Juggling the three different braking systems of a giant U.S. freight train to try and keep it under control all the way down a mountain? Attempting to learn an especially complex safety system? Learning to judge braking distance so you can make a perfectly smooth one-brake station stop right on the mark? Something else? What aspect of train driving has kept you coming back from defeat again and again until you mastered it?
Attempting to trigger one of those deadly accurate circular stopping points (the ones placed directly in front of a red signal) in the fewest possible 0.1mph forward shuffles with no onscreen guides is an interesting 'boss fight'
I haven't won my boss fights since I don't play tsw seriously lol. My biggest is not spadding, especially for freight traffic. I always misjudge the brakes and forget you can't just slam them on emergency and hope to stop in less than a kilometer. I'm just playing by luck at that point
Good question. These are the 3 things I have found most challenging. 1. Figuring out PZB and driving the German trains without getting e-braked. Especially in TSW2/3 before they added the aid that tells you to acknowledge. Now its easy to remember to hit if you have that turn on since a big yellow ACKNOWLEDGE box appears. But originally I had to sit at the edge of my seat making sure I didn't miss every little speed warning sign, I couldn't even switch to external view or check my phone. 2. Figuring out how to smoothly come down the steep grades in the US freight trains, properly with blended braking like in real life. 3. Figuring out how to properly set up the rear pusher units on Sand Patch Grade so I didn't get stuck going up the hill.
Explaining to my wife what on Earth is so exciting to watch byflying landscapes for hours and stalling the PS5 while she wants to play Horizon.
This. Comments ranging from, “Turn that bloody train racket down”, through, “You treat that like a job”, to, “Why don’t you grow up”, if she’s feeling particularly barbed! At which point I mention her obsession with tablet games such as Hay Day and Township then usually end up dodging the iPad! She’s a lovely gal really!
1 the braking on US freight trains working them properly to stop where need to and bringing them down grade smoothly 2 passenger train braking trying estimate running at high speed to brake for proper station stop keeping to schedule as best can..3 getting a heavy train moving on steeper grades somtimes i get it going decent others seems like it just wont go at that point im not sure if its me not doing somthing right or its a bug glitch or under powered train some have said there are some trains that are under powered or glitched sometimes i just uncouple some of the train if it seems under powered it dont dock you points just says unknown formation basically i say reduction in train size in order here.lol
1. Using self-imposed rules to get the performance of the Jubilee close to that of the real thing, and then trying to match real timetables or logs from the days of steam, as described in this thread. 2. Driving HUDless, and trying to complete routes based on my route knowledge, without making mistakes. 3. Then trying to do the same in the dark (only really works on some routes with better lighting, such as Blackpool-Preston). 4. Keeping to time with less power than the timings were designed for - e.g. a 31 on 45/47 timings on Transpennine, or a 101 on 323 timings on Cross City.
does this count too? you can use various excuses for the top left. the time comes from your watch or phone, the stop task + when to stop is usually displayed in the train irl, or written somewhere, and the distance until station... you can read kilometer signs at the side of the track and calculate how much farther the station is
It’s an interesting point - I certainly think having the current time and the time at next scheduled stop is reasonable - a real life Driver would have those in some form, and when I’m driving HUDless I briefly switch them on to check them from time to time. The distance to next station stop is more of a stretch! The problem is it means you can do your stations stops entirely on the basis of the numbers on the HUD - not what you can see out of the front ‘windscreen’ - and if that number’s there, that’s what you tend to end up doing. For me, it’s not very satisfying.
Yes! Especially, I think it was Clinchfield, trying to sneak up on a stop that has about a 2 yard SPAD window with a several thousand ton freight train. Getting the logic behind the different brake systems and successfully fitting them together on the downhill fly really felt like an accomplishment for me.
