Need To Consider Opening SP Test Earlier

[Irish Spud]

Really looking forward to Single Player now. Dispatcher Mode is fine but sometimes you're just sitting there waiting. I find the English servers to be hit or miss with players dispatching, so sometimes you have to join other servers  to find active players.  

At least the Single Player playtest will be open in 4 days 😀

[giBBer8]

Sitting and waiting is a part of RL train driving and signalling. They're bringing the full experience to our living rooms!

Joking aside, the multiplayer is a blast. Very well implemented imho.

[SurvivorSean]

Yes the MP is lots of fun.  Many of you I think may be disappointed or bored with SP in it's current form.  From what I'm expecting based on the developers there will be missions but we don't have editors as of yet to add more missions.  What that means is you'll get to try out all the various missions and that will be it.  I'm not expecting the randomized nature of trains being held up etc. that adds to the MP experience (provided competent dispatchers and AI can find a way to release the trains even if delayed).

Randomization I'm hoping is going to be a feature that comes for the AI sooner than later.  The AI operates VERY efficiently so efficient that they lose the human factor of even experiended drivers not being right on the dot out the gate.  This is the same with dispatchers.  The other factor is going to be things that cause delays such as train issues, medical emergencies, false medical emergencies, dragging equipment and other mechanical issues.   

Cargo trains as they are even more likely to have delays such as break line leakage, and other mechanical failures.  All it takes is one of those cars to have an issue.  In those situations you'll have to use the opposite track and I believe in Poland set up the signs to go against the flow in double track.

Anwyays hopefully those factors come into play becaus it helps in repeat playability.  For now the MP is a good representation of human error though as dispatchers become more competent or more educated (including myself despite my North American sim dispatching esperience) the issues will be there but not as noticeable.

Thanks

Sean

[Kaito Kid]

You people need to think that only a few trains are currently available in game, so it's understandable that the traffic at some stations is quite low.

[SurvivorSean]

Well single player can only differ with the time of day as far as repetiveness if that is what works for some.  I know the weather is supposed to be dynamic (I'm not sure what it's doing right now other than raining every now and then).  So if you like varying light conditions that works fine.

If you schedule it around a cargo or actually run the cargo that will add some variance as well.  Still my point is eventually like other single player things it will become repetitive unless random factors come into play that might require different signal situations etc.

Thanks

Sean

[Pixelade]

27 minutes ago, SurvivorSean said:

Well single player can only differ with the time of day as far as repetiveness if that is what works for some.  I know the weather is supposed to be dynamic (I'm not sure what it's doing right now other than raining every now and then).  So if you like varying light conditions that works fine.

If you schedule it around a cargo or actually run the cargo that will add some variance as well.  Still my point is eventually like other single player things it will become repetitive unless random factors come into play that might require different signal situations etc.

Thanks

Sean

yeah, if they can add dynamic events for AI trains, then they have my money. a fixed timetable is cool but after you play it so many times everything becomes predictable. it's already nudging out DTG (for me) in terms of creativity and options, that would push it enough over the line for me to prefer over other sims. 🙂

[SurvivorSean]

This is by far already the best European sim for what i'm looking for.  I know people talk about Zusi 3 but eye candy as well as what appears form this Canadian to be really good physics and operations could easily be the best European train simulator.  Run8 still holds me for the best North American simulator.  TSW doesn't cut it for either in my opinion.

Thanks

Sean

[BigVern]

Well I would hope SP in the full version will offer a complete timetable and not just a handful of bespoke scenarios, as we get with DTG TSC routes.

[Pixelade]

5 hours ago, SurvivorSean said:

This is by far already the best European sim for what i'm looking for.  I know people talk about Zusi 3 but eye candy as well as what appears form this Canadian to be really good physics and operations could easily be the best European train simulator.  Run8 still holds me for the best North American simulator.  TSW doesn't cut it for either in my opinion.

Thanks

Sean

i just wish they'd remaster run8 or something. it's so good but i get tired of it looking like a gamecube game. the graphics are so unappealing 😞

[SurvivorSean]

Run8's graphics don't bother me at all.  For me Run8 needs to be able to handle AI properly.  Not the mainlines like it does pretty good now but the AI switching.  The difference here is you don't have as much switching to do if any at all (certainly not now).  So this is fairly complete less some people sabatoging boards and AI getting overloaded where it doesn't know what to do.

Thanks

Sean

[Pixelade]

gonna give this a rest until single player tests come. just starting to frustrate me at this point. can't stay in a server more than 10 minutes before it unexpectedly drops me, then when the server is stable i'm just stuck at reds for every single service i join whether the server is driver only or both driver and dispatcher. Starting to feel like an official release delay really might be necessary. It just doesn't feel ready to come next month, and i guess i'm worried players will rush to purchase, have issues, then rush to refund the game and won't come back. And with the hard work that seems to have went into this, it really deserves to shine.

