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jp's Train Sim World 2: Collector's Edition (PS4)

[July 31, 2023 10:30:42 PM]

I got this because my Dad loves trains and I thought it would be neat for him to see a train simulation game - though I had no idea what they're about outside of the generic "you drive trains". He's visiting so I installed it (that took forever) and then I downloaded the update (which also took forever) and I took it for a spin - me playing and he watching...

Things started off pretty well - the game hops into a few tutorials so you get a feel of what's going on (you walk around, control the camera), understand what some of the UI means (when you're driving the train), and also walks through the basics for getting the engine started. There are different engines, each with their own way of operation (I hesitated to type UI - because here I mean the actual levels and switches inside the cab of the engine, which is technically UI but not videogame UI). And off you go!

So, I did all these tutorials and then hopped into the first "campaign" mission (Sand Patch Grade). And here things started to go wrong...

This first mission has you hooking up to some cards in a siding and then you have to bring them back to a specific location. So, I start doing all the stuff to get the engine ready...and it takes me a while because I forget to turn on the generator field or I forget to put it forward, etc. Eventually I remember what I had to do and turn the throttle to "1" (lowest setting) and nothing...the amps go up, the mph stay flat. Weird. I eventually get the train moving at 6 throttle or so (way higher than I ever did on the tutorial - where the train moved super smoothly on 1 or 2)...and I'm moving along and...what? there's another train coming my way.

Huh. That's weird. The game sort of gets stuck, so I restart. I figure I should have gone down a siding...and wouldn't it have been nice to know that?

2nd attempt:
Ok, this time I get the engine moving quicker, starting rolling along (going slow because you lose points if you go above a certain speed - which is low 15mph). I stop before a switch, switch manually, get back in...and I'm moving along and...the other train comes along and it's on the other track. No problem! All this time I'm also wondering where the heck the cars are that I'm supposed to pick up - the "UI marker" seems off to the side and pretty far away too... So I keep on going until, after 10 mins or so...I see the cars and they're on a different siding, like 10 tracks away..to my right. WHAT? How am I supposed to get there? Geezz.. Maybe I have to go past, and then switch and come back?

I realize there's a map in the settings and you can zoom in and see all the tracks and the sidings and switches and stuff.. and I'm thinking this is stupid, how am I supposed to know where to go...so I reset.

3rd attempt:
This time I start the engine up, get moving and I'm looking at the map and I realize the route I'm supposed to follow is sort of marked - the tracks have a greenish hue...and I follow them along and see that it leads to the cars. Neat! I now realize I should not have gone down the wrong siding...but, according to the map, all the switches are set to the correct positions! I should just be able to go straight until I get to the cars! So, I do...first few switches are correct...and then there's one that isn't. I stop, hit reverse, go back, change the switch, now go forward, etc. This is taking time and supposedly this was a 15 min mission! I'm like 20 mins in and this is getting a bit tiring... I trundle along, trying to keep close to the speed limit, eventually get to the cars, hook up and I'm good to go!

I also realize that the map has the option for you to toggle the switches from the map - but despite the UI saying "press X" nothing happens as far as I can tell...

Now, the train actually has two locomotives, back to back, so rather than hit reverse I think it would be cool to swap into the other one and go forward instead! So I do, and it doesn't work, and I don't know why - and it's getting annoying and tiresome.. I go back into the original, try from there, and now that one doesn't work! I leave everything in neutral, change locos again, and now it works!

Sigh. So, I'm heading back to where I should go, the switches are fine, until there is one that isn't. Ugh. Same operation, and this time - as I'm heading down the correct track I get a message saying I violated some thing or another (like passed a red light or something) and it's game over.

Here's where I mentally flipped the table and say "screw this, I'm done".

What do I think happened?

The simulation seems finicky in that sometimes things work and sometimes they don't - but I never know WHY. So, the tutorial left me ill-prepared in that sense. But, most of all I think the the mission settings were messed up - like, why not have all the switches be correct? Why can't the game warn me when I've made a mistake? It all seemed way more effort than I was willing to put in, and thought I could save along the way I still had that feeling that I might just be digging myself into a hole if I saved past the point where I screwed up, for instance.

Also, I was annoyed that the game wanted me to register for some account with the company ( no thanks!) and that it was splashing ads in the loading screens for Train Sim 3! Also, no thanks!

I quick search did turn up other people complaining about similar things (locos not starting, missions not progressing) so I 've decided to cut my losses as it where. This is the sort of game that REALLY benefits from a solid manual, which it did not include (printed) though I've found pdfs for each of the locomotives and, they're not simple (which is fine, it's a sim after all), but the false sense of understanding I got from the tutorial was the problem.