Quality of life fixes on beta branch
[p]We've done a lot of work on making Iron Roads smoother to play recently, and those changes are collected into the 0.6.7 update that we have just pushed to the beta branch.[/p][p][/p][p]If you are interested in trying it there are instructions on how to try Steam betas here. We'd love to hear your thoughts![/p][p][/p][h2]Create routes directly on the map[/h2][p][/p][p]
[/p][p]No more need to memorise town names! When editing a route, buttons will appear directly on the map to add a town to the end of the route. The old UI remains to fine tune the route, but for the most part you won’t need to use it.
[/p][h2]Town screen overhaul[/h2][p][/p][p]The town screen is an interesting problem for a designer. Iron Roads’ minimalist aesthetic is a core part of its identity, but for the game to have depth, players need information on how their network is performing. The town screen had become a bit of a dumping ground for us to add in this detail, and the screen had become crowded over time.
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[/p][p]The most important question the town screen can answer is why is my town is not growing? because the answer to that is also the answer to what should I do next?. To simplify this, we’ve added a new *issues* display up top of the town screen to summarise growth problems. This saves you from reading the growth numbers scattered across this screen like tea leaves. All the information we had previously is still there on the new screen, but have now been collected together in an infographic for clarity.[/p][p][/p][h2]New map generator[/h2][p][/p][p]
[/p][p]There is a new map generator. Maps in sandbox used a very small subset of the available landscape tiles, and as a result they were aesthetically lacking. The new generator uses the WFC algorithm to fill the shorelines with a wide range of tiles and patterns.
[/p][h2]Mini town badges[/h2][p][/p][p]
[/p][p]There has been a lot of feedback that town badges are too large, and cover critical map space. We’ve added a smaller variant of the town badge with just the name that shows at low zoom levels. It will automatically swap back to the previous badge as you zoom in.[/p][p][/p][h2]Automatic collection of growth rewards[/h2][p][/p][h2]
[/h2][p]When a town grows, the game rewards you with resources. Previously it was necessary to click to collect this reward. The intention was to ensure players understood where the funds were coming from, but collecting rewards became irritating busy work. The reward indicator still shows in the updated version, but closes automatically, animating the reward into place.[/p][p][/p][h2]Bugfixes[/h2][p][/p][p]We've fixed:[/p]
[/p][h2]Town screen overhaul[/h2][p][/p][p]The town screen is an interesting problem for a designer. Iron Roads’ minimalist aesthetic is a core part of its identity, but for the game to have depth, players need information on how their network is performing. The town screen had become a bit of a dumping ground for us to add in this detail, and the screen had become crowded over time.
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[/p][h2]Mini town badges[/h2][p][/p][p]
- [p]A bug with the cargo chooser that could cause issues with custom loadouts[/p]
- [p]A crash that could occur after removing a stop from a service[/p]
- [p]A bug where clicking the arrivals table could jump to random screens[/p]