Enough Is Enough!!! The Ongoing Saga!!! It's Almost The 3 Year Anniversary

As repeated many times before, if TSW moved to a subscription service that was anything other than optional, it would be uninstalled as fast as my HD could release the data.

 

Plus 1 here

 

When i bought TSC 2024 i saw the subscription option but just paid the 39.99 i got a extra route and what i really wanted was the Pennsylvania RR GG1 that was bonus for the Washington DC to Baltimore NEC route

 

Well the players would complain the steam simulation is trash. It was bad when the steam locos released but if it's for the big boy, then it's going to be even worse. Even the dtg American steam locos in tsc got poor reviews for being so bad. The good ones are all made by 3rd parties and none of them are in tsw

 

The Smokebox Big Boy in TSC is superb.

 

No, no, no. Not referring to the cover deal but the whole catalogue which is rich in vintage trains and routes, let’s just take retro US freight as an example:

TSW - Clinchfield

TS - Clinchfield, Saluda Grade, Springfield New Haven. B&O Mountain Subdivision, Soldier Summit, Tennessee Pass, Feather River Canyon, Clear Creek Narrow Gauge, Mount Shasta Line, Wasatch Grade, Promontory Summit, Raton Pass,B&O Kingwood Branch, Donner Pass, Horseshoe Curve.

Get the picture?

 

Remove those made by third parties and you're left with Clinchfield, Soldier Summit, Feather River Canyon, Donner Pass, and Horseshoe Curve.

 

I remember reading somewhere on this forum that the year Clinchfield released there were 11 route DLCs, DTG published a list of the top 10 for the year, it wasn't on it.

It's a shame as personally I really enjoyed it, well other than most of the journey services being in pitch darkness, but sadly it's pretty understandable that DTG wouldn't invest time and money into a sequel to something that never sold.

 

Clinchfield did suffer from the darkness, even more so in the "tar shadow" era of TSW2. The nature of the route in almost perpetual high sided wooded valleys adds to the closed in felling too. Though I had a run on the TSC version the other day and seemed much more vibrant. You also have all the issues still unresolved with the "banking comms" to ensure helper engines actually power up in unison with the train engines.

 

Matt is personally giving Clinchfield a bit of spit and polish but no timescale though (if it ain’t on the roadmap it never happened etc).

 

Matt also stated he hasn't worked on the Clinchfield Update in about 3 months.

 

That's what I've said, it is still up to DTG and 3rd parties to what can they do, I've said about current rolling stock to indicate that each player would like to drive something else. At this point I doubt we will even get another livery for 66, not even talking about other loco.

 

And where do those profits come from? The customers that are supposedly being ignored. DTG isn't delivering what some on the forum want =/= DTG's not listening to the forum, which =/= DTG's not listening to the customer base.

And DTG needing to be "stopped" like they're some James Bond supervillain is a bit much IMO.

Nevertheless, people's postings on the forum about what we want do carry weight, as they have specifics that simple sales numbers and telemetry don't. And it's certainly important for us to keep calling out bugs and missing features.

But it's also true that more flies are caught with honey than vinegar. How about more postings about what people like? Actual players selling potential customers on the game will certainly do more good in the long run than gripes and tantrums that try to drive people away. The game's good enough to have this many dedicated players, and so many more that we don't see here.

 

I don't want to sell people on the game though. I don't think it's worth their money in its present state.

 

We already have a subscription model. You have to pay every year for the privilege of playing any new routes or receiving new updates. It’s not a traditional subscription where you lose access to the entire game if you don’t pay, but it functionally already works this way.

 

To be honest a lot of software (outside of gaming) works like this. You buy a version and then you need to pay a subscription for updates and new features. Some software doesn't even come with a perpetual licence, you just have to keep paying a subscription (I, personally avoid software without a perpetual licence option). However, I think the handling of bug fixes needs to change, bug fixes should applied to earlier versions where appropriate.

 

With the track record of TSW4 (no new Routes released since April 2024), currently I am playing TSW3 because no new updates break the signalling or cause stutter or otherwise bugged performance. When TSW5 is released and updates are stopped for TSW4 in Spring of 2025, then I will re-load my TSW4 content (because I do like some of those Routes that were released prior to April).

 

Enough Is Enough with the bloody polls today.

