Ahead of Tracks' transition to full release on 14 November, we've just released a beta version of the v1.0 update that you can go ahead and play now! We're looking for your feedback on this update that we can take into account when making final tweaks for the full release. This update doesn't include everything which will available on launch day but make sure to let your thoughts be known on the Steam forums!
The update introduces the new 'vertical turn' track piece, Spanish, French and Italian localisation, as well as a host of bug fixes, improvements and performance upgrades.
How to Access the v1.0 Update Beta
To access the beta version of the 1.0 update, please do the following:
Load up Steam and head to your library
Right click on Tracks – The Train Set Game and then select "Properties"
Head to the Beta tab and in the drop down select "1.0beta" (no password needed)
This will then download the new update for you
Tracks v1.0 Update Beta Patch Notes
Recolour revamp
There is a new colour picker tool available when placing paintable items (indicated by an eye dropper icon in the Toy box). Press G (Scenery menu) while placing a paintable item to bring up the colour picker. This applies to any object which had random colour variations and many more.
New Options
Invert Look - Inverts vertical movement for both the mouse and controller sticks
Cursor Scale - Adjusts the size of the mouse cursor
General improvements to Toy box visibility and layout
The size slider in the Toy box now adjusts more than just the icon size
Various improvements to the tutorial including better text size, styling and wording
Improved cursor style
Audio options and Toy box zoom size are now saved between sessions
Performance Improvements
The game should now start up faster when you launch it
Improved save game load times by up to 50%
Potentially big framerate improvements on any environment with furniture
Various improvements to model and material performance
Reduced the download/install size
Miscellaneous
Added the Vertical turn track piece
UI improvements
Like 50 nice improvements which have been lost to the cyberweb because my list got deleted when Steam introduced the new announcement system
Added columns for several Track Support pieces
Improvements to every terrain material and block mesh (resizing coming soon)
Improved visual effects for a lot of decorations, passengers, sockets, train rerouting
Tweaked the train's acceleration on slopes to make climbing while reversing easier
Fixed tunnels causing a permanently black train view if used with 2+ carriages
Fixed tunnels letting the train enter even if it isn't linked to another tunnel
Fixed a double placement bug caused by quickly clicking on new decorations
Various improvements to the mechanics and visuals of deposit/collection towers, and removed them from the experimental category
New Languages
Spanish
French
Italian
Controller Improvements
Removed the 'beta' tag from controller support
Massively improved toy box navigation and scrolling behaviour
You can now use the D-Pad to navigate the Scenery menu, with snapping options moved into the column of buttons.
New tutorial style better suited to gamepads
Tutorial now uses rich text formatting like the Keyboard/Mouse tutorial
Fixed the tutorial showing one point twice and leaving out another
Colour wheel value is now set with the right stick instead of the X/Y buttons
Fixed pressing X on the Scenery menu deleting the object you were placing
Fixed movement speed varying based vertical look angle
Fixed the restricted objects warning in Passenger Mode causing the Toy Box to get stuck
Fixed the warning about your track being cleared not being navigable
Community Creations Trailer Released!
Hello all,
About two months back, we put out a call for content to be used in our Community Creations Trailer. Now, we can finally share with you the final trailer, featuring some of our favourite worlds created by you, the Tracks community! [previewyoutube="ugx47Q_F7ss;full"] We think this is the most exciting Tracks video we've put together yet, and that's down to your incredible worlds, from rolling countrysides to sprawling metropolis cities.
Special thanks to the following players, whose worlds we featured in the trailer:
Cabbage
Jotrain Gamer
Darious
C0ntriL
Joshua
Frank
Thank you to everyone who submitted their save files, and thank you to the entire Tracks community. The game has come a long way since we launched in Early Access a couple years back, and we couldn't have got here without you!
Tracks - The Train Set Game will exit Early Access and hit full launch on 14 November 2019.
Don't forget that alongside the PC full launch on 14, the game will also be coming to Xbox One on the same day. If you're interested in playing the Xbox One version, you'll be able to pre-order soon - sign up to our newsletter at the bottom of this page to be notified when you can pre-order.
Thanks, The Tracks Team
Tracks Will Now Hit Full Launch 14 November
Image and world by Tracks player Cabbage
Hello all,
Tracks' full launch, and exit from Early Access, has been rescheduled for 14 November. We apologise for the additional wait, but we just need a tad more time to make sure we're doing the full launch justice!
