Route Extension Proposals: Great Western Express

The map is loaded in "tiles" so it doesn't load the whole route in one go
Not sure on the consists, I know in TSx it loads all of them straight away and that you can offload them at portals, but don't know if TSW is the same
I also know that with AI in TSx that the physics isn't the full version as per driven trains but not sure about TSW
So it could be that there is a huge load of assets and physics to be loaded straight at the front end, but if they've done it differently in TSW they could load consists only when they come into "tile range"
Would have to get confirmation from a dev on those ones
Either way, getting scenarios to match up over huge areas is a task... A big one

 

DTG should follow the Create Rail's (ECML) way of making routes in TS. I'd happily buy 3 phased routes of the East Coast Main Line for example.

It's all very well DTG making these routes like Brighton to Eastbourne but it's ridiculously short on it's own, however start extending it then that's great.

 

Creative Rail created the Peterborough to York section of the ECML, and then redid that same route in "modern" format. The other route they did was China Clay for Export in the Southwest (the area around Par) - http://www.creativerail.co.uk/products/train-simulator-2013

The other parts of the ECML have been done by others and are not "extensions" but completely separate routes. They have been merged (after a lot of work by others to get this to work) but I wouldn't use that method as an exemplar on how to route build and extend

 

Think its more case of the system still needing to know how theses services are working, across the entire route. Even if the train dosent load in visibly until a mile out from view. By splitting the dlc routes, the system gets the chance to forget whats happened behind it ie GWE London to Reading, and can load the Reading- Didcot section. So the Portal for a Reading- Didcot extension could be Twyford for example. matching up services would just be a case of continuing the GWE timetable west of Reading? The Berks and Hants trains would disappear down a portal towards Reading West, as they do already and some services would terminate. So the farther away from London the less timetable demand.

 

I was thinking about the recent issue with TSx 32 bit where you couldn't have very long scenarios because a lot of consists were loaded off the bat, and with high scenery you'd breach the 4Gb memory limit. Of course TSW doesn't have this restriction being 64 bit, but it does mean it would be a lot harder to create and master the scenarios so it all ran as it should

 

I don't know why it couldn't have gone to Ore as it isn't much longer to go and I think would still not have made it longer than other routes, that is definitely the one route where I think we were left a bit short. Its a lovely route but I get bored driving it now, I will go back to it in a while, I don't get bored on TVL or NTP although they are more my era.

 

Well they have stated several times that consoles are not a barrier to route length and that it is to do with development time.

 

I agree to an extent, technically no. Scenery loads in tiles etc. So yes no problem running a route. However there is a difference between a machine computing a say 100 mile stretch of WSR timetable vs a 100 mile stretch of a HRR or GWE.
Im suggesting a split of GWE style routes not because I in any way blame console or lower end machines, Im PS4 myself at tho moment. Im trying to suggest ways in which console can enjoy the same routes that PC is likely to get without the loss of traffic.

 

The Xbox Series X and PS5 are coming out this year. Their gonna be as powerful as a PC, so I don't see an issue. I hope dovetail are working on making the game better for The Xbox Series X and PS5

 

Also it's not impossible

 

yes please. it's time you people change how youre making routes

 

You should read the whole post and it's responses... the answer you quoted is unfortunately incorrect in it's statement. Creative Rail did NOT make the whole of the ECML and has never extended anything

 

but you can

 

someone had said it was not possible in one fourm

 

There making money from Train Simulator so I wouldn't say their losing money

 

The point is and this is presumption, I don't know, I may be wrong, but for the time it takes to make a route like TVL in TSW in TS1 they can make a longer route. Therefore routes in TSW are shorter for the same amount as person hours as it takes to make a route in TS1, therefore that is why routes are longer in TS1. I imagine service mode takes more setting up. It makes no sense commercially for them to make shorter routes in TSW than TS1 if it takes the same amount of time.

They have stated route lengths are down to development time.

 

i just wish they would take the time to make a full route in tsw because it's possible to do so. One of the people even said so. They make money from TS1. alot of money, hundereds of thousands of dollars. so i don't think money is an issue. It would take longer but it would be worth it in the end. People have been demanding extensions for a long time.

