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  3. Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor - FAQ

Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor - FAQ

[p][/p][hr][/hr][p]What is Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor?[/p][p]Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor is an all-new game developed by the Dovetail Games team in collaboration with Mattel. It features your favourite characters from Thomas & Friends™ and allows you to explore the Island of Sodor like never before. You will be able to walk around all the famous locations you know and love. Be part of the stories and help Thomas and his friends complete jobs around the island.[/p][p][/p][p]When will Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor be released?[/p][p]Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor is Coming Soon to Steam[/p][p]You can Wishlist on Steam Now![/p][p][/p][h2]Content[/h2][p][/p][p]What content is included with Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor?[/p][p]There are 8 Stories to play along in Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor, as well as 3 other Game Modes: Timetable Mode, Explore Mode, and a Shunting Challenge.[/p]
  • [p]Story Mode – This is where you play along with some of your favourite Thomas & Friends™ characters through a story, doing tasks along the way.[/p]
  • [p]Timetable Mode – This is where you select a character and drive a day in the life of that character on the Island of Sodor. You can select a service at certain times of the day you would like to drive.[/p]
  • [p]Explore Mode – This is a mode where you can walk, ride and drive trains around the island at your freedom. [/p]
  • [p]Shunting Challenge – This is where you get a challenge to shunt Troublesome Trucks into a certain order in as few moves as possible to try and beat your personal best.[/p]
[p]In addition to these modes, players will be able to take screenshots of their experiences with Photo Mode, allowing them lots of options to capture their favourite moments of Thomas & Friends™.[/p][p][/p][p]What additional content is included with the Deluxe Edition?[/p][p]The Deluxe Edition includes James and 4 new stories.[/p][p][/p][p]Which characters are in the game?[/p][p]You will see plenty of characters in the Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor game as you travel across the island, including:[/p]
  • [p]Thomas the Tank Engine[/p]
  • [p]Percy [/p]
  • [p]Gordon[/p]
  • [p]Emily[/p]
  • [p]Diesel[/p]
  • [p]Annie and Clarabel[/p]
  • [p]Troublesome Trucks[/p]
  • [p]Bertie[/p]
  • [p]Sir Topham Hatt[/p]
  • [p]James (included with the Deluxe Edition or available as a separate purchase)[/p][p][/p]
[p]Why did you choose these characters and locations?[/p][p]We chose the characters and locations to give players a varied gameplay experience across the Island of Sodor, bringing the places and faces you know to life like never before.[/p][p][/p][p]Where did the inspiration for these stories come from?[/p][p]We have a mix of original Stories, including Thomas & Gordon, with some stories written by passionate Thomas & Friends™ fans in our Dovetail Games team, as well as input from the team at Mattel.  [/p][p][/p][p]What future content can we expect from Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor? [/p][p]We will support Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor, taking on board any feedback from the community following launch and ensuring the best experience possible. We are excited to share this brand-new journey with you all, and following the release, we will be back to talk more about any future developments we have in mind.[/p][p] [/p][h2]Gameplay[/h2][p][/p][p]Can I take photos in the game?[/p][p]Yes, a comprehensive photo mode will be available from the pause menu.[/p][p][/p][p]Can I change the character’s facial expressions?[/p][p]In Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor, characters have reactive faces and expressions which you can see during the stories and other game modes.[/p][p]Coming as a post-release update, you will be able to freely change the expression of your character using the in-game menu.[/p][p][/p][p]Can I create my own scenes and place characters along the route?[/p][p]Yes, in Explore mode, you will be able to freely place characters along the route.[/p][p][/p][p]Can I drive the characters using the cab controls?[/p][p]Yes, you will be able to control Thomas and his friends in the cab, but there will also be simpler controls available when you start the game.[/p][p]All the engines will have their Regulator/Throttle, Reverser to select Forwards and Backwards and Brake operable from the driver's seat. The physics of the engines won’t change, but will give you a more realistic experience of a train driver on the Island of Sodor.  This will be under ‘realistic controls’ in the Settings menu.[/p][p] [/p][h2]Technical[/h2][p][/p][p]What are the PC system requirements?[/p][p]Minimum (720P, 30fps average):[/p]
