Feedback & Initial Impressions

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by JetWash, Sep 5, 2022.

  1. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    Overall I’d say it’s an improvement on what came before. I’m still struggling to square the circle of the effectively mandatory purchase, but the integration of dynamic weather and the new skies are the two big differences for me. At times the new lighting can look absolutely amazing, but equally it can look worse than TSW2. Dusk & Dawn and Night driving have been transformed - big tick. The new UI is also a step forward but I still think it needs some work…there are some illogical flows requiring more clicks than should be necessary.

    My one major disappointment is the Training Centre, although not as it exists but more why it’s there. Aside from the fact that the tutorials are the same old same old and don't really tell the player anything other than stop/go, I had hoped that the whole point of this was was that going forward we would only have 1 ‘best’ version of each loco/multiple unit and we could do away with this incomprehensible array of different iterations of the same loco, all with different features, sounds, performance etc. I pray that is the intention, if for no other reason than storage space!

    Anyway, some more targeted feedback (what I consider to my biggies in bold)…
    • The game still turns on objective markers etc during tutorials but doesn’t revert back to player preference afterwards
    • Eye adaption seems to wash out the visuals under normal conditions, particularly on SEHS
    • Dials and screens also seem to lack correct contrast because of eye adaption
    • The lighting on SEHS doesn’t seem to be as good as the other 2 routes, mainly because of the eye adaption. It looks plain odd at times.
    • In the ‘Alright on the night’ journey chapter on SEHS the first scenario ‘Riders on the Thames’ takes place at 1pm! The whole point of the chapter is that it’s night driving. After looking further a number of the parts of this chapter are not at night!
    • Some odd UI decisions requiring extra clicks to do basic things. For example you hit escape but then need to click to access a separate menu for settings, exiting to menu, exiting the game etc.
    • In the Taking Pride journey the 1C38 Ashford to St Pancras service is listed as St Pancras to St Pancras (intentional)
    • The 395 wipers are still far too loud. The 375 wipers still sound like they’re dragging across a dry windscreen
    • A seems that at a certain level rain you are guaranteed a thunderstorm. That might need revisiting
    • Some reflections look really grainy, particularly train lights
    • Station lighting remaining off after dark (already noted)
    • UE4 crash every single time when exiting (already noted)
    • The interior roof lighting on the 465 goes through the interior PIS
    • Class 465 drivers on SEHS sometimes not wearing uniform
    • The shimmering of objects when stationary has made an unwelcome return
    • Stationary trains often still blur as you pass them
    • 111 signs on the first viaduct on the German route are floating in mid-air
    • Class 375 DSD audio cutting out which is pretty critical
    • 375 audio levels don’t seem right with some sounds missing entirely. The drive audio seems too quiet (certainly compared to previous versions) and the warning alarms etc are incredibly loud. Deceleration sounds are missing, as are the AC drop outs.
    • Should the 375 Driver Information Screen not blank once you attain a certain speed?
    • The backlight to the external 375 PIS screen is totally messed up at night. The colour is all wrong
      TSW3_JetWash_1662446589_00.jpg
    • There are still shrubs coming through the cab approx 1.5 miles South of Gillingham heading towards London (SEHS)
    • Heading from Ashford to St Pancras there are instances of flashing white lights in some tunnels
    • On the same run in the same direction the grass draw distance is particularly poor. Way too close to the player and way too obvious.
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2022
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  2. dhekelian

    dhekelian Well-Known Member

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    I was watching a Dad Rail video and he mentioned there was no stop car markers on the stations on SEHS.
     
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  3. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    I agree about the eye adaptation. It needs to go or at least be toned down/adjustable - see the contrasting pictures I posted from Cajon earlier comparing the "1" view from the cab to the external camera 2 or 3 etc.
     
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  4. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    I believe that's correct; it's a leg of a StP to StP loop service.
     
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  5. redrev1917

    redrev1917 Well-Known Member

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    This is because that's how the working time table works. The Javalins do a loop from St Pancs via Faversham and then into Ashford before taking HS1 back into St Pancs (or reverse) all under the same service number.
     
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  6. deathbyteacup

    deathbyteacup Member

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    Correct, there do not appear to be stop markers on the new stations for some reason.
    Similarly, the new extensions seem rushed, with trees fouling the loading guage and flying through the cab, rough terrain that looks very jagged and spiky (like it was done with a terrain tool in a Rollercoaster Tycoon game and not smoothed) etc. etc.

    Finally also agree that the lighting looks really overblown. Can barely tell the difference between the rail and ballast half the time. Really overexposed. :(

    On top of it all the game just crashes whenever I leave Stratford through the tunnel there.

    Overall.... a bit gutted (and I was very optimistic)...
     
