Recent reviews by Fringe Stallion

I've driven this route twice, and the furthest I got was just north of Leighton Buzzard before I finally gave up on it. This route had so much potential, with 113 miles between the capital and second city of the United Kingdom, and six pieces of rolling stock. That was a nice direction to be going in, but it fell short because of poor quality assets and the terrible use of them in the actual route itself. Here's some glaring problems with the route.

1) London Euston is far too much concrete and feels very rushed. They didn't even do a low quality model of the concourse or anything. They just had a black void in all platform ramps. The platform area itself isn't too bad, but it's not great.
2) The speed limit out of Euston in real life is 25mph, but in game it's 15mph at least until you've cleared the platform. At that point, a few of the speed limits are incorrectly placed or just straight up incorrect as a whole.
3) The sidings west of the Park Street tunnel were originally part of a depot, which are now being replaced by new building work for HS2. But in game they are depicted as just a bunch of sidings that have no purpose in the game.
4) Camden Junction is decently laid out, but the Watford DC line tunnels are wrongly shaped. They have a circular tube entrance in real life unlike the box one in game. This in itself is just one of many infrastructure inaccuracies.
5) Primrose Hill tunnels are the wrong design, much so that the asset themselves look like three pieced together to give the appearance of a tunnel entrance. This goes for both sides of the tunnels which are much more distinctive on the east side.
6) On my first drive I noticed that the overhead lines between posts are missing between Willesden Junction and just north of Harlesden. This is a very serious oversight that should've been noticeable on the first test run but evidently wasn't.
7) From that point on the route was decent, especially the station models, but then came Linslade Tunnel. The tight single bore on the down fast which trains tightly fit through was a wide double track tunnel with a single track running through.
8) Throughout the whole route, several assets are wrong and sometimes even clip through the train and the tracks. Some are recycled from old routes and have been utilised incorrectly such as Northchurch and Linslade Tunnels.
9) The buffer stops at London Euston and other line ends are all wooden when, as a modern high-speed line in the UK, they should be the standard red steel ones. Why this was overlooked, I have no idea, but it ruins the authenticity.
10) Finally, one of the defining pieces of West Coast Main Line infrastructure is the unique EPS speed boards that you don't find elsewhere in the UK. Unfortunately, DTG have recycled old speed signs and omitted these specialised boards.

In short, this route was made in the modern day period and should've been done with modern day standards. But instead this route was half-arsed to use old assets that don't fit and ruin the authenticity of the route as well as some incorrect line speeds, and it honestly feels like this route was made in the older days of Train Simulator. It seems like all the effort went into getting the outdated London Midland license for the Class 350 on this route, and the Avanti West Coast license which is used on the updated Class 390 model that has some of the most horrible default sounds in TS and needs the Armstrong Powerhouse sound pack just to even be playable.

There is a freeware version of this route available, and despite it's own inherent limitations is able to capture the route just as well with accurate speed limits and buffer stops. Small things like that. And while it's not perfect, it is relatively good for a route. More than that, it also has the Northampton Loop, a seriously missed opportunity for this product. I mean it's a freeware product that holds up against an official payware product, so make of that what you will. But in short, this route is a poorly made recreation of one of the most anticipated and requested routes of Train Simulator, and that is a darn shame, cause the station models are well done, and the overhead lines are done properly too, and it's got a good abundance of trains. But really, there is nothing new you can get from this route you can't get elsewhere, and that is the whole problem. It's absolutely wasted potential, and Dovetail Games really need to up their game after this one.

TLDR; Route's crap, uses old assets in most places, has some inaccurate line speeds and infrastructure, nothing substantial with the rolling stock available, and it really doesn't do justice to the iconic West Coast Main Line and the original London and Birmingham Railway. It's strengths pale in comparison to it's weaknesses, and I'll certainly not be buying from DTG again without serious vetting and seeing others show off the products.

Should you get this add-on? Short answer: Yes! Long answer: well, let's just read the rest of the review.

Now for a time the Class 390 add-on was in desperate need of an update, since the old model is very much outdated and not very good by today's Railworks standards. As such, it was no surprise that when DTG got the Virgin Trains license people were expecting an updated model updated to the pro-range. We got exactly that, but at the same time we also got something that nobody was expecting.

Okay, first things first, if you buy just this add-on alone, then you're going to be disappointed, just like me. The Class 390 in this new DLC has more functionality such as TASS, a proper startup procedure, and of course new destination displays on the doors. I like the extra detail of also having the coach letters, I don't think we've seen something like that before. So with that, what is wrong with this DLC? Well, in truth, not only did it get rid of the drop down steps when the doors open, which was something I particularly liked in the old model, but it also got it wrong with, you guessed it, sounds!

