The central European starter pack makes me suspect instead of a German route, we will be getting a cross border route in Central Europe, such as one between Austria and Czechia or Germany and Austria, maybe someone who is more familiar with that area knows of some cross border routes in Central Europe.
Nothing surprises me. If we get ECML or WCML it is a long time due. I'm sure everyone will be happy when it is announced.
Now that's news to wake up to. But now I wonder when we are going to officially hear about this. And if this is indeed TSW4 and not some other kind of game (Thinking of the French Railtour Standalone for TSC), I wonder what this releases special feature will be. I'm almost more excited what this games new selling point will be rather than the routes, even tho they sound awesome.
Well it definitely looks as if we are getting a section of the ECML and possibly a Flying Scotsman steam tour pack to run on it. As I said in the other thread though, doubt it will go all the way to Peterborough or link into BML. Blackfriars to Hitchin or Royston, possibly including the Hertford Loop seems more likely. Then again, Hitchin not a logical place if Inter City services are going to be included. Central Europe is interesting. Could be something Austrian, although there are loads of interesting routes in Czechoslovakia and I would love a noisy 749 or 751, probably not hot cake enough for a TSW route. The other possibility could be something like the Hausach to Villingen and Konstanz route from TSC. USA I haven’t honestly got a clue what that might be. As it was West Coast and Cajon last year, maybe something Eastern or South Eastern. Regardless, my Steam Wallet is getting into an agitated frenzy!
Still don't really know what to think of this leak, on one hand I kinda don't want it to be true but on the other I can see how it'd be likely given the recent acquisition and whatnot. I'll be honest, I was quite anxious when I read it all. The fear of missing out on the next game because I can't keep shilling out money like I was UBS Group AG, having DLCs broken even further, and god knows what other myriad of issues might arise. But then I realized, "Well, what's the point in worrying?"I play on GamePass, so likely they'll just rip TSW3 out of our hands and shove TSW4 to us instead. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Despite all the bugs and issues that came with TSW3, it was relatively the same as TSW2 for me aside from the new UI and menu. Sure, my way older TSW1 DLCs may have become more and more borked over time (RIP MSB), I don't think it's going to be as horrible as some people say. I am hoping that there's going to be some major improvements and new features within the game, as well as generally a much more exciting roadmap. I'm hoping very dearly that maybe some Austrian ÖBB routes might be possible, germany is nice and familiar...but it's getting a little old now. Though I'm sure that whatever is going to get released, I'll be fairly happy with it as, frankly, it's the only train sim I have as a choice on Xbox. Another thing, I'm not really understanding the slight obsession with UE5 I'm seeing a lot. It's not a magical tool that'll fix everything. Maybe it'll just make things more difficult? Though I'm not really qualified to say, just seems that a complete engine upgrade will bring on lots of difficulties to ongoing projects. P.S: I want my Vectron ._.
My guess for the European route is Konstanz - Bregenz. We saw a screenshot a long time ago of some early terrain modelling that looked an awful lot like the mountains around Bregenz.
This Idea I like alot, though the thing is(this is just me using Google Maps), is that it'll take us through Switzerland...and we haven't heard much regarding swiss content.
So this UE5 thing might happen? This engine is the holy grail for games like these to become real console games or it's just more problems on the horizon?
I've been thinking about the TSWx release cadence. We got used to it being every two years and given the upheaval from TSW2 -> TSW3 in terms of new issues, broken steam, pushing older DLC down the pecking order due to TOD4, etc, I think the thought of a new TSW numbered version this year wouldn't be an obviously Good Thing (TM). However, from the commercial angle, I'm willing to bet that DTG can generate more income with a new numbered edition of the game - even if it includes three new routes - than from three individual DLC routes combined. So actually it makes sense for them to do this, and in terms of value for the players, three routes for the price of 1.5ish is great as well, along with hopefully some good core improvements. I guess the only real sticking points are whether or not we see a lot of new issues introduced with a new numbered version (although, it's not as if eg Rush Hour didn't introduce new issues); and those who are on older versions by choice, in terms of support.
