The first version of the route editor is finally here! You can use the editor to create routes similar to the existing ones (UK theme, semaphore signals). Since the scenery features are still quite limited, the editor is best suited for creating urban and suburban routes. It's not yet possible to customise the signals, the appearance of the track, or use your own scenery items (3D-models).
The existing routes have also been updated with new scenery and improvements in trackwork. The old "Full route" is now called "North Landen", the second full route is "Westfords", and the demo route is called "Mountain pass".
The next update after this one is planned to include new trains and quite likely won't take as many months to develop as this one.
See below for a full list of fixes and improvements included in this version:
Route editor quick start
Start the route editor from the main menu either by right-clicking an existing route or by clicking the "Route editor" button in the route list.
Use the free roam key [8] and the map key [9] to switch between 3D and 2D views. Try right-clicking on things or empty space to do stuff. The editor is divided into infrastructure (tracks, signals etc.) and scenery modes which you can switch from the right-click popup menu.
Don't forget to save often [CTRL+S] if you're doing any serious route building with the editor.
It's ok to save a copy of an existing route made by Lapioware and continue from there, making your own version of it and uploading it to Steam workshop.
The editor may pause or stutter when scenery is reloading in 3D-mode. In 2D-mode pausing should not occur.
Added up/down buttons for reordering items in listings (e.g. service orders)
Added preview image (thumbnail) support for timetables when submitting to workshop
Fixed possible "file not found" error when trying to submit stuff to workshop
Fixed lagging
Fixed crash when adding a new service with an ID that's already in use
Fixed train length tooltip when adding a new service
Removed nonsense tooltips in listings like orders for a service template
Removed formation length check for non-stop orders so you should now be able to route a six-car 126 via the slow line in the second full route (now called "Westfords").
Improved name tag positioning in 2D editor view
Graphics improvements
Added configurable terrain resolution. Using a higher resolution will reduce the blocky appearance of the terrain but the terrain tiles are slower to appear as you move around in the world. The lowest setting corresponds to the old version.
Added configurable 3D drawing range (try a lower setting for higher frame rate or a higher setting for better views in mountainous routes)
Added randomised cloud coverage.
Added faster SSAO algorithm for exterior views.
Added new building models for scenery.
Improved lighting.
Improved shadow quality and drawing distance.
Improved bridges
Disabled sky reflections by default because they were causing problems on many systems (things turning dark occasionally). You can re-enable them from the graphics settings.
Removed graphics options to disable roads or housing because they were a mostly useless and unnecessary complication
Fixed passenger seat clipping in classes 117 and 127
User interface
Added simple/realistic controls choice to quick start
Added automatically generated route map to service selection screen
Added user interface zooming setting, useful to those who have a very low or high screen resolution
Added simple/realistic controls activation toggles to key configuration and reordered the key groups
Fixed key configuration saving when using AZERTY or some other non-QWERTY keyboard
Fixed same timetable appearing twice in the timetable list
Other changes
Crash after subscribing to workshop routes
Many of you have noticed that there are new routes in the workshop available for subscription. Something that wasn't clearly mentioned before is that the routes work in the beta test version only! Trying to use them in the current version will crash the game when you try to open any of the (old) routes.
If the game crashes upon opening a route you can fix it either by:
1) unsubscribing from the routes in the workshop, or,
2) downloading the new beta test version by opening your Steam client and right-clicking on the game, then selecting Properties from the pop-up menu. From the properties window go to the Betas tab and choose the beta from the drop-down menu (no password required).
Apologies for the inconvenience!
Route editor beta test
To participate in the testing, please open your Steam client and right-click on the game, then select Properties from the pop-up menu. From the properties window go to the Betas tab and choose the beta from the drop-down menu (no password required).
Route editor
Start the route editor from the main menu either by right-clicking an existing route or by clicking the "Route editor" button in the route list. The second option starts the editor with an unsaved minimalist route template which you can clear by removing the track nodes (=the small squares) if you want to start from scratch.
Use the free roam key [8] and the map key [9] to switch between 3D and 2D views. Try right-clicking on things or empty space to do stuff, the same way as you'd do in the timetable editor. The editor is divided into infrastructure (=tracks, signals etc.) and scenery modes which you can switch from the right-click popup menu.
In some editing modes you can hold down the left shift key for alternative behaviour: for example, when creating a siding you can snap and align the siding to follow the main track.
Don't forget to save often [CTRL+S] if you're doing any serious route building with the editor. It's also a good idea to make backups of your route directory.
You can use the editor to create routes similar to the existing ones (UK, semaphore signals). Since the scenery features are still quite limited, the editor is best suited for creating urban and suburban routes. It's not yet possible to customise the signals, the appearance of the track, or use your own scenery items (3D-models).