DTG aren't exactly a bastion of accurate sounds, but the Class 390 sounds were so bad that even on full volume you could barely hear them. They were so quiet that I didn't even think it'd installed properly. But no, even after two reinstallments, I still heard very little. What I did get was the sound of a Class 91 fan that was very vague and vivid, and also some running sounds of what seems like an old BREL electric multiple unit. The passenger view doesn't even have sounds to being with, so it is just deathly silence pretending to sit in the first class seats.

Honestly, sounds are more important than you think when it comes to immersion, and though the old model sounds were bad, they at least sounded like a Class 390 to an extent, in particularly the traction motor blowers when the train starts up. In the old model, this was too quick, but in the new one it was totally absent. The fact these sounds were available to the team doesn't help. I get Virgin didn't give them access to the depots to record the correct sounds (which makes you think why bother releasing the add-on anyway), but they at least more to work with than what we got. It was a total let down.

But, if you buy the Armstrong Powerhouse sound pack, you get nothing short of absolute quality. The sounds are pretty much spot-on, and you will be totally immersed in the high-speed running sounds as you speed along at 125mph on the West Coast Main Line. Only problem is that the steps still don't pop-out, which is a sadly missed feature, but at least the doors close at normal speed. Also, the FPS in the original DLC is really bad, but the sound pack actually improves it to an extent. Not by a great deal, at least form 15fps to 23fps, but on a route not so resource-intensive it works fine, even to 30.

So ultimately, I would buy this add-on, BUT only if you plan on buying the AP sound pack. When I got the DLC originally, I had to mess about to get the old model sounds into the game, which is a big thumbs down in my book. I should not have to do some intensive work just to get a more realistic sounding model in my game. I just hope if this ever comes to the new Train Sim World (which in time it likely will), that the sounds will be much better. There was a lot of potential for this model since the Virgin license now allows potential WCML routes such as Euston to Birmingham, but it was lost in this DLC.

All-in-all, only buy if you don't mind completing the package with another third party add-on. If you don't want that, then steer very clear of this thing. Bad FPS, awful sounds and even the same old decoupling issue that is present in the old train model where the carriages may detach mid-journey, makes this add-on something even a Pendolino lover like myself would want to miss. Get the AP pack, or you're wasting your time and money.

I have very conflicting opinions about this route. First of all, the detail of this route is absolutely spectacular, so much that in order to add anymore detail you'd need to add a spec of dirt onto the platforms and trains to make it better. OHLE is by far the best in the game because it is accurate, it's very easy to use, and it looks like UK Standard Catenary. The 3D track and highly detailed scenery is such that everything had to be a custom made asset in order to simply make it look realistic and detailed to the point where somebody like me could take up the hobby of comparing it to the real world images. Neutral sections are also a great addtion which I am wanting to be implemented in all routes. If something like ECML London to Peterborough can be powered all by one power station along the seventy-six miles even though realistically there should be four or five neutral sections along the route, then no wonder my energy bills are extortionately high.

Unfortunately the new train that comes with it, the Class 350, doesn't live up to the standards. While it does have great new features, they don't make it one of the best trains. Firstly, onboard announcements that work depending on where you're going in a scenario are one great thing, but they nothing like Julie Berry at all who is heard on London Midland services formed of Class 350s. Instead it's the voice of a monotone woman who sounds like she's severely dehydrated and suffering from a sore throat, but it's a nice addition at least. Passenger views being implemented into the cab view are great because you can hear the AWS from the passenger view. While it might seem unrealistic to hear the AWS sounds from the passenger view, how often does a train's emergency constantly apply because the driver couldn't hear the cab sounds because he or she was sitting in the passenger view? The alternative isn't any better, in fact it's worse. But the train just looks like it's made of rubber, and I've seen more detail and authenticity in the Bachmann Class 350 model (no product placement intended) and while it's not a bad train, the DPSimulation reskin by Rfletcher is much better for my liking.

So the route is good, the train is okay, so what really can put people off with this route? LINEAR JOURNEYS. This route runs the 60+ miles from Stafford to Rugby and Daventry and can literally be traversed on the fast lines in about half an hour. It's nice for a beginner, but this route is so boring in the long run that you eventually see more variety in watching paint dry, though I'm sure that might take longer than half and hour so don't quote me on that one. I always thought that the last WCML route that should've been done was Trent Valley simply because it was so linear and short. I would've went with Preston to Birmingham or Birmingham to London, cause they're long and allow far greater journey opportunities (especially the latter with Watford DC lines and it's stopping service patterns).

