“以20世纪90年代为背景,NidertalBay路线配备了BR628,穿着当代白色和薄荷制服,这非常适合该路线,当然还有Linke Rheinstreke,它大约在同一时间发布。然而,德国(现在是奥地利!)路线也是在现代设定的,如果我们有DB Regio Red BR628为他们准备,那不是完美的吗?”
Well, well, well! What a day yesterday was. Train Sim World 4, with a whole slew of new content, improvements, and features, hits on Tuesday September 26th, 2023! Or, for those who want to get in as soon as possible, you can join our Early Access starting from Thursday, September 21st with a pre-order of Train Sim World 4 Deluxe or Special editions.
In case you missed our Dovetail Direct – Train Sim World keynote, you can watch the whole thing in all its glory below.
If you’d like a potted summary of everything that was announced, here’s a quick (but still pretty long) list:
Vorarlberg: Lindau - Bludenz Our first Austrian route, and first border-crossing, featuring the ÖBB 4024 Talent 1
Antelope Line: Los Angeles – Lancaster Challenging canyon terrain meets the hustle-and-bustle of Los Angeles with the unique F125 locomotive, with Rotem cars
East Coast Main Line: Peterborough – Doncaster The perfect racetrack for the high-speed LNER Azuma (and railtours…) to stretch its legs
Flying Scotsman (Deluxe and Special Editions only) The world’s most famous Steam locomotive takes a Centenary Railtour on ECML
Railpool BR 193 Vectron (Deluxe and Special Editions only) Coming to Nahverkehr Dresden (which will be upgraded to TSW4 feature set), the ‘computer on wheels’ will be a great addition to German railfans’ collections
Scenario Planner 2.0 Chained paths, custom start times and weathers, portal support for AI trains, new UI, and more!
Livery Designer 2.0 Undo/Redo, text entry, new fonts, toggling AI livery usage, 1,000-layer limit, and more!
Photo Mode Pause the game to take the perfect screenshots, with adjustable camera settings, filters, and enhancements, to populate your in-game Gallery
Creators Club improvements Filter by content you own, and a new UI
New Scoring System Rewarding experienced drivers for driving well (and with safety systems enabled), with all-new Platinum medal tier
Ease of Access improvements Locomotive difficulty tiering, improved player assists, simpler HUD (plus new mini-HUD), automatic coupling, Class 323 and 8F in Training Center, and improved key mapping
Improved Overhead Line Rendering
New rain on windscreen effects
Haptics for controllers Feel vibrations for key moments, and use the PlayStation DualSense controllers’ light bar and controller audio for signals and safety systems respectively
Volumetric fog Improves the depth of the graphics
Free Roam Mode Spawn trains anywhere at any time, set paths where you like, use custom formations – the world is your sandbox to use your whole collection as you choose in a single session
The PC Editor (Beta) Access our version of the Unreal Engine 4 toolset, the same tools our teams use. Create gameplay, trains, even your own routes!
Whew! Well, prepare yourself for the longest roadmap ever written, currently sat at 15,000+ words, with so much it in we had to split it into two parts! Today’s and tomorrow’s Roadmaps will cover all of the above in a little more detail, checking in with the teams who have made them to drill into what makes them special. We’ll be talking about the routes and locos as well as the OHLE, suspension, and rain windscreen graphical improvements today, as well as talking about some of the things we know you’ll have questions about!
Here’s our new Train Sim World 4 Roadmap, detailing what you can expect from us over the coming months. Please note, this is for all new content – we provide an update on other projects further down in the Roadmap:
You can find out more on our shiny new webpage, including details on pre-order, discounts, and frequently asked questions.
Railfan TV schedule
Alongside our Roadmap and future articles, we will of course be showcasing all Train Sim World 4 has to offer via our live streams. Here are some dates to mark down in your calendars before the game's release on September 26th. – all streams will start at 18:00 UTC and be available on our YouTube and Twitch channels.
Livestreaming Schedule
August 24th: The TSW4 Roadmap (Matt & JD)
August 29th: Intro to TSW4 Features (Matt & JD)
August 31st: Vorarlberg Preview (Matt, Lukas & Alex)
September 5th: PC Editor Showcase (Matt, Will K & Alex)
September 7th: Antelope Valley Line Preview (Matt & Jamie)
September 12th: Creative Tools Previews (Matt, Cat & Alex)
September 14th: Dresden and Vectron Preview (Matt & Jan)
September 18th: Free Roam Mode Preview (Matt, Lukas & JD)
September 20th: ECML & Scotsman Preview (Matt, Jamie & Joe)
September 25th: Train Sim World 4 Summary Stream (Alex & Ben)
(Timings and details of streams may change)
Train Sim World 4
Let's take a moment to take in these beautiful key arts made by our wonderful Creative team!
Vorarlberg: Lindau – Bludenz
Train Sim World arrives in Austria! Here to talk all about Vorarlberg, and why we’re excited to bring in a new country, is Lukas Klimczyk, our Senior Technical Producer.
For those unfamiliar with the route, why should players be excited?
LK: "It’s a new country, we’re going into Austria and that means stunning vistas, new trains and new operators! It’s also a border crossing route so one end is in Germany and the other is in Austria, so you’ll see infrastructure and other scenery change as you cross the border."
