Locomancer

May 23, 2016

Experimental Branch

September 13, 2016

There's now an additonal branch under the betas tab with new, untested features.

Here's what's inside:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQiswHub1Xw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpsVJaOl000

The Artillery Update

September 10, 2016

I just released an update that adds some new content and addresses some of the bugs/issues that have been brought to my attention.

The major changes are as follows:

• You can now move around rideables the same way you can the workshop. Just hold the grip button and drag.
  
  
• You can now summon the remote control by pressing the menu button while holding the trigger.
  
  
• Fixed bug with remote control when the controlled loco was deleted.
  
  
• The dark void that was the starting scene has been replaced with one that is more cheery.
  
  
• Truck orientations are now saved so that cars/locos on curves when a layout is saved will be correctly seated on the track when that save is loaded.
  
  
• Tables now lock when they are released. This is meant to prevent unintentionally grabbing and moving a table. To move a table, grab it and press the touchpad to unlock it.
  
  
• There is a new overhead light that can be placed in the room in the misc section.
  
  
• The inventory slider handle is now bigger so it is easier to grab.
  
  
• Pieces should no longer snap inside tables.
  
  
• Fixed bug where trying to ride a rideable after ejecting from it would immediately eject the player.
  
  
• Added a number of new rideables including:
  
  
  
  • A driveable handcar
    
  • An artillery car with rotating bits and explosions
    
  • Two alternate boxcar sizes
    
  • An extra long tanker car
    
  
  

Quick Guide for New Players

September 5, 2016

There are a number of features that aren't currently explained in the game because I didn't want to plaster text all over the game and haven't gotten around to a tutorial yet. So here are some features that aren't obvious:

• Pulling the trigger while not grabbing anything will make you point which is used for interacting with objects in a few different ways.
  
  
• To ride an engine or car, point at it and click the toughpad. It's a little tricky to get out of some of the cars right now, point at the floor and wildly click the touchpad.
  
  
• When driving an engine, the dial beneath the throttle lever determines which direction the engine will go when it reaches a switching track. Straight up means the engine will go in the switches current direction.
  
  
• While holding a table, you can toggle it snapping by clicking the touchpad. This is useful for aligning multiple tables to make a larger building area.
  
  
• You can delete a piece (or table) by grabbing it and then holding the grip button for 0.5 seconds.
  
  
• When not holding anything, you can hold the grip button and move your controller to drag the playspace around. This is useful if you have a small play area or are playing while seated.
  
  
• You can summon the toolbox to your controller by pressing/holding the menu button.
  Inside the toolbox are a number of...tools. You can open the toolbox by pulling the lever on the righthand side.
  
  
  
  
  • The save manager allows you to load saved layouts. The demo ships with a few example layouts that I created. You can load a layout by grabbing the desired picture and touching it to the box at the bottom of the manager.
    
    
  • The save camera allows you to take a picture of your current layout by clicking the touchpad while holding it. This picture will be added to the save manager so that you can reload it later. Currently you can have 20 thumbnails after which old saves are removed and archived. Support for more saves will come later. You can share your saved layouts with others by sending them the relevant png from the saves directory located in the Locomancer install directory.
    
    
  • The remote control allows you to control engines while still in the overview mode. While holding the remote, point it at an engine (there is a laser dot to show you where it's pointing) and click the touchpad. You should now be able to adjust the speed, brake, and switch direction with the relevant controls. You can push the buttons on the remove by poking them while pointing.
    
    
  • You can adjust the brightness of the overhead light by grabbing and turning the light dimming dial.
    
    
  • You can toggle the tooltips by pointing and poking the toggle button.
    
  
  

Eventually there will be a tutorial that guides you through all of these.

The Demo is Live...For Real This Time

August 31, 2016

Sorry for the delay, but the latest build is finally available for download as the demo. You can find it on the right hand side of the store page.

A couple things to note since I haven't gotten around to a tutorial:
You now remove objects by holding them and squeezing the grip button for half a second.
If you are not holding something, you can squeeze the grip to drag the play space around you.

Sorry this isn't more detailed, but I haven't slept for completely unrelated reasons.

Please feel free to post feedback and/or questions here.

Newer posts