Upcoming Sales - What To Buy

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by OldVern, Oct 21, 2022.

  1. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Looking through my TSW route collection, the following are missing:

    Rapid Transit *
    LIRR - Hicksville *
    IOW - Original and Modernised
    LGV - Mediterranee
    Arosa Line *
    Hamburg to Lubeck
    Horseshoe Curve
    West Cornwall Local *
    Luzern to Sursee
    Harlem Line

    Upcoming seasonal sales will grant the opportunity to add a few of these to the collection as I don't particularly feel any (apart from maybe HSC) worth full price. Items marked with a * have been previously purchased and refunded due to sundry reasons of dissatisfaction, so while not ruled out are low priority.

    So throwing it out to the audience, without making it a poll but hopefully might help anyone else in a similar dilemma, what three routes out of the above would make a worthwhile addition to the collection.
     
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  2. Callum B.

    Callum B. Well-Known Member

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    Honestly I would just hold on to my money. I have almost the same list of unpurchased routes (except HBL, RT, and LIRR) and none of them are particularly interesting enough to warrant a buy. Having been in your situation before, I was really just itching to spend on something new. However most recently, with the aid of the TOD4 mod to bring the new volumetric sky to older routes, I have been rediscovering routes that I had previously avoided due to a lack of Preservation updates. These include:
    • Rhein-Ruhr Osten
    • Hauptstrecke Rhein-Ruhr
    • Peninsula Corridor
    • Main-Spessart Bahn
    • Ruhr-Sieg Nord
    They all have a fresh coating of paint now that help me to enjoy them more than I used to. I recommend you find a way to tide yourself over until the next route rather than looking at the scraps of middling DLC deciding which to get now.

    That said, to answer your question rather than sidestepping it, my top recommendations would be the following:
    • Harlem Line: I do not own this route myself because the area and trains do not interest me, but from what I have seen in videos, this is a significant improvement over LIRR for urban New York commuter traffic. The route has nice scenery, it comes with two trainsets, and the Steam reviews are generally positive. Unfortunately I can't say much more than that but look at some YouTube videos and you can get a good idea.
    • Hamburg-Lübeck: This is my least played German route primarily because it is so bland to drive. It's generally well-modelled, but mostly straight, flat, tree-lined double track from A to B. You do get a new locomotive (DB BR 112) that substitutes onto other routes, but the headlights are incorrectly modelled which makes it look weird and it often substitutes on freight services which looks even stranger (even if it did rarely haul freight). Then why do I recommend it? Because it's really not a terrible route; there aren't any gamebreaking bugs as far as I'm aware, and it is perfectly serviceable. It's just a bit... homogeneous. That said, it's due a timetable update in the near future which should improve enjoyment--though that would be betting on promises.
    • Horseshoe Curve: I'm putting this one at the bottom because it doesn't really offer anything new. The location is extremely similar to Sandpatch Grade, the physics are worse than Sherman Hill and Cajon Pass, and there's not a lot of service variety. Also, the derail bug may or may not still be haunting this route. But again it's not terrible like LIRR. If you like American freight, it adds a bit of variety.
    I would have also added Rapid Transit because for some reason it is special to me, but I understand it's not for everyone and it seems it wasn't for you either.
    I hope that helped give you some insight.

    Cheers
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2022
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  3. Ant Craft

    Ant Craft Well-Known Member

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    Personally, I think you should get Harlem Line. Would probably say it's the best one on the list. Compared to the LIRR, the trains have much better audio, safety systems and signalling work much better and the route just generally feels more polished and high quality. Horseshoe is also pretty good for being Skyhook's 2nd route, so I'd also recommend it. Trains on HSC are good for sounds, but would still recommend mods to improve them personally.
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2022
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  4. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Thanks Callum. From what I saw of RT the route itself was okay especially the underground section. It was the almost silence of the Class 1442 electric units that destroyed the immersion.

    Harlem sounds like it could be going on the list for sure.

    HSC a maybe with the branch line to add interest, however weren't there a few physics issues with the locos at launch. If these have been fixed could be a go.
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2022
  5. nwp1

    nwp1 Well-Known Member

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    OV, I wouldn’t rush to add West Cornwall local, the rest are fairly good with Harlem and Hicksville exceptional. West Corny Local is what it is. A corny take off. It doesn’t resemble West Cornwall and misses so many of the lovely features which West Cornwall is renowned for that have been completely missed from the route. I only play it in after dark mode. It’s a complete waste of your money, as are the other Rivet routes, but they are not as bad as West Corny Local.
     