PZB/LZB/SiFA probably was the one thing I spent trying to learn, and till this day istg there's times where I GENUINDLY thing PZB has it out for me. It's like a complex quick time event. When I first started, it was on TSW2020 MSB, just out of curiosity I armed all the switches. Boy did I get scared off whenever I keep getting a Zwangsbremsung almost every 2 minutes. Got more interested into it more and read some manual, youtube tutorials and practiced with it. I can now say thankfully say I understand PZB pretty well. I'm now trying to drive with no HUD at all, only relying on the displays within the train and route/timetable memorization.
For passenger trains: keeping to the timetable. For freight trains: Maintaining speed limits on different grades. But my greatest challenges are a. finding enough time to play. and b. getting the wife to take me seriously about my obsession with trains. ( a and b are interrelated ).
This is why I'm happy I'm living alone, going outside trainspotting in the middle of the night is fairly fun and relaxing. We all have different priorities though.
Braking is my boss fight lol. I usually panic and brake too soon and then have to release and re-apply. Also can't recommend noise-cancelling headphones enough for keeping husbands/wives from snapping- my wife was driven to the brink by the door closing beeps on some of the UK emus lmao!
This absolutely, plus it works both ways. She can't hear the trains and I have the perfect excuse to ( selectively) not hear her. Of course there's always the ominous tap on the shoulder. Thank God for " pause " and " save ".
I have created a couple charts, thinking of making more, to help me with speed limits and distance (so I can keep automatic setting for different units, so they match the speedometers and such in the cab) - mph to kmh, in increments up to like over 300 km/h, and distance chart of m to yd, ft and mi (also thinking of doing that one but in reverse - mi to m and such) for me it was a lot of fun learning the differences between German and Austrian signalling/PZB - now I can interpret signals in Vienna IRL )))))
I think one of them is certainly the Jubilee driving restrictions James mentions (I am still interested in this mate but just haven't had the time) and keeping to the historic timings and real life runs. Another would be, being trying to feel 'at one' with the locos through the computer/TV screen, which is harder with some locos/units than others. Then the last one would be time and, as with others, the mrs wanting the sound down or jobs done. Though when I remind her of the next model train I am looking at she very quickly backs down and lets me finish the run I am doing.
Boss fight? I'm waiting for the part where M.Bison shows-up in a BR Class 387 on the BML, then Chun-Li does a spinning bird kick from the far side of the platform, smashing him in the face. I think it was Tuesday. Some people say that i have a vivid imagination... No idea where they get that idea from.
The class 101 brakes are not the easiest thing to master, and neither is the brakes on the Caltrain F40 stock quite similarly, if you don’t get good with them quick bad things happen.
Railroads aren't a regular thing for me here where I live (We used to have one but the A&O was completely scrapped 60 years ago, long before me), but the wife was ecstatic when we went to Little Rock, AR, for an unrelated symphony concert but also saw 4 trains in around an hour beforehand. I even saw an SD70M! That was good stuff, and I'm thankful my better half enjoys 'em, too (Here's a pic of the SD70 because why not?) As for challenges, PZB caused loads of headaches for me before I understood how to use it, and even now I'm still not safe from the penalty brakes. Up until the release of TSW4 I didn't touch German content that much, so thank you Vorarlberg for getting me into another region of railroading.
Right now, I'm just trying to find the time for TSW. Every time I turn it on nowadays it bores me quicker than it should.
PZB for me is a good example of a system thats harsh, but fair... and it has clear rules... if you dont follow them, you get punished, unlike most AWS on UK routes (I believe only on Desiro 700 DLC the train actually punishes you for going too fast when warned by yellow signals and such)... my fav safety system in the game pretty much
when I dont feel like doing any runs, I usually turn on livery editor and have fun there... once a livery is complete, it brings much needed spice to some routes for me
Ok ok, I'll give a more sensible answer than my last one then... Entrance to Lackenby sidings on TVL. When you're dragging heavy steel trains over that 10mph ramp with a pair of Class 37s it's bad, but doing the same with a pair of lethargic Class 20s it's even worse. Still my favourite route in the whole game though.
