Morning all I am just playing the night run in the 150 back to Penzance. As I was playing this looking out the window it made me think back to when I posed a question to Matt on a stream a while back about how scenarios could be improved, become less dynamic, linear etc. With the game at my fingertips and recollecting this in my mind I'd like to pose the following questions to you all? What is your best scenario in game and why? What is your least liked, most boring, tedious scenario and why? I'm going to knee jerk a bit here in the one I am completing now in that since leaving Penzance I have looked out a small square at night in rain and effectively watched a window wiper for 40 mins. I have not encountered another train on route and the speed is fairly linear. I do not think the key to a good scenario is just putting rain or snow in and running at night.
I feel that the key to a good scenario is having events not possible in service mode. For example, some of my favourites are the one on Reisa-Dresden where you tow a 363 and must keep below 60, before uncoupling and doing some shunting. Also I like rescuing failed trains etc.. Even things like door failures or HEP failures make things interesting. If I want to drive a train, I’ll do it in service mode. If I want something hot and spicy with a hint of unpredictability, I would like to be able to dive into a scenario.
I like the longer of the freight runs on BML, or the shunting on the northern routes I don't like the scenario on Cornwall where you park your train 50 yards from the train wash and run back and forth to turn things on. I'm sure in real life they park closer... The bane of my train sim and TSW life is long runs with all greens, especially in units with cruise control. Might as well watch paint dry
I have 2 good ones from the top of my head, both from East Coastway if I'm not mistaken. The first is when you're driving 377 and encounter an issue where a door doesn't close, and you are required to step down from the cab and tend to it manually. The other scenario is when there is some sort of issue on the line and you're in a class 66. It was nice seeing workers on the side of the line as you approached the incident, especially knowing that you were working alongside them. I wish these sort of things happened dynamically in other modes, it would be amazing. But would also be a ton of work so I'm not holding my breath. It's a shame there are so many scenarios from different DLC that, as OP used as an example, require you to just run a normal route, as you would do in timetable mode. I don't see why those are scenarios, kind of defeats the purpose of having them.
I'm the same, any scenarios that just rely solely on weather seem a bit pointless (Snow and ICE, I'm looking at you!). I don't mind if weather is part of it though, especially if it's dynamic. I've been really enjoying some of the TVL (and it's DLC) recently. There's a few that want to take out damaged parts of a consist, middle of a 101 using a Gronk (Three becomes Two) and two cement wagons using a class 20 (Chop and Change). Chop and Cange is great because the freight train arrives as part of the scenario and Tees yard is supper busy throughout so it really feels like you're part of a busy railway. Agree about the two on ECW mentioned above , and Cathcart has some interesting ones as well, but some of these are unplayable at the moment since the 4.26 update. I also wish they wouldn't tell you exactly what to expect in the description. I understand at the moment that scenarios can't be dynamic but it would nice to be surprised at least the first time you play it if things didn't go as expected or there was a change of plan half way through.
I don't know whether it's the "best," but Limited Power on Clinchfield is way, way up there. All the fun of a shunting scenario, but you're doing it on a mountainside with a ridiculous grade. Oh, and one of your assigned locos is broken down, so you have to do it with just barely enough traction.
I especially like the tendency for the train to start running down the hill shortly after you have coupled the locos to it, if you haven't applied the train brake hard enough.
So many options for the worst. There are numerous scenarios that are either just another service from the timetable or ones that should have delays in them (as per description) but the delays are either built into the schedule times and therefore don’t appear as delays or are just non-existent. I played one in London Commuter a couple of days ago where you are supposed to meet delays and after one short wait you just sail through on greens all the way to London Victoria and arrive early. Add to that the total lack of AI trains and the PIS not working and it’s yet another poor playing experience. Like the one in the 101 on Diesel Legends, where you are following another delayed train and yet the timings make you wait at each station for so long the other train is miles ahead and all signals are green. The only delay is the timings at stations, not the other train. It’s no wonder that I hardly ever play a scenario more than once. There tends to be a lack of imagination in the authoring of most scenarios or they are poorly scripted. Then every now and again there are really good ones with lots of AI and genuinely different or interesting gameplay like in Clinchfield. But TSW is all about the timetable for me these days.
