This is the best Train Sim to have ever been made. The sounds, the physics, the detail. Its really really good. I literally gave up on TSW up until this moment. THIS is the quality i've been waiting 20 years for, ever since MSTS. Yes, there are some quirks that need to be ironed out. And I would HIGHLY encourage DTG to tackle them and not brush them to the side as they would in the past. But these issues are really minor/moderate at best. To wrap this up, 8.5/10. Really dang good work. But I ask... PLEASE do not stop improving. This is the closest train sim has ever been to being what I would consider high fidelity. Don't go back to the old ways of half finished work, mediocre sounds, broken routes that never saw an update. Please please don't fall back into that. We're on the right track now I believe, pun intended.
So far, I will agree with you. I am noting a slight decrease in fps on my system, but on SEHS, less stuttering than on the TSW2 version. There are people who are reporting issues with the details, and we should have this done, but, to me, it does not detract from the actual sim play. Computer specifications: Intel Core i9-9900 @ 3.60 GHz 32.0 GB installed RAM 1 TB SSD HD 4 TB drive Video NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8 MB GDDR6 memory
I agree with your comment, CoyoteMan. Waiting to see how the full game behaves and the other TSW2 routes are transferred, I can say that TSW3 makes more efficient use of my PC's hardware because the game behaves in a more fluid way (considering that new weather features have been added).
Just did my first run on Cajon Pass, L-VICTH05-05, and really enjoyed this short SD40-2 run. Have to say that sharp, brass bell sound was amazing as was the horn. The loco sounds were also very good. I have to hand it to the team that did the signals. I was getting honest to life UP signals as I moved along including the flash red over blank which means diverging clear limited. This is real attention to detail. Fps was overall good with my seeing 90s-low 100s, I don't have my fps throttled. There was some stuttering noted but not bad. I did have to laugh at the dynamic weather. As I was running up the main line it was getting really foggy, and my visibility was limited by the time I got to end in the siding off the main. I pulled into the siding and stopped. Then had to reverse into the plant siding, poof, it was completely clear. Have to say, from foggy to clear, I did go into the map to set my switches and it was when I came out of map that it was now clear.
Much too soon to start a love fest over TSW3. Yes, some aspects are very good, like the improved skybox and better loco sounds, but there are quite a few issues that need dealing with already, such as the dynamic weather being rather predictable, the save game problem, poor headlights on the C4 and SD 40-2 and the track and ballast on Cajon Pass etc.. And we have seen only 2.5 routes so far. How it performs on the rest of the 40 odd dlc's remains to be seen.
That I think is the key point. When the TSW2 DLC shows up looking and acting pretty much exactly the same, I think opinions may change...
From what DTG has already said, the TSW2 route that come over are not going to be any different from how they currently play in TSW2, only dynamic weather will be added. So if you are expecting them to play differently, then you are going to be disappointed.
Expect a flood of "TSW2 routes are no different in TSW3" wah wah posts from ppl who didn't read the FAQ.
We'll said CoyoteMan! I'm blown away by the quality of TSW3, and I've spent far too many hours since Friday evening playing!
I'm not expecting the TSW2 routes to be any different from their current state, except for the dynamic weather. Indeed I hope they are unchanged. And, don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the new routes, with the caveats I mentioned earlier. But remember, we are still waitiing for Preservation Crew fixes to the TSW routes that did not port over to TSW2 without problems 2 years ago. All I'm saying is to wait and see if all the TSW2 routes port seemlessly into TSW3. If all goes well on the 6th, I will join you in the celebration.
TSW 3 is definitely a significant step up from TSW 2. The dynamic weather and new lighting systems are very good - though some tweaks to the lightning flashes would be welcome so it comes across as more dramatic as a good thunderstorm should be. Work still needs to be done on balancing the audio to ensure the train sounds are strong and dominate a scene - they’re too quiet in a lot of cases, which does harm immersion for me. Night lighting is also great. Did a night time scenario on KWG and really quite enjoyed it - I’ve hated driving in the dark prior to this as it was just too dark, bland and boring. The new lighting system and more powerful headlights changes all that considerably. It’s deeply disappointing older routes won’t get this love. The likes of MSB and RSN would look stunning, as would SPG and pretty much everything else. A shame it involves so much work to get it there.