I love Taurus in Hamburg Lubeck and Dresden Riesa as a substitute loco for REX services... finally utilizing the brute power of 300 kN to haul 7 freakin dostos with ease and in 160 km/h is just pure bliss ))
Pretty sure that I’m legally obliged to agree at this point! Same here. Quite busy right now so it’s difficult to find the time for a proper timed run.
Hill starting a steam loco. Usually begins with a veritable fiesta of wheelslip, then ends with a humiliating slide downhill whilst the fireman and any other NPCs in the area silently judge me unworthy. Also, driving a service on a German or Austrian route with all the safety systems on, without tripping the emergency brakes - I'm slowly getting better at this, and it feels great to get to the end of a run safe in the knowledge that there will be no "meeting without coffee" with the boss this time...
First of all, I'll admit this thread is a really enjoyable to read so far; so 3 cheers to Calidore ! I have quite a few bosses to fight before playing TSW. 1. Keeping the motivation high between the route announcement & release. I still love TSW the same way I did on my first day but the 'wow factor' is gone. Just say the words '4024' & 'Vorarlberg' & I'll know what I can expect. 2. I like to pretend that I'm doing it for real so I have to do it properly. That means learning the cab layout, new safety systems or any unique feature is a little overwhelming at times. 3. Finding time from work & household errands so that I can put on the noise cancellation headphones and getting assured that someone else in the family is available to attend the doorbell. 4. I've broke my computer twice by overheating it, so I'm a little cautious now. 5. Sometimes it's hard to choose what to play right now. Quick play doesn't help either because of it's skewness towards scenarios & bad weather ( snowfall & flash rains aren't a thing in the Indian plains so it's totally unrelatable to me & hampers the scenery; not my cup of tea ). Also I avoid shunting in TSW. ( Blame DV for spoiling me ) 6. Running trains without interior lights or PIS trips my OCD a lot ( looking at you Dostos ). So either I turn that ON or I abandon that service. Also the incorrect PIS ( Half the route is tolerable but trains terminating at Ospizio Bernina instead of St. Moritz hurts my head ) 7. Ghostly empty stations & services ( or even worse are the 'out of service' trains filled with passengers in the middle of the night )
I play MFS2020. There is nothing close to challenge (except patience for unfixed bugs) in TSW mainl thanks to DTG policy to keep it in simarcade category.
Launching the game, going to HUD settings & making several changes, then going to accessibility settings to make more HUD changes (because why keep the HUD settings altogether right?) every time I launch the game.
To add to this, I'm also trying my hardest to get DTG to actually resolve an 8 month old crash. Apparently a difficult challenge; they keep closing my tickets.
I usually choose what to play depending on mood mostly I prefer those routes or services where I have time to get up to speed and hold it at least for a bit before stopping, which usually means regional express pattern (S-Bahn service pattern usually means getting up to speed and then immediately getting into braking, and not much rest in stations), sometimes intercity things
One thing I do far too often is spawn in the 11.12 oil train from San Bernardino, set it up as quickly as I can, whack it into Notch 8, disregard all speed limits in the yard but being careful enough not to derail on the curve, get as much speed up as possible before the hill and then try to catch the UP train that spawns on the UP track at 11.24 when the two lines meet and run parallel with it to the summit. Another easier version is to spawn in the same train, snip the back off it, leaving around 30 oil cars attached to the locos and drive less aggressively to catch the UP train much easier with the lighter train and then run parallel with it all the way to the summit. This is a diversion from driving normally and is a nice little stress relief run as I love parallel running with a long train.
ive made my own boss fights too ...tried to load a long coal train at windber mine on HSC on the down grade no pace setter also operating without safety systems on just go by signal indications ..taking trains down grades using only dynamic brakes
The coal train loading not been able to yet came close all but 1 car it is very tedious but i hope to do it..the using just dynamics on grade ive succeeded on that a few times cajon sherman will try sand patch HSC soon the not using safety systems have had success at that i just take it a bit slower and cautious at first
