Poll: Do you prefer TS2014 or TS2015?

[tnleeuw01]

I haven't quite made up my mind yet, I also didn't yet have much chance to play a lot.

In principle I like the new menu system, but I find that it has bugs and flaws in design and execution that take it a step backwards from what we had.

As I recall, TS2014 had a much better reception on this forum than this version. There was grumbling, of course, but not nearly as bad now!

I was really hoping for the new menu system to be an improvement and I hope that DtG are willing to not only fix bugs, but also fix some poor design decisions.

Personally I really dislike the distinction made between scenario types. I just want to drive a Bulleid Q1 or GWR Rail Motor, or a scenario for Cologne-Dusseldorf - so I search for that. I don't care if that is a Career Scenario or Standard Scenario, so please don't let that get in my way of finding interesting scenarios to drive!
So often I fall into the same trap of not finding the scenarios or the loco.

Now the new system kind of takes a step into the right direction, but still there are top-level tabs for career or standard scenarios and a search filter on one tab doesn't carry over to the next tab.

It would be so much easier if both scenario types either were on a single list, or tabs on a lower level of the UI, a selection you make AFTER choosing loco and/or route.
I'm not sure where to place free-roam, but probably in the same level as career/standard.
Only QuickDrive deserves a different place, it also has a different UI. But even for QD, why not place the QD tab next to loco/route selection instead of above it?
So that you first select loco and/or route, then scenario type, then the other QD parameters such as consist and starting/ending point and weather?


Another design decision which I really dislike is the paginated lists. Please, put everything in a single list. The pagination of routes & locos really, really slows things down when browsing.


These I think are my main problems. Readability of fonts is another issue, with the foreground and background colours not contrasting enough, but it was not a very bad issue for me - it probably depends on monitor, and other factors, how badly one is affected.

The fact that 3d party routes are now harder to find is very annoying, as is the fact that there's no clear documentation published (yet) of the changes needed to routes.


I hope this feedback is found to be constructive.

Cheers,

--Tim

[tnleeuw01]

I also reported the BR 143 sound issues that appeared with TS2014 and I was advised to watch their FB page (!!!) to get the latest information on the patches they release. Lucky me I am not that stupid as I would be watching that FB page forever, later on I found that although vR had already provided the patch, RSC decided never to release it (for reasons unknown).

This seems to be a rather common theme of complains which I hear from 3d party developers publishing through Steam and it must be very, very discouraging for them. Patches to address reported faults are sent, but not published, and no communication whatsoever from DTG. This causes a lot of frustration from both developers and users.
I think that DTG must really try to improve on this.

Most of my other emails were just replied with a generic text like "thank you very much for your message, we will pass your comments to the dev team". With no further action.

Writing emails, especially the ones with strong evidence take time. Hard to find any motivation to write them when the vast majority of your messages never get the right attention.

It gives a good feeling when you do get a more personal reply, and an actual human seems to be listening...
But I too experience feelings of frustration when getting the standard replies from support, telling me to verify cache when my problem description already says I've done this many times.

And the lack of action is frustrating too.

Of course, I do understand that with scale of things it must be hard to dive deep into every weird issue.

Kind regards,

--Tim

[tnleeuw01]

We're watching the feedback over various community forums and as long as the feedback is constructive, it's good to help us really see what people think about the product, whatever sector of the community they represent.

If you are having any problems at all with TS2015 then I would urge that you email our support desk at support@dovetailgames.com where someone is here to answer your questions and help you out. We always run 24 hour support from the moment we launch the update until the Monday following so that we can provide rapid response to help people who might have problems understanding the new version.

Thanks for all your feedback.
Matt Peddlesden
Dovetail Games.

Well past the weekend - but, done!

My first feedback observations are in the mail. Will write more -- something about the search functionality doesn't seem to work, doesn't always find what it's supposed to be finding and not quite clear how it actually works. But I need to do some more experimenting to see how it is actually broken and be able to properly describe it.

Anyway what I do remember is that after I did a search for "Q1" in the "Standard Scenarios" tab it couldn't do the same search in the "Career Scenarios" tab; in both cases I believe I did the search in the Loco Selection sub-screen.
Today searching for "Liv"(erpool) didn't work as I had intuitively expected.

I'll do my best to properly write down how / why it feels broken to me.

Cheers,

--Tim

[andynwt]

I've now resolved my issues with 2015 and changed my vote accordingly (although Dovetail did not respond to my support request e-mails, not sure why)

[Trev123]

I see the gap between the two in the poll is closing.

[milepost326]

My vote was for 2015, but that's probably because we have to move forwards and not backwards not matter how much we'd like to.
Support the future and hope it improves......

But my first reaction was one of despair....... Missing assets and routes were a disappointment, then after a full delete of the sim.... and a full re-install, all was fine so far as the later was concerned.

