Dtg's "policy" On Only Modern Content

If you can endure the great forest of Cornwall, it's not a bad place to exercise the classic diesels, apart from the lack of a brake vehicle in most of the consists. Just avoid the 150 like it's the bubonic plague.

 

It's also supporting the scene as such. No point asking for older routes if I don't buy them. Quick go last night and thought it can stay as such. Was tempted by Bremen route but will wait for a larger discount in future.

 

Even allowing for the very nice 110 an N-wagons, hard to justify £30. It is just a pitifully short route. I did an Off The Rails steam run a couple of nights ago and it took around 20 minutes end to end non stop. By contrast most, in fact I think all at present, of the content being made for DRS is freeware and as I said of excellent quality within the constraints of the sim. Dread to think what DTG would charge for a route like Harbord with two or three new heritage DMU's thrown in.

 

I can't sign that. Bremen - Oldenburg is a relatively short route, ok, but it is/was operated with regional trains from start to finish. Furthermore, the variety of vehicles is definitely greater than with other DLC: There is the new great BR 110 including n-wagen, as well as the BR425 and the blue BR155. Layers from other DLC are included for even more variety, such as BR 101 or BR 612. I would therefore call BRO worthwhile, even at full price.

 

I'd highly disagree regarding the Bremen route. Yes while it might be a bit too short for my liking as well, but sometimes a great route is not just down to length. The timetable is what cements this route as one of the best which offers a long-term replayability. Apart from the plethora of different passenger services types (110/n-Wagen, 425, 612 - so glad about this, one of my favourites - 101 and ICE 1) which are all a completely different experience to one another, you've got a variety of different freight services, plus what is special about the Bremen route is the timetable with a lot of really unique services too - the ICE 1 power car is certainly a highlight - and lots of empty stock and light loco services too. Consequently, nearly every time you play the route, nothing feels the same. Plus, the Bremen route's timetable is especially impressive just for the pure AI traffic alone. I'm not normally a virtual trainspotter on TSW, but I found myself in awe at all the AI traffic at Bremen Hbf for more than 30 mins! Highlights for me, which really show how much detail and effort went into this, was seeing a BR 204 come speeding through with n-Wagen coaches on an ECS move, while another highlight was a random Blue BR 363.

So I'd certainly say this absolutely justifies £30 - I'd rather have this route than a route double the length with one loco...

 

Hard to say if it’s worth £30, but Bremen is a good DLC, lots going on and overall a nice experience.

The length is a none issue, we have routes that are triple the length of Bremen and they’re the most boring ones that we have in TSW.

If the route wasn’t end to end, then yes it would be too short, but since it’s all nice and boxed off for the bulk of services, it’s just fine.

 

TSW could really use a feature which helps you with that one (or multiple) steps you forgot when setting up your train. Yesterday I couldn't get my ICE1 to start, even though I have driven it before multiple times. I've checked all the buttons I could think of, but none of them did the trick. Would've been nice if the game could tell me which step I've forgotten. And no, at such a moment, I'm really not looking forward to running the whole tutorial again. Don't need the game to tell me I need to release the brakes and move the throttle. All I need to know is that one part I've forgotten. That one button I've overlooked. Nothing more.

I mean, which such a nice system in place, I wouldn't mind more complex trains. But without it, I really am not looking forward to things like cold starts and such. Although I can appreciate some simpler start-up procedures, with an ever growing collection of train it gets harder to remember them all for each specific loco. (Fortunately there are a lot of general steps that lots of trains share). Sometimes I really just want to press the throttle and go. :P

 

Got to wonder how much of a resource dependency it would be to include a train setup checklist in the pause screen maybe? Or even on the service confirmation when you load into one.

 

Or where the driver's clipboard would normally be... Most locos and units have a space and light for this so why not populate it with something useful?

 

After a go.to St Ives and back will keep it. In the 101 of course! Route has a charm of sorts although is ropey scenery wise in places. Certainly wouldn't be happy paying full whack. As for Bremen will have a to be be a better discount than offered it may be worth £30 to some but it's still just and end to end that's short despite decent timetabling.

 

I have recently discovered the joy of the German routes and using PZB and the PZB helper is great. Although I keep getting PZB and Sifa mixed up and frantically trying to cancel the PZB alarm when it is the Sifa alarm and the train is at a standstill!

It is easy to forget some of the steps in getting a train moving, especially the German trains so some hints would be good.

