Challenging gradients and towering peaks feature aplenty in RSSLO’s Tirol Austria route, which is coming soon to the Steam and Dovetail Games stores

More exciting offers as a new selection of 21 Train Simulator add-ons are part of Steam’s Weeklong Deals! These offers ALL have a 60% discount for the next 7 days, so you’ve got until 6PM (GMT) on Monday the 28th to make the most of them... Head to the Store Ruhr-Sieg Line The Ruhr-Sieg line is a wonderful German route with something for everybody, including passenger and freight trains and a choice of diesel, electric and steam locomotives. The line from Hagen to Siegen in Rhine-Westphalia was completed in the 1860s and primarily handled coal traffic, feeding the steel mills around Siegen. As passenger traffic increased, stations were built at towns along the line such as Finnentrop, Letmathe and Kreutzal and the line became a fast passenger link as well as a busy freight route for wood, steel and coal trains. The Ruhr-Sieg line for Train Simulator recreates the line from Hagen to Siegen and includes a mixture of diesel, electric and steam locomotives plus scenarios to let you explore this busy route. Key Features * Ruhr-Sieg line from Hagen to Siegen via Finnentrop including Siegen roundhouse * DB Class 151 electric locomotive in Railion livery * DB Class 143 electric locomotive in DB red livery * DB Class 101 electric locomotive in DB red, silver, blue and black liveries * DB Class 294 diesel locomotive in DB red and blue/ivory liveries * DB Class V200 diesel locomotive in DB re/grey and blue/ivory liveries * BR52 steam locomotive in black livery * 12 scenarios Available during the Weeklong Deals @ 60% off [https://store.steampowered.com/app/208304] South Wales Coastal Directly connecting England and Wales, running underneath the longest river in the United Kingdom, the South Wales Main Line is one of the most important cross border routes in the country, as featured in the beautiful South Wales Coastal route for Train Simulator. The line is operated by Arriva Trains Wales and also sees Great Western Railway services originating from London Paddington into Cardiff, and beyond. Freight remains a key part of the route, be it imported coal or steel works movements. The line is also one of the last major inter-city routes in Great Britain to remain un-electrified, although there are plans to electrify the line as far as Cardiff as part of the new Intercity Express Programme. The South Wales Coastal – Bristol to Cardiff route for Train Simulator recreates the 39 mile section of main line from Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway to Cardiff Central, via the Severn Tunnel. Also included are a number of locomotives and freight wagons to replicate services on the line as seen today, including the Arriva Trains Wales Class 175 ‘Coradia’ DMU, Freightliner Class 70 and Great Western Railway Class 43 HST. Key Features * 39 Mile route from Bristol Temple Meads to Cardiff Central * Freight, commuter and high-speed experiences * Arriva Trains Wales Class 175 ‘Corrida’ DMU * Freightliner Class 70 * Great Western Railway Class 43 HST * 8 scenarios Available during the Weeklong Deals at 60% off [https://store.steampowered.com/app/376940] NJ TRANSIT® F40PH-2CAT Electro-Motive’s F40PH line of diesel locomotives represented the face of North American passenger railroading for more than a generation. Between 1976 and the early 1990s, more than 400 of the highly successful 3,000- and 3,200-horsepower diesel locomotives were constructed and served in intercity and commuter service, across the continent. Throughout their long careers, the stylish F40PH-2CATs were regularly employed on NJ TRANSIT’s North Jersey Coast Line, operating to and from Hoboken Terminal, as well as powering the “shuttles” between Long Branch and Bay Head, New Jersey. Thus, the veteran F40PH-2CAT is an ideal and highly authentic locomotive for service on Train Simulator’s NJCL route. The NJ TRANSIT F40PH-2CAT includes a range of advanced features including NJ TRANSIT’s in-cab signal system and HEP start-up and shutdown. The F40PH-2CAT is accompanied by NJ TRANSIT’s Comet IV commuter coach and a drivable Comet V cab-car for push-pull operations. Key Features * NJ TRANSIT F40PH-2CAT diesel locomotive * NJ TRANSIT in-cab signal system and other advanced control features * Comet IV commuter coach and drivable Comet V cab car * Career scenarios for the North Jersey Coast Line route * Quick Drive Compatible Available during the Weeklong Deals at 60% off [https://store.steampowered.com/app/325968] https://store.steampowered.com/dlc/24010/Train_Simulator_2019/#browse

