Train Sim World 4 - Antelope Valley Line Q&a (september 7th)

My question is this what is the 10GB Xbox update for that’s downloading

 

Are there any unique passenger timetable runs such as driving just the loco? Shunting etc?

 

If it stutters, will you at least acknowledge it?

 

If it stutters, will you tell us that you’re working on a solution?

 

Can you please make sure you have all the freight layers included to show on the stream.

 

Will there be any antelopes

 

Will the passenger runs be split in two (unrealistic) or operate as one run throughout?

What level of freight can we expect on the route?

Can you show us the highway junction at the south end of Newhall Tunnel?

Will the LA metropolis cast a decent amount of ambient light and not be pitch black as so many other large towns are in TSW?

 

That's a preinstall if you preordered that happens with many other games

 

It was shown on gamescon but runs are separated into parts. So it's around an hour long for each part. There are some full runs like the ones via princesa but that's about it.

 

Ok thanks

 

DLC? Existing DLC that layers and future DLC? Metrolink opens the doors to what upcoming DLC?

 

One of my worst fears with any new route these days. Having seen the dreadful night lighting in Voralsberg, it seems that, once again, after 6 years of development, DTG still hasn't figured out how to light the environment at night, at least consistently. They did it early on with SPG and sporadically since, with BML for instance. But never in tunnels and not in routes since Rush Hour.

I can't begin to express how frustrating it is trying to drive at night in TSW. Mostly I just don't bother after dark.

Since this is a QA thread, I'll ask once again. Can you please do something about this, so I can enjoy the game at night?

 

Not a specific question related to this dlc, but is the implementation of Rail Driver any different on TSW4? Meaning, can we now map the buttons.

 

This is a recent response from DTG concerning Raildriver.

 

Has the freight on the line been changed to Union Pacific?

 

In that case I have to ask, why? Given the save game aside from known caveats is more reliable. In fact one of those caveats is, if you finish the first part of the run, return to free roam to take over the second part, save and come back later the objective data and clock will fail to load. This is actually worse than just saving the run as you go as many times as necessary. Think this merits a response from DTG.

 

Yes, if only to confirm that they are still working on the save game feature. My impression was ( and is ) that the reinstatement was just a stop gap until a permanent solution was found.
It's been a year or more since the last report.

 

Course, the other way to handle a split run, is to just come back into timetable and pick the same train at the location where the split was made and carry on. Not as great as having the entire run available, but ok to me.

 

Are the freight layers playable?

If they still are, why are the freight layers BNSF and not UP, who actually run the line? Can this get changed before release?

Is Union Pacific's LATC yard represented on the route? (It didn't look like it in some preview shots)

Are there any freight layers that only go between Landcaster and the Palmdale cutoff?

How many Metrolink AI trains will exist at LAUPT? Are all the other lines represented?

During the research trip, was any time spent with the EMD F59PH?

Are the few freight industries in the route represented? Are they accessible in the new free roam feature?

Is the routes timetable built to accept possible new layers in the future such as if we get Amtraks Surfliner equipment?

 

What routes can layer here since UP run freight here might as well have Cane Creek Sherman Hill and SFJ give locos here.

 

But as per the point I just made, if you subsequently save that run and reload it, there is a strong possibility it will fail to load correctly i.e. all the objective data, the clock and the objective lollipop fail to load. So far better to have the whole run from LA to Lancaster, two hours or whatever which should save and restore correctly.

Hate to tag for this but DTG Matt , DTG JD or DTG Alex I think this does merit an answer as not just relevant to this route but also any other where players might want to chain services by returning to free roam then picking up the next leg.

 

My requests:

• Give us the list of DLCs that add layers (in the stream or in the article).
• Have all DLCs that add layers installed for the stream, so we can see how it looks with everything.
  
• Show us the timetable for each loco including layers (as you did in the previous Vorarlberg stream).
• If you have any freight services that wait on the sidings for other trains to pass, etc, please show us a bit what that kind of service will look like. You dont need to play all of it. Maybe just load one of the services and just show us the service instructions (what you get by pressing "T" on your keyboard).

Thanks.

