Scenarios and training mode might start you out of the cab but, and I’ve not kept count, the majority of services I do all start in the cab and end in the cab. For immersion I like to do the services and waiting on the platform for my train would add to that immersion, in my opinion. Point being, if it was easy to do, which they can for scenarios and training, it should be something they consider.
One more item having encountered it yet again on SoS yesterday evening. Fix it so that doors do not open on coaches off the platform. 10 coach train calling at Hartford where the platform can take about 4 coaches. It looks wrong and ridiculous.
Just some ideas for core improvements, not content, in the slim chance any of these are considered: -Expanded scenario planner with more features, e.g. the ability to perform more complex manoeuvres and placing static AI -Train formation creator for scenario planner -Toggleable layers in timetable mode -Timetable editor with ability to share via creator's club -All timetable timings across all routes universally rounded to 30 second intervals (as displayed to the player) -More dynamic events in timetable mode, e.g. chance of AI running late causing more adverse signals and making runs less predictable -More dynamic scenery, e.g. rising and falling tides on coastlines, christmas decorations on houses in the winter etc. -Physics improvements, e.g. better train "bounce" on unsmooth track, more unpredictable wheelslip and subtle performance variations -Option for doors closing at departure time with an audible guard buzzer, where applicable (removing the need for Driver Only Operation) -Field of View scaling option, especially for when in the cab -Scenery not causing camera to repeatedly zoom in and out when in external view, lampposts especially -Passengers not blocking player when walking along platforms, making it difficult to access cabs etc. -Passenger density slider (not making them fatter, but changing the number spawning) -Not having to click through multiple intro videos and splash screens when loading up the game
A complete overhaul of Scenario Planner and Livery Designer A Photo Mode Faster boot up times (Takes 90 seconds on a PS5!) Random Events in Timetable mode A fully fleshed out Guard mode
Hmmm, good question. I would rather see an update for TSW3 than a yearly standalone release. Then again, the release of TSW3 was good... it went down afterward, but at the time of release I was having fun. If we are indeed getting a TSW4 this year and not a 3-route bundle, it had better: - Have an improved scenario creator and sharing options - let us create our own paths, consists, better filters for uploads, standardized tags to search for - Backwards compatibility with previous add-ons without them breaking completely (Caltrain MP36 and RT DB BR 182 anyone?) - Overall improvement in quality and polish, a lot of releases in 2023 felt like cash grabs shipped underbaked and with glaring issues. - Finally adjusting the pipeline for releasing patches and fixes, proper prioritization of fixes vs. new releases, and not leaving issues months without a fix or with a fix "almost ready" for many months. In terms of routes, I would like to see: - Something new - a new country, so far it's only UK, DE, and USA with one route set in France and Canada each. - No snooze fests - this is a personal preference, but from the TSW3 release routes, Kassel - Würzburg is a high-speed corridor with not much happening, Cajon is one-hour ascent at throttle notch 8 - VARIETY, routes that have it all, stopping passenger services, semi-fast, express, through freight, local freight, shunting. Dresden - Riesa is a good example, Birmingham is not. - Speaking of variety, something that has more than a single train like recent releases. German content is in a pretty good place with trains substituting into other routes, but the US and UK content is severely lacking. I agree this is a problem with these countries due to multiple operators as opposed to a state company in Germany. And last but not least, I would like to see more variety after TSW4's release. Releases from DTG always seem to be bunched up in terms of themes. There was the British blue diesel era when many players wanted modern traction and there were not many releases from that era ever since. TSW2 had a high-speed era. Now we have the "North of London" era after the "London 3rd rail era". Let's have some variety, utilizing existing content, but not back-to-back releases that feel overly similar.
To be fair, this is going to be extremely difficult for dtg to adhere to or please everyone. Freight routes in the US are going to be snooze fests because they are slow and tedious. That's just real life and nothing dtg can do about it. Same with high speed corridors; some are like that in real life. Again, nothing dtg can do about it. They can't just not release a dlc just because it is a snooze fest because then nothing would be released. Different players also have different ideas of a snooze fest so how can dtg please everyone.
Yes, that's why I started with "This is a personal preference" and the thread name asks what you would like to see. These routes have an audience, I can't deny that. But I personally would rather see some winding route in the vein of RSN and DCZ.
Great job summarizing the last couple of years. I do agree is hard to please everyone and it probably will continue to be. I'll be honest from the 3 routes release at launch of TSW 3, SEHS is the only one I still play. it offers variety that a good route should have. The only draw back is it only has Faversham to St Pancras as sort of a complete route. Everything else is picking up from AI and giving up to AI. Let's hope TSW4 does a better job
I think you'll find you have all of those things between Euston & Birmingham if it includes the yards and depots. Metro services and mainline stoppers, semi-fasts aplenty, likewise fasts. That's 3 types of traction, 4 if the 323 is thrown in. You have miles of yards and depots at the London end, Wolverton Works, freightliner trains, tanks from Essex. You'll struggle to find much local freight anywhere in the UK in modern times though. I'd also say that DTG have always stuck mostly to UK, US and German routes for TSC and that's unlikely to change for TSW. We might see more French routes now, which would be good so long as they're not more TGV routes.
