Generally, I like this game for its graphics and models, but I think that the driving model itself is quite boring, e.g. in free roam while driving a freight train across the entire map, the passage is displayed everywhere, there are no random events, e.g. pulling onto a side track and waiting a while to let the train pass. in a hurry or in a passenger car, everything is quite formulaic. There is no randomness or variability of events here that would diversify the game, because once I visit the map a dozen times, I simply get bored. maybe you could think about some model of AI traffic dispatcher.
The TSW timetable depicts a typical working day. Things generally run smoothly in real life anyway. Although it isn't always like that, there's always some odd incident here or there which would be nice to see simulated.
That's where the concept of Scenarios comes in. Timetables depict the "boring" everyday routine, and Scenarios should deliver "special" runs, as they can be setup accordingly and make use of triggers.
Still enjoying his "Colonel Failure" YT channel. Hilarious. Can't think of a reason watching someone play TSW - unless it's Sam... failing. Found this one to be particularly entertaining.... "... a SPAD button. How exciting!" "we've got to wait for that clown to get past anyway..."
Scenarios should be add extra things that timetable doesn’t have but invariably scenarios have even less in them than a timetable service. I’ve just played the scenario that has the fire in it in LIRR 2 and there is supposed to be chaos and congestion caused by this serious incident but there are no trains anywhere. Add to that the fact that all the stop points at stations are wrong and you get a much less fulfilling experience than with any timetable service on the route. In the scenario you don’t get held up by any train, because there aren’t any around despite the story, but in timetable you do get held up a lot. The scenario has a fire in it but the rail operations around it are sadly lacking and not up to the quality of the timetable services. Nearly every scenario in TSW is a similar let down. The best people are obviously given the timetables to work on and the scenarios must be scripted by trainees. I guess that will be the only scenario I will play in LIRR. I very rarely get past one scenario in any route because the timetables are much better.
Yep. It’s just a bad dream! We’ll wake up on the 21st of August with no worries Definitely a scripted event, as I can’t ever remember being given an option to ‘return to free roam’ after completing a scenario. The one I did on BML recently, Long Haul, was fairly decent. Nothing catastrophic like a fire or signalling meltdown. Just a linear scenario on a linear route!
Some randomisation as an option to spice up timetable runs would be interesting though. Nothing major, but an extra minute of station time for disabled assistance, random signal failures or on multiple track routes line blockages. Yes it would be user beware and it needs the save game fettling so a subsequent run(s) load and save properly, but for those of us who revel in chaos would add some genuine interest to the proceedings.
