Pre-Update 2 Dev Blog

I am very excited to say that our second content update is just around the corner, and by 'corner' I mean the weekend in this case! How does the 26th (January 26th) sound? I mean, if that's too soon then we can always hold back, but I'm pretty sure you're gonna want this content.

We've definitely been a little too quiet since our holiday patch, but after the long and much-needed break we've been busy finalizing Update 2. (not the prettiest name, but accurate)






We have some important changes in Update 2, and before the update we wanted to caution you about some larger changes to the core infrastructure, as well as some minor overall changes.


[h2]PAK Files, Build Size, and Update Times[/h2]
Since the dawn of time release of the game we have been frustrated along with all of you that our game's size and update times are just way too unruly. With Update 2 it is our pleasure to say, but mostly mine because I'm writing this, that we have split the game into multiple PAK files (chunks of compressed files, essentially).

What this will mean is 2 things, one good and one bad:

• Firstly, this means that update times and build sizes will be smaller/shorter than before.
  
• However, this also means that with Update 2 you will be required to redownload practically the entire game. This is because we have essentially replaced the game's core file with many smaller ones, so it has to delete that old file and download the new ones. This is certainly an unfortunate product of the change, but future patches and updates should be much smoother and will not require this complete redownload.
  

[h2]Unreal Version Updated[/h2]
We have shifted from Unreal 4.25 to Unreal 4.27! We made this change shortly after Update 1 to help give us better engine tools and bug fixes, as well as receive bug fixes for built games. This does not come with any immediately noticeable negative effects, but it's always safe to relay ahead of time that changing engine versions can potentially lead to unforeseen side effects. We will be monitoring all aspects of the game after launch just to catch any edge case issues.

[h2]Antwerp City Leveling[/h2]
One minor issue in Update 1 was that Antwerp's level 3 requirements were unable to be fulfilled. We have fixed this for all save games with Update 2, but this will mean that all progress from level 2 to level 3 has been reset.

[h2]Weight Rework[/h2]
Up until now we've been using some arbitrary values for weights, and it bothered me so much that I had to do something about it. Our goal with a light rework was to adjust the values shown to the player without affecting physics in a major way.

With Update 2 you'll notice more realistic weights assigned to all aspects of the game. We've used multipliers on each aspect to help keep total weight in line with the existing feeling of driving, though please note that this does not preclude future physics adjustments from happening.

[h2]Holiday Items[/h2]
Last, but not least, Update 2 will remove the cab decorations. We hope you enjoyed them for the festive season, and we're definitely interested in doing more themed updates like this in the future! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season; 2022 is going to be a great year for Train Life!




You're all, as always, invited to join our Discord server and chat with us directly! You may also follow our Twitter, if you like blue birds, and our Twitch account if you like to spam chats or join us on Monday livestreams (or both).