Route Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn - Feedback Thread

Few things I saw from different video streams:

Kehre Tunnel is illuminated
A tree is hanging upside down at the Sourh emtrance to Retschbach Tunnel
Station signs at Weidenthal are missing

Was on PS5 Pro

 

I'm enjoying this, it runs very smooth and the route is nice and varied.

Have had passengers on the tracks at a couple of stations though.

 

The scoring in the training module for the Dosto (not part of this DLC but linked in journey mode) is buggy. Sometimes the score resets to a lower value during the training (PS5)

 

I discovered several errors: Some or more magnets are missing from the advance signal (I didn't mean repeater Vr).

Vr and repeater Vr are too close to Hp0 on a tight right-hand bend to Kaiserslautern

 

DTG Alex Why are the layers on the XBS cut again? No BR 101, no ICE-T, no BR 642... There was only talk beforehand of cuts on the Xbox One and PS4, now the Xbox Series S has been hit again without warning. And at full price! On a 65 km long route. I am very disappointed and this will probably be the last route I buy.

 

Auf Englisch bitte.

 

Unfortunately for Series S players, we cannot buy a route anymore and expect to get all the layers. The problem is that DTG will not admit to this, so there is no way to know beforehand what layers are available and what are not. I don't know if they are being intentionally evasive or if they just don't know how their own game works. Neither explanation is particularly gratifying. Only LIRR was properly announced before release. FTF was announced AFTER release upon discovery by the players. SBN is a known issue that so far DTG has denied. And now this route. The only question is if DTG will ever admit that this route has been throttled, or just not say anything. Going forward, extreme caution is recommended when buying for the Series S. Sorry that you had to find out by purchasing the route; hopefully you can still get a refund if you desire.

 

I thought they said in the November roadmap stream Series S players should assume they are getting the 8th gen timetables going forward.

I might be wrong but I thought I heard that somewhere.

I know Matt has said that the Series S is not a Gen9 due to to the low RAM. And they are starting to see they can't handle the bigger timetables anymore.

 

I've got missing passengers on series x. Empty, like a ghost town.

Also poor performance, it lags in places and sometimes feels like its running at 20fps on 4k. It also doesn't feel as busy as it should.

Very disappointing.

 

I have heard it mentioned by others that something was said at some point on one of the streams as well. I haven't heard it myself. This doesn't excuse not listing the deficiencies in the article for the route itself - exactly like they are doing for Gen 8. Seriously, why is it so hard to put, "and Series S" in these articles? My problem has never been that Series S gets less; I won't buy these routes but DTG can sell whatever they want. The issue here is that DTG removes layers without telling anyone and then doesn't admit to it. Unless, like I said, they just don't know. Just in case whoever wants to buy something didn't happen to see the one time it was supposedly mentioned, DTG should be honest and straightforward every time.

 

I agree it is only 7 keystrokes to add Series S to the existing articles.

So shouldn't be that hard.

 

65km is still a really long route. There's a ton of things to model in just 65km

 

Is there a problem when driving a Dosto that is pushed by a BR111? It sometimes looses power, you cannot accelerate anymore or am I stupid?

 

Same on PS5, platforms are empty, i just seen them only when an IA train arrives at the station, but when I’m driving I can’t see anything.

 

1) Timetable: S1 38119 from Kaiserlautern to Mannheim. spawned on a track without catenary


2) Here is something in the air:


3) 2nd RE to Kaiserslautern, Stop at Ludwigshafen (Mitte):
a) I´m not sure If I pushed wrong button - but I dont think so. The doors are opened at first car on correct side to platform, on other cars on the wrong side. To be honest, I had used the 766.2 from Frankfurt-Fulda instead the new version [by the way: with the Fra-Ful Dosto you can in Neustadt not exit from the wagons to the platform. But with the Mannheim-Kaiserslt. Dosto it is possible ]

b) I have no clue, but is it normal that this RE don´t stop at Ludwigshafen HBF?

4) is there some hint or info, which S-Bahn services between Kaiserlsautern and Mannheim will go via Schifferstadt? In the preview stream they said that not all services will bypass Schifferstadt... so I would like to know which one they are. (And in the little picture if I tick the scenarios all track is whitemarked on the small map - so that doesnt help)

5) should it be so that LU-Rheingönheim (and Mundenheim) the underpass is not accessible?

