Diesel Railcar Simulator

Editors

• Fixed occasional LOD generation crash when pressing F5 in editor
  
• Fixed possible crash when tree min cluster size is greater or equal to max cluster size
  
• Fixed possible crash when editing grids in route editor
  
• Fixed chain "set first node as parent" option to work properly when some of the nodes already have parents
  
• Fixed autogen turnout fastenings and sleepers to refresh automatically after making changes without having to press F5
  
• Changed "clone and move node" option in route editor to also clone all scenery items like chains and zones associated with the node or its children
  
• Made empty nodes visible in the route editor scenery mode
  
• Added "copy to clipboard" option for entity IDs in editors
  
• Changed sound file names in the train editor to be single-line fields because having a line break in the file name can cause a crash
  

Traffic

• Fixed possible pathfinding related crash during simulation
  
• Fixed pathfinding bug that might cause the found path to be too short for the train
  
• Fixed bug that might cause a stop to register even if the train is not correctly within the stopping area
  
• Fixed AI trains to not end their run before the departure time of the last stop. Otherwise they might disappear even if another train is meant to join them
  
• Fixed driving AI to not be overly cautious when coupling onto another train in some cases
  
• Improved signaller AI by making it return signals to danger more quickly after the train has passed
  
• Improved signaller AI by making it clear enough signals to ensure clear distants where possible
  

Visuals

• Fixed potential problem with custom materials not loading properly
  
• Fixed broken rails at some locations like near Kempsford Lower Level on the Westfords route
  
• Fixed broken fences around buildings between Haveford West and New Mimms on the Westfords route
  
• Fixed autogen turnout fastenings for custom track types to display properly
  
• Fixed broken switch animations for track sections with turn greater than 90 degrees
  
• Fixed problem with autogen turnout fastenings being off-centre
  
• Fixed regular and autogen sleeper wooden material properties to match
  
• Changed track irregularity parameters to fade out near nodes to ensure continuous rails
  
• Disabled instanced shadow rendering for transparent materials because they were incorrectly appearing as solid objects
  
• Fixed vertex normals for some models
  
• Fixed GWR backing arm texture
  
• Fixed excessive shine on the backs of speed limit signs
  
• Updated loading screen background images
  

Miscellaneous

• Fixed possible scenery rendering crash during simulation
  
• Fixed performance issue with the rendering of some custom models
  
• Fixed "seconds since midnight" animation variable for trains
  

What's next?

• The easiest way to post a screenshot is to use Steam's built-in functionality, usually the F12 key
  
• Use the maximum resolution that your system supports
  
• Hide the timetable by pressing F2 and other parts of the HUD with F3
  
• Choose the highest graphics level from the top of the "Graphics settings" screen
  
• Try enabling the optional "depth of field" graphics setting for a focus effect (works best while zooming in)
  
• Use the free roaming camera mode to position the camera
  
• Use the pause key to stop all trains while finding a good position for the camera. Alternatively, you can try using time acceleration for an exaggerated motion blur effect
  
• Adjust cloudiness from the slider just before starting the run
  
• Try taking screenshots at different times of the day: bright midday lighting is not always the best
  
• Remember that the loading screen has a box that covers the centre of the picture
  

Editors

• Fixed possible crash in route editor
  
• Fixed possible train and timetable editor undo/redo crash
  
• Fixed LOD generation crash when switching quickly between train editor and simulation
  
• Fixed manually placed custom objects sometimes not appearing properly in route editor until refreshing
  
• Fixed direction selection to work correctly when editing a speed limit
  
• Made editor right-click popup scrollbar stand out better
  
• Simplified formation names in timetable editor when displayed as options
  
• Changed route editor to not create a track/road section between nodes if they're over 10km apart horizontally or 1km vertically, to prevent the editor from freezing
  
• Added ID number to model node choices in editors to distinguish between nodes with the same name
  

Editor side panel

• Added "industrial" object category to the route editor side panel. Moved some old models there and added new ones: chimney, cooling tower, mine headframe 1, mine headframe 2
  
• Added gradient auto-adjustment option to track/road properties in side panel
  
• Added route editor side panel option to automatically adjust node gradient when moving it
  
• Moved rarely used curve speed limit generation and cleanup options from right-click popup to the side panel in route editor
  
