Upcoming Release New American Content For Train Sim World 3 - February 21st!

Am getting increasingly annoyed by these bundles not being the type that take into account your existing content. It's starting to feel like actively being punished for having bought things early (in addition to the conscious decision to not make use of the sales that inevitably come around fairly quickly).

If it keeps up I'll simply stop buying any new content and wait 6 months for a much better deal to be offered that I have no possible way of accessing otherwise.

 

You want me to buy new content? Then get the add-on manager fixed!!
So far you have lost my purchases of the last two releases as well as this new content. I own everything else.
I'm very close to being a former customer!!

 

To be honest, I was prepared to pay full price for NEC and Acela and I already had an idea of how much it would cost.

I’m still going to get it but man, seeing all these bundles with content I’ve already got doesn’t really sit well.

 

Yes that's correct. But the Boston Sprinter changes in development branch haven't been merged to the public branch yet, so you'll still be playing the existing version of the content.

 

That's no reason for panic... It's quite normal that polishing, building and fixing the final things is going on until the last day.

 

Sorry, stujoy, but you're missing the major issue here.
Many of us own BPE and SMH and we simply want a bundle that includes just the new content with a fair and reasonable bundle discount/ saving.

That's what was expected and it's MIA.

 

Agreed. I already own SMH and now i just want the UP Heritage Pack, but for some reason the listed price is ridiculously high on my currency. I hope it is just a glitch from Steam Store and get sorted once the actual individual new content/addon released.

 

It's a glitch in steam with bundled prices, JD has mentioned it a few times already. On the 21st check again once all the individual items are available for sale

 

The price of $29.99 will be in US$ not CDN$.

 

HI JD! Do you happen to know if PS5 players with PS Plus accounts will receive a 10% launch day/week discount as has been the case with numerous other releases? I already own Boston Sprinter and Sherman Hill and look forward to the upgraded route, but, living in NJ I'm definitely buying the NY to Trenton Route and Acela expansion and I'd like to get the UP freight back as well as I love old liveries. Also I'm hoping on the roadmap there is good news about the new managers being released for PS5 ahead of these new US Routes. I own 95% of all routes released and I currently can only play about maybe 30% of them.

 

I do understand and I’m in the same situation, owning all of the older content that makes the bundles good value. I didn’t expect any bundles to be for my situation to be honest and that’s why I posted about how I see it and not getting upset by new discounts on stuff I already have.

I’m actually a bit surprised that people did expect some bundles for just the new content from how it was described before we saw them. I didn’t because DTG don’t really do player retention and loyalty and are all about attracting new players, so I expected the bundles to be just that. It’s as I expected it to be.

One thing I definitely don’t think it is, and is how some people are describing it, is ripping people off. It may not be offering many players with a good enough bundle option but it isn’t ripping anyone off.

I also don’t think anyone will change how DTG do things but that’s a whole bigger story.

 

I'm just going off of what the prices listed on steam are. I'm based in the US, so don't know exactly what the prices are in other parts of the world.

 

It's annoying there is no bundle option for NEC New York-Trenton, Acela and UP heritage pack considering most already own both Boston-Provdence and Sherman Hill

 

I haven’t bought any of the recent big route releases…

Reasons for transparency:

• BRO: Wasn’t actively playing TSW when it released. Was going to buy it during a sale, but will instead likely go for Left Rhein at launch now as it includes the new loco and wagons from BRO in a proper long vintage route with great scenery, all of which seem to be weak points of BRO (short route & service length, feels like it’s set in the present, scenery seems to be rather average).
• Birmingham: Route and train type just isn’t really my cup of tea. Not too familiar with the loco and the area, plus there’s not much rolling stock variety. Community seems to really like it though, so might pick it up during a sale in the distant future.
• Edinburgh-Glasgow: I was actually one of the most hyped community members… loved the marketing! But the rather sloppy preview stream and release left a sour taste in my mouth. With one train and no branch lines, everything would have to be top notch to justify the price. And that simply isn’t the case (yet). Keeping an eye on future patches and discounts for it, though.

But I’m genuinely excited for these American DLCs!

• NY - Trenton: I wasn’t part of the community during the TSW 2020 days, so I‘ve always been longing for a route in the same area as the old NEC route, plus the Amtrak cab car. Both of that is happening now, with a cool new regional provider as well. Scenery looks cool, too. Haven’t bought a new US Passenger route since Boston Sprinter 1.5 years ago (skipped Harlem due to similarities with LIRR and unresolved bugs), so I’m definitely getting this if the preview stream hopefully goes well.
• Acela: It sure looks very detailed, and the fact that it’s more than just a single loco (a whole consist!) and includes layers on multiple routes from the get go certainly justifies the increased price. I‘ve honestly never been a big fan of Boston Sprinter, but I‘m giving it a new chance with the TSW3 upgrade it‘s receiving. And if I additionally really like NY-Trenton and feel like the Acela layer will enhance my experience there, I may just go ahead and buy it!
• Livery Pack: Can’t say much about that since I’m not a freight guy. Price seems steep for just a few liveries and scenarios, though! Would’ve expected it to cost 3-6€ at most.