I think we will get -Leipzig-Dresden -an UK-route with a pacer -an american freight route (perhaps with an ET44 or a SD70M or SD70MAC) and hopefully it will run on gen8 consoles, because our gen8 friends deserve it.
Flat and sawtooth grade routes beg to differ, 55-70mph speed limits, while the sawtooth routes (Like the Montana High Line from TSC) keeps you on your toes as you have to keep an eye out on the track ahead to avoid overspeeding.
If there had to be a TSW4, I'd want to see: Improved sounds and sound mixing. The audio, especially on US content, is so bad. Some things are louder than they'd be in real life like rain drops, while other things like horns are ridiculously quiet and short ranged. US train horns irl are LOUD and TSW does not reflect that at all. Even the train bells should be louder. More cab sway and bumpy track. Maybe this is just because I live in the US, but unless you are on high speed rail, train infrastructure is bumpy sometimes. Trains rock and sway, especially switching back to back around major terminals. In TSW it's like every route has perfect rails. A plan for accurately covering US routes. It seems like US routes always get the short end of the stick ever since DTG stopped sending staff to the US. I remember this being a post-COVID measure, but travel restrictions and limits on in-person contact have been gone for a long time. I suppose they realized how much money it saved. Problem is, you can't accurately recreate an entire rail line off of pictures and the occasional cab ride video. You end up not having crucial information that you have to approximate somehow so we end up with UK PIS boards, inaccurate timetables or platform usage, reused or generic stock sounds, and as a result, US routes end up being much lower in quality despite costing the same. I would love DTG to sit down and plan how they will get US content onto the same level as UK and German content, even if that means bringing on 3rd party developers already here in the states. There also just seems to be a little dismissiveness towards US rail. I remember Matt in a stream saying something along the lines of they'll never bring AI horn or bell usage to US trains because, well, just look at how complicated GCOR Rule 5.8 is. It really isn't that complicated. LLSL with bell when passing whistle post, bell before moving and approaching/leaving platforms. No more complicated than European operating rules. Better train lighting. Train headlights should look like train headlights, not household flashlights or white discs. Greater challenge/more simulation elements and education. Look I know DTG seems to be trying to make the game easier and easier to pull more kids and new players in, but if they want to keep calling themselves a sim, they can't make it too much easier than it already is. I'd like to see more emphasis on introducing players to the safety systems. Many new players who don't watch the streams don't even know they exist then complain in the Steam forums why they weren't given any warning to slow down and SPADed at 90mph. On that note, I'd like to see manuals return that not only explain the train and the history of the route, but explain the signaling used by that particular country or railroad. It would also be cool if scenario instructions were given like they would in real life--like instead of being told "drive to the marked location" you are told "reverse 20 car lengths then proceed up to signal S416 on track 9" with markers as backups. More variety and depth to work. I'd love to see more tasks to prepare the train for safe departure. When coupling, manually connecting air and electrical cables. I think if that was added, it would be feasible to add a freight conductor mode. I'd also like having to set and release handbrakes. I'm sure there are other things that can be added.
Thats a good point, we saw how this went down the road with NY - Trenton. Saving money with reducing travelling is a valid reason plan for its own. If there wouldnt be internet and no todays modern communication modern platforms like teams, one drive / skype, the only way is to ship the"expensive" employee with the fotocamera over the atlantic, to get good puctures from the places. So why not just working without traveling annoyance / expanses and get the reference material by a 3rd person (campany) located in the us and do the rest with the internet. I think dtg has somebody working together with us signalling, i assume for route reference material too. In the end the effort is "for the cat" when releasing the final prodct / dlc with a diet timetable. Glad there will be a patch, but thats something shouldnt happen in the first place.
How about Hump Switching used in United States Germany Austria Switzerland yards. Regarding RRO RSN DRA DCZ Linke Rheinstrecke these have attached Hump Yards RSN/RRO Hagen Vorhalle Nahverkehr Dresden Tharandter Rampe Dresden Friedrichstadt Linke Rheinstrecke Mainz Bischofsheim perfect places for 363 365 204 G6 to work on since they are designed with Hump Yard operations in mind. US routes Hump Switching Cajon Pass Barstow Sand Patch Grade Cumberland Maryland Sherman Hill NEC Trenton to Boston Newark, NJ Oak Island Yard Hump is under a motorway I-95.
Humping is one of my favourite pastimes in Run 8. At one point the UK had several major hump yards, I’ve mentioned Kingmoor at Carlisle a few times and this would be a great location to see in TSW, pre rationalisation and BR Classic era. Say 1973 when electrification between Preston and Glasgow was still WIP and most of the WCML expresses were double headed Class 50’s!
In terms of recording accurate sounds, it's more down to the toc and their rules which makes it difficult to record it. Matt explained it in another thread on how class 1 railroads for example don't allow outside people to come in and record their trains or to get moving recordings, not static ones. That's just the rules they set in place. There's also very little US 3rd parties in tsc and tsw making it difficult to make more us content and to make it better. Searchlight simulations left dtg in tsc and no longer like the business practices of dtg. Some teams like smokebox is a 1 man team, making it almost impossible or not financially viable to make content for tsw. Some others exist but most of the freight content has been made by dtg
Vern is doubling down on that. All that humping = more family members. Someone buy the poor man some new wellies.
