Bus Simulator and Farming Simulator both take place in fictional open worlds. As a result (for Farming Simulator at least) the worlds are very well detailed. I had an idea a couple of months ago of remastering the London Transport Heritage Collection route for TSW and this could work with this idea. Alternatively, the Cresston route could work, but as this is not a Dovetail route it would have to be fan-made in the Editor. I'd like to point out that while this could work in Train Sim World trough an update, it would most likely be a separate game that runs on the same engine and uses the same assets. I don't imagine this as a replacement to TSW's current gameplay but as an expansion to it. My idea is, in additon to the real-world routes in TSW where you drive for other companies, in the 'open world' route, you will start a train company - let's call it dRail for now - and are tasked with making a profit out of the underused train lines in the area. You will decide the routes your train will take, the liveries of the trains, some basic branding (like a logo you select from a list and the name of the company), hiring drivers for your routes and making upgrades to the line and train stations. The game will control the prices of the tickets (but you can indirectly change it through changing the percentage of the prices, with 100% being the default prices, and 110% being 10% more expensive, and so on. For my example, I'm going to pretend that the East Coastway Line (including the line to Ashford) is the open world route, even though it won't be. At first, I will be leasing a Class 313 to run the stopping service between Brighton and Lewes. I'd hire a driver or two to make money on that service before buying another 313 to run a better service. Eventually I'd gain the trust of the local council and I'd be allowed access to the Seaford branch. At this point, I might have enough money to rebrand my company (until now, all my trains were in base white). I'd paint them purple with pink doors and change my logo. You would be able to do more with the liveries, but I won't go into any details. After proving that I have a competent train operator, I'd eventually be able to run services to Ore via Eastbourne. To run these new services, I'd buy some Class 377s and hire some new drivers. After becoming an established brand, I would get a call from the mayor of Rye. He/she wants a new fast train between his/her town and Brighton and Ashford. I'd get a grant saying that I must run 2 trains per hour between these two destinations, in exchange for funding for a couple of Class 171s and new drivers. The game would include statistics of your company, including how popular it is with passengers. There would be a Twitter-style feed of your passengers 'thoughts' that you can use to know what to do with your company, like the Chirper in Cities Skylines. After putting so much effort into the Ashford/Rye service, my existing services between Brighton and Ore and Seaford are getting neglected. The trains are getting quite tatty and the services are increasingly late, so I would buy some new trains (probably only Class 377s this time around) and refurbish the existing ones, the hire new drivers to run an increased service. I'd just explained a limited example of this idea. It would work much better on main lines with many different types of services, like Cresston in Train Simulator. Ideally, the fictional route that would be made would not be set in any particular place in the country, and would feature third rail electrification, OHE electrification, and on a few lines, none at all. This could take advantage of the wide variety of trains coming to TSW. Similarly, there could be multiple routes set in different countries and/or different eras. For the latter, it could make sense to copy Transport Fever and start off in - let's say - the 1950s and work your way up to the current day. This could even include the Beeching Axe! Remember, when there are no limits to what you can do, no one can stop you or judge you. We've seen how DTG has improved with both trains and routes over the years, from the barren wasteland that is the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway to the very well done Chatham Main Line to the beauty that is TSW's German routes. Imagine what they can do, detail wise, when they don't need any source material to work towards. It could be brilliant.
That would be appreciated if it gets added but it they do read this I betta post my forum : https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/tsw-2020-feature-proposal-updated.22665/#post-133509
Sounds great.......but probably wont happen as the point of the game is to drive trains not manage them.
Fabulous stuff....! I had a similar idea, but with more focus on "good driving", with some elements of "management", but this would need a better simulation.... Anyway, in the event that TSW does get some more simulation elements, my idea would involve: - your rolling stock taklng damage from poor driving (or crashing), and always taking wear and tear, increasing maintenance costs - having to pay for your trains/track to be repaired/renewed - your customers being affected by poor service (late trains, emergency stops, etc.), decreasing revenue - being fined for over-runs and SPADs, etc..... You could also make this "multi-player".... so you could earn much more money by driving other people's trains/services on their profiles (and they get a cut as well), and if you drive badly then you don't get your "wages", etc.... This, for me - is the potential for multi-player in TS1 and TSW... maybe the next generation..... also - potentially easy to monetise - the more routes you own (and buy), the more services can be run by other players to make you money.... and the more services you can drive on other people's profiles to make you more money. NB: By money, I mean "virtual money" - not real money - but virtual money that you can use to build your "empire"....
