As I'm reflecting the creation of this thread a bit it might have suited the 'awesome service runs' thread as well but since I'm going to write about a combination of a whole set of them it might be worth a dedicated thread... time will tell. Originally I planned this for a little light in recent months' overlapping negativity and as a reminder of what TSW is capable of but yesterdays update came a bit in between I guess - not that I'd complain about it Anyway. I recently decided to pursue the 363 km - achievement for the BR 363 and since I had plenty of kms left to cover I decided to do so by doing some chemical plant runs on DRA, starting at 07.00. Now I'm not exactly a shunting expert and slow speeds aren't really my kind of thing and therefore I had the wrong (?) conclusion in mind that the BR 363 was limited to 45 km/h. Usually I prefer higher speeds and as the ingame speed limit was quite forgiving I decided to speed up a bit to about 50 km/h and coast on the declines. Of course I wasn't able to keep the timings and ended up in a significant delay for the ongoing services but that didn't lessen tue experience. With the AI services it started to feel so much like a real world! It all began with a 182 which I was allowed to pass waiting for it's freight towards Dresden. Before delivering the wagons in Nünchritz I decided to continue in timetable mode instead of exiting to the main menu, wait a bit and watch it passing by. And then it went on... Spoiler: What happened next ... some more freights passing by At Nünchritz, visible from the Distance and through the vegetation from the plant ... had to let the 8.02 IC service overtake me at Riesa ... parallel arrival at Riesa at about 8.53 together with the ICE service towards Leipzig ... all together supported by the substitution system and some CC liveries spawning in occasionally. After about 2 hours of gameplay I witnessed nearly every available type of train for DRA, being a small part with my small 363 of a lively world. That honestly was a fantastic experience out of nowhere. DRA always was one of my favorites but that was some of the best gameplays I ever could enjoy - loads of fun even with a uncommon type of services. With that in mind I decided to share this- as a incentive to try it out for yourself or just a little summary of a positive experience - to remind why we love this game and that our love can be returned in a really cool way!
Well that is the definition of rush hour lol. Despite that, other german routes too are amazing to play and watch with other layers/substitutions
DRA is an excellent route for exactly this reason. Apart from the Meißen branch the route itself is not amazing in and of itself, no breathtaking vistas or grandiose entrances to huge cities (like NY in Harlem for example), but not only what is there is done very well, the timetable is excellent and truly bring the route to life. The 363 services aren't the most realistic as discussed in other thread, I believe all of that is done by electric locos. And I hope the Ludmilla will add some services that apparently branch off into a non electrified line, but still - what is there is excellent. Add some substitutions from the CC (a few weathered liveries, a few more brands for the freight wagons) and the result is truly excellent. DCZ is another route that really takes advantage of the timetable to make the world feel more alive. There aren't enough Joes in the DTG development team...
It was the RT version. DRA really also is a nice example of how CC creations can turn each run into a unique experience - even more if the standard MRCE 185 gets substituted. I remember when the announcement of the cutting of the planned branch lines was made I asked what standalone experience DRA would have to offer. This and one of Matts first reactions it would not feel 'rush-hourly' enough is answered in the best possible way now... Btw, wasn't Joe busy with LBRs timetable during the development of DRA? That would mean there would be some hidden talents left..