• Made AWS electromagnet link field editable in route editor side panel
  

Signalling

• Fixed vanishing custom signal posts
  
• Fixed disc signals sometimes appearing without disc or counterweight
  
• Fixed (LMS) semaphore signal appearing empty in some cases when max number of arms is set to zero on one side and non-zero on the other side
  
• Fixed possible wrong arm order in auto-updated semaphore signals
  
• Fixed incorrect main arm for some signals
  
• Fixed disc signal animation entity id when creating an editable model
  
• Added "disc signal post only" model (disc signal post without concrete foundation)
  
• Added "GWR backing arm" model
  

Custom models

• Fixed normal maps for custom models to work properly
  
• Fixed normal vector calculation for custom models to reduce discontinuities along UV seams
  
• Fixed problem with asset packing sometimes not updating all files in an already existing pack
  
• Fixed train asset packing to not turn models by 180 degrees
  
• Changed texture packing to always downscale non-power-of-two textures in order to save memory
  
• Changed importing of custom textures to treat them as having linear colour space (except albedo and emission textures which are assumed sRGB)
  
• Optimised automatic LOD generation for custom models
  
• Optimised rendering of packed models
  

Miscellaneous

• Fixed possible crashes at start or during simulation
  
• Fixed "path is empty" crashes
  
• Fixed problem with AI trains sometimes spawning late
  
• Fixed speed limit signs to load properly when the game is started with non-default working directory
  
• Fixed trains to spawn at the correct (shorter) starting positions where possible
  

Visuals

• Fixed problem with lights sometimes missing from state animations
  
• Fixed problem with state animations sometimes not working correctly
  
• Fixed normals and texture coordinates of built cross sections in some cases
  
• Fixed possible problem with speed limit sign normal vectors
  
• Fixed rendering of some scenery objects with negative scale
  
• Fixed problem with sleepers and fishplates bunching up in the wrong places
  
• Fixed alignment of auto-generated turnout sleeper texture
  
• Fixed wrong material being selected for autogenerated turnout sleepers
  
• Added rail fastenings to auto-generated turnouts. This requires the fastening model to be set up for each rail in the path type for custom track types
  
• Added "rnd" and "vehiclernd" animation variables
  

Sounds

• Fixed problem with custom sounds sometimes needing program restart before they start working
  
• Fixed mixing options to work correctly for non-looping sounds
  
• Adjusted audio mixing to get rid of panning effect
  
• Changed custom sounds to be automatically converted to mono when loaded
  
• Added support for packing .wav sound files to train assets
  
• Added sound proto cloning option in the editor sidebar
  
• Fixed sound behaviour cloning to clone protos too
  
• Added "fix unused sound protos" option to sound behaviour in train editor side panel
  
• Added "enable broken sound workaround" option to vehicle definitions in train editor
  
• Fixed missing or incorrectly positioned sounds in Classes 112, 117, 126 and 127
  

What's next?

• Career mode for progression and coherent gameplay experience
  
• More detailed and transparent scoring, including an option to display the score during the run
  
• Player profiles with detailed statistics
  
• Steam achievements and leaderboard
  

• Derailments
  
• Accurate collisions between trains and track ends
  
• Free roam or one-off services
  
• Continuing with another service when the run has ended (in the opposite direction for example)
  
• Guard mode for goods trains: play as the guard in the brake van
  
• Tandem drivers: an AI (or playable) driver in every drivable unit or locomotive in the train that cannot be controlled from the leading unit. This can be used for mixing different locomotives or having a banking locomotive at the rear
  

• Learn signals and traffic rules for those who are not already familiar with how railways work
  
• Download and manage Workshop mods
  
• Change trains and liveries without having to create a new timetable
  

• New, simplified menus that can be used with a gamepad
  
• New HUD that looks better and is easier to read
  
• Revised control schemes
  
• Map view during the run
  

Current status of development

Post-gameplay roadmap

• Improved train physics: wheel slip and slide, shutting down engines, draining oil from torque converters
  
• New physics components: support for diesel-electric power train, automatic gearboxes, air brakes and driver/guard operated doors
  
• Head and tail lights, interior lights, animated headcode boxes
  
• Handbrakes on all vehicles
  
• Improved train graphics: more details and better texturing
  
• Improved train sounds: more authentic sounds, better mixing, new sounds like flange hiss and rail whisper
  