Image and world by Tracks player JotrainGamer
Don't forget that alongside the PC full launch, the game will also be coming to Xbox One on the same day. If you're interested in playing the Xbox One version, you'll be able to pre-order soon - sign up to our newsletter at the bottom of this page to be notified when you can pre-order.
Community Created Worlds Teaser
You may remember that back in August we posted an announcement asking for you to share your best and most impressive worlds that we could feature in a community worlds trailer for Tracks. Thank you again to everyone who kindly submitted their worlds!
To tide you over, we wanted to give you a sneak peak of this trailer - watch out for the full trailer soon! We think this is the most exciting Tracks video we've produced yet, and that's down to the wonderful worlds you've created.
[previewyoutube="_pnTFQfed20;full"]
Thanks, The Tracks Team
Tracks Full Launch Date Alteration
Hello all,
This is just a quick post to let you know that the full release date for Tracks has been moved back a few weeks to 11th October 2019.
We look forward to updating the game in the lead up to v1.0, and apologise for making you wait a little longer for the full release.
Thanks,
The Tracks Team
Get Featured in our Community Creations Trailer
Hello everyone,
Over the last couple of years we have seen some pretty impressive builds from the community. And as time passed by, these only got more and more impressive with each update to the game.
We would love to feature some of these creations in a new upcoming trailer for the game. This trailer will show off a selection of different worlds created by you, the community.
If you would like to be featured in this trailer, then you can submit your save game files to us using the following form.
We will select a handful of submitted worlds to show off in the trailer.
I'm happy to announce that Tracks now has a release date: 20th September 2019.
Tracks will then leave early access and be available on PC and Xbox One.
https://youtu.be/VUbv6oIcVsM
That date will more or less mark the 2nd anniversary of Tracks entering early access so it seemed an appropriate time to aim for. Over the last 2 years Tracks has changed a lot and I wouldn't have been able to do it without all of your support and suggestions, so thank you!
Why leave early access?
It is always hard to call a game "finished", especially one like Tracks which has no end of features that could be added. But being in an eternal state of early access isn't good for a game, it limits a lot of what I can do in terms of platform support, planning, plus the fact that a lot of people are quite suspicious of early access in general.
I'm happy with the state the game. It is bigger than I ever imagined it would be and I'm proud of it. And when version 1.0 is released it'll be awesome.
This plan also means I can start to focus on some of the things I've been neglecting. As a lone programmer it can be hard to prioritise what to work on and in the past I've always chosen to add features over important back-end things like performance. Over the next few months a lot of things will improve massively.
Does that mean Tracks won't receive any more updates?
No!
There are still at least 2 major content updates planned before that date, full of the usual mix of features and decorations. I also have no plans to "abandon" the game after that date, I'll keep adding whatever extra stuff is needed.
Once this release development rush is done I'll take stock of the situation, look at feedback and make any future plans/road maps public so you know what is going on.
So from me and everyone else who has been involved in the game so far, thank you for all the support, suggestions, and kind words. I hope you're enjoying the game now and will love all the great stuff coming soon!
:fix: Re-enabled clicking on a Random House to generate a new size/colour
:fix: Fixed Random Houses not always saving their size correctly
:fix: Fixed Sailing Boats having water inside them when placed on a river piece
:fix: Fixed Level Crossings not considering carriages as part of the train
:fix: Fixed various issues with placing objects on top of blocks
:fix: Adjustments to the default placement grid size of Pumpkins
:fix: Adjustments to the textures of the Flower pot and Pumpkin
New update - Roads and rivers!
Hello all!
Sorry about the long gap between this update and the last one. The stuff in this update has been big job in terms of both the code and the art required. If you're ever wondering if the game is still being worked on be sure to check my Twitter where you'll see a steady stream of new stuff even if it isn't in the game quite yet!
:HealUp: Track variants
This update introduces the first batch of what I'm calling track variants (if you can think of a nicer name let me know). These work just like the track pieces you're familiar with but with a bunch of new styles and features.
Small Street
A road with pavement perfect for a small town. Run some track across a road (or vice versa) to automatically make a level crossing.
River
A calm stream lined with bushes and rocks.
River (blank)
A plain river with a completely clear bank so you can decorate it yourself. With some clever placement you can also make a large lake with these.
Because these are so much wider than track pieces they don't quite match 1:1. The game will automatically place two straight pieces when needed to keep you aligned. This is intentional and hopefully not too troublesome. There also aren't up/down pieces yet.
:HealUp: Credits
Since Tracks doesn't have an 'end' there isn't really a good place to put the credits, so you can now see all the lovely people involved in making the game on the menu menu, just above the social media links.
