Enough Is Enough!!!

DTG is the 1980s Lancia of game development. Nice ideas and some stunningly beautiful stuff, but if you expect it to work as intended, you are in for a surprise.

 

Talking about the music theme being annoying, I spend quite some times in the livery editor and I was going crazy listening to that dramatic music on repeat. I don’t like staying with the TV on without any sounds so I put my music from the console.

There’s one thing I’d like DTG to add is something related to trains with various ambiant sounds from them like it’s the case on Trainz, I find it personally more relaxing and relevant with the game.

 

The old TSW3 music sort of had that; I definitely remember hearing the ICE3

 

Loved TSW3’s BG music. Hated TSW4’s and I like how dramatic TSW5’s is but can understand why others don’t. Not the biggest thing in the world but could hope for more than one background song one day.

 

I was trying to think back to when I first started turning music off in games.
And my brother reminded me. Back in the day, we did it to save memory/RAM.

 

Yes now that you mentioned it ! There was also some nice thunderstorm and raining sounds, very relaxing. The best TSW menu music for me.

 

Update - yawn. My favorite is "various localisation improvements"

 

Well the year end fiscal report for Pullup Entertainment is out and looks like TTTE was a success.

"Train Sim World 5, developed by Dovetail Games, continues to outperform the previous versions in terms of
revenue, acquisition and activity thanks to regular Live content, including the dedicated DLC for Mattel’s
Thomas & Friends brand, securing very high levels of engagement."

Also apparently the quailty of DLC is high and part of the reason for a 101% increase in revenue over last.

"the quality and distinctiveness of our titles, built around uncompromising gameplays, are perfectly aligned with
what players are looking for today”.

So what are we complaining about.

 

It's just company babble mixed with waffle to satisfy shareholders

and perhaps indicative of the thumbstick warriors and littlest konsole kiddies' satisfaction according to DTG?

 

We had a term for that at work.
Winkspeak.
Except replace the “i” with an “a”…

 

Nothing about those quotes really says anything about how well Thomas actually did. On the contrary knowing how companies tend to like to spin things them lumping Thomas in with the general success with TSW could actually be done because it actually didn't do as well as hoped for. In reality most of that growth could've came from things like the third parties routes or the Netherlands route for all we know if we're just basing it on that wording.

And "Are releases are quality" is literally the most nothing thing a company can say. Even a company who releases cheap rubbish isn't gonna come out and say "Are strategy of releasing quickly thrown together rubbish works amazingly well!" I'm pretty certain at least one CEO (can't remember who, though i think it was a UK company) in the past back in the 80's actually did say that. Completely destroyed the business because people stopped buying from them once said remarks made the rounds in the press. People are fine paying for cheap rubbish, but they won't tend to actively buy or invest in a product flaunting itself as such.

Also simple fact is you can spin the hell out of things, sticking with Thomas look at the infamous Wood rebrand. They sold it on the idea that because they used less paint and materials that millennial parents would pay more for less product because it was "better for the environment". Objectively far lower quality products, and in reality likely had little to no difference on the environment considering they upped the amount of plastic sets used. Still tried to play it off as if they were some how doing you a service somehow even though it was clear to even the blind that they were objectively worse in every regard.

 

Ratners jewellers IIRC.

 

Never mind revenue, more importantly for a business what is the net profit?

 

lol, now that is hilarious

 

The "fiscal report" of Pullup and DTG:

 

Who are these "console kiddies" you keep badgering on about?

Everyone I know who uses a console is older than me, and I am no child.

 

Just leaving this here

 

Yeah, but that doesn't fit the narrative

 

For some reason I can't see when people post a YT link on this forum any more. The only reason I know you posted a YT link is it is mentioned when you click reply. Still can't watch whatever it is though.

 

Exactly. I'm now in my latter 40s. Consoles were invented when I was a kid. I still use them now, as well as PC.

I see this on the Flight Simulator forums, too, suggesting MSFS 2024 is just a game now because the developers introduced a career mode. The "console kids" have ruined the simulator hobby.

Well, no, because they have introduced a new feature. They haven't taken away anything you could do before in a flight simulator, only added options for different players.

Just as DTG have introduced Thomas for the intended audience, not to take away the simulator aspects from the rest of TSW.

 

Totally agree March Hare.

If people want TSW to be a niche game like TSC then they should really consider what that would look like. When a simulator has more reach (like MSFS for example) it increases the likelihood that more developers will get on board because there's money to be made.

I'm not suggesting TSW will have the same customer base as MSFS but I do feel TSW will do better sales-wise year-on-year than TSC because of it being available on consoles alone.

