Route Lirr Commuter - Feedback Thread

Game CTD on PS5 coming into Kew Gardens on the Train 44 10.37 service from Penn to Babylon, will try it again later.

 

Is the alerter for the M9 suppose to go off even when you are not moving? Also how come the JFK Airtrain walkway wasn't added?

 

On the preview stream they said you have to be in Max Brake to prevent the alerter going off.

 

Is it suppose to tell me wait for the next service after I completed a service?

 

Well I must've missed that part

 

Not off to a particularly great start. My first service, 819 Long Beach to Penn. 7:37 start time. Can’t complete unless I delete trains in front of me.

We were backed up 9 trains deep in the tunnel, and counting. After sitting there for 10 minutes I deleted everything in front of me so I could get moving.

During that waiting period, I walked through the 10 car train… not a single passenger onboard. Odd not to have a single passenger on a rush hour commenter train to the heart of NYC… possibly a core issue but it really needs to get looked at.

Can’t do a ticket for another 10-12 hours as I’m off to work but with that being one of the AM rush hour services leaving Long Beach, it’s probably going to be a popular choice from players… might want to have look at that one

 

How can you delete trains?

 

Timetable
M9
Ps5

I have screenshots and what not for when I can submit a ticket later tonight (I’m US eastern time)

Thanks Chris

ehz0689 to delete a train, pull up your map and click on any train… it’ll pull up a menu where one option is to delete a train

 

Only in timetable mode

 

service 2303 M7 is probably my favorite so far. I know it says to depart at 706am, just wait two minutes and depart at 708am . It will be worth it and you will still arrive at Jamaica on time. don't want to spoil to much but highly recommend it.

 

Another service I recommend is 1256 Penn- Hicksville M7 TOD Feb 22

 

In the route introduction, on PS5, I struggled to walk down the platform to the front of the train at Long Beach. I kept hitting collisions, but there was visually nothing in the way. It felt like trying to walk through a crowd of invisible passengers.

I did a few services, and even visited Long Beach in Free Roam and had no issues, so I tried the introduction again and had the same problem.

Other than that, I've made a few runs and I'm enjoying trying to get to grips with the new signalling.

 

Now that LIRR 2 has been released, can I delete the original one? Or is it still necessary for the layers on NYT?

 

here’s the audio issue. Xbox series x

 

I just started playing LIRR 2 so far enjoying it, played the intro and training parts starting into scenarios now and focusing on the new segment s etc ..

 

Here's some information about LIRR2
1. The route has 39 stations(including Hillside MX complex and Bolands Landing) (most in game) 40 if you include the abandoned Woodhaven
2. Total night services: 113 total playable from 12am-5:59am(most playable passenger service at those times)
3. 49 spawn points through out the route map (most of any route)
4. We have a total of 625 LIRR services, M3(32), M7(287), M9(306) with total of 1104 services that includes all AI (4th most playable passenger route in the game)
5. includes the following 25 complete services: (Most in the game)
Penn- Hicksville,
Penn- Hempstead
Penn-long beach
Penn- Hicksville north siding
Penn-Belmont
Penn -Jamaica
Long Beach-Atlantic
Long Beach -Jamaica
Long Beach -WSY
Jamaica-Hempstead
Jamaica-Atlantic
Jamaica-Belmont
Jamaica-LIC
Atlantic- Hempstead
Hicksville-Jamaica
Vanderbilt yard- Jamaica
Vanderbilt yard- Atlantic Terminal
Vanderbilt yard-Hempstead
WSY-Belmont
WSY- Hillside facility
WSY-Jamaica
WSY-Hicksville north siding
Valley stream sidings- Penn station
Hillside facility-Hicksville north siding
Hillside facility-Penn station
No other current route in the games even comes close to that number of complete services

6. Unique west bound dual track operation from Hicksville to Floral park in the morning Am rush hours 7am- 7:30am
7. Unique west bound dual track operation from Floral park to Hicksville 6pm- 6:30PM (service 1256)
8. numerous simultaneous departures from Jamaica station track 1,2,3 and 6,7,8
9. five branches , 2 different PIS systems, most playable US route in the game, most passengers only services in game between 12- 5:59am. 10. M7,M9 ATC and ACSES interactive test 11. Automatic guard buzzer when doors are closed
12. M7 and M9 CDP interactive screens
Jamaica station train movements per hour:
12am-1am-18
1am-2am-11
2am-3am-7
3am-4am- 11
4am-5am-8
5am-6am-19
6am-7am-21
7am-8am-38
8am-9am-36
9am-10am-27
10am-11am-17
11am-12pm-17
12pm-1pm-14
1pm-2pm-14
2pm-3pm-14
3pm-4pm-25
4pm-5pm-34
5pm-6pm-36
6pm-7pm-31
7pm-8pm-27
8pm-9pm-17
9pm-10pm-13
10pm-11pm-16
11pm-12am-16

 

Having lived with the disappointing original release and its utter lack of life, I might spend this evening on the platform at Jamaica taking-in the atmosphere at the hub as it should be.