  • [p]OS: 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11[/p]
  • [p]Processor: Intel Core i5-4690 @ 3.5 GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X @ 3.7 GHz[/p]
  • [p]Memory: 8 GB RAM[/p]
  • [p]Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 460 with 2 GB VRAM or more[/p]
  • [p]DirectX: Version 10 or higher[/p]
  • [p]Storage: 10 GB available space[/p]
  • [p]Sound Card: DirectX Compatible[/p]
  • [p]Additional Notes: Requires mouse and keyboard or Xbox Controller[/p]
[p]Recommended (1080P, 60fps average):[/p]
  • [p]OS: 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11[/p]
  • [p]Processor: Intel Core i5-9600K @ 3.7 GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 @ 3.6 GHz[/p]
  • [p]Memory: 16 GB RAM[/p]
  • [p]Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB or AMD Radeon RX 5700 with 8 GB VRAM or more[/p]
  • [p]DirectX: Version 10[/p]
  • [p]Network: Broadband Internet connection[/p]
  • [p]Storage: 10 GB available space[/p]
  • [p]Sound Card: DirectX Compatible[/p]
  • [p]Additional Notes: Requires mouse and keyboard or Xbox Controller[/p]
[p][/p][p]How have you re-created the Island of Sodor? [/p][p]The team looked at locations throughout all eras of the brand, from publishing to content, to build the best version of Sodor. Examples include: Elsbridge Station, Tidmouth Station, and Vicarstown Station, which are variants from the publishing and content series.[/p][p]Some locations have had to be modified to make them fit and work with how the game works, but we have recreated these locations as faithfully as possible to the original.  [/p][p]We have also used an original 3D map made by P.R. Wickham in 1950 for the Rev Wilbert Awdry, based on his sketches and design. Awdry used this map when introducing new railways and branch lines into the books, finding places that made sense in the topology and where they would fit. The map was 3D scanned for Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor to get the topology of the Island of Sodor. The Relief Map currently hangs on the wall in the recreation of Rev. Awdry's Study in the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at the Talyllyn Railway.[/p][p]The Island of Sodor has been slightly scaled down to allow for all audiences to play. However, we have made sure all your favourite locations are in the routes, and you get the same timeless feeling of what the books and TV series showed.    [/p][p]One of the main location differences is Knapford Station, which has had its platforms on the middle roads changed to through platforms. This is to allow it to work with the Timetable Mode and the flow of the station.  [/p][p]Also, in some locations, the platforms and stations will seem larger and longer than in the book and TV series; this is to allow for stopping locations and to fit larger trains.  [/p][p][/p][p]How have we worked with Mattel on the production of the game? [/p][p]We have been working closely with Mattel for all-important source material from the book and TV series, creating the nostalgic stories, and making the Island of Sodor feel as immersive as possible.[/p][p][/p][p]What characteristics do the characters in Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor have?[/p][p]To provide an authentic railway experience, we've made some adjustments to the characters to reflect their real-life locomotive designs (for example, Emily being a GNR Stirling Single, and Gordon being an LNER Pacific locomotive).[/p][p]The sounds of each of the engines have come from the Thomas & Friends™ TV series, alongside our vast library of real-life railway sounds, to provide true immersion and railway ambience.[/p][p]For those who have played Thomas & Friends™ Visit the West Somerset Railway on Train Sim World, we've made some changes to the characters featured in that Add-on, including:  [/p]
  • [p]All-new changeable facial expressions - when in Explore and Timetable Modes. These will be different depending on the character, and can be chosen by the player using a selectable wheel when inside the character Note: Selectable facial expressions will be available as a post-release update[/p]
  • [p]Rivets – Resizing and changing to fit closer to the real loco basis   [/p]
  • [p]Cabs – Adding real-life loco-based cabs to the characters and making controls usable[/p]
  • [p]Weathering – Adding coal dust to the back of bunkers and around the top of tenders[/p]
  • [p]Handrails – Repainted and redesigned to match the real-life locomotives [/p]
[p] [/p][h2]Social[/h2][p]Where can I find updates about Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor?[/p][p]You can learn more about Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor through our website and social channels. Join the conversation and talk about all things Thomas & Friends™ on our official Discord channel.[/p][p] [/p]
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