The beauty is in the detail

Something which makes the best MSTS routes stand out is an enhanced level of detail. Examples which stand out are the group of 'the railway children' waving at the level crossing in the Steyning route; platform markers in Dorset Coast; AWS ramps in Great Eastern; and the plethora of flora in the GWR/Toddington route. Though I'm less familiar with non-UK routes, some of those I've looked at are outstanding in this respect.

Details like this - and I've picked only a tiny selection - set a benchmark for other routes in terms of quality, and of course they also enhance the player experience. Subconsciously I've been striving to attain a similar level in at least two ways: (i) by creating custom objects based on the prototypes which per se look more realistic, and (ii) by adding extra objects which are not essential to the driving experience. An example of each can be found in the Oxford stabling sidings: (i) a custom set of floodlights based on the originals, rather than freeware stock items I've downloaded; and (ii) a set of bins used for cleaning out the Turbos stabled there (I'm not sure what their official name is - drop me a line if you know!). Using Mosaic to create custom textures to blend the ballast with the surrounding grass terrain is in my opinion critical to improving the look.

So in this post I've provided a couple of shots of the yard. At the top is 66504 powering south with a Freightliner service, with a handful of First Group rolling stock stabled in the sidings. And just below is a ground-level shot taken a couple of seconds later, with the shunters' cabin in the left foreground.

By contrast, Oxford station itself (below) - although almost complete structurally, is lacking in the sort of detail which will make it come alive. There's a solitary passenger on the footbridge but no nameplates and minimal station clutter. I sense that adding this could be a never-ending project, so the trick will be to work out when to stop...