It’s mainly the value for money aspect that is putting me off so I’ve got a few questions. general opinion in the game and developers Are trains tied to certain maps (E.g could I run the HST from the GWR DLC on the Waterloo-Brighton map or the steam locomotives on the GWR route?) what is modding like for TSW 2? Are their community made maps and trains, are these available on console or is the livery editor the closest you can get? Any other opinions are welcome as well.
Ok. So to answer some of your questions. Trains are usually tied to the route they originally came with or were developed for however there are exceptions to this. Most of the German trains are available to use on other German routes by using layering or substitutions. Some other routes do have locos brought in to use from other routes. Note that Munich - Augsberg does not have layers active on PS4 and London Commuter also has no other layers on PS4 (so no Southeastern class 375 or 465 and no GWE class 166 on London - Brighton). This means that you do end up with several versions of the same locos, mostly German locos and the class 377 on East Coastway and London Commuter (London Commuter has an updated version of the class 377 and East Coastway has another version of the class 66). You can run any locomotive on any route using scenario planner (which isn't that good tbh) using a mode called off the rails. There are many user made scenarios available on the beta version of creators club as well as user created liveries using the livery editor (note that note all locos and stock are available within livery designer yet). As for modding, it does not exist on consoles due to their nature. The only form of modding available on consoles is via creators club. There is no public editor for routes so there are no community made maps and routes. The game is developing all the time and new functions and features are being added such as PIS on platforms and trains and older routes are being upgraded to include the new features. Great Western Express got the upgrade treatment a few weeks ago and it is much better now than it was when it released for TSW 5 years ago. The game does have issues but it is still enjoyable for the most part and some tutorials don't really explain certain features like turning safety systems on/off or other controls. As for value for money, you get a lot for £25 ($30). TSW2 has full 24 hour timetables which simulate real workings, a journey mode (which is a selection of tutorials, scenarios and timetable runs) and scenarios which are set weather conditions mostly from timetable mode but with some interesting twists. Bonus being on PlayStation is that there are quite often sales for TSW2 and DLCs (certainly more than XBox but not more than Steam).
Like Nick said, locomotives are tied to their routes. If you're buying any loco dlcs, you need the base route in order for them to appear and for you to use them. Read carefully what route you need when buying locomotives. I know the ps4 struggles with some of the newer/busier routes so there's a bigger chance the game may crash. There are features that next gen consoles (ps5, xbox series) have that last gen consoles don't such as longer consists on Sherman Hill and horseshoe curve. Nick already mentioned layers/substitutions. Layers are new services. Substitutions are well other trains subbing for each other, not new services. Both add a lot of variety to the route. Consider upgrading in the future to a next gen console so you can get the full experience of all the features. It's still great without everything but since you get better performance, graphics and more stuff, it's an option but don't be pressured to buy it In terms of value for money, it really depends on the route. Some routes are kinda expensive for what you have. Some routes are good, some not too great. Route choice is subjective at the end of the day, so do research and watch YouTube videos to see if you really want to get the route. Look at reviews too but remember to not rely on them fully. I have almost every dlc except for 1 route and 2 loco dlc and they are all quite nice and a lot of attention has been put into them, but there are some that are more worth it in a sale.
Very ugly, low framerates, lots of crashes, no modding. As far as I remember the PS5 version also suffers from low framerates and crashing as well. Generally, the only reason to get the console version of TSW2 is that you don't have a PC capable of playing the game, which is why I am stuck with it on PS4.
Oh and the ps5 version has the 64gb dlc limit at the moment so you can't have everything installed at the same time
Speaking only for myself, I picked up the TSW2 Deluxe Edition (or whatever it was called) on sale on the PS Store as a tryout. Enjoyed it a lot, bought the PC version. The game's newer routes bump into the hardware limitations, and the system in general is last gen and will be phased out sooner or later, but the older ones in the package ran fine.
If you have played it before on PC, I would not get it for PS4 or you will be dissapointed. The settings are basically set at medium- low and the draw distance is horrible. I have a Gen 9 Series X so the settings are almost at full PC level, never had a crash and frame rate has never been below 52fps (thats only on Munich and London Commuter at both of the big stations.) I have my old Xbox One S in my bedroom and went to play on it but the terrible draw distance and low textures drove me nuts.
I generally find the routes with more vibrant colour pallets like GWE and RT look better. The newer routes go for an early PS3-style colour pallet which won't look very good at low settings.
