So I posted this as a suggestion but I strongly believe for the benefit of route learning and I guess for mishaps but what if we could rewind the session to hit those brakes a little later/harder etc? I think it would be fantastic. As my post suggests (linked below) it could also be a great tsw6 feature perhaps? https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/missed-that-braking-point-time-rewind.88065/ If you think it’s got potential, please give it a “like” in the suggestions section so it gains traction. TIA!
Well, to be fair, something like this would probably make such a release worth it. That and the fact that, if development on this feature starts, it won't become a core feature until early 2026. By which time, going on the current trend of one TSW release every 12 months, seems about right.
Could have its uses, though I would prefer a fast forward feature when stationary or on foot to skip some of the tedious waits.
My version of this is to " save " about every 10 minutes or so during a scenario/service. That way I'm never too far along that I can't correct some error.
I like the "hardcore" feature if you screw up a 2hours session by spading, then go from scratch. If you can rewind, its less fun because you can just go back. As a nohud driver i learn the routes first with cabrides or going in the cab with a.i trains.
I agree that using the save feature as I do is kind of cheating. But I have so little playing time compared to most that I feel it's justified.
If I'm coming up to a Red Signal I'll often hit save just in case. A rewind feature could work if done properly.
If you make a mistake, you only learn from it if you wont be able to correct it on the spot, you have to avoid it next time to get better. (all in Train Simulator Terms of course, not irl) If its photo mode only i would like it, but wont use it much like the photo mode itsself.
I can forsee it being extremely buggy for years as every single piece of the game would have to rewind perfectly or the signaller would throw a fit.
Nice idea in theory, but the main catch I can see is that every single train on the field, yours and the AI trains, is going to have to be rewound, including slowdowns and stops at signals (which will also have to be rewound) and stations.
There is overall nothing wrong with that rewind feature. Hardcore drivers can just not use it. I also never use the savegame feature. (Only back in the time of tsw3, where building a constst took 4 hours of scenario planner + blocking a.i & shunting
I agree with others in that this would be more likely to introduce new bugs and errors than anything else. On PC I believe there is auto save anyways so it wouldn't really be needed, and on console you can save frequently if you want. If you want to practice braking or something like that, you could use the training center. If you're worried about spads, turn on all the HUD aids so that you won't spad.
What you are asking for already exists. If you miss a red light, and the game ends, you can start over from the last operation. Do you also know that if you miss a stop at a station, you can continue and the check mark still appears.
The one game I've played that even has a rewind feature, Pikmin 4, effectively is just a fancily named "Restart from last autosave" button. Great feature mind you, and there's frequent enough saves that it ain't a issue, but I also think shows that this idea of being able to dynamically rewind is a overcomplicated way of doing this.
For sure - if anything I would like to use it specifically in a mode where no points/EXP are gained or such. For example you could even have it so that you start at a specific point on the map or station or free mode, spawning in a train perhaps? A quick and dirty alternative would be allowing players to spawn trackside so they can spawn whichever distance they need to get the train up to speed so they can then practise braking points.
I think it'll be a waste of dev time. Multiple save slots would be preferable and probably easier to implement.
How do you get in an a.i train cab?I didnt know you could do this at all,would make learning to drive a loco fun.
I still can't fathom out why we don't have multiple save slots. Many far more rudimentary games have them. If they actually fixed the save game feature would help too.
Just board the train in walking/passenger mode and walk into the cab. Just don't sit in the driver's seat. I've sat in the second(wo)mans seat in the past.
I also think that a working save/load feature, plus automatic checkpoints, would be better. Simpler to implement, surely, and equally useful at not losing all progress to a random SPAD.
I think someone from DTG said they were looking into automatic saves at one point. Unsure if this is still something they are looking to implement though.
Doesn't matter if they add it, until loading the saved state messes up signals/ai traffic/train controls or whatever it will not be a useful feature. Saves are broken.
Many moons ago the game saved checkpoints. I don't know what happened but my guess is that if they couldn't maintain that simple feature, rewinding the game is a long shot!
Yes, please, we should be able to rewind (and fast-forward for that matter). A reliable auto-save (ideally with user-defined intervals) would also accomplish a lot of the same things as rewind.
We do have the "restart from checkpoint" function on PC which basically lets you resume from the previous station stop or go via point. I think that system should be kept as is, but add it for the console users. I suggest we go the other direction and instead of a rewind function, introduce a fast forward function which can only be used while waiting for your next service to start. Say you complete a service then select "return to free roam", you find out the next one for your train is in two hours. There should be a "fast forward to next service" button that skips you to the time of that next service so you can continue without quitting out, going back to the timetable menu and selecting the next service
I am experienced enough now that I personally don't feel a need for it but it would have been super helpful back when I was learning PZB... a lot of times I'd get ZWAMBRAMSUNGANGANGUNSUNGED and would have to save the gameplay video and watch it over again to see what signal or speed sign I missed. Honestly though as useful as any feature is I don't really trust DTG to implement this one without breaking the game. It already feels like it is hanging on by a thread as far as performance and stability goes at any given time... does save game even work properly yet? That's been an issue for like 4 years.
I recall that MSTS had multiple save slots. Not only that, it had multiple slots within the same scenario which you could choose from. Oh, by the way, that was 20+ years ago.
A work around for this is to a add auto save function that the player could select the save periods, for example save every 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 1 minute. With this function if the unthinkable should happen, you just start from last saved point, it would also protect you losing your progress from power cuts and system crashes and it might be easier to put in place on the current TSW5?
This is basically what I do when playing. I save about every 10 minutes. Trouble is I have to remember to do this and I often forget. Plus I've found that there are certain times when saving is unreliable, like, for instance, when standing at stations. I doubt very much that the save feature will ever be improved. I don't think DTG are spending much time on core issues any more. When they famously withdrew and then quickly restored the save feature a year or so ago, they said they were actively working on it. Well it must be a top secret project because I've heard nothing since. Just another broken promise?
I imagine the main reason this isn't already a feature is that it probably breaks the game, the game already feels like it's being held together with string and blue tac sometimes so I imagine adding a feature when you go back or forwards in time would kill it. Since red lights end your run and the save feature especially in scenarios is still hit or miss sometimes, it feels like we need something like this to prevent accidental spads, there's no bigger demotivator than spadding after a long run because you misjudged the brakes.
I do the same, save the game at certain points just to cover crashes, power outages and maybe the odd red jumped, but I too have the remembering to save problem. If it was automatic, then it would save a lot of hassle and you get a rewind function as such without breaking the game.
I guess those of us who've played RPGs for decades have an advantage here, because saving is just automatic for me. Very disappointing that TSW saves still can't be trusted, though. When an RPG save function is broken on release or by a patch, it's a Big Deal that gets lots of attention and is fixed promptly with apologies. I understand that the need for essentially the entire route to be snapshotted in place due to the timing dependencies makes a TSW save very complex, but it still needs to work, period.