It's ok to save a copy of the existing routes and continue from there, making your own version of them and uploading them to the workshop.
The editor may hang or stutter when opening the editing popup menu and making changes to the tracks or scenery in 3D-mode. In 2D-mode the hangs should be less noticeable. It seems this can't be solved easily so the fix will have to be postponed to a later update.
More comprehensive quick start guide to be added in a couple of days.
Graphics
Added configurable terrain resolution. A higher resolution will reduce the blocky appearance of the terrain but the terrain tiles are slower to appear as you move around in the world. The terrain in the old sim version corresponds to the lowest setting.
Added randomised cloud coverage.
Added faster SSAO algorithm for exterior views.
Improved lighting.
Improved shadow quality and drawing distance.
Disabled sky reflections by default because they were causing problems on many systems (things turning dark occasionally). You can re-enable them from the graphics settings.
Other changes
Optimisations: the routes should load faster and there should be less stutter while running, though your FPS may still be lower than before because of the more dense scenery in many areas. The program now occupies less hard drive space thanks to the new terrain system. Timetable editor lags no more.
Removed formation length check for non-stop orders so you should now be able to route a six-car 126 via the slow line in the second full route (now called "Fords of the west").
Fixed AI trains being always late under some circumstances.
Moved stopping markers onto platforms. They're more difficult to spot but the old position next to the track was not prototypical.
Problems and missing features
The existing three routes may still have some track layout, signalling and scenery problems. The suburban route in the first full route (now called "North of Landen") has some terrain problems. Not all of the services in the timetables work.
The nodes in the route editor's 3D-mode often have the mouse clicking point slightly above or below the actual node which makes it hard to "hit" them. In 2D-mode they should be ok.
Bridge supports look bad in curves and sloped bridges. There may be bridge side elements in the middle of the road at elevated road intersections. There may be some terrain rubble or sawtooth edge next to the bridges.
Buildings may overlap roads or each other at oblique road intersections.
Roads may become broken when you add, move, rotate or otherwise change the street grids. There's an option to repair a street grid but it might not always work. The curves at the corners of the grids may also become distorted when changing the grids. You don't need to worry about these as long as the placement, rotation and size of the grids are ok, as they will be fixed later automatically.
Fences are still completely missing.
Route map images from service selection screen are missing.
Turnout and crossing check rails, moving points and sounds when running over them are still missing.
Some short curves have excessive superelevation making the train shake too much.
AI drivers won't sound the horn when approaching level crossings.
Workshop thumbnail images are missing (for both timetables and routes).
When you save a new timetable, it might not appear in the timetable list until the program is restarted.
The scenery may be slightly visible through the train cab and other objects under potato graphics quality.
Stuff that has been reported or requested earlier: key configuration saving for non-qwerty keyboards, leaning forward to see the speedometer in 117/122/127, some reversing manoeuvres not working, GUI scaling/zooming.
All the problems and missing features will be fixed before the official release so there will be at least one more beta version. The fixes will be automatically retrofitted to all routes so you don't have to worry about them if you start creating routes with this version already. More discussion
Route editor preview video 2 (Scenery)
More progress on the route editor, this is how scenery editing works now (no audio, video sped up by 30%):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=booAZfdtU6c
The main principle of the first version is to allow easy and fast creation of vast areas of scenery at the expense of details. More detailed control and features will be added in future updates.
The scenery features proved to be very hard to program correctly and there's still plenty of code to fix and old one to remove, but the first beta version should be ready for testing before the end of the year
Route editor preview video 1
Work on the route editor is still progressing! Most of the track, signal, station and other infrastructure editing features are ready. Scenery editing still needs to be completed before the first beta test version can be released. The video below shows how the 2D and 3D editing modes work.
https://youtu.be/s5t56Lgnysw
Timetable editor available
The first editor is now public along with Workshop support!
Click the "New" or "Edit" buttons at the top of the service selection screen to open the timetable editor, or choose a different timetable from the drop-down menu. To do stuff in the editor, click on things or empty space with the right-hand mouse button. A quick guide for using the timetable editor will be added to the guides soon.
The existing timetables have also been revised for this update: the running and starting times are now more relaxed for some services that previously were impossible to finish on time. You still may need to try a particular service multiple times to get favourable traffic conditions from the random number generator.
Don't miss the new experimental shiftwork timetable for the demo route! The "Failed buffet" service is intended to be rescued instead of driven normally.