I didn't buy TSW3, I can't see any reason why that would change with TSW4 (with it coming to gamepass)
We've still got the JT Blackpool - Ormskirk route to come yet, assuming that remains TSW3 rather than moving to TSW4. I would say that although I find the idea of a new TSW installment coming this year to be very convincing, I'm not quite as sure on the routes. It could be that Smithfield is just a meaningless codename, or Flying Scotsman gets put on another non-ECML route (perhaps it will appear over many routes as a railtour pack instead, or maybe it's just the name of a bundle with Peak Forest included because steam - although this is reaching a bit). Still plenty of ways this could play out. Agree that ECML is most likely but there are other possibilities too - I certainly wouldn't be calling it 'confirmed' or anything like that just yet.
Central European pack would certainly make things very interesting. Austrian route does not fit to that too much imo, that would be more like Alpine region pack. But multiple people including me suggested Elbtalbahn to DTG over the years and maybe they registered the interest. Dresden to Prague is probably too long for TSW, but Dresden to Aussig would work too. It is also one of the routes where Vectron is prominently used for both passenger and freight trains. Czechia can be interesting market with very active TS community and skilled devs (K-Trains making some of the most detailed trains for TSC), and we know that DTG at least at some point considered czech route, in one of the videos from their TSW team's studio there was a research into czech diesel class 753 visible in the background few years back.
With all this silence for the moment, maybe we can hope for more quality, whether for TSW4 or a ''Rush Hour''. Only time will tell. And can the 3rd party devs can start the developement of a route on TSW3 and release it on TSW4 ?
I was really hoping for the Bedford to London route but after seeing the flying Scotsman pop up that’s it. It was also released on TSC that way on the peterborough route
As much as I would love that, I don't see DTG doing a Czech route. If they do something in the direction of Czechia, it's going to be Dresden to Děčín or some other route that would stop at the German border.
I have mixed emotions with the Flying Scotsman pack because on one hand I'm a steam guy through and through and also it was my first model railway set. But I don't want to have to buy another expensive one handle modern electric route to be able to used it (nothing personal but Modern stuff isn't my favourite right now lol). But we shall see how it comes out and where Either way more steam is not a bad thing!
Note that Flying Scotsman doesn't necessarily relate to the kettle on wheels: "The Flying Scotsman is an express passenger train service that operates between Edinburgh and London, the capitals respectively of Scotland and England, via the East Coast Main Line. The service began in 1862 as the Special Scotch Express until it was officially adopted in 1924. It is currently operated by the London North Eastern Railway." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Scotsman_(train)
Well it would as it states Flying Scotsman Centenary edition Which was a separate DLC bundle of the Flyinging Scotsman sold on Steam. This could mean one of two possibilities. That the Flying Scotsman is coming to TSW 3 (or the next re iteration of said Franchise) as loco DLC but for what route?, It wont be Brighton Mainline or Southeastern Highspeed. That its part of planned DLC for an as of yet unnamed UK route for TSW 4 "The Pink Polka Dot with Red white and blue Stripes edition" Much to how the RHTT + 66, ROG 37 was to SEHS or the Dispolok 182 was for Kassell Wurzburg and the other BNSF loco was to Cajon Pass. So would this UK route for the above named next re iteration of TSW >insert funny name here< be a modern day Eastcoast Mainline? Hentis
Hopefully modern with the Class 800. It's used on so many modern UK routes these days that it makes sense to get it made and in the game for future content.
Very true. Although when it refers to centenary the steam locomotive is having its centenary year and theres been a lot of stuff around it so that would be the basket my eggs were in personally.
They know players looks at this stuff. If they wanted to stop people looking at this stuff and discussing future content they could just name them a string of numbers or something completely different?