  6. Callum B.

    Callum B. Well-Known Member

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    I'm not sure if the BR 1442 has had its sound fixed but with the 2021 timetable you can also drive the BR 143 and the red BR 182 if you own that. I typically do not drive the Talent 2 because I don't find it particularly fun to drive. I spend most of my time on the route playing high quality scenarios from the likes of Tom Fresco that add IC, ICE, freight traffic, and more.

    Cheers
     
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  7. Swisstrains

    Swisstrains Well-Known Member

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    isn’t the HBL timetable update alrready out?
     
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  8. Callum B.

    Callum B. Well-Known Member

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    You might be right. I remember someone saying that when the latest HBL Preservation update came out it did not include the timetable, and that it would come later. But according to the latest roadmap it says it was released.

    EDIT: You are correct. I have no idea where I got the other notion from.
    https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/update-notes-train-sim-world-3-6th-september.58549/

    Cheers
     
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  9. Swisstrains

    Swisstrains Well-Known Member

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    Just took a look, it is! And I habe got to say I drove an ICE service on there a few weeks ago and I do love this route! Especially since the timetable update; it’s just a really
    typical German route :D
     
  10. Callum B.

    Callum B. Well-Known Member

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    I'll have to check the route out again!

    Cheers
     
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  11. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    My views on WCL are quite well documented and TBH the only way I would add that is if it had a blowout like Oakville and Sherman Hill did and went on sale for less than £5. Even then I would begrudge Rivet every penny of their royalty for such a poor effort all round.

    Re HBL, not sure I'm ready for another Dosto route quite yet, a shame it wasn't set back a few years when still diesel operated and pushed a bit further north to Puttgarden. Still might put it in my bubbling under part of the list!
     
  12. maxipolo12

    maxipolo12 Well-Known Member

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    Keep your money for Simrail :D
     
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  13. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    I take your point but not really helpful in the context of my OP. I already have several train sims plus the likes of Snowrunner, OMSI2 and the truck sims vying for my time so diluting it even further is not what I'm looking for. This thread is specifically to assess missing add ons from my (and others) TSW collection so I'd like to keep it on that topic, please. :)
     
  14. IsambardKingdomBrunel

    IsambardKingdomBrunel Well-Known Member

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    Vern, you would be far better off buying Mrs M, something nice.
    Or failing that, what maxipolo12 said.
     
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  15. breblimator

    breblimator Guest

    Hamburg to Lubeck remastered timetable with shunting is good. & IC, ICE!, just very good.

    Harlem & Luzern are cool too
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 21, 2022
  16. chacal#2181

    chacal#2181 Well-Known Member

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    Well here is my 2 centimes opinion...

    Rapid Transit * :
    actually a lot of work has been done on this old route. I found myself appreciating it with new timetable and preserved upgrades.

    LIRR - Hicksville *
    unfortunatly beyond bad sounds and safety systems like already said, i found it bland and with no life due too an empy timetable while it should be bustling with traffic (à la London Commuter)

    IOW - Original and Modernised (not owned) :
    dont see the point of a low traffic short route.

    LGV - Mediterranee
    it's up really to what you like. If you like high speed with very few AIs it's OK (but damn short at 300kph) Would be so good if extendet to Lyon (LGV) or Nice (slow line)...

    Arosa Line * (not owned) :
    bad opinion despite recent upgrades

    Hamburg to Lubeck :
    I like it but it's because i like all German routes in TSW. Still maybe the weakest of German routes. But recent upgrade made it better.

    Horseshoe Curve (not owned) :
    seems good for US hilly freight, still not my cup of tea.

    West Cornwall Local * :
    Lumberfest, i refunded it as the scenery is so wrong compared toTSC counterparts.

    Luzern to Sursee (not owned)
    Damn too short IMO. Bad opinion about Rivet.

    Harlem Line :
    Nice, far better than LIRR but too short iMO. I really have probem with short routes.

    Personally if to rebuy i would go for : 1.Harlem. 2.RT 3. HHL 4. LGV (Harlem is a winner, other 3 are roughly depending of your likes)

    I would avoid others with the exception of HSC that seems good enough for US freight.
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2022
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  17. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Actually Chacal, if I substitute HSC into position No 4 instead of LGV that is a pretty good template to follow. Harlem does seem to be the overall winner and being able to operate in and out of NY Grand Central does have a certain appeal!
     
  18. chacal#2181

    chacal#2181 Well-Known Member

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    Yes you will not be disapoointed with Harlem. If only was longer it would a must buy !
     
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  19. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    RT allows you to get the red DB 182, which is a nice engine to have even though there are still some infelicities with it. Of course, that may be trumped now with the availability of the Dispolok version.
     
