Tsw3 - The Cat Is Out Of The Bag & The Unofficial Tsw3 Speculation Thread

I mean we could compare it to TSW2 rather than an obsolete game

 

To be honest when your'e on page 8 of a post about one line sneaked into a stream four days ago, it will drift a bit

 

Classic forums moment

 

I suppose it depends on who's instructing whom.

 

Compared it to TSW2020 on purpose. Apparently, as on obsolete game, TSW2020 still has roughly the same amount of players as their fishing games combined...

 

That speaks volumes especially as all of those games are cheaper as well. Are any of those on epic or console as well or are they steam exclusives?

 

They're at least on console I believe, but even if we times the player numbers by three like how DTG suggests we do TSW 60 or so players on average is still rather abysmal.

 

alrighty, back to a serious discussion point that does not refer to fishes…

One thing I may have mentioned here and over on the PS section on the forum is that whenever there is talk or speculation that DTG should, or are going to, drop gen 8 consoles someone from DTG comes on the forum to say that they have no intention of stopping development on them. So far, DTG have not said a word. I think they will drop them and I also think they have to. That’s not because some say they are holding the game back it’s because TSW has already outgrown them. That becomes a big issue for the future if they do try to continue development for gen 8. I think most PC players would agree with me here and quite a few console players too.

As a counter to this, people have responded that there are too many players still on gen 8 and that it is impossible for many to get hold of, or afford, a current PS5 or xbox. I’m expecting there are going to be a lot of console players getting a wake up call soon and finding that particular argument means less and less to the devs as time goes on and the bit about it being impossible to get them is just not true. DTG can afford the drop in income now to ensure a continued and growing income in the future. I think another year is unsustainable on gen 8 consoles and would damage TSW as it ticks along being largely broken and unable to grow. Dropping gen 8 development is the single best thing DTG can do right now. It will obviously be unpopular with some but have DTG ever done anything that is popular with everyone? Has any company ever done anything that’s popular with everyone?

When it happens I think we will see much better progress from TSW and the game can flourish. I also think that TSW3 could be the first UE5 version of the game, again despite a lot of people here saying that’s impossible or unlikely, and that would result in better quality overall. It would almost certainly come with a price increase too. Everything has had to increase in price recently and games will have to follow suit especially if there will be a drop in player numbers for a short while due to the end of gen 8 development, which has to happen if it is UE5.

These are my opinions on what is going to happen and I might still create a thread on the PS forum with more details behind my thinking. I’ve written most of it, just not sure some of my fellow console players will accept what I say, as people do tend to look at things from one perspective and this relies on a different much bigger view of TSW, its issues, and its future. I could also be very wrong about all of this and obviously I’m not stating any of it as fact because I simply have no idea if DTG are on the same page as me with their thinking.

…

Oh, and I may as well throw in a prediction for a route while I’m here… ECML with a Deltic, don’t know what section they would choose though. I’d say I’m 80% confident that will be one of the first routes for TSW3 and only 50% sure of the Deltic, just don’t ask me how I came to that conclusion, as I’m waiting to see if anyone else spots the hints to it, if indeed that’s what they are as they are not obvious (could just be coincidence or me reading too much into something completely unintentional) !?!!

 

Looks like Bassmaster 2022 is the only one currently being developed for. FSW hasn't seen a release since 2019. I wonder if the player numbers posted above are indicative of where 8th gen console playership can be and still be considered active.

 

Three? I count NEC New York. Which other routes got disappeared?

 

DLCs, not routes, we only lost one route, but we also lack the SW1000R & GP40-2 loco DLCs still.

 

What hint and where please of the ECML? I wouldn't even know where to start looking.

 

I never recall seeing one! There's been plenty of requests in the Suggestion Bin (sorry, forum) over the years but not an inkling DTG or their associates are working on any section of it.

 

Im sute TSW3 will support Gen8, but I do suspect mid to late 2023 we will start seeing content just for Gen 9 & PC as the Gen 8 player base naturally drops off.

 

Hehe, I’m not saying. Basically because if it isn’t a hint I’ll have made a big fool of myself. More than I do normally!

 

Go on, whisper it to me haha. You know that common saying ,"If something sounds too good to be true, then let me know the link of where this information may be and I'll let you know".

 

I'm all for them dropping gen 8 and moving ahead.

 

You're not alone. (Also quoted by Olive in 1997).

It has to be the way forward, it's 2022 and I'm still driving 'simulators' which have literally no improvement to the latest TSC. There is no randomisation, no special effects, no train faults, no guard, no station announcements and so on.

