Railroader News

Our long-awaited 2024.6.3 update is here! The big new feature is Timetables – check out the video below which gives you an overview as well as in-depth instructions. We've also added new buildings, quality of life features and enhancements, and a raft (flat car?) of bug fixes.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Railroader 2024.6.3 Release Notes[/h3]

• Added timetables! Timetables must be enabled in Company Settings and, for passenger trains, cause passengers to gather accordingly. Additionally, Auto Engineers of timetable passenger trains will wait until the timetable departure time. For details, see the Timetables section in the Guide (F1) – or watch the video above! (RR-558)
  
• Added Ela Farm Supply building and others. (Thanks, Ben aka Xyvoracle!) Extended track at Ela Farm Supply to suit.
  
• Added multiplayer settings: Trainmaster Manages Crew Assignments and Restrict Equipment Control to Train Crew. (RR-398)
  
• Assigning the train crew of a steam engine now assigns the train crew of its tender. Existing engines need to be unassigned and reassigned in order to set the tender train crew.
  
• Crews panel in Settings now shows crews with active Auto Engineers as Active.
  
• Added Time window to ease advancing time, available by clicking the clock in the top right corner, F3 by default, or via the Company Settings panel. (RR-605)
  
• Added Shift-Click on anglecock to toggle between open and close, or jump to nearest if in the middle.
  
• Rail ends now properly rendered with faces.
  
• Changed AE default minimum passenger stop duration to one minute. Changed slider minimum to 30s.
  
• Re-added seconds to the top right corner HUD as time is 1:1.
  
• `/wait` and `/time` console commands how accept `hh:mm` format times in addition to decimal hours.
  
• Adjusted AE waypoint routing to be more likely to run around when the run around distance is not short.
  
• Fixed AE disabling Cut Out when in a rear end helper configuration. (RR-596)
  
• Improved consistency of terrain loading performance.
  
• Baggage cars can now be sent to repair tracks. (RR-473)
  
• Fixed joining game from Steam invite when Railroader is not already running. (RR-541)
  
• Fixed AE Waypoint stopping if switch behind it is lined differently than it wanted it. (RR-597, RR-606, RR-621)
  
• Fixed AE Waypoint lining switches that are behind a fusee. (RR-598)
  
• Fixed AE Waypoint lining switches that are behind a signal, causing the signal to drop. (RR-638)
  
• Fixed AE Waypoint repeatedly lining a switch when its moves would put it within fouling distance of both. (RR-626)
  
• Fixed AE Waypoint blowing whistle when first engaging. (RR-635)
  
• Fixed AE trains unexpectedly coupling to cars in cases where the leading car is far from engine. (RR-611, RR-617)
  
• Improved consistency of AE calculation of fouling point. (RR-607)
  
• Updated AE documentation to refer to the HUD; added "Control Mode" and "Status" labels. (RR-602)
  
• Windows now remember their position and size between game sessions.
  
• Modal alerts now automatically focus the text field.
  
• Added check to lower UI Scale if current settings would cause the Preferences panel to be inaccessible.
  
• Fixed coal loaders start-stopping during loading.
  
• Fixed oiling tooltip appearing on steam engines even when oiling feature is disabled. (RR-620)
  
• Fixed cars keeping hotbox status if the hotbox occurred before turning off oiling & hotboxes. (RR-620)
  
• Fixed tooltips going off screen when mouse cursor is at lower or right edge. (RR-466)
  
• Fixed CTC markers disappearing when dropped in a specific position between CTC panel faces. This change causes marker positions on the center panel to be moved slightly from the previous save. (RR-616)
  
• Selected Known Issues with AE Waypoint Mode:
  
  
  • Displays incorrect notices such as "Switch Against" when reaching a waypoint. (RR-607)
    
  • May fail to couple to another cut of cars, particularly when it is already very close to the cut. (RR-618)
    
  • May appear to be stuck with status "Couple" when it cannot move to clear switch points due to uncoupled cars on the other end, even if points are already lined. (RR-642)
• Selected Internal Adjustments (relevant for modders):
  
  
  • Moved PassengerStop to Model.Ops namespace.
    
  • Made TeamTrack configuration fields public.

What a year it’s been! We’ve put together a dev update video to commemorate our EA release anniversary, and hope it finds you well! Thank you for your support of Railroader – there’s much more to come!

We are going to strive to be better about talking with you and look forward to the road ahead!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We have a few more enhancements, as well as a number of bugfixes for you on the experimental branch!

• Auto Engineer (AE) now only shows notices for handbrakes and air lines when it is attempting to move.
  
• AE now fixes problematic MU and Cut Out settings on its engine when attempting to move: disables MU always and disables Cut-Out if it is the only power in the train. (RR-565)
  
• Added Shift-click on waypoint select button to recalculate the route.
  
• Adjusted AE behavior when approaching (but not coupling to) another train for greater consistency.
  
• Fixed AE Waypoint leaving last switch un-restored when reaching waypoint. (RR-588)
  
• Fixed AE Waypoint set being ignored if it is the same waypoint that had been set and then cleared.
  
• Fixed remaining uses of "AI". Added engine number to switch audit. (RR-587)
  
• Fixed selling/deleting K-28T causing removal of car behind it. (RR-589)
  
• Fixed large curve radius engines refusing to move through small curve radius track. They will now move at 5mph in such cases. (RR-566)
  
• Fixed engines with multiple of the same gauge only updating one. (RR-560)
  
• Fixed click-through when closing windows. (RR-593)
  
• Fixed lengthy car numbers in switch list wrapping. (RR-554)
  
• Internal: Model.OpsNew types have been moved to Model.Ops namespace.
  
