Are We The Real Problem?

Yes i think you are correct.

Casuals outnumber hardcores by a lot.

 

So if 'people' say something is great and I go ahead and buy it and think it is shite, am I ok to complain then?

 

Also simple fact is TSW very clearly hinges on very low sales targets. 99% of people can go "Nah, I'm not buying it" only for them to be offset by the top 1% of whales. That's why mobile games are so profitable despite the masses in large actually not paying into them. The few that do spend so much it makes up for everyone else.

You could also look at the recent RAM issues where some companies are actively choosing to withdraw from the consumer market solely because more money can be made on AI. We can't really do anything about it, because AI companies are just willing to pay that much more for it. Boycotting just reconfirms the decision not to spend on the consumer segment, while buying it is just clearing stock for them.

Honestly that I think is the biggest issue I have of saying that "We are the problem", because, and I don't mean it in a rude way, there is no "we". I've played a lot of TSW content, very little of it was gotten at full price though, and the few that I did pay more for was out of careful consideration. Lot of us on here are like that, but "we" get outspent by a tiny core of players who buy basically everything, or at least huge chunks of the catalog on release date.

 

I'll be honest. I have a lot of TSW stuff I picked up cheap on sale for a lark or in a bundle and have played just once or twice. To me, if I get it for $20 and I play it for an afternoon and set it aside, that's enough value. I consider what else I could do for that afternoon (go to the movies, have a nice supper at a restaurant, hit the bar, etc) and that'd be at least $20 if not more.
I don't expect the movie or the supper to have "lasting value." They're gone when I am done with them.
So what's the difference between seeing an average movie or having an average supper or playing an average TSW DLC for $20?
I guess if someone REALLY is invested emotionally and personally into a DLC then that's on them ("This is my local route and that blue house is actually green in real life!") For me though, it's just considering what it's worth to me.
A few are ones I come back to over and over for fun and have more value over time, but most of TSW's DLC just aren't seen as some sort of perennial masterpiece.
The people obsessing over spending $20 to me seem a bit unrealistic since what else are you doing in life for $20? Do they agonize over every bus ticket and every meal? Do they take the same amount of time deciding over groceries at the market?
Does the same person who takes 3 hours to argue on the forum about if the Santa Fe pack should be $17.99 or $15.99 really obsess over how they spend that $2.00 at the grocery store too? Do they stand in the bread aisle for 45 minutes debating the pros and cons of wheat vs white bread and how many pennies they can save?
That just seem paralyzing and irrational to me.
For me personally, I just look at the price... figure "How many hours of fun will I get out of this?" then decide if the cost per hours is reasonable. If I figure a new DLC looks like a solid 4-5 hours of fun before I get bored, then it's worth that $20 even if I never touch it again.
If that DLC isn't perfect, but it's playable (and most importantly FUN) then it's money well spent.
I get that not everyone thinks that way, but you have to have some sort of rationale for your decisions and some principle to stick to.
Maybe some decisions being made aren't financial, but rather intangible factors like enjoying a few hours of ranting to anonymous strangers online. That could be quite cathartic after a hard day at work I suppose. In that case, it's well worth it to the person to blow off some steam about the wrong shade of paint on a virtual train if it makes them feel better and get worked up good on the ole keyboard over a cup of tea.
Everyone has different perspectives after all.

 

If you mean everybody when you referenced 'people' then yes, you're quite within your rights go against the grain with some thinly veiled reason as to why you disagree with the overwhelming majority...because there will always be that person.

If, on the other hand, you're referring to those 'people' who seem to have Dame Edna sized rose-tinted's and are obsessed with phrases like "this is brilliant", "this is fantastic", "this is awesome", "let's give it some beans"...whilst completely ignoring a forum full of reported issues and/or a wall of negative feedback then no, it's not ok to complain.

But that's not what I said. As I quite clearly stated, there are multiple avenues available to determine whether or not a product is worthy of purchase...and if folk choose to ignore any potential red flags and just jump in willy-nilly then tough luck, they have to live with the short and long term consequences of their actions because they've only got themselves to blame.

 

The thing is, we complain not because we hate the product, but we are passionate about it. The product isn't bad, but it could be better. There isn't a whole lot of train simulation games around, and each of TSWs competitors have their own shortcomings. We could stop spending any money on TSW because it isn't as good as we want it to be, but I doubt DTG gaining less income would improve the quality of the product. Quality work requires resources, after all.

 

The strange thing is train sims are a very niche hobby so I doubt a lot of new people buy the game and stick around, once it’s done it’s done. I know plenty of rail enthusiasts that don’t play train simulators. Hard to see non enthusiasts buying every single DLC.
The thing with games like FIFA is there is a huge market and many people probably buy one every second year or so, but because of the sheer number of players it’s very profitable. There are also many ways to play FIFA. Including online, ultimate team etc.

The other interesting thing is most people are interested in “their” era, when they got interested in trains, so most of those wanting ultra modern units and requesting things like Elizabeth line (with is a. Mostly in tunnel with edge protected stations and b. Almost completely automated) shows the amount (at least on here) of very young people. I would imagine most young people don’t have as much disposable income (if any) to throw at DLC.

And if there was a survey for the most loved trains and routes of all time Stadler Flirts, Civities, IETs etc wouldn’t make the top 50!

 

I would say console players are the real problem

 

No, I'd say it's people like you who is the problem when you say such ridiculous things.

 

You are going to have to elaborate on that, why do you think that?
I’m a console player and think “generally” TSW works very well

 

My playtime (Steam):

TSW 1: 58 hours
TSW 2: 266.4 hours
TSW 3: 115.6 hours
TSW 4: 86.4 hours
TSW 5: 76.4 hours
TSW 6 (so far): 16.3 hours
TSC: 191.6 hours since 2017 ish

My decline in gameplay does not have anything to do with any dissatisfaction with the game or the Devs, but because it gets boring playing the same thing over and over and I play other games. I can go half a year without playing TSW quite easily and then binge it for hours on end whilst listening to a podcast, music or audiobook.

I would suspect some are expecting too much from a small developer who still needs to make a profit to survive and balance out resources with that and fixing bugs that greatly affect the game vs minor issues/ visual errors. I really doubt infantile threats of boycotts, lawsuits (that one was hilarious) or threads along the lines of Enough is Enough: More Pettiness Edition from a minority of players is going to make the blindest bit of difference.

 

I used to think so, but every update or new dlc brings a even bigger list of unsolved problems.

It's not a great thing for customers to feel like they've dodged a bullet whenever they DONT pick up a new dlc.

Can't really be bothered anymore, might just check out UK content every now and then but for now, I'll be getting my sim fix with snowrunner and roadcraft since both are vastly superior experiences with constant, reasonably priced dlc (and they don't take up half an ssd!)

 

well here is an idea then dont release dlc with bugs that need fixing in the first place then they have more time to focus on other things