 

i still love that M3. i still think it is the best train on this route

 

Since when did we start getting docked for cab speed speed limits? Hasn't this score always been accounting for track speed only? This occurred only after acknowledging and reducing speed right as it was displayed to me...

 

I noticed this change a month or two ago on Trenton. Not ideal, for sure. Small silver lining: the tolerance for "overspeed" penalties seems to have increased (i.e. if I'm going through the 3mph wash track and briefly hit 4mph, it doesn't penalize me anymore).

 

Timetable,
PC,
M9, 876 Ny Penn - Long Beach
AI train stuck at Valley Stream, totally blocking the branch...

Generally, looking at AI trains, looks like quite get stuck at the junction quite often. I had just to delete another train got stuck there... same service.

The track looks good and it is a big upgrade from the old LIRR... and from the first run it looks like the signaling actually makes sense this time around.

I understand it is not possible to check all trains, at all spawn times, and some timetable issues might occur. And the issues wouldn't be that big of a deal, but given the DTG record of actually fixing these bugs, I imagine we will have to live with them.

So if you don't want to look on the map and play dispatcher by deleting blocking services, I would wait with the buy, becasue from the first posts it is apparent there are quite few of them.

 

yeah, I'm not a fan... also noticed how ACSES gives me an instant penalty break application the second I'm aware of a reduction. There is virtually no time to reduce speed and acknowledge it. I don't know if that's a bug but it feels almost impossible to learn the route and where to start reducing speed. I would've expected ACSES to drop and give me a few seconds to reduce speed before just instantly going into penalty break.

 

Continuing the M9, 876 Ny Penn - Long Beach service, no passengers on quite a few station towards Long Beach, service is run around 6pm, there should be someone...

Yeah... for those who are thinking about buying - propably wait... there looks to quite few issues atm.
Which is a shame, because the scenery looks great, the M9 sounds great, and the signalling behaves...

 

is going to take you several runs to start learning and anticipate the cab drops. Even with that you are still going to take penalty points.

 

there are passenger issues with many routes. Is more of a core issue with passengers

 

On Xbox series X when approaching NY Penn in the tunnels (from Jamaica), you can see the trains coming towards your’s headlights through the tunnel walls.

 

thank you, Chris. The ATC/ACSES tutorial in-game doesn't go this in-depth. Greatly appreciated!

it's just unfortunate how even though this isn't a penalty as you state, the game is still penalizing you for it, thus reducing your overall score. Truly bummed about this. Seeing this has been a thing for a while from other users, this is the first time I've ever noticed safety systems affecting your overall score this way, even though I'm acknowledging and reducing speed as I'm supposed to.

There is absolutely no reason one should be losing over 500 points just from acknowledging a cab speed drop and quickly reducing speed. This needs to be adjusted.

 

Train 819 Long beach - NY Penn, arrived 2 miles out in the tunnel about 5 minutes before arrival time, sat behind a queue of multiple ai trains which aren't moving. I'm now well past arrival time so guess this service is bugged?

 

I think that one was bugged earlier. you can delete the AI train to keep traffic going

 

Platform PC: Steam

DLC: LIRR v2 without M3 installed.

Time/Weather: 30th April, Cloudy.

Service: 876 - 1745 Penn-Long Beach

Issue: Queue of trains at Valley Stream unable to proceed, deleted two trains in front and that cleared the backlog. Unable to confirm what service (s) were being held up.

 

Ah I did see that earlier but didn't realise it was the same service! Apart from that I'm enjoying the route and having to learn the safety systems. The scenery and atmosphere is great so far!

 

This is a rarity for me, doing such a detailed bit of feedback. Normally I'm rather quiet on such things.
Before I proceed I feel it's important for me to point out that I am very aware that this is my opinion alone, even if it may reflect those of other people. Anything I say is not intended to in any way shun the views of someone who enjoys something that I don't.
As a final note, I speak from the perspective of someone who hasn't played with any safety systems more advanced than classic AWS.

