Class 385 Upgrade
7th March 2024The Thomson 385. A release in need of some TLC. That needed fixing. So… we (a crack team of developers) did.
What’s Included?
An overhauled/upgraded Class 385, with new exterior textures, custom audio, physics, autonumbering, PRM decals and more.
Requirements
Thomson Glasgow Dunblane
AP Class 700 Enhancement Pack
AP Class 800 Enhancement Pack
Instructions
A manual is included with the full pack details and instructions you need, please read it carefully!
Credits
Agdron – Creating the original sound patch and allowing use as a base.
Alan Thomson – Publicity and assistance in development.
Chris Horsfield – Our Scottish correspondent and 385 enjoyer.
Clowes – Texture overhauls, manual, batch etc.
James Ivell – Autonumber scripting.
Sean Gallagher – Huuuuge overhaul of sounds, including a mix of AP and custom audio. Physics redo. Too much to mention here, read the manual!
Changelog
V1.01 (12/03/2024 2255) | Darkened glass in exterior view, added passenger view audio
V2.00 (30/11/2024 2115) | Motor sounds revamped to use loops vice OneShot – significant improvement to sounds under acceleration and braking. Motor sounds mixed to change at 30mph. Improved font for unit numbers. Unit rebaked – visible improvement to ‘shading’.
Definitely improved, however the accelaration is far too quick and the train accelerates quicker as it gains speed, the opposite of what it should do. The braking curve is off as well. Far too harsh braking for such little input. These were both issues from original release so hopefully they can be fixed.
Absolutely wonderful work, all around a great enhancement. The only thing I’ve noticed is that the new physics seem a bit extreme. The acceleration and braking do seem stronger than they would be IRL. I know these units are quite fast off the mark, but the default physics seem a bit more in line with true performance. A good comparison is the AP800 on electric, the 385s are a good bit faster than the 800s, and with the default physics this seems about right. With the new physics they do just seem like an absolute rocket ship. Everything else is amazing, and I absolutely appreciate the work put in, just did want to share my thoughts.
Thank you for the update, the original was a disappointment ! New announcements are spot on too ! I’m however surprised to see how the sounds were set up : only 2 oneshots used as loops isn’t the best way when creating sounds. This results in the traction sounds not coinciding with the actual train acceleration, and the wavs stops playing after that.
With the limitations of my knowledge at the time that’s the best I could do!
Doesn’t mean that further down the line I can’t look into it to change that. To at least give something out even if its a minor improvement was better than nothing.
Will take onboard what you said for updates further down the line.
Hope this helps.
Thanks Sean
Excellent upgrade! Couple of minor things:
1) Could you please put the key bindings in the manual so we know what’s what?
2) Would it be possible to get DSD working and have it on the E key? I know that’s currently used for TMS Home, but given that there’s a click spot for it, it doesn’t seem that important. I have a TS Controllers DSD plunger which is hardcoded to the E key, so it would be great to have that working.
3) Not sure if DSD has been implemented but I just need to turn it on? I tried Ctrl+D but nothing happened. If you do add DSD it would be nice to have an on/off control on Ctrl+D with a visual box to let you know if it’s on or off a la AP packs.
4) The horn lever doesn’t move when you press Space or B, only if you use the mouse. Tiny thing, but would be good hook up that animation if possible.
Finally there are some PBC issues, but I think those will need to be sorted out by Dan, so I will mention them to him (they are relatively minor).
Thanks so much for this upgrade! Really appreciated. It seems that in addition to what is listed in the manual, you have changed the inputmapper to bring it more in line with AP standards. Would it be possible to list what exactly has changed? Useful to cover in the manual too. Again many thanks!
Great work on this! Not sure if this is a bug on my end but I’m only getting motor sounds from the leading motor coach of the player train.
With the limitations and what we could do Thomson drowned it out that much with noise it only ever played sound from the front coach and people didn’t notice that detail and thought the whole train had sound. So unfortunately this couldn’t be rectified.
Glad to hear you enjoy it none of the less!
Thought as much. Still a great pack though and the 385 is a joy to drive now! Thanks again.
Great work, my eardrums thank everyone who worked on this 😀
Brilliant work, kudos to everyone involved!
Looking forward to it!