• New locomotives or railcars
  

• Shunting
  
• New goods wagons
  
• Custom signal system logic like speed signalling
  
• Request stops (passengers requesting to board and alight)
  
• Improved pathfinding and signalling AI: making pathfinding more reliable and transparent for timetable creators
  
• More detailed simulation of the British railway operating procedures, including improvements to the absolute block signalling and interaction between drivers and signallers
  

• Weather effects and working windscreen wipers
  
• Seasonal effects
  
• Moving road traffic
  
• Moving passengers
  
• Animated train staff
  
• Improving and completing the scenery system
  

Editors

• Fixed problem with route editor map view becoming unresponsive after adding a new chain but cancelling immediately
  
• Fixed possible crash in route editor when left-clicking on things in the map view
  
• Fixed crash in route editor when changing a node's model source to cutout speed limits while model ID is blank
  
• Fixed route editor to update map view after removing things like nodes
  
• Fixed possible broken animations when manually placing multiple instances of the same animated model
  
• Removed option to merge a looping track into itself in route editor because it would crash
  
• Disabled compression when saving data to files in order to make the process more robust
  
• Changed file writing to automatically save a .backup copy of the previous file
  

Editor side panel

• Fixed possible crash when selecting an option from the editor side panel
  
• Fixed problem with side panel tree not responding correctly to mouse button clicks until after clicking at least once on the map view
  
• Fixed problem with random tree item being highlighted after selecting an option from a list in the side panel
  
• Fixed editor side panel to scroll back to the correct position after selecting an option
  
• Fixed bug where a new child node added via the side panel would not appear correctly
  
• Renamed side panel bottom edge "Add" button to "OK" since "Add" doesn't make sense in some contexts
  

Signalling

• Fixed possible crash in signaller AI
  
• Fixed signaller AI to not clear a signal if the signal section overlaps an earlier cleared section (which might lead to conflicting route setting at junctions in looping tracks)
  
• Added option to create a fixed distant (one that always shows "caution")
  
• Added option to link a distant to the next signal only, effectively creating a repeater
  
• Added "SigRoutes" to the route editor side panel when the properties of a signal are opened. These represent the possible paths from that signal onwards to other signals or track sections/ends that can be cleared
  
• Added signal option to disable the automatic update of sigroutes
  

Custom signal models

• Added option to hide the default models of signals and distants
  
• Added function to create the equivalent default model of a signal or distant as plain editable nodes and animations
  
• Added entity ID field to node animation data for linking the animation variables to a particular object like a signal or a distant
  
• Changed distant and signal descriptions to include the entity ID in the editor side panel
  
• Added GWR siding arm model to the built-in library
  

Miscellaneous

• Fixed possible crash when loading a route
  
• Fixed possible crash when generating LODs
  
• Fixed crash when loading a packed model that has invalid file path characters in its ID
  
• Fixed possible crash when loading a packed model with high number of vertices
  
• Fixed cutout speed limit signs: reshaped '6', rescaled '7' and restored old thinner and more realistic arrows
  
• Reduced memory consumption of the terrain system
  
• Added low memory notification
  

What's next?

Graphics

• Added new speed limit and whistle signs by Radical Mesh
  
• Added new building models (names with "uk" prefix): fire station, football stadium, hotel, medical practice, park football field, police station and public toilets
  
• Added new scenery models: garden sheds (5 variants), goal posts, hay bales and palisade fences (models only, no chain types)
  
• Fixed Class 03 body swaying in the wrong direction in turnouts and sharp corners
  

Model packing

• Fixed problem with models loaded from pack briefly appearing in the wrong place
  
• Fixed model packing for trains to use the correct scale
  
• Fixed normal vectors and face winding for packed models when scale has negative components
  
• Fixed node material overrides to work with packed models
  
• Fixed model loading from legacy pack
  
• Optimised LOD generation for packed models
  

Miscellaneous

• Fixed possible crash when reloading scenery in route editor
  
• Fixed incorrect signaller message about blocking train on Lambourn RAF Welford shunting run
  
• Fixed possible crash when preloading scenery for a route while running out of hard drive space
  
• Added new Class 37 horn sounds by Redcliffish
  
• Added new DMU brake application sound by Bescot
  

What's next?

