Ny-trenton: Usa Content Is Still Severely Flawed

Ohhh I haven't seen some even to South Amboy...
Yea I know the 3 or 4 car Arrows in and out of Hoboken on the Morris/Essex lines and I think Gladstone too

 

I got WSR & LIRR -60% and -65% off a couple of years ago, so I'm not interested in getting them again now. Wake me up when NEC is -75% off and Acela -40% off, which won't happen next month.

 

Looks like another cracking release knocked out of the park.

I watched TrainSim TV’s video just out of interest and the number of issues that were apparent with 5 minutes were literally mind-boggling, all of which were over and above the lighting being utterly buggered on yet another route.

ps those believing you’re going to get a new timetable for this have to be the most optimistic people on this planet!

 

It’s very very rare now. The double deckers phased them out especially from long branch

 

I assume I am currently not investigating getting the route then. It looks good, I don't even care about the PIS that much, but the timetable and the clipping at New York Penn is just ridiculous.

I do enjoy the Acela, but the route update for Boston Sprinter is horrible, to be honest. Lighting across the route and the F40PH is all messed up.

 

Ahhhh gotcha!!!yea the double Deckers and comet sets still run over there, but how I miss rare appearances of arrows to or from South Amboy and I'm assuming this is rare only peak hours

 

I've expressed my contempt for route but I did try boston(not noticed the lighting'm) but cActUsjUiCe youve done a splendid job with the signalling and had a really enjoyable run.
Thank you

 

I get what it is supposed to do, but how does it work?

 

Had my 2nd run on Trenton just now

NE Regional 172 Trenton-NYP

Had some interesting safety system behavior and not sure if it makes sense, or not.

Just north of New Brunswick

Went from ACSES Clear 150 (MAS 125) to ATC Approach Medium (MAS 45), and stayed that way all the way to Metropark, where i was 4 minutes late. I noticed an Acela about to overtake me a few miles back, but then it got held at a signal. It did overtake me as i was stopped at Metropark, but then i was routed ahead of it and back to ACSES Clear 125 (MAS 110) a couple of blocks later.

Everything seemed normal the rest of the way to NYP, and i ended up 2 min late overall. That Acela pulled into the platform next to me a couple of minutes later.

I definitely could have made up some time between Trenton and New Brunswick in retrospect- wonder if i had been faster if i might have avoided that situation?

Also, the awful flickering i noticed on the ADU on the ACS-64 when playing on Series X is completely absent on Steam version, so i guess that's a platform-specific bug

 

Well im glad I didn't buy this route. U.S content always gets the short end of the stick.

 

I'm glad also. Not looking back. I saved 140 bucks since i would of gotten the bundle on steam and Xbox and I would've purchased the LIRR on XBOX X if they would of had layers

 

People keep buying it up, therefore nothing is learned by either the shrinking TSW community or the developer. They certainly have the ability and talent to do better, but once again there is no incentive to do so. I guess... enjoy the next rush job out the door in a few weeks?

 

Classic Dovetail

 

Not class A game breaking bugs are they, just feedback "we'll look at but not currently working on"

 

Uh oh

 

I still don't know how they can claim that the timetable needs investigation.

It doesn't need investigation it just needs the number of NJT services out on the main line increasing . I mean supposedly there's something like a 5 hour gap in the middle of the day with no services. Surely it wouldnt be hard to add to add paths when there's hardly nothing out on the tracks? Don't they have an autotester that can confirm if a service breaks the timetable? Even if they just added a handful of low hanging fruit services now with the promise of more to come and add a little at the time.

And if LIRR are running on separate lines surely a couple shuttling in and out of Penn station isn't going to hurt. I mean personally I'd settle for them just heading out of Penn into the tunnel switching tracks and back out again, it would make a massive difference in terms of immersionn.

It's so frustrating that in theory this is a route I'd love to own, I've the money burning a hole in my pocket but I just know that the lack of AI services would destroy the immersion for me and it would end up just gathering dust on my drive.

