What Are Your Tsw4 Impressions So Far?

Same here.

 

Did I imagine this, or did somebody say that you can now pass station stops and not effectively end the run?

Obviously I try to operate the service correctly and not overshoot red lights or platforms, but if you do accidentally overshoot a station stop and can now reverse, it's handy for when you might be distracted.

 

Yes you can I overshot one on the Voralberg route yesterday!

 

Whilst the ECML should be my favourite route I have to say Voralberg is winning at the moment although I haven't spent much time on the AVL yet. I just love the scenery and the way the towns have been represented and the Talent 1 is nice to drive even if the sounds aren't the correct ones. It is a nice busy route too.

I think the ECML is very well modelled and I enjoy the class 800 very much but I feel it feels like a route which doesn't have an obvious pattern to it. It starts and finishes at through stations, with Voralberg you get services which make sense. I feel with ECML ending at Leeds or York would have been better.

 

ECML is my favourite and it’s easily the best UK route we have gotten since TSW3 launched with SEHS, when the route gets its full layers, it will take the gameplay to another level. The ECML is my most played route, and I haven’t played a route this much since GWE launched in 2017. The route is so fun with the Scotsman and azuma and is well modelled. It’s also not like SKA,GWE, LGV or Kassel to Wurzburg as there is a lot of variety in stopping patterns. Easily the best route and the route with the most potential train wise and route extension wise

 

What about stuttering on the new roads?
Is the Austrian road the same as streamed?

 

In my experience it stutters far less than on the stream. But I find the streams never seem to look as good as on your own set-up, or my set up at least. There were some stutters on the first run but not many and it is always worse on the first run.

 

Disppointing so far. I don’t understand the new HUD to know current vs actual speed limit, and I think the limit is shown as km/m even though the train spedometer is imperial. So, I go to driver training to take the HUD training, which proceeds to point out HUD elements that aren’t actuall on the screen. I think the game put me in minimal mode since my level is 200+, though that’s another problem where during scenario scoring there’s not enough room to show my level and # of actual points so the #s overlap each other. This sloppiness is even worse than TSW3. The ambitions of new features greatly exceeds their aptitude and capability to implement them properly or robustly.

 

A quick question to the TSW4 early access peeps. Alot has been discussed already with the mini HUD / barber pole. I know the 'classic' HUD is still present as an option, but does this also include the classic signal/speed indicators or has the track monitor completely replaced this regardless of which HUD you choose in the options?

ie

 

You can definitely have the signal/speed HUD in addition to the track monitor. Try changing the HUD setting under "accessibility".

 

Thanks, thats good then. I do intend on switching over to the new mini HUD, but not until it has been updated to be a bit more accomodating to the high speed trains

 

The signal/speed indicator has been repoaced with a white line labeled “2km”. Fairly useless if you don’t know how far the next signal is and the scale changes as times.

 

The scale doesn't change though as far as i can tell- it's always 2km. So, if you see the signal dot halfway down the line, it's 1km away.

It took me a minute to get used to, but i do actually find it to be pretty useful, especially for speed changes.

My biggest beef with the new HUD is lack of distance to the next objective. Hopefully they can add that in at some point.

 

Its in the works.....

 

Am I doing something wrong? I've got headlights on yet I can't see anything in front of me in the talent loco.

 

Hrm, on the downside the brake and wheel slip physics still get fowled up. On the plus side there’s now a “I’m stuck-Reset Simulation Physics” button. Though the game should have always been implemented such that turning the train off resets all state. TBD if this also addresses when the door state gets messed up. In any case, seems like this workaround for buggy software should also get backported to TSW 3.

 

What’s the frame rate on Xbox series s looking like on the routes?

 

You can turn on high beams, there's a knob on the right hand side, next to the cruise control activation.
For all the good that will do...

Not too bad. I've only seen a few massive drops when I started: in train stations, while multiple trains were moving. Haven't noticed anything since the first day though.

 

I get painful reminders of my experience in Rapid Transit whereby if you try to close and then open (or vice versa) the doors in quick succession, they break. Definitely in support of the idea of backporting such a feature.

 

The biggest development in tsw4 is photo shoot mod... I have this dirty impression to make use of us as cheap source of nice promotional screenshots for dtg Other than that old dog new tricks (minor cheap tricks nothing which deserves new number#. BUT as I said for me it just occasion for the 3 very cheap routes. AND I wonder how much legacy addons will be affected in new version... Ironically the only train progressed from the current level of simulation is vectron, which Im not going to buy (standard stw4 is the best bargain. There is always this intoxication period from new game (inside DGT and society) and after that maybe we will get some real improvements and simulation progress, but .... doubtly. When ever I am upset for DTG I have to remain myself this:

What TSW/DTG look like

What TSW/DTG really is

 

So far still very impressed but I'm curious what will happen tomorrow when DLC becomes available. At the moment I'm rather positive about performance but I wonder how much impact the DLC will have on performance.

