Last moment to sign up for the Pandemic Train beta!
Hello survivors!
We are getting closer to the start of the Beta
In just two days, sign-ups for the second Pandemic Train beta will end. You have until the end of this week, which is Sunday, July 16.
There are new mechanics waiting to be tested, so don't delay!
We would also like to remind you that we are looking for people who did not participate in our first Beta. This is important to us because we want to get feedback from people who are playing Pandemic Train for the first time.
Each of the selected people will receive an e-mail informing them that they have been selected and the date of the start of the beta.
Good luck!
Work in progress – new mechanics that will be in the second beta
Welcome survivors!
We have some "work in progress" news for you in Pandemic Train. The new mechanics we are going to show you now will be in the second beta, and you will be able to test them!
Resource distribution
The first new feature in Pandemic Train is the allocation of resources to the train crew, which has been expanded. The player can make decisions in moments of crisis as to which crew member will not receive vital resources like water, food, or medicine. This also leads us to another new mechanic....
Morale and unmet needs
Each member of the train's crew has a morale indicator, which means that every time one of them runs out of resources, their morale and health will drop. A crew member whose morale gets down to zero might abandon their post.
Backpack
We have introduced a mechanic into the game that allows the player to decide what utility items he wants to carry with him during exploration and combat. A first aid kit? A crowbar? How about a molotov or other items useful in combat? Or changing the special item assigned to the leader? You can do it all right here.
However, we don't promise that these new mechanics will look exactly the same as we present here, as we are still working on making them as enjoyable to play as possible.
Sign-ups for the second round of testing are still ongoing, so if you want to check out the new mechanics we've added to Pandemic Train, you can still do so!
The current content does not represent the final of the game
It's been 2 months since the beta testing of Pandemic Train, but don't be sad if you didn't catch the tests.
Beta tests – second round
Just today, we are starting sign-ups for the second round of beta testing. That's right! - If you didn't get in the first round, or still didn't know Pandemic Train at the time, now is your chance!
New testers
With the many changes we're making to the game after the first beta, we're anxious for a fresh look at the game. In the sign-up survey, you'll find a question about whether you participated in the first round of beta testing, and it's there for a reason. We want the second round, to be the round of people who did not participate in the first round. New people, mean more accurate and fresh feedback for us.
The one about your beta feedback and our solutions
Hello Survivors,
We're back with more information on the beta test feedback and our solutions. We can't tell you all the secrets, however, we want to spill a little bit on what we're working on.
Managing the train
In beta tests, a lot of you said that managing the train is the best part of the game. You wanted more time on the train and, what's more important, way more things to do there. So we decided to add some steam to the game (hehe, gotcha!) and change things a bit. We're still testing different options, but you can be sure that your hero's skill in different fields will affect what and how many resources of each kind can they produce.
Have hope, or else...
Your comparisons to many great games like Fallout Shelter or This War of Mine flatter us enormously! We love these productions so much and would love to make something similar that becomes an example to follow. However, with these correlations comes your need for a morale system or moral dilemmas. Therefore, we've introduced the parameter of hope. How will it affect your gameplay though? Well, just you wait... Just you wait! :)
Combat and exploration
One of your biggest concerns was combat. You didn't enjoy it, said it's too hard and challenging. There were also some issues regarding aiming. We've analyzed all comments about these aspects and improved fighting at train stations. There is also a bit more happening during exploration, especially in the 2nd biome. Many more kinds of resources lay around, just waiting for you to be taken (with or without spilling your enemy's blood). We're also glad to say that we're working hard on the game's balance and making the story level a bit easier.
What's next?
All these things are still just a part of what we're doing. However, if you want, you can already express your feeling about them in the comments. Also, we will soon e-mail those of you who sent the best feedback earlier on and ask you to play the newest build of the game. Check your mailboxes around mid-June.
Remember, there is always light at the end of every tunnel.
Pandemic Train team
Let's talk about Pandemic Train: What's new in Pandemic Train?
Hello survivors!
We have some news for you in Pandemic Train, which we are happy to present to you. In addition to the already implemented elements, we will also tell you what we are currently working on!
Contamination zone
During the gameplay, you will be able to see on the map areas which are distinguished by an increased level of difficulty. They are called the Contamination zone, and they are entirely covered by the plague. You won't find a safe place here where the blight bar won't fill up, and visibility is not the best here. Instead, tougher gameplay will be rewarded with bigger and better loot!
Day & night
We've added a day and night system that enriches the visual weighting while adding variety to the exploration. Night makes combat more difficult, due to lower visibility, especially in biomes one and three, while day brings some light to the swamps of biome two.
