More passengers

[tim7363]

 

One of the main issues with SimRail is that, although there are passengers in the game, there are simply not enough of them. The platforms often feel far too empty compared to how busy real railway stations usually are, which makes the experience feel unrealistic and somewhat incomplete.

In real life, trains, especially those heading to larger cities, carry significant numbers of people throughout the day. Stations are full of movement, with passengers arriving shortly before departure, stepping off incoming services, or waiting for connections. This constant flow of people is an essential part of rail travel and gives stations their energy and purpose. In SimRail, however, the low number of passengers reduces that sense of activity and importance.

This also affects immersion. Driving a passenger service should feel like operating an important form of public transport, with many people depending on it. When only a small number of passengers appear on platforms, it weakens the feeling of responsibility and realism. Increasing the number of visible passengers, especially during busier times of day, would significantly improve the overall atmosphere and authenticity of the game.

 

[BigVern]

Could be a performance issue involved, the more people complete with animations the more it’s going to push the CPU and GPU. Though that could be overcome by having a slider to adjust density.

I’m just grateful that the passengers generally in SimRail are better implemented than in TSW where they all wander round with identical baseball hats or umbrellas, if it’s raining and worse of all spread out on to the track in front of approaching trains. (Harrow & Wealdstone on West Coast Main Line South one of the worst locations for that).

Edited yesterday at 08:00 AM by BigVern

[tim7363]

vor 12 Stunden schrieb BigVern:

Could be a performance issue involved, the more people complete with animations the more it’s going to push the CPU and GPU. Though that could be overcome by having a slider to adjust density.

I’m just grateful that the passengers generally in SimRail are better implemented than in TSW where they all wander round with identical baseball hats or umbrellas, if it’s raining and worse of all spread out on to the track in front of approaching trains. (Harrow & Wealdstone on West Coast Main Line South one of the worst locations for that).

That may be a problem, yes. But I think if they're able to make the passengers client sided the problem could be solved. The passengers in TSW are kinda funny tbh. They really do spread out in front of approaching trains and I get annoyed by that very often. 

[Kutsuu]

 

I fully support this suggestion!

For me, having more NPCs already makes a big difference, because a busier platform instantly feels more alive and atmospheric. It adds more immersion and that special railway romance.

In addition to simply increasing the number of NPCs, I’d like to share some of my own ideas that could further improve realism:

• NPCs interacting more with each other, such as meeting and saying goodbye (hugs, kisses)
• Late passengers running to catch their train
• Passengers stepping over the yellow safety line, forcing the driver to use the horn
• People using level crossings and pedestrian crossings, with some occasionally breaking the rules
• Animations of passengers pressing the door open button or opening doors manually
• Trainspotters taking photos of trains
• Families traveling together

These details are not part of the original proposal, but I believe they would significantly increase immersion and make the world feel much more dynamic and realistic.