 

At this point we all can tell that they have already moved on to the next DLC. And as I mentioned before it has already been shelved. They made their sales. is over. On to the next, repeat. Difference is next DLCs will have more services that this one with AI that I guarantee.

 

Exactly my thoughts. This thread was for dissatisfaction leading up to the release and the confirmed lack of content upon release. All fell on deaf ears as expected. What's coming out next? A new rinse / repeat of this thread can be started for that one now with the same result. I sympathize for those who feel they have wasted their money, but I have to admit the laughs I've had in this forum over the past few months has been more entertaining than TSW3 so I guess congrats to DTG on their comedy club

 

As a NJT engineer on NEC, I find this very disappointing with the lack of trains on the timetable. Why add long branch trains if the line is not playable past Rahway, same with the other lines out of Penn. I get it you need AI, but the lack of trains south of Newark, the lack of local service trains that you can operate.

While the graphics look pretty good I feel like if you could copy and paste sunnyside yard I feel like at the bare minimum could have added morrisville yard, and even had the Princeton shuttle playable, that line is just about 2 miles long.

As a Engineer I could have contributed, but it’s sad I had to join the forums just say my frustration at how much I paid for something that was really only worth around $20. I read somewhere else that no one came to the USA to actually gather data, and even if you didn’t there are tons of pictures and videos out there. I look at routes available from Europe and it’s night and day. At least I know next time not to hold my breath on a USA passenger line from you guys. Easily could have had over 700 trains in the timetable.

 

The beta team provided everything the team needed. The team has plenty of local experts (engineers and other employees included). DTG didn't need to take a trip here for us to give them everything they required.

 

I agree from a reference point of view but do you think the route would feel different if someone had a few days there soaking up the atmosphere to capture that......

I can easily go look at Google images and videos all day long but living and breathing you will always have that atmosphere edge on people building in uk

 

Ehh, it depends on who came over. I provided some great reference material for the decoration side of things and there's a lot of videos on YouTube to get the overall station ambience. I don't think it would have mattered much.

 

Adding brand new services means that the existing services need to be investigated to see if it fits in. Add a few services at a time and test the whole thing which takes hours. Rinse and repeat. So the whole process is lengthy and complicated.

The autotester is good for getting a train from a to b so it can notice some issues like pathing or trains stuck somewhere. But that doesn't mean it's the same experience from the player perspective. Auto tester is not a replacement for manual testing. The dispatcher while you are playing as the driver might think differently and send you down the wrong path which autotester might not catch.

 

Hats off to you for dealing with manual lap brakes. * Salute Emoji *

 

It wasn't my intent to strike a nerve, I did my best to make that clear.
I'm aware that JoeSchmoe123 (made up name AFAIK, if JoeSchmoe123 exists, I apologize) with 5 subscribers probably isn't trying to sell anything.

I'm referring to some for lack of a better term "influencers" who uploaded streams / premiered videos around the launch day.
A good deal of them were unfamiliar with the route and how to operate the trains.
When it comes to business, let's use celebrities for example. Nike would give Brad Pitt their latest shoe because they know people would buy it if they saw Brad Pitt wearing it. Brad might not actively be "selling" the shoe, but his celebrity has influence.
I've bought a few things (in my childhood especially) because a famous person I liked "embraced" it and looked cool with it.

Obviously not on the same scale, and a different industry altogether, but the principle applies.
This DLC had a LARGE demand for it, especially before it released.
Therefore many were eager to watch those who had it early, so we can see how it plays, looks, etc.
Speaking for myself, it wasn't all too fun to watch many struggle with the controls and lack knowledge of the routes.
Again, no one (including me) knows EVERYTHING, or needs to for that matter.
But it seemed a number barely knew anything about the route.
Do I take issue with those "influencers"? No. Again, this isn't an attack. Just constructive criticism.
At the end of the day, it's ONLY a video game.

Everyone is allowed to play the game and enjoy it as they see fit. I'm not here to rain on anyone's parade.
My point was "influencers" have, well, a good deal of influence on how prospective buyers see the game. There's a value exchange.
JoeSchmoe123's likelihood of influencing anyone to buy the game is low. Joe's reach is abysmal compared to larger channels.
Again, sorry if JoeSchmoe123 actually exists. Joe could be an expert for all I know.