 

Same, I'm 42, got my first console in the late 80s (NES) and even before then I was playing them at a friend's house. Hardly a kiddies fad.

 

My first console, using the word in the looset term here, was a spectrum 48k, god in old now lol......

 

Proper old school lol.

 

Amiga CD32 for me, ruddy whippersnapper!

 

CD32 came much later than a 48K Spectrum I sold my CD32 and games last year, for over £500, albeit before eBay decided to scrap their fees. Damn.

I started on a simple console with only one game (ping pong) and controllers that were just a knob on top that you twisted to move your paddle, which was merely a white rectangle. The ball was a white square, and the net a white line.

Got a 48K , and still recall laughing at a comedy advert on a Crash magazine tape that said, "When a game says press any key, do you have trouble finding the Any key? Then buy a games console! Consoles – the computers for idiots who don't know how to use a keyboard." Oh how I laughed, because I was an immature kid back then who actually believed console players were idiots – then I got a Master System.

 

I am reminded of that time in the early 80s when everyone I knew had a ZX Spectrum like me but there was that one kid who thought he was better than everyone else because he had a Commodore 64. There was also one kid who had a BBC Micro but nobody talked to him. Platform superiority complex is an age old incurable condition and the only known treatment is to nod along and humour the afflicted person.

 

You missed out the Amstrad, in the 3-way Spectrum/C64/Amstrad 8-bit computer war. As you say, the BBC Micro was irrelevant (apart from birthing Elite, of course!).

The Spectrum+ (the 48K Speccy with the less-rubbish keyboard) was my first computer. Still got it.

 

I used to spend breaks, lunch hours, and after lessons time on our school’s (only) Commodore Pet 16K. I was fascinated figuring out programming in Basic. Then they procured a second machine, a Pet 32K, twice the memory! Happy days.

 

Seeing as we're going off-topic haha!

My brother got a Dragon 32, I loved that computer!
My first one was C64 - one of my all-time favourites.
From there to Amiga and then finally the first of a number of PCs.

The only console I've ever owned (and still have) is the N64.

At primary school we got a BBC Computer and I was one of the founding members of our Computer Club. Remember continuously borrowing a book from the library to learn BASIC.

 

My first gaming machine, as opposed to a console, was the Amiga 600 (basically a cut down 500+). Ah, the joys of Workbench etc.

However full credit to the programmers of the time. They worked blooming hard to get the best out of very limited hardware and colour palette. Titles like the Microprose flight sims, Digital Integration with F16 Combat Pilot and later Tornado or Thalion with their A320 Airbus (albeit dead flat terrain everywhere - doing a flight from Seattle to LAX no Sierra Nevada). And I lost count of the hours spent trying to get a perfect score in Lemmings 2…

 

Memories of Golden Axe, out run, Speedball. All Amiga!

 

When I had the NES I was the popular kid on the street and kids up and down would come over and play on the NES, It was great.

Then a kid down the street got a SNES and my popularity vanished overnight lol.

 

Wow I really feel old my first console was a Magnavox Odyssey 2 back in '78.

 

Loved Speedball!
My Amiga favourites were It Came From The Desert and TV Sports Basketball.

 

My first and last console was Xbox One, I feel very young now!

 

How it feels with DTG lol

Admittedly not just English Riveria, many other routes have been requested by many for years which are seemingly ignored.

 

Damm right. Would love this route. Could be nice with IETs. Could be nice with HSTs. Or both. Maybe smth fgw. Would like to see more GWR in the game and this would be a great route for it. Maybe through in a GWR 150 too?

 

No developer has an obligation to develop requested routes. They'll know if a route is wanted by the community at large, but there are much more important parts of the process of choosing a route to develop.

 

I think it’s a route which would really benefit from having some stock for which the South Devon banks would be a bit of a challenge. I suspect much of the current stock goes over them as if they’re not there.

Ideally for me that would mean a Western (already in the game, of course) or Warship with a heavy train, but a Class 50 (much requested) would be great too, and could fit in the same era as an HST.

101s, 31s, 33s, 45s, 47s all ran in the area too, so if set in a carefully chosen era it could have lots of stock on it. If they went forward a bit to a transition era they could include the 150 too. There’s lots of potential.

It is quite surprising that nobody’s ever done Exeter - Plymouth/Paignton for TSW as it’s much requested, fairly short, and has loads of landmarks, with the sea wall being one of the most iconic railway features in the UK and the South Devon banks being very interesting from a driver perspective.

