Have a think, take your time and then try to recall.. When was the last time - if ever - you bought a brand-new TSW route/pack or DLC, and it was bug/problem free? This question only applies to routes you bought immediately on release, not those later on where a patch might have been released before you bought it.
West coast main line 1980s E94 Class 86/2 And honestly can’t remember the rest but mainly if it was made by the big two third parties then it was good
WCMLOS still has a crashing issue around Carlisle on Series S apparently - but I doubt there’s anything that can be done about it
The Series S was Microsoft's biggest mistake, it is pretty much Gen 8.25. Not enough ram and not enough GPU compute.
I've never bought a game or DLC that has been bug free and that's from nearly 40 years playing games, I'm pretty sure the perfect bug free game is even rarer than that mythical stuff rocking horse poop, and equally as rare them hens running around with teeth in their beaks......
Probably a release free of bugs never existed in the way that a game or dlc was "perfect" But laziness, cutts, lack of quality control, cuts on the timetable and use paying customers as beta testers, is the very reason im not supporting TSW actvley anymore. My purchaises are bundled and on heavy sale. The only exceptions where i could enjoy the dlcs and my fun wasnt ruined by annoyance + regreting the purchais afterwards, are the just trains dlcs and TSG content. The expert 101 was beyond what i ever expected, a surprise on the positive side. I rarely use another loco for the german routes anymore. Basicly you get a 1.1 recreation of the real loco for a fair price. Looking forward to the 145
There is no such thing. Not one single DLC that is totally bug free, even years after release. That doesn't mean unplayable obviously, but if you scratch beneath the surface, they are not hard to find.
WRT JT WCMLoS, don't forget that suffered (and still does to some extent) from chronic stuttering and sound squelching. Could argue that's a core issue or running on old hardware but there was undoubtedly an element of overstuffing with detail. The Class 86 on release had the issue with the misaligned wheels/axleboxes, not sure if that was ever fixed. Mittenwald was generally trouble free but on release had the cows standing on the track and at least a couple of stations where passengers played chicken in front of your train.
Nothing is ever going to be problem free, but to my knowledge Blackpool Branches came out in a pretty good state
Probably SEHS when it first came about in the TSW 2 days. Before they switched to the new game engine
Train Sim World 4 - not quite bug free, but still enjoyable. Azuma pantograph on the wrong end and its doors closing too soon. Minor bugs like that. Oh, and a lack of suspension and other core features. But still enjoyable. Spirit of Steam - I think there was a bugged scenario where you had to rescue a failed locomotive, but other than that I was pretty happy with steam until DTG tried to listen to the community and ended up with the even simpler physics we have now. New Journey's expansion - no real issues there Rush Hour - 377s had a lighting issue and there were some SPAD issues on release, Dresden-Riesa had bugged PIS before the Meissen update and I think Boston-Providence had taillights on the wrong end. Lately, I've been waiting for sales before buying. I'm over the initial excitement about 'I must have everything immediately'. I've still got some routes on my wishlist from TSW3 that I haven't yet bought!
No game is bug free, but then most games are less buggy than tsw. I remember (although not what it said exactly) when I bought Mighty No. 9 (a Mega Man esc game infamous for being buggy) that it had a disclaimer about no game being bug and to expect bugs. Maybe tsw needs to do the same
The Just Trains releases (Blackpool & WCMLoS) were very smooth on PS5. (Despite the high detail and traffic layers). If Preston-Crewe is also as smooth then maybe we should be consulting JT about console optimisation?
Well no route is totally bug free, but Sand Patch is still my fall back/go to. I still find good little things about it. Of course they took a couple of years to build it. That hasn't happened since.
It didn't say on release "day". And the reason is because if it was a little later when a patch came out, it defeats the purpose of the question.
It’s also really starting to show what happens when Dovetail takes there time with routes. SPG still beats many routes that come out even today in terms of quality. And SPG came out in 2017! Granted that was just for PC.
Worse since it has less GPU and less RAM, the only improvements are the CPU and that it has an SSD over a HDD...
Okay, right after release. So what difference does that make? Why can't I wait a few months or even years before buying it? What's the rush? I played RDR2 in 2024. Does that make it any worse? What immediately after release?
Not strictly true. BPO was generating CTD’s in the Preston area, approaching from Ormskirk and it took a fair bit of persuading JT the problem lay at their end and subsequently they did identify and either fix or remove a faulty asset.
I didn’t know that. On PS5 BPO was quite stable. Although I do now recall some issues on Gen 8 consoles as well.
I don't think Blackpool Branches actually ever had a crash at Preston for me when I was on Xbox One, tbh
In a perfect world with pink ponies running across rainbows. But that's not our world. I understand the question perfectly. I still don't understand why people run to the front of the line, waiting in line and then being disappointed. Perhaps it's some kind of psychological disorder, but I'm not a doctor.
Imagine you went to a dealership to buy a new car, and when you arrived they said “oh yeah, we’ll fit the seats in 3 months time - for now you’ll just have to suck up sitting on the floor” A product should be perfect and as advertised from day one.
If this dealership has a history of selling incomplete cars, and you only find out about it after the purchase, what kind of down payment can you expect? Money only after confirmation that the car is in good condition. There's nothing complicated about it.
Honestly, pretty much everything. The majority of issues I never even notice unless I frequent there forums.
I think honestly the best release I can think of is Peak forest? Admittedly steam wasn't in the best state. The route was absolutely beautiful in terms of scenery. I remember loading in on series S at Buxton sheds and it was silky smooth. The drop off goods scenario with the 8F was great, the scenarios all worked as far as I recall. There was one silly unobtainable gold on the scenario and then maybe a little stutter around the yards. But otherwise I do still love the route and I don't regret buying it on day 1. Admittedly the route had some issues but I think those were more with steam itself (like no AI sounds, manual firing etc) and the development choices (illogical end point, poor timetable) not bugs/crashes etc. The only bad thing I remember was the 4F safeties being too loud which was the one thing that was adjusted. Other than that and the issues I've banged on about with steam as a whole I would buy it day 1 again. Edit - Read back through the old feedback thread and it was well recieved on the forums too. Just people again mentioning development choices (timetable mostly). It's actually funny how it was well recieved by the community and the ambassadors but yet was a nail in the coffin for steam traction for the foreseeable.
It’s very hard for a game to be bug free, though TSW is the most buggiest game I’ve ever played to the point I think people are unfair to Bethesda. to answer the question my answer is going to go to Blackpool Branches as most non buggy route (not bug free, impossible for JT to do that due to core aswell) released to date that I picked up at launch, least buggy route I’ve picked up is probably gonna be Preston Carlisle and played since that point. edit: I also think all of the other games I’ve experienced game feature halting bugs or something going wrong graphically wise have either been patched out or repaired by my input of reload/reset/go back to a 10 minute back save or an actual developer patch most often . Nothing as constant long-standing as TSW.
The DTG and JT DLC’s all worked great without any game breaking bugs for me. The last DTG DLC that seemed really polished and without major issues for me was Zwolle-Groningen. That was a really pleasant positive surprise . Although the route itself is not the most varied. They added lots of nice Dutch/NS details that make it feel real and ‘alive ‘ I have done many services on it. And as far as I know never had a game breaking issue.