 

The Xbox Series X and PS5 will be powerful just as a pc, so hopefully it'll be easier for dovetail on that front

 

A third party can help you guys

 

There is a difference between making long routes to start with and extending routes at a later date. They are two separate topics. Longer routes will come and possibly sooner than most people think, and I’m talking longer than current routes but maybe not like 300 miles (but see below). However, route extensions aren’t a thing in TSW and we’ve heard the devs say in streams time and time again that they won’t be coming any time soon, and yet people still ask for them daily. It’s mainly the same two routes that people ask for extensions for.

In the future, longer routes may come out in sections, each section being one DLC, and in that case they will be routes that have been planned to come out in sections, so integration between the sections will have been worked out before the first section is released. Extensions to older routes like GWE will probably never happen.

These are not facts, just how I see things progressing from what I see and hear.

 

So Routes like Rhur Sieg Nord, LIRR, East Coastway, Great Western Express may never be extended. So what's the point of making them then. Basically it's like we're gonna make a long route, but it won't go to the end destination in real life. DTG shouldn't make routes if they're not gonna go to the end destination. Hey I mean I guess dovetail will just continue to be greedy and want more money by realising more routes that don't go to the end destination. It's not a sim if you can't get a full route experience.

 

Who died and made you captain?

Who defines what a sim is, it is simulating driving a train as realistically as possible as far as I can see, that has no bearing on route length.

Whilst I would love to see Paddington to Bristol, Paddington to Reading is better than nothing as far as I am concerned. What would be the "end destination" out of Paddington? Penzance, Fishguard, Cardiff, Swansea, Bristol, Worcester, Hereford, Banbury?

Why do you continue with this "DTG are being greedy" mantra? They are a business needing to pay the wages of 150 people and continued developing products, I suspect they have a better idea how to do that than we do.

 

Just stating my opinion. Read the reviews or watch reviews of certain routes. I'm not the only person who said dtg are being greedy. SIM UK has said that in his review of certain routes. And others

 

Whilst I find many Youtube reviewers interesting, I can form my own opinions rather than having someone else's spoon-fed. Many I agree with but some seem to have other agendas, I haven't seen his channel so will have a look, although whenever anyone uses the word "factual" without any caveats gives me a deep seated sense of dread, as often it is opinion dressed up as fact.

 

Dont think its being greedy or anything sinister. Think they sometimes try to please everyone and end up pleasing no one.

 

because the routes they make are lacking a lot of things and most of the time they don't go to the destination posted and they continue to to that. Of course people would be frustrated and demand change

 

Something to bear in mind is that the early TSW routes were very much a learning exercise, mistakes were made that may make extension difficult, and with everyone learning how to build in UE the early routes took a long time to build. Now they have learnt more about what they are doing I'm sure there are possible extension options built in.

At the same time it's possible budget is the limiting factor, DTG are profitable but not massively so according to Companies House, and it's possible the current routes are the maximum length possible with TSW levels of detail if costs are to remain below the £24.99 price point (and remember that a lot of people will wait for a sale rather then buy the content at full price)

Finally there is the issue of variety, is it better to do a mix of short routes from various countries and eras, or spend the time on a long UK/US/DE route and risk alienating the rest of the community? I know there is a sizeable chunk of the community watching TSW but they won't buy until something they want (or approximately what they want) is available for it. I'd rather have a variety personally, I've been up and down the GWML enough times as a passenger without doing it virtually

 

I think that is true. I don't know whether they should have made a trilogy of extensions and concentrated on one route for each country. However if they had to GWE people would say, why no Northern routes, no Welsh routes, no BR routes etc. If they decided to make the complete Trans-Pennine route set in 1983 in stages then the anger about lack of modern routes would be palpable.

I remember the days of MSTS when you got Paddington to Penzance or Euston to Liverpool or Kings Cross to York on one disc, it was wonderful, but can you imagine how long the development of those and the requisite stock would take on TSW? It probably wouldn't be sustainable.

 

it is all possible though.

 

To a degree, without joining the routes, which I think will come at some point. The German dlcs have been a success? The exception being perhaps the lack of an ICE. All in a similar region using similar stock and more or less the same operator, but each offering a different way of driving and heavily populated routes.

 

Fair point

 

I think will get an extension soon hopefully

 

The German routes have been good