Hey guys, It seems like every time a new route comes out, there are two divided camps: the route is good, or the route is not up to standard/an immersion killer. I'm not going to lie, I've been in the immersion killer camp especially with some of the new routes. But everybody in the community wants different things with a new release. I've been playing a lot less of TSW2 because I have felt the standard of releases has dropped in a number of areas. Whereas, there are plenty of people in this community that enjoy the new releases wholeheartedly-and that's okay! It's important to ask: What do you expect out of a route release from DTG/Rivet? What is it about a release that makes you want to buy it/not buy it? And finally, as a community, should we be managing our expectations of new releases given DTG's/Rivet development and release practices? Something to discuss.
Personally, I expect high quality and routes to be made as close to real life as possible with the accurate trains that would run there in reality and sounds that are close to accurate as possible. (I am not expecting 100% accuracy because that would be impossible) The reason why that is my expectation is that dtg has done that before so there is no excuse as to why that can not be done on a consistent basis. They have the talent to do that so I don't get why on some occasions dtg can't do that. Now Rivet also needs to work on consistency because iow was a good looking route but arosa seems a step backwards. I would also like to see an improved qa process because clear inaccuracies and bugs that are clear as day get released as is which makes no sense and is quite annoying. I personally prefer modern routes, not old historic routes filled with trains that are junk, not as clean as modern units and have been scrapped. I do not think expectations should be managed because dtg is known th deliver high quality content so there is no excuse when they have the talent that we not get good quality routes especially when they cost $30
I realize this isn't a direct answer to your questions, but in general, I'd like to see less of a focus on a constant stream of new routes and more of a focus on improving the quality of those that already exist. I really do appreciate this game and the effort that goes into producing it, but numerous are the times when a bug or hiccup results in a substantial loss of gameplay. I've been playing TSW2 a lot recently, and the cumulative time I've spent resetting routes due to things going awry has to be in the 10-15 hour region. Throttles and other functions that suddenly stop working, red lights that never resolve because the opposing train is stuck in place, just thinking about it is enough to make me consider putting the game on the shelf for awhile until things get sorted. What makes me want to buy a new route? The sense of travel, immersion in an entirely new region of the world I've never visited. I'd seriously purchase every single route, if not for... (see last paragraph). I'm okay with managing my expectations for an initial route release, understanding the state of modern game development and that there will be technical issues that need addressing. But some of these routes cost more than a fully-realized RPG or sports title (on sale). Again, I'm okay with that, but at $25-$30 I would expect eventual perfection, or close to it.
For me it's the in cab experience and immediate scenery, I don't really care that you can walk about and ride in the trains (although it is cool). Having realistic sounds and functionally in the cab, along with realistic looking scenery that is close to the trackside (things you can see from the cab) are most important to me.
What attracts me is variety. A choice of locomotives or units, kinds of traffic, rolling stock and destinations. That's why I like the Tees Valley and why I bought the Diesel Legends dlc.
I expect it to be realistic, with as many features as possible. I also expect there to be a decent amount of trains, with the route being sensibly priced.
I really appreciate that Adam's team is repairing and improving the old DLC. I'm already looking forward to the redesigned MSB and RT.
I can't wait for lirr update to come out eventually although it shouldn't have come out so broken in the first place. 6 months after release is quite annoying but slow and steady wins the race I guess
It depends on the route. For something like Arosa I would value scenery (close and distant), accurate physics and train handling first, because this is what makes Arosa different from other routes. For german routes I tend to prioritise the train itself (physics, sound, cab model, exterior model, etc...) and the gameplay (what trains are used in timetable? Can I use other trains I have already? Can I use the trains that come with the route somewhere else?), of course scenery is still important but not as much as in other routes. British routes I care about the train (mainly the correct physics and sounds, as well as the cab interior and exterior model), because it's more difficult to use different trains on different routes (like in german DLCs) I can happily give up some expectations about the timetable, but then I would like just a bit more focus on the scenery. For LGV Méd I value first of all the train (physics, cab, exterior model and sounds) followed by the close scenery. Of course every different route is "known" for something different, but if I had to list what I care about in a general sense it would be Train (physics, sound, cab/exterior model) Gameplay (what you can do in timetable mode) Close scenery