I've been "dumped" out of the sim or SBHH as we once knew it, more times in the last few days than in the last 12 months, either the game is buggy or my hard drive needs a serious de-fragging. I haven't e-mailed DTG because.... well, whats the point, I just get on with it and hope things improve.

I never liked the 2014 menu system so anything different was going to catch my eye, and I have to say once you get the hang of it... the 2015 menus system isn't that bad...IMHO
The issues with thumbnails is very disappointing and I wonder what happened at DTG to allow this to happen, but again... I should imagine this is another issue which the community itself will put right.

The weather systems with the distant bloom/fog/mist on the horizon which makes all the hills look like Mount Fuji is very off putting, and again.... what have they done that enables this phenomenon to occur, plus did they think it was an environment enhancer... Personally I don't like it and it would seem several other people aren't impressed either.

But there are many other weather systems that don't give this awful effect, I favor the 3D options in the weather drop down menus in scenario editor or as they appear in RW Tools... "SL_" .... more realistic and very subtle too....

Even though I have voted in favor of 2015, I do feel a touch disappointed overall because it's obviously another yearly commercial update that gives us grief.

But more mug me for thinking things would get better, a different menu system and a host of other game options which can make life easy are nice, but all said and done ........ it's the same old... same old!

I just tend to get on with it and accept that until this new game engine/system comes out in a few years time... we're stuck with what we have .... !

LOL

PB

[gptech]

The issues with thumbnails is very disappointing and I wonder what happened at DTG to allow this to happen

That could be seen as more a route specific update rather than a core game issue, which whilst it doesn't excuse anybody it does explain why the update didn't introduce dozens (hundreds?) of files and folders for routes that many won't have.
There's no doubt that the menu system is flawed, but it's workable and overall I've had no major issues so all in all it's 'nothing to write home about' from either improvement or step backwards perspectives.

[johnrossetti]

SNIP>> we have to move forwards and not backwards not matter how much we'd like to. Support the future and hope it improves......

I agree BUT it is difficult to move forwards when someone else is pulling you backwards.
I cannot understand how any professional company can release something with so many problems each time. Is there NO quality control ? or Beta Testing ?
Or, is this latest release a deliberate ploy to isolate 3rd party contributions after so having embraced them for so long, if so I for one resent that decision.
I have spent well over £500 on this simulation and expect updates to better my experience not worsen it. I dont expect either to have to "fix" other peoples mistakes. I would rather updates be optional or at least the option of a status quo to be maintained.
I wonder if updates are free because it precludes any responsibility of the provider.
Happy with my 80 routes on TS14 (including my own)
Happy with the clouds and colour tints on TS14
Very happy with the menus on TS14 (with my eyesight)

for the time being !
John

[jstange]

Very well said, John. My thoughts exactly...

[smarty2]

Well I think maybe DtG work only with their own content exclusively ( which is fair play upto a point) and it has been documented by 3rd party devs (can't remember which ones now) even those in partnership with DtG that they do not work with them whilst working on newer versions! Well surely "partner" means sharing doesn't it? I am miffed by the distant mountain fix that was implemented in 2014 and wiped out in 2015! I agree with John too above.

[levisham]

TS2014....................my big gripe is the frame rates which were OK before TS2015 and now my game stutters and sometimes freezes on various routes. I have a copy of TS2014 which has been re-installed and TS2015 consigned to the backburner until DTG get the problems fixed, if they ever do?

I'm not holding my breath, John.

[smarty2]

TS2014....................my big gripe is the frame rates which were OK before TS2015 and now my game stutters and sometimes freezes on various routes. I have a copy of TS2014 which has been re-installed and TS2015 consigned to the backburner until DTG get the problems fixed, if they ever do?

I'm not holding my breath, John.

Performance is OK if you disable 3D clouds. I have found performance is better post 2015.

[gptech]

Performance is OK if you disable 3D clouds. I have found performance is better post 2015.

and just to *cloud* the issue even more...

I'm getting the same performance in TS2015 as I did in TS2014, and this is with 3D clouds on.

[smarty2]

Performance is OK if you disable 3D clouds. I have found performance is better post 2015.

and just to *cloud* the issue even more...

I'm getting the same performance in TS2015 as I did in TS2014, and this is with 3D clouds on.

Well Gary, unless there has been a recent update that addressed the issue of bad stutters with 3D clouds on (in my case) then thats great? Wil give it a go!

[gptech]

Well Gary, unless there has been a recent update.....

The last update I received was on the 22nd, which dealt with (amongst others) 3 .swf files in the Scaleform folder (menu items) and a bunch of sky files for Cajon Pass so nothing really that would explain why you get bad stutters and I don't.