 

1st run reporting :

• Br111 tutorial : point 1st stop don't appear at time, waiting one round
  
• Map collectable : no french translation
• VIP scenario : one poeple Kaiserslautern station cannot be questioned

Other good look, good performances, no BR103 railtour? (it seemed to me...)

 

I found this at Ludwigshafen Hbf

I'm on PC

lots of love Frederick ✨

ps: I've really enjoyed playing the route so far!

 

The passengers missing here are all the ones we've taken into yards and depots on other routes because they did not leave at terminal stops.

If I understood correctly BR 103 railtour will be available after Mittenwaldbahn has released because it'll use the IC coaches from this one.

I think they said S1 and S2 services are passing, S3 and S4 service will stop at Schifferstadt.

 

What on earth is that??

 

Trolley template

 

They used a service running via Schifferstadt, so they not all passing Schifferstadt! S3 and S4 end there anyway because in real they go further south to Speyer (outside map)

 

̶B̶R̶ ̶1̶8̶5̶.̶2̶ ̶t̶a̶i̶l̶ ̶l̶i̶g̶h̶t̶s̶ ̶r̶e̶m̶a̶i̶n̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶d̶l̶i̶g̶h̶t̶s̶ ̶s̶w̶i̶t̶c̶h̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶g̶g̶l̶e̶

edit: my mistake, I simply forgot to set the headlights to the main switch (the one behind the driver's seat)

 

Question: And controlled from cabin 2, does it still go at a maximum of 2 km per hour?

 

spawned it at training center and it goes above 2 km per hour controlled from cab 2

 

Hi.

A few questions/remarks about two Zwangsbremsungen on the route I do not understand:

- Before Neustadt Weinstraße Hbf, travelling West, there is an Lf 6 - Geschwindigkeits-Ankündesignal with the numeral 9, i.e. 90 kph. This seems to be secured with an active 1000 Hz magnet. Is this intended/realistic? I know that you have to acknowledge every Lf 6 with a single-digit numeral, but usually only the ones with 7 or lower are secured by magnets.

- the Bü for the level crossing between Frankenstein and Hochspeyer, again travelling West, showed Bü 1 (i.e. "level crossing secured, proceed") and still there was an active 1000 Hz magnet. Why is this the case?

Thanks.

 

Unfortunately the ICE 3M can drive on any route with any selected power system, you do not need to chose the right one. I hope this can be fixed, as it's clearly possible: the Vectron won't work aswell if the wrong system has been chosen.

 

The first point you mention is realistic. I am not saying it must be in this particular case but an upcoming 90 can have an active 1000Hz protection when it is safety relevant and you approach with high speeds.

The second point is not, though. Didn’t even know there are Bü signals on this route. Nice touch, though…

 

The BR103 railtour needs the carriages from Mittenwaldbahn. So it will be available when that route is released in a few weeks.

 

I got penalty braked by an erroneously active 500 Hz PZB magnet at Mannheim Hbf (position shown in first screenshot). As you can see in the second screenshot, on the path that this service takes, this magnet is not actually followed by a main (stop) signal within 250 m, so it needs to be inactive for this path.






Please, please, please fix this - if a PZB magnet is active when it shouldn't be, that's a much bigger deal than an erroneously active AWS ramp where you can just press Q and can forget about it. The player can do literally nothing to avoid getting penalty braked at a PZB magnet that's active when it shouldn't be, since PZB works in the background.

I always play German routes with PZB on, and it's just not fun if I can't trust a route's signalling and PZB setup to not randomly penalty brake me when I'm actually driving the train correctly.

 

Oh boy, the "wrong build release" bug bit again?

 

The mystic portal awaits!

You really have to wonder if even the route builder beta/play tests their own work, let alone anyone else.

 

It looks like an auxiliary static mesh/blueprint for measuring the Lichtraumprofil, in english perhaps better known as structure gauge or minimum structure outline, but missed to be deleted after route construction.

This is needed for underpasses, tunnels and other surroundings to make sure the train can pass through with safety and there is enough space to the objects around for required equipment for example the OHLE and signals or special operations.

 

Thank you!

With regard to the first point, I may add that I approached with far less than 105 kph, so a Geschwindigkeitsprüfabschnitt should not be the issue. It appears the 1000 Hz magnet is always active.

