Xbox Series X Flixtrain - Flickering Screens

Using XBOX Series X and driving the FlixTrain, it's impossible not to the notice the awful, distracting repeated flickering of the white outlines around the buttons on the control screens, and other controls around the cab. It's continuous and completely immersion breaking, increasing and decreasing with intensity depending on the speed travelled. When the train is stationary, or when it's moving, it looks like white Christmas lights twinkling throughout the cab.

This problem has existed for years. Text flickers on the cab controls of the 377, the sunflower on the Great Wester HST flashes, flickers and distorts continuously, and similar happens with some of the controls on the Class 47...these are but a few examples.

Why oh why do these things still exist and are never resolved? I'm not looking for perfection; I'm not looking for every last detail to be included in the game; I'm not expecting everything to work first time. But, I would like to be able to jump in a train and drive it without these awful flashing, flickering, graphical distortions.

Funnily enough, this never happened when I first started playing TSW2020. However, stuck in the game since TSW2...that's progress for you.

 

It's a known issue which they don't know how to solve properly at the moment. The vectron or flixtrain are really bad and I can't use then ots too distracting

 

It's a real shame. I had to stop playing after a couple of minutes of driving the flixtrain as it was so irritating. Do you know if this is just an xbox issue or does it exist on other consoles or pc?

 

Welcome to the long, long standing z fighting issue of the Xbox. Some trains don't appear to suffer at all, whilst others (like the Vectron) are bad.

 

They did say in a road map (June maybe) that they'd recently hired someone with experience in the issue. But not really heard any more since.

 

Just Xbox I believe. Probably why nothing has been done to date, just being one platform.

Here is the problem on other trains in the collection.
Class 377/375


Class 43

 

Thanks for sharing, I'm glad I'm not the only one experiencing the problem. It's not good though. We had years of the dreaded sound bug as Xbox users and now this continues to plague the experience. I wish they would get a handle on the basics.

 

Yeah, xbox could use some love. Although they have supposedly improved the xbox audio, how are you finding it?

It's a shame, because there are some trains that I tend to use less because of the z fighting. I'm not sure how long you've played tsw, but it only started after they did an unreal engine upgrade around the time of tsw 2. I've installed tsw 2020 recently (just to check) and the two trains in the video ckips, have no z fighting at all (this was pre unreal engine upgrade)

 

I haven't played tsw5 enough yet to notice any difference in audio, although I remember clearly the terrible shuddering noise that happened for years that would only disappear if you changed to outside view and back again.

I began playing tsw2020 and loved to play the great western express. Unfortunately, I can no longer play it because of the flickering. Similarly, I now avoid driving the class 377 on East Coastway and the Brighton Mainline because of the same issue. I also find it irritating on the class 47, which has limited my interaction with Northern Trans Pennine, Legends of the Great western and, more recently, Blackpool Branches.

I can't believe that I have to avoid so much content of which I have spent so much money on because of this, and I feel that it's ignored and not acknowledged. The old Xbox sound bug wasn't acknowledged for ages until they finally began working on it.

I clearly remember that this issue didn't exist before the unreal engine upgrade. However, we are now talking years and years.... Dovetail, is this really good enough?? For players who've invested over the years to still be experiencing the same bugs introduced years ago?

 

This really useful list was was submitted in 2022. I'm sure there's much more content to be added to it now...of course, no acknowledgment of comment from DTG when it was submitted.

 

Definitely something they should be looking at. Yes it only happens on one platform. But we are paying the same as everyone else. Surly we deserve the same quality?

 

I couldn't agree more

 

I've noticed the class 33 does not have some as well now. On the text on the speedo and break guage dials.

 

There was a reason/theory offered up on one of the roadmap streams, about xbox displaying/rendering textures differently to the other platforms. But then why only after the engine upgrade. Surely this is a clue as to where to start.

 

DTG Matt Sorry for the tag, but please talk to the team, as this has been dragging on longer than the audio problem had. It spoils what is otherwise a really fun and enjoyable experience.

 

I need to try and watch the stream where that was mentioned. Either way, I'm sure it could have been resolved within the last 4 years if there had been the will.

 

I've found the part in the July Roadmap, time stamp 01:15:50, where it states there are no "one-shot" practical fixes in place to resolve the issue, other then going back and fixing each piece of content affected. However, it is stated that the team will work to ensure it doesn't happen any more.

https://www.youtube.com/live/hDmbOp6r4XQ?feature=shared

As such:

- How was this bug introduced into TSW5 content if the team were aware of it and were working to ensure it doesn't happen anymore?

