The Bus News

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Things are moving forward at full speed!
Work on the new Line 7 for The Bus DLC – Hamburg City is in full swing.

This line will later be released as a free update, expanding the existing network with another exciting route section in the northern part of Hamburg.
[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]🚧 Progress on All Fronts[/h2][p]
Development is currently happening in multiple areas at once:
Roads are being newly laid, terrain carefully adjusted, and previously missing sections are being modeled.

The foundation for this work is the Geoportal of the City of Hamburg, which provides precise data on street dimensions, routes, elevations, and building positions.
This ensures the new route is created accurate down to the centimeter for the most realistic result possible.

Line 7 is divided into several segments being developed in parallel.
Step by step, these sections are now coming together – soon the entire route will be fully drivable!
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[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]🛠️ The Finishing Touches Begin[/h2][p][/p][p]Alongside the main road construction, preparations for detailed polish are already underway:[/p]

• [p]Traffic Lights
  While simple intersections can be implemented quickly, complex junctions – which appear several times along Line 7 – require a lot of fine-tuning and attention to detail.
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• [p]Lighting
  Numerous custom Hamburg street lamp variants are currently being integrated to authentically recreate the city’s distinctive atmosphere.
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• [p]Traffic, Street, and Information Signs
  These are being created in many different versions and placed at their real-world locations.
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• [p]AI Paths
  Precision is key here: the paths are continuously fine-tuned during testing to ensure smooth and realistic traffic flow.
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[p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]📸 A Look Behind the Scenes[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]
We have compiled a few current development screenshots for you.

Please note: this is still a non-final version, so details may change before release.

Even now, it’s clear to see how far development has progressed – and how Hamburg City continues to evolve into a true highlight within The Bus with every new line.[/p][p] [/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]📢 Stay Up to Date[/h2][p]
Follow us on **Facebook** or subscribe to our **newsletter** to stay up to date with all the latest news about The Bus and the Hamburg DLC.
[/p][p]For even faster updates, join our **Telegram channel** — you’ll receive all the latest information instantly via push notification on your smartphone.
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We wish you lots of fun exploring virtual Hamburg! 🧡 [/p]

[p]A new Beta Hotfix is now available.[/p][p]Before switching to the beta, please make sure to create a backup of your save files, as they may no longer be compatible with the current version.[/p][p]Important: This is a beta hotfix. Technical issues, instability, or game errors may occur. It is also recommended to check any installed modifications for compatibility with the current version.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p]How to install the beta version:[/p]

1. [p]Open your Steam library and right-click on The Bus[/p]
2. [p]Select Properties[/p]
3. [p]Go to the Betas tab[/p]
4. [p]Under Beta participation, select beta - Public Beta[/p]
5. [p]Close the window – the download will start automatically[/p]
6. [p]After the download, you can launch The Bus via Play[/p]

[p][/p][hr][/hr][p]Changelog 0.24.88074 EA[/p]

• [p]Repaints are no longer marked as potentially incompatible[/p]
• [p]Crash related to telemetry fixed[/p]
• [p]Solaris gearbox corrected[/p]
• [p]Crash with old profiles fixed[/p]
• [p]Players now appear on the map even when far away[/p]
• [p]AI buses spawn more reliably in multiplayer[/p]
• [p]AI buses no longer get stuck while searching for break stops[/p]
• [p]AI buses no longer spawn inside other AI buses[/p]
• [p]AI buses now spawn with the correct trailer position[/p]
• [p]Workshop fleets can be loaded again[/p]
• [p]New commands added for ticket chance, AI buses, and traffic density[/p]
• [p]Various fixes to level art graphics[/p]
• [p]General performance improvements*[/p]

[p]*The effect of performance improvements may vary depending on your system, including hardware, installed software, and running background processes.[/p]

[p]Show us your most beautiful, funniest, or most creative moments from The Bus![/p][p]Starting now, you can take part in our screenshot contest on Discord and share your best shot with us. Each participant may submit one screenshot in the #contest channel.[/p][p]Please note: Participation is only possible with a Discord account. Submissions through other means unfortunately cannot be considered.[/p][p][/p][h3]Schedule[/h3]

• [p]Submission: From September 26 at 5:00 PM until October 10 at 11:59 PM[/p]
• [p]Voting: From October 11 at 12:00 AM until October 20 at 12:00 PM[/p]

[p]During the voting phase, each person has one vote (via reaction). The screenshots with the most reactions will take 1st–3rd place.[/p][p][/p][h3]Prizes[/h3]

• [p]1st Place: A Halycon fleece jacket (size M or L) or a Hamburg City DLC key[/p]
• [p]2nd Place: A unique The Bus T-shirt[/p]
• [p]3rd Place: A The Bus mug[/p]

[p][/p][p]We’re looking forward to seeing your creative entries and wish you lots of fun taking part![/p][p][/p][p]https://discord.com/invite/tml-studios-224563159631921152[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]The leaves are falling – the perfect time to fall into new games! Discover great discounts on simulation, strategy, and building & management games during this year’s Autumn Sale.[/p][p][/p][p]We’re also celebrating something special: Halycon marks its 25th anniversary! For a quarter of a century, Halycon has brought players closer to reality with iconic add-ons for simulation games.[/p][p][/p][p]Don’t miss your chance to stock up on great games before winter sets in – fall into savings today![/p][p][/p][p]Save now![/p][p][/p]

[h3]The Bus DLC – Hamburg City – New Residential Buildings for the Northern Expansion[/h3][p]With the free extension of bus lines 6 and 17 to the north, new residential areas are also arriving in the game. Instead of dense inner-city blocks, you’ll now encounter more open neighborhoods featuring single-family homes, smaller apartment buildings, and even garden allotments – all in true North German style.[/p][p]To authentically recreate this variety, The Bus makes use of so-called Blueprints. These are modular construction kits within Unreal Engine that allow objects to be assembled from many individual parts.
We’ve already used this method to create numerous variations of shelters and signposts – and now buildings are joining the lineup.[/p][p]For the northern expansion, we’ve developed two brand-new Blueprints:[/p]

• [p]Residential Houses: Different building shapes, roof types, doors, windows, façade colors, and extras like balconies or solar panels ensure that every house is unique.[/p]
• [p]Garden Allotments: No two sheds look the same here either. Thanks to the special Blueprint, countless variations of small garden houses appear – just like you’d find in Hamburg’s neighborhoods.[/p]

[p]The advantage: while creating a Blueprint takes a little longer, it allows us to generate a huge variety of new objects in no time. This not only adds variety and saves development effort but also brings the northern districts of Hamburg to life with a realistic look.[/p][p]At the end of this post, you’ll find some work-in-progress images showing just how different these procedurally built houses can appear. You’ll soon spot them along the new lines 7 and 277.[/p][p]And don’t forget:
The big Aerosoft Publisher Sale runs until September 23, 2025, 7 PM CEST!
You can grab The Bus DLC – Hamburg City with a 25% discount – a great chance to experience virtual Hamburg. All upcoming line expansions are, of course, included for free.[/p][p]Stay up to date:
Follow us on Facebook or subscribe to our newsletter. For instant updates, join our Telegram channel and get all the news directly on your smartphone.[/p][p]We hope you continue to enjoy your time in Hamburg![/p][hr][/hr][p]Steam Store Page
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