Steam Sounds Supreme and Victory Works recently released their WD 2-10-0 steam loco pack for Train Simulator Classic, and they have very kindly sent over a copy to RailAdvent for us to review.
Amongst a number of features, the pack includes a number of liveries, quick drive consists and custom sounds.
Whats Included In The Price?
For the £14.50 asking price, the pack includes the whole class of the WD 2-10-0s, including preservation members, as well as custom sounds, and a superb animation of A15 tanks being loaded onto wagons.
Did you know? RailAdvent Plus members get 15% off this pack! Click here for more information
First Impressions
As always, Steam Sounds Supreme and Victory Works have pulled this pack out of the top drawer. There are a lot of options to play around with in a free roam, allowing you to pick the exact loco you want. The custom sounds and textures really help to complete a sense of realism on any route you want to drive these locomotives.
There aren't any tutorial scenarios for the pack, which would have been nice, as a visual representation in game is a lot easier than reading a manual. However, having said this, the manual is detailed and explains everything you need to know about the pack with regards to the three driving modes.
It is great to see that no other requirements are needed for the pack, so it's a jump straight in and you are ready.
Optimisation and Detail
When it comes to optimisation, you can tell that SSS/VW have made this add-on to be as detailed as possible, whilst allowing everyone to play the pack. The add-on didn't show any signs of lag in game, and played well throughout our testing.
A high quality of texture detail is viewable on the whole range of the pack, whether you pick to drive a preserved, clean or weathered version of the locomotive.
I had no issues with any of the keyboard shortcuts or controls when it came to driving and the amount of locos you have available means you have a plethora of scenario ideas to make.
General Gameplay
Driving the locomotives is really great, and what is really nice to see is three (Basic, Simple, Advanced) modes for driving, meaning that you can have any level of driving skill and still be able to enjoy the pack.
It is a somewhat disappointing that only one scenario is included in the pack, I would have liked to have seen more scenarios come as standard, as these tend to show off the pack at its best. It would have also been good to drive the preserved models on the KWVR route, SVR route etc. Please see below for more information on this.
Speaking of preserved models, the pack features the ‘as preserved' models of 600 ‘Gordon', which is based on the Severn Valley Railway, 90775, which is based at the North Norfolk Railway, and 3672 Dame Vera Lynn which is at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. This is great to see, as although there aren't any scenarios, you can create your own.
The biggest WOW is that the pack comes with the animated loading of tanks. The included scenario showcases this brilliantly, as the ramp wagon is fully animated and the tanks physically move onto the wagons. This isnt often seen so is a superb addition to the pack.
When it comes to Quick Drives, the locos are all compatible so you can jump in to any route and take it for a drive.
Whilst there is only one scenario in the pack, the locos themselves are easy to find in the scenario editor, so you can let your imagination run wild with ideas for running the loco.
Any Bad Points?
The only bad point for the pack is the lack of scenarios, as i said earlier, these show off the loco at its best on a specific route, and to see they are missing is a little disappointing. However, the rest of the pack makes up for it, especially the animated loading of the tanks.
Before we published this review, we spoke to Steam Sounds Supreme to ask about the lack of scenarios, in case I was missing a vital route etc. SSS has explained that a community vote came back suggesting against the usual amount of scenarios. So whilst still disappointing, this is what the general community thought.
No doubt the community will get behind the pack to create some scenarios.
Final Thoughts
To wrap up the review, the pack is enjoyable, details and excellent to drive. The three driving modes allow you to push yourself to learn the more advanced modes or keep it simple.
The lack of scenarios is disappointing, I would have liked to have seen a variety of scenarios for the £14.50 asking price.
However, small additions like the animated loading of tanks are really nice to see and not something you see in every pack.
We are planning to stream this on our Twitch channel in the coming days. If you would like to see and hear the locomotive in action, as well as the animated loading of the tanks, follow us on Twitch to know when we go live.
The WD 2-10-0 add on is available for £14.50 from the Steam Sounds Supreme store by clicking here.
Don't forget that RailAdvent Plus members get 15% off the price of this pack. Click here for more information.
I would certainly get this locomotive pack and add it to your Train Sim collection, if it is just to play around with in free roam / Quick Drive, or start making your own scenarios with.
A big thank you to Steam Sounds Supreme for sending us a copy to review.
