Demo anniversary

That was a big milestone for Rail Route, and a great opportunity for us to gather valuable feedback from our players. We’ve been polishing and bug fixing during the last month a lot. We hope that this will ensure a smooth experience during the Early Access release on June 23rd for everyone!

Editor

A ton of updates were made to the editor to improve the experience for map creators. Your suggestions in our community Discord have been so great! Hopefully we’ve solved all of the biggest issues. The most significant changes include: the ability to test the map right from the editor, more detailed train configuration (type, speed, composition), timetable view for the stations, and a lot of small changes here and there.

Steam Workshop

While we were doing updates to the editor, we also looked at how custom maps can be shared. To make the creation, sharing, searching and installation of maps as seamless as possible, we integrated a Steam Workshop support.

The creator can now share their map with just a few clicks. You can browse Rail Route’s Workshop to search for maps, sort by rating / time played, filter by tags (e.g. Timetable vs Endless) and click Subscribe to download the map automatically. All subsequent updates to the map are downloaded automatically as well, but they do not affect saved games – changes affect only newly started playthroughs.

Hints

Another area we targeted was the onboard experience. While we don’t want to make our tutorial any longer so new players aren’t overwhelmed, we saw we needed to improve the start of Endless mode, which was not covered by the tutorial at all. The most important thing to communicate were the contracts. We implemented the Hint screens that could help new players understand the mechanics of Endless mode more easily. These hints are shown automatically when certain actions occur; accepting the contract for the first time will show the hint explaining how contracts work, for example. We will probably include more hints in the future.

There is also a new contract offer screen after you run the first (trial) train of a recurrent contract. It helps communicate how the reward is calculated, and thus how the recurrent contracts work more properly. Tell us what do you think about it!

Building

Last, but not least, we have seen some struggles during track building in Endless mode when we were observing the YouTube recordings from new players. Things such as the fact that you couldn’t build on the allocated / occupied tracks was one of the various issues. Right now, we are showing the explanations why you can’t build upfront, as well as the possible destinations from the current mouse position. This change might seem minor, but it really makes a difference! See for yourself:

We really want the start of Early Access to be as smooth as possible. So we will spend the next month polishing it as well as we can until we release it on June 23rd! But don’t worry, we also operate a separate track where we are preparing the game design for the next big update – the Shunting update! Keep an eye on our Discord as we might share the details there over time.

Full Demo Changelog

Yeah, we’ve done a lot of work on that with Michal! 🙂

New

NEW: Add mandatory count on contract offer
NEW: Allow Start map from the Editor, allow edit map from the game
NEW: Brake at Signal, Stop at Signal penalization in scored maps
NEW: Braking penalty icon on train detail
NEW: CoachYard can be used in Timetable maps; Stations marked Border accept trains in Sinks, Not marked Border in CoachYards.
NEW: Daytona timetable map
NEW: Font for simplified Chinese configuration
NEW: Glouchester map
NEW: Hint that contract & prototype stops at every station
NEW: Language selection in the Options
NEW: Localization strings in Save&Share UI
NEW: Map Gateway
NEW: Maps from Steam Workshop in Menu
NEW: Marradon map
NEW: MaxSpeed and train composition (order of vehicles) configurable from Editor
NEW: Nice & Shiny `Contract Offer` panel
NEW: NoBrakingPenalization flag can be set from Editor; Editor does not clear it when set by level string editing.
NEW: Occupied segment penalization
NEW: Options available also in the editor
NEW: Penalization log on victory screen in timetable level
NEW: Perfect time renamed to perfect score, added % score to Victory screen
NEW: Platforms connected with tracks are automatically activated at the start of Custom Endless Map
NEW: Playtime tracking for workshop items
NEW: Prevent prototypes of rejected Contracts from entering the CoachYard (a train for free – causes confusion)
NEW: Redsnag timetable map
NEW: Reset UI scale button
NEW: Run through penalty for scored maps
NEW: Some Hints displayed during the Endless mode
NEW: Sound notifications of waiting trains as new Upgrade
NEW: Station Detail with Timeline in the Editor
NEW: Station signs can be clicked in the editor to show Station definition
NEW: Support for two subsequent scheduled visits of one station in a row
NEW: Target speed instead of expected speed for recurrent contracts
NEW: Timeline Modal in the Editor
NEW: Toggle `Any` platform in the timetable editor
NEW: Tooltip for non active autoblocks
NEW: Track, switches and other elements can be selected only by holding CTRL.
NEW: Train can be set to receive no braking penalization in map txt
NEW: TrainType can be set from Editor; Editor does not clear it when set by level string editing.
NEW: Two new Unlocks for the points exchange
NEW: Uploading of own maps to Steam Workshop

