It's been a while since I posted a big spiel on the forums, but I thought the Boston Sprinter warranted a decent amount of feedback. I recall before TSW2 was released on a Bakerloo Line stream there were discussions around the new wheel slip implementation that having wheel slip in the game is all well and good but without systems in place to be able to deal with the new amounts of slippage it would simply be a source of frustration. I'm remembering this as I stare on longingly at the rear of another train, waiting to move...because all this added traffic is wonderful and brilliant and really helps to add to the immersion that you're actually operating out of a really busy station, and that should be celebrated! However, in DTG's own words (obviously out of context), it's useless having all this extra traffic if the systems are not in place to deal with it and it is indeed a source of frustration! In short: the dispatcher needs a lot of work. There is another train game on the market that exists, which allows for a timetable mode and for AI to run early, late and on time by chance. Granted that game has other weaknesses however the dispatcher in that game is able to handle trains running early and late and is even able to make smart decisions based upon this in terms of changing the routing accordingly and it doesn't penalise you by way of points because you're running late due to the AI. Now I don't doubt that an awful lot of hard work has gone into the Boston Sprinter, but I do wonder given the product sat in front of me how much real testing went in before release. Let's ignore the various glaring issues surrounding the actual release of rush hour for now, and I will even ignore the multiple CTD's I've had on this route (without ever having installed mods previously) and each time upon exiting the game. It's as simple as playing two consecutive timetabled runs in the same session. It is simply impossible to be anywhere near on time on the second leg. First I set off from Boston to do the Amtrak regional all the way up to Providence. This happened, on the whole, without too many oddities. Then I caught the CTC-3 cab car from Providence and drove it all the way back to Boston. This is where the real 'lag' in the AI had caught up with the timetable it was trying to execute. To be clear, I'm playing with all safety systems enabled. By the time I got to Back Bay I was around 30 minutes late, sat behind three separate trains waiting to enter into Boston. When I finally arrived into Boston I was nearly an hour later than timetabled. This is clearly broken. I was running on time until I got stuck behind AI as early as Attleboro I believe. It's been mentioned before that trains are allowed to get right up to one another in the same block section however this only happens very rarely in real life, well imagine waiting in Back Bay station with three trains all waiting in the same platform to get moving in to Boston, with at least one other line completely free and two other lines filled with 'filler' AI that really as far as a dispatchers priority, should probably be quite far down the pecking order, no? There are other issues at play here, floating signs that should be attached to catenary but somehow are left to float, graffiti on the side of the track that 'projects' into the cab if you're on the right most track, clear gaps in where the tunnel hasn't been 'baked' so you get a cab filled with day light, and even perhaps most laughably the very obviously floating buildings on the way to Stoughton, the one level crossing that doesn't function around Canton Center and a signal hidden behind a catenary... All of this really does beg the question of, was this actually ever tested by anyone? As is a common concern with a lot of DTG products. As things currently stand, this is a huge mess for the most part. HOWEVER: There are also some really massively promising signs that have come out of Boston rush hour as a whole. For one thing, the sounds are actually rather convincing for once. The overall feeling of the traffic does undeniably make this THE most immersive experience so far in terms of levels of busyness (despite the above shortfalls). The dynamic PIS screens as I run nearly an hour late clearly work, which is great because at least I can realistically see that I'm running so late. To me personally this is actually probably THE best product DTG have released for TSW2 so far...or perhaps I should say the most promising. It's great fun to drive despite its quirks and if the little details can be taken care of, and the 'conservativeness' of the safety systems amended then this will easily soar to the highest ranking DLC in my opinion. IN CONCLUSION: The route is a hell of a lot of fun to drive and coming out of Boston surrounded by other trains departing is wonderful to see for a terminus and a huge leap forwards, but this comes at the cost of any time you want to come into Boston and you're on time to the second, sooner or later you'll be stuck behind an AI that will spiral your delay. A truly dynamic dispatcher is the only way I can see getting this to conceivably work properly and reduce frustration to a minimum. Like with wheelslip, it's only any fun if the game actually has the systems in place to deal with this level of traffic. Which clearly, it currently doesn't. On an unrelated note, the quality of life updates to the preserved collection are an extremely pleasant addition. So much so that whilst this latest DLC might leave a sour taste for now, I am beginning to see change for good and therefore hold hope that even if not fixed immediately, perhaps Rush Hour will be fixed by a couple of years time... Some images are attached below for your amusement.