The weather conditions continue to upset my fishing plans, I’m itching to get back onto the river banks, but can’t justify barbel fishing when the water is so low. As a result, I headed back to one of my favourite waters, Rode Pool, on the Stoke-on-Trent Angling Society card in search of tench and bream, but with an eye out for an opportunity to bag my first carp from this very tricky water… I arrived just as the sun started to fleck the horizon with pinks but was dismayed to find that I’d already been beaten to my intended spot! One other angler on the lake, and he was sitting where I wanted to be; typical! We had a brief chat, before I retired to the other end of the lake, choosing peg 1, one of my least favourite areas, but the wind was pushing hard into the other end of the lake, and taking a huge amount of algal bloom with it, coating the water is a paint-like green slick which I didn’t fancy cleaning off my gear later! It’s a two-rod only water, so I set up a pair of 3lb test curve rods, twinned them with the huge spools of my trusty Sonik Tournos 10000’s, and prepared myself to launch a cast about 140 yards to where I could see carp cruising. I won’t lie, my cast fell about 35 yards short, a mix of average casting technique and a crosswind, and I felt the lead plug solidly into silt; not ideal. I tightened up, and pulled to release the lead, before winding in to try again. Again, I fell way short, but this time the lead seemed to settle on good ground, so I left it in situ as I realised I was never going to get near the intended spot. Baited with a Spotted Fin Smokey Jack bottom bait, and tipped with a small yellow wafter, I was confident that if carp were hungry, they would find it. A few freebies were sticked out over the top, and I went about my second rod. I know The Method works extremely well here, so the usual tri-lobe feeder was slid up the line, wrapped in Spotted Fin Classic Corn groundbait, studded with 2mm pellets, and an 8mm wafter banded onto the hook. This went out into open water near a submerged bar, and I sat back to wait. On the hour, every hour, the method feeder was retrieved and reloaded, but after 5 hours, I hadn’t had a single indication on either rod! Earlier activity had quietened down, with fish no longer to be seen rolling on the surface, and it appeared that they had indeed followed the wind. Eventually, a bleep and a typically stuttering run saw a bream of around 4lb banked, then another, and then I lost a slightly bigger fish, and that was it; nothing further all day, still no carp, and it was soon time to pack up. I found out subsequently that despite my misgivings, I was the only angler of six to have caught… scant consolation for such a poor day, but at least it wasn’t a blank! I returned a couple of days later, determined to fish better and catch more. Both rods were set up with a method feeder, but this time crammed with Spotted Fin Super Sweet Blend groundbait, one with a tiny wafter hook bait, the other with two grains of corn on the hair. Both were lobbed out quickly and left to settle. Once more, I intended to recast every hour, but I didn’t really get chance. After a quiet first hour, in which I identified another bar to the right hand side of the swim, I moved the rods slightly left, and started to get interest straight away in an area devoid of silt or leaf debris. My first fish tripped up over the corn, as did my second, then the third picked up the wafter to give me a total of 3 big bream on the bank. A fourth fish fell to the corn, so I swapped the other rod over to yellow grains, and from then on rarely had them out together for more than 20 minutes! It went a bit mad, and by mid-afternoon, I’d tallied 16 bream and a trio chubby tench, as well as losing 3 more due to having (unheard of on this water) double takes! Usually, the wafters out perform any other bait on this particular lake, but just for once, after ringing the changes, I opted to fish the humble grain and it paid off. I’ve got absolute belief in the groundbait too, the sweetness proving a definite attractor for the hefty bream which reside within, and flecked through with 2mm Smokey Jack pellets, it makes an irresistible mix which seems to work consistently. Once more, I caught more than anyone else on the lake, and I think I know why; confidence in your bait is much of the battle on tricky waters, and I’ve got complete confidence in mine! Get on the Fin!

