I know this is out there, and might be a nightmare logistically, but for something that's scalable and identifiable you can't really beat it. Everyone has heard of it. Yes it's a train, but it's also a tie to a ton of opportunities on a scalable "journey" you can keep buying new parts to. Granted, itself it doesn't have a lot of replay value but that's where you tie into the local rails because the OE doesn't have it's own tracks or propulsion. It depends on the rails and engines of the local operators to be pulled from leg to leg of the journey. What it gives you is one label to tie together a whole string of routes from Paris to Istanbul, highlighting the uniqueness of each part of Europe along the way. Pros -Well known name -The train itself is a draw because you can use the "ride" feature to just enjoy the trip. You don't have to drive, you can sit in luxurious, art deco 1920s train cars and use the unique TSW "avatar" feature to walk around the train and (maybe) interact with things. It saves development costs because it's the same train (literally) from one route to the next so once you build it, it's the same train driving on the same "journey" so people become familiar with it. It's the star of the show and a character all it's own. -It has lots of variety and the ability to add to places not seen in TSW. Lots of potential to expand on the uniqueness of different areas while keeping a core audience of players who may not buy the regional addition, but will try it if the namesake train is included. Cons Lots of potentially different licensing Lots of investment on the initial train Lots of research on what to include on each additional "leg" of the journey Goes outside the team's comfort zone of UK/Germany/USA (and outside the familiar logistics bubble) Pro/Con I think there's a number of famous train rides that the same company (Belmond) has purchased, so bad if they won't play ball but good if they get on board since that opens up a lot of other famous rides, from the UK to South America. --- You can do this concept with other routes if that's too difficult in the European journey. Amtrak's Zephyr or Sunset or Canadian routes for example pass through lots of different landscapes along the way, allowing you to introduce all the regional variation of local stops and rolling stock along the way, tied together and a draw for the previous buyers to "continue the journey." Given the length, they don't have to "link up" per se just as long as you keep giving the "feel" of a place like the desert or plains or rockies or pacific coast while using the same logo/name. People can be drawn in by any one of the covered areas and then be encouraged to get the rest of them to "explore" some more. And like above, it's a chance to flesh the route out with whatever the local flavor and rolling stock is as well as the scenery. For example the Sunset Limited gives you a chance to higlight different "biomes" from Louisiana to Texas to Arizona to California. There are already TSC routes that are popular along this trip. This just takes those interesting pieces and links them together thematically, then allows you to expand on the train itself to make it a "touring" experience you can walk around and enjoy. As I said, the one or two trips you do with the namesake train is really just the lure. The people see stuff passing by (other trains, rail yards, stations, etc) and then say "I wanna go do that next! That looks fun!" The Zephyr starts in Chicago for example, so people can see the commuter rail there (Chicago Transit Authority) and then go back and play that. Or, people who bought it for the Chicago transit stuff (which would sell as well as the NJ, Boston, Caltrain and Metrolink stuff) could say "hey, lemme try that Amtrak train too) and then get hooked on that. In Colorado you'd come across trains full of hopper cars from the mines. You could cross the Mississippi in Missouri. Long freights in Kansas. Check out the mountain passes and Great Salt Lake in Utah (done so well in TSC) The wine and logging industries in Northern California. Get to link to Los Angeles for yet another "rail hopping" destination. Different stretches have different rolling stock from different Class 1 railroads in different areas you could expand on for people who are looking for that one loco that doesn't need a whole route, but would be a nice addition to one with other draws too. It's a cross pollination of different play experiences. Whatever you don't have a desire to do or can't get access to...just move onto the next part of the 2,000+ mile route. The idea (as it's a game) is to give a "feel" for each area anyway, much like American Truck Simulator does.
This'd be a pretty cool idea for a community project, though I'm not sure how feasible it'd be for an Official DLC. nice suggestion nonetheless