 

You’re right of course, and I must admit I can’t remember what all the letters in LAMPOIL stand for, but on my rough understanding of the factors considered I’d have thought Exeter - Plymouth/Paignton would come out pretty well.

 

Perhaps they genuinely are conflicted over which era to set it in.
I mean, if steam had persisted in TSW then it would have made an ideal first GWR/BR(W) 1950's route.
Classic diesel, well you have the choice of the hydraulic era with the 45's and 46's on inter regional services and a fairly wide selection of DMU's.
Or late 70's or early 80's BR and you are into the Class 50 era on the main expresses with 47's backing up then the incursion of the HST's. Still a variety of DMU's.
Then you had the early privatisation era with HST's working pretty much all the internal WR services (the private companies wanted out of expensive loco hauled operations other than the Night Riviera and certainly no more relief trains or overnight summer Saturday dated services). Pacers and Sprinters were starting to appear with a few remaining Class 108 and 101 DMU's still kicking about.
Then you had the VXC loco hauled being displaced by HST's and in turn by 220's and 221's.
The Valenta HST's turned into MTU then in turn displaced by the Cucumbers.
The 142's which predominated in the Exeter area were displaced by 150's, 153's and 158's. Not sure but probably now got 165's and 166's working down there as well.

So a very complex equation for DTG or whoever does the route as to which era will have the broadest appeal and not put too far out of joint the noses of those who want a different epoch. Personally I want one of the two BR Classic eras, but would be content with something around 1999/2000.

 

Perhaps it would, but there are so many routes that also have good results that there's no real reason for them to go for Exeter to Plymouth over them.

I did look up LAMPOIL, and it stands for:

• Licensing: The GWR license is back on the table so a modern era Exeter to Plymouth is possible.
• Anticipation: I'll quote it directly here: "Gauges how players are likely to receive the proposed route, based on reviews, community feedback and similarity to existing content—ensuring it won’t feel repetitive or underwhelming." DTG don't seem to follow this one very much. Exeter to Plymouth is a route that has been requested more than once though, so at least it has that going for it.
• Mix: If there was a 150 and 158 included along with an 80x or HST, then there would be a mix of passenger services. Then again, this is another one that DTG seems to ignore more often than not. I have no idea what the freight scene is like in that part of the country though.
• Prominence: "Considers the global appeal of the route and its assets—famous locations, landmarks and locomotives that will resonate with players worldwide rather than just local fans." This one seems a bit redundant, because very few routes in any country will have recognition on a global scale.
• Opportunity: "Looks for ways to broaden the add-on’s appeal—adding iconic landmarks, linking spin-off or seasonal content, or creating layers that could lead to further related releases." Again, seemingly redundant.
• Intelligence: "Aligns the release with real-world events or anniversaries (festivals, historical dates, etc.) that marketing and community teams can leverage to boost visibility and engagement." Ditto.
• Limitations: I think DTG will know more than me about any potential reasons why they couldn't make the route.

 

Not a huge amount. A bit of engineer's traffic, plus if they still run the Colas timber trains to Heathfield. I believe the china clay traffic out of Cornwall finished a few years back. Even going back to the 80's and 90's there was never a massive quantity of freight. Coal from South Wales to Exmouth Jn and a bit of Speedlink traffic. Oh yes and at that time the "Silver Bullet" china clay did pass through en route Cornwall to/from Scotland.

 

I’d love to think that’s the dilemma, and that serious thought is being given to cunning transition-era timing which enables maximum use of as much existing stock as possible. However, if it’s DTG I can’t imagine choosing the era takes very long given that the answer is always the same. It’s why I’m hoping someone else makes it so that there’s a chance of it not being modern-day.

I agree on the preferred choice though, and while I fear the chances of getting one of the BR eras are zero (unless it’s JT) it does feel as if 1999/2000 would provide modern DMUs for those who like them, as well as some older traction to attract a wider range of people.

When heading West, Exeter-Plymouth was always my favourite part of the journey, because speeds were relatively low (enabling a good extended run with your head out of the window without getting blown away) and there was lots going on, with the spectacular beauty of the sea wall followed by the thrash up the banks. Both the HSTs and the 47+7 mk2 sets were great fun. Ideally you got one with a booked call at Totnes in order to commence the climb up Rattery bank from a standing start.

 

Highly recommend this podcast, and particularly this episode about the Ratner's incident
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4gyDxWuPJa1xqnhIWN7LFT

 

The clock is ticking...

*For legal purposes, this logo is fake and I nicked it off a YouTubers Thumbnail (sorry)

 

That's not a 6, its an upside down g