RAILROADS Online News

Dear Community,

Welcome to the lovely month of September! The end of the year is approaching, Autumn is just around the corner and even Christmas is coming sooner than you think (better prepare the gifts already!).

Today, we want to take the opportunity to announce our new development partner, our roadmap until mid of next year, and shine a light on our current team. Let’s dive right into it!



Earlier this year, the fantastic French team at Black Sheep Studio took on the challenge to perform an extensive code review, going through the entire codebase of Railroads Online. And yes, they actually checked out every single line of code!

We felt right at home with Black Sheep which is why we now put the ink to paper and created a co-development partnership going forward! Our new friends will support the existing Railroads Online team from a technical perspective.



Some of you repeatedly asked us how exactly the development process looks like currently and how big the team even is. We prepared a handy little graphic for you which hopefully answers a few questions:


As you can see, the entire team of Railroads Online consists of three different parties, all with their own unique roles and responsibilities.

These parties are:

The RO Development Team

Lead by Keume, they are from a development perspective responsible for everything content-related as they work on models, new features, research, and more. In addition they also manage the communication on Steam and Discord. Our moderators Goku, CaptainChooChoo, Kitsune and Sandy are happy to assist you in any matter and help with reporting bugs and feedback.

The astragon Entertainment Team

As a publisher, they organize marketing beats and host events like gamescom, tackle all communication efforts like public relations and social media, take care of sales, and also create stuff like announcements, screenshots and trailers. In addition, the producing team helps with guiding the project, backend works, localization and miscellaneous tasks. They are the direct contact between development and publishing and coordinate everything that has to do with builds, updates and QA together with the developers.

The Black Sheep Studio Team

Black Sheep Studio was founded in 2003 by veteran game developers and has been developing games of any style, any genre or complexity for more than 10 years; providing a wide range of services related to game development, such as complete game development from design to release, co-development or porting a game to another platform. They’ve cooperated with several well-known publishers in the past.

Black Sheep will be responsible for all technical work, stuff you can’t see at a glance. Their focus in the near future will be on refactoring while also providing programming assistance. In addition, they will improve the general UI of the game and take care of performance improvements and more at the same time.



YES, it’s finally here! As our cooperation with Black Sheep begins, we have set up a little roadmap for ourselves which the teams will work on over the coming 9 months. Of course, even more stuff is planned and be assured that we’ll announce more about that once we can!

On the official Trello roadmap, we laid out seven big updates which are the following and are focused on quality of life and mechanics:

• Anniversary Update
  
• The Tutorial Update
  
• The Wiki Update
  
• The Map Update (feat. The UI Update)
  
• The Spline Update
  
• The Loading Screen Update
  
• The Rights & Alerts Update
  

You can check out the Trello for more information as we have already put in a few bullet points as a sneak-peek 👀

However, this is not all! In parallel, we’ll introduce much needed bug fixing and performance optimization updates in both single and multiplayer – while also releasing new content pieces, including vehicles, industries, vegetation and even more surprises. More details about that will also be announced as soon as we can!

And that's it for today! Have a good time in the valley and never stop shaping the world of Railroads Online ❤

Your Railroads Online Team

(PS.: We're working on a patch for the password session issue and hope to be able to release it soon!)

Patch: 0.5.9.8

Written by: Goku

Dear community,

With Gamescom come and gone, it is now time for some more bug fixes and content. Below you will find the typical list of bugs we have been able to fix and some new goodies for you to add to your railroad.

Patch notes for build: 0.5.9.8.1
-Fixed bug where the player could delete industries.

Patch notes for build: 0.5.9.8

• Fixed a bug where the helper UI would not disappear after looking at things.
  Switches, Couplers, Fireboxes, Cab interior. After some testing it now looks like the UI now goes away after a few seconds after looking at an object.
  
  
• Fixed a bug where the pin inserting sound would continue to go off on client side.
  
  
• Fixed a bug in testing where the demolish filter would reset to an empty state and not show rails, facilities, groundwork etc.
  
  
• Fixed a bug where a player could not connect off of a coal tower.
  This bug was reported to us from a member off of the discord.
  
  
• Fixed a bug where there was no sounds for the EBT hopper.
  Hopper now has sounds when using brakes and dropping in pins and links.
  