[hyzwar]

22 minuty temu, Pixelade napisał(a):

gonna give this a rest until single player tests come. just starting to frustrate me at this point. can't stay in a server more than 10 minutes before it unexpectedly drops me, then when the server is stable i'm just stuck at reds for every single service i join whether the server is driver only or both driver and dispatcher. Starting to feel like an official release delay really might be necessary. It just doesn't feel ready to come next month, and i guess i'm worried players will rush to purchase, have issues, then rush to refund the game and won't come back. And with the hard work that seems to have went into this, it really deserves to shine.

I was with you on PL6 a "minute" ago. I was kicked as well. Back to the game, I completed 2 services with no problems. You're exaggerating a bit, mate 🙂

Edited December 19, 2022 by hyzwar

[BigVern]

2 hours ago, Pixelade said:

gonna give this a rest until single player tests come. just starting to frustrate me at this point. can't stay in a server more than 10 minutes before it unexpectedly drops me, then when the server is stable i'm just stuck at reds for every single service i join whether the server is driver only or both driver and dispatcher. Starting to feel like an official release delay really might be necessary. It just doesn't feel ready to come next month, and i guess i'm worried players will rush to purchase, have issues, then rush to refund the game and won't come back. And with the hard work that seems to have went into this, it really deserves to shine.

Pretty much how I feel. Found myself back in TSW last night trying out the new German route with the 110. Okay it's not really worth £30 but it is quite nice.

So far as SimRail MP is concerned, pretty much seen what there is to see. It could be solid, but server reliability, whether or not you end up on a server with a group of people messing about, driving the same 20 to 30 km before coming to a signal permanently stuck at red... All stuff that really needs to be addressed. Well the shine wore off fairly quickly. Guess I should have another go at dispatching but at this point I really just want to see how the SP works out.

Edited December 19, 2022 by BigVern

[Pixelade]

7 hours ago, hyzwar said:

I was with you on PL6 a "minute" ago. I was kicked as well. Back to the game, I completed 2 services with no problems. You're exaggerating a bit, mate 🙂

I was simply sharing my experiences exactly how they occurred which were all documented on videos i'm not sure if i want to post (yet). The admins even confirmed servers are having a really hard time with players. For sure not an exaggeration, and downplaying player experiences for sure isn't the way to go, especially during essential playtesting.

Out of the 15-20 service attempts over the past few days i was only able to successfully complete 3-5 of them and thats with fiber internet and a beast of a PC. So i know it's not an issue on my end.

But my point still stands, and i know not everyone will agree with me, probably the only one, but this is nowhere near release-ready. There just seems to be too much not functioning properly. I know i wouldn't wanna pay for a game that didn't function right (learned my lesson with a company that shan't be named), and if we are being real here, things are pointing to most of this not being sorted out within the next 3 weeks. Not being pessimistic, but simply being realistic. Would love to be proven wrong, though!

Regardless, the devs are working so hard and i'm sure they are at this probably 24/7. Things are improving faster than I thought they would. A release during the summer 2023 with several more playtests to follow would be ideal (in my opinion) but to each their own. 🤷‍♂️

A release sooner with a potentially unstable launch is just more of a risk for it's reception and longevity, then a 2-4 month delay with many more playtest opportunities.

Edited December 19, 2022 by Pixelade

[SurvivorSean]

These are the issues that take place with MP servers with no restrictions.  I was on EN2 last night with no issues because everyone was farting around over on EN4 (thought seemed to be in agreement to drive left hand running).  Those that are serious will become more competent at dispatching.  If not go to the servers that are not as busy.  I tend to agree there is some overreaction here, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.

The only thing I can say is the schedule that is dulled out right now is becoming actually too predictable and repetitive.  But hopefully there will be both single player and MP on the 21st when single player trials begin.  Then those that don't like MP can try it out, and everyone should hopefully be a bit happier.

Thanks

Sean

[Kaito Kid]

I've never had issues with servers rather than the restart of those and the glitchy AI... 🤷‍♀️

[Pixelade]

4 hours ago, BigVern said:

Pretty much how I feel. Found myself back in TSW last night trying out the new German route with the 110. Okay it's not really worth £30 but it is quite nice.

So far as SimRail MP is concerned, pretty much seen what there is to see. It could be solid, but server reliability, whether or not you end up on a server with a group of people messing about, driving the same 20 to 30 km before coming to a signal permanently stuck at red... All stuff that really needs to be addressed. Well the shine wore off fairly quickly. Guess I should have another go at dispatching but at this point I really just want to see how the SP works out.

Yes, i went to TSW 3 right after and even though that game lacks creative freedom and cool intuitive features, it's just so polished and well optimized (ignoring the bugs that come with it). It's hard to speak on simrail too much cause we are playing a playtest version and i know it's going to differ from the released product, but the final thing can't be too much better in terms of performance or issues considering there is a lot that isn't available to us in the build we are playing now. 😕

I actually have a lot of faith in SP. I think it'll be a better experience all around for players in terms of bugs/issues. 🙂

Edited December 19, 2022 by Pixelade

[SurvivorSean]

It probably will because the AI is not as glitchy as it appears.  If I want to run a train standard without incident I pick a less busy server and I can run end to end without issue.  The AI is having difficulty for some reason when things get backed up.  I'm not sure what the issue is exactly because in many cases I can take it over and do a better job to help clear it out.

