NIMBY Rails News

Administrative boundaries are the second part of the new map features for v1.3, and they are now implemented. But drawing this new vector data highlighted performance problems already present in v1.2, so work has been started to overhaul and optimize the line drawing code in the the game. The new tag and category system was also started in September. This feature is the last one scheduled to be implemented before v1.3 is made a public beta, so the v1.3 beta release is much closer now.

https://carloscarrasco.com/nimby-rails-september-2021/

Work progressed slower than usual under the summer heat, but very important milestones were reached anyway. Train pathfinding is now individualized per train, opening the door to advanced new features. A new map processor development was started, with initial support for parallel processing of raster layers. And two of these layers are now in the game: a new population layer based on real data, and a fixed up elevation layer.

https://carloscarrasco.com/nimby-rails-august-2021/

- Re-enable undo support in the editor; this is the old undo system updated for new v1.2 features, and as such it may still have some bugs
- Pgup/pgdown keybinds for changing track layer in new track mode
- Make track editor bill scrollable when there are too many rows to display
- Enable pgup/pgdown to change track layers also in selection mode
- Fix: incrementally changing track layer level didn't work properly for certain station platform nodes
- Fix: changing track kind by using the favorite shortcuts while building a station stopped working
- Fix: straight track modifier should be consistent in which tracks it takes a reference

- Track mods: modders can now create track mods, adding new track kinds controlling aspects of the track max speed, angle penalties and prices, plus change any textures in the tracks, and share them in the Workshop. Users can subscribe, enable and disable these mods just like Train mods.
- Track layers: viaduct and tunnel tracks now have 3 manually selectable layers, plus an infinite layer. The manual layers produce diamonds between tracks in the same layer. The infinite layer never produces diamonds (it behaves like tunnels did before this build).
- New track kinds panel with favorite bar, layer bar and track kind picker. This new design is required to support an unlimited amount of track kinds for the upcoming track mod support while still offering simple, one button access to track kinds and layers.
- The option to disable a mod is now always available. On failure the game shows an error and focuses the UI on the train or track segment still using the mod.
- New stock track kind: medium speed track
- Track properties for trams and high speed track have been tweaked
- All track kinds are now available in all layers
- Store last used settings for game speed, map options, track editor station options and track kind favorites
- Track bill will only be updated at a rate of 5 FPS while editing tracks, to reduce CPU impact of very large blueprinted networks
- Flip signal command in signal edit mode (default keybind is F)
- Cached, dynamic texturing for tracks, with 128 full resolution slots and 2048 low resolution slots. Ability to render in full resolution depends on how many textures are required to render a given view, not on the total of used mods.
- While creating tracks, hold control to line them up with the previous two created nodes
- Minor optimizations for train AI pathfinding
- Fix: animation timing and behavior fixes for keyboard panning and zooming
- Fix: trains with a starting station order different than the first station in the line did not manage to correctly spawn under some conditions

Track mods are here! They are now available in the beta branch, which will be made default soon. Most of July was devoted to enabling track mods, with major changes to concepts like track kinds and track layers, along with UI changes to accommodate them.

https://carloscarrasco.com/nimby-rails-july-2021/