Over here in the US, we'd use the terms " flat switching " and " hump switching ". Incidentally, after years of " flattening ", hump yards appear to be making a comeback in the US. Advanced computer control seems to be making it more efficient as labor costs rise.
Coming only recently from TSC it was a bit of a shock to find how locked down TSW is, so a decent editor would be a must. The steam locos are beautifully modelled even if the physics aren't quite there, so an LMS Pacific would be very welcome
When it comes to the UK there used to be Hump Yards. For the Kingmoor Hump Yards are thinking WCML Preston Glasgow route in the late 1960s early 1970s. I wonder what locomotives are used to do Kingmoor Hump Yard is it like Sheffield/Penistone Tinsley where Class 11 & 13 locomotives were used to do the Hump? For the German ones, 290/294/363/365 and G6 were used, and in Austria electric 1064 Vienna Salzburg 1163 1063 Innsbruck Hall in Tirol
On the SIAM Carlisle 1973 traffic control game, Class 08 shunters are in charge of Kingmoor Hump. Main line locos were not permitted over it. Depending on the time of day and traffic levels you could need 3 or 4 08's at that location to keep things moving.
The thing is there was an editor preview a few years back and DTG went silent due to some issues. I would love a Fortnite creative type of system where stuff is made on pcs and console players can play/download these maps, would be the death of train sim classic after that
A4s may look better, but a Duchess could go just as fast and was substantially more powerful. ECML is relatively flat, whereas a Duchess had to haul heavy trains at a decent speed over Shap and Beattock. I've been told the upper limit on the power available was how fast a mere human could shovel coal into them - consideration was given to a second fireman. I saw them often at Preston and travelled behind them too, they were an engineering marvel, the British equivalent of the N&W class Js.
More gameplay! You could add so much more gameplay to this game. I don't think there are much fans of how the action points work right now. Why not add more challenges to the AP system based on your driving. Think of it like the driver guidance on the Harlem line but you get AP for passing certain points at a set speed. The stopping markers could also get AP based on how well you stopped. Passenger comfort can make you loose AP if you brake too hard. Make AP usable. Make extra liveries with each route that you can unlock with AP (You can even still sell those liveries as a rail pass for those who don't like a grind) Yes this sounds arcady but turn of notifications and you won't even notice it is there.
Agree. You also need a more comprehensive career tracker such as the “Vernometer” in Run 8. Particularly a record of failings like speeding, SPAD’s etc. as well as total mileage driven on the various routes and traction types.
I would like to see a better szenario planer. Dont need to be a full editor, but in its current form its to limited. Need more spawnpoints or adding portals, creating own consists, allowing back to back services ect.
There is a problem with this on older routes - a lot of the scenarios and some timetables have timings that are impossible to reach unless you drive with 100% throttle and 100% brakes. If the timings got more relaxed then sure, newer routes have timetables that are manageable with sensible driving. But scenarios are VERY tight with some stops impossible to achieve (one of the LRS scenarios asks you to do Rhens to Koblenz in 3 minutes). The current AP implementation is questionable and heavily favors stopping services. Either the points from good driving should be increased or points for stopping correctly decreased. You drive the same line in stopping train for 20k AP and freight train for 4k. Tying these points to passes and other FOMO bullsh... is unacceptable.
So what do you do then with the AP? Contact the local newspaper in the hopes they will be impressed by your achievements and print a story about it?
Well, the current implementation is useless as since TSW:HH only shows if you can drive under the speed limit and stop precisely. This should be improved and take into account the overall quality of your driving, but it should remain a pointless number. I don't have issues with improving the scoring system, but I have a problem with using these points for purchases of any kind as this would force you into frequently stopping passenger services (Bakerloo line) or put a train on the Training center loop and let it drive overnight while you sleep.
And that's a problem why? Why would you care if players choose passenger over freight? I already rarely play something else than frequently stopping passenger services. Why would you care that someone lets their train do a center loop? If that's the way they are playing this game gaining some liveries by doing so is not very useful to them as it's just cosmetics.
You're missing the point. They shouldn't snooze fests. End of. Pick something more interesting like, oh I don't know, another tube line, or god forbid a subway line (you know, exactly what the community has been asking for over and over and over again!).
If the AP were used for purchases as you suggested in the original post: "Make AP usable. Make extra liveries with each route that you can unlock with AP (You can even still sell those liveries as a rail pass for those who don't like a grind)" People would then find a meta strategy to get the most AP per hour to unlock stuff the quickest way possible.
If I have to leave my game running a few days to unlock a livery I would purchase a pass. Who really cares that people seek the fastest way to unlock cosmetics? The fastest way is by purchasing a "rail pass" for each route
3 is good. 2 was good! Not ready for a 4, just stabilize and optimize! Fully integrate RailDriver support and end the Beta.