Graphics

• Fixed two problems with packed models sometimes appearing incorrectly positioned, rotated, scaled or broken (please repack if you're using packed models in your route)
  
• Fixed occasional incorrect animations for objects like disc signals that might cause them to display the wrong aspect
  
• Adjusted post-processing, sky and lighting
  

Other

• Fixed crash when loading the Lambourn workshop route on systems that use decimal comma instead of period
  
• Fixed possible problem with train models getting reloaded unnecessarily
  
• Fixed "path not found" problem in timetable editor when a track has two nodes at the same location
  
• Fixed "path not found" in some cases when the path requires reversing direction
  
• Fixed lost terrain node when changing position from the side panel in route editor
  

What's next?

Graphics

• Added automatic detail to distant terrain
  
• Adjusted post-processing shadow colours
  
• Fixed possible malformed turnouts
  
• Fixed extra sleepers in the middle of some turnouts
  
• Fixed broken switch rail animations in some turnouts
  

Editors

• Fixed custom material colour hex values to work even if there's a line break at the end
  
• Fixed occasional incorrect road/track shape when connecting to another road/track from the same end (low-low or high-high)
  
• Fixed track fouling area updates for short track sections to not foul each other incorrectly in the route editor
  
• Fixed problem with custom models no longer appearing after exiting simulation or route editor
  
• Fixed sleepers near turnouts to update automatically in the route editor
  
• Fixed crash in timetable editor when deleting a service while test running it
  
• Set default normal map scale to 0.5 for new custom materials because the old default value of 1 produced ugly exaggerated results
  

Other

• Reduced terrain loading CPU spikes for smoother frame rate
  
• Fixed silent error when starting simulation before service selection screen has finished loading map
  

What's next?

Graphics

• Fixed shadow popping
  
• Fixed problem with train parts appearing randomly in the scenery if pressing Watch or Drive button in the service screen before the train picture has fully loaded
  
• Optimised rendering when shadows are disabled
  
• Adjusted Class 37 cab brightness
  
• Adjusted colour post-processing
  

Editors

• Redesigned asset packing mechanism for route and train editors
  
• Fixed material height maps to work
  
• Fixed material emissive colour to work when used without an emission map
  
• Fixed making a copy of a route/train to also copy subfolders
  
• Fixed possible crash when exiting train editor without saving changes
  
• Fixed possible crash when moving a node in route editor
  
• Fixed possible terrain loading crash in route editor
  
• Possibly fixed a crash in route editor related to very long tracks
  
• Fixed editor side panel to clear options for already removed objects in some cases (clicking on one of the options would lead to a crash)
  
• Fixed possible crash during route/train editor refresh
  
• Fixed route/train editor refresh to reload packed assets
  
• Fixed possible crash when refreshing scenery while it's already loading in route editor
  
• Added auto-refresh after updating asset pack in route and train editors
  
• Made track section level crossing data visible again in the route editor side panel (for manual removal of old leftover crossings that might cause the AI to sound horn for no reason)
  

Other

• Fixed some memory leaks related to the loading of custom models
  
• Various optimisations to reduce stuttering and lag spikes
  

What's next?

Graphics

• Adjusted sky and post-processing colour settings
  
• Adjusted shininess of some hedge objects
  
• Improved tree colours, leaf density, LODs and transitions
  
• Fixed floating blobs on top of some trees
  
• Fixed shadow pop-in during early morning/late evening (long shadows may cause reduced frame rate)
  
• Optimised shadow rendering (mostly affects short midday shadows)
  

Editors

• Fixed possible crash in route editor when moving a node
  
• Fixed possible crash when moving a node on top of another road/track
  
• Fixed some generative scenery like level crossing covers and track fences to update properly in route editor without having to press F5
  
• Fixed problem with changes made to custom type materials not syncing properly to visible scenery in route editor
  
• Fixed track end buffers to sync properly in route editor without having to press F5
  
• Fixed changes to sign texts in route editor to sync without F5
  
• Fixed zones without a texture and "apply vegetation" ticked to work more consistently
  
• Added "copy to clipboard" button for some id fields in all editors
  
• Added optional per-platform start/end ramp length overrides
  
• Added multi-line support to sign texts
  

Other

• Changed initial HUD pause message to suggest pressing Pause key instead of PgDn
  
• Pressing Esc during the initial pause now starts the sim instead of opening the menu
  
• Fixed "run in background" setting to work after restarting
  
• Fixed log file spam when quitting the game
  
• Several optimisations to reduce stuttering and minor lag spikes
  

What's next?