The route remaster looks brilliant. In my opinion the TOD4 lighting here is some of the best the game has seen. The updates to the scenery are much the same, and the route to me overall does feel on point for a TSW4 release. There were some issues I came across, the most memorable of which was the railroad bridge actually floating above its supports rather than sitting directly on them at one point along the track to Long Island, but you win some you lose some. The new branch in particular is a nice drive. It overtakes Hempstead for me as the best line on the route where you can feel like you're coming from the back of beyond and driving into the thick of the big city with a gradual change of scenery along the way (Nahverkehr Dresden still my favourite for this effect).

For the most part on the route side of things, in terms of scenery and visual quality, solid job.

The timetable is amazingly busy. Driving a train through Jamaica almost felt like waiting at a toll booth, gradually inching your way forward in line until the moment you get up to the platform, then once you're done you shoot out the other side. Service variety is great as well, I think there are services covering most if not all combinations of start and end point. Substitution for all three classes seems good too, the M7 forms the backbone of the fleet while the M9 covers a lot of the rest, and I did even see one or two M3s pass me too.

Once again, on the timetable side of things, solid job.

The trains... oh boy, this is where we take a drop off a cliff.
Now I want to say first off that the M7 and M9 are well done. The M9 in particular is the flagship of this release and it has been done nicely, its sounds are well tuned and don't hurt my ears, there's good running noise on the rails, it's pleasant to listen to overall although I can't speak for accuracy having never witnessed one in real life. My problems come with the safety systems, and although this may be an extreme thing to say after all the praise I just dispensed, they outright ruin everything for me.

Now I'm not holding this against the folks of DTG, I know that they were backed into a corner by licensing on this one. This was the only way we could have seen this release, and while it is a good release, it also makes me hope that we never see a single MTA release again for as long as these limitations are still present. I have drove with AWS/TPWS enabled many times in the past, I can handle a system that periodically wants to check that I'm still awake. What I cannot handle so well is a system that demands a change in speed at a crazy level of short notice, and will slam your train into an inescapable emergency brake if you even so much as fumble your hands under pressure when the system triggers. And trust me, for someone in my position, there is a lot of pressure.

I drove two services on the route, Hempstead to NY Penn with the M7 and NY Penn to Long Beach with the M9. On the M7 run (this is after viewing Matt's safety system tutorial) I think I was forced to an emergency stop around six times in less than an hour. These would almost every time happen when the system suddenly decides to say that you need to drop by a whole 30kph, and you have mere seconds to comply. You also cannot acknowledge the alerter unless the train is slowing down, and in times where the system suddenly decides that you need to drop speed while you're in the process of actively accelerating, this means that a stop is next to impossible to avoid. On my run with the M9 things went more smoothly, as despite being a longer run I didn't find myself being forced to stop once. I can't say for sure however if this is due to the system being tuned differently or if I actually did get better at it.

With this safety system, there is a lot that you are forced to keep watching. At any moment with no warning whatsoever, something could change and if you don't respond within seconds, you're done. Matt himself in the video even admitted that the system is incredibly unforgiving if you step out of line, and trust me when I say that it rules this line with an iron fist. Someone who is familiar with the system and likes the challenge will probably find this to actually be a really good thing. Someone who plays relaxed and casual from another country with only a surface level of safety system knowledge? Not so much.

I may well have learnt how to use ATC or ACSES and I just don't recognise it, but I think the biggest thing that I did learn is that I fundamentally hate the ATC system. The system creates so much pressure that I wasn't able to even enjoy anything else. For the vast majority of my time on the route I was looking almost entirely at the cab instruments and the hud, just waiting for the second when something would change. I didn't have time to observe any of the nicely updated scenery around me. A couple of times I was cleared to increase to a higher speed and felt almost afraid to do so, just feeling in the back of my mind that the system would almost certainly screw me over if I pushed that throttle. I've never felt so uncomfortable driving a train on here, and it became one of if not the single worst driving experience I have ever had since first picking up TSW over five years ago. The only reason I was able to give the praise that I did regarding the scenery and the timetable was because on my third run across the route, I used free roam and spawned in a different train so as to not worry about the safety system at all.

Perhaps I might continue to get better at using this safety system, if I can even bear to face it again in the first place. But I struggle to see a world where that pressure ceases to be a thing, and where my eyes actually have the time to look away from the instruments and towards all the excellent work the team at DTG have done. And so in conclusion this upgrade is brilliant, an excellent job by DTG which they should be proud of themselves for, and a great example of what we can hope to see from future paid expansions such as this. But having said that, it is thanks to the licensing limitations and the resulting compulsory safety systems that I have to follow that up by saying that the driving experience is frankly awful, and I sit here right now knowing that for the foreseeable future, I will never be able to properly enjoy or appreciate this route for what it truly can be, it is fundamentally unplayable. Unless I want to do some type of free roam railtour, then despite its quality this route is going to sit there in my library, barely played, indefinitely, or even perhaps uninstalled altogether.