 

Are there Union Pacific trains on this route in Train Sim World 4 as you guys were showing it and they were BNSF trains? Union Pacific runs on the Antelope Valley Line

 

It exists on other routes too, so not exclusive to this route. Plus, I don't think anyone has time to sit through over 2 hours to run a single service.

 

Yet again everyone seems to be missing the point.

If the run is set up as a 2 hour one journey you can do it in 20 minute sections and come back to it, without any issues, same a long run on Clinchfield, SPG or San Francisco Corridor where an all stations run is 100 minutes.

Split the run in two. Complete the first part, return to free roam and immediately grab Part 2 and away we go. Rats, it's bedtime save and resume tomorrow. Oh dear the objective data etc has all been lost.

So the point is exactly that the timetable should be offered as is. The notion of splitting services only turned up last year with Cajon because of the save game being temporarily withdrawn. That situation no longer exists.

Anyway I would like to hear from DTG on this issue.

 

But the save system DOESN'T work reliably, which is the main point of your argument against splitting services

I'd argue that's exactly why they ARE splitting them- without a reliable save system (maybe in TSW6 lol) if i see a service with a 2 hour duration, i probably won't even start it- rarely have that much time in one setting. So, with AV route that would probably mean i never play it.

I'd honestly prefer if they were split into 4 parts- that way you can drive anywhere from half an hour to 2 hours without losing progress. Everybody wins!!

 

OldVern, I don't think you are getting my point. I am saying, both parts of a run should be available in the timetable. Don't do Free Roam, exit to main menu, then go back in to timetable and pick the second part to run. No save and resume issues here since, to the game, its 2 totally separate services. Now would I rather have the entire run where I could save and resume where I wanted, sure. I guess I should state here, that I have not experienced any save game issues since they put it back.

 

Maybe they'll answer the question in tomorrow's preview?

 

Me neither. In fact it's always worked reliably for me.
I'd just like more flexibility such as multiple save options.

 

I see what you mean. However it is more immersive to respawn in the cab where you left off as this inherits any late running you might have incurred, make the next part more interesting.

However as you say the normal save game works fine so I really don't know why it was necessary to split the services, other than to give the illusion of more trains than there actually are.

 

Will the F59 be in the game as well as the MP36PH-3C

 

There will be no plans to do that.

 

Are toilets accessible?

 

Split services also did exist in sherman hill. But the point still stands. I don't think many players would be interested in sitting for 2 hours straight to do an end to end run. Cajon pass would have taken more than 2 hours to do. I would rather have chunks that are reasonably timed than just 1 really long session. My limit is like under an hour, maybe slightly more if the run is interesting, but you can't really tell me to just not buy something either since I like all types of routes

 

You’re still missing the point old chap. You can do that now by saving the run as you go. So long as it is the same run. You could do that two hour run in 20 minute chunks spread over a week and the save will load reliably every time. Not so when it is split and you decide to chain the two legs by returning to free roam and staying in the cab, then saving later.

Maybe they will tell us this aspect is fixed, but the fact none of the DTG people I tagged have responded with a yay or nay kind of tells me they haven’t.

Well I guess it is what it is, with just over two weeks (hurrah!) to the early access release, ain’t much going to change now.

 

My contribution:

- Will the bell be fixed on the F125 locomotive? It rings too slow and if a recording was taken, I don't know how this was messed up.
- Will the cabcar feature a different horn from the F125? Both of these have different sounding horns.
- Will the locomotive and cabcar actually have airbrake sounds when you set the air? It seems like all DTG stuff fails to have proper airbrake sounds and both of these do in fact make noise when you set air.

- If the MP36 and Bi-Level pack is in fact coming as a DLC, is it just a copy and paste of the CalTrain ones with a simple reskin? Or a complete re-do of the original Baby Bullet pack? Will we also get a working Bombardier cabcar? As a follow up and related to my above question, will the sounds be updated? The CalTrain MP36 and Metrolink MP36 have the same horn (Nathan P2) but it sounds different on Metrolink. Were new MP36 sounds recorded? The CalTrain MP36 also never had any airbrake sounds. As I asked above, will the Metrolink version actually have working airbrake sounds when you set the air? Trust me, these too definitely make sound when you set air.

