Hi everyone, I notice the new LGV Méditerranée timetable uploaded to TrainSimCommunity by Yosh1saurus has already had 100+ downloads in just two days. On reading the description and the comments on the download page about lack of suitable stock, it got me thinking. We know DTG still have their SNCF licence as it was mentioned in a stream (or a forum post) maybe a year ago that it had been renewed, but as far as I'm aware we haven't had the slightest hint that we'll be getting any further content for France, the country that was at the forefront of European railway innovation for the best part of 40 years, and still is in some regards (particularly high speed). I'm wondering what our thoughts are on whether DTG intend to use this licence at some point and if so, what might be preventing them or slowing them down for now : - Is licencing generally time-limited, such that they may have renewed it just so they could continue selling the LGV Méd DLC? - Is it due to unfamiliarity with French signalling systems and operations? Obviously we know they're familiar with TVM since we have at least three routes equipped with it, and of course we have KVB at the Marseille end of LGV Méd. - Maybe communication between DTG and their various contacts in France is an obstacle? In which case I'm sure myself and other fluent French speakers around here would be happy to help (although I suspect they have plenty of contacts at Focus / PulluP who are perfectly capable. - Are they waiting for a third party to step up and work with them on French content ? If so, the technical barriers to entry into developing for TSW are likely to be an issue, since unlike Germany, there was never a huge third-party scene for French content with TSC (and a large part of it was non-commercial / freeware, so not held to the same standards). - Could something secret be in the pipeline for when the TGV-M enters service? An extension to Lyon, perhaps? Or is that just wishful thinking? - Considering France still has a fair bit of loco-hauled operation (although rapidly disappearing), would there be interest ifrom people elsewhere in the world for a non-LGV routes, or LGV with classic line operation? Keen to hear your thoughts. JB
I would like to see a classic route, set somewhat historically with traditional diesels and electrics hauling Corail coaches or the SNCF version of the UIC stock. Somewhere along the Riviera would sell like hot cakes, or part of the scenic route that the old Calais to Basel overnight train via Strasbourg used to raverse.
I think in more than one stream MP has said they did France mainly for the TGV trains, rather than particular interest in French rail, so perhaps the reason we haven't seen more French DLC is just lack of interest from DTG's decision making personnel. And if LGV's sales weren't particularly good (just my guess) then that could have convinced them there isn't much to do there. In TSC there aren't a lot of French routes either I think, like 3 or 4 out of 200?
Personally, at the least they should have added the TGV 2n2 at some point to make sure that the TGV is actually usable outside of the ONE ROUTE it comes with, oh yeah and SEHS.
There's little French content for TSC indeed, especially compared to what was available for MSTS, although there are apparently some interesting things at SimExpress. For my part, I abandoned the idea of virtually driving French trains at the beginning of the 2010s. Meanwhile I really enjoyed Transport Fever 2, which offered a wide range of choice about French railways (both modern and historic). Now I just hope there will be as much content for TF3 in the future...
There’s tons of requests to see more French content so maybe DTG should consider getting more interested in France. I myself would love to see more France DLC.
Well it depends if it's well done or not. If it's riddled with problems, inaccuracies, etc, no thanks. I prefer a well-made, realistic UK route, rather than a sloppy evocation of a French one.
The problem with third parties is that it's completely random in the sense that you'll never know if a group will ever exist.
L'artère impériale is not really an exception, it's a shadow of her former self... Now they are again routing trains on the fast tracks due to the most recent timetable, to facilitate overtakings, but you could easily do with only two tracks instead of four (it's four tracks down to Saint-Florentin). Especially between Montereau and Laroche-Migennes, it's desert. And I'm not even talking about the stock variety... It's like a TSW foreign (non UK/US/DE) route ! With mainly just two types of traction (AGC and Régiolis), it could easily be recreated in TSW !
En 2021, Dtg voulait crée le RER A de Cergy le haut à Nanterre (partie sncf) mais la sncf a refusé. Depuis cela, on n’a plus jamais entendu d’itinéraire français sur tsw
Would love to see anything Paris based just due to the train traffic from there that I saw when I visited. Also since we have the English part of the London-to-Paris route in TSW, would like to see the completed part on the other side into Gare du Nord (although there isn’t another stop on the French side I don’t believe, happy to be corrected if I’m wrong since I’ve only traveled direct).
The classic routes from Paris to the Channel coast via Amiens or Rouen were much more interesting though.
D'où tu tiens ça ? How do you know that ? On the LGV, there's TGV Haute-Picardie station roughly halfway, but don't know the stopping pattern there, it is possible that trains going to or coming from the UK do not stop there. Chapelon's Pacifics hunting grounds ! The Flèche d'Or / Golden Arrow route... a whole chapter of railways history ! That would be great, especially set in the late 90s or early 2000s with the wide stock variety of that time.
In 2021, Dtg wanted to create the RER A from Cergy le haut to Nanterre (sncf part) but the SNCF refused. Since then, we have never heard of a French itinerary on tsw
Tu lâches ça comme ça, mais ça sort d'où c't'histoire ? I have doubts about the veracity of your statement since Matt P said the Avignon - Marseille LGV stretch was for the sake of having the TGV, regardless of whether it was in France... This shows DTG's limited interest in France on the one hand, and on the other hand, he stated that there were no issues regarding licensing with the SNCF...
Thanks all for your replies, some interesting thoughts (and dreams!). I personally would like to see something like the LGV Atlantique from Montparnasse to Nantes, allowing a mix of high-speed lines and lignes classiques, a TGV Atlantique (and a TGV Réseau DLC that could also drop into LGV Med), and some TER stock. 1998 would be perfect. Just sayin'. Are you sure you're not just remembering this post from 2021 where someone was suggesting the entire RER A as a DLC? I really can't imagine DTG going for an RER route, particularly as Matt did mention at one point that he'd like the next French route to be a regional route, which I interpreted to mean en province, outside of the capital. JB
