I would agree that the three on the stream are just the fall guys, although JD is supposed to be Communication Director and should have been on top of this communications fiasco and taken ownership. For me, all the smoke and mirrors is irrelevant. The pricing is a mere irritant - the cost of a couple of beers, but the promise on routes was made and at such a late stage to pull back parts of a route is inexcusable - there is no way they have just discovered a resource issue - it must have been in QA for weeks. There is no way the price rise is to cover additional resource allocation, since they have just reduced the scope of work! Ironically, Jamie's sterling work (but please cut the 'lubbly jubbly') on Workshop Wednesday has made me much more aware of all the great material available (free, assuming you have the DLC) for the sister sim. Since I am on PC, I can choose where to put my time (and money) and I choose to put it into TS2021 from here onwards. Shame, but I don't like being jerked around - as they say 'you can treat me like a peasant, but don't think I am stupid'.
Denshe De Go if you live in Japan. And Japanese Rail Sim: Journey to Kyoto on the PS4, but that weirdly uses Live Action Footage.
Metro Sim - https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/product/EP8935-CUSA27909_00-METROSIMPS4EU000/ Japanese Rail Sim: Journey to Kyoto (as mentioned above, is live action it seems which I don't quite understand) - https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/product/EP6857-CUSA28510_00-7474878518110939/ I found these by putting "train simulator" into the PS Store search bar and picking out any train sim game that isn't TSW2 in the 14 pages it presented me with (it seems to have searched the terms "train" and "simulator" individually). EDIT: I've found a video of it, and it literally just speeds up and slows down a cab ride video according to what you're doing. It's rather interesting actually.
The train heist mission in GTA V (and riding as a passenger on the LS Metro). The locomotive camera setting of Railway Empire (which is seriously a quite entertaining game). ...
May i suggest Metro Simulator both PS and Xbox stores offer it and at 20.00 it's the same cost as a tsw2 dlc loco but metro simulator a full game.Plus it features the Moscow city metro system(Plus it's a country not yet in tsw2).Graphics wise it's very similar to tsw2 so it's decent looking and has a few fun features and ai passengers that can't be any worse then tsw2 passenger ai i think.Maybe i'm digging deep to suggest this but when a game like gta5 who's train system only a minor element in that game is being offered as a trian option to replace dtg tsw2,you know we are getting desperate.
As a bean counter myself, I am firmly in the buy on sale camp. That way you get to play things, but you paid much less than full price for them so you feel you have withheld something while not depriving yourself completely. Requires patience mind, else you snap and buy it on release (SEHS for me)
Yeah... but that is NOT what they did. They gave us exact idea on what's coming and then backtracked it.
There are alternatives out there. DTG work hard to produce what they have done so far but if it doesnt work for you then think about a different sim or in my case I have gone to Aviation. Not everyones cup of tea but MSFS is excellent in my eyes. I am not a hardened Flight Simmer though so I am still on a learning curve with much of it. I have been Train Simming since before MSTS although when that came out I really got in to it buying addons creating content and then getting newer generations of simulation railworks etc. I have seen it all and spent a lot most of which I have enjoyed. When it comes to TSW I thought it was heading in a direction I could get on with so invested a fair bit up until the start of this year. It doesnt appear to be now so I have uninstalled with one eye on developments. I still feel grateful to DTG and the other developers for getting a niche style of sim out there. Posters on here need to remember human beings are behind this software coupled with the need to run a business and difficulties such as a Pandemic thrown in to the mix. If they bring out a 80s/90s Scottish route with 37s and 26s I may get the wallet out but until then its Au revoir for now!!
More randomisation, bigger timetables, ability to edit own routes and timetables. All seems to be not happening now. Also personally the modern day content for UK routes is not something I am that into but seems to be the default now for release.
Are you familiar with the synergy between different German routes and locos? The layering system adds randomization with additional AI stock you will see passing you, as well as loco substitutions you can make, and additional services you can run on a route. Check out this synergies in German DLC spreadsheet for more details. (Blue, red, and magenta checkmarks indicate extra services, and scenarios.) We won't get a route editor, but Scenario Planner 2.0 improvements will happen. Good opportunity to provide feedback, for any specific improvements you'd like to see in 2.0. There also are third-party timetable mods for German, American, and United Kingdom routes which add extra services to the timetable. Rudolf Jan has a Timetable Tool at his site, that you might find helpful. Hoping these alternatives will let you accomplish some of what you want!
I have much of the extra DLC in the hope of seeing more randomisation, it never seemed to happen that way, I understand why the sim has gaps in services but it just is nowhere near busy enough or random enough, we should be seeing better now we are 20 years since MSTS but it still feels similar with updated graphics. I will keep an eye on the mods maybe we will in time see full ability to breathe proper life into these routes which are very well done appearance wise but lack life and character. Like I say I will keep an eye on things but TSW is staying uninstalled and no more will be spent unless it makes a firm step in the direction I feel it needs to. That is my perogative and if they make enough on sales without my custom then fair enough to them.
I am sure it is not co-incidental - DTG has just put the TS2021 Riesa Dresden on sale at $29.99 - that version includes 5 locos, plus an IC scenario (not sure if you need the BR411 add-on for the ICE). What I can not work out is whether any of the SBahn branch track is included.
*sigh*... I wrote it in "quotes" showing what they COULD'VE said during the Rush Hour announcement. I did not lie, I did not say that's what they said, that's what they should've said.