Funnily enough, we did have some immersion and train faults recently.. Train Derailments

However, itt's just generally boring really.

Time to rid gen8 for these reasons alone.

 

Rather a non sequitur, don't you think? Gen 8 has literally nothing to do with those massive programming challenges (or, in the case of announcements, licensing/copyright issues).

 

Not to be overly snarky, stujoy, but I seem to recall that not too long ago, when you were limping along with your PS4, you took, let's say, a slightly different tack concerning the dropping of gen 8 consoles. Do correct me if my memory has failed me.

 

Still no clue why we lost the GP40-2, it could at least IIRC run on SPG in TSW2020, not sure why it couldn't be brought over to TSW2 for SPG only...

 

We did get the SW1500 back, more or less, since the MP15DC is pretty much the same engine with some model tweaks. In fact, TheShotte was developing a (very good) SW1500 skin for Oakville, based on the MP15. Never got released, but I helped test it.

 

The Amtrak Switcher is a SW1000R, which is rebuilt from the SW9, it is not a SW1500.

I know they are both "Technically" switchers, but they are also not the same loco.

 

I suspect this thread will have 50 pages or more at this rate

 

Well, if there is to be a generational leap from TSW2 to TSW3, I certainly hope that none of the current US routes suffer the fate of NEC New York. I don't fancy having to switch back to the current game, just to be able to play, say SPG or SFJ.

I also would not enjoy a repeat of any part of the " preserved collection " saga.

I don't think these issues will arise, but knowing the history, we can't expect a smooth transition methinks.

 

Hopefully the fact that all older routes have been put through the preservation crew pass means they have been updated to a point that transitions will be easier going forwards. It might just be a giant game of leapfrog with the routes being tackled once they lag a certain distance behind. A lot of the recent work has been on some of the oldest routes e.g. GWE RT WSR RSN etc

 

Cant Stand Fish (when you see there guts trodden into the decking at Teignmouth when you go to pick up sprats, Mackerel, and other fish that get bought home n the nets then yeah, you'd understand why. Although I rather did like the fishing in Red Dead Redemption 2 Online. You used to kill yerself an animal (deer) then place it on the shore of the river just enough of it so the fish can kinda smell it come and and have a go at eating it and then they die because they ground them selves on the shore and cant get out. easy pickings lol. Thats the only fishing I like really.

Hentis

 

Ps4 Fanbase : "Yeah, yeah, but your engineers were so preoccupied with whether or not they could ditch ps4 that they didn't stop to think if they should!"

DTG Response: "Condors. Condors are on the verge of extinction..."

 

If DTG considered them different enough to sell them separately then they ain't the same engine by any reasonable definition. Also don't understand what makes the GP40-2 so unique in your mind. You might as well have grouped it with the GP38-2 and every other American four axle loco by your logic. Honestly they're probably much closer to each other than the two switchers are.

 

Technically yes, since the GP38-2 and GP40-2 share the same frame, the only major "External" difference is the 3rd fan on the long hood of the GP40-2.

 

There's also dynamite.....

 

You mean like the red and blue 363s?

 

You are quite correct. Many people on the day they got their PS5 were calling for the end of PS4 development and I wasn’t having that. I believe I was still saying it after I first got my PS5 when Rush Hour was released. There has been a lot of water under the bridge since then though. The next update will be a year on from then and I think I’m right in saying that the whole console experience and quality of TSW for everyone has been pretty bad since Rush Hour and something big has to change. Development and testing need streamlining and dropping dying builds is the easiest way to help that along and makes what content DTG and third parties can offer bigger and better in scope. That’s why I have changed my mind about it now as well as the fact that I believe that it is what’s going to happen.

At the moment it is mainly layers that are having to be cut from gen 8 builds but I’m guessing now that even necessary content to make a DLC route viable would also need to be cut. I think one of the reasons no routes are getting loco DLC now is because the routes can’t handle any extra content on gen 8. We’ve seen this past year or so the scope of routes that DTG are aiming for and it is obvious what’s standing in the way of it. For any content with a large variety of different trains it is the only viable solution. The game has now outgrown its lowest spec platforms.

Stopping the development does put the onus on players to keep up with DTG and DTG no longer have to stay back for the shrinking number of players on gen 8. And I believe that it is possible for many more players to keep up with that now. As for how long players have had to try and get hold of a current console, well that’s coming up for two years now and a year on from when I made that decision. If this is everyone else’s final warning from DTG then there can’t be too much complaining if they don’t act now. Time isn’t going to wait for anyone and if I didn’t think that DTG were doing it now, I wouldn’t be talking about it so much.

