Alan Thompson Simulation Route Discussion/speculation Thread

I have absolutely nothing against using Class 323 once again as the main train. But then the price tag should be lower, same situation as with Woodhead... I mean Glossop line. And then I could imagine a DLC with extra train (don't know which one would fit?) + extension of the route and new timetable. It should be possible.

 

Having seen the little preview in the road map stream, i felt that this route could actually be interesting. I think this is all about the details, foliage and catenary looked really good and what i like especially was the track ballast, something thats still not at a good standard in TSW mostly.

I also really like that this route has a direct connection to aviation and it seems the Airport also was given a lot of attention. Afaik Alan was into Planes way before he developed interest in Trains, so i like this personal connection here actually.

It seems a lot of people think that Alan has a bad attitude against DTG but when i saw him criticise products it was justified imo. So absolutely not a reason not to support for me either.

I skipped BCC, Goblin and (the other Manchester Route ive forgotten the name of*). But this one could be actually appealing for me.

I know a lot of people are disappointed because they expected a longer route but maybe its a good first outing that was held in a sensible frame to not being overloaded with work, but having the time to add certain details. Im really curious to see more of it.

*Glossop it was

 

It's a route that looks ready to go.
I'd appreciate it,if anyone spots more information and/or screenshots.
Very curious about what will layer in and add to 323 services.350,390,66,158 the threads mentioned.
I'm sure Northern still run 150's,it's been a few months since I've been Manchester way.
Looking forward to seeing a North West route, the previous Glossop route is too quiet, the only thing wrong.This should be far more busy.

 

I have mixed opinions of the route, yes, it’s short. But I’d rather short and well done than long and missing stuff. It’s also a shame that it doesn’t come with new rolling stock, but at least the 323 is pretty nice to drive.

I think I’ll be giving it a chance as long as it’s priced reasonably. It’s the ideal sort of route for a quick session after work. I’m looking forward to Cardiff for the same reason.

 

Hi all, thought I would come on here and see what people were thinking about the route. A lot of mixed opinions and everyones comments has been a really interesting read for me. I wanted to take a moment to address some points where I can.

Firstly, in regards to route length and not going to Crewe. We originally wanted the route to go to Crewe however due to our team being small and having to cover multiple roles, this just didn't end up being possible and if we had gone to Crewe we would of been trying to rush just hit a route mileage goal which isn't how we operate. We believe in quality over quantity. As far as length of route, it may seem short but Manchester Piccadilly throat and Longsight Depot has some serious complexity to it and it has been a massive challenge/undertaking to ensure that this area runs as close to it would in real life, we believe we have got it done really well and hope that you will appreciate that area in particular as well as other areas in the route. So yes whilst shorter than some routes, I think for our first entry, we have delivered something above what people may expect for a first entry.

Next, in terms of the no new rolling stock. We would've loved to produce new stock to go on the route however with the complexity of simugraph and me (the main person learning simugraph for ATS) joining the team early August of this year, there was no way we could produce stock in time without impacting the route. We would be impacting the route in a 50/50 chance of whether I would be able to deliver a train in time and well I think you see where I'm going with it... That being said, the 323 will have suspension and guard mode which is a slight improvement from the original.

Pricing, we will confirm what pricing will be when we can so for now keep an eye out. The final thing I want to say is thank you. We are so happy to now have the announcement out and are working hard to make sure we can bring all the final bits together. We hope people will be able to enjoy the work we have put in and see the level of dedication we have given to this project. On top of that, please keep sharing your thoughts and opinions even after the route is out (news will come when we are ready to share). Your voices and thoughts are what will help us in future projects produce more content you would love to see. All I ask is please keep it civil. I will continue to check back on forums and discord to see how people feel about stuff as we post more about the route so keep those opinions coming!

Enjoy the rest of your weekends everyone!

- Kieran

Gameplay Artist, Envrionment Artist & Simugraph Artist
ATS TSW

 

Thanks for the insight Kieran and certainly appreciate the background.

If the price is right then I may take a punt.

However I’m sure you can appreciate the view of myself (and others) that TSW is kind of burning out on these short, all stations electric commuter routes through flat terrain no matter how well put together or presented they are. From the end user POV, Manchester to Alderley Edge with a 323 is not going to be vastly different from Glossop or the long run we get on BCC. Obviously if having to use off the shelf train resources choices are a bit limited, in which case maybe doing something BR Classic which could have utilised the under used Class 20, 31 or 33 or even the 45/47 and Met Cam DMU would have offered a real crowd pleaser, as JT found with BPO.

 

Thanks for the communication, look forward to seeing future developments.

 

I do also believe at a later date, one of the devs from ats said they will look into a potential loco dlc when they learn everything there is to learn

 

Hi, thanks for dropping by and sharing with us.
After recent events I am sure that we will all welcome quality over quantity in a UK DLC. I must admit that in the 24 years I have been flying and driving sims I am a sucker for good eye candy, attention to detail and realism. I am a big fan of WMR BCC line so I am happy with your choice of the Class 323 with the added advantage of it's TWO big windows to take in scenery that you and your colleagues have laboured over for months.

I am looking forward to Manchester Commuter, keep teasing us with some screen shots, and a video maybe.

My signature will provide a clue of a DLC I would like to see!

 

Great input, I look forward to seeing more details.
Looking forward to this one.....

 

I reckon it will feel different, because of one super important factor: varying service patterns. Glossop has (essentially) only one type of service, whereas Manchester - Alderley Edge has a whole bunch of different services due to the network-style nature of the route.