Once again, my intent was to provide constructive feedback. Not attack anyone or tear anyone down.
Especially for over how they play a video game, like come on.
That's lame and frankly I have far more productive things to do with my time than that.

I love this stretch of the NEC & I enjoy finally having the opportunity to play this without having a gaming PC (shoutout to my Xbox).
But I'm not, nor will I ever get so caught up in it that I lose sight of reality. It's just a video game.

Take care & be good my people. *rings bell & sounds horn in a short-short formation*

 

Ah! I didn't know about sounding the horn on tracks 2 & 3. In my experience as a mere passenger, it seems most engineers use the horn at their discretion if their train isn't on a track that platforms. I know about one long blast (at least it seems) if a train is approaching a station on a track with a platform. Sometimes engineers do long-long-short-long if they're on say 3 and they're passing a stopped train at a station on 4.

Thanks for sharing that.

 

For the Amtrak NEC, Operating Rules require a single Long blast of the horn approaching, but not stopping at, station platforms on an adjacent track during daylight hours. At night this is only required when people are seen on the platform. These two rules only apply on tracks adjacent to the station platform, it is not required on an inner track where there is a track between your train and the platform.

Operating Rules also require a Long Long Short Long when passing a stopped train on an adjacent track. This does not apply if there is a track between your train and the other train.

In addition, these horn signals are not required in New York Penn Station.

 

This is why the rule exists

https://www.quora.com/What-went-wrong-with-Bobby-Kennedys-funeral-train-in-Elizabeth-NJ

After this the state made the law that all trains in nj must blast one long before going through a station regardless of track

 

It’s a jersey only thing no other state and it applies to any track this is why you’ll hear Acela blast horns when running through metropark

 

Another good story about it https://sfbaytimes.com/untold-story-robert-kennedy-funeral-train/

 

No problem at all. EVERYONE (including me) starts somewhere.
Manual lap brakes are like Algebra 2 (for me) not ideal, but I can make them work.
With that being said, here are two of my favorite YouTube channels with a good deal of content around this topic (albeit not exclusively on it).

1. https://www.youtube.com/@PositionLight (great for interlockings)
   
2. https://www.youtube.com/@3985uprr/ (now THIS man is a living & breathing walking railroad encyclopedia)

Neither of these guys know I exist, nor do they need to.
I'm just a fan of them and I figured it would be cool to share their content because I think many could draw value from it.

 

Ah! (I'm sounding like The Count from Sesame Street now )
Interesting, although my parents didn't meet yet during the unfortunate RFK incident, I heard of it during my own digging of NEC history.
I didn't know that was the reason for sounding the horn. I never knew what it was.

Thanks again for sharing.

 

I operate a model railroad with someone who was there. Yes he’s very old. I also operate with the head of opsig. They tell the story often

 

Thanks for the insight. The night time rule seems like a bit of a grey area.
Say if an engineer is passing (extreme example due to being relatively obscure) Jersey Ave on Track 4 after dark and doesn't see someone on the platform? What happens? I doubt a commuter would call the railroad to complain about an engineer not following the guidelines, but you never know. Jokes aside, I do wonder if there are consequences (non life threatening) for not sounding the horn in those situations.
It could be harder to track than passing a signal at danger or speeding. I'm only a passenger though, so I wouldn't know for sure.

I suppose the rule being for daylight could be for residents not wanting to hear the sweet sounds of K5LAs & Wabco AA2s after dark .

"Operating Rules also require a Long Long Short Long when passing a stopped train on an adjacent track. This does not apply if there is a track between your train and the other train." This makes sense. I could see why it might not be necessary to toot the horn if a train passing on 2 passes a train stopped on 4.