I do not really consider it an issue, as you have to acknowledge anything below 10 anyway, be there a magnet or not. The only downside to me is if you are driving a PZB M or even U train, you have to lower the speed far below the 90. So, if it is the way it works in real life, so be it.

To give an example, on Riesa-Dresden, coming into Dresden-Neustadt, I always try to pass the Lf 6 speed board showing an 8 at less than 95 kph in order not to trigger PZB.

 

Based on this early feedback, went ahead and bought the route. My question here is not so much route related but German operating rules related. I always do a freight run first on a new route. By chance I picked a Vectron light loco service, 65400. So, I am being limited to 100 km/h when a Vectron is rated at 200 km/h. Is this a normal speed limit for a light loco move?

 

No, 100 is definitely not correct and a sign of a lazy design of the tt…

As always with max speed on German rails, it’s always a function of brh, gradient and signal distance. In case of a light loco you would typically be limited to around 140kph.

 

I didn't actually want to buy the route, or at least on sale, but since my girlfriend is away until Monday, I thought I'd treat myself to something new so I could play and enjoy TSW in peace over the next few days. And since the 111 is one of my absolute favorite locomotives, I wanted the route. Especially since I know the area well.

I should have left it alone.

Disappointment number 1
DTG has again cut the layers on the Xbox Series S without notice. That means there is no BR 101, no ICE-T, no BR 642 and no BR 628. In the preview it said that the cut would only be on PS4 and Xbox One, unfortunately that was once again a "mistake." And that on a relatively short route, not on a 100 km "monster" like Frankfurt - Fulda, where I could still understand it somehow. But I didn't expect that with Mannheim - Kaiserslautern. That was probably very naive. So, half of it is missing and that at full price. Annoying.

Disappointment number 2
When I traveled for the first time (on the ICE 3 to Kaiserslautern) I suddenly understood why the layers were limited. To call the performance abysmal would be an understatement. The whole route lags and micro jerks endlessly, it feels as if the frame rate is very low. I had only previously experienced this behavior from parts of Kassel - Würzburg, especially on the ICE1, and from the short forest behind Wiener Neustadt on the Semmeringbahn. Unfortunately, it is almost always like this here. Deleting the Xbox cache didn't help either. Neither did driving multiple times. Apparently DTG did something with TSW5 that had a major impact on performance. At least I haven't had a crash, unlike Frankfurt - Fulda, but the performance is much better there, except for a few places like Hanau Hbf.

I have no idea what's going on with DTG, this is the worst route ever for me. If Microsoft could do it, I would return it, that would be the first time.

How is the performance on the XBX or the PS5?

This is definitely the first time I've been really disappointed with a route.

 

OpenMinded, thank you, so this is a 'bug', in the tt.

 

Oh, just a minor thing: will there be a Gameplay Guide on Dovetail Live for this route at some point, showing what layers in and what you need for it? That would be awesome?

bdobronz1968 so far, performance on PS5 is decent. I have all the German stuff installed and, so far, not much stutter at all.

 

Yes, but...

there's a fourth factor: the train operator is free to order a timetable with a lower top speed than would theoretically be possible from the infrastructure operator.

There's all sorts of valid reasons to do that, too. Perhaps you order a timetable to move a loco from Mannheim to Kaiserslautern at the same time each workday. Thing is, depending on how your operations work out, one day it might be a 290, and the next day it's a Vectron. Well, you order the timetable that fits the worst-case scenario (the Vectron's axle load, the 290's top speed, etc.) and now you can use the same timetable every day and forget about it, instead of having to order a perfect one each time.

As far as I know, many intermodal trains actually run on 100 km/h timetables even though they'd be perfectly capable of 110 or 120 km/h for that exact reason. If you order the 120 km/h timetable, but then one day the load is too heavy to run at 120 km/h, then you need to get a new 100 km/h timetable worked out, and all the other trains have already been planned around your 120 km/h path, so not only is it extra work for you to get the new path, but it's going to be extra difficult for the planners to fit it in and you're probably going to end up getting a really bad one. If, on the other hand, you get the 100 km/h timetable from the start, and one day your train happens to be light enough that you could in theory go 120 km/h, absolutely nothing bad happens.