  
• Fixed a bug where air compressors would lose air over time.
  
  
• Fixed a bug where an uncoupling pin will stay in the coupler with the pin.
  When taking a pin out of a coupler the link does not stay in the other coupler that has the pin.
  
  
• Fixed type 1 wooden trestle.
  The hitbox is no longer a solid object
  
  
• Adjusted the lights in the locomotive facility.
  The light above the Locomotive or Rolling Stock you are buying has been brightened up a bit. Let us know if this needs to be adjusted more.
  

Added Content:

• Added Version Control: When searching for a server the game displays the server version. If the version is equal you can see the Join button. If your game version is different you can still see the server but you can not join. This prevents you from accidentally joining games that are in another branch or do have another version, which caused a lot of crashes.
  
  
• Added placeable props
  
  
• New props menu
  -Rotate props with Num 2,4,6 and 8 (same as increase/decrease track radius and elevation). The rotations may be different based off of your key binds
  -Props include signs
  -Text sign (text can be set by the player)
  -Buildings (Western theme)
  -Decorations
  -Added platforms to the decorations menu, platforms look like the ones around spawn
  
  -NOTE: Do not place props on rails or attach them to stock/engines as this can cause some weird hit box interactions that may send you into the RRO space program.
  -Props can be placed without having to go in and select the props menu again.
  
  -Example you place one fence then you can keep placing fences until you cancel object placing.
  
  
• Added wood rick as a placeable facility object.
  This facility object will provide plenty of wood to refill your tenders. It does auto refill but at a slow rate.
  
  
• You can now rotate all placeable objects.
  This includes facilities. Rotate with Num 2 and 4 (same keys as increase/decrease track radius). The rotations may be different based off of your key binds.
  

Conclusion

Having placeable props is exciting and I hope to see all of your builds you guys come up with. We have decided to add in placeable structures because we wanted to not disrupt your already built railroads. This also allows for some awesome creative moments and makes every map unique and more controlled by the players. In the future, we may have pre-placed towns on new maps or just allow you to build what you want where you want, however this is a conversation for a different time.

For now we hope you enjoy some of the goodies we added and we look forward to bringing you more fixes and content. Below you will see some in-game shots of some of the props the team has been messing with.

That being said, there will be an additional information update posting for you next week, including some insights into the team of Railroads Online and a look at our... roadmap?!? 👀

We hope you have a wonderful day and remember to be kind and let your creativity run free. We look forward to sharing more with you when the time is right. Thank you for being patient with us! Much love!

Your Railroads Online Team!

Patch: 0.5.9.3
Written by: Goku

Dear community,

Hello everyone, before we go over the patch notes we are here to chat about some things in regards to patches. It has come to our attention that when the game gets updates or patches there has been an outcry for better communication in the patch notes and things being missed from patches. Going forward we are going to have a different format that will allow us to list all of the bugs squashed, content added and just about anything else related to game updates. This should hopefully allow us to deliver the most accurate information to you guys. Now I don’t want to bore you with the ramblings of an old Saiyan.. Let’s just get right into it!!!!


Patch notes for build: 0.5.9.3

-Fixed an issue where the game is crashing when saving a huge save game while trains are moving.

-Fixed an issue where trains were sinking into the ground when traveling at low speeds, shunting and driving over turntables.

-Fixed a bug where engines would stop at low regulator settings.
Notes: This one took a couple of test builds to figure out, thankfully the team found an adjustment for it. To fix this issue we adjusted physics settings for vehicle movement in general.

-Fixed an issue where it was no longer possible to re-rail things from the bottom of the log pond.
Notes: Put on your scuba gear and get down there and fetch your engines and cars that more than likely rusted over by now!

-Fixed an issue where brakes were not releasing properly.
Notes: This bug was known as the ghost brake bug in the community, this issue has been resolved. However it is important to note:
There is a bug in UE version 5.0.3 where we are no longer able to set brakes at individual values either the brake is off or on at the moment, we are planning a UE version update that will hopefully fix this issue. Stay tuned for more on this bug.

-Fixed an issue where engines could not be properly re-railed onto turntables

-Fixed an issue when 3rd person driving and the UI would flash for certain things on the UI

-Fixed an issue where it was only possible to unload coal cars from one side at a coal tower.
Notes: Praise the sun, you can now unload from both sides of the coal car not both sides of the coal tower.

