City Transport Simulator News

Greetings tram drivers old and new, we’re so excited to announce that City Transport Simulator: Tram will be entering into Early Access on 20th June 2024.

You can still add City Transport Simulator: Tram to your Steam wishlist, and also be sure to sign up for our mailing list so you’ll be the first to know when we enter into Early Access.



[h2]About City Transport Simulator: Tram[/h2]
Assume the role of a tram driver as you transport your passengers to their destinations all around the city of Tramau. Get set up in one of three true-to-life real-world trams, each with their own unique cabs, interiors, modes, and functions. Familiarise yourself with your favourite tram and start picking up and dropping off your passengers while sticking to the timetable.



The city’s tram network has seen better days, so it’s up to you to manage Tramau’s entire tram operation! Start with limited resources and a single tram as you gradually expand your small tram operation into a city-spanning customisable tram network. Add more trams to your fleet, customise and edit your own timetables, and position your own tramlines to link up your stations however you see fit!



[h2]Welcome to Tramau[/h2]
Tramau is inspired by real-world cities found in southern Germany. We’ve worked hard to build Tramau to be as authentic as possible, producing a rich and storied history and unique points of interest, including a Baroque-style cathedral, a 14th century University, and a botanical garden constructed in the 18th century. We didn’t want you to be limited creatively by a real city when building out custom tramlines and stations, but rather, to truly make Tramau your own.



[h2]Why Early Access?[/h2]
We chose to go with Early Access, because we believe that, with your input, we can create the best gaming experience, as it provides us the opportunity to develop City Transport Simulator: Tram hand-in-hand with our community.
This approach allows us to integrate real player feedback, ensuring that we create the most immersive and engaging tram simulation experience possible. Our team values player insights, and we believe this collaborative process will greatly enhance the game's quality and playability.



[h2]Get in Touch & Keep Updated[/h2]
If you want to keep up to date with latest news, development updates, and other fun things, be sure to follow us on our social channels (Discord, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X), visit www.citytransportsimulator.com, and sign up to our mailing list.

Thank you for your continued support as we embark on this exciting journey together. We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on!

In this Pic of the Week, we're taking it easy as we prepare for a major announcement next week!



We don't want to leave you without a new screenshot, so today we present the new main menu of City Transport Simulator: Tram.



Stay tuned to our social media channels because next week we'll have plenty of exciting news about City Transport Simulator: Tram – maybe even a release date? 👀



CTS: Tram will be released in 2024, and we are excited to share these developments with our community. Stay tuned for more in-depth insights into the development process, exclusive features, and exciting updates. Join the discussion in our Steam Forum, Discord Server, and explore our social media channels (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook).

Sign up for the CTS: Tram Newsletter, where we share exclusive insights, behind-the-scenes content, and much more – click here to join our mailing list!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2604480/City_Transport_Simulator_Tram/

Welcome to the City Transport Simulator: Tram - Pic of the Week #22! This week, we focus on the HUD we have developed for CTS: Tram.





Our previous tram simulator, TramSim, didn’t have a HUD, which often led to players not knowing how fast they were going or what the speed limit was. Therefore, it was important to us from the beginning to integrate a HUD in CTS: Tram.

We created the first concept for the HUD back in July 2023. The goal was to unify all the information found in the tram into one place – the HUD. For this, we created a space at the bottom left that displayed speed, allowed speed, the next signal, the next two switches, the slope, and the amps. Additionally, there were IBIS information like the name and distance of the next stop, and the current punctuality.



[h2]Initial Implementation and Overhaul[/h2]

Initially, the HUD was implemented into the game as designed. However, after several test phases, we noticed that it was too much information at once. Therefore, we simplified the HUD to include only the most important information. To complement this, we implemented a kind of minimap that shows the next switch positions and the location of the next stop. Additionally, we now show the route being driven with the selected color above the "Next Stop" and the distance to the next speed restriction below.



[h2]Career Mode and EXP Display[/h2]

On the right side of the HUD are all the important elements related to EXP in Career Mode. You earn a certain amount of EXP for correct driving (observing speed, signals, using indicators, etc.). This can also create a combo that awards even more EXP. At the top, you can see the current level, the total EXP, and the time.



[h2]Objectives and Tips[/h2]

For tutorials and tips, there are specific "Objectives" in the top left. These help you quickly and easily understand what the next step is. Below these, you can also find notifications about the respective controls, such as whether the door release has been activated/deactivated or how much the lever has been moved.