Overall, I would add this route to your collection, but only during the sales and if like me you want to use it's assets for your own personal workshop routes. Don't try anything for commercial purposes though, cause Thomson have imposed a EULA against third party enhancements and other people making profit off their work. The lighting enhancement pack is really the only thing I'd be wanting to put on this route, but really it's Thomson's product, they're within their rights to impose this EULA. Thanks for reading.

Train Simulator. It's a promising title isn't it if you love trains and want to be a train driver but otherwise can't, but behind this title, there is a game that although great for it's time, looks so cartoony and sterile with no sense of real-world immersion, and it is more of a game than a simulator, but what realistically what much else can you do with a train simualtor? This isn't FSX, you apply throttle and brake, but there's no real challenge to the game. Train driving is a very responsible job with roles more than just driving a train, but you don't get more than that in this simulator. Some random train faults or signal failures or something would be nice. Or even follow World of Subways with a character to walk about.

Passenger AI in this game is a disaster. They have the IQ of a teaspoon when they walk off the platform onto the tracks whilst somehow defying the laws of gravity in the process, and showing no care that a speeding train (or slowing one) is heading for them. Though let's face it, you wouldn't care if the train was just gonna go through you and not leave you with even a scratch. I mean it would be grim to include it, and this isn't Grand Theft Auto, so we can let the lack of an effect slide. It wouldn't be good advertising to show the windscreen wipers smearing blood on the front train window would it?

The trains themselves are for the most part nice, and the newer more interactive ones with realistic features such as lights on the front not affecting the lights on the back (you could drive with headlights on at both ends if you so wish, unless I am very wrong). But the sounds are also a disaster, I mean gaining access to depots is very difficult, and if we spent long enough waiting for access, DTG would lose customers cause of the demand for new DLC. Let's just say either waiting ages or forever for a train, or one with atrocious sounds. Whichever suits you best.

Routes are the best things in this game without a doubt, because despite the complex tools that most people aren't even bothered to make an attempt to get use to or understand, the outcome is very nice if done properly. In terms of detail and accuracy, routes are the strong point, because the quality assurance is vital in order to make profit. Some routes dominate others, but nowadays they're just getting too small or have too little trains. Germans have it worse, I mean why build something like Munich Augsburg at about 60km when you can build up to about 200km of railway? Time and money of course, but if there is any investors pumping money into DTG to do stuff like this, then by golly they are not paying them enough.

There is a route builder and scenario creator in this game, and this is probably the only time you will get something truly different. Unfortunately, most people decide "this is too complex" after spending five minutes trying to figure out how you make a train station or even put a train on the track. The tools are complex, but when you get use to them and become aware of them, then it's a nice little thing to do. Whoever thinks it needs to be simplified, try chatting to Network Rail telling them how hard you find it setting out cetenary wires which are created automatically in game without the need to get smelted iron for the overhead wires, and all the engineering plans and precision. Thought not, let's proceed.

Price of DLC is, like most people think, overpriced. Now everyone blames DTG for this, but I think it's Steam who set the price, and I do think this is unfair to pin the blame on DTG. I mean if a tube of Pringles is cheaper in Asda (or Walmart if you're an American reader) than it is in Tesco, clearly the crisp makers themselves aren't setting the prices, cause the one's selling need some cash as well. Unfortunately, unless you're well off and willing to spend a lot of money (which I have, but I'm quite the tight-wad) then you'll have to wait for Steam sales, cause otherwise you might need to have a word with your bank manager for spending over £2000 on Train Simulator DLC.

So overall, it's an alright game, but I wouldn't recommend it. Maybe I would've recommended it when it first came out, or even a few years after, but we're nearly in 2016, and with the UE4 version coming very soon, all the energy should really be put into that, kind of taking into account some of my points such as a playable character, less cartoony and more organic (something like dirt and grime and that, I mean this is UE4), more advanced trains with realistic interactivity, longer routes, and maybe more to do than just drive trains. I mean that should be the primary thing, but if every journey is the same, which for a real train driver it isn't cause anything can happen, then you're gonna get bored REAL FAST if you, like me, have no life and have spent around 1000 hours on the game in total already.

Final score... 5.5/10 (good, but really needs improvement).