As the new Monthly Mastery requires completing 15 Conductor services, I have finally tried this mode for the first time, not counting that one Glossop scenario, or that one LIRR2 scenario. And I'm not impressed at all. Attempt 1: I tried a short Koploper service. There were no tickets to collect, and the service showed a "maximim score possible = 0" line at the end. Attempt 2. I tried a longer Koploper service. Again, no tickets to check. I aborted the service after half an hour. Attempt 3. I thought, "Hey. TSG always put out quality stuff, let's try Mittenwaldbahn." Nope. 4 stops in, zero tickets to check (and no passengers were on the train at all for the first couple of stops). The only prompts, as with all the previous attmpts, were "Wait for next stop." Attempt 4. A Class 350 service on the WCML South. The "Make sure all the doors are closed" prompt refused to go away for a few minutes, whilst I went up and down the train looking for opened doors (there weren't any). Turned out, the AI driver's door was open for some stupid reason. At that point, I closed the game and went to play something that actually works. What a shameful display, honestly. If anyone has any recommendations for Conductor Mode runs that actually work and aren't boring AF, I'd appreciate the info.
That was my experience when I tried conductor mode a few weeks ago. All of the trips I was simply told to wait for the next station. One train had no passengers at all for the entire journey and the other, despite being full, never generated a ticket check etc. routine.
I've had a couple of runs on it where at one station down the line, after closing the doors and signalling the driver, the train never left, so I was permanently stuck on the objective to check all the tickets before the next stop on a stationary train. Guessing it's the classic signalling issues rearing their head again.
May 2025 mastery has FIFTEEN ( 15 ) conductor mode timetable tasks with no alternative. I have NO interest in Conductor mode ... only less would be my interest in Thomas the Tank Engine. Who do i thank for this condescending coercion ? Do you not already do enough to vex your paying customers ? Not those Freebee Enthusiasts, but us, who pay, or like me, who pay for Xbox, PC and PS5 ... and sometimes Epic AND Steam because Epic loads FAST ! Stop this vexing customer mismanagement !,
I tried a couple more and finally found luck with the West Somerset Railway's new timetable. Tickets generate, the ones with the destination in the other direction are correctly labelled as invalid, the scenery is scenic enough if you don't look closely at the buildings' texturing, and the consists are short so you don't have to walk up and down the train for ages. I think that's what I will use to get the Monthly Mastery.
Think I might have let slip in earlier discussions it might be worth trying as something different! But not 15 of the things...
Its not mandatory though, you don't have to do it. Unless you want the reward at the end, which is just a decal anyway.
There's never any tickets to check even with people on the train. Also, if in the rear cab you sit in the driver's seat, it has the tendency to launch you out the train. Had this happen to me twice on the same service so just abandoned it. This is with the Pacer on BPO.
So I am trying conductor mode of SBL. When I depart Union Station the first 2 cars are full and the rest of the train is empty. There are no tickets to check. At all. When I go back into an empty car then come back ALL passengers are gone! Not a soul on the train! Anyone else seeing this? EDIT: same exact thing happens on NYT. So I guess I haven't been missing much with Conductor Mode lol
Now I had this oddity occur after loading back into a Conductor run on Edinburgh to Glasgow... Even though I checked numerous tickets the totals show as 0 for each category. I also missed a few on the first leg from Edinburgh to Haymarket. But then it still gives me a score of 6000 AP! Really, if you can't get this working properly, take it out of the game please.
Did a guard mode with an express run on Blackpool Branches from Preston to Blackpool North. Aside from the train deciding not to move and me having to save the game and reload in to get it to move, not a single ticket to check. Or even any passengers on the train at all.
If Conductor Mode is here to stay and with some of the issues being raised attended to, can it please be backdated to other routes? In particular Spirit Of Steam and Prak Forest so we can do tickets etc. on the Mark One coaches, then sit back and enjoy the ambience when finished. Though maybe have to fix the silent steam AI running for that one. And again, if it’s staying then the process needs to involve a bit more varied interaction with the passengers. Someone has a wrong ticket, you can sell them one - make change for the cash or process their card payment (latter not on older routes of course). Actually have a bit of dialogue choice when dealing with the passengers. On trains that are fitted with the equipment have the Guard able to make announcements over the PA, next station, remaining calling points and general safety broadcasts.
All really good ideas. Unfortunately with the absolute mess they've made of the basics it's difficult to see them being able to implement any of them. Apart from a few very busy conductor runs on Fife Circle (averaging between 15 and 25 tickets between stations) most of my experience so far involves less than 10 tickets across a whole journey, and more often than not none at all. So I've all but given up on it.
The algorithms are also erratic. I got 25 tickets to check between Edinburgh and Haymarket, a journey of about four minutes. In reality the Guard wouldn’t even bother between those points, probably not until departing Edinburgh Park and then it would be a complete “grip” not just random passengers. A four car train (as this was) might even have an assistant Ticket Examiner to get the job done quicker, starting from either end and meet in the middle.
I have to agree. I find it odd when starting at an origin station for the train that it doesn’t make you check all tickets. Even mid way through, as irl the conductors often go ‘I’ll be your TM to XYZ (having boarded part way through) and there will be a full ticket inspection’. It feels odd walking past NPCs with no requirement to check tickets. And also, irl ticket checks of the whole train can span stations - they don’t have to go through the whole train between each station. I like the feature, which did surprise me, but it could do with some QOL improvements
I am currently doing a Blackpool to Manc Vic service as guard in a BR 101. There's plenty of passengers, I've not had to check a single ticket. I think it could be a great mode, I really want them to make it work, but it's horrendously broken as it is.
