Derail Valley News

When we released Overhauled a month ago, we soon identified stability and performance issues as needing our top attention. It took some time to crack them, and now we're starting to see the results.

In today's build we've fixed the abnormal RAM usage. As a result, Derail Valley should no longer suffer from certain crashes, and should require no more than 12 GB of RAM to play. The change is yet to be tested properly, so please let us know how build #82 works for you! The game previously used up to 20 GB of memory, requiring use of virtual memory to fit it all, but with this update that was reduced to the sane ~6 GB.

[previewyoutube]https://youtu.be/iZukJPUhkio[/previewyoutube]

Apart from stability fixes, the update brings many small improvements too, as you can see in the video and the changelog below. Highlights:

• Fixed abnormal RAM usage (now 12 GB or less required
• Fixed (all?) crashes
  
• Interactive shunter doors
  
• Option to use trigger for all train interactions in VR
  
• Many newbie-friendly text/booklet updates
  

If you experience any new issues with this update, please let us know. Even if we can't always respond, we read all feedback. It helps us a ton to identify and prioritize issues. Thank you!

Next in line will be the performance fixes for the "loading area" and "spawning trains" stuttering. The solutions for both are almost done (massive reworks), and may come already next week!

[h3]Please note - This build will not have fire or liquid spills, due to the ongoing terrain system rework. This will be fixed in the next build.[/h3]

[h2]Full changelog:[/h2]

[h3]Stability:[/h3]

- Reworked terrain loading
-- Fixes abnormal RAM usage
-- Should no longer cause crashes on PCs with 12 GB of RAM or more
-- Somewhat reduces stuttering when loading new areas (WIP)
-- Can cause vegetation NRE if player goes out of world bounds (WIP)

[h3]VR Controls:[/h3]

- Added option that Trigger operates all train controls
-- If enabled then Grip only interacts with items
-- On by default for Index users (based on feedback)
-- Applies to all controllers except Vive wands
- Fixed left-hand item scrolling moving the player (e.g when page flipping)
- Fixed a bug where opening menu while hovering over a wrist orb could break the game
- Fixed a case where Comms Radio won’t work when taken out of the belt
- Fixed a bug where pageflipping could get stuck when not looked at, in VR
- Improved grab precision of Index controller (volume was too big)

[h3]NonVR Controls:[/h3]

- Fixed item view mode (Alt) getting bugged when alt-tabbing
- Fixed some bugs with nonVR inventory when adding items to the last slot

[h3]Trains:[/h3]

- Reworked shunter to have interactive doors
-- Maintains the same UV layout so the existing skin mods still work
- Minor optimization to diesel locomotive rendering

[h3]Career:[/h3]

- Costs from manual servicing now add up to copay too
- Added Stats screen to Career Manager
-- Shows player stats including total copay and time bonus deadline effect
- Removed "manual servicing" hint screen if the fee is bigger than remaining copay
- Reworded “you only need to pay” when having a smaller fee than copay
- Tweaked wording on “job denied” printout
-- Explains that you only need to pay the fees you can afford, not all
- Fixed steam locomotive fee payment not putting out fire (causing ongoing env. fees)
- Fixed a rare case where a locomotive despawning during fee paying could break the game
- Updated DE6 license text to say it’s capable of loads up to 1400t

[h3]Items:[/h3]

- Fixed Shop Item Scanner sometimes not spawning where it should
- Fixed loco remote not charging through DE6’s windows
- Updated inventory item representations of most booklets, to make them language-independent

[h3]Navigation:[/h3]

- Added key page to Schematic Map
- Tweaks to Schematic Map (missing switches, etc.)
- Fixed being able to fast travel to a locomotive you don't have a license for

[h3]World & Tracks:[/h3]

- Remodelled Iron Ore Mine chute area to be wider (prevents DE6 from clipping it in a corner)
-- Reworked tracks around it to fit
- Made IME service station tender-accessible when reached head first
- Replaced an empty/unused shop building with an unenterable scenery shop model
- Moved HB D yard slightly so both a shunter and a flatcar can fit into the merge track
- Fixed oil silos floating
- Fixed terrain going over tracks at a wye west of Harbor