Updates

PERF: Optimizations to level loading
REFACTORING: Train.CurrentSpeedKmph and Train.MaxSpeedKmph extracted to centralse computing
UPDATE: A lot missing strings exported to localization
UPDATE: Ambient sound disabled until we have final audio files
UPDATE: Auto-accept and auto-reverse turned on by default after the upgrade
UPDATE: Autosave button in debug panel
UPDATE: Better research description for some item
UPDATE: Better score screen (and translated)
UPDATE: Better time manipulation in the editor
UPDATE: Bigger platform selection field in Timetable panel
UPDATE: Bigger stations panel in editor
UPDATE: Building enabled hidden from the editor, controlled by selected Mode
UPDATE: Building enabled hidden from the editor, controlled by selected Mode
UPDATE: Changed format of texts in the Unlocks
UPDATE: Coach Yard station renamed to Yard on Prague map (to prevent confusion)
UPDATE: Contract limit message made more visible
UPDATE: Different color for error labels to improve accesibility
UPDATE: Different icon for secondary exp. point
UPDATE: Don’t remove tracks with right click when doing track speed change
UPDATE: Feedback button is opening the Discord
UPDATE: Floor the % on victory & offered contracts
UPDATE: Highlight current destination upon departure in Train Detail
UPDATE: IC trains from CoachYard made more probable to be generated soon after train stabled.
UPDATE: Initial contracts penalties lowered
UPDATE: Keep tracks white outside building in the Editor
UPDATE: Localizations
UPDATE: Localizations
UPDATE: Localizations
UPDATE: Localizations
UPDATE: Localizations update
UPDATE: Localizations update
UPDATE: Lowered sounds volume by half
UPDATE: Mandatory counts for contracts lowered from 10 to 5
UPDATE: Manual signals on autoblocks in Prague and Washington. Autoblocks speeds set to 40 kmph
UPDATE: Map settings & Save buttons moved to the right in the Editor
UPDATE: New icon for braking penalty on train detail
UPDATE: New platforms have proper sinks in the editor
UPDATE: News on main menu
UPDATE: No penalties for non-stop visits that are not last visits in schedule (train shall exit on time but may not enter on time)
UPDATE: Options are modal on main menu
UPDATE: Panning enabled with right mouse when placing/removing wall
UPDATE: Prague screenshot updated
UPDATE: Screenshots for prague, washington and willamate
UPDATE: Scroll to destination BEFORE the current highligted destination in train detail
UPDATE: Scroll to the Unlock when clicked on ‘Unlock Autblock’ etc.
UPDATE: Select station name when adding new in the editor
UPDATE: Show `keys` for not translated texts
UPDATE: Show possible directions on mouse over when building a track
UPDATE: Show some error message right with mouse over during building of tracks
UPDATE: Show station detail on level start
UPDATE: Show station name in train details when train is stopped in station
UPDATE: Show time to departure in seconds on train labels instead of departure time
UPDATE: Show train departure in seconds on train detail
UPDATE: Show upgrade / downgrade cost when changing track speed
UPDATE: Side notification does not make sound when game is loaded
UPDATE: Smaller UI scale as default
UPDATE: System Upgrades shown in English when translation is not available
UPDATE: Time slider can fall over the hours in the editor, when clicked plus/minus
UPDATE: Trains have speed 0 when going out from coach yards
UPDATE: Tutorial2 better highligh of Timeline
UPDATE: Upgrade descriptions partially reworked!
UPDATE: V1 destination on overview opening the train detail
UPDATE: Wakefiled map minor changes
UPDATE: Warning in the options that translations are not finished
UPDATE: Washington map wall updated on one spot
UPDATE: Wider build buttons (more space for translations)