 

Okay then how do you think DTG and other developers should handle this then. Keep making poor steam simulations and so people continue to suffer through poor regaining steam?

they should just stop making them. PERIOD. This is IF they wanted to make new locomotives but cant its because they did this to themselves for having so many bloody class 66 variants. I am just saying shouldve stopped right then and there when they pushed out a EWS class 66 and not push out garbage like heavy weathered, packed in with RHTT, make separate paid reskins (which isnt even worth it in the first place). And if you're meant to abuse these in all routes then you should've stopped right there.

its honestly a anti consumer thing to do. i never get to own the bloody route. Everything cost up so much now and we will be broke by the end of the day. And no anybody who said "just dont buy it if you cant afford it" can shut up.

 

111

 

Well the rhtt exists in real life so why shouldn't dtg have made it? The 66 also exists in other liveries so why shouldn't 3rd party make it?

 

Im not a console fan and wouldnt even get one for free, but TSW is built to work for console players too. Maybe it could happen that TSW7 isnt gonna support gen8, but i think they sell well now and are part of the "sucessfull" businesscase.

I personaly choose pc because the mod compatibility, but thats something else.

Its not the console players fault that DTG leaves steam behind in a total half arsed state, where every 3rd party steam dlc would be pointless with such a fire & foget half developed core.

 

Here's the thing, for a lot of people the first trains they learn to like are the ones they see in media they consume. As a example my fascination with the Big Boy actually started because 20 years ago I got Trainz Driver, which had a scenario on Marias Pass featuring it. I remembered actually thinking the thing was some fictional locomotive made for the game, and being amazed seeing a real photo on Wikipedia of the thing. In more recent times I hadn't really ever looked into trucks, but I finally got the SCS trucks sim after building my new computer, My experience with SCS' Truck SIm has led me to research the actual truck manufacturers, and finding out more about them.

I say all this because it leads me to asking did the kids on Roblox come to these games because they were huge fans of trains prior? Or did they become fans of more modern trains because that's what the games they played have? Because from everything I see usually media tends to drive peoples tastes, not the other way around. And that's both from personal experience, and from what I've seen elsewhere.

 

for me it wasnt this, tho I certainly liked the trains in my area and in Bratislava (Janosik aka ZSSK 671/971 is cool to me to this day)... what was the "breakthrough" for me that made me fall for trains was when I first had seen and ridden Siemens Desiro ML in CityJet livery

I havent expected a commuter type train to look so nice and modern and be so blazingly fast... when it kicked into speed after Leopoldau (I think), and it pushed me into my seat, I was hooked and even better it was when I rode CJX5 from St. Polten, when Desiro ML went into full speed aka 160 kph and kept going maaan (CJX9 from Baden going 140-150 kph was also damn cool)

and I also loved my ride in Stadler Kiss 160 in ZSSK livery (the one in my profile pic), so nice, so fast - on improved/upgraded route from Galanta to Bratislava it went into 140 kph speed and it was so smooth and comfy, and watching it all from the top floor ))

 

The RHTT pack, disregarding any layers for other routes, is quite inaccurate. DB do not operate RHTT services in Kent, GBRF does. And while GBRF does use 66s on RHTT services, the primary traction for them is 73s, with 57s and 69s also used.

 

RHTT also has 56s 37s and the MPVs too. It's more low hanging fruit though to fill a timetable.

 

EXCATLY. And especially shouldve been a class 73 because (i cant remember where the RHTT was first layered on to but i think) the RHTT was first layered on to SEHS. Which is 3rd Rail and Class 73 are literally bi mode trains. And we dont even have a 3rd Rail locomotive so having the class 73 wouldve been way much nicer within outer London and 3rd rail territory. Hell they couldve also done the RHTT with 66s if they want to if they own a route that has a Class 66. They dont need to pack it in.

I can also counter this with other locomotives having other liveries so why cant they make those either?? Licensing problems sure. Even if they make the livery it shouldnt even be payware in the first place. When we are basically paying for the exact bloody engine again and again and again. And for some reason as i said before every different livery is a different variant. With what they explained back in the June Roadmap stream in the part where they cant stop doing duplicate locomotives like the class 66 cuz apparently theres too much variant to fix check when a new route or update is out. They brought this to themselves and now they are stuck with it.

 

I was specifically talking about the locomotives used by GBRF for RHTT services in Kent. As far as I'm aware MPVs are not used for RHTT services in Kent, although they are used for de-icing trains and presumably other purposes.

