First of all, free roam mode is awesome. The way you can spawn anything into the active timetable is such a fantastic addition. I'd love to be able to swap a consist on a timetable service so the model changes, but the service and instructions remain the same. For example, spawn into an RE50 service on Riesa-Dresden and switch it to a consist hauled by a Vectron.. or to one without VVO lettering.. or a backwards one running the cab car into Dresden.. or have another locomotive pull it from the cab car end because of an equipment failure.. you get the idea. Realistic roleplay and variety are what I'm getting at. I think it would be a nice feature. I'm also gonna go out on a limb here and guess that it's technically possible. The substitution mods for PC lead me to believe the game can handle something like that.
I second this. It'd be also nice if you can spawn a consist you like and be able to select a service you wanna drive with it. Or to be able to select different stops at stations when choosing your route for your spawned consist.
colinL yes I agree! I think there's a lot of directions it could go. TSW4 has me really optimistic about the future of this title
Yes free roam in the timetable feature is a big step forward. I see my self a lot creating consists ans move them between regular services. Not sure if a formation swap is done easy in the timetable. My suggestion to this really nice feature is: - copy consist function in the freeroam ring menu, (similar to the delete consist function) -- the copy function would alow to point on a consist and with "copy" it loading ready to place. - placing vehicles in free cam mode (currently crashes the UE on my pc) - placing consists in the 2d map (this would allow to fill the yards from the other end of the map, so you can task yourself spawning wagon consist via 2d map by clicking on the siding, even if the player is at the other end of the map - if i spawn a consist, "set route as a.i" function Thats it, free roam is totally brilliant even now
meridian#2659 All of that sounds great! Being able to spawn something in the map is definitely something I tried to do. I'd love to have my free roam freight cars parked there waiting for me
Glad you folks are enjoying it, and thanks for the suggestion! I have no idea how viable these options are, but I'll share with the team for their visibility.
I agree, this would be a huge step forward. Free Roam is great, but driving without a schedule takes a lot away from it.
Adding a new menu option "replace this consist with" when you point on a train should be actually quite easy to do from technical point of view. Probably even godmode could be enhanced with this functionality. Anything else (copying and moving orders from one consist to another) would likely require much more work.
The consist it self isnt the problem, the task would be the challenge. Currently an empty consist, placed by a player, is getting a "freeroam service number" with the set route command, thats why the dispatcher is getting confused when you shunt 2 locomotives in a siding with the command "set route", uncouple and continue with the other locomotive. The dispatcher has problems if you split the driving units, but with wagons its working well. Next problem for "quick consist swap" are the tasks with uncoupling, where a shunter in a separate service takes those wagons. If you swap those consists, the timetable is ruined.
My next suggestion for freeroam in Timetable is: We currently have the original and reworked timetables made by the devs for all different routes: Still there are many older routes, which are way underpopulated, have no static stock on the yards etc. So why not making a section for Player edited timetables in the tt selection? In practical terms, lets say i want to load the vanilla Timetable from the Voralberg Route, but intending to have a nightjet parked infront of the depot at Wolfurt. After spawning i place this nightjet and save the timetable as "player edited Timetable" and can give it a name. This way i could load up my edited timetable with my prefered consists on the sidings, and having the additional placed stock together with the services . (of course if the player places a vectron on the mainline and messes up the services, its in the players responsibility) The other benefit would be, DTG can finally focus on new content and dont need to return to old routes to place some static stock. The player can do it by himself and save the edited timetable with a new name.
I toyed around with Freeroam mode last night and it's brilliant. I set up the Flying Scotsman at Dresden with DB IC coaches and set off for the Missen branch. One there I spawned a class 143 and coupled up to the rear of the train and hauled it back to Dresden withbthe Scotsman in tow. A very enjoyable sandbox. I didn't realise how much fun I'd have using this mode or if I would even bother using it but it's something that is now going to take alot of my time. Freeroam and the Vectron and the 2 biggest selling points of TSW4 for me.
There could be three ways to give the ability to replace the locomotive or complete train for a timetable service in free mode (point 1. and 2. actually also could be used for timetable mode). 1. Choosing a different loco or train formation (in place of the real service one) at confirming the service, so f.e. that the 143 or 146 is replaced by the Vectron and you are ready to do start the service. 2. You need to swap the locos later manually after you started the service, which probably will lead to being out of timing of the service's timetable. But it would be cool if they could make the option to swap the locos after you started the service nonetheless. Some people for sure would try to do the swaps as quick as they can to keep up with the timetable. - Maybe an accompanied feature suggestion could be very helpful here: Swapping the loco/consist/loco+consistwhile being in the cabin. The third way is very complicated to design but not impossible. 3. You set up your preferred train formation and spawn it elsewhere. Then you confirm with an new option that you going to overtake the service X at specific time Y. The game replaces the original service train on the map, so that the platform is kept free for you. Your task is to get the train to the platform and make everything ready to depart at the service start time. It's a real challenge (for both DTG to invent but also the player to do that) but it would enhance the realism to it a lot as you not only have to drive the train from point A to point B but also prepare the substituted train to overtake the regular service at A. I guess most people only ask for implementing an option for way 1. but the 2. and 3. one could make the free mode a lot better IMO.
[3] Wouldn't really work with how the system is - you're looking for an awful lot more dynamic behaviour than is possible, including potentially having it try to change what happened "in the past" to effect the same result. However, I like the idea of simply pointing at an existing train / vehicle and saying to replace with something else... that doesn't feel like rocket science at all. It could lead to a train that can't actually do the job it needs to do but... that's up to you to figure out really. E.g. if you change a loco+coaches for a pair of 4 car EMU's, and then at a point in the service it says "uncouple the loco" you're basically screwed at that point... but... I don't think the possibility of failure like this should prevent the option for it to happen in the first place (you can already knacker a timetable by removing AI trains and/or placing static stock in its way for example). I guess effectively you want a "replace entire formation with what i pick" and "replace this vehicle with what i pick". Something to think about. Not making any promises. Matt.
Pointing at a train and saying "switch this to that" is exactly what I had in mind. And I had the same thoughts about the possibility for chaos. It's on the player to not screw it all up. The new freedom is so awesome, but with freedom comes responsibility. I'm glad it seems like a feasible idea! And yes, no promises being made, I hear you. Thanks for the insight!
