TSW

[JerryC]

Still a lot of unknowns about the Dev Editor in TSW. I doooooo like the shading ability of the Unreal Engine though. Complete control over how your materials look in the game. I'm assuming there will be no more "TrainDohickyDohicky.fx".

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[gtrtroger]

Not being part of the real world rail system or anything Run8/Trainz, I'd like to know some thoughts on what everyone thinks TSW's "multiplayer" should be.

[Juxen]

Jerry, is that your new Dash 8 in UE4? If so, it looks amazing!

Roger, to keep accountability, I wonder if a ranking/kicking system could be implemented. If you do well and are a good dispatcher/engineer/brakie, you get points towards your overall score. Similarly ranked people are put in servers together, or they are harder to kick from the server. Kicking would be useful so that one 8-year-old that just wants to wreck trains like Gomez won't ruin a prototypical ops night on CSX's Sand Patch.

[JerryC]

It's bit's and pieces of it. It will be a long time before it is anything close to being operational. Baby steps.

[Juxen]

It's bit's and pieces of it. It will be a long time before it is anything close to being operational. Baby steps.

Well, it's also a long time before TSW is out of beta...

[Overshoe]

Not being part of the real world rail system or anything Run8/Trainz, I'd like to know some thoughts on what everyone thinks TSW's "multiplayer" should be.

Beyond cab sharing with the ability for one player to drive and another to fire in steam locos I have no interest whatever in multi-player.

[buzz456]

Not being part of the real world rail system or anything Run8/Trainz, I'd like to know some thoughts on what everyone thinks TSW's "multiplayer" should be.

Honestly my typical session of actually driving a train usually lasts 60 to 90 minutes. I can't imagine how that would fit in with multi player.

[Chacal]

Same. Multiplayer requires commitment.
But if I did have the time, I would like to be the brakeman on a local freight or a switching scenario. With voice communication with the engineer, this would be quite realistic.

[JerryC]

If it's anything like Run8, then when you are ready to leave the world, someone else who is waiting for a train can take over. There are problems with that though. It's usually courteous to put the train in the next siding before leaving so as to not block traffic. Also in the early days there was as problem where folks were running the trains off the end of the line and crashing the entire world.

Also, if it's anything like Run8, you will have the option to run trains by yourself. We really do not have much of an AI system in the game we have now, so what will be the difference?

[gtrtroger]

All good insights....
What about ...
AI Dispatcher versus Human Dispatcher
Logging in to a server to find a list of Crew Calls, then selecting the train to run
Including enough "locals" (for Buzz) and also enough end-to-end runs for others
Centralized servers run by DTG versus including server software and scenario/dispatcher tools for independent servers

Of course, these are just the tip of a very large iceberg..

....human multi-crew manifests....interesting.

[Juxen]

If it's anything like Run8, then when you are ready to leave the world, someone else who is waiting for a train can take over.

Most co-op games nowadays, especially ones like Left 4 Dead, have competent AI take over seamlessly when someone disconnects or loses connection. Maybe something like that can be implemented into TSW?

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

More of my

Without a proper dispatcher screen, hierarchical multiplayer a la Run8 probably won't be possible.

Perhaps multiplayer like in Farming Simulator, where one player hosts his game in server mode and invites the public or friends only to join the game.
In FS you driver your tractor, harvester, etc. independently over the roads obeying traffic rules, or work the fields as a team.

In TSW one player hosts his game in server mode, starts a scenario with trains at designated locations with specific routing and tasks pre-programmed (since trains aren't free roaming road vehicles) and invites the public or private friends to take control of one of the trains. A good computerised dispatching/interlocking can prevent clashes, collisions and stand-offs. I think the ideal multiplayer route isn't that big, not bigger than Cajon Sub, but Tehachapi Pass would do also.
Running past a red signal, fouling other train's paths or making a mess of the assigned tasks (like leaving cars on the mainline, failing to re-align switches, etc.) means you get a warning or even a penalty such as removal from the server, blocking of your username, etc.

It could just work, but certainly depends a lot on good will and a certain skill level of all involved.
A scoring/rating system would certainly help in separating the good, the bad and the ugly.

Like Buzz, I think too a scenario shouldn't last more than 60-90 minutes, and if you quit before the end, your train will take off into space. Relinquishing abandoned trains like in Run8 is also possible if the train is in a siding or otherwise out of the way.

If it is sensible to pause and resume play? Don't know.

Multiplayer is certainly an interesting prospect. Let's hope it brings a more intelligent dispatcher for AI trains.

[BNSFdude]

Human Dispatching with realistic screens would be almost necessary. Something like TSCAD for Run 8.

[dleeboy]

I read today at UKTS forum that DTG TSW will be focusing on New routes after it comes out. Instead of upgrading older routes to TSW. They did not say that they were not going to upgrade older routes. But at the start they were going to focus on newer Routes. So this should help those that were hoping for upgrades from existing routes to TSW quality.

[Griphos]

I would think it might be pretty easy to let mp players take over AI trains and hand them back to AI when they leave. That way, everything would run like regular scenarios, except you'll see other real people as you pass them. Of course, there's not much interactivity in this. As said above, trains aren't free-roaming vehicles and you can't just move them as you please. So, the trick would be in AI dispatching. I have to admit I'm curious and skeptical of what railroad MP would work out to be in any way that's entertaining and feasible.