 

Knowing the quality of ATS work on TSC, I have very high expectations for this route. I am not very concerned about the length of this route. For the first work in TSW, this may be enough. I am sure that it will be developed in the future. I will definitely buy it both for reasons of supporting the developer and for the interest that this route represents for me. I am looking forward to the release.

 

Evening all
ATS any news or screenshots
Been a bit quiet here for a while.
Thank you.

 

No news man. Unfortunately not yet

 

Thanks Samuel

 

roadmap hasn’t happened so maybe need to wait for that

 

Maybe they heeded the feedback and now quietly pushing on to Crewe..?!

 

I seriously doubt that considering the roadmap has it in 0-3 months. Maybe they just don't want to share stuff till it's about to release.

Can only speak personally but I find it much more difficult to finish or work on something when people know about it and you're expected to (or feel like you're expected to) provide regular updates. This is why my Newcastle - York route update thing for TSC is taking so long.

 

I fully agree. Back in the day when I was actively building routes for MSTS and later Railworks/TSC, I would sometimes gleefully proclaim on UKTS what the next project would be. Then cue two or three weeks in getting bored with the whole idea or distracted and changing to something else. In fact at one point I even posted a self deprecating list of the “Ones that got away”, which was far longer than the routes I ever released!

 

I envy your talent, I wish I could build routes and traction for TSC/TSW but I know my artistic limits. I've probably enjoyed your work for hours in MSTS and TSC, so thank you.

 

Thank you. Though these days my route building time has been replaced by playing around in SimSig.

 

Does anyone think we will may any more info on this route in the upcoming roadmap on Tuesday?

 

No reason to think there won't be.

 

As the ATS route also includes the line Via Stockport, we could see some interesting loco dlc opportunities along with it.

 

Would i be right in saying a class 319 could be a potential add on in the future.
Did it run along this route or just the 323?

 

319s were regular on that route until earlier this year (or late last year, I can't remember). They did Man Picc - Crewe (via MIA) as well as MIA- Liverpool Lime St over Chat Moss.

 

Ah thank you, thought so, would definitely be nice to see a 319 running this route at some point. Potential to layer on to many more aswell

 

Hi all, apologies for the radio silence, the team (myself included) are working hard to make sure we are happy with things before we show any more of the route however do expect stuff hopefully very soon with a bit of luck! I am currently in the very intensive task of ensuring light baking at stations is at a point where I'm happy so for now bare with and keep an eye out for more news soon!

 

Really looking forward to this route and l am sure ATS will do a Just Trains job with it. I like others am disappointed it’s not going to Crewe, but hope ATS will extend the route later to Stafford or beyond. Whatever happens it will soon become my most played route in the game as l lived on the route from 1954 to 1972. I hope it’s out before Christmas as it would be a very special treat.

 

I think this route will be spectacular in terms of immersion and detail.

As to when it will release I imagine in the next month or two?

 

I have a feeling now the JT WCML route is out, this is going to struggle to compete in terms of length, era and no new train - particularly if pitched at the £30 price tag only £3 cheaper than the masterpiece.

 

We will have to wait and see. Another good TSC developer who could create beyond the standards

 

Rivet was renound for their TSC content so they might not be as good as you think. We'll just have to wait and see...

 

I wasn't talking about Rivet, I was talking about ATS

 

Ik. I don't think you understand.

Rivets TSC content is very good.

ATS TSC content is also very good.

But Rivet did not learn the TSW tools properly and made poor content as such.

We can only hope ATS won't have the same fate.

 

Hopefully not, I'm shore they are going to do a good job. Especially starting small in the modern era and extending it.

 

It certainly will be interesting to see which way it swings.

ATS do produce great content for TSC, but TSW ultimately is a different ball game in terms of development than TSC. From what’s been revealed so far it’s looking pretty promising though, as others have said - just a shame that it doesn’t run all the way down to Crewe, but given it’s their first it’s understandable

 

You’re on to something there! Hopefully more details will come out in the next week or so.

 

This route was added to the 0-3 months timeframe on the October roadmap so I am assuming the launch of this should be imminent? My gut feeling is probably another 3 months in reality though!

 

I would've thought another 3 months at least as well. Looking forward to this, I've a feeling there will be a lot of detail in this route going by the screenshots (new speed signs, heaped ballast on edges of tracks etc), a nice network feel to it. Funnily enough just been playing Glossop, which I think is an underrated route with some really nice scenery and smooth running. The ATS route should be something similar to this but on a larger scale I guess, with more AI. Looking forward to seeing a busy Manchester with the 390. (Could do with a new Birm timetable as well with the 390 and 350 - would be nice).

 

We’ll probably find out a bit more on next weeks Roadmap.

 

Very excited to play this route. I think it's mentioned but will we get to drive the avanti 390,even ecs services?

 

I believe the services will be Stockport to Manchester Piccadily, and back. Some services do stop at Wilmslow

 

London to Manchester via Crewe (& Wilmslow) is 1tph while via Stoke is 2tph.
This means there will be 3tph Piccadilly down to Stockport with 1tph continuing to Wilmslow with the class 390.

 

So I'm new to the forums but not TSW. Has anyone else noticed that the ATS route not only has been pushed back from the 0-3 months area on the roadmap but also ATS as a whole seem completely radio silent about TSW? I saw on discord awhile back that some team members might of left so will this route still come out?

 

That is a very good point and welcome to the forums! DTG Alex Any news on this?

 

Hopefully it's being delayed for a good reason.

 

You find it much of a shame it ain’t going to Crewe?

 

A little disappointed, yeah.

But I'm thinking more along the lines they don't want to release a half finished product.

 

Good point. I do agree with you. We don't want to a Half finished product either.