- Will DTG actually go back and address the content affected, or is the statement about preventing it from occurring in the future implying that affected content will not be fixed?

 

Yeah I remember that part, shortly afterwards, the 380 released......and guess what it suffered from

 

It's a known issue which during a TSW4 stream, DTG Matt said should be a relatively easy fix.

Perhaps naively, I had hoped that alongside the audio fix on Xbox, this was also going to be addressed.

But nope, here we are with awful flickering textures.

For me playing the San Bernardino line, the screen on the Metrolink MP36 looks like peeling wallpaper, and it is most distracting.

EDIT:

Update on this from tonight's stream, locos going forward shouldn't have this issue, legacy loco won't be retro fixed.

But DTG Matt, please could you at least consider fixing the locos that are affected by this issue which shipped with TSW5?

That's the least that could be expected and hoped for.

 

do you have a timestamp for this, I can’t seem to find a mention myself

terrible and not acceptable approach at all if so, only committing to loco’s going forward is no answer at all, also something that was said quite a while before TSW5… and still they released TSW5 with a bunch of locos with the exact same issue… might have helped them if they listened to the feedback on this from year’s ago… rather than dismissed it and carried on ignoring the growing issue…

sorry but confirmation of thanks for purchasing about £500 worth of content we’re leaving in a right horrid state now how about you now purchase more and we promise again to actually do something - no thanks easy pass, not risking a Microsoft refund denial when i inevitably find it again… certainly not interested in any more content if any company confirms we will leave your other stuff broken because we can’t be bothered. Absolutely nothing to say they would fix any new content when it starts to suffer aswell… back to the pile of ignore it’s happening for that stuff.

 

Welcome back!

 

not back yet, just wanting to see if anything is new.

 

Always the same

 

I agree - it's not acceptable that only content moving forwards will not suffer from z-fighting. With DTG utilising layers, it means that we are likely to see layered trains and locos still suffering with the infliction. This issue was introduced in TSW2!!! It's not as if they've just realised it is an issue. Appalling response to say that they can't go back and repair what they have broken when we've spent so much money on the game and they've always promoted the benefit of players taking their collection with them as they insist on releasing a new game each year.

So much of the content suffers from z fighting and they will take no action. Simply not good enough. Furthermore, apart from very short mentions on the Roadmap Steams, the team refuse to acknowledge or respond to any post on here about z fighting and there has been zero apology. They bury heads in the sand and hope it's forgotten. They've messed up, know they've messed up, they know it's too much work to resolve, so now keep quiet.

Meanwhile, we listen to news on the roadmap streams of what a success the new game is, how well received it's been...yeh right!

 

To be honest, it's so obvious and affects so many locos, I'm surprised there isn't more noise about it on the fourms. It's not like you can miss it. It's literally in your face when inside the cab.

 

So, following on from the roadmap. It appears that all content pre TSW5 will not have the z-fighting issue fixed. It was acknowledged that content has released in TSW 5 with z-fighting, and this would be fixed. All future content should be free of the problem (second time this has been said)

What is DTG's stance on TSW 5 content that makes use of older stock that suffer from the problem. Will it be fixed as it's in a TSW 5 release? I'm not talking about layered content, but content that ships with the route. For example, then 377 shipped with WCML.

 

It would be interesting to know. Unfortunately, I don't think they will consider fixing layered content for TSW5 if it was released under a previous version on the game. I don't know for certain, of course, but it's a hunch I have. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised...but probably not.

 

Layered content properly not. But in the case of WCML, the 377 technically isn't layered, because it's included in the route.

 

do you have a timestamp ? I can’t seem to find it myself.

 

1 hour 32 mins.

 

AtherianKing2

There is the clip.
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxmRPSGx9ULm-PFjhbu719V58WLdsA2NO0?si=PnpkVDEfAZ-uKkVF

 

well guess that’s the end of any fix. Shame for my time on the forums and my purchases of my content to be wrecked by this. But outta my hands.

 

Yep, I mean ok, some trains have it, but it's not in your face obvious. But some is very in your face obvious. BML for example with the electro stars.