Fixes

FIX: A lot of Localizations were not set to receive arguments
FIX: Adding platform will scroll stations panel only for last station
FIX: After contract prototype taken reversed (using Ctrl) from Coach Yard, all subsequent instances went also reversed (without Ctrl)
FIX: Allow track speed change between close signals
FIX: Autoblock with train can be properly selected for sensors and routing
FIX: Back Button in loader size auto-adjusting
FIX: Better precision of speed upgrade/downgrade tool in the editor
FIX: Better scrolling score display in timetable maps
FIX: Black background options label translate
FIX: Build Autblock in editor translation
FIX: Build a loop into itself v3
FIX: Buying a platform cost money again
FIX: Can’t accept trains on tracks without sinks
FIX: Can’t change manual signal when not active
FIX: Can’t open pause menu while modal dialog is present
FIX: Can’t upgrade not active signal
FIX: Clear cache of localization string when language is changed
FIX: Clone Train button works again in the editor
FIX: CoachYard automated scheduling did not work for advance < 2 => advance 1 fixed, 0 forbidden.
FIX: Custom Endless maps with trains having more than 3 stops
FIX: Daytona map timetable
FIX: Do not remove train twice from CoachYard when just entering/exiting during save&load
FIX: Do not show pause menu using Esc when level is completed
FIX: Don’t connect tracks with East platform sinks
FIX: Don’t hide tunnel connectors when changing speed
FIX: Don’t interrupt scroll on level list
FIX: Don’t penalize for occupied segments when train is in autoblocks
FIX: Downgrade speed of tunnel in editor was not possible
FIX: Experience points can be clicked
FIX: Fixed that CoachYard & FreightPlatform in distance 6 was possible to build but not load from save
FIX: Fixed that displaying of upgrade cost actually added downgrade cost to Wallet
FIX: Flexible pause menu (translations fit)
FIX: Game failed to load any maps for new players (‘community levels’ directory missing)
FIX: In-game maps proper border station flags
FIX: It was possible to bulldoze switch with active / occupied tracks via bulldozing of a neighbour switch that caused bulldozing propagation along 1-tile-long connections.
FIX: Join discord text localized
FIX: Long trains does not receive braking penalty when stopping at station as well
FIX: Loop can’t be built on one continuous track
FIX: Main Menu button was not working in tutorials
FIX: Main menu showing proper map cateogry
FIX: Map setting text wrapping
FIX: Max score defined for all timetable maps
FIX: No message & contract still active when failed one-off contract (omitted station).
FIX: Older saves were not working
FIX: Order of stop now matters in when computing next stops.
FIX: Overview Panel settings resetted when the panel was hidden
FIX: Pause menu was visible during map load
FIX: Platform UI label variable length in the editor
FIX: Plurals not working for New Contracts -> Limit reached text + Czech 3-form localization
FIX: Prevent of the map size increase with every load in the Editor
FIX: Price from tracks remained after the build
FIX: Proper Options init, does not change resolution
FIX: Proper change language on timetable stop item
FIX: Proper clear of the station detail panel
FIX: Proper colliders for newly built tracks
FIX: Proper level of detail for newly built components (based on zoom)
FIX: Proper pause when clicked on the pause button (can be unpaused with space)
FIX: Proper remove all the station in the editor
FIX: Proper right button placement in the Editor
FIX: Random train crashes outside the board
FIX: Remove timetable entry when station or platform are removed
FIX: Removing sink in the editor creating platform-locked signal
FIX: Restart tutorial button translation
FIX: Save map name when creating a level
FIX: Save&Exit did not work
FIX: Saving score on timetable maps
FIX: Show 0 trains when finishing timetable map
FIX: Signals blocked Station Topology construction. Some saves failed to load
FIX: Sinks set to max speed
FIX: Sorting of timetable in Editor did not work
FIX: Station signs proper size when using localized names
FIX: Stop can have more than 60mins
FIX: Timetable items properly maximized
FIX: Toggle buttons properly colored
FIX: Toggles are properly colored
FIX: Tooltip not disappearing fix
FIX: Tooltip placement improved
FIX: Tooltips have been rendomly disappearing
FIX: Train Label Component was description
FIX: Train crashed only on the same nodes, not X-crossings
FIX: Train type toggles in Editor’s Timetable Detail were not initialized correctly.
FIX: Train waiting notification sound was not played when train detail was active
FIX: Train was displayed in the middle of tunnel.
FIX: Trains cannot be accepted on platforms without sinks
FIX: Tunnel portal cannot be build over itself in the editor
FIX: Tutorial4 check for the arriving platform
FIX: Tutorials mark border stations
FIX: Typos in unlock texts
FIX: Update Level item on main menu when save is deleted
FIX: Vertical scrollbar on contract offerings (destinations)
FIX: Wading of Willamate fix
FIX: Wall/Remove Wall localized
FIX: When reversing a train, do not deallocate its original path past switch run-through because there is already other train’s path
FIX: Wrong Wading the Willante breaking penalties