The Dovetail Games Publisher Weekend has started on Steam. From 6pm GMT on Thursday 17th January until 6pm on Monday 21st January you can get 50% off Fishing Sim World Standard and Deluxe Editions. Lake Williams will also have a 30% discount on it. Check it out here https://store.steampowered.com/dlc/834280/Fishing_Sim_World/ There also great deals on Euro Fishing with 75% off on the base game and up to 60% off the add-on lakes. For all of the Euro Fishing discounts head over here https://store.steampowered.com/dlc/314520/Euro_Fishing/

Following the release of their stunning Bernina Pass route, Thomson Interactive have been busy working away on their RhB Enhancement Pack 3...

The habitation around Lake Arnold in Tennessee provides a range of fishing opportunities for the ten different species found here. From residential buildings, jetties and wild woodland, there is a variety of structures to fish toward. The contrast between the urban environment and the woodland and submerged trees in the lake gives the angler new choices and new challenges each time they fish. Key Features include: * 1400 acres of lake to explore with tens of thousands of fish present * Authentic Tennessee venue with submerged trees, building and jetties to target fish * Specimen-sized fish for each ten species

Step into the 1980s with Northern Trans-Pennine: Manchester – Leeds, which is available now for Train Sim World on Windows PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

In response to your important feedback over the holidays, we have today released an update for Train Sim World on Windows PC.

You will soon be seeing the add-on lakes appearing in the Dovetail Fishing League events. Starting with Lake Williams in the Match Series on Monday 14th January, you will be able to test your skills against other anglers on the newer lakes for Fishing Sim World. Even if you don't own the lake you will still be able to take part in the tournaments. You will be given one 1-hour attempt to submit a score. Those that own the lake will be given 3 1-hour attempts. Good luck everyone!

Climb aboard classic traction in the form of the DB BR 181.2, which is available now on the Steam and Dovetail Games stores for authentic freight action

Our next update for Fishing Sim World, ‘The January Update’ is now available across all platforms. Full notes are below; * Reduced the duration at the start and end of reeling to make it feel more responsive * When loading into a lake the map won't be blurry anymore for the first couple seconds * Players will now have one, 1 hour attempt for lakes they don't own in live events * Added in sounds for boat collision * Increased the variables in AI anglers scores based on their skill level so AI positions in leaderboards are more random * Localised text improvements * Added ability to delete a tackle box when editing your own ones * Fixed line physics when casting long distances * Fixed issue where lure would still create splashes on the surface even when a fish is on it * Fixed issue where fish won't be netted if using a long rod by increasing the netting distance * Fixed clothing customisation not correctly applied in the shop The update following on from ‘The January Update’ is well underway and current highlights for this are as follows; * Added mechanism to allow fish to leap. Bass behaviour is set up so that it can now leap out of water. Bass diving behaviour has now been rebalanced to work with leaping. * Improved line tension behaviour when fighting bass * Improved collision issues with boats in particular being able to steer the boat when applying throttle when stuck * Boat glides to a stop when turning rather than immediately stopping when switching from trolling to fishing * Fixed characters being able to enter a boat when fishing from a jetty * Ensured the sound of striking into a fish is heard correctly when bass fishing * Improved ambient audio * Ensured you cannot interact with other people’s line on a boat in multiplayer * Localisation improvements

Delve into the Great Western once more with the famed and versatile GWR Pannier Tanks, which are available now for Train Simulator from Victory Works!

Return to the scenic West Somerset Railway with the BR Class 33, which is available now for Train Sim World on Windows PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4!

Continuing their fantastic LMS line-up, Bossman Games are bringing their Rebuilt Royal Scot Class to the Steam and Dovetail Games stores!