-Fixed an issue where the firewood depot was not refilling log stacks back to full
Notes: you should now see log stacks refill once you take logs from the piles.

-Fixed an issue when rerailing a locomotive or a car that it would hang in the air after a successful re-rail

-Fixed an issue where the couplers on the Shay “Grabs” cars and could not be uncoupled anymore.
Notes: Fine, take your cars back. **sad shay noises**

-Fixed an issue when in first person the regulator could not be directly set from 0% to 100% or vice versa after using the locomotives ui and 3rd person driving

-Fixed an issue when loading a plantation car with a crane. Some cars would not be loaded with cargo.
Notes: due to the small nature of the cars you still have to be precise when loading these little guys. Make sure you line up to the crane as best as you can!

-Fixed an issue where stock car lettering was not showing up in the buy menu.



Additions

-Changed the helper menus to now be under the mouse cursor for better visibility

-Added a mph speed readout to the locomotives 3rd person driving UI. In addition to this compressors and generators have been removed off of locomotives that never had them fitted.

-Moved buy track into locomotive factory building.
The locomotive factory building replaces the buy track and even features lights for you night owls out there. The old preview track has been removed and an invisible wall taken down to allow for building rails in that area.



Alright, that is what to expect for patch notes going forward. We are also aware that this update does not cover everything that was reported but you can be sure that we are working on it.

To keep things organized we have two forums:
If you encounter any bugs please use the RO-Steam bug forum:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/1696810/discussions/1/


For feeback to the Beta-Branch please use the RO-Steam Beta-Branch feedback forum:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/1696810/discussions/3/


Our moderators Capt. ChooChoo, Kitsune or Sandy will also assist you with that.

We hope you enjoy the new format, feedback is always appreciated.

Have a wonderful day!

-Railroads Online Team

Dear Community,
looking at the calendar, we realized that a new status update about what's happening behind-the-scenes is long overdue. After all, you've been eagerly waiting for some news for a while, right?

Today we'll provide some insights into a few structural and organizational topics - and announce the winner of our little community contest!

[h3]We're heading to gamescom![/h3]



We love hearing what you think about the game, no matter if it's good or bad. Without your feedback and critisism, the game would never be shaped the way we all want it to. However, reading your comments online is nice - but very often, it is also helpful to hear your opinion in person.

That's why we're happy to share that Railroads Online will be present at this year's gamescom and it will be playable with a little demo. You can find us at the astragon booth in Hall 6, B-060. If you're in Cologne, feel free to come by and share your feedback - you can even receive a little goodie!

gamescom runs from August 23 to August 27 at Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany. We plan to visit some other events in the future, so stay tuned for more details!

[h3]More support on Steam![/h3]

The team is growing! You've already seen Kitsune, CaptainChooChoo (both being part of the development team) and Sandy being active in the Steam Forums and they will continue to do so in the future. Our new moderators will ensure better moderation, more answered questions, improved community interaction, and a higher number of reported bugs being tracked!

[h3]Congrats to the winner of our community contest![/h3]



Hundreds of players joined our community contest, which we started a few months ago, and we had a lot of fun going through every single save game. It took some time, but we finally have a winner: Congrats, CaptainBCXD!

CaptainBCXD created a world with one of the most creative way we've ever seen the splines being used. Not everything is still possible in the current version of the game, but as we're celebrating the entire history of Railroads Online, we were still amazed by their work in the past.



The bridges in particular are amazing, with the use of rails almost appearing like we're looking at a cable-stayed bridge. The ones made out of concrete are also beautiful, seemlessly blending in with the also elegantly created depots and railyards.

During gamescom, we'll publish a special trailer highlighting some of our favorite community creations!



[h3]Welcome back, Discord[/h3]

Yes, it's happening.

We've restructured and overhauled the official Discord server for Railroads Online where some of you are already a member. At the moment, we're working on the last steps until we re-open the server where you can chat with other players about the game.

The re-opening will be announced in a separate post.