Basically saying, they know how to fix it. But are just choosing not to fix it. I bet you if this was a multiplatform issue, it would get more attention.
(By more attention, I mean any attention at all)

 

AtherianKing2

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxAdgTMjEriNf2Wpr7hnWihZiB3UZPpj4T?si=zPQU9lWa6RYFwYWp

This was the July road map. Apparently they were working on making sure it wouldn't happen any more. Fast forward to the October road map. They are aware it still exists in new tsw 5 content.

 

Also, I don't get why there aren't more Xbox players highlighting the issue. There seems to be only a handful of us

 

Probably many are simply not buying TSW for Xbox because these issues are known for years.

This kind of bugs must be wiped out in alpha state of a game, not beta or release.

 

It wouldn't necessarily be known to new players though. Maybe people who tried the free starter pack. That conveniently includes trains that seem to be free of z-fighting.

Until they maybe decide to purchase certain dlc.

 

Of course we don't know the numbers. But people who read the forums before purchasing will probably do the right thing and stay away.

Note how DTG are saying "should be fixed" for future content, not "will be fixed". They know pretty well that their knowledge and resources are too limited to make a promise.

 

Hopefully they will. Personally, I try and find a YouTube video from the xbox platform, just to check it out first. Apart from the TSW 5 routes, as I had a gamepass trial to use.

 

For one example it’s on every train that runs on the big route NY Trenton, it’s such a prominent issue and after all this time of not having it addressed, the only thing they are going to do about it is ignore it… it’s not an acceptable approach at all. They’re talking like any route pre TSW5 is as far gone as the original NEC, they certainly ain’t and it shouldn’t matter anyways, they can’t just blatantly not do anything about something of an issue like this, things as new as the class 380 and 193 are as dropped as GWE…. It’s just not acceptable.

they could have solved the most part of this from years ago if they took on the feedback from then rather than blanked it… it just simply does not make any difference to me if they fix it forwards and not back, I’m not going to purchase any further dlc if this is the approach they are sticking with, I would be insane to do so, there’s zero guarantee of a fix forwards for anything upcoming, and I have even bigger doubts this is being communicated between all 3rd parties… they seem in complete la la land to be basically saying “we’re leaving your content in a mess p.s. buy more”

In the end it’s a total shame, the franchise has so much potential and they’ve just put in a way what to me at least is a complete pass on it.

they have proved that if they say they go back and fix TSW5 content of it, it can be done for all others, this isn’t a right off due to post development… it’s a right off due to their choosing it be that way.

 

Oh yeah, it appears they know how to fix it, but are just choosing not to. I wonder if it's down to who is doing the modelling. Because I've noticed that apart from the Vectron (that is horrendous) the German content seems to be unaffected.

Let's take the 377 on WCML. They went to the bother of remodeling it with a pantograph, surely they could have fixed the z-fighting whilst they were working on the model.

But like you say. They've let it snowball as usual, to the point where there is so much content to fix.

They've improved the sound on xbox (apart from popping audio on some locos) So if they can sort that out, why not this? At least bring Xbox up to the standard of the other two platforms.

Surly it should have been fairly high priority from the beginning. I'm sure there was even an update not to long ago where they adjusted the spacing of the headlights on one of the electro stars..... meanwhile the cab textures are flickering like a disco.

 

German content is equally affected, 101 and 193 are some of the worst then theirs other locos with it in a quite few places

they just don’t seem interested at all in fixing it, they have chosen to ignore it, and it’s just not acceptable.

 

And people wonder why there are no preview streams on consoles any more. No, for that please see the ambassador streams. Of course on the majority of their streams, everything is fabulous

 

Ah ok,. I've not got the 101, so wouldn't know. At least the core this year was free.

I'd like to hear a genuine reason as to why they are not retro fixing this. Can they honestly say they're happy with it as is?

 

And yet not one message from DTG on this thread regarding the issue. Not one reassurance. Not one apology. Not even a recognition of them causing the problem. For example, the class 43 had no z-fighting issues in tsw2020! Something clearly happened with the game in subsequent updates...years ago!!!...to create the situation we are in now. Poor in many ways.

 

the switch to UE4.26

 

What I've 100% said all along. I've installed tsw 2020 and there is no z fighting at all.

 

Spot on. Something in the upgrade that affected the textures some how. Surly they could reach out to unreal or Microsoft for some help.

 

The class 43 (gwr version) is bad for it. Sad to think all the work going into the remaster of this route.....only to have this issue remain.

 

According to the roadmap, they know how to solve it. Now just choosing not to.