Happy New Year all! The December season of the Dovetail Fishing League has ended which brings an end to the Dovetail Fishing League for 2018. The scores for the last week of the league have been calculated and we can announce who the Anglers of the Month are. The winners of Angler of the Month on each platform are: PS4 - AV_HappyTek Xbox One - perex62 PC - UndeadFrog Congratulations to the winners! We start 2019 with the January Dovetail Fishing League season. Find out the events for week one below: * Big Bass Tour - Lake Boulder, Morning * Carp Championship - Manor Farm, Sunset * Predator Challenge - Waldsee, Afternoon * Match Series - Bergsee, Night

The Trophy Hunter's Equipment Pack is available now for Fishing Sim World on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. PlayStation 4 Europe [https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/product/EP2866-CUSA12376_00-FISHSWEQUIPPACK1] PlayStation 4 US will be available from 4pm GMT. Xbox One [https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/fishing-sim-world-trophy-hunters-equipment-pack/c1k6sj65n9zd] Steam [https://store.steampowered.com/app/973611/Fishing_Sim_World_Trophy_Hunters_Equipment_Pack/] Dovetail Store [https://store.dovetailgames.com/ref/973611] This 30+ item, licensed equipment pack contains all the additional equipment you need to land the biggest trophy fish available. Featuring a brand-new Puma boat from Bass Cat Boats equipped with an Evinrude engine, you can travel across the lake quicker than ever before! From Jenko Fishing we have a selection of lures including the Booty Shaker swimbait, the Tremor Shad 7 and the Jenkolistic swimbait. We also have hats and hoodies from Jenko. Haichou features with bass fishing rods and reels and we also have the Stunner Spinning reel from Fitzgerald Fishing. You will also find four stylish new boat wraps from Duckett Fishing, Missile Baits and Bill Lewis available for the Bass Cat Lynx and a RidgeMonkey wrap for the Puma. This pack isn't just geared towards our American venues with three new floats and five new baits to use on our European venues including the Link & Essential Cell boilies from Mainline Baits, Sea Monster from Baitworks and imitation snails and luncheon meat from Enterprise Tackle.

The TGV® Réseau and RDuplex are available now for Train Simulator!

High Iron Simulations’ newest scenario pack brings the Southern Pacific era on Soldier Summit to life!

As part of preparing the roll out of the Train Sim World editor for the community, we wanted to start getting some feedback from someone independent.

First appearing in 1926, the DR BR 44 was designed to haul heavy goods over steep gradients, and soon it shall come to Train Simulator for historic action.

The latest update for Fishing Sim World, titled ‘Fishing with Friends’ is now available across all platforms. This update focuses primarily on multiplayer fixes and full notes are below; * Ensured all achievements for Jezioro Bestii are being awarded correctly * Fix for camera spinning wildly if the client becomes out of synch from the host * Fix for animations going out of synch when accessing menus while bass fishing. Players can now reset the player by going back to boat driving mode and back again to clear the issue if it occurs * General stability improvements * Fixed streaming issue for clients that can cause a crash * Added texture optimisation to stop MP crash for Clients * Fixed issue where fish would take longer to net on multiplayer client than host or single player. * Text in catch screen will now resize correctly if it doesn't fit (applies to single player as well) * Fixed issue where camera would stutter on multiplayer client. * Fixed issue with player name not appearing when starting the game for the very first time. * Stopped "ROD SELECTION" button prompt from showing when the claimed peg is NOT a boat peg (applies to single player as well) * Fixed issue with "Reset cast" not working if pressed right before the bait hits the water (applies to single player as well) * Always show 4 entries in multiplayer if you're last on the leaderboard. * Single player - Stopped level name reverting once you reach "Prestige" level * Single player - Stopped the skipping of level 100 once you reach level 99 at max prestige We are already working on the following update that follows Fishing with Friends. Current highlights for this include; * When loading into a lake the map won't be blurry anymore for the first couple seconds * Players will now have one, 1 hour attempt for lakes they don't own in live events. * Added in sounds for boat collision * Increased the variables in AI anglers scores based on their skill level so AI positions in leaderboards are more random * Localised text improvements * Added ability to delete a tackle box when editing your own ones * Fixed line physics when casting long distances * Reduced the duration at the start and end of reeling to make it feel more responsive * Fixed issue where lure would still create splashes on the surface even when a fish is on it * Fixed issue where fish won't be netted if using a long rod by increasing the netting distance

