While I love “Train Simulator Classic”, I also enjoy “Train Sim World 3”, both games are from Dovetail Games.
“Train Simulator Classic” is for those who want to be a conductor and want to partake in routes that can actually be very long and you need to get things right or else you won’t advance. It’s less forgiving for your mistakes, while “Train Sim World 3” is more forgiving and more gamified, thanks to its points system.
But also the game is known for its beautiful graphics, a big difference from its older counterpart which still relies on its technology when it was first created back in 2007. But “Train Simulator Classic” is known for its huge number of DLC content and community support and caters to a more hardcore demographic.
“Train Simulator World” caters to the common gamer, may they be on a PC or on a console. And having grown up with “Densha de Go”, TSW would appeal to gamers who enjoyed such simulators.
For me, I own both and enjoy both a lot.
And with the many STEAM sales that do happen, the DLC’s are not expensive. Which leads me to “Train Sim World: LGV Méditerranée: Marseille – Avignon Route” which is 80% off on STEAM right now and for the price, I couldn’t resist.
So, what is the LGV Méditerranée? It’s a 250 km (160 mile) French high-speed rail between Saint-Marcel-les-Valence, Drome and Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhone and also features a connect to Nimes and Gard. In fact, it became appealing as now one can go to Marseille from Paris in three hours, making an alternative to flying.
Service began in 2001 and it was a life-changing event that has made transportation to farther areas in France much easier (to the dismay and protests of wineries, as is the case with many high speed rails going by farming areas).
So, what is the TGV Duplex?
TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) is France’s intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF (Société nationale des chemins de fer français which means “National Society of French railroads”) and is France’s national state-owned railway company.
The TGV Duplex features bi-level carriages and has a seating capacity of 508 passengers.
The TGV Duplex also has a maximum speed of 320 km/h (199 mph), it is considered the world’s fastest train as a short formation TGV Duple achieved 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph) and has been tested for aerodynamics and safety in the event of a collision. It uses an active pantograph (Faiveley CX), all wheel disc brakes, quiet roof fans and an aluminum body.
I absolutely love the bold Carmillon livery and it’s just a beautiful train overall with so much power and speed!
So, what does “Train Sim World: LGV Méditerranée: Marseille – Avignon Route” on “Train Sim World 3” allow you to do?
The main route is the 58-mile route from Marseille Saint-Charles to Avignon TGV. The 200 series TGV Duplex EMU in SNCF Carmillion livery is what you will be responsible for.
Journey Mode features over 24 hours of activities, there are two training modules and five detailed scenarios for this route. And of course, there is a Livery Designer, Scenario Planner and it’s based on Dovetail Games proprietary SimuGraph Vehicle dynamics engine and Unreal Engine 4 technology.
NOTE: You can download the manual here.
I absolutely enjoyed this route, but some may call it a short DLC because you only have the one vehicle and the routes are not exactly long.
But for me, the ability to drive the TGV Duplex was one of the main reasons of getting this DLC and the route is something that appealed to me.
But one of the things that I noticed with this game that it really will teach a person is how pantographs are utilized. During a route, you will need to know when to switch from DC (pantograph at the front and rear) and then to LGV (uses the AC Pantograph on the rear and sets it to pantograph height to its maximum extension) before entering a tunnel (as power mode must be changed to 25kv AC) and seeing a blue sign indicator, then switching to AC mode (pantograph on the rear) outside of Marseilles.
I liked how you get to learn about the vehicle’s braking system, the TVM-430, the Crocodile safety system, the VACMA (Driver Vigilance Device), the KVB system (enable or disable).
But I had so much fun controlling the TGV Duplex. I just like the overall controls of how the train is run and the newer technology and thought that went into the design.
The game also looks beautiful, although I can’t comment on accuracy of how close it depicts the route, it’s beautiful to look at!
“Train Sim World: LGV Méditerranée: Marseille – Avignon Route” is on sale for an unbelievable price of $5.99 (80% off) on STEAM (Spring Sale was at $17.99, so this current sale for this DLC alone is insane). Get it now while you can! “Train Sim World 3” owners, make sure to purchase the version that shows “TSW2 & TSW3 Compatible”.
“Train Sim World: LGV Méditerranée: Marseille – Avignon Route” for the price and enjoyment, it’s definitely a must buy at $6.