I can’t take away anybody’s PS4 product going forwards, it’s not up to me, but if DTG do, I will agree with them that they have made the right decision at the right time. If they don’t, I would hope they have a robust strategy for improving the game for PS4 and old xbox players. They can’t release more broken content and then promise some memory use improvements some time in the future, that won’t wash any more.

 

Well considering that you have developers like Searchlight that sell the same loco but with modifications based on the timeframe and operator absolutely! Don't underestimate how much difference exists among locos even of the same class, just look at how many types of SD40-2's there are.

 

"get rid of the dead wood" springs to mind.

 

Question, do you need UE5 for ray tracing?

Really thats all I can come up with from lighting and sparks. As isn't that what ray tracing is for lighting and lighting effects?

If you can do it on UE4 then there is really is no reason to switch to UE5 just yet.

Honestly I have no clue as I'm not that big of a tech guy just a play guy.

 

I assume you're referring to Gen 8 consoles? In which case, that's very harsh, to say the least.

Let's not forget that a few short years ago, Gen 8 console players became the financial backbone of DTG's development of TSW and TSW2. Without their support, we PC players might not have a game to enjoy.

I agree that the writing is on the wall for PS4 and older XBOX players, as well as many older PC's, but, as of now, news of their death is premature. There are simply too many players who either can't get a new console or can't afford it.
DTG can forge ahead with game development, but they can and should continue to do what they can to allow those gen 8 players to continue to enjoy some version of TSW2 or TSW3 or whatever label they care to give it.

As a PC player who has invested in a high-end system, I'm as anxious as anyone to see what this game is capable of. But I can wait for my fellow gamers to catch up.

 

UE4 does have ray tracing. Switching to ue5 for ray tracing only isn't necessary.

 

Thanks, then in that sense from the little we know there is no reason to be sure an engine change is coming.

At least until we find out more

 

Yeah it's easy for us in the PC section to say that. I wonder how the reactions would be if that person said that on the PS/XBOX sections...

 

Indeed. I play exclusively on PC but my missus has been after a PS5 for months, even put in to the wait list at John Lewis and so far nothing. I could see the riot if DTG were to release a new version that for the PC only ran on the latest I9 with a RTX 3060 as the minimum level GPU. I could easily replace my PC if I wanted to, but not at current stupid prices where £1200 is unlikely to get me something much more potent than my current potato.

 

I will say that I do think it's time to leave the older consoles behind. Remember the PS4 and Xbox One are from 2013, that's approaching a decade ago. Obviously it's easy for me to say, seeing as I own both a PS5 and a Series X, but even if I was still trundling along with my PS4 I'd rather see the game develop and evolve further even if it meant I got left behind for a bit.

And the stock troubles won't stay the same forever. I know the PS5 is still pretty tough to get hold of, but I think the Series X is readily available. I just checked Amazon and it seems to be in stock there. Obviously money is another big factor, but it's not as if it costs any more than a PC with comparable specs, probably much less in fact.

 

There comes a point where you need to move on from the last generation, some people can't afford a next gen console or just can't get hold of one but DTG can't keep catering to what is outdared tech just to appease a chunk of the player base. It's easier said as a next gen player but the sooner we move away from last gen, the better.

TSW needs to keep moving forward.

 

As an Xbox Series X owner I agree. But the reality is that isn't going to happen until an upgrade to UE5.

But I don't feel like that is what is happening. I have a strange feeling TSW 3 is just a place holder title for in house talk because the actual name is not decided yet.

And really all that is said is lighting and sparks which to me sounds like ray tracing, and that is already an option with the UE4 version they already have.

 

I’ve seen lots of people saying last gen needs to be left behind for tsw3 - for me that is the wrong idea . Next gen provides the most money to tsw , and so it would make no sense to leave it behind . I think it should be left behind in a couple of years , but not just yet

 

In the automotive industry

Next gen? We are talking about the old generation of consoles. The ones that are way out of date.

 

That's the problem with consoles, they are out of date before they are released!

Gen 8 is a decade old. Sony and Microsoft generally don't move to the next gen until the old generation is pushed to its limit by games.

Even gen9 is coming up to 3 years old!

It's about time dtg lifted those limits and moved on with the times.

 

What's the problem with having 2 versions a last gen and a pc/latest gen. That way you please everyone.

 

I would imagine it's not cost effective developing 2 versions of a route.

I would be leaning towards last gen current gen and a pc version. There's pc's on the market now far more powerful than the ps5/xbox