You'd still be able to drive your trains, and they'd feature the same features as in TSW. ------------ I think it's worth talking about how marketing would work. In addition to changing your logo, company colours and livery, you can also rebrand stations in a similar way. To go with this, you can advertise to bring more passengers to your services. You could select between a newspaper ad, billboard ads (these can even be seen from the route!) or TV ads.You can then select what you are advertising. This could be a particular service, the price of your fares, your cool new trains, or more. This would change the appearance of advertisements. Finally, you can set how long your campaigns last. Advertising, for a limited time, would increase your one-time passenger numbers, but not season tickets. Talking about season tickets, that is a major gameplay aspect. If you run services in the peak hours, you will be able to sell frequent passengers season tickets. These are big money, but if the service you provide isn't up to standard, they'll want their money back. You'll need to make sure that season ticket holders get the service they deserve without you spending too much to improve the service, as the money isn't limitless. The interior of your trains can be edited by the player, but is much more limited. You can select different designs (all pre-made) and could change the colour palette. The walls, flooring, seats, seat backs and other miscellaneous things can all be changed. These apply to all of your trains, not just those in the same class. Over time, both the interior and exterior of your trains will get worse. For the exterior, usually a drive through the washer is enough, but if you leave it too long, or if it gets vandalised, you'll have to pay to get it repainted. Inside your trains, it will get dirtier and more threadbare over time. Again, a deep clean might work, but for really bad cases, you'll need to refurbish the train. Your passengers will gradually get more annoyed if your trains and stations are in a state and eventually, you might lose passengers, including those all-important season ticket holders.
Would you be able to select what train your operated on your network. If so I'll be using the 377 every day.
Yes, you would be able to lease (or purchase outright, which is more expensive at first but cheaper in the long run) any train, as long it is suitable for your route.
Euro truck simulator 2 runs on pretty much this principle I think, and I sure enjoy that sim. Intriguing idea and it certainly gets my vote. Good post OP.
Here are some details for the UK route. I have come up with ideas for each map, although in the actual game/DLC it will probably be different. This is just my brain going wild with ideas. I've chosen to name the three routes (for now) after the three fictional routes from RailWorks, these being Hedborough North (UK), Seebergbahn (Germany) and Castle Rock Railroad (USA). The in-game description for Hedborough North would be: "This British route has been closed for almost 30 years, with its ageing infrastructure in an increasingly dilapidated state. With a bit of TLC, can you make a profit out of this line, when past companies couldn’t?" These are the trains for this route. Currently, only three have been made for TSW (although the Class 313 is rumoured to be in development), so at present this is a target list. Class 313/2: "Despite being one of the oldest trains in the UK, the Class 313 is still heavily used on local services because of its easy maintenance and low costs." Class 377 (available as the /3 and /5): "The Class 377 is one of the most popular electric multiple units in the UK, and is suitable for inner suburban services, all the way to long-distance expresses." Class 171 (available as the /7 and /8): "This special version of the Turbostar design swaps out the BSI coupler from the Class 170 with a Dellner coupler to allow it to couple to Class 377s in emergencies. With a luxurious interior and high top speed, the Class 171 is a DMU suitable for your most prestigious services." Class 442: "Popular among rail enthusiasts, the 442 is a long-distance EMU, well known for being the fastest third rail EMU in the world." Class 350/1: "Comfortable and fast, this class of Desiro is used heavily on the West Coast Main Line, taking advantage of its 110mph top speed." Class 365: "The Class 365 was the last train built to the Networker design, and is often considered the best one. This train’s very popular with both passengers and enthusiasts." Class 90: "Meant as a 'universal' locomotive, the Class 90 is perfectly at home on both express passenger service or heavy freight trains, with fast acceleration and a top speed of 110mph." Mark 3A coach (loco-hauled): "One of the most popular designs of passenger coach in the UK, until recently the Mark 3 was commonplace on many major express trains, including the prestigious Caledonian Sleeper." Mark 3 DVT: "These trailer coaches enabled trains to be driven in reverse without having to move the locomotive to the other end of the train - they'll be a very useful addition to your fleet." HST (MTU engines): "A British icon; the HST was the standard of high speed trains in the UK for well over 40 years." Class 800 (available as 5 or 9 coach sets, with or without a buffet): "The sleek Class 800 is the newest addition to the UK's express fleet. With bi-mode capabilities and very fast acceleration and a top speed of 140mph on upgraded lines, the Class 800 is an exceptional all-rounder."
