Enough Is Enough Thomas And Friends Edition

What DTG said was “we had the understanding we had permission” which doesn’t sound like any sort of certainty of a license agreement - this isn’t 2 guys working on a hobby project, DTG are a powerhouse developer with a significant publisher. I sincerely doubt by that stage of product development that such an agreement/contract allows a case of ‘saying no’ unless there was a significant issue and/or breach of said agreement.

In any case the LNWR situation is just one of several licensing issues within TSW, including related problems such as limited use of existing branding.

Ultimately the accuracy of the railways & their rolling stock which DTG & partners are trying to depict is degrading at an increasing rate & leads back to my & a not insignificant number of others that doubt the direction of this ‘next gen train simulator’.

 

next comes “the little ICE & Friends” from Germany
what's that supposed to mean? It's better to make the game playable, especially the Frankfurt Fulda route and the other partly serious not insignificant bugs

 

I hadn't watched the video but had speculated that they might dumb the controls down so that the younger kids could play it.

Okay. This is a bad call and I'll lay put exactly why.

I cannot forsee parents shelling out for this DLC pack and the WSR route for little timmy to play on. Not to mention that the other locomotives on the WSR route use the standard controls which kids might struggle getting the hang of.

If this DLC is nostalgia bait (I literally grew up watching the original show when it aired) and the control scheme is a simple stop and start... that's my interest at absolute zero. If I cannot even be driven like the other steam locos in the game then where's the challenge and enjoyment. I'd be willing to go out on a limb and say that the majority of the sim community will have no interest in driving a train with simple stop and start regardless of what it is, Thomas or not.

 

I seem to remember from one of the many versions of the story there was 2 of these diesels?

 

What l would really of liked as the Christmas reveal, would have been something like the KWVR, its only about roughly 5 miles in length with a steam engine to run as the Elf explorer. It is a Christmas theme on the KWVR and it would not have taken too long to produce.

The only association with Thomas and friends at Christmas is that it isn’t an association with Christmas, apart from it’s only a present that some children will receive.

So many don’t want this in the game, that l appeal to DTG to withdraw this plan and concentrate on improving the game before you destroy the faith of a lot of supporters.

 

Or imagine if the reveal had been they were bringing the Ffestiniog Railway to TSW. A gift that would have kept on giving and for all ages too…

 

Both of those options would've been nice, but also they take way too much effort for a quick cash grab. After all, we don't even get a route with this release, just a train of which most of the assets were pre-existing...

 

Oh trust me it's coming and I can truly see this as your decent into obsessive hatred for Dovetail, just as Rivets west Cornwall route saw you fall in obsessive hatred for them because you didn't get exactly what you wanted.......

 

Not sure what WCL has to do with it as that is objectively a bad route lmao

 

I enjoy WCL, it's a fun little route to run.
Regardless of if the 150 "is bad".

 

Not so, I feel that Rivet’s work on routes, especially WCL, is so shambolic and unaccurate. DTG makes some worthwhile products and l have bought them all for xbox and steam. I just feel like so many do, that Thomas the tank is not suitable for TSW. I would however welcome this in TSC.

If a product is done well it always has my full praise and l will make my feelings known if l think it is poor or inappropriate. If DTG issue Thomas also with a realistic counterpart. as we need an actual pannier or prairie tank in TSW, l would be extremely happy!

 

Fairly certain there is already a freeware Thomas and Friends thing in TSC

 

Wonder if they have given much thought to the attention span of the intended audience... Are they really going to be content with spending 80 minutes driving one end of the WSR to the other.

Far better to have given them something like this...



Or this...


Maybe scaled up a bit, but less likely to turn into a boring drag. The 25 MPH WSR tests my patience at times.

 

DTG are lucky to have the modding community (for PC) to come to their rescue! Unfortunately for console users they don't get to benefit because as you mentioned resources are being put into a children's cartoon train that most core players don’t want. I’d love to see where this came in the 2023 survey or how DTG decided it was something that should be progressed!

 

Rivets WCL was poor, many have bought it at a discount for the wagons to layer elsewhere.

 

krustynuggets, compare Rivet’s WCL to the Just Trains two routes and you can see where the quality is and it isn’t WCL.

I am not alone with my opinion!