 

Does anyone know if there's a way to edit sounds in TSW4 like you can in TSC? Once again, like virtually everything DTG releases, the sounds leave so much to be desired. Inaccurate, too loud/quiet, some non-existent (AIR BRAKES MAKE NOISE WHEN YOU SET THE AIR). I don't understand how even after confirming with DTG themselves that they got the sounds correct on the Metrolink cabcar, the air brakes still sound nothing like in real life. You took 55 hours of recordings. You would have heard and recorded multiple times exactly how they sound. How was this overlooked again? Sounds have always been DTG's weak spot and always perform extremely poorly.

I'm just glad everything else with TSW4 and specifically the Antelope Valley Line are pretty good. Now that I've seen much higher quality videos of it, it really shows how well it was done. Except some of the sounds, once again.

 

4:01 in this video is how the airbrakes sound when you set the air. This sounds nothing close to what is reflected in TSW4.

 

So it feels like a whole new edition of TSW, rather than a step change?

 

That's a hard question to answer because I don't know what your expectations are. I would call it TSW Enhanced instead of a new edition. The quality of the new routes makes it a step up in my book.

 

Generally better than the previous one, but not by much (it's still TSW with its strengths and weaknesses).
Better general performance at the expense of an abuse of 2D hedges and plants spread almost everywhere, even in the foreground along the railway.

Furthermore, the game still has buggy services (with the permanent red not allowing you to progress due to an AI-operated train permanently stopped along the line). Peterborough-Doncaster? Honestly, I would have preferred if the route had gone as far as York (only about 30 miles further north. Or, better yet, if it had started from London Kings Cross, but perhaps this would have been too much to ask).

To conclude, the soundtrack and the new options menu seem excellent.

 

It’s good. Nothing that couldn’t have been in TSW3 but the routes are nicely built and the new features, on the whole, are worthy additions.

The problem, as always, is that it is riddled with sloppiness and bugs. One I can forgive to an extent because no game is bug free, but the other is not acceptable at this stage in the game’s life cycle. For example, save game still doesn’t work. How is that possible? I just despair at that.

I can only speak in so far as ECML but both the route and the 801 are just full of issues. Many of them are minor, but the really do add up to the point it starts to get frustrating.

 

Hi all
Anyone playing on Xbox with headset can use the Dolby audio app and use a custom visualiser profile and then you can bump the sliders up this has solved my muted audio in the cab .

 

Anyone knows if the 387 would be able to run on SEHS in free roam mode?
In prior TSW versions, you could only get it there in Off-the-rails mode, which means any train would go on any track.
From what I understand, free roam mode will only work if the train is compatible with the track power. On paper, the 387 supports both 25kV AC OHLE and 750V DC third-rail, and the TSW loco has the buttons for switching power. However, I suspect that the AC buttons don't actually work at all, as you can't switch from DC mode or raise the pantograph.

Since I don't own the 700 yet, I'd be interested to know if the modeled loco is in the same boat, or has both power systems modeled.

 

This came to my mind yesterday also, savegame not really working for about what, a year now? Also why still only ONE savegame? I don't get it. That would have been a real nice QOL addition.

 

There’s a red light glitch on voralberg

 

Would be nice if you post this into the Voralberg Feedback Thread with screenshot and maybe name of service etc.

 

So I feel pretty happy with what I paid vs what I received. I didn't expect any huge changes from TSW3, and there's nothing I'd put on the level of TOD3 -> TOD4 for example.

But I do believe there has been a big jump in the environment quality and actually for me this is the single best improvement. I've been trying to work out exactly why, but I think it's a combination of things - better data (LIDAR, I guess) plus more variation in greenery, plus more bushes/greenery on the ground (meaning fewer 'flat' grass textures, etc).

Antelope scenery is really lovely, while in Voralberg there are finally now moments where I look at the distant scenery and think "Ah that looks lovely" instead of wondering why I could see handfuls of oddly-spaced lonely trees on the next mountain, as with earlier DLCs such as Arosaline. So it looks objectivly pretty, instead of "okay for a sim game I guess".

Even ECML, which doesn't have more dramatic scenery (ie mountains!) the midde- and far-distance has clearly had a lot of work done so that the scenery doesn't just 'cut out' a mile from the track. I found myself in photo mode just taking pictures of the distance without any trains in view, because there was attention to what was happening as far as the eye could see.