[h3]Misc:[/h3]

- Fixed user settings not getting saved until the player reopens the menu
- Fixed being able to fast-travel twice before the first one initiates, breaking the game
- NonVR Controls booklet now has a specific icon in inventory

[h3]Tutorial:[/h3]

- Changed the "Save and Exit" button text to not say that during the tutorial
- Fixed UI option not updating when choosing some options in tutorial
- Updated DV Guide texts to better explain some things
- Tweaked nonVR “pick up the Comms Radio” prompt wording
- Tweaked steam locomotive manual (+ added “prerequisites” page)


That's all for today's update. We should have more performance improvements already next week. Stay tuned!

-DV Team

It's been two very busy weeks here at Altfuture, since the launch of Overhauled. After the release (which went really well - thank you all!), we've gone back to improving the game in short, regular, small updates.

Except, we forgot what a small update means. In Build #81, you'll see massive changes, all based on the feedback you've all provided. Thank you so much. Along with this post, we've quickly put together a video too, to cover the many changes in the update:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


As always, we strongly recommend you to go through the changelog to see what's new, as there are many small improvements that can't be shown in a video. Highlights:

• Fixed numerous VR issues
  
• Lowered the learning curve
  
• Better clarified job information
  
• Many more bug fixes and balancing (see changelog)
  

In regards to the learning curve changes, the focus was on better introducing the core game mechanics, and one step at a time. Please note that the changes are likely to make more sense to new players than those of you who already learned how to game's mechanics work.

[h3]Please note - This build will erase your currently ongoing jobs and locomotives, their fees, as well as junction states. Just fast travel to the nearest station and pick another locomotive/job to continue.[/h3]

[h2]Full changelog:[/h2]

[h3]Errors:[/h3]

- Fixed “white terrains” bug
-- Potentially fixes some types of crashes on old GPUs
- Fixed NRE in tutorial (VR) if no controllers were turned on
- Fixed a rare OverflowException error
- Potentially fixed cars rarely spawning over existing cars
-- Should also fix the case of cars spawning damaged
- Fixed a case in which a car could get undespawnable along with items inside, until restart

[h3]VR Controls:[/h3]

- Fixed bad item orientation/position for WMR, Index, Quest and Oculus SDK users
- Fixed issues with Vive wand controllers
- Fixed VR joystick drift issue
- Fixed it being difficult to teleport between cars in Teleport locomotion
- Fixed page flipping/player rotation not working on the right controller in some cases
- Potentially fixed problems with starting with only the left Index controller on
- Fixed undefined controller types being able to break the game
- Fixed teleporting getting disabled if having an undefined controller
- Potentially fixed NOLO controllers not working
- Made it possible to dial pocket watch with the holding hand in VR

[h3]Career & Licenses:[/h3]

- Redesigned Career Manager dialog texts
-- Puts more focus on what you need to pay to clear all fees
- Reduced starting copay from $5k to $100.
- Added Shunting license
-- Costs $1k, serves to introduce player to the concept of working with occupied tracks
- Added Logistical Haul license
-- Costs $20k, serves to prevent beginners from taking logi jobs in early game
-- Requires having a CCUR1 license, as these shouldn’t be hauled alone
-- Increases time bonus deadline by 5%
- Added Manual Servicing license
-- Costs $20k, serves to prevent beginners from servicing manually while having low copay
-- This prevents players from wasting money on servicing in early game
- Buying licenses DE6 and SH282 now requires having a CCUR2 license
- Trying to buy a dependent license will now write the exact needed license at Career Manager
- Added Freight Haul license, auto-acquired on game start
- Greatly reduced cost of Military 2 license
- Rebalanced copay/time effects and prices of some licenses
- Made “print info” button green, on Career Manager

[h3]Jobs:[/h3]