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  20. redrev1917

    redrev1917 Well-Known Member

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    There's only 2 routes on your list which I own and regret purchasing and those are LIRR & LGV, the others get regular rotation and I enjoy them all to some degree or an other
     
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  21. Blacknred81

    Blacknred81 Well-Known Member

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    Only route can comment on is HSC.

    I'd consider it meh, While SHG has done very good work with parts of the route and has added some nice small details, the route overall I've just never touched much.

    The new gondola doesn't even spawn in on most trains. And they have euro trailers on the TOFC car they included, which is just a modified trash flat car. Also for some reason they only spawn in on 1 service listed as an intermedodal, but it's ran with trash cars and the trailers.

    Also the Gevo sounds horrendous, especially when you put it side by side with the ES44C4 from Cajon.
     
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  22. Crosstie

    Crosstie Well-Known Member

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    HSC is a pretty good effort by TSW standards, but cannot hold a candle to the TSC version, especially when you include all the additional rolling stock available for it.

    Harlem is OK, but missing some key structures and is not busy enough due to the omission of Hudson line AI. It's a subway line on stilts.

    Of the remainder on your list, I would only recommend HBL. Very well built, like most of the German lines.
     
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2022
  23. driverwoods#1787

    driverwoods#1787 Well-Known Member

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    You mean the Warschau Kattowitz Main line. For The original post I suggest the Harlem Line due to some morning services being PTC Fest.
     
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  24. arek#2842

    arek#2842 Well-Known Member

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    Lots of you guys reccomend the Harlem Line, which I also don't own just like OldVern, but isn't that DLC being hardly affected by the red light issue?

    It's actually what keeps me away from that DLC until fixed.
     
  25. redrev1917

    redrev1917 Well-Known Member

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    This red light issue is a strange one, for some it's literally every run gets a terminal red light then for others like myself Ive had maybe 1 or 2 at most. So for me it's easy to recommend as it's a really good route and I can only basis a recommendation on my own personal experience.
     
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  26. arek#2842

    arek#2842 Well-Known Member

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    Yes, that is the exact impression I had when was reading those red light issue related threads about Harlem Line.
    Maybe it is platform related?
    I'll check them again, maybe I will get more clear picture about it now, when some time passed since it release.
     
  27. breblimator

    breblimator Guest

    I tried some services that were "red"-broken @ release and now they seem to by OK. I did not checked all of them.
     
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  28. Callum B.

    Callum B. Well-Known Member

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    I figured out where my confusion lay. Hamburg-Lübeck, Peninsula Corridor, and Oakville Sub all had new timetables in the works and the latter two have had their timetable updates delayed.

    Cheers
     
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  29. breblimator

    breblimator Guest

    HBK new timetable is live already. BR o7

    EDIT NEW means the old one with some enhancements like shunting, ICE, AI scenery trains.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 22, 2022
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  30. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for all the advice...

    Think I can pretty much pencil in my wishlist now:
    Harlem and Hamburg to Lubeck are definite.
    No 3 a coin flip between HSC, another go at Rapid Transit or for something different Luzern to Sursee.
     
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  31. redrev1917

    redrev1917 Well-Known Member

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    I don't think it's platform related. I suspect it's more related to something gameplay related, not nessacarly people doing it wrong, just a slight difference probably virtually unnoticeable to the naked eye which has a major impact on the AI dispatcher.
     
  32. fanta1682002

    fanta1682002 Well-Known Member

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    i wait Horseshoe Curve
     
  33. rennekton#1349

    rennekton#1349 Well-Known Member

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    I have all these routes. I don't like rt cuz of the 1442 and the 182 which weren't really great to drive since the sounds aren't the best. It's a long route but it could use some upgrades especially since we have newer versions of the trains.

    I don't like lirr either cuz it's empty and I get tired of it eventually.

    With iow, both are nice. The newer version has much better scenery and modeling and so forth. The train is a semi fictional train but if you're on pc, there's an ep you can download. The train physics feels a bit weird but not terrible. Probably the best rivet route out there. The original is nice with the older train but there are issues such as not that great scenery, wheelslip issues where if you first apply power, you get wheelslip. And the train really struggles in snowy conditions.

    Lgv is a nice high speed route. The train is complex since there's the power change you have to master or you have no power. You go really fast. There's only 1 train and like 52 services I believe so there isn't much.

    Arosa line is mixed. The distant scenery is really poor. The passenger cars sound like freight cars so you get the shopping cart sounds on most freight routes so it gets really annoying to listen to. Trackside scenery is nice and the train is well modeled since rivet is good at that. The anniversary pack is basically a scenario pack and you get extra liveries.