Tbh DTg prob like some speculation that gets people talking about their games. They just don't like when their big plans get spoiled to much! Still enjoying the conversation and ideas though. As we saw with the training centre reveal, not all may be as it seems
I think their wanted people to find this stuff think about that i wouldn't be surprised if their want this to be like this in end up im sticking what i said would rather things fixed than big new releases thst will once again muck things about
Oh please... This information is clearly in the public domain so aim your misplaced ire at DTG or their commercial partners for putting it in a digestible form. And I suspect that DTG tacitly don't have too much of an issue. It keeps interest alive while their own information machine is waiting in the wings. They can immediately gauge reaction on the forum and other media, maybe even making some last minute changes (unlikely I admit) to the final customer experience. Besides, all we've had is a vague reference to "Smithfield" and an ambiguous Flying Scotsman, even less to go on than JT have teased about their route.
ECML is for me a very good point for a further DLC or include in the summer update... They create a Class 700 with pantographs so if you don't plan any further routes for this train why they create this train in this state? A lot of work for only scenario editor?! I don't think so!
It's possible, but I would say that 'Flying Scotsman' is a heavily protected name by the NRM and their branding is made extremely clear on the TSC pack of a similar name: I do think the most likely outcome is some variety of ECML South, possibly including the Thameslink Core as far as Blackfriars if you take the Smithfield code name to mean anything at all, with FS coming as an optional loco as part of a 'deluxe' pack. Personally think it's pretty well thought out if so - ECML offers lots of opportunity for future expansion (loco and gameplay DLCs) so it would I think fill Matt's aspiration of digging another 'deep hole' similar to SEHS. Flying Scotsman will sell like hot cakes too and probably subsidise the making of other, less obvious DLC in the future.
I'm surprised the actually went for ECML and not MML. I guess I was wrong. It would seemed the had everything needed for the MML south. I suspect ATS was behind the scenes for the last year working on it. The question is what locos would be included to make this actually work. We don't want to see another empty station
You and me both. Was convinced it would be MML, mainly due to practical length and location of station calls for long distance services, compared to ECML where you are really committed to doing Peterborough in that case. Maybe they really have had a team beavering away on Blackfriars/KGX to Posh which is why we ended up with PFR only going to Ambergate and the Glossop mini route.
If it is to be the ECML, I hope it does go to Peterborough and not end somewhere like Stevenage or Hitchin. It would be one of the longest routes in the sim if it goes to Peterborough with some quite intense townscapes to model.
*If* it's ECML, I think the 'new' loco would be an LNER 80x as they're by far the most common that we're currently missing. The 700 and 387 already exist (subclasses wouldn't be a very big change for either of these). LNER license is owned by DfT as far as I'm aware so should be easy to acquire. Strong opportunities for DLC: LNER Class 91 + DVT (very much in demand as you can see here) Lumo Class 803 Hull Trains Class 802 Grand Central Class 180 Great Northern Class 717 (if extensions can be made to work, then the Moorgate line and Hertfood Loop would be the cherry on the cake with this) Also possibilities for more steam traction as rail tours - not only FS but also perhaps Blue Peter, one or many A4s etc. not to mention the Deltic. And then finally perhaps another UK freight locomotive (long overdue!).
The only thing is... DTG have no Licences for LNER right?! So if they didn't have its useless to create this route in modern time....
The Smithfield entries have been up there for probably six weeks or so. I check in on it from time to time - I think the database contents were first discovered when it leaked the 700/0, Blackpool and some other stuff not long after the Festival of Rail announcements. DTG are absolutely aware that we look at it (and have been for months) so if they wanted to hide stuff, they could put everything under codenames or numbers (eg. we had a couple that were just labelled DLC99 and DLC100). I'd have no problem with that by the way but I find the speculation to be a little bit of fun.
LNER license is owned by the Department for Transport which has had no issue licensing their other operators to DTG - Northern, EMT and even British Rail I think all fall under this category.