What challenges come with creating content for a new country?
"New countries are much more of a challenge because it’s important to capture what makes them unique, this can be the obvious things like different trains and signals to less obvious things like the types of track clips and sleepers used, the types of foliage and the architecture of buildings. Operating practices might be different to what’s come before, and it’s important to not let yourself get fooled into thinking similar things are similar, everything must be checked and understood. The team spent a lot of time trying to understand the railways of a country just as well as the railfans would, what’s important to them and what really makes the railway and landscape represent that country."
What would a normal run look like on the route from end-to-end?
"Starting at Lindau you’re in Germany on a beautiful little island, as you progress off the island you’ll turn sharply and shortly make the crossing over to Austria, which is extremely understated as in reality. There’s simply a bridge, and you’ll see Germany overhead catenary poles one side, and Austrian on the other! Continuing the journey you will reach Riedenburg where the track forks, at this point you can head towards Switzerland along the branch line, though only as far as Lustenau where the Sbahn ends, and not actually into Switzerland.
Continuing on the mainline the track is now on a gradient and you’re running alongside some breathtaking mountain-scapes on one side until Feldkirch when the journey takes a hard turn up into the mountains for the ascent to Bludenz. Driving the ÖBB 4024 Talent 1 train is straight forward but you’ll have a lot to keep an eye out for with around 30 stations along that journey!"
What has been the most challenging part of developing the route?
"We felt that one of the most important things to get right on this route was the landscape with the stunning mountains around you. Going to an area like Austria and not doing justice to the views would be a waste. We’ve been using LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data for the landscapes of routes now for a year or so but a lot of the detail in that super high definition terrain just gets lost to the distance and you can’t really see it as well as you would hope.
The key area of development for the team has been an intelligent landscape material, which is responsible for the colours used on the ground, that reacts to the data present in LIDAR terrain and can be much more precise and detailed in its rendition of that landscape via the textures and colours shown. This means that all the detail, shape and form of the landscape is visible from a long distance away and beautifully captures the stunning vistas of Austria."
Are there any particular points of interest for players to keep an eye out for?
"The island at Lindau is a particularly beautiful start to your journey, and while it’s understated in reality the border crossing is a notable feature as well. Beyond that, take in the mountains and several areas where the railway is really close to some awesome high detail terrain courtesy of the LIDAR and new landscape material. The route is beautiful to look at from start to finish!
Another key feature of the route that we’ve implemented is neutral sections in the overhead wiring, where your train will momentarily lose power and then get it back again on the other side. Learn to navigate these, it’s easy particularly in modern trains but something interesting to observe as you drive along the line!"
What unique features can players look forward to?
"This is our first Austrian route so while the trains are quite similar to their German counterparts the signals are a little different. It’s relatable so if you’re familiar with German signals it won’t take you long to pick up the differences but it’s an interesting system and just like the German system it fully supports allowing drivers to drive without needing to learn the route as much as say a UK route might.
For gameplay, in addition to the Talent 1 train we’ve also included the DB BR 185.2 to support freight traffic and there’s even some gameplay for the Railpool Vectron as well!"
What is your favourite part of the route?
"For me, it’s anywhere I can see those mountains. It’s a key difference from any other route in Train Sim World and a joy to see with all the detail and distant scenery that is present. Even better in those moments when it’s really close up and you can see that detail really holding up to close viewing."
Describe the route in three words.
Stunning: the views will take your breath away
Busy: lots to do with a range of traffic, including some interesting layers from other packs as well
Different: it’s not like any of the routes we’ve done before!"
Antelope Line: Los Angeles – Lancaster
Peninsula Corridor meets Cajon Pass in our new West Coast US route, featuring Metrolink for the first time. Here to add a little bit of Hollywood razzamatazz is Craig Fowler, our Senior Artist:
What would a normal run look like on the route from end-to-end?
"A normal run would see the players working their way through the built-up areas before slowly edging their way into the mountains. With each passing station, the player takes another step towards leaving the busy city life behind and venturing out into the rugged landscape. Crawling through the valley until finally reaching the bustle of the city once again."
What has been the most challenging part of developing the route?
"The hardest part for us is always doing the natural world justice in replicating these stunning locations. With Antelope Valley we have gone to great lengths to ensure that our 3D meshes, foliage and landscape materials capture the essence of the location."
What have Metrolink been like to work with?
"Metrolink are great partners to work with. We have engaged in many conversations and shared resources to ensure the branding is represented accurately."
Are there any particular points of interest for players to keep an eye out for?
"The Los Angeles River is an iconic spot featured in many Hollywood classics. Players might recognise the setting of many a car chase in the dried-up concrete basin. Or if they’re feeling adventurous, the valleys are open for the player to explore. Strange sightings have been reported over the years that led some to believe there is more going on than meets the eye."
What unique features can players look forward to?
"Among the unique stations and breathtaking views, Antelope valley features brand new foliage and landscape materials that make it feel like no other route in Train Sim World."
What is your favourite part of the route?
"It's hard to pick a specific location because the whole route really is superb. However, rolling into Vincent Grade Acton as the sun is setting is a hard one to beat."