    Hbl is boring cuz it's straight. The 112 sounds aren't great since it's just the old 143 sounds. The headlights are weird. The dostos are low floor which can cause problems when you actually get off from the dostos. The 182 is nice. There's a sound mod for the 112 if you're on pc.

    Hsc is a colorful freight route but nowhere near as good as sherman Hill or cajon. The physics are off, dynamics were kinda weird and the sounds aren't great. Again, there's a mod for the es44. You get the south fork branch but you go really slowly so it feels like forever. Not my favorite freight route.

    Wcl is mixed too. It's a new area in the uk for sure and you get a 150 but it's poorly made. The recent physics/sound update to the 150 made it worse. The sound pulses at full power. Notches stop going up after notch 4. It's also ap sounds so yea. Rivet didn't do a great job doing the physics so the sounds are all off. The 37 does freight. And you get subs and layers from the br blue routes which isn't era accurate and I would much rather drive them than the 150. The scenery also isn't that great. There's an ep for the route that adds in a lot to the environment if you're on pc.

    Luzern is also one of the better Rivet routes. However it's short. Etcs can result in problems and there are some sound stuff. Even though the rabe is supposed to have really fast acceleration and deceleration, it wasn't implemented that way so it just feels like a generic emu. only 1 train and not a lot to do. The route does have lower performance than other routes.

    Harlem is a much better version of lirr. Better sounds/physics, signaling and safety systems, busy cuz Joe worked on it. Scenery is more ny like. However it launched with numerous red light issues. I don't know how prevalent it is now. But based on how much I've played, I've only encountered 1 so far. It's short too but the journey will take an hour end to end.
     
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  34. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Again thanks for all the help and advice.

    Managed to slip another £20 into my Steam Wallet earlier so it is well oiled, ready and waiting.
    Of course there are also a couple of TSC items I want to buy so will see what's left over after the TSW purchases!

    As regards the sale, I get a sinking feeling the Halloween one will not contain much if anything for TSW (or TSC) as looking on the Steam page it has to have a spooky feel or connection. Which means another month of waiting for the end of November/Thanksgiving sale to start.
     
  35. rennekton#1349

    rennekton#1349 Well-Known Member

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    there's definitely scary things in tsw, derails, glowy passengers, passengers launching into the air sometimes, things just spawning in on some platforms and dark nights lol
     
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  36. redrev1917

    redrev1917 Well-Known Member

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    I'm hoping for a big discount and/or bundle on Arosa & RHB pack on steam so I can finally uninstall TSW2 and close my epic account completely.

    I'm also tempted by the original IoW route after I really got into the newer version, but it would need a 50%+ discount.

    The only other DLC missing from my collections is

    Diesels Legends of the Great Western - which is a possible purchase at decent price. I assume this has a journey mode(?)
    LIRR M3 & 1938 Stock - both would remain on the shelf even at a 90% discount as both their parents routes are uninstalled.
    TSW3 loco pack - lack of journey's is probably going to mean this is not going to be in my basket any time soon.
     
  37. rennekton#1349

    rennekton#1349 Well-Known Member

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    yes, diesel legends does have its own journey mode. There are still some derail issues on some services
     
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  38. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Diesel Legends is very good though dominated by the Class 52 Western. It is a bit incongruous running along the modern infrastructure* but I don't mind and another reason why I wouldn't object to a similar retro pack for other modern routes - namely VEP's, CEP's, CIG's etc for the Southern third rail routes. But that's a topic for a different thread.

    *Though quite a few of the Journey mode scenarios take place at night or in the twilight, when you don't notice so much.
     
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  39. mattwild55

    mattwild55 Well-Known Member

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    This is a sub-topic really but has the Dovetail store been completely broken and not loading for everyone else for a few weeks now? There are sometimes sales on there at different times to Steam so I occasionally stick my head in but it's been bust for a while now.

    Or have DTG closed it and not adjusted/removed the link? I'm clicking 'Store' at the top of this page.

    Paging DTG JD for this one I think - apologies for the tag if I've got that wrong.
     
  40. redrev1917

    redrev1917 Well-Known Member

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    Looks like my prays where answered 45% off arosa & 25% off the RHB anniversary pack on a week long sale on steam. Resulting in the steam giftcards I earnt on gener8 being used.

    Tharandter Rampe is also 45% off in case any one is looking for this.
     
  41. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Arosa could be worth another look at 45% off, just have to accept it is what it is and another one Rivet have drawn a line under. However I will still wait and see what else 1800 UK time brings later today.
     
  42. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Well that's disappointing but not unexpected, given the Halloween theme requirement. Unless there's more to come looks like the only items on sale are the Rivet Swiss routes which were already discounted a day or two ago.
     

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