More changes:
Graphics
Added: sky reflections
Added: haze
Added: separate interior/exterior field-of-view settings
Improved: reflections in exterior views to have colours
Improved: buffer models
Improved: track textures and terrain textures near the tracks
Improved: lighting
Increased: maximum LOD bias setting
Increased: maximum zoom
Fixed: exhaust smoke drawing distance
Fixed: exhaust smoke animation to adjust itself to time acceleration
Fixed: Class 117 cab objects floating in the air
Fixed: platform surface and canopy textures to no longer shake at some stations
Miscellaneous
Added: option for restarting the run
Added: pausing without menu for getting good screenshots
Changed: selecting random service to have 10% of rescue scenario instead of normal
Fixed: HUD speed to show negative values the same way as target speed does
Fixed: target speed acceleration to more closely match realistic performance in the evaluation graph
Fixed: target speed being stuck at zero when a stop signal clears if you're stopped too close to the signal
Fixed: service start preparation time (sim now starts 1 minute before departure)
Fixed: a rare bug in rescue scenarios where you're instructed to reverse direction in the wrong place
Fixed: curve superelevation which was accidentally broken in the previous update
A route editor will be the main focus of the next update.
Timetable editor beta
The first beta version of the timetable editor is now available! The editor enables you to create your own traffic to the existing routes with custom station stops, running times and train formations. Head over to https://steamcommunity.com/app/750170/discussions/0/1741090847739353495/ for instructions and discussion.
Another small bugfix update
More small bugfixes! This new version should require a bit less memory than the old one and be less prone to crashing.
Notice: simple controls are the default again. You may need to disable them from the Tutorials button to use realistic controls https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1354698374
Here are the changes:
Graphics
Improved: lighting to have more contrast
Improved: sky appearance
Improved: some train textures
Fixed: sun rays to actually work
Added: adjustable field-of-vision to graphics settings
Miscellaneous
Changed: simple controls to be the default again
Optimised: scenery loading to cause less stutter
Optimised: the program to use slightly less memory
Added: option to disable left-click-zooming
Added: option to disable route/train data hard drive caching
Added: DirectX version to credits screen and simulation info popup (F1)
Fixed: camera view popup to close if view is selected from keyboard
Fixed: run evaluation graph target speed to be more realistic in some cases
Fixed: bug that prevented coupling to the failed train in some rare cases
Editors are still in development, more news to follow in July
Bugfix update released
Version 1.2.3 is a bugfix update with many small fixes and improvements based on your reports and suggestions. Here are the changes:
Controls
Fixed: The default keys for QWERTZ and AZERTY keyboards should now work as expected. When you click the "Restore defaults" button in the key configuration screen, you can choose which keyboard layout defaults you want to restore.
Fixed: Crash after going to remap a key but cancelling by moving the mouse pointer away from the pop-up.
Added: Better display of conflicting keys in the key configuration screen.
Added: Option to invert vertical mouse axis.
Added: Option to disable opening the camera menu from RMB.
Added: Configurable key for opening the camera menu.
Added: Zooming by mouse scroll wheel.
Graphics
Fixed: "Fireflies" bug (bright white sparks in seats and windows with some graphics settings combinations).
Fixed: Hole in the right-hand windscreen of Class 112.
Fixed: Passenger seat clipping in Class 127.
Fixed: Missing rear bogie in bogie view.
Fixed: "Oily" colour patches in cabs and passenger view.
Added: Simple unlit rendering for low-end systems.
Added: Explicit option to enable/disable vehicle body texturing.
Added: Dan_Der_Man's screenshot as the new main menu background.
Renamed: Quality levels for clarity.
Audio
Fixed: Some sounds temporarily not heard when there are many trains nearby.
Added: Master volume control to general settings.
User interface
Fixed: Tutorials to remain visible after changing train.
Disabled: Simple controls by default because some new users were confused about them.
Changed: "Good for videos" service filter to only list rush hour services.
Changed: Quick start to only select services with running time of max 30 minutes.
Changed: Empty runs to be shown in grey in the run selection list.
Added: Red text "This train does not carry passengers" to service screen for empty runs.
Moved: PASS text from arrival column to station name column in timetables.
Changed: Target speed line in evaluation screen to be more realistic when accelerating.
Renamed: "Reckless driving" to "Unsafe driving" with better description and higher penalty speed margin.
Other
Fixed: Some signals in rescue scenario not giving the permission to pass if you first SPAD them.
Fixed: Some signals in rescue scenario not giving the permission to pass even if you don't SPAD.
Fixed: Signaller giving clear signals to conflicting movements in rare circumstances.
Fixed: A rare crash during the loading of the scenery before starting the sim.
Fixed: Some runs sometimes not starting in Full Route 2 ("Could not find path").