In fact I'm starting to enjoy rescusing the AI.  I would personally like to see all AI only boards become player capable.  That is the one way those with experience will be able to help.

Thanks

Sean

[TheShotte]

I'm starting to think that some of the very recent issues stem from the fact that the servers aren't removing trains as they should. I mean, I am speculating a bit, but basing it on the fact that the other night I derailed a train, and not only did it not end the scenario, but also, my train wasn't removed. Having said that, I agree that there are some issues, but to me most of them stem from the fact that someone is always trying to do something weird. Also, it is a Playtest that is being ACTIVELY worked on and there are server restarts every 3 hours (best to play right after restart on the servers with the dispatchers). So yeah, there might be some connection issues. I just see people judging the game too harshly based on what little they know from running a test build.

[Pixelade]

5 minutes ago, SurvivorSean said:

It probably will because the AI is not as glitchy as it appears.  If I want to run a train standard without incident I pick a less busy server and I can run end to end without issue.  The AI is having difficulty for some reason when things get backed up.  I'm not sure what the issue is exactly because in many cases I can take it over and do a better job to help clear it out.

In fact I'm starting to enjoy rescusing the AI.  I would personally like to see all AI only boards become player capable.  That is the one way those with experience will be able to help.

Thanks

Sean

Great points. Was in a server with someone yesterday that said in the final game, most or all signal boxes will have the ability to suit real players. I don't know how accurate that is, but i'm really hoping this is the case. If things get stuck, than it's more likely a human can get things figured out and moving again vs. AI. I don't know how smart the AI is with undoing damage done by players or if it can undo damage at all.

[Pixelade]

3 minutes ago, TheShotte said:

I'm starting to think that some of the very recent issues stem from the fact that the servers aren't removing trains as they should. I mean, I am speculating a bit, but basing it on the fact that the other night I derailed a train, and not only did it not end the scenario, but also, my train wasn't removed. Having said that, I agree that there are some issues, but to me most of them stem from the fact that someone is always trying to do something weird. Also, it is a Playtest that is being ACTIVELY worked on and there are server restarts every 3 hours (best to play right after restart on the servers with the dispatchers). So yeah, there might be some connection issues. I just see people judging the game too harshly based on what little they know from running a test build.

really REALLY hoping we have a 'vote to reset train' or 'vote to delete service' from anything stuck.

did the reset time change? i thought it was 6 hours. honestly, 3 is better lol.

[Gazz292]

the thing about a play test is you are supposed to play the same bit over and over again, you are supposed to try and break things, this is how the dev's know what to fix,

I know a lot of people think being a full time play tester must be great, thinking you get early access to a game for free.
the reality is you'd get a small section of the game, and you are to play it over and over until you have found every possible way to break it, then you play over and over again to be sure all fixes work,

At least with these play tests open to the public, we get 40 to 50 minutes of driving time, and unlimited time as a dispatcher, sure it can get frustrating at times, but that's the idea, work out the bugs before it's released to the paying public.

 

I've been mostly driving the EU07 on the EN servers, and have been doing full 40+ minute runs about 75% of the time,
Last night i did a run where i was held at a red signal for almost 20 minutes in a freight train (not on a scheduled layover) but i held out as i could see other trains being routed past me, and eventually my signal cleared and i was on my way as the dispatchers worked through the backlog.

 

It's also fun to be 'chasing yellows' where i am driving just a little faster than the dispatchers want me to, so i am constantly being slowed down by the signals, this is the kind of thing other train driving 'games' don't do, sure there are scenario's where you get yellow signals all the way, but that is all scripted in advance, here it's because the dispatchers are busy and each train takes it's turn.

[BigVern]

I understand some of what you're saying Gazz, but at the point of a public play test less than a month before retail release some of these issues ought not really to have been cropping up. "Still working" on AI Dispatcher at this point, as mentioned in another thread just now, is a bit worrying as is server reliability. Play test (or Open Beta) in my book should be the pre-gold version, i.e. pretty much what is going out on release date and not really need much changing other than some unforeseen game breaking bug. I don't know what sort of closed beta or testing period preceded what we have now, but it looks like a lot of what's being picked up now wasn't spotted.

I'm not trying to be negative here, still think the game is great despite my distraction last night and will be a Day 1 purchase for me. 

[SurvivorSean]

January is Early Access as far as I understand not the full version.  With a few measures in place I think it's worthy of early access.

Thanks

Sean

[BigVern]

10 minutes ago, SurvivorSean said:

January is Early Access as far as I understand not the full version.  With a few measures in place I think it's worthy of early access.

Thanks

Sean

It will still be great - I'm looking forward to driving the full length of the routes. I wonder if it will be possible to dispatch Warsaw Central in MP mode!

Despite my reservations, if they opened it up for pre-order tomorrow mine would be going in.