:HealUp: Controller Picker
When starting the game you'll now see a nice new splash screen.
Besides just looking pretty, this also acts as a controller picker designed to fix issues for people with multiple controllers or those who can't get theirs working. Press A on the controller you want to use and the game should now pick it as the main device.
:HealUp: Decorations
:romopolis_house: Skyscraper
:romopolis_house: Apartment Block
:romopolis_house: Level Crossing (automatically placed at a crossing between track and road)
:romopolis_house: Watermill
:HealUp: Updated engine
Tracks now runs on the latest version of UE4.
This is the start of a major plan to improve the performance of Tracks, particularly in large towns. Updating the engine has a lot of pros but it can also introduce new issues, if you find any problems please report them in the forum!
Enjoy!
New Update Now Live! Emergency services, Key rebinding and lots of fixes!
:HealUp: New controls menu and Key rebinding
The old controls menu has been replaced with a brand new one with a nicer layout and proper descriptions for every entry. It also allows you to reassign keys for mouse/keyboard, with some new extra options to split up keys which do multiple things by default. So if for example you wanted a key specifically for resetting the train (without having to hold it) you can now set that.
:HealUp: New graphics menu options
Field of view sliders to change the horizontal FoV for building and train driving.
Resolution options
:HealUp: Emergency response vehicles
Along with the usual vehicle headlights, these also have a set of emergency lights which can be toggled in the same way (left click on the vehicle after placing it)
:romopolis_house: Police Car
:romopolis_house: Ambulance
:romopolis_house: Fire Engine
:HealUp: Emergency service personnel
:romopolis_house: Police Officer
:romopolis_house: Paramedic
:romopolis_house: Firefighter
:romopolis_house: Doctor
:HealUp: Changes:
:fix: Improved the precision of track placement (may help prevent random derailments)
:fix: The tutorial now highlights keybindings and important words
:fix: Fixed creating invisible copies when placing multiple objects without moving
:fix: Fixed being able to open build mode menus while transitioning to train mode
:fix: Fixed trains being stopped by turntables on the level below them
:fix: Added some missing LoD meshes
:fix: The 'Controls' button now takes you to the appropriate menu depending on whether you're using keyboard/mouse or a controller
:fix: Improved the behaviour of gamepad navigation in the graphics menu
:fix: Fixed various issues caused by trying to close menus with gamepad B/Start
:fix: Fixed gamepads sometimes choosing the wrong buttons on menus
:fix: Made certain lists loop back to the start after going through all options with a gamepad
:fix: Fixed certain passengers not having their hair colour randomised
:fix: Improvements to main menu button designs
:csgoglobe: Added a missing description for Bedroom (Night) in other languages
:HealUp: Various December hotfixes which didn't deserve an announcement:
:fix: Fixed E not working
:fix: Fixed fireworks never loading their high resolution textures
:fix: Fixed the Christmas lights on the Bedroom table derailing the train
End of Year Update
:HealUp: Bedroom (Night)
The Bedroom now has a matching Night scene full of Christmas decorations. I'm not sure if these decorations will stay all year round - happy to hear thoughts on that!
:HealUp: Roman candles
A constant shower of starry loveliness.
These are manually turned on and off by left clicking on the rocket.
:HealUp: Gingerbread carriages
A matching set of carriages for the gingerbread train, finally!
:HealUp: Looking forward to 2019
I've got a lot of things planned, some you might be expecting and some you're probably not!
Some frequently requested features which are nearly ready to release include:
Roads - made with the same automatic building as track pieces
Full set of emergency service vehicles and passengers
Image importing so you can put your own pictures on certain objects
Key rebinding
Changes:
:fix: The delete buttons in the Train menu now need to be held down for 1 second before they activate to prevent accidental pressing
:fix: Improved the Firework (Trigger) visuals and added a unique thumbnail
:fix: Fixed the gingerbread train button not working before opening Style Options once
:fix: Made Passenger Carriage collision more accurate
:fix: Fixed an issue if you play with a gamepad but use the keyboard to enter text for Signs
:fix: Improvements to the lighting in Modern Apartment (NIght)
:fix: A lot of back-end changes to how controls work in preparation for key rebinding, they should (hopefully) behave the same
:csgoglobe: Japanese has a new and improved font
:csgoglobe: Improved the layout of many pieces of translated text
:csgoglobe: Fixed some style inconsistencies for punctuation in various languages
:csgoglobe: The names of the Example save games are now properly translated