• Internal: IsPassengerCar extension method is now used to determine passenger-worthiness. Expanded acceptable archetypes to include locomotives, baggage, and caboose.
  

Thank you for your feedback on our experimental branch build! Changes in this build include:

• Added aggregate load model for ballast.
  
• Fixed Auto Engineer not stopping for cars fouling switches when approaching from the points end. (RR-581)
  
• Fixed Auto Engineer not responding to waypoint set by certain clients. (RR-582)
  
• Fixed Auto Engineer Waypoint Mode not throwing switch in ABS at certain plants. (RR-583)
  
• Fixed a case where Auto Engineer Waypoint Mode would fail to start movement after waypoint assignment. (RR-585)
  
• Fixed passengers loading (briefly) for incorrect destinations. (RR-586)
  
• Fixed open windows preventing camera movement input in photo mode. (RR-584)

First, thank you for your support as we continue to build and improve Railroader! We're proud of the progress we've made already and excited about the work remaining as we continue to push toward "1.0"!

We've been working on Railroader 2024.6.0 for the past couple months and are happy to finally share some details on what's in it. Along with a number of smaller fixes and enhancements, there are a few significant enhancements/changes that I want to focus on:



Auto Engineer Waypoint Mode: This marks a huge step forward in helping you do more on your railroad. When in Waypoint Mode the Auto Engineer will navigate to the selected location (waypoint), setting switches on its way. It's great for switching a yard or performing a run-around, but it can also navigate across the map. It can't negotiate meets, however, so if you have multiple trains running in the same area, you'll need to plan accordingly, or use CTC. We've been loving using it while testing and can't wait for you to try it out.



Builder Photos have been added to the Atlantic Locomotive Works equipment catalog (window)! These add a lot to the browsing experience and we hope it will ease your next equipment purchasing decision.

Passengers could always be unloaded at stops that weren't their destination, but now they properly retain their origin and pay the full fare upon arrival there. Passengers also no longer have infinite patience: they must reach their destination within four game hours of boarding a train – otherwise they will make other arrangements. Please bear this in mind when planning your passenger routes.

In connection with the above, we have removed the time multiplier feature, so time in Railroader now progresses with real time. This sets us up for future plans, as well as simplifying an unnecessarily confusing aspect of the game. Remember that if you need time to pass you can always use the Wait button, or the /wait console command.



We've made a number of model enhancements, including aggregate loads in hoppers and gondolas, updates to several engines, and even a couple new buildings. More to come!



Finally, we've made some enhancements under the hood to networking that should make busy servers run more smoothly. For the full list of changes, please see below.

[h2]Availability[/h2]

When will Railroader 2024.6.0 be available? We're trying something new and are releasing it today on an experimental branch. We want to gather early feedback on it before releasing it to everybody. Given the nature of this experimental branch, expect frequent updates! As such, if you play Railroader with mods, we recommend holding off on installing mods, or sticking with the public (default) release.

If you're ready to try out the experimental build, use your Steam client's Betas panel (under Properties) to select the experimental-2024.6 branch. Please post bug reports in the Discord #bug-reports channel, and make sure to use the "Experimental" tag.

This experimental branch is a bit of an experiment for us in itself, so we'll be evaluating how we want to run releases going forward.

[h2]2024.6.0 Release Notes (Experimental)[/h2]

• The Atlantic Locomotive Works is pleased to announce that the latest catalog has been enhanced with photographs of their offerings.
  
• Added Auto Engineer Waypoint Mode: set a waypoint and the auto engineer will route itself to that location, lining switches along the way! Once "AE Waypoint" mode is selected, hit `Ctrl-G` to set the waypoint. Waypoint mode is great for switching moves and run-arounds, and can also run across the railroad
• but remember, Waypoint Mode doesn't negotiate meets, so make sure you plan ahead (or use CTC). For more, see the in-game Employee Timetable (`F1`).
  
• Passengers disembarking at a station that is not their destination now pay full fare upon reaching their destination. Previously they would only pay from the station they boarded at. (RR-167)
  
• Passengers now only wait 4 hours from the time they board their first train. After 4 hours they will disappear from stations and coaches. (RR-303)
  
• Added aggregate loads to hoppers and gondolas.
  
• Updated S-23, C-46, C-55, F-71, and SW1 models.
  
• Added two new buildings: new station at Dillsboro and small office structure at Dillsboro and Whittier. More to follow!
  
• Diesels: Updated notch-to-power mapping to more closely match EMD documentation. Diesels now produce 100% more power at notch 1.
  
• Added alert on startup to warn if there are no enabled interchanges; prevent disabling the last enabled interchange. (RR-557)
  
• Auto Engineer now posts notices for pitfalls such as handbrake applied or brake cylinders set that are outside the connected brake line. A status message is shown when charging the brake line.
  
• Removed time multiplier feature. (RR-579)
  
• Improved reliability of clicking on objects in low frame rate situations.
  
• Fixed Nantahala Talc & Limestone T1 to export limestone, not talc. Any existing cars for T1 that contain talc will be re-waybilled to an interchange. (RR-577)
  
• Standardized terminology in UI and ETT on "Auto Engineer" or "AE".
  
• Enhanced networking to better handle joining very large games. (RR-562)
  
• Fixed auto engineer not announcing stop for switch set against.
  
• Fixed auto engineer passenger stop ending too soon after pause. (RR-575)