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  7. breblimator

    breblimator Guest

    For me eye adaptation and washed colors are OK, SEHS included - my taste but I have to agree about cockpit indicators are to bright and blured in consequence.
     
  8. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    I’d have said SEHS definitely looks different than the German Route, haven’t had chance to look at Cajon yet. It’s difficult to put my finger on but at certain times of day it looks really washed out and overly bright…I’m a bit concerned that what we’re seeing with SEHS is a precursor to what the TSW2 content will look like. There are times when the trees seem to have no shadows at all.
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2022
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  9. breblimator

    breblimator Guest

    Probably You have all settings maxed or better but if someone wants to avoid an extremely bright environment - post-process quality & shadow quality have to be minimum at medium in options. BR o7
     
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  10. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    You’re correct. That’s an interesting call and I’ll take a look at that then, but it seems immensely counter-intuitive!
     
  11. breblimator

    breblimator Guest

    What I mean is low settings are bad in this two categories. Med High Ultra are OK (brightness)
     
  12. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    Ah, I misunderstood. Both are already on Ultra, although you wouldn’t think it to look at them at times!
     
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  13. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    Incorrect.
    If you look at RealTime Trains the services from St Pancras to Ramsgate or Margate return as a different reporting number.
    Outbound from St Pancras have an Even number - like 1J30.
    Inbound services had an odd number - like 1J31.
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...-1500?stp=WVS&show=passenger&order=wtt&toc=SE
     
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  14. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    The debate rages :) I know nothing of the timetable, but it does seems odd that it is a looped service.
     
  15. deathbyteacup

    deathbyteacup Member

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    I had everything on max settings. I did one service at sunset and I must admit, that at THAT time, it looked simply spectacular.
    Installing Reshade and enabling some tweaks there (Fake HDR and some black level adjustment) has helped a little with the super-overexposed image (although now the menus look dark... oh well)

    There's a degree of behaving as a camera would rather than the human eye. If you pointed an SDR camera out of a train window, the image might look overexposed too, but not to the human eye, or even an HDR camera. I think some of these effects have gone in the wrong direction sadly.

    Unfortunately, the game just crashes constantly, I have yet to complete a single scenario so I can't enjoy it.
     
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  16. Winzarten

    Winzarten Well-Known Member

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    I have to agree with overexposure with the new lighting, atleast at SEHS (the only route I tried so far, becasue of timetable issues in gamepass). It really washes all details out, even when running it in the morning (I ran a 8:30 service).

    Also the eye adaptation is kinda acceptable when passing through tunnels (still doesn't look real, becasue human eyes don't get "overexposed" so brutally when exiting a tunnel). But standing at a platform, partially covered by some shadow, it looks ridiculous. Like whole lit world transfers into a white washed out mess. Like in the attached photo..
    TSW3_Winzarten_1662493255_00.jpg
     
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  17. JetWash

    JetWash Well-Known Member

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    It has to be a time of day, a loco specific issue or both. It looks the worst for me in the 465 at around midday with cloud cover. I’m genuinely not exaggerating, it looks worse than TSW2. Thus far hasn’t looked anything like this which I don’t understand…



    I don’t get it why it should be different.
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2022
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  18. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    It is the same on Cajon, way overcooked.

    As I mentioned in another thread this is now actually overtaking my wish for the save game to be sorted, to get some sort of option or fix to tone it down, for those of us finding it a bit too much. But DTG don't appear to be listening or interested (again).
     
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  19. dhekelian

    dhekelian Well-Known Member

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    DadRail says that overall he likes SEHS and how much better it is than in TSW2. He likes the 66 as well an said he didn't touch it in TSW2 but then all these errors and bugs he finds in TSW3 with SEHS I don't know if I would be as forgiving if I had bought it, he did get it free so perhaps it is a little easier to be forgiving?
     
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  20. Winzarten

    Winzarten Well-Known Member

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    The problem is that it looks like eye adapation is based on where you're are standing, and not what you're looking at... So, just standing in the shadow will make your virtual pupils dilate, even though you're looking at brightly lit object....and that is just wrong.

    The eye adaptation should be based, atleast, on the luminance of the scene, if not just on the central part of the screen (your focus point).
     
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  21. summersy

    summersy Active Member

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    I've also thought it looks overexposed I've come here looking for other opinions so it isn't just me. Sometimes it looks alright but then other times the contrast just seems awful and you're straining your eyes to get a good look at it. I'm on xbox and haven't changed any TV settings and don't have any issues on any other games so I can't see it being my TV settings.
     
  22. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    It is not a Looped service as such
    Depending which way the train goes you can arrive at Margate from the East or the West.
    Rather then the train changing direction it continues as the next service - with a different train number
    DTG got it wrong - strangely enough
     
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