[h3]A new chapter[/h3]

A new partner is joining the development and we're currently working on the last contractual details to finalize everything. We know you really want to know more but as soon as we can, we pinky promise to share all the news with you. It... took some time :')

And that's all for today! Have a good time in the valley and never stop shaping the world of Railroads Online ❤

Your Railroads Online Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1696810/Railroads_Online/

Dear Community,

we can't believe how much you've been enjoying the beta of The Weather & Sky Update thus far – despite the fact that it was just a beta! After spending more than two months with going through all your feedback, implementing suggestions, fixing bugs, and improving a lot of other aspects, we can proudly announce that the full Weather & Sky Update is now available to everyone on the stable branch!



[h3]What's inside?[/h3]

If you haven't had the time to dive into the beta, no worries – here's a quick little overview of what's inside The Weather & Sky Update!

• Upgrade to Unreal Engine 5: This way, we have a new baseline to start working from when it comes to polishing, bugfixing and optimization. We are now able to use a bunch of features included in Unreal Engine 5 and take advantage of them to ship features which a lot of you frequently requested!
  
• Improved Save Game System: You can now properly name your save games... and save them at any time as well, also thanks to a new optional autosave system.
  
• Day & Night Cycle: A fully automated, customizable cycle is now part of the game. You can even adjust the timings and select the time of day yourself!
  
• Weather: Sunny, cloudy, overcast, foggy, light rain, rain, thunderstorms, light snow, snow, blizzard, light sand, sand storm... yeah, weather is here as well now. You can choose between all of these options and set them the way you want while also being able to set the weather transition time.
  
• New cars: Please say hello to the Gregg Sugar Cane Cane Flat, Gregg Sugar Cane Logging Flat, Gregg Sugar Cane Stake Flat, Gregg Sugar Cane Bulkhead Flat, Gregg Sugar Cane Lowside Gondola, Gregg Sugar Cane Medium Gondola, Gregg Sugar Cane Highside Gondola, EWA Plantation Box Car and the Waualua Agricultural Tank Car.
  
• New tools to play with: We're also introducing an oil lamp to carry with you, a new headlight variant for the Glenbrook engine, new paint variants for the Glenbrook engine and a new Steel Truss bridge segment.
  

Overall, today's build is similar to the latest update we shipped on the beta branch. However, a few additional changes have been made in the meantime:

• Fixed bug where industry names were not present on client side
  
• Fixed bug where engines would suddenly stop and start when regulator was at 19% or lower (special thanks to GWR6029)
  
• Fixed plantation medium gondola freight capacity: 15 barrels
  

[h3]Adjusted system requirements[/h3]

As you may have already guessed, the switch to Unreal Engine 5 will inevitably lead to higher system requirements. Even though we continue to improve overall stability and performance, we simply can not guarantee that everyone will be able to enjoy the benefits of Unreal Engine 5 with their existing hardware.

We still believe it is the right approach to ensure a smoother and more stable development process and becoming more future-proof in general.
 
After running a few tests, these are now our adjusted system requirements which will also be put on the store page:

Minimum:

• OS: Windows 10 or Windows 11 64-bit
  
• Processor: Intel® Core™ i3-8100 or similar
  
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
  
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 (2 GB VRAM) / AMD Radeon R9 285 (2 GB VRAM)
  
• DirectX: Version 11
  
• Storage: 6000 MB available space
  

Recommended:

• OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
  
• Processor: Intel Core i5-11600K @ 3.9 GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X @ 3.7 GHz
  
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
  
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 with 8 GB VRAM or more
  
• DirectX: Version 11
  
• Storage: 6000 MB available space
  

[h3]Legacy builds[/h3]

A lot of you asked if we could at least keep a legacy build of UE4 alive that will continue to exist even after UE5 has eventually replaced UE4 on the stable branch – and yes, we think that your idea is great and we will indeed provide one as a dedicated selectable branch.

However, keep in mind that this legacy branch will not be updated in the future as working on two different engines at once is simply not feasible. To switch to the legacy branch, please follow these steps:

1. Select Railroads Online in your Steam library
   
2. Press right-click
   
3. Select Properties
   
4. Select Beta
   
5. Beta Participation: Select 'legacybranch' in the dropdown menu
   

And that's it for today! Have a good time in the valley and never stop shaping the world of Railroads Online ❤

Your Railroads Online Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1696810/Railroads_Online/