The issue is the GBRF license. However, GBRF have 73s in a number of other liveries including BR Blue, Railfreight and Southern, which could have been used. The loco add-on bundles were low effort releases though, with minimal resources put into them. Every train is wrong or broken in some way. The Taurus has screens that don't work properly, the Santa Fe F7 is used completely inappropriately, the SD70 has a number of inaccuracies, the ICE1 and ICE3 are bare minimum paid reskins, the Class 37 has poor textures and is badly modelled, and the Class 375 is a joke.

Considering the price increase over the New Journeys trains, I'm not sure they're a better deal.

 

What kind of limbo are we in ??? Some TOCs lets DTG do only some of their trains and not all, some TOCs like GBRF just outright not let them. And we dont even know can TSW continue when Great British Railway is gonna be thing owned by the DfT cuz what if they not let them make anything at all. Its for sure now not all trains is gonna be in the game but at this rate should everybody just switch to TSC???

 

Most current franchise brands are owned by the DFT. Nothing will change regarding licensing when GBR is formed.

Yes, but not because of licensing issues.

 

What a time to go for a vacation... and get back to this But hey, nobody is surprised, all has been said, DTG is deaf... just another day of wondering how this business stays afloat...

 

Marketing skills and a strong thirst for the mundane and the repetitive.

 

How much are they asking for 1 loco £30 no thanks

 

EMT, LNER, British Rail (incl. InterCity and Regional Railways) and Northern are all DfT-owned brands (EMT and BR as dead TOCs, LNER and Northern as nationalised.)

London's Overground, Underground and Elizabeth Line are all TfL brands and ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper are owned by SRH (Scottish Government).

I'm sure we'll be just fine.

 

Already put my views in the two concurrent threads and already got flamed by the acolytes who can't wait to transfer their bank balance to DTG.

If they are charging £30 for a slightly reworked and upgraded existing loco plus a new cab car, get ready to pay £50 for the one route edition of TSW5 or £85 for the deluxe.

 

but then we are never getting our hands on BR locos in the modern era. still sucks when i just want to drive the class 90 with mk3 on the (upcoming WCML) or class 91 with mk4 on the ECML :/

 

Ah they will probably now give us an "Expert Level" Class 91 and Mk4 DVT set for £30 and when it doesn't sell...

 

I would love the class 90-91, but the way the prices are going it would have to be in a sale further down the line.

 

Back to the Desiroflirtostar conveyer belt on your 13 mile moth filled extravaganza

 

I see the "don't like it don't buy it" crowd is out in force for the 101, really getting sick of this useless argument. £30 for one bloody train and it only goes on two routes with the exact same timetable. Still no suspension btw

 

I find it funny how the pricing on a "Expert" level Loco DLC is what tears this forums apart in 2.

August is gonna be a fun month on here.

 

Oh I'm quite enjoying my Ge6/6 on the Engadin Line in TSC courtesy of the current sale. Lovely old electric loco. Might not be "Expert" level but it has more than a few switches in the cab including fan speed control that actually works. And the funny thing is, both the route and loco are by Rivet and both are quite superb. I also picked up the Surselvabahn so currently my UK Railrover in TSC has turned into a Swiss 5 day travel card.

 

Tsg is only a few people. It would be expensive to implement the expert 101 on every route where appropriate otherwise it would not release at all.

 

to be whats different between expert and a normal train?

 

I would usually agree but it is valid here, you aren't losing anything if you don't buy it, unlike the annual releases of the very same game!

 

but what is gonna happen on the other routes?
i don´t get it

 

And on future routes the new 101 is probably going to be the layer going forward for the 101.

So again paywall of some sort.

 

Especially if the layers are to use the cab car... old 101 becomes useless moving forward...

 

I’m confident this will be going for £15 come Xmas or at worst Easter Steam sale next year. Which still makes it more expensive than any other loco DLC, but a bit more pocket friendly. Or it will turn up as part of a completion bundle. Also gives time to wait and see how compatible it is with TSW5 and what support is forthcoming from TSG and DTG for any bugs that turn up. Remember, we still have a G6 Journey run that cannot be completed and both TSG and DTG seem to have washed their hands of that one!

 

There are at least two threads full of ire about the 101 pricing, the consequence of which will probably mean TSG will have no desire to do any more « expert » content due to DTG’s apparent policy of wanting to squeeze every last penny out of punters. A real shame for fans of German content.