 

That's a lot of Things there DTG Matt LoL!

 

Another concept to take forward is a pop up explaining signal delays. I've been playing a bit of DRS the last couple of days (I will go and stand in the naughty corner ) and one thing it does do, if you're stopped at a red signal will pop up a little text box explaining why. Would go a long way to confirming whether it is a genuine delay or the game has messed up. Could even be tied to the contact signaller prompt which instead of just saying "Permission denied" could put something meaningful like "waiting clearance of 2G66".

 

Yeah that would be nice, anything to make the trains look more ‘lived in’ & limiting pop ups.

 

I mean a static checklist somewhere would be better no? I don’t think the best solution is a barrage of pop ups?

 

As I stated in another thread. If DTG are producing modern content, then why not get the dead monitors working?
Even if they are used to display a route map that you can access instead of pressing the relevant key on a keyboard or controller. all you do is just click on the screen to open the map.

 

That's a great idea. a clip board that has a checklist for starting the loco from cold , a next page with a checklist for setting the safety systems?
This would solve the issue of these not being part of the Training Centre

 

A pop-up on demand would be nice. Just to have it show up when you need it, but not to annoy you when you don't need it. (Like the dreaded "Do you want to give up your service" pop-up.)

The downside of a static checklist is that it also lists all the steps you completed correctly.

 

how did we ever manage with things like instructions, ingredients lists etc for the past few thousand years?

 

Does that mean you're not a fan of innovation and making use of modern technologies, in order to develop systems which might be better than the ones we invented a "few thousand years" ago?

We used to make drawings in caves, and kept our caves warm with campfires. Should've we have sticked to that as well?

 

A checklist doesn't have to show you if each step has been completed. A check list can just be bullet point instructions of what needs to be done!

 

No but I'm not a fan of replacing a simple solution with a more convoluted one just because people might have to use their brains to comprehend the simple one.
Making everything "dumb proof" doesn't help people in the end

 

Cheaper than the current price of gas

 

Scientists, Doctors, Head Nurses, Surgeons, Pilots, Lawyers, Barristers, Military, Bus drivers, Truck Drivers, Sports Trainers, Sports Managers, Sports Coaches, Teachers, Movie Directors, Stage Directors, Oh and Train Drivers. They all use a clip board with paper. and not a single one of them lives in a cave with a camp fire

 

Microsoft Flight Simulator has a great checklist system, it's mostly just a regular checklist, but you can highlight controls if you're confused where they're at. If you need the help you can ask for it, and if you don't you can ignore it and just use it like a real life checklist. I don't see why TSW can't implement something similar, after all it already highlights controls in tutorials and scenarios. Just make it something you can use any time, across the board. It would allow players so much more flexibility. If you're someone new and you want to jump right into a service having a checklist would make it much easier and quicker to get started without nessicary needing to play the tutorials first. Alternatively if you want to play a scenario without it telling you how to start up a loco you get the option to not engage the prompts.

 

MSFS has a lot of great Features which should be benchmarks for good simulation. Real-time weather, failures of on board equipment and a ATC. Fully understand the railway needs different angle but we don't seem to look past weather of some sort (dynamic is a big help mind) and as for random events we are not there yet with TSW.

 

I am in favour of aids or checklists, but as long as they can be optionally hidden or displayed. I don't want to see it always in the clipboard if I don't choose to put it there.

Many times I have been stuck for several minutes trying to make a train or locomotive work in various situations, trying different button and lever configurations, thinking about where I was going wrong and looking for the operating logic. I have almost always ended up finding the solution myself and have learned a lot, which has made me remember the steps much better in later times. And I had a lot of fun with it!

This also makes the game very immersive for me, much more so than if I simply had to follow a list of instructions with no room for error. I'm not opposed to DTG making life easier for users, but as long as it respects those of us who like challenges and don't have it all chewed up for us.

 

I agree. I was thinking on more on the lines that the checklist is just a list that's there if you need them, and not interactive. click on it and all you can do is read it.
Like you I don't want it as basically a set of rules where that, when you first enter the loco you have to go by the checklist. but it's there if you need it. The idea of the clipboard is just mainly to have a simple feature to fill the space in the area where the clipboard should be.

 

I think proper manuals with troubleshooting checklists are a better goal for DTG to aim for at the moment. For all Rivet's faults they do at least still provide manuals that cover all the essentials, while DTG does not bother providing manuals at all.