Ive found myself playing more and more community timetables recently (WCML South/Birmingham Cross City, Ruhr Sieg Nord to name just 3) and Im absolutely loving the variety and skill of the originators?. Given that creating timetables probably cost a decent percentage of the overall cost of building a route my question is should DTG focus more on route building and provide just a limited timetable and allow those in the community who are producing some absolutely amazing timetables to somehow monetise their work and allow those on console to enjoy the fruits of their work as well?
It looks to be this way already. But yes dtg should reach out to the members of the modding community during route development and ask if they want the job.
So just f the console players even more, huh? As long as the PC elite get theirs, huh? love the solidarity!
Not at all, I think youve missed understood my point. I meant find a way of allowing timetable builders to be able to offer the fruits of their labour to console players as well whilst at the same time as being able to profit from their endeavours.
Hard disagree. The timetable mode is the only good thing about TSW- ripping it out to then rely on community made timetables is a recipe for disaster imo. Even in an ideal situation where sharing timetables to console existed (it doesn't right now) we're supposed to wait weeks or months after release for the community to develop a timetable? No thanks
+1. The appeal of TSW is the timetable. You cannot expect to sell a route without it. Offering a handful of scenarios like TSC for a new route would not be acceptable. The work done by community members is commendable but it still has to be done in the flakey PC Editor and there is no guarantee any given route will receive the attention of the modders. Hard no from me.
I'd rather not have timetables be solely community made. That'd make TSW worse than it already is. Relying on people making timetables, a core feature of all TSW routes and its main appeal, in their spare time is not a good idea.
No, but dtg desperately need to change their development model. Really, as far as UK content goes, they should be doing one route a year. A large chunk of a mainline (like Kings x to peterborough or reading to temple meads) that can include two new trains and dlc for an express or new freight loco. Then, their third party partners can make routes that link in with that large piece of mainline and new rolling stock, and the process repeats every year. A larger 3rd party like JT could ofcourse keep making their own larger routes. Shotgunning the UK routes so we have a small network in Cardiff, a gimped wcml South and an awkward stretch of ecml just isn't it. DTGs responsibility should be making a large, fleshed out section that can enable 3rd parties to make the relevant dlc, we would also then avoid problems of layers such as on BCC where we now have the trains for the timetable but no one can be bothered to update it (on console).
I think a good timetable with a route is essential and definitely should not be left just for aftermarket - particularly since at present that means PC only. However, the popularity of these modded timetables should tell DTG that this is a route they could and should explore. I'd happily pay £5 for a new timetable and a couple of reskins - for example, a green diesel timetable for Spirit of Steam, and the work required is infinitely less than for producing many of the other add-ons they do.
One problem with that however, is that it would disincentivise DTG from making a "good" timetable for the base route, on the basis that they'd sell the route for £30 and then market the "proper" route for another fiver I'd much rather a good timetable be bundled with a route, and research options into making timetables made by community to be made available via either something in-game (eg. CC) or via a mod platform compatible with consoles and PCs (eg. mod.io)
Put like that, it seems that it is the community that will have to do everything, the community patches the routes via mod, now the community manages the timetables of all future routes
I would prefer a variation of what you mention. - Getting the community creators ls in on the act and supporting the timetable build to make it as good as it can and should be on release for everyone. I think a few creators helped revise the WCML South timetable after release. If their expertise could be tapped into during development of a route that would be great.
I'd rather not turn DTG Into Bethesda where they rely on the modding community to fix their shortcomings.
Good point. I was thinking more in terms of alternative timetables - back and forward dated, rather than replacements for the bundled timetable.
Considering how much my heart sank when Matt confirmed that console players will never see a passenger timetable for Oakville Subdivision because someone had created a mod already on PC, no, I never want to see anything else left to be made later by the community.
With timetables being the leading feature of the game we definitely need to see progression instead of regression in the quality of timetables. Really if we're cutting back timetables on current gen then it should be looked into how much memory can be saved by reducing the scope of scenery. I would much rather see fewer cars rather than flying ones. Also, and I don't know if this would save on memory, but splitting a daily timetable into chunks or even having a night time, morning, mid day timetable would be preferable to just having a 24 hour one with reduced services. I doubt many people are spending a solid six hour session without exiting to the menu, you'd likely run into problems long before then anyway. It's getting tiring that most new release have severe timetable issues.
As the Canadian modder who created the OSD timetable. All that I can say is, Sorry Eh! But as a timetable modder I would be against relying on the community to provide the route's timetable. I would be for an easier method to share our alternative timetables to the whole community so everyone can enjoy. WCMLS '19 is a prime example of an alternative timetable which is beyond the scope of DTG's release. In an ideal world something like my BCC timetable should have been created by DTG as it is an updated timetable and not an alternative one. But considering it took me months to create. I can see why they didn't.
i Agree, after WCMLS timetable I've been reading up on how to do it and stuff, i want to create a timetable like that for WCML over shap but based in the 90s, spent most of my childhood at Preston with my dad and just love that era, all i need is a dev to make the class 90 and DVT, with JT releasing the class 86 soon (hopefully) only other thing would be a class 156, but there's a nice skin that turns the 153 into a 155 and could probs get away with using that, if that new class 20 DRS comes with the nuke flasks, easy enough to swap those out for the old RF 20s to run the bomb train,
I'm a console player and don't have access to such mods. There really should be a mod marketplace or something like that for console.
I disagree they should release the route with a limited timetable and leave it to modders, however I believe they should work with modders (paying them too) in the development process to improve the timetables.
A mod on PC has a passenger timetable, so they didn't bother creating one themselves so that consoles could also benefit. What sort of service is that? I don't own the route myself but alienating part of your playerbase is not what they should be doing.
I think the OP was suggesting the community helps with the official Timetables provided with the game. Rather than suggest that routes are released without a Timetable then the community provides one for PC users only. I do personally think that any versions that only have and will only ever have a reduced version of the full timetable (i.e. Consoles) should also be sold at a slightly reduced price. There, some of us PC users care about Console users.
I thought so too, but then I reread it. However, they did mention consoles: At that point, they might as well hire the community as employees, and they already have timetable employees - JoeTheFish being the most well known. I can see where the sentiment comes from though.
