Hello to everybody.
First of all, let me introduce myself. I'm Andrea Colmanet, creator of the free SFM Turin route and now of the new Payware Turin-Novara route.
I'm not used to posting in forums, but I thought it was right to join yours so I could comment on some posts I've read regarding this route. I prefer to write in English because my German is less than scholastic, and an automatic translation wouldn't guarantee the true tone of my message.
Given that any criticism is legitimate, often useful, and respectable, I'd like to ask you to consider a few things before comparing the various TSC add-ons one by one. This also helps support those of you, among the valuable route testers, who have tried to contextualize the content of this add-on in response to some negative comments.
TSC has never featured Italian routes in its history. Therefore, there is no content available for creators who wish to challenge into a route/loco development. There are no signals, no overhead lines, no Italian-style buildings, no level crossings, platforms, walls, etc. Nothing.
Consequently, there is no default material that would make a route playable without going into dozens of external downloads from various websites, perhaps no longer active, and/or using available material that isn't consistent with an Italian environment.
The same goes for rolling stock; while there are several free/pay or default non-Italian routes that provide rolling stock, none exist for my italian reality as a default or available assets.
Finally, the documentation provided and available by DTG to developers is not complete or not enough detailed, and it's often necessary to invent workarounds to get the game to do what you want trying to build what other country has already available and deeply tested.
When I decided to develop this route with the support of Just Trains, on one hand there was their clear requirement (which I shared) to provide a playable route with a set of basic scenarios but with the requirement of NOT having to download external content (an all-in-one installer), on the other, there was the need to develop everything from scratch. The similarity with what's available on the free SFM Turin is, if examined in more detail, practically nonexistent.
The signals are completely new, both in 3D and in scripting, as new ore heavily revised are the OHLE and everything related to landscape modeling, track and station objects. As for the vegetation, in addition to some Kuju, some new ones were created, and JT ones were used in other areas. The folder of assets specific to this route and the included rolling stock, I believe, exceeds 4GB.
And since there were no rolling stock to be used, the Minuetto was developed from scratch with a whole series of features that certainly can't be considered basic, such as the ability to enable, park, stationing and test the car in various conditions, as well as a series of failures manageable via scenarios that make driving more fun.
Finally, the route and the Minuetto were equipped with Worcester George's SCMT, as an external plugin available for download. However, given the constraints imposed by JT, I also decided to develop a default version of the train control system on board the Minuetto, limited to the in-cab signal repetition (RSC) functions, which make the system immediately usable.
Since creating scenarios with only the Minuetto would certainly not have been appreciated because it would be boring, AI rolling stock and trains were added, with high-detail graphics for both exteriors and interiors, providing a minimum of variety for players and a minimum of flexibility for scenario developers.
In conclusion, I believe that a fair, and above all useful, discussion must also consider the context in which an activity was carried out.
I gladly accept and acknowledge some criticisms regarding the vegetation used, the fact that some buildings are deemed unsuitable, or the lack of superelevation (which is incorrect except in extreme cases), and I will take them into account for the future. However, having purchased several routes, even just for comparison, I don't believe they are superior in terms of the quantity of assets, landscape density, features included, and atmosphere and driving pleasure.
Obviously, I won't comment on the price, but I believe that anyone who decides to sell content sets a price proportional to the quantity (end efforts to build them) of content they're selling, and the buyer decides whether the price is fair after understanding what and how much they're buying.
The conclusions are obviously my personal opinion, and they remain, and should remain, my own judgment, without any claim to have a yes or no by anyone.
I'm finishing this post, and I apologize for its length.
I'm not here to convince anyone. I probably won't elaborate further because I believe everyone in a democracy has the right to say what they want and decide what to do when in front of a choice. What's more, we're talking about an entertainment tool here, which by definition is subjective and will never find everyone in agreement.
I just wanted to explain the reasons behind certain choices.
mit freundlichen Grüßen