 

I'm not saying it wasn't poor, the point being made was if you take a little trip back through all the posts of the person I was replying too,you will see a same thing get mentioned over and over, because it's his local line it needs redoing because in his words its appalling and disgusting how they have treated Cornwall, before it came out he didn't really care about Rivet, but because they never improved it to his expected standard his hatred for the company basically has consumed him, and he can't move on and let it go......

 

Class 08 and 09 in WSR

 

It's a piece of software on my Xbox that does what it says on the tin I drive trains, I'm not looking for the exact placement of everything, if I want to truly experience Cornwall I go there and see it in the flesh, the game will never ever replicate reality, so I have never expected it to....

Yes just train's route's are great and better than that route from Rivet, but still full of just the same bugs as every other route in the game so trying to use them as a benchmark is utterly pointless and just proves your bias, screaming that Rivet products are full of bugs but shoving just trains on a peddle stool so high its comical......

 

The big question is:

How much did DTG pay Mattel for the license, and will they make that amount back in DLC sales?

If this turns into another LGV Méditerranée sales disaster, it will be forgotten a month after release and never mentioned again, so people are probably losing their minds over nothing right now.

 

Good point!

 

I would think that Thomas and friends will follow the same path as Holiday Express now on sale for £2.39!!

 

Now we know who the fanboys are.

 

Whether it is a success or failure, I suspect it will be the former, it will be forgotten anyway. Apart from one or two obsessives who will still be mentioning it in 20 years time when we are on TSW25!

There is plenty of DLC to come and there will be plenty more to follow.

DTG aren't going to suddenly change their mind that is for certain, they are hardly going to say to Mattel, we are cancelling this deal as a handful of angry forum members think we should. Anyone who thinks that needs a reality check.

 

Listening to Matt, it’s clearly his project, just surprised he wants a blue engine rather than a pink one!!Personally as l previously said this needs to be a separate game as it has so much potential with different stories and characters to introduce etc., etc.

A separate game not an add-on to TSW. I might buy it that way.

 

There’s a pattern…a lot of the routes are Matt’s personal favourites based on where he or his wife have had a previous connection to…..SEHS, Goblin and the latest Boston route to name a couple.

 

Yes, i'm one of those "boycott TSW5" guys. I haven't bought TSW5 yet and I'm not going to. I also have zero interest in the "Free Starter Pack". I've also only minimally followed the announcements of new DLC in the last few weeks, but when I saw Thomas and his friends as DLC, I had to laugh out loud.

At the same time, this announcement confirmed to me that I won't be continuing with TSW. I will complete/buy the last DLC's that I am missing in TSW4 via sales only (so that I at least have a complete TSW Version) and then not invest any more money in TSW. I'm actually done with the TSW franchise since TSW5.

TSW overall is not a bad game in principle, but if the priorities lies in the development of such DLC instead of improving the game technically and in terms of content, I'm out. I'm happy to still have a TSW version that doesn't include "Thomas and his friends" DLC.

Every time you think DTG can't really do any worse, they always go one better. At some point I've had enough...enough is enough. Bye

 

Please note it was not me who started this thread. Thank you.

 

Pray he never visits Sweden, or this thing may be coming soon...



It's like a 304 with mirrors and a funny accent.

 

Sounds a bit like my mother in law

 

I'm curious about this one and Matt's influence. Because Matt is a massive steam fan so it makes me wonder if he was the one that chose to completely give up on steam traction? Whenever they spoke about it on stream (The same PR speel) he never joined in with what was sad and always looked a bit disgruntled. But then we've never had anything more official or even an apology for that.

Was this power from on high or did Matt make the decision? Because the old railway podcast Sam did Matt spoke a lot about steam and how it was his favourite traction type.

 

He is the producer...

 

TSW5 won't include it if you don't buy it. It is optional.

Weren't you just last year not buying TSW4 because it was a paid update?

And now you've been given the chance for a free update (which is ending in the new year) you're not taking it.

 

But the shareholders and investors hold the power... and you don't bite the hand that feeds you.

 

I think Focus probably doesn't care about the specifics of DLC beyond how much money they bring in vs. how much money they cost to make. Matt is the person with knowledge of the market who they pay to use his knowledge of the market.

 

Seriously just because you don't like 1 DLC the game is forever ruined and your done with TSW.

So the reveal for the new Metrolink, Mildmay Line, and class 86 are ruined because of 1 unconnected DLC.

