If anything I would actually make the argument to remove end of world barriers altogether and let the Free Roam be truly free. Take this as an example: This is me on Southeastern High Speed, at a point beyond Faversham. It's completely barren, there are massive holes in the map, and if you put it during the snow it looks like you're driving through the arctic. So why did I load in at Faversham and drive a random train out there, only to assemble my actual intended train and drive it back into the detailed map? Simply put, a different approach to Free Roam. In this situation, my immersion doesn't start out on that bit of floating track. I know it isn't going to be as detailed as the actual featured areas. My immersion still starts as I pass the trees and approach Faversham. But now, I've changed how my 'story' starts. Instead of just hopping onto a train that was standing still in the platforms, I have now actually come from somewhere. I'm not stopping at Faversham as though performing some kind of crew change, I'm approaching and passing through it at full 60mph line speed. My story starts with the train on the move, not appearing out of nowhere standing still. It's basically the same as what has been done with the freight services on WCML, where those starting at Milton Keynes actually start at a signal a short distance north of there. To give you another example, a game which has in some ways embraced a similar concept to this: Many maps released for the Trainz platforms for many years have featured these blank staging areas at the ends of the track. There's no detail or terrain to them, quite often these spaces are either totally black or just a generic grass texture. But often they feature tracks that lead to portals for the AI trains, and long sidings for loading in your own formations to then drive into the actual layout. Why are the map boundaries there? We know what game we're playing. It's Train Sim World. We know that if you wander away down the street from the crossing that the detail is going to disappear, because the railway is the focus, not the corner shop on the next street. We know that the world scenery is going to degrade once you go past Doncaster, because the route name literally states that as where the intended map ends when it carries the name East Coast Mainline: Peterborough to Doncaster. We're all gamers, or we all at least have a rudimentary understanding of how games and computers work. When we see in the name of the addon that Faversham is the end point, no one expects to find the full loop back to Ashford. I recognise that I of course can't speak for everyone in the whole playerbase, nor am I trying to. But I would guess that for most of us who use the Free Roam function, when we plot a course onto a line where we know that the timetable and scenarios don't go, we know what we're getting into. When we go beyond the confines of the map we're not expecting to see detail, we're not expecting to see anything, we're simply exploring a curiosity. We're simply roaming free.
*sniff* Beautifully put! However, I don't trust absolutely everyone to be understanding of why there is a lack of scenery at the edge of the map. I do agree with you fully, though. Is it possible to access that area beyond Faversham without mods?
Of course there will be people who don't understand the scenery drop. Anyone who has played games before even casually likely will, but I do also know that some people who play TSW will do so purely out of their enjoyment of railways, people who would likely never have touched a game otherwise. I can't imagine it will take them long to catch on though, a simple view at the map makes it clear where the featured route ends and it seems only logical to assume that it ends at the final station on that stretch, with the extra stretches beyond that existing just to make everything look right from said station. You can go to both tracks beyond Faversham with no mods, I do all my gameplay on PS5 so definitely. You can also access the tracks north of Sittingbourne, both tracks south of Strood, all tracks leaving Ashford, all tracks leaving Dartford, the dockland tracks near Northfleet and the Dagenham Docks sidings, so you can almost respawn where your session would end on GOBLIN. SEHS seems to have gone incredibly light with end of world barriers, the only places that do seem to have them are the little single track spur north of Hoo Junction and possibly all of them around St Pancras. I know that the ECML does, I haven't tested the others there. It honestly does make it one of the best routes for proper Free Roam potential.
There are some places that are well modelled yet inaccessible due to a invisible wall. I must admit that I'm one of those players that instantly goes exploring the edges of the map on games. Trying to find spots where I can glitch thru walls and stuff to access inaccessible areas. Being on PC I have the oob mod installed and have found you can drive trains thru the invisible walls! I was surprised to find track laid all the way to Glasgow on Fife circle. There's other routes where the tracks go way beyond the boundaries.
MP600 you've perfectly captured the essence of my original post, My frustration is that a map like WCML Euston to Milton Keynes from what I've found out so far is that everywhere the map ends you can actually carry on for a good distance, excellent for sorting out long trains, of course you can still derail if the track runs out but the key is you don't get kicked out and returned to the main menu, Whereas on San Bern the slightest deviation from the main route no matter how small and you get "kicked", damn frustrating, How two routes can be so different is beyond me, In my view the WCML has had more care taken with it whereas San Bern to me seems like a rushed job for a quick cash grab, I'm sorry but that's what it looks like, and Matts explanation or excuses didn't really do anything to change that outlook sadly.
I can see how you're frustrated by this, I am too, because it's just wasting money buying the "new" TSW. Good that they released a free starter pack, although I didn't buy that personally. The free starter back is a good way to introduce those who have been pondering for awhile on whether to buy the game, but they don't have to buy the game. Sad it only comes with the training centre, so no routes for others who buy it. It'd be good if they put older routes on the free starter pack so at least they have some sort of route.
I'm hoping that on all future routes released we never again have to be confronted with the phrase "End Of Session: You've Reached the Edge Of The Presented Area"...... and get bumped out of the session and back to the main menu, It's ridiculous!!
If you don't have it, I'd recommend you get it before it expires in the new year. A free update, you don't lose anything.
By 2050 we will have the whole of Great Britain at our finger tips. 1000 player servers. All railways, all locos and a few PICOPS dictating the rules in multiplayer.
One issue I have is when there are areas that clearly have pretty good detail yet are blocked off due to an invisible wall. I remember doing a deadhead service to Long Beach on LIRR I was held north of Island Park Station for about 20 minutes I believe so I decided to walk around. I managed to walk through a white backyard fence which had no invisible wall next to the track which lead me to a road that goes to Island Park station. It had lots of houses and was decently detailed. It felt like I was walking through a neighborhood. But if I wanted to access that same area from Island Park , it is blocked off due to an invisible wall. I feel like DTG is too restrictive in where players can explore. Areas like the one I described shouldn't be blocked off.
Last night I was wondering why you cant access Wilsden jct high level platforms! Then when I finally managed to get up there, I realised there's invisible walls all over the place. The high level station is modelled so why would dtg block it off? No trains call there obviously but it would give a nice view looking over wcml.
if you spawn in on WCML on a tube service starting at kilburn, you can actually reverse and go into a tunnel where you can see all the street level furniture above you, or get out of the train and walk along it, but be careful not to fall off.
Maps end at some point and there will be boundaries otherwise you just have a route with zero end obviously.
That's fine, there can be a fixed red signal or buffer stops or the track just finishes at which point I can stop at, Whereas in the "You've Reached The Edge" scenario you just get kicked, no warning, It's stupid and unnecessary.
I fell off a tile last night. After a couple of mins of falling I reset the route. Does anyone know how long you actually fall for. Is it infinite?
We need to form a Whinge brigade. I know I’ve been whinging a lot lately, but hey I’m frustrated with TSW. I want it to be better.
glad I ain't the only one frustrated with this game https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/i’m-tired-of-this-game-rant.86314/