There will be a lot of opportunities to spend money on TSW in the next 1-2 months (the USA DLCs, Niddertalbahn and perhaps Left Rhein and the Skyhook route if development progresses well). This also means there is more pressure on the developers. If a DLC doesn’t look good, I can easily just say “Well, I’ll spend my money on the next piece of content that comes out in two weeks instead!” (which is exactly what I did with Edinburgh-Glasgow). Thus, I really hope all of these DLCs are in a good state and don’t get released with major issues, which has been a trend as of late. But if everything looks good, I’ll gladly spend some money.

 

I do want to add my voice in with the rest, and express concern as to why there isn't a NY-Trenton Route & Acela Loco bundle???

These are both DLCs that I plan on grabbing at some point since they're local to me and is exactly the content Im interested in, but the steep prices with no option of a bundle is making me second-guess picking up these two DLCs anytime soon.

 

I imagine that the reason why there’s no Trenton + Acela bundle is that Boston is technically seen as the “home” route for the Acela. Thankfully, we’re no longer in those days where we’re required to own a home route to use new loco add-ons. However, Boston is the route that allows the Acela to stretch its legs the most, and is also the route that receives the Acela scenarios. So I imagine that DTG sees Boston almost as a necessity to bundle in with the Acela, as it’s where you get to really show off the train.

 

Im happy with the Acela's home route to be either tbh....but is Boston-Providence the ideal section for the Acela? NY-Trenton's length is 58 miles & Boston-Prov's is 43 miles (Unless the avg top speed is higher on the Boston leg?) ...or are there just more timetabled Acela services on the Boston section? Honestly I do not know unless I look it up...

 

New York to Trenton has more Amtrak services than the Boston part has, however Boston is more notable as it allows the Acela to reach 150 mph. A speed limit this high on the Northeast Corridor can only really be found in two sections of the route, both being north of New York (farther away from Trenton). So I feel like Boston is the more defining route for the Acela, as it's the route where it actually becomes a true high speed train.

 

The super bundle is great for new players and is a nice discount. I own all the existing routes so if I want to buy everything I save a total of $3 by buying a bundle vs someone who doesn’t have Sherman hill and Boston sprinter who is getting three routes the Acela and the up pack for the price of two routes and the up pack or a savings of $64.

 

Great to see sunny side yard in the game hopefully with stock moves into and out of the yard for both njt and Amtrak on the timetable.

I really hope morrisville yard is there for the same purpose for njt at the end of the line.

and y’all will really hit a home run with coast line services a stop two or three down the line from Rahway and the Morristown and Dover trains one stop down the line to Newark broad street.

The nec is the route I’ve been hoping for.

 

Between Trenton and New Brunswick was recently upgraded to allow for 150 mph running.

 

Ah, so it was! It appears the source I was using came from 2016. I wonder if the TSW release will be modern-day enough to have that 150 limit.

 

Between South Brunswick and New Brunswick is where the 16 mile 150MPH section is but it depends on when there setting the route because if it's not set in 2023 that section will be 135MPH for the Acela

 

I am really looking forward to getting all the new content. I don't know much about US Heritage but the new liveries look interesting too. Boston Sprinter will be like a new route with the Acela and improved signalling and timetables too. Thanks for doing this DTG.

I don't understand the fuss about packages. The prices for new content has not increased and TWO routes that I already own have been given FREE UPDATES.

 

so what happens if you own Boston sprinter do we get a discount on acela?

 

very expensive DLC...87,58 euro ?! is that AAA DLC ?
It cost as somekind deluxe game for PS5 in Poland...

 

It's a known glitch from Steam. Read the article first.

 

Ok, thanks

 

Not something one wants to read 2 weeks before release... of 3 DLCs.

 

This is just the nature of the fast-paced development cycle DTG undertakes. The team is hard at work ensuring the timetable is as complete and functional as possible, hence working on it until the last possible moment.

 

And times and times again, this exactly has proven to be a problem. Perhaps we will get lucky this time...

 

I have just one question to people in this thread: does nobody here know, how Steam works?
If you already have parts of a bundle, you DON'T have to pay for them again.

Don't look at Acela price -- it's Steam glitch. Real price is 410 with discount.
Total price for the bundle is 1710, which is Trenton + (Acela - 10%). Stuff that I already have is not added to the total price.

 

Will -10% pre-purchase promotion be made available for the individual DLCs? Surely that is the solution to avoid aggrieving your loyal customers that have already bought all the current US content at full price.