Makes me think of the kid who won't eat thier dinner because there are 3 brussel sprouts on their plate.

Seriously get your heads out and move on, I'm pretty sure it not interfering with any other content being produced, DTG isn't this tiny company anymore. A scenario and loco pack doesn't take up that many resources or time that a route or a timetable does.

And maybe you should stop playing if your not mature enough to handle an announcement and just say well no interest to me and move on.

Not all this DTG is dead they have ruined the game. All because of 1 little DLC.

Real mature.

For the people just saying i don't like or have no interest with reasons why. This is not directed at you. Only the people who seem to think the world is over and are really overblowing this.

 

With all due respect and I have said this before…I do believe the development of the dlc is interfering with other content in so far as the resource could be better spent on fixing ALL the issues currently being experienced. Incomplete brand new dlc’s released, promises of patches to fix issues only to find the patch creates new issues, constant delays and excuses when promised fixes aren’t delivered.
Maybe DTG are moving into Thomas because its target audience won’t write in or come on this forum to complain?!

 

Well, that's true of any DLC.

 

Who said DTG is paying anything?

Mattel could very well have gone to them to test out a market they want to try to put their foot in.

Hence why it is just scenarios with a quick loco DLC. Instead of a full blown Isle of Sodor and complete collection of friends.

If they feel it was successful enough then they would commision DTG to make a standalone Thomas Sim World. With all the bells and whistles.

Not all licenses or rights to IP have to cost, each one is different there is no standard license agreement accross the board. Sometimes its a marketing strategy test for the company giving it.

Not saying I know this happened just it is a possibility as well that people aren't bringing up.

 

With DTG's track record this would have no bearing on fixes. It has been the same timeline Thomas or not. So i don't see how that is interfering at all.

Otherwise ALL the fixes and promises would have came for TSW2020, TSW2, TSW3 and TSW4. There was no Thomas then.

Explain how a scenario pack is going to change what we already don't get. Yet the german route, Metrolink train, Dutch Route, and Wales route won't interfere with it, just the Thomas DLC.

What you really want is them to stop producing DLC and fix the game.

I get it, and yes it is very valid. But your just using Thomas as an excuse.

If it was just a repaint loco pack with 5 scenarios that you have no interest in I don't think you would be this upset.

No I'm not happy its Thomas really but so what 1 DLC I wont buy, just the same thing as the UP repaint pack when they announced it.

So stop using Thomas as an excuse.

 

Im NOT using Thomas as an ‘excuse’ I’m trying to put across a reasonable point. A point that seems to be wasted on some…

 

Matt...el, it's obvious

Next on Bob the Builder, who fixes the bugs

 

Not wasted on me I said I agree they should slow production down and fix the bugs.

If they weren't working on Thomas it would just be another DLC in its place still taking up those resources you are worried about.

If it was something you wanted and not this I'm sure you wouldn't have said a thing. So yes it looks like your using Thomas as an excuse.

So why not start another thread instead of piggy backing on a thread about Thomas.

 

I wouldn't eat it with any brussel sprouts on the plate

 

If you were a multi-billion dollar company like Mattel, and you wanted to make a video game, would you go to a company like...

EA
Activision
Konami
Bandai Namco
SEGA
Tencent
Netease
Milestone (They already do all the Hot Wheels games for Mattel)

.... Or a backstreet company like Dovetail Games, who only QA test games when they can actually be bothered and have no concept of what bugfixes are?


I'm not saying that you are wrong, just that I would be extremely surprised if you are right.

 

Its a big if, but if they were to do so, I suspect they would go to a publisher that publishes a train game for starters, and there are precious few of those around

 

Why would you not want to go with the company for best/only rail simulator for consoles?

So you get the whole market not just only the PC market? And someone who has an existing product you can add on to.

You wouldn't want to pay for the development of a whole new game if you are just testing a concept. You go to who already has 80% of the product already made.

How many companies that you listed are top sellers in the rail simulation market?

And even if you are not happy with the product you have to admit DTG are the biggest name in Train Simulation.

So then the question is why not DTG? Mattel doesn't care except for sales and who can do it the cheapest especially if you are just testing something out.

 

After this fiasco my personal opinion is that no new DTG DLCs should enter production until all the outstanding issues in existing DLCs are fixed, of which they are plenty, many of which have been present in the game for many years now.

 

I can't believe there are adults going crazy over this.