So I wouldn't consider "train limited to lower top speed than theoretically achievable" a bug. It happens all the time in real life.

 

mkraehe#6051, a very good explanation of the possibilities which could result in having a set 100 km/h tt for this run.

 

True, in fact some trains on the KWG tt are limited to 100, however, are capable of 120. As this was based on a real tt this was in fact what the real operation looked like as well. And this was confirmed by the developer.

However, I would argue that with a light loco you would not limit yourself to 100 when you are capable to file for up to 140. However, calling it a bug, as I have done, may be a too strong of a word. After all, there are other factors as well, maybe a fault, which would limit it to 100. But looking at the state of this DLC I would really be surprised if it would be anything else but simply “not enough time to do anything else with it then all the other cargo trains”…

 

I don't know about this particular locomotive, but some locomotives do not have enough braking force, relative to their own weight, to comply with the braking distances required to operate safely. This is why some locomotives, when traveling alone, are capped below their max operating speed.

 

For anyone who uses God Mode, it has been updated for this route. I am using the F2F ini file until JetWash gets the new one out.

 

Finished my first run with service 65400 and its a great route. Performance was good holding fps in the upper 50s and low 60s, occasional studder but no freezing. As I have noted before in these threads, I am running a 6-month-old high end gaming machine so the increased complexity of the sim has not bothered me. I replaced my 3 year old machine because it was starting to studder, freeze when setting were at ultra or high as DTG put more and more stuff into the dlcs.

 

I would also like to give my opinion after I have done a few laps around the route.

Visually quite appealing. And a route with potential. But I found the following errors:

-Neustadt-Böbig exit in the direction of Ludwigshafen; according to the HUD, 160 km/h is permitted, but the speed sign says 14, which means 140 km/h
-Turn-off towards Schifferstadt coming from Neustadt: the direction indicator shows an "S", but the 100 km/h is not signaled with a 10 on the main signal
-While travelling towards Ludwigshafen (on the S-Bahn tracks), the distant signals of the long-distance train always show green, but the main signals there are red
-It's nice that travel indicators have been installed on the platforms - many of them, however, show travel permanently, even though the corresponding main signal shows stop.

When selecting a train, how do I find out which S-Bahn trains on lines 1 and 2 travel via Schifferstadt? The long-distance train journey is not much fun, as you have to waste time accordingly. Why did they choose this timetable? My personal opinion.

It's also a shame that the strengths and weaknesses of the trains were not recreated in Neustadt, Kaiserslautern or Mannheim, for example. That would have improved the route considerably if individual train sections could have been attached or detached.

The route actually has real potential - but there are a lot of mistakes, the timetable was, in my opinion, poorly chosen and the strengths and weaknesses of the trains are also missing. That's actually pretty basic.

I'm honestly disappointed.

 

I want to mention ahead of my feedback that I consider myself to have a balanced personality. I neither get upset nor get too excited around things, that also goes for TSW content.So the last sentence of the commenter in #46 perfectly summarized my feelings: "I'm honestly disappointed".

Bugs all over the place, Mannheim Hbf is deserted, signalling and safety infrastructure appear to be poorly done, the timetable is unfinished and in general it's beyond me why release dates are set before a product is complete. I actually don't mind that its only 65km in length. If everything else would have been in a very good state I might have accepted that there is no new rolling stock -- but then, without any new rolling stock it's 36 Euros?

I don't think I ever returned a German-themed DLC in TSW before but this one I refunded and probably won't buy again even at a large discount.

 

DTG Alex could you do the post you did on release where it states what is restricted for the series s but for Mannheim Kaiserslautern. It will be very helpful and useful for if I was to buy the route and what to expect?

 

not bad, doing my second ICE run... what I noticed tho is that some speed signs arent very visible... one of 80 speed signs isnt at every track (only at the leftmost one) and the speed change to 130 (the one before start of 160 for which there are signs) doesnt have any sign at any track, and I have checked

so far that's the only thing I noticed, otherwise a nice route

 

another thing... forgot the exact placement but there are signs that look like those for neutral section... but the usual sequence is that first one lets you know there is one coming, second one tells you to open MCB and third to close it back again... and the only signs show the third symbol... so dunno if they wanted to do a neutral section and abandoned it or someone doing the trackside stuff left it there by accident