The -10% pre-purchase promotion was the incentive for me to buy Rivet's ScotRail Express instead of waiting for community feedback. Just saying.

 

Hi! Question to JD:
We, who have Boston Sprinter, will we get a discount or preorder deal on the Acela and the new New York route? It would be nice to have a discount for the faithful people who follow you year after year. Like supermarkets!
Oh, I’m not complaining, just wanted to get some gratitude.

 

In my opinion they should really slow down this fast-paced development. As excited as I am for the february release of the new US stuff, if it ends up being rushed and full of issues, then I am not getting it.

When will DTG learn that a good product needs more time and polish? Of course, we don't knowhow it will be, but I do agree with the others, if such a core aspect of the route as a timetable is still heavy in development just 2 weeks prior to release, that is a bit concerning. How will it get tested properly?

 

I pulled over a screenshot from Steam, unfortunately you can't see yet whether the skyline of Manhattan has been improved compared to LIRR. But the fact that Sunnyside Yard is included brings for more variety and reminders of TSW1. Maybe the aged SW1000R will return again soon.

 

To make things clear, they should be in the bugfixing and polishing stage. Not in the "heavily in development" stage.

 

DTG JD Anything about consoles? Any idea on pricing, bundles, etc for non-Steam players? Thanks!

 

SW1000R would have been nice to see, I suspect if we get it now though it would be a paid extra. Personally I’m not willing to pay for it again, so I’ll have to do without.

Hopefully the yards are populated in game, usually these screenshots always show stock in them but then in game they’re empty.

 

The only one I am looking forward to if the UK route

 

And I told the new steam route

 

Okay you have eyes behind the curtains by DTG how they use the schedule? I can only say it's quite normal that development is taken place until the last minute for release....

 

It sucks to be a fan of the franchise for years... no bundle of solely the new DLCs, and no discount on the DLCs themselves, not even those 10 %. That along with the overall price increase...

"If you bought our products before, bad for you."

 

I think your math is wrong.
New DLC (the route and the Acela) have a high price, like any other *new* route.
The discount is for old stuff, thrown in to appeal to new players. They basically say:
We've sold enough copies of Boston Sprinter and Sherman Hill, we can now heavily discount it to appeal to new players.

This is the exact same principle applied to any old DLC being discounted in the store at any time. In fact, the same principle applies everywhere: if you want to watch the latest Avatar, you pay top dollar. If you want to watch the first one from a decade ago, it will likely cost you less.

But you and the other "fans of the franchise" are looking for a discount on the brand new DLCs. Except for the small pre-order discount, has that ever happened?

 

Of course they are not going to offer a discount just for the new products and why should they? They are a business and the high demand of a newly released product means it will always command full price. If they started giving bundle discounts for new releases they would go out of business.

The whole point of the bundles currently being offered is to leverage the high demand for the new dlc to bring in some extra revenue for the older routes that probably do not sell much any more, albeit at a reduced price.

Aside from an occasional 10% pre-order discount they have never offered significant discount on new releases and so its unreasonable to expect them to do so. If you can't afford the extra £3 for the new dlc then wait for a sale or a future bundle.

 

I wouldn't expect DLCs to release with huge discounts, that is not the point here. A pre-order discount makes sense because you're giving your money ahead for an unfinished product (which honestly with TSW is a big gamble). As for a bundle for existing customers - compare the two situations - new customer can get Boston+Trenton+Acela for a really good deal, nothing wrong there, existing customer probably has Boston, which was broken until now, so the investment back then went into a broken product and the deal they now get is even worse. I don't care for a couple of euros that much, but it definitely seems a bit unfair to people who have been with the brand for a long time, especially when they know how the releases are usually treated afterward. Boston signaling only now got fixed, because more money is on the table for DTG... year and a half after most of us purchased it...

 

Considering bundles, I would not have been particularly looking for any, if not for the bundle hype being promoted on the summit stream. So, I do understand the backlash here to no bundles just for the new content. After all, NEC-BP was a Rush Hour route and of course CJP is included in many/most TSW3 bundles already. So, many of the existing players, and certainly including those populating this forum, are already very likely to have these routes. Perhaps the bundles are primarily for the benefit of new players, but, again, then why are we hyping them on a stream that probably very few new players, and relatively more existing players, are watching?

However, all hype aside, I would not have otherwise expected Acela to be bundled with NEC-NT, because it has been tied to NEC-BP since that route released, can reach 150 mph there, and has logical endpoints for that service. As mentioned elsewhere, it is not likely that the new route will feature the very new 150 mph speeds in NJ, and it is questionable how many Acela services realistically stop at Trenton in any case. I would not be surprised if the Acela layer is more AI heavy in this regard.