I recently bought the Salzburg Rosenheim route and this route demonstrates the issue very well. I settle down to drive a train, and it happens with any train in this route, and set the volume of my TV or headphones to a safe and comfortable but immersive level. Then I go under a bridge and get deafened. It isn’t even when going through a tunnel when the sound would go very loud in real life, it is with any and every bridge. Now I understand that it is realistic for the sound level to increase when going under a bridge or through a tunnel but it does not have to be such a ridiculous level jump in the game, it being both unrealistic and potentially damaging to my hearing. I know I could turn the volume down to a whisper so that when this effect does happen I’ll be safe but I still want an immersive experience all round. Can DTG please take a serious look at this effect? It’s not good to be damaging people’s hearing when a more subtle approach would still keep the immersion levels. The tunnel/ bridge sound levels are not in-keeping with the other sound effects such as flange squeal which is, with one or two exceptions, handled very well. I believe similar feedback resulted in the safety valves on steam locos being brought down to safe levels in the past. In my opinion it needs to happen here as well. NB This isn’t just about the one route, the tunnel sounds are very loud on some other routes too and differ greatly with different routes and trains to such an extent that it’s hard to remember when I need to definitely not wear headphones in order to keep my hearing safe.
Well I guess it's something that ought to be customisable. We yearned for years to get reverb passing under bridges and tunnels etc. to relieve the flat running sounds (though still nothing rolling over structures especially metal bridges) so would be loathe to see it get nerfed too much.
Personally, I love the tunnel and bridge sounds, and am grateful that they’ve been integrated into the game. I don’t find them to be too loud; I think the contrast between bridge / tunnel / open air is very realistic (at least from what I experience on my daily commute). I don’t play on headphones, but I could certainly see how it would be jarring. Jarring aside, I feel it adds an entirely new dimension to the world, and is a huge step in the right direction. I appreciate that DTG took all of the audio feedback to heart and added this into their list of features. Really looking forward to this feature on LIRR!!
Indeed. If you run a route in TSC where not only do you get the reverb but rumble over bridges and level crossings too. Running the older routes in TSW with no such effects just seems dull and flat.
Well, the railway is a very noisy place to begin with and I think TSW struggles to reflect that with most routes and locos. I certainly wouldn't want any track, tunnel and bridge sounds to be muted. Real life is what we're looking for, right?
Not about tastes, but implementation. The cab audio occlusion fails on certain locos when in a Tunnel, as if windows were open the sound is as loud as if you were outside.
I think it needs to be set up on the trains too, that’s why it the 158 volume increases the way it does when going through the tunnels
Which is the root of the problem. Both core engine and DLC features are permanently subject to changes. In TSC, all you need is the Tunnel Occlusion volume applied to the route section and it will work using even the oldest Kuju loco. Clever design, always appreciating the way TSC was developed.
Audio occlusion should work with any train driven on a route fitted with the new occlusion volumes. It adds reverb and volume to the exterior rolling sounds. The 158 is bugged, hope they fix that in the MML update. Fife Circle is louder, because Rivet set the tunnel occlusion volume to a value twice higher than other routes. Consistency isn't a word in TSW.
I'm not at my pc until tomorrow, I reduced mine ready for the next EP update, and can't remember, at the moment, which specific file it was. But you have to drop the external run sound volume in the tunnel mix modifier to something really low to compensate. The volume is set for each and every tunnel in the scenery tiles, otherwise so editing the mixmod is a lot easier! I can check the exact path tomorrow.
Nevermind. I thought it was a single route specific blueprint... not worth the hassle for me, and probably obsolete after the update.
As a contrast the the view above, I really like the noise of the tunnels on Bakerloo, particularly running the 1938 stock. In fact there is slightly less banging, rattling and squealing compared to the real thing.
That's true. First time I took the tube, the noise really surprised me. I had never heard anything as loud and rattling before in Germany. Agreed. TSW's tube is almost soothingly quiet compared to the real deal.
It's the tunnel reverb effect that's too loud, yes I know it's loud in reality but in game it's excessive & it wasn't too loud when the route was first released.
Well stand next to the carriage doors with the doors open and come and tell me if its too loud. (if you can still hear)
