I would love to see steam locos in TSW. What about Narrow Gauge Steam? I've got the perfect route idea. Actually, I've got two ideas: the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge tourist railroad in Colorado and the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad in New Mexico. The D&SNG is about 45 miles. From pictures I've seen, the scenery is amazing. The C&T is longer at 64 miles. Both railroads use mainly narrow gauge 2-8-2 Mikados, but they also have a few diesels. I would like to see one of these routes set in the days when the D&RGW hauled freight over both routes.
One of the most valuable things we could do to help DTG introduce steam to the game is to make suggestions about how the control system might work. The biggest challenge with steam is not the locomotive simulation itself: it's figuring out how to make the player controls both reasonably realistic, to satisfy steam experts, and at the same time manageable for complete beginners. It's no fun playing a game where you spend an hour wrestling with the loco and can't get it to move an inch. That always involves trade-offs; even some diesel locos in the game take a fair amount of practice to drive well, despite the fact that the simulation hides some difficulties from the player. So what are the right trade-offs for steam? What controls would the player be able to manipulate, and what would the game do automatically for you? Would there be 'novice' versus 'expert' control modes? I haven't seen many concrete suggestions about this, so I'd be interested to hear your opinions.
WSR dlc? With a detailed tutorial. If it does well, and users get to grips with it and enjoy it. Then go ahead and build Steam routes.
I like the S&DJR too. We really need steam in TSW. If added, there needs to be controls for both novices and experts. The old Microsoft Train Simulator had an automatic fireman for steam. This is a good idea for TSW. What about oil-fired steam engines or engines with an automatic stoker?
