About Pet Simulator X:
This is probably one of the highest quality steam locomotives I’ve seen come from Dovetail. The textures are extremely good. Inside and out everything looks great! The smoke is very nice as well – it changes shades of grey and white correctly and smoothly when there are changes to the firebox/boiler. The only oddity I ran into was when looking at the passenger view, it actually placed you outside a window. I’m not sure if that was just me, but it didn’t bother me as passenger view isn’t important to me. I can’t tell you exactly how realistic it is, having never actually driven a steam locomotive, but it definitely feels nice. The scenarios can be fairly difficult. Particularly the first and third. The second is quite easy and all work perfectly. Care seems to have been made in these scenarios to make them realistic as well. There is a lot of AI, something that isn’t always the case. As this is a steam locomotive running in modern times, there would be a lot of people out to get a peek… that’s also depicted in the scenarios. The achievements all trigger properly as well. Highly recommend. 10/10. PROs What can I say about this locomotive? It is truly the best locomotive I have ever driven in Train Simulator. I was hesitant to purchase a DTG DLC due to their usually bad attention to detail, but the A2 Peppercorn ‘Blue Peter’ exceeded all of my expectations. The sounds the locomotive makes are very realistic, you can sense when the locomotive is accelerating by the noise it makes. If feels like a living machine, a true locomotive. The engine sometimes has a mind of its own and it’s rather quite difficult to master this thoroughbred. The reason this point isn’t in the CONs section is that Blue Peter historically was difficult to control if you weren’t an experienced driver. Just ask the 1994 crew. However, once you mater the old girl, she offers you a wonderful experience. “During an unscheduled stop at Durham station, the inexperienced footplate crew overfilled the boiler. As the train departed south across Durham viaduct an initial slip was poorly controlled by the driver, who then reopened the regulator too early, probably worried about stalling on the bank up to Relly Mill. The force of the initial slip caused the boiler to prime, carrying water over into the regulator valve and jamming it open. This allowed passage of steam through to the cylinders, perpetuating the slip and accelerating the driving wheels. When the driver attempted to wind the reversing gear back into mid-position to halt the slip, the force of the motion spun it into full-forward position, and the driving wheels reached a rotational speed of 140 miles per hour before the cylinder covers blew off and the motion disintegrated.” Source: Wikipedia The smoke coming out of the engine is also realistic. It matches the chuffing the engine makes. The cab is also a work of art, interior lights and windows you can open add a sense of realism that many DTG DLC’s lack. CONs Although you can open and close the driver’s side window, the fireman’s window is not movable to my knowledge. I’ve tried several times. This may or may not be a con, but this is a warning for low end PC users. The A2 Peppercorn ‘Blue Peter’ takes a toll on your computer. It is a very detailed model, and with that, comes frame rate drop. I sometimes have to run the locomotive on a lower setting and or turn off the cab lights to increase frame rate. However, if you have a decent computer, this shouldn’t be an issue. Those looking for a locomotive you can easily control, this probably isn’t the engine for you. As I said above, it is difficult to master. It tends to kick easily and is prone to wheel slip. The slightest push of the regulator causes it to speed up rapidly, so it is difficult to remain under the speed limit in a yard setting. (If you tick the bell, you can turn on legacy driving mode and the locomotive will be a bit more responsive) Overall, this locomotive is truly an amazing piece of art. Hats off to DTG for releasing an amazing locomotive. Although this came out in 2015, its age does not show and it is honestly better than some of the newer models out there for Train Simulator. I give it a solid 9.5/10, a would recommend for anyone’s roundhouse! Especially people who are a fan of Blue Peter.
