Post-Update 1 Dev Blog

Hey everyone, given our first major content update for Train Life recently launched, we want to touch base with the community about how the launch went, what we’re working on, and what you can expect in the future.

Starting with Update 1, we want to address right away that, like many of you, we were not happy with the performance and stability issues. A last-minute attempted improvement to our car traffic system didn’t seem to improve it at all -- quite the opposite, in fact. We had hoped to identify and have this fixed before the weekend of launch, but luck was not on our side. We want to apologize for the frustration and anger this issue caused. We will be taking extra care to ensure that these things are more thoroughly tested, and that future hotfixes are not rushed without proper assurances of their stability. We have released another hotfix to address this most immediate performance concern and are continuing to make improvements throughout the Early Access period to ensure more stability. Expect the next hotfix to further address performance concerns from the new region! We would like to thank you for being patient on this fix, and hope that your journeys through the new region have been improved since the fix has gone live!



[h2]Eastern Europe[/h2]
Looking forward to the future, we want to talk about some things that are in the immediate pipeline and share with you what you can expect with our next content update. The largest addition is, by far, the new region. This includes many cities from Poland and Czechia.



Originally, I was only going to include 3 screenshots, but I was given many more and I thought they looked so awesome that I absolutely need to share them!





[h2]LeKo-DP2500[/h2]
Along with the new region we’d also like to share a new locomotive from the in-game company “Lechner-Koch”. This is the electric LeKo-DP2500 locomotive.


The LeKo-DP2500 Exterior, with its charming blue and yellow paint job!


The interior of the LeKo-DP2500; spacious, lots of windows, and very clean.



[h2]Service Center Overhaul[/h2]
Lastly, but certainly not least, many of you have long heard the rumours of a Service Center overhaul that would address the most common issues people had. On behalf of the team, I’d like to show off the wonderful work they’ve been doing to bring this integral hub to life!

Please note that these are mock-ups, and the final implementation will likely have modifications or improvements.


This is the new screen you’ll be greeted with when purchasing a new locomotive. Note that we want to take extra care to show you all the stats needed to make an informed purchase, and you absolutely will be able to see the locomotive rendered in the Service Center for you!


No longer will you be purchasing parts that don’t really provide you with much information, and feel free to show or hide parts that aren’t compatible with the locomotive you have chosen. Or if there are too many parts for you to deal with, sort the parts to give you what you’re looking for immediately.


Switching between locomotives you already own is much easier when you know which parts are installed, and how it compares to the locomotive you’re already driving!



[h2]But That's Not All![/h2]
We have a few smaller things to address and mention:

• Soon after release we talked about a public location where you could see the most immediate things being addressed in the next updates. We’re still working with out publisher on the best way to get this out to you, but it certainly hasn’t been forgotten!
  
• We’re still working out the kinds of improvements we want to bring to station gameplay, but plan to have more to share in the first quarter of next year.
  
• Some nice tutorial improvements should come very soon, with better onboarding and objective progression – for sure including more information about our signaling system.

[h2]A Final Note[/h2]
We’re looking forward to sharing more with you as release nears and, as always, you’re invited to join our Discord server and chat with us directly! We have a lot of love for all of you, especially the ferocity that you have with desiring Train Life to earn a top spot among the other train games available. We’re right there right with you, and while bumps along the road are inevitable, Early Access has so far been a fantastic experience for us as a studio! Thank you all for your support and dedication; we can’t wait to release our second major content update and see what you guys and gals think!