Last night I played TVL after a long time. How good is it? The latest releases made me forget how older routes were better (not all of them of course...). Everything in TVL is spot on. You can almost smell the polluted air around the big Teesside plants... It's plenty of little details, from the old disused South Bank station to the closed Walter Scott bridge near Thornaby, not to mention Newport bridge. Tees Yard is big and dirty, the countryside outside Darlington and Saltburn green and relaxing. The rolling stock, with the Class 20 and 31 add-ons, is great. I can't bear the bloody Class 101, so I'd like something easier for passenger services (Class 31 units pulling 101s are there, but they brake like a bike...), but in general everything works fine. Love it.
Oh, a quick question: is there a service in timetable mode where you can drive the Class 20 from the other side (see picture above)? I didn't find one so far.
Uuh, did I read TVL? Still my favorite route, unbeatable in combination with the Class 20 & Class 31. And yes, you can drive the Class 20 in both directions but it's mainly coupled nose-to-nose for better visibility. Let me try to pick out a few services where the Class 20 is driving with nose first.
Just finished TVL having owned but not touched it for TSW2020, and absolutely loved it. It really made me appreciate the older style British routes and has set the stage nicely to start on NTP. Bought the Class 20 and was very impressed; gorgeous to look at and operate.
In the Chopper and Change scenario you can use it nose first, but I didn't find any nose first configuration in timetable mode.
It is my favourite route too, although I think a Provincial liveried Pacer would give it a bit more variety in the passenger department and realism. I would have preferred it if they had supplied a couple of blue and grey reskinned WSR mark 1's to work with the class 31 instead of hauling the DMU. Whilst it wasn't totally unknown for it to happen it wasn't that common and I suspect if a DMU failed in service and was rescued by a locomotive it would have completed its journey and then been taken back to the depot and replaced with another set not shuttling back and forth all day. In those days BR tended to have spare sets lying around or some spare carriages, not like today where one or two units out of service means cancelled trains!
Yeah its a great route and also very underrated, I rarely hear people mention it when they talk about their favorite routes on TSW, but its a great route and really captures the place/era perfectly.. its a very grey looking track, lots of smoke and dust in the air and general pollution. Its perfect for a rainy day, I always set the weather to rain on TVL, because its already such a smokey grey looking place, just adds to it
Yeah, i know Chopper and Change, unfortunately I can't find any other services with nose first. I was sure there were more than just Chopper and Change. Maybe that was changed, because shortly after the Class 20 release, the solo Class 20s were turned around for better visibility. Since then they run backwards on the 9-map, because the nose is still the front of the Class 20.
TVL desperately needs a Pacer to sub for the 101. I love the look of the 101 but despise how it drives. This limits TVL’s appeal to me substantially. Please DTG, add the Pacer
I agree- just got it and I love it. One thing I like is the significant amount of the map with long views, since it's all flat and largely treeless. The class 37 is like a docile, reliable old mule- not exciting, but no surprises either: very relaxing.
That reminds me of what the Germans call Ostalgia, nostalgia for the way things were back in the DDR. Seriously, was there ever a worse rail vehicle in British history than the Pacer?
I was on a P*cer once going to work in Liverpool, there was a young woman with her son sat opposite me and he said 'I'm glad we're not in that other carriage Mum, look how bumpy it is!" If you've ever had the misfortune to have been a passenger on one of those infernal machines, you'll know exactly what he meant.
I'm Italian and I never experienced this awful Pacer, but until late '90s we had some 1929 carriages still operating between Milan, Como and Varese. As a university student, I remember going to Milan on these bumpy traps. I was barely able to read my books... Seats were wooden and heated up by infernal furnaces.
Definitely agree about TVL, I rate it right up there with NTP, the route perfectly captures the atmosphere of the setting, I actually feel like I've been transported back in time when I play TVL, DTG absolutely nailed it as far as I'm concerned, the 37 is a joy to drive, and I really enjoy the 101 too, such a satisfying thing when you nail the braking. As has already been said, you really feel the atmosphere of the industrial setting, and when you do the collectibles there's an incredible amount of detail away from the track and there are some great ambient sounds going on. It runs beautifully on the PS5 too, definitely one one of the better performing routes as regards track rendering and draw distance and so on.
There’s no doubt the Pacer was a god awful machine, but she served a purpose (far longer than expected too) and I bet she’s more fun to drive than a 101.
Try combining She and It to a single word. Solved. Mat, chalk me up for a pacer!! going to dust off this route at the weekend
I keep eyeballing TVL when I browse through the store. I’ll probably pull the trigger on it next time it’s on sale.
Same here, waiting for sale. £36.48 for TVL and the Class 20 'Chopper' is a bit to much for an addon/DLC.
That's ok. That's been a big thing here on the PlayStation, the discounts are not controlled by DTG but by Sony so we always seem to loose out. Even when DTG like to mention this thing called "MARCH MADNESS" again not geared up for us on PS.
Yeah, us on consoles don't get the same sales as you lot on PC/Steam. It's not often that TSW content is on sale but there has been at least 2 or 3 since last October on PS.