I wish I could refund it and get my £30 back. Unfortunately the Playstation store doesn't allow for refunds the moment you install something, so through no fault of DTG's that is £30 wasted. I am sorry, honestly sincerely sorry to DTG that you were forced to objectively downgrade your work in such a drastic manner.

TL;DR: Amazing upgrade with amazing extension but extremely restrictive and borderline intolerable safety systems which cannot be turned off. Unless you are a die hard player with full whack safety systems on every single run, don't even think about it.

 

It took me a while to learned the safety system. But once you learn them it will be worth is and very satisfying experience. Don't give on on it. Here's a video that Brandon made for TSC LIRR a few years ago It will really help you out.

 

Also I think Matt is suppose to post the video he made for beginners that will also be very helpful .It was a learning curve. But in the mean time just always remember to always stay below the speed of the lowest of the two posted speed in the cab

 

For those who are struggling with the safety systems, I was too a couple of hours ago, but it does get easier. My biggest problem is muscle memory, because I'm trying to acknowledge the alert before then taking action, rather than taking action and then acknowledging the alert as these systems require.

I'm getting there though, and if I can manage it, anyone can.

 

Loving the route so far, especially with the busy timetable.
However some areas of distant scenery look quite bad; between Woodside and Jamaica and between Jamaica and Locust Manor were the main offendors.

 

Thank you both for those resources, and I'll definitely make use of them. I do want to be able to enjoy this route, however even if I do become much more able to run with the systems, there is a different problem that arises which cannot be avoided. This is now a route which is impossible to casually play. You have to be fully attentive, watching and listening to every light and beep from the safety system at all times. This might be very realistic to driving a train, of course a real life driver wouldn't just switch off their AWS or Sifa or whichever system they have just because they don't feel like bothering with that hassle today. This of course is a game though, and in fact it was one of the explicit mission statements regarding the release of TSW4 that the game now accommodates for all kinds of play styles and creativity. These safety systems being permanently fully enabled is the very antithesis of that goal.

Quite often I enjoy playing the game casually, just as something to do in the background while chatting with my friends. In those cases, all I want to worry about is my power, speed limit and my destination, and on every other route this is possible. But here, you cannot afford to be distracted even once. For some people this is perfect for their play style, but not for mine.

Again as I stated multiple times in my review, I do not hold this fact against a single soul at DTG. They were backed into a corner by licensing and this was the only way to have their work release. It is just an unfortunate and unavoidable consequence that as a result of that compromise, instead of having numerous ways to play the route as there always has been, there is only one.

 

Much to my surprise, I'm really enjoying this. I decided to preorder based on the preview stream (which was a lot better than other recent ones). Having played the original LIRR a bit and not really liking it I was expecting to skip this one. But It looked hugely improved overall and with signaling improved, TOD4 to up the visual quality and a very decent looking timetable, I thought I'd take the risk.

Now I know absolutely nothing about US Trains, but to me these are looking and sounding good and visually the route is a massive improvement over the old one. I don't think it will ever become one of my favourites, I'm too into German and UK content. But I'll definitely get enough playtime out of it to justify buying it.

Regarding the safety systems, personally, I'm not that bothered at all by them being on all the time. I watched some videos over the last couple of days so I knew the basic concept. For the most part I've been ok, but there have been quite a few mistakes. That's the fun of it for me though. It's something you have to learn and get good at. For me that's what a simulator is about. Much as I love London Commuter, the driving does get a bit boring sometimes but here the safety systems really keep you on your toes.

Good to see, that an least in my perception, the quality of DTG's TSW4 releases is generally getting much better (with the exception of Maintalbahn).

I must add as a negative though that despite a high end PC, the pop in and stutter during the tutorials was awful. Fortunately the God Mode mod got updated after I finished them and things are running a lot better now with some ini changes (Took Jetwash's Trenton file and that seems pretty good).

The other thing that is really getting on my nerves is that the displayed speed on the hub v's the train (on the M9) is slightly out of sync so sometimes the hud says your speeding when the train says you're not.

Overall feeling positive about this one so far.

 

They’re supposed to simulate the entire timetable and they’re supposed to be alerted to issues causing trains to get stuck. Not sure why it keeps happening.

 

Letting ai simulate it vs actually playing it are 2 different things. It can give good information but I don't think it could catch every single thing and there's always going to be services that don't work properly considering game development isn't perfect