- Added warning messages to job reports explaining why the task isn’t complete
- Shunting job booklet now specifies how many pick-ups/drop-offs it involves
- Updated job payment calculation
-- Somewhat increased shunting job payment
-- Increased payments involving empty containers
-- Slightly decreased payments involving tank cars
- Increased track clearance so that trains look more like they’ll fit the tracks
-- Should prevent people from thinking there’s no space to fit their train, although there was
-- As a consequence, some trains will be shorter than they used to
- Added a button to Job Validator to respawn all existing job booklets
- Added 1 min tolerance to meeting the bonus time
- Fixed a minor bug that could prevent some jobs from getting generated

[h3]Servicing:[/h3]

- Added service station range platforms
- Added service station train detector
-- Indicates with lights and sound whether a train is in range for servicing
-- Informs player if they need a license
- Moved City SW service station closer to exit, so it’s not blocked by a spawned loco
- Added diesel/oil/sand station at Food Factory

[h3]Trains:[/h3]

- Fixed coupler chain hook drifting over time sometimes
- Teleporting to the steamer and shunter now puts you straight to the driver position
- Fixed steamer cab teleport gizmo showing up when leaning against the tender
- Made tender invulnerable until excessive damaging is fixed
- Updated steamer UV layout to make skin modding easier
-- Will break existing steamer skin mods
- Fixed being able to teleport onto invisible colliders on the sides of locomotives
- Fixed loco spawner requiring unnecessary 1.5m of clearance
-- Fixes steamer not spawning at IMW
- Made at least one shunter always spawn at the Harbor

[h3]Maps:[/h3]

- Halved cost of fast travelling without the locomotive
- Removed minimum distance requirement to fast travel (was 200m)
- Added repair station blips to world map
- Added FF diesel station to world map
- Increased size of player home blip on world map
- Removed (obsolete) blips from office world maps
- Updated schematic maps
-- Added shop icon to overviews
-- Added missing service stations to overviews
-- Fixed wrong bearings in City SW
-- Fixed wrong track name in schematic map (HB-G O3 -> 3O)
- Prevented fast-travel with loco when derailed (was causing bugs)
- Fixed a rare fast-travel with loco edge case that could lead to breaking the game
- Fixed IMW office map “you are here” flag pointing at MF

[h3]World & Tracks:[/h3]

- Beware: Junction save states will reset in this update
- Fixed wrong track names at IMW and CM
- Added a separate parking track at IME, freed the previously blocked service station
- Loosened the bypass turn at City SW
- Loosened the turn at Food Factory north exit
- Loosened turns on the route north of Sawmill

[h3]Tutorial:[/h3]

- When the player derails or crashes for the first time, a “what now” message will pop up
- Fixed being able to do actual damage to the locomotive before leaving the tutorial area
- Player is now told to kill throttle when leaving the tutorial area, learning fuel conservation
- Added Train Basics pages about Fuel Conservation and Track Designations
- Improved tutorial loco blocker letting the player into the loco prematurely
- Fixed missing pointer in the “switch change” tutorial step
- Player is reminded to read Train Basics and DV Guide at the end of tutorial
- Reworded “Push” to “Hold” for certain VR joystick tutorial messages
- Added note on how to turn pages to the Controls booklet front cover
- Fixed Train Basics booklet having wrong page numbering

[h3]Misc:[/h3]

- Fixed held items growing over time, sometimes (RIP shevel)
- Fixed getting stuck in loading screen when save file is corrupt
- Fixed UI text bugs on computers with non-English regional settings
- Fixed inverted collider warning log/console spam during game load
- Updated Unity Burst Compiler to 1.3.0
-- Could fix other potential errors/crashes

That's all for today's update. While #81 covers the bigger part of the issues you all reported so far with the previous build, there's lots more to come! Stay tuned!

-DV Team

We made this post in order to inform you of what we know about the most pressing issues currently with Overhauled. Please let us know in the comments if it helped!


