Hi all! My son enjoys TSW, and wants one of the add-ons that's only available for TSW 2. I recently discovered there's TS-2021. If I'm going to upgrade, which is better, TSW 2 or TS-2021?
TS21 is PC only and is an older game so not as graphically enhanced as TSW and TSW2. TSW, TSW2020 and TSW2 add-ons are not compatible with TS21. As for TSW and TSW2, most TSW/TSW2020 add-ons are compatible with TSW2 (except North East Corridor). If you have purchased any additional content for TSW/TSW2020, it is available to download free with TSW2 as part of the preserved collection (it's better to buy the DLCs for TSW2020 as they then become free to download once you own TSW2). TSW2 is the next step in the train sim world franchise. There have been several TSW2 only add-ons since release such as LGV Mediterranee, South Eastern High Speed, Isle of White, Clinchfield railroad and Arosa Linie. TSW2 is graphically better and has more interactivity than TS21. As you may know, with TSW titles you can get out of the train, ride as a passenger and walk around stations and yards/sidings and look for collectibles. You can also interact with various buttons/switches in the train cabs (safety systems etc). With TS21, you are purely there to drive and have very limited functionality in train cabs.
Thanks for the information! My son likes having the added fun of getting out and walking around. He's really looking for the Peninsula Corridor add-on, so it looks like getting TSW2 is the way to go. I did notice there's a TSW2 Collectors Edition for $54.99, which features 3 add-ons, including East Coastway, Peninsula Corridor and Hauptstrecke Rhein-Ruhr. At $29.99 per add-on if purchased separately, the collectors edition looks like a bargain.
What the other poster said is correct. I would also recommend TSW2 I realise the collectors edition gives very good value. However any routes marked as ‘preserved’ work in TSW2 even if bought in the older game. So I bought TSW2 and then also purchased TSW 2020 collectors edition (or special edition). This worked out cheaper than buying TSW2 collectors (think there was a sale on at the time), and I got 6 extra routes. I never downloaded TSW2020, just went into the store and the available extra content was marked as ‘purchased’.
Peninsula corridor is or should be available on TSW2020. The collectors edition is a good way to upgrade and get the extra routes if you don't already own them. The control system on TSW2 is not the same though as the new routes use something called immersion controls (easy to learn). However, when playing scenarios using the preserved collection (routes brought over from TSW2020 such as East Coastway, Pen Corridor, Long Island etc) on TSW2, the controls will revert to the classic controls from TSW/TSW2020. Personally, the best way to go is to buy TSW2020 and buy the routes for that. Once you then later decide to upgrade to TSW2, the routes you have paid for on TSW2020 will be marked as free to download for TSW2. I bought all the add-ons for TSW2020 and then moved over to TSW2 with all the add-ons readily available (except the TSW2 exclusives).
There is a work around for that problem, I much prefer immersion controls, so I use the following trick Before you start the scenario, go into the controls and choose ‘classic’ then select the scenario you want, now go into the controls again and it allows you to select immersion. If you go into the scenario with immersion as the control setting, it forces the change to classic and then if you go into the settings immersion is greyed out.
If you were to buy TSW2 I would possibly hold off untill Tuesday as there is announcement for new content that is coming for TSW 2 called Rush hour which includes new routes.