Is that the one with the AI loco that everyone was having trouble with? If so, it's certainly the best. I said at the time that the author should get a bonus. I still play all the scenarios when I get a new route. They're mostly unimaginative, but from time to time someone gets creative and goes the extra mile to make a really fun storyline
Others have mentioned that the scenarios need to be unique, as with Service Mode there is no need to have timetable-based scenarios. For this, the first two routes, Sand Patch Grade and Great Western Express, had the best scenarios. While SPG's scenarios weren't unique, they were very experimental, with full voice acting, and feel very out of place next to the silent Bakerloo Line and Koln-Aachen scenarios. Great Western Express also had full voice acting (although less ambitious), but the scenarios were so unique and varied compared to everything else, and no DLC has come close since. Down The Line is one of the few scenarios that aren't linear - to have seen everything, you have to play the scenario at least three times. West World actually made you use the passenger mode, which is rarely used. Christmas Closures is one of the few scenarios to include diversions, and having to shunt the train in the depot from Ealing Broadway was very novel. Aggregate Industries is a fun scenario and actually makes use of the freight facilities properly, whereas most routes just have them as start and end points. But it's Drag Line which takes the cake and is my favourite scenario in the game, where you have to use a Class 66 to pull a broken down HST along the main line. Gameplay like this from what I know of has never been done again.
I'll venture a bit outside the parameters of the OP by nominating the Oakville Subdivision timetable sessions in which a screen message reading "Wait x minutes" (where the value of x can be either 10 or 20) appears instead of requiring the simulated loading of each of a rack of oil tankers. Granted, an engineer would probably not be required to carry out the loading process, but this improbable substitution strikes me as more legitimate than forcing the simmer to do nothing at all. By the way, in these sessions the loading sequence is inoperable, preventing any attempt to carry out loading in defiance of the enforced waiting period. I'd really like to have someone create a modification to fix this situation.
I actually did this scenario, then only afterwards did I take notice of it being 'limited power'. Great scenario though and the best ones - however boring some may find them - are the ones you just get lost in, and actually become 'there'.
Bit of necroposting action going on, but since we're here... The one with the factory on fire on RRO and the extra train for the dance festival in BRO are both quite nice - where they tell you something is going on on the route, and then you can actually see it, rather than just being rerouted or maybe getting delayed a bit.
I love the Timetable mode on WSR but it's scenarios are tedious. The worst for me (and the worst scenario in the game) is the "Finishing up", take an 09, do some shunting moves with the last arrival of the day and then drive the 09 and a 47 from Bishops Lydeard to Williton in really poor lighting conditions, it's tedious with no other AI traffic and nothing to look at, says it takes 45 minutes to complete but I've never done it in less than an hour. It's terrible.
Well, it's an old thread but still relevant. Limited Power ( CRR ) is still the best. The other one I most enjoyed was a 377 service on ECW from Brighton to Seaford with a split at Lewes. Plenty of reds and yellows, speed restrictions and a couple of surprises. The worst recently was the one on NYT, supposedly going into NYP with the promise of engineering delays, which proved to be non- existent. And one from the same route arriving on New Year's Eve to a completely deserted Penn Station.
I define a scenario as something that doesn't happen on a regular basis like the 363 towing scenario on DRA or the door fault on the 377 on ECW, anything that seems regular to me, isn't a scenario, it's a timetable service with more AI to make it look like a scenario But onto the question at hand: I'll do it twice, once for DTG scenarios in routes and for my personal scenarios on CC DTG scenarios: Best: Dawn of the Shed (SEHS - RHTT) because you get to drive the 66 as the sun is rising, which makes for some cool screenshots Worst: French Connection (ECW) because it only goes to Newhaven Harbour then into Marine to reverse, why can't it head back to Lewes with passengers arriving off the ferry from Dieppe My CC scenarios: Best: Express Divert (HRR) because you get to drive an ICE1 on the S-Bahn lines due to engineering works and it has the feel of engineering works as I put some freight in going to/from the possession Worst: 117S VIC-OXP (GWE) because it was my first scenario mod that I uploaded and it has no AI in it other than the GWR 387 service you are following to Reading That's my top picks for scenarios as well as my worst picks
Favourites: - New York Nuisance from NEC: NY (SW1000R) - Glimpse Into The Future from Niddertalbahn And for least favourites, any that are just the exact same as a timetable mode run, with no special event or challenge to it.
Worst has to be any on Boston Sprinter which involves turning your turn around in Southampton yard at 5mph for what feels like forever.
Cathcart Circle has some cool scenarios, using pieces of track that aren’t in use in service mode. But like most routes, there are also 1-2 genuinely bad scenarios that are more boring than a normal timetable run. West Somerset Railway is a culprit here as well… so many boring and unbelievably long scenarios. I thoroughly enjoyed the Niddertalbahn scenarios… all of them have genuinely unique and memorable moments. So that would probably be my favorite route for scenarios.
