Man man man man multiplayer. I don’t know wow my thought about having multiplayer for TSW. In a way I think it would be cool. But I think multiplayer can be pulled off. Ok for example seamlessly like flight sim how they have there multiplayer setup would be something like that for TSW. I mean I can imagine for example everyone playing fife circle line Kirk Dunfermline one player actually driving the train while the other are passengers. But the one that driving the train made the route plans. And from there it a go. Another person can play the conductor mode as well. While the driver does he/her thing. But then again there will be some issues. For instance the person that playing the conductor mode probably has something to do. And the driver is waiting. Well I think if that the case the driver have the ability to kick or boot ppl out of the server. Well you know where I’m coming from. I believe if multiplayer was to happen there probably be a lot of ppl joining in. Well wait a min here creator club - formation designer- livery designer- skip scenario planner. All you need is formation and livery designer in the multiplayer from there all that comes to life. What do you think your ideas for multiplayer.
"I really want some 13 year-old kid to start playing hip-hop music through his headset and trolling everyone in the lobby, just to add realism to the game". Said nobody. Ever.
Should be no more than local network / split screen multiplayer. Because... Just split the 1k peak into ~50 routes. 20 person per route, half plays singleplayer, other half in different parts of the world. The only way possible is by creating a new dedicated game for that, but we've already got SimRail.
And ultimately without a MP signaller or dispatcher what exactly is the advantage? Giving an o7 of High Five as you pass another player, or needless chat? Hardly worth £1000’s worth of investment and programmer time when so many basic core issues remain at fault. SimRail demonstrated quite nicely the weaknesses of multiplayer with eventually even the social chit chat clamped down on. And in the process the devs have become so fixated on the MP side of things, the promised updates and improvements for SP all but forgotten.
Genuinely the only type of multiplayer I'd even slightly want is something like being able to invite 1 friend to join your session and play as the guard on your train in the new Conductor Mode. Any form of public lobby or random people being able to join your session is practically pointless for this game. It's not like trucking where you and a group of people can drive in a convy, or even farming where a group of people can operate all the different machines in a field. Trains are on rails and separated by signals, so you'd likely never even see the other people, and that's why I hope we never see public multiplayer in TSW.
Multiplayer would be good in theory but in practice would be a nightmare for reasons mentioned in posts above. There are some regular posters on here whom seem sensible enough and wouldn't be intent on causing mayhem and crashes so I would deffo have a 'trust list' and they'd be the only people invited or I'd join with on a session. Anyway, many things need fixing and attending to before multiplayer rears it's head
As someone who since the earliest days of the likes of Doom, has largely only ever played multiplayer games in private co-operative sessions with friends, I really don't understand why everyone assumes multiplayer for TSW would not be exactly that. A train crew made up of your personal friends working together to handle all the needs of a service. How would randos get into it without an invite? (They couldn't) How would the game's engine cope with multiple player-driven trains in the same session? (I don't think it could) How would the signalling respond to something like that? (Badly) There's only really one concept of multiplayer that conceivably works within the existing constraints of TSW.
It's just such a wierd concept to want multiplayer for TSW. I get that it's nice to think someone real is controlling the signals or the train you are passing but that's about it. The truth is many railway roles, particularly operational ones, are done alone. You may be surrounded by people but most staff work in their role alone. A driver and guard are a good team but they only briefly interact with each other on a normal day. Same with a signaller, they are only exchanging brief messages with drivers and usually work a location on their own. They may have other staff in the same room but the majority work their controls alone. Of course there are times for socialising but it's not a messroom simulator.
a big NO to multiplayer... would rather see the work going to longer routes and network style routes.
So everybody is also saying No to just a simple leaderboard? And here is me thinking I had solved TSW's multiplayer problem
I think multiplayer would be really fun in the Training Center tbh! A small server consisting of just a couple players (5 at most) who can spawn whatever trains they want and goof around. Seems like a good time with friends. Especially since the starter pack will be free so anyone could just get the game to mess around in trains with their friends. C’monnn it’d be cool!
I still think that co-op between a driver and a guard is an interesting prospect and, especially now that we do have guard mode, it could be possible. Not a fan of Simrail/TMP style server-based MP, though, as I think it's prone to trolling. (I also don't think TSW's linearity in routes is particularly suited to it, as opposed to a network where it very much could be.)
Everyone's negativity towards multiplayer seems focused on random players in a public environment (route with random people on the trains), personally id love to invite a friend or 2 into a private session, someone could operate, someone else could be conductor, or possibly operate multiple trains. Multiplayer doesn't necessarily mean public games, maybe next year's title will bring it now that it seems like conductor mode has been a success and hopefully a feature on all new routes going forward
Nah, I'm alright. I don't need a multi player feauture in TSW. The AI fulfils that role quite well so it wouldn't really add anything to the game that's not already there for me... And atleast with the AI you won't get the occasional troll or clout seaker causing mayhem to put on their YouTube account.
The only thing I like about multiplayer is seeing ppl creative ideas in livery designer. Seeing cool custome livery in there own design. Watching there train fly pass in that stylish livery. That the only thing I like about multiplayer. Oh yeah and folks formation as well. But. Other then that it a no show.
No thanks. I get grieved enough in other sims as it is, especially truck and logistics simulator. Kiddos love to ram me in their car and send me a hundred feet in the air and ruin/damage my delivery. Imagine the chaos for MP TSW. Hard pass!
JD mentioned that they've actually experimented with multiplayer and came to the conclusion that they'd basically have to make a different game for it, as posted above. You might think that unlikely to happen but I would argue that the same conclusion clearly didn't stop them from making a different game for VR, tailored for a specific niche of players and then put on an even more specific store. I would also argue that even if there is a lot of dispute about whether multiplayer would be a good thing or not, there is just as much if not more demand for multiplayer than there was for VR. Personally I think the VR game and JD admitting they've put 'significant' funding into researching it proves that it's just a matter of time. Would I play it? Probably not if it's just train crews. If it simulates other roles outside of the train such as station dispatchers and signallers, then I might. I actually find it quite fun to play ATC in flight sim, be it a professional server or a chaotic one, being a signaller could be a similar thing.
Even games built on open world pvp like Sea of Thieves have gone and added private session modes focused wholly on the co-op aspect of smoothly running your ship together as a crew, because they recognise that's just how many people prefer to play..