- Can we expect any future DLC for the route? Like an F59PH? Kinda doubtful on this one but worth asking.
- Can we see more previews? Specifically of the Rotem cabcar cab and sounds?
- The cabcar doesn't feature LED headlights like the F125 and the ditch lights flash differently. Was this properly modeled?
- Although already kind of answered previously, will it be easy to continue onto part 2 of the run once you reach the end of part 1? Or will you be forced to exit to the main menu? Would you consider just making each service a single run and not splitting it into 2 parts?

I think this route has high expectations. Especially from people like me who are extremely familiar with the route and the Metrolink operation and equipment. If it's done right and per the prototype, it has the potential to be one of the best US routes. But if it includes all these bugs and inaccuracies, like BNSF freight instead of UP for example, or incorrect sounds like a slow bell, improper horn, no airbrake sounds, similar stuff to many previous DTG releases sorry to say, then it's just not going to be as much fun. And leave a lot of people cheated. Especially if people are telling you about the bugs and inaccuracies and what needs to be changed and fixed WEEKS before release and you guys don't listen and fix any of it.

 

I think MP36 with Bombardier BiLevel Cars will come as a separate Loco Add On. My prediction is within half a year.

I'm not sure about F59. There would be a lot of work even they use the F40 models as a base. Because the loco bodies have very different designs.

 

Will the freight locos have safety systems besides the Alerter?

 

Will it be possible to use the Metrolink train repair/depot halls.

 

Will we have the freight layers at the time of early access like the 185 layer at Vorarlberg.

Or will we get it first at release date when all the TSW3 add ons are available for TSW4?

 

No. There wasn't at launch and there won't be. It's not something that can just be done you know.

The 185 actually comes with vorarlberg. It is not a layer.

The freight layers on this route is from legacy content (tsw3 is basically legacy now with the launch of tsw) which isn't available during early access.

 

Funny anecdote. I avoid the save game like the plague. Then one time, I tried to do something similar to what you describe on Cajon. The one time I tried to use a save game, it broke and the entire map was red-locked.

I get why you want everything as one service and on shorter routes, I’d probably agree with you. But that one instance reinforced my decision not to use saves to split up runs.

 

Voralbergh comes with the 4024 and BR185.2. Vectron main route is the upgraded Dresen but will layer in this route. you will be able to play it on early access because is part on the deluxe package. So everything below included the Upgraded Dresden will be available for early access

 

Will the MP36-3PH be used with this route? If not, why?

 

Matt said in a TSW4 preview stream that they have “other plans” for that, so more than likely it will get its own route or it will become a DLC for Antelope Valley. Most likely the Antelope Valley IMO

 

No and because there were no plans to add it to this route. It's already been mentioned several times already. But like above said, matt is interested in it

 

What's your source that there are "no plans to add it to this route" other than speculation? Matt literally said on stream when asked about an MP36 DLC, "we've got plans for that!" So how do you interpret that? Sounds pretty much like they're planning on it. As DLC after release. Probably a 4-6 month timeline if I had to guess.

They took a 2 week trip to Los Angeles to work with Metrolink where it would have been obvious there's still a large fleet of MP36 locomotives and Bombardier coaches in service. With 32 trainsets, less than 5 of them are solid Rotem cars. Almost all of them have Bombardier coaches mixed in. There are currently 14 MP36s in service, except the 893. That's a decent amount still in service. It would make sense to include them as DLC for the route and it would seem that it's likely to happen at some point.

 

Sorry, I was just saying not planned to be part of the route. Only the f125 and cab car is coming with the route. That's why I said Matt is interested in bringing it.

 

No need to be sorry! Sometime it's easy to misunderstand, especially on forums like this. Yes, we get the F125 and Rotems at release and likely the MP36 and Bombardiers at a later date. Like I said, I'd guess maybe 4-6 months, either around Christmas time or beginning of next year, maybe? We'll have to wait and see. But it does sound like they're coming! Now, whether it's just a lazy copy and paste of the CalTrain ones or reworked models and sounds for a new, better DLC, we shall see. I'm skeptical on that one. Not crazy about paying for basically the same DLC a second time with a different skin on it.