Could Training Center Serve As A Possible Gateway To Introduce Multiplayer To Tsw3?

This is something that has been on my mind ever since the announcement of TSW3, when reading into the details about the new Training Center and while this might be a long shot, here me out on this one.

We all know Multiplayer is something that DTG wants to bring to TSW... one day. I mean, this is something that was brought up during the announcement for TSW in general back in September 2016, almost coming up to 6 years ago now.

While I'm open to the idea of bring multiplayer to TSW, I also think there are also technical hurdles to consider such as;

• What would it even look like?
• How would you path multiplayer trains?
• Would you be able to navigate multiplayer on foot in the same way you would right now?
• How big would the servers of each session be?

This list could go on and on but these are just a few things to consider when trying add multiplayer to TSW, which actually could make to process quite difficult.

But then we have the new Training Center coming with TSW3 and while it's main objective is to compile all the informartion given in route tutorials into one place, from having read the details about it on the roadmap, it sounds like this is going to be a true sandbox route, were you can just do whatever you want with whatever train you chose, within the confines of the area of course, and on that stance, it could actually serve as a great gateway to bring multiplayer into TSW3, by having it be introduce here. Where players can come together a just play around the Training Center as much as they like, without the possible restrictions of what a typical TSW route would have. This is of course before trying to work out of a way of bring multiplayer into the general gameplay and across the available routes already available and what could be coming in the future with TSW3.

Again, this is quite a long shot, and to be honest, I feel like the base Training Center route would need to be expanded quite a bit, just so there's enough trackage to play with, but I wouldn't be entirely surprise if multiplayer is first trialled out on the training center route, before being roled out across the wider gameplay within TSW3. But that's only if there's ever a plan to bring multiplayer to TSW3, which I guess we will just wait and see if that ever happens.

Just something for you all to think about.

 

My kids play several train simulator games on roblox with multiplayer working faultlessly. Ok roblox graphics are no where near the same as tsw.

I think removing ai traffic is the first step.

 

From what I've seen none of these games have ai traffic. The dispatcher can handle 40 kids in a server zooming here there and everywhere. Suddenly disappearing from one part of the route and reappearing in another. If a player is inactive for so many seconds thier train is despawned so there's no holdups. Players that have passed training can even step in as a signaller and take control of signalling.

I know roblox is a multiplayer platform and tsw isn't but surely dtg can make a route Purley for multiplayer and nothing else?

 

Bug fixes are more important than multiplayer, especially the save game.

 

I don’t understand the point of multiplayer in this game. To wave at eachother as you zip past and then don’t see eachother for another hour+ ?

Besides SoS with a fireman none of the trains require more than one driver.

So sit in the back while your friend drives then change places on the return journey?

In Truck Sim you do convoys. In flight sim you do formation flying, or explore the virtual earth together, or interact with a human air traffic controller.

What is multiplayer supposed to bring to the train game?

I honestly don’t see what it would be like other than, maybe, a single controller for a route or something.

 

Ride with one another then maybe do an crew change the person sitting besides you take over and you take an pause

 

I think your confusing co op and multiplayer. Can't really see the point of Co op mode but multiplayer.... You get a route with say 50 players all driving different trains around the route, instead of ai trains flying past its another player, a real person! This makes things more interesting as ai trains run to perfect schedule they don't make mistakes like real people do.

So you could be running your express service behind captain slow and his stopping service. By the time there's a route past him your running 5 mins late! Now you can really prove how much of a good train driver you are by trying to get to your destination on time.

Or ride as a passenger on a train with a real driver, where you don't expect to get to your destination bang ontime, and anything can happen along the way.

 

I don't see what that would add to the experience. So, as you whoosh by an oncoming train, there's now a little sign over the cab with a username. Big whoop.
As to variability: the Dispatcher routine as it stands cannot handle it. The schedule has to run like a clockwork machine, or it breaks down completely. And if the Dispatcher were ever improved to the point it can handle variability, then it would be much simpler just to add variation to AI drive times.

 

It can add a lot to the experience. Gta v is still one of the most played games there is, without multiplayer do you think it would still be so popular?

You can add all the ai variations you want bit it don't add up to human error. It won't take long to get used to the same old ai variations.

 

In some DLCs, like Cathcart Circle, one person could be the driver and another one could take care of opening and closing the doors. I understand that this could be fun to do a couple times, but IMHO it requires too much development effort for something that will not be frequently used.

 

The only explanation for which is that a) people love to be a-holes, or b) people are masochists who love to be abused by a-holes.