The only time I heard horns near NYP was during maintenance work, for safety concerns.
However the bells (MUs need not apply) are sounded from the tunnels exits to the platforms when arriving at NYP.
Then when leaving NYP, the bells are sounded from the platform to the tunnel(s).
So pretty much in the vicinity of the following interlockings (Not including West Side Yard for LIRR):

1. A
2. JO
3. C

Here's a cool map of the interlockings around NYP, courtesy of Amtrak:

• https://blog.amtrak.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/NYP_Track-Map_FINAL-1-pdf.jpg

 

You want to drive a real US timetable ,hop on the Harlem line train 309 M7A 07:17 from GCT to north white plains. Arrived at 08:17. I passed 21 trains with around 18 AI in front and behind me. Including 1 AI freight train in total 39 trains. And that’s even without having the M8s for New haven line and diesel trains for Wassaic and Poughkeepsie
This is a Joe time table

 

Dovetail, if you guys are just gonna sweep the timetable concerns under the rug (seeing the post in the mega thread), then I think it's time to move scenario planner 2.0 up the priority list. If we can't even rely on you guys to give us a timetable that represents the actual real-life traffic of the route with the locos available, then AT LEAST give us the creative tools and freedom to implement it ourselves, even if it's only in the form of scenarios and not an extensive timetable. At this point, anything is better than nothing.

 

Why not? 'You' baked the lighting but couldn't edit a few polygons? Weird.

 

looks horrible, esp when it’s almost every single platform

 

It would be good if local or country specific rules and procedures like the use of horns were included in things like route tutorials. I do like to drive prototypically. However, It isn't really something I would be worried enough about trawling through the internet looking for. I know the rules for UK routes pretty much as that is where my knowledge lies, for non UK routes I mainly looked for information on safety systems and signalling, something else I think it would be good to have in game tutorials for, that could include things like the use of horns and bells. You didn't strike a nerve at all.

 

Speaking of horrible things...


Theres also no OHLE in lots of places east of Penn near Sunnyside. Flop!

 

Not my picture but wanted to report this on the Acela. Isle seating mod.

 

So i tried 2519 and that still getting stuck before crestwood because of service 2331 somehow doesn't get the track to switch so he can go over to track 4. I stried spawing in at 8:40am, And I still watched it get stuck again (service 2331). So if you spawn at 08:35 then you are able to hope in 2519 and complete it with no issues and also service 2331 which is whats cuassing the bottle neck is able to get to track 4. DTG JD I tagged to provide feed back. hope information this helps. THis was on the XBOX. Also I ran the timetable to 15:30 from 04:45 on PC (steam), no issues no stuck trains. So i think is somethimes when you swapn in depending on the time and where are the trains located that my cause pathing issues. just my observation

 

So DTG left out many NJT services because there "wasn't enough time". Now that the route is released and there should be time, DTG has no current intention of fixing this? It's so frustrating to me, because with more services this route would be a fantastic release, once the usual DTG bugs were fixed. I used to commute daily on this stretch of the line, and the lack of traffic kills the immersion. I'm expecting to see tumbleweeds blowing across the tracks, it is so dead....

 

Authoring timetables and testing the entire timetable is a time consuming process.

 

Figured I would share this list I’m working on collecting issues (mostly can signaling related) here: https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/trenton-list-of-issues-cab-signaling-included.65352/
I can hope they are addressed since they kill the immersion factor for me but it seems as though they are not a priority as of now.

 

So now that they have made their sales even though before they released the route they clearly stated "they had ran out of time and that they no plans to fixing the time table". So they were transparent with the community and players still bought the route......... Not sure what to say..... Let's hope this actually happens now after the fact............ This is why I'm still holding out until I see some changes....

 

So? That didn't prevent them to make properly busy timetables for other routes, either right at release or later on in a post-release update. "It's a time consuming process" is not an excuse in modern world software development when over-the-air updates can be easily be made.

 

They don't run there all the way to Long Branch because of the 25kv 60 Hz section Matawan Long Branch since 2002 Currently to South Amboy. In 2001 six car trains to Long Branch seen in this video of the route around Newark in 2001

To make the route more busy they should add and merge the Raritan Valley Line that way you can operate the 08:40 out of Raritan for New York and then the 09:18 High Bridge for NYC