Support for controllers
For all of you gamers who prefer to sit comfortably in a chair instead of bending over a keyboard, we have some great news for you! We have introduced controller control!
We are currently working on
However, this is not the end of it. In addition to what we have already introduced as described in the devlog above, we are working on new features for the travel phase: Queuing of tasks, allocation of food and water to individual crew members, a backpack for the player to fill before leaving the train, and more.
You can be sure that you will be kept up to date with all the news and in the meantime, the sentence for today:
If you don't know where you are going, any road will lead you there.
Until the next one!
PAX, GDC, and all things Pandemic Train
Dear Survivors,
Let us start with some Easter wishes for those of you who celebrate it in any way. May you spend these days with a lot of joy and calmness! Let your Easter eggs bring all those happy colors to your lives. You can also simply welcome our little "Pandemic" rat who just can't wait for the Easter egg search! Just use this time to get a little rest :)
March events: PAX in Boston
As some of you may know, we participated in two big events happening in March. First was PAX East in Boston, where you had a chance to play Pandemic Train at our stand. It was amazing to see your emotions while playing and then get to talk with you live about your experience with the game. Especially since many of you were asking about a co-op for Pandemic Train... To be clear, it's not in our plans at the moment, but if you will like the single-player version after its release, we may think about features like that. Big thanks to all who stepped by our booth and spent some time on our Pandemic Train.
March events: GDC in San Francisco
At the same time, another Pandemic Train team member attended Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. It was very eventful and full of meetings with amazing people who've heard about our game! What's more, our representative attended different workshops, including some about storytelling, game design, and designing moral dilemmas in games. As you may guess, the last one will be especially important when it comes to Pandemic Train, as this is exactly what many of you expect to find in our game the most. (In the photo above you can see the famous tourist attraction of San Francisco - cable cars! Not exactly a train, we know, but close enough to show you a piece of this city!)
Varia
If you work in game development and want to meet us and talk about Pandemic Train, let us know, and we can catch up at the Digital Dragons conference happening in May in Cracow, Poland. You can also find us on Discord:
A little nugget of wisdom for today: "May the wrong trains always take you to the right places."
Pandemic Train team
Beta tests finish & Release date update
Dear Survivors,
As you know, two weeks ago, we launched beta tests of Pandemic Train! Thanks to all who found some time to play and leave your feedback! Many of your comments opened our eyes to some of the game's problems and things that need to be fixed before its release. Therefore...
Pandemic Train will arrive in late Q2 of 2023
We want to address many of your notes and complaints. You've pointed out some stuff about combat that worried us greatly, as well as asked for more train management. We need to think it through and work out some new systems. Pandemic Train is supposed to engage you on many levels, and we don't want to destroy that element by releasing this game too early. That's why we've decided to move its launch to June 2023 with a little possibility of postponing it a bit further to July 2023. It's little! Tiny! However, we prefer to be honest with you and put this possibility out there.
Thank you for all this feedback!
In April, we will contact the authors of the most valuable feedback from beta tests and reward you with free game keys! Meanwhile, we're going back to work. Expect more news from us in the upcoming weeks.
Motivational quote for today: Even in the darkest tunnel, always head toward the light!
Best regards,
Pandemic Train team
Beta Reminder
Hello Survivors!
It's been a week since we started beta tests of Pandemic Train. Some of you have already fulfilled the survey, for which we're very grateful, as it shows us that we need to work on some aspects of the game. Still, it's only 30 responses out of 300 beta keys sent.
Today we wanted to kindly remind all chosen beta testers to play the game as soon as possible and share your feedback with us in the survey before next Friday, March 17th, when beta tests will be closed. Thank you for your help once again!
In the upcoming weeks, we'll let you know what will be improved in comparison to the present version of the game and how much time will it takes us to give you a better game that will fulfill your expectations better!
Motivational quote for today: Remember, always look for the light at the end of the tunnel!
Survivors, hang on tight! You're in for quite a ride!
Pandemic Train team
Beta tests launch!
Hello Survivors!
We are happy to announce that beta tests have officially started! Today and Monday, the selected 300 people will receive (or already received) e-mails with Steam game keys. If you don't find an e-mail in your main e-mail box, please, check the spam folder.
Each key needs to be activated on Steam. To do that, please, follow the instruction below:
Open the Steam app on your PC.
Go to the Games tab in the app's top menu.
Click "Activate your game key" and follow the instructions.
In the e-mail, you will also find a link to a beta test survey. Please, fill it out as precisely as possible and share your feedback with us. It will allow us to improve the game before it officially launches.
Stay safe and launch those train engines! Pandemic Train team