I’ve taken delivery of some of the brand new SKSC commercial fishery range from Sonik Sports recently, so decided to take the 11’ feeder rod and 5000 series reel out for a session to see how it performed. It’s realistically priced to provide a viable option for those anglers who hate to part with big money for kit, with rods and reels coming in at under £40 each. There is a good selection to choose from too, with a trio of both float and feeder rods at 9’, 10’ and 11’, three reels, and a couple of landing nets too; there are even barbel rods to be had, so the new range is certainly worth checking out… I arrived at my local club venue, and despite seeing a few carp on the top, opted to use a small flatbed method feeder, which I intended to fish close in at the base of the marginal shelf. I know that carp congregate in this area as I’ve run my Deeper ™ sonar over it, so was confident of a bite or two to put some pressure on the rod and reel. I usually fish a 12’ rod, so was looking forward to trying something different to see if had much effect on the way I played the fish or affected my casting. The feeder was quickly loaded with Spotted Fin Classic Corn feeder mix (try it, you won’t be disappointed!) an 8mm matching wafter banded on, and the rig gently cast out around twenty yards. I fired a few sinking pellets over the top hoping to sound the ‘dinner bell’, then tightened the line to put a gentle curve in the 2oz tip and sat back to wait. The rod is supplied with both a 1oz and 2oz push in tip, and I’d chosen the stiffer tip purely as I was using the method feeder… there is not much subtlety required when fishing the method, so I didn’t expect to have to decipher the delicate trembles and flickers associated with ‘normal’ feeder fishing, instead waiting for the rod to hoop around when a fish picked up the bait. I love to watch the bites develop on the method as fish demolish the bait ball before finding the target bait within, and so the session started; a minute of gentle pulls as the fish moved in, then WHAM! The tip shot around as my first carp of the day was hooked! I’d set the clutch so I didn’t get smashed up immediately, and was pleased to see the SKSC reel spool off line steadily as the clutch gently tempered the first angry run. The carp moved out into open water where I was happy to let the rod do all of the work as the fish charged around trying to shed the hook. The 11’ rod is ringed very well, and fighting pressure put a pleasing curve in the rod as the carp fought on. Obviously, I couldn’t put as much pressure on my opponent as I would have been able to with a 2.75lb test curve rod, but lighter tackle always makes the battle more fun, and eventually, my first carp tired and slid over the waiting net. At around 12lb, it wasn’t a huge fish, but not unexpected on a commercial fishery, and the new tackle performed admirably! I’d already noticed that the titanium oxide rod rings on the SKSC feeder rod were easy to thread. All too often, I find that guides are so small at the tip that it often difficult to thread the line through (especially once your eyesight starts to ‘age’) but the SKSC was easy to tackle up and get to work with reel lines in the 5-8lb bracket. It also features a screw down reel seat, and EVA/cork handle which always looks great, is easy to handle when wet and cold, and features muted graphics which appeal to many anglers. The reel is supplied with both deep and shallow aluminium spools, and I was happy to note great line lay without having to mess about with washers or similar; for the money, both products offer great value! Throughout the day, I landed a total of thirteen carp to about 14lb, and twenty one bream, all around 3-4lb, then added a dozen small barbel, with the new SKSC kit taming them all with ease. I’ve yet to try the pellet waggler rod, but if it performs as well as the feeder kit (and I fully expect it too) then Sonik have a very popular, affordable range of quality coarse fishing kit, ideal for both the match and pleasure angler, who wants good kit at great prices which will do ‘exactly what it says on the tin’. Check out the full range at www.soniksports.com [https://www.soniksports.com/]

Alongside the release of Northern Trans-Pennine, we have also released an update for Train Sim World: Long Island Rail Road on Windows PC, and is now also released to Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

RSSLO's DB BR 643 captures the finesse of the “Talent” in Pro Range fashion, is perfectly suited for authentic local DB Regio operations, and is out now.