[h2]My game is crashing. Now what?[/h2]

All crashes happen due to a single cause - lack of memory. Please ensure you have at least 16 GB of RAM, the minimum requirement. In either scenario, follow this guide, in this order of priority, to mitigate crashes:

1. Increase virtual memory (our guide: https://imgur.com/a/eOwZRM8)
   
2. Have enough free space where your pagefile is (e.g. C:\ drive)
   
3. Close all unnecessary software (browser, other applications, etc.)
   
4. Reduce shadows distance/quality (400/high at max should suffice)
   

We will of course look more into how this can be further resolved. Please do let us know if these tips helped.

[h2]I fall through the locomotive / can’t control it:[/h2]

We are working on this right now with the highest priority. Restarting the game fixes it temporarily.

[h2]Will you add XYZ to the game?[/h2]

Probably. See our Community Unlock goals here for more information on our plans/wishes: http://www.derailvalley.com/unlocks/



[h2]Items don't orient properly in hand:[/h2]

This is a bug that affects certain controller types. We're on it.

[h2]I have an XYZ issue using Vive wand controllers:[/h2]

They probably initialized in the wrong orientation (left/right). This is a rare currently unresolved issue where they get swapped by the game's input system. Temporary solution (try a few times if needed:

1. Place what should be the right controller on the right side and left on the left side
   
2. If you turned them off, turn on the right one first, then the left
   
3. Restart the game
   

[h2]My joystick keeps drifting when released:[/h2]

This affects only some users. If this is a frequent issue, you can adjust the joystick deadzone:
How to - for SteamVR players - https://imgur.com/a/DbsW88v
How to - for Oculus SDK players - https://imgur.com/a/SG6x0ua

[h2]Improving image clarity in VR:[/h2]

1. Set Render Path to Forward
   
2. Set Antialiasing to 8x
   
3. Disable Post Processing
   
4. In SteamVR increase resolution to over 100% (e.g. 200% if your HW can take it)
   

[h2]More tips:[/h2]
How to stop console error spam on Oculus Quest via Link from Oculus Store:

Change Oculus desktop app into beta mode (Settings > Beta > enable Public Test Channel).

Insurance mechanic details:

You are automatically subscribed to insurance in the game. It doesn’t need to be bought or activated. What it does is, it frees you of the responsibility to pay the total sum of your fees, and instead only pay the "copay" amount that is usually significantly smaller. When you pay any fee, the copay bar gets filled. Once full, it will activate the insurance and it will pay for all the rest of your fees.

Let's say you have a fee of $50k, but your copay is $5k. You only need to pay the $5k and then the insurance will activate and clear the rest. With every license you buy the copay grows bigger. Initially it's $5k, but at late game it can grow even to 7-digit figures.

Thanks for all your feedback! See you soon with another update.

-DV Team

We just patched an issue where if you used continuous movement in VR and exited the game while on a train, the game wouldn't load correctly and would seem stuck at 86% loading.

The biggest project we've ever done at Altfuture, the major update for Derail Valley, is here! Your game should automatically update.

If you previously used any mods, do a clean reinstall - uninstall, delete any remaining content in the game's folder and install the game again.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

If you're wondering what's new in Overhauled, take a look at our In-Depth video series, diving into the ins and outs of the update. Alternatively you can see the full changelog here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUW4fWUM40o
This update is, of course, free. If you'd like to additionally support our work, please consider purchasing our all new soundtrack! All the revenue from it will go back to Derail Valley development.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1308910/Derail_Valley_Dev_Support_OST/
We also have the new Altfuture Bundle available at a -25% discount - check it out!

Note that Derail Valley is still in Early Access, and things aren't perfect just yet. We're looking forward to your feedback. If any issues arise, we're on it. Please report them to us via Discord, Steam forums or email ( [email protected] ).

We'd like to say a - massive thank you! - to our beta testers who've been breaking the game apart since early March. Without you it would've been very difficult to catch all bugs we've fixed in the meantime.

Final reminder - we've said it before, but to restate:
Previous saves will no longer work in Overhauled. All players start clean slate.

That's it for this update! Have fun!

-Altfuture