Derail Valley News

Hi everyone!

It's great to finally talk to you from the other side of the Simulator update!

First of all, thank you all for the enormous amount of feedback, support and help following the release date! We read all your messages, and are adjusting our plans accordingly, even if sometimes we can't reply.

The 94% rating of Derail Valley and the 2600 simultaneous players peak at launch have topped all the current train driving sims on the market. Given our very humble beginnings, this really is the dream come true. The update release has been a great success so far, and we're hyped to bring you a lot more content and features to Derail Valley in the future!



Given the size of the update, naturally it didn't come without some issues. We'll be addressing them in the next couple of months. Today, we've released the first proper patch in the series of important fixes. Due to priority shuffling no new vehicles were added just yet, but the upcoming S060 steam locomotive is receiving final touches and will be released by the end of next week.

[h2]Changelog:[/h2]

[h3]Stability[/h3]

• RAM usage optimization
  
  • Drastically reduced the buildup of RAM usage from traveling around
    
  • Reduced RAM usage for sounds
    
  • Should help alleviate many crashes
• Slight FPS improvements
  
  • Drastically optimized the rendering of lit windows at night (affects low-end PCs)
    
  • Fixed brake sound systems being active on stationary and distant trains
    
  • Simplified some checks in the audio playback system
    
  • Optimized the Doppler effect system
    
  • Fixed terrains out of view being able to cause lag
    
  • Fixed text rendering being able to cause stutter in certain situations
    

[h3]UX NonVR[/h3]

• Fixed UI receiving unwanted input from unsupported controllers
  
  • This may have affected your language selection screen, save manager, etc.
• Fixed being unable to save custom key bindings in-game
  
  • Go to Settings > Advanced page
    
  • Click “Remap Keyboard Controls” to open the preferences.ini file
    
  • Make changes to key controls, save the file, close the window
    
  • Back in the game click the “Update Keyboard Controls” button
• Fixed RMB zoom not working while space-to-dismiss tutorial prompts are on
  
• Fixed a bug with the bad coupler selection when using the Coupling UI panel
  
• Fixed escape button not working in pause menu if closed by [X] without applying first
  
• Made inventory slots 11 and 12 mappable (default keys - and = on QWERTY)
  
• Temporarily allowed Keyboard Driving in Realistic difficulty mode
  • Will be restricted to being in cab only when finished
    

[h3]UX VR[/h3]

• Fixed being unable to go past the “turn around” step in career tutorial on Reverb G2
  
• Fixed tutorial not addressing the needed VR input actions correctly, on certain controllers
  
• Fixed held items being offset for certain platforms/controllers, especially on Oculus SDK
  
• Disabled automatic touch interaction with buttons
  
  • This will be vastly improved and added back as a setting in a later build
• Fixed interaction with most buttons being Grip instead of Trigger
  

[h3]Train Simulation[/h3]

• Reduced S282 resource consumption (coal, water) by 20%
  
• Reduced S282 blower power and steam consumption by 75%
  
  • Mostly noticeable with the startup time
• Increased S282 coal consumption when the fire is lacking air
  
  • Indicated by dark chimney smoke
• Increased S282 indicated firebox temperature at low combustion rate
  
• Enabled body and wheels damage on S282B (Tender)
  
• Drastically reduced startup costs on DM3 and DH4
  
• Fixed S282 bad brake gauge needle alignment
  
• Fixed S282 chimney smoke clipping through the model
  
• Fixed the crown sheet sizzling sound continuing to play after boiler explosion
  

[h3]Misc[/h3]

• Refined all bird/cricket biome sounds to be more soothing rather than piercing
  
• Added “Retrieve all items” button to Lost & Found sheds
  
  • Pressing this button will retrieve all player-owned items from around the world
    
  • It will not retrieve items that are already in your inventory
    
  • Uses temporary art, to be improved
• Fixed certain cases where items would get lost when left on rail vehicles
  
• Fixed external camera being able to break the game when reaching too high altitude
  
• Fixed the DE2 quick tutorial turning on by default
  
• Fixed the possible career tutorial softlock at the “Handbrake release” step
  
• Fixed the possible career tutorial softlock at the initial “Park the locomotive” step
  
• Fixed “Manual servi” text being cut off on career manager
  
• Fixed Boombox audio stuck to the player while away, if locked to an inventory slot
  
• Fixed order validator in military offices having stuck papers and a bugged name position
  
• Changed the order of the VR category button in settings
  
• Updated some localization texts (work-in-progress)
  

Have fun and see you soon with another small update!

Quick update everyone - we've fixed the game breaking bug where trains would collide with invisible walls surrounding the tutorial depot, near the Steel Mill.

Enjoy the update and see you soon with more small updates!