Yes, it's not perfect and there are some somewhat 'rampy' roads, the odd floating building. But in terms of immersion overall I think these three routes make it much easier to 'sightsee' and get a sense of what it's like to be in that place, not just in a train in a place... if that makes sense.

A couple of sticking points in the spirit of constructive criticism - I feel like Rail Journeys could be ordered in a slightly more friendly way. For Antelope Valley, one run (split in two) along the whole line during the day, before a scenario in the foggy night - which, while the premise was good, basically meant creeping along the slow section of the line for a long time seeing nothing (although even with fog at night, it's good to see the screen isn't just total darkness any more). Maybe a little more grounding in that run during daylight would have been better.

The other thing is just how dull I found running Flying Scotsman the full length of ECML. I had to turn the volume down quite a bit, because it was giving me a headache - it was a scenario with one stopping point in a passing section, the rest was just full speed for over an hour without any real interaction. The loco model is excellent, as is the functionality (not including the steam physics), but I think for me at least the fun with FS will be putting it on other routes in Free Roam.

Overall though, those two specifics aside, I've found the routes to be absorbing and interesting, and I've really enjoying seeing parts of the world I'm not likely to visit. A few issues which have mostly been noted elsewhere, but no bugs that have me rummaging for my pitchfork, overall a smooth experience (and profile transfer was much better this time, thanks!)

Will be interesting to see how the game copes with the mammoth DLC addition tomorrow, but actually I think I'l find it a bit tricky to go back to older routes - maybe even more so than last year.

 

So far so good. But I really would have liked it better if the older scenarios were adopted for TSW4. For example some you need to continually press "E" to continue, that's a leftover from TSW2. Not too happy about the removal of the speedometer (I read how to get it back, but mine isn't coming back). Overall I think it's a well-constructed version, keep up the good work. I do wish the distances were more manageable, and abridged. Play ATS and it says 100 miles, whereas you go 100 miles, but not at the TSW4 pace, but at an accelerated pace maybe 2 miles for every-one really rode.

I do agree it's consuming and if your a railfan this is for you

One thing that does drive me crazy is the US routes, don't put UK based trucks in the US routes. Use US trucks in the US, and UK trucks in the UK. There is a difference and the game should adopt that difference.

 

Well certainly some, like SKW will definitely be on the back burner, unless it turns up on a Quick Play dice roll, but I still have a few favourites I shall want to revisit such as TVL and NTP.

 

I feel the opposite about ATA and ETS2, find the condensed distances infuriating. Generic city, token fields, token mountain pass, more fields and we've travelled 80 miles in 10 minutes. TSW is intended as a 1:1 simulation.

 

Well, I've finally got around to installing the game.

I'm just hoping it fixes the issues I had with TSW3. Hoping, but not overly optimistic.

 

Oldvern, I 100% see both sides of the milage issue. It's just IMO, but I don't want to distract from the game either, and I think that is one of the great points of TSW, is that you get that full experience.

 

Look into Densha de Go.

 

So far, I'm very impressed: graphically, it looks good and with the extra routes I'd say pretty good value at the discounted price.

One niggle though (and I'm sure I'm missing something obvious) - in the name of all that's holy, how do I turn off in-game music?

 

It's not easy to replicate a sound 100% perfectly. Or that's just the sound they were able to record. But there's always going to be differences between recorded and processed sound.

Sometimes sounds can't be added by mods if dtg have not set it up. If they didn't set up flange squeal, modders can't add it.

 

Another issue I’ve noticed on the ECML is that I’m not being rewarded with the safety systems turned on, in service mode.
I should be getting 65 points, but I’m getting the standard 30 points on my journey.

 

Haha I had the same problem. It’s so loud.
It’s in one of the options. In-game menu music turn it all the way to 0%. I leave mine at about 15% as I just barely want to hear it.

 

I think you're getting 30 points per segment in Scenarios and 65 per segment in timetable services.

The scenarios are using the old scoring system, and the timetable services are using the new system.

 

Thanks Jay - I'm not sure that's the one. I've got the Options | Audio | Menu music set to "off", but if for example I play the ECML scenario "Testing the Limits", as soon as I hit 100 mph, background music kicks in and there doesn't seem to be any way of disabling it. Any ideas anyone?

 

You can't turn scenario music off

 

rubbish

 

Huh. Perhaps it's just me, but does nobody else find that annoying?

 

Not at the moment, I guess within a few weeks it will

 

I have no impressions yet.
Despite pre-ordering, on PS5 and PC, life got in the way, as it does.
Will hopefully get chance to have a look later.