If the player base for a hypothetical TSW multiplayer in any way resembles GTA Live, all we'll ever see is routes hopelessly snarled by jerks who are only there to cause chaos and screw up everyone else's experience.

 

Unless it's not a massive-multiplayer experience like GTA, but more like smaller (private) lobbies like ETS2/ATS multiplayer. I guess that could work...

I can see multiplayer work on smaller routes like WSR, where players would need to work together.

But in the end, the whole point of multiplayer, as I'd see it, would be to offer a sandbox to allow people to play the game as they like. Being a fireman, guard or passenger on someone else's train isn't my cup of tea, but that doesn't mean it's nobody's cup of tea.

 

It would solve the save game issue (sarcasm emote)

 

It wouldn't be compulsory to play multiplayer though. You don't have to play with the a holes if you don't want to.

Private servers where a bunch of friends can play again without the holes.

I'm sure once they realise there's no guns or oppressors they will get bored and leave anyway.

If your not interested in multiplayer none of the above would concern you anyway.

 

The only way i think multiplayer could work is if it is based on the timetable mode. Specially now with TSW3 timetable mode being able to continue through different days, they could run a server who is infinitely running timetable mode in a particular route, it would need to be one with lots of services like London Commuter for example.

You could pick a train or just spawn in a random station, i would add being able to teleport between stations, but not change the time since that would desync you from other players. And whenever a train comes you can just pick it up and drive the rest of the service. If you dont want to drive anymore or you are standing still for too long, you would get replaced by an AI driver.

The only think idk how it would handle is running red signals or accidents, which in a hypothetical multiplayer it would be one of the first things that some people are going to try. In regular timetable mode it stops the game, but in multiplayer it cant do that, so i think it would need to either just delete the train from the map (which would mess up many things) or find a way to put that service back where it should be.

 

except for the massive costs of developing multiplayer, then the ongoing costs of the servers, and needing people to moderate them from those who would happily spend hours setting everything up so everyone crashes into each other right at the ends of their runs,

Those costs could go towards making tsw's core better, optimising things properly to get rid of the stutters, increasing the draw distance and maybe making the dispatcher have a little bit of intelligence and allow runs to become a little less scripted mostly green light runs.


there are just so many ways for a-holes to ruin multiplayer, i could imagine groups of people with nothing better to do getting together just to cause problems to 'those train nerds' as happens sometimes in other niche multiplayer games (i once stumbled across a facebook page where people were planning these 'takeovers' as they called them

 

You only need servers when creating a massive multiplayer feature. You wouldn't need all this when offering people the option to create their own lobbies to play with a few of their friends, like ETS2/ATS do.

 

the one way i could see multiplayer working would be as others have mentioned, on the steam trains where you have a 2 man crew, and 2 separate jobs that need a lot of attention.

 

Well, without derailing the subject on to how multiplayer would look like, just looking at the topic title, I'd say; yes.

Training Center is probably the ideal testbed for any kind of multiplayer test. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if DTG already had a very early basic version of multiplayer working internally within DTG. Then again, I also wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't.

 

Multiplayer will not be coming to tsw as was said on the Roadmap stream

 

As per above post it’s been confirmed no multiplayer. (16/8/22 -launch q+a stream)

 

Just as well cause I see a lot more issues with multiplayer than benefits. The idea of multiplayer is a novel one, but at the end of the day is what it brings worth the huge amount of work required to make it work? How to handle the controller? AI or human? How to handle derailing? How to handle someone being absent or AFK while sitting in a station? What if someone leaves their train to run around and explore?

So many variables that come with multiplayer, and most of the variables would inevitably affect every other player just trying to get through their route. Then reports about griefing, or people deliberately sabotaging routes.. just no.

 

I hope they don't spend a minute of development time on something that doesn't make any sense in a game like TSW, when there are so many problems that need to be fixed and so many things that could be improved.

 

I probably don't understand the entire idea of using training center for multiplayer but using training center for multiplayer is imo a very bad idea. Training center is where new players would start out. Why confuse new players with multiplayer options? Why confuse veteran players with putting multiplayer in the training center? And even more important: what multiplayer? Like in: what would you do in multiplayer?

 

It's a pity! Are any of you guys aware how much a game like stepford County railway makes every year? A lot more than tsw.

Dtg could make millions from a route that hardly ever receives updates, investing that money and more staff on routes for the more serious players.

 

Imagine having to play with some of the grumpy people here:

"You TOTALLY ruined my game because you didn't use the <XYZ> in a prototypical way"

 

Thankfully multiplayer is a no go as per Sam on last nights live stream.