Overall, we are very proud of the HUD display. It immensely helps to have all the important information at a glance, making tram driving even more beginner-friendly. Of course, it can also be turned off if you prefer the classic experience.

CTS: Tram will be released in 2024, and we are excited to share these exciting developments with our community. Stay tuned for more in-depth insights into the development process, exclusive features, and exciting updates. Join the discussion in our Steam Forum, Discord Server, and explore our social media channels (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook).

Sign up for the CTS: Tram Newsletter where we share exclusive insights, behind-the-scenes content, and much more – click here to join our mailing list!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2604480/City_Transport_Simulator_Tram/

Welcome to the Picture of the Week #21! Today, we delve into the world of AI traffic in City Transport Simulator: Tram.





AI traffic is a crucial component that truly brings cities to life in a simulation. We've introduced some exciting improvements and innovations to enliven the streets of Tramau with realistic and intelligent traffic.

A vibrant city is characterized by a variety of vehicle types and colors on its streets. Therefore, we've integrated various types of cars in different colors to create a diverse traffic scene. From compact city cars to delivery vans – the streets of Tramau are bustling and diverse. Even a DHL delivery van can be found in the game!



[h2]Improved AI Technology[/h2]

The AI in the game has been completely overhauled and is now significantly smarter and more dynamic. This contributes to making the traffic in Tramau feel realistic and organic. Even parked cars have been faithfully recreated, including the correct angle of the wheels.



Another notable improvement is the adaptation of AI passengers. They now respond to the destination display of the tram and board or disembark accordingly. Additionally, they utilize all available seating in the tram regardless of the entry door and prefer seats over standing room. When they want to disembark, they move towards the door during the journey, rather than waiting until the tram has come to a stop.

[h2]Intelligent Traffic Light Control[/h2]

Controlling the traffic lights was a central focus in the development of Tramau. Since it's a fictional city, we had to redesign and implement the traffic light system from scratch. We aimed to make the traffic light sequence dynamic and realistic.



At tram stops, there are trigger points that switch the traffic lights to "stop" or "go" mode, similar to many real cities, to ensure the smooth flow of passengers.

[h2]Adaptation to Stop Areas[/h2]

In stop areas where there is a lane for cars between the tram and the stop, we're currently implementing special measures. Cars will stop before the tram stop to ensure the safety of passengers. This will allow passengers to reach and leave the trams without any risk, while other road users wait until boarding and alighting are complete.



CTS: Tram will be released in 2024, and we're excited to share these exciting developments with our community. Stay tuned for more in-depth insights into the development process, exclusive features, and exciting updates. Join the discussion on our Steam Forum, Discord Server, and explore our social media channels (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook).

Sign up for the CTS: Tram newsletter, where we share exclusive insights, behind-the-scenes content, and much more – click here to join our mailing list!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2604480/City_Transport_Simulator_Tram/

Welcome to Pic of the Week #20! Today, we take a closer look at the intersections in City Transport Simulator: Tram and reveal the challenges and solutions we encountered during their implementation.





In Tramau, there are numerous intersections, and for good reason. Our goal with CTS: Tram is to provide a flexible network that offers many options for designing routes. Intersections allow for branching lines, creating a variety of different routes. However, integrating these intersections was no easy task and required extensive planning and adjustments.

[h2]Challenges of Switches[/h2]
One of the biggest challenges was accommodating the different requirements of various vehicle types. In particular, we needed to find a solution to allow trams, which can only choose between left and right, to turn in different directions. While the ULF and the StadtRegioTram have three direction options in the IBIS (left, right, straight), the R2.2b only has the option for left and right.



To solve the intersection problem, we used two consecutive switches. The first switch allows the vehicle to go straight or turn right, while the second switch provides the option to go straight or turn left.



This configuration allows trams that want to go straight to choose left and then right. For a left turn, a tram selects the left direction twice, and for a right turn, it only needs to pass through one switch. These adjustments enable the R2.2b from Munich to now travel in three different directions.



[h2]Improved Control[/h2]

Another significant enhancement was the implementation of key bindings for the switch controls, both on the keyboard and controller. This improvement will greatly facilitate the efficient use of the switch controls.



CTS: Tram will be released in 2024, and we look forward to sharing these exciting developments with our community. Stay tuned for more in-depth insights into the development process, exclusive features, and exciting updates. Join the discussion on our Steam Forum, Discord Server, and explore our social media channels (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook).

Sign up for the CTS: Tram newsletter, where we'll share exclusive insights, behind-the-scenes content, and much more – click here to join our mailing list!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2604480/City_Transport_Simulator_Tram/