Although not found under Scenarios, I highly recommend Berta Coal Loading which appears under the F7 timetable on Clinchfield. My nomination for the best non-scenario scenario.
Can't be any worst then Boston Sprinter - lake Shore Limited to Depot. Thats possibly the most painful service I've come across.
I really like the one on Riesa-Dresden when you have to run your Regional train on the S-Bahn line because of a track closure. You end up chasing red signals because of a stopping S-Bahn in front of you. The delay is during the evening rush in pouring rain. You can see traffic backing up. It was an awful commute in Dresden that night and they definitely portrayed that well. When I first played it I remember finally getting to Dresden-Mitte and I genuinely said to myself “wow what a nightmare”.
Technical difficulties from RRO: running a double-headed DB BR 185.5 down the Mainline and suddenly power cuts out and emergency brakes come on. I was quite surprised to see a loco actually breaking down while I was driving it. Hugging trees, glimpse into the future and 363 sugar beets were quite surprising in terms of unexpected issues to occur on the line. I was kept on my toes for them lot! Oh! Also one of the scenarios on SKW, where you’re driving an ICE 3 service and the LZB crashes throughout the scenario. Forcing you to drive at 160 KPH at times.
I don't remember if it's a scenario or timetable, but there is one on Clincfield where you take a train apart in Dante, and put it back together in the same order as before on the other side of the yard, making it a complete waste of time.
Think of Rivet what you like, but IMHO their routes come always up with some out-of-the-box scenarios. IOW 2022 with "Brading Rescue" is cool, and "Fear the Storm" with really unusual tasks (no spoiler) Cathcart Circle with "Collector" as a nice rescue scenario and "Pure Baltic" with poor weather and signaling conditions. WCL with "Slow Ride" and "Sleepy Delivery" have some unusually fun drives. Then there´s RRO with a double headed G6 rescue of a broken freight train, really fun to drive (Sand is your friend). Already mentioned the "Chemical Plant" scenario on DRA and, of course, Clinchfield with its complete daywork scenarios. But that route is for hardcore freight nerds anyway. I won´t remember all the dull and pointless scenarios, like A to B runs from the timetable. There´re sure lots of them.
This is my problem with the so-called "Scenario Editor": no matter how hard you try, the best you can come up with is a timetable-like service, A to B, with AI traffic.
Any scenario where you are doing stuff out of the ordinary e.g refuling cold starting ect. Whats the point of having battery isolation switches if you can't use them
Yep, absolutely. I think they should call it "Scenario Editor Ltd.™". On console it is a pain in the butt anyway. I just use it to set up a collector scenario (a light loco to drive around the route and grab the collectables when I´m in the mood)
So far I've only done one which immediately killed my interest in them. Bremen - Oldenburg, "Beats by Bre" or something like that. Supposedly you're ferrying ravers to a big event in Bremen. It's a normal ride, and in Bremen there is a thumping bass to be heard and lights to be seen. Unfortunately though my train was completely empty all the way, as not a single person got on or off which made the entire thing feel quite silly.
I think that the 'freight diversion' scenario from Rhein-Ruhr Osten is also a great scenario. It sees you take the S-bahn lines (which isn't just a different track on the same line, but a whole different line on the other side of the valley) with a freight train, as the main line that freight and fast passenger services usually take is blocked due to a lineside fire. When you get near the junction where the S-bahn lines rejoin the main line, just before Hagen Hbf you can hear sirens and actually see the fire. It's a really nice diversion that offers a chance to explore part of the route with a locomotive that usually can't be seen there, backed up by some additional scenery and sound. I generally really do like the scenarios that make you do something you normally wouldn't do, but that could happen once in a blue moon on a route. Think line blockages due to fallen trees (there is a scenario on RSN witht that), or the scenario mentioned above. The more out of the usual way a diversion is, the better. There is for example also a BR 101 scenario on HRR where you have to take the S-bahn lines, that onceagain are completely seperate from the main line, creating a different gameplay experience. The worst scenarios are the ones where you just do a regular service with different weather or something. I also don't think that just having to take a short section around a broken down train is neccesarily the only thing needed for a good scenario (like the one where you have to take a different track trough Stolberg Hbf on SKA because there is a broken down train on the usual track, but nothing else really happens). I also like the scenario on HBK where you have to rescue a failed BR 112 with a BR 182, those things happen in real life, but would be (near) impossible in timetable mode. Those kind of situations are what scenarios are for!
Yeah I think that had to do with the fact that all Rush Hour routes had a season theme and Bostons was winter.
My favourite & most played is Acton yard - Newhaven quarry on East coast way in the 66, it's only a short run but it has variety & some shunting/loading & a return trip!
