I just wish DTG weren't being so dicey with the details...maybe just some info on what things they will allow mod authors to do would be nice. I think it may be some time off yet anyway. They probably want to get other things out the door first such as the diesel updates for HH and steam trains (hopefully)
Well it's obviously not the "exact same tools" as we would then need access to the DTG's code which is the main reason why DTG held back from releasing the editor(s) in the first place! AIUI the last time this subject came up the word from DTG was that they had "recently" come up with a way by which we won't need access to DTG's proprietary code. However because the UE4 tools were not designed to be used by people with little desire to know the ins and outs of UE4 DTG wanted to surround them with a more user friendly wrapper and it's that part that's now taking the time. Now perhaps I misunderstood what was said on whichever stream the subject came up. It would be really, really, really helpful if DTG could unbend enough to give us the current state of play together with some sort of indication whether anything is likely to appear this year or not even if it's couched in "hoping to release this year but can't guarantee" terms.
Some new scenarios, rolling stock re-skins and additional rolling stock for existing routes would be good, while we are waiting patiently for editor it would keep us interested and give us somthing to do while we wait.
The surprising thing is that many users are waiting for DTG to create new content, the editor etc. to spend their money. The demand is much higher than the offer. We are in a paradox, DTG must wake up a bit.
Anthony Pecoraro ’they want to make them as good as possible’. A nice thought, but any evidence to that? DTG had suggested they were going to focus more on quality but aren’t the WSR console releases suggestions that things haven’t changed a great deal (e.g. ‘try to avoid using the external camera too much’). Fabrizio520 again where’s the evidence that ‘the demand is much higher than the offer’? Two things are true. One, people who really like a game - and in particular Simulation games - are always keen for new DLC as it broadens the game. Two, people who spend the time to read and post to forums aren’t your average users. You, I and everyone else here is really interested in the game so our desire for more and more DLC is likely far more than the average user. So demand on here is only part of the equation. It’s like a dozen people upvoting a route idea. It might suggest that there might be good interest - but it doesn’t mean that it would be guaranteed to be a commercial success to a wider less involved audience. And these days to be a commercial success you need those less involved ‘casual’ users. Generally people share good news and don’t say much when things aren’t going to plan. If TSW sales were going gangbusters or the editor was coming along smoothly DTG would say something. Now, saying nothing doesn’t imply that the sales are awful or the editor isn’t going to appear. But equally just wanting things to be good doesn’t make it fact.
Anthony Pecoraro ok, that’s reasonable. But so often information comes from Discord, or ‘it was mentioned on a Devstream’ or ‘Matt said’. These are DTG forums. This is a reasonable non aggressive thread with good participation. DTG have dedicated forum admins. Why don’t those DTG forum guys at least pop in on the threads and offer some direction? Just a hint. Is the only way to find out what’s going on, to have some idea of direction, is to sit on every forum, video and chat room. To be interested in this hobby do you have to sit through everyone of Matt P’s ‘shows’ in the hope that he might at some point drop a clue? Sounds like an odd way to a) run a business and b) promote a niche hobby
Well to be fair they released Rapid Transit as the first German route. Other than from people that live along the route and people that really like the Talent 2 I doubt interest in that DLC was especially high. Only thing that made it somewhat exciting was the fact that it was the first German DLC. I can name multiple German S-Bahn trains alone that are more iconic than a Talent 2 and which would have probably caused a route that included them to sell better. There's a reason why a Talent 2 isn't in any starter set from any company that produces model trains.