-Your DV Team

It's finally here! Three years since development on it started, we're pleased to announce the Simulator major update has just been released – along with a brand new trailer:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

If you already have Derail Valley in your Steam library, it will be automatically downloaded. When you start the game your last save from the previous version will automatically convert to the new format and location used by Simulator. You'll then be able to continue from there, or start new sessions in the main menu – up to you!

[h2]What's new?[/h2]

We've made this listing so you can see what's new and what's coming soon:



For an early coverage of the new additions, check out Squirrel's exclusive preview videos! Some examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=976I6nF4tIw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY6vYX3cmq4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiGYzlmzoGU

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

Being an enormous update, a few things remain to be done. These are notably the S060 locomotive, DE6 slug, Steam Deck input layout (it does work otherwise), RailDriver support, and a couple more smaller things. Rest assured that the mentioned two vehicles will be added very soon, in a couple of weeks.

[h3]Any news on the new steam engine simulation and VR?[/h3]

We've been making core changes to both until recently, and are happy to say that they are finished. The update features the all new S282 steam locomotive experience, as well as dynamic VR hands that naturally interact with controls and items. Support for the Pico 4 headset has also been added.



[h3]Localization:[/h3]

The update introduces 25 new languages to the game, translated by a carefully selected dedicated group of players. Apart from providing a good spirit and feedback, our translation team handled tens of thousands of words per language, and have put a lot of care into making it all fit nicely and using proper technical terms. They're absolute heroes!

We've marked the languages that we think the game is sufficiently translated to as supported on the store page itself. The rest are also available to choose from in the game, with an UI scoring element representing their completion level. Please let us know, and our translation team, how you like the translations and we'll further update the statuses.

Please bear in mind that since the tutorial translations needed to be done at the very end (today, also barring many bugs we've just resolved), they are also the least complete. Don't worry though, the translations will continue being improved after the release.



[h3]What happens with mods?[/h3]

If you've been using mods, please note that you should to do a clean install of the game. If your save file was modded, it may not convert well – it depends. Most, if not all pre-Simulator mods will no longer work with Derail Valley and will have to be updated by the community in the coming weeks and months, to become functional again. Some of that effort is already ongoing.

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

For the next few days and weeks we'll make frequent updates, fixing all the immediate issues as they arise, as well as finishing up the two vehicles and a few more things. Then we'll drop the pace a little and take a well deserved rest. For the more long-term plans, please see our derailvalley.com/future page.



We hope you'll enjoy the new Derail Valley and where it's headed, and we're looking forward to seeing your reactions in posts, reviews, videos and other media!

[h3]Thank you![/h3]

-Altfuture

Hi everyone!

For posts like these, usually there's a couple days of preparation. Today's post, however, is rather improvised, as everyone on our small team has been extremely busy with the upcoming release. There's a lot going on, and we wanted to give you a very quick update.



We're 30 days away from the definitive release date of Simulator, a big free update to the game. We're doing our best to have the update as complete as possible on that day. I'm sure something will not be entirely finished (there always is), but that's okay – we'll have a number of small updates following the release, to compensate for that. It's a huge release, after all.

Due to intense involvement with the development and the business side of things, I haven't been able to work on short videos at all this month, unfortunately. However, someone outside of Altfuture but very dear to us will hopefully satisfy your needs – with an episodic long-form video coverage of Simulator coming soon. Stay tuned!



In the past month we've made big strides on finishing the VR side of things and the tutorial. They're not done yet, but are close to the final stages. We've done a lot of further work on the steam engines and preparations for the new translators. As always, we've also been fixing a load of bugs, caught by our closed beta team, who had been also doing an amazing job translating Derail Valley to nine languages.

Today we're admitting dozens more people to the closed beta. The carefully chosen group will help us do the translations for 15 more languages and help us get VR calibration right for various types of headsets and controllers out there.



As the days get increasingly hectic, this may be the last you hear from us until the release. Soon you should start seeing new marketing material on our site, store fronts and social media pages. A new trailer will be be made and shown on the release day.

That's all for now! If you have any questions, please comment on this post and I'll try to reply to all. Thank you for your time!

-Slobodan

Very exciting news today — The long awaited Derail Valley update, Simulator, is coming out on June 30th, 2023!



After several years being in development, the update will bring massive improvements to the game in the domains of graphics, simulation dynamics, user experience, bug fixes and future development productivity! You can see a lot of what's coming previewed on our YouTube channel.

An update of this scale can always be further improved, however, we've done enough preparations and testing over the years, both internally and with the closed beta testers, to safely conclude that any further improvements can be made after the release.

Simulator is a major stepping stone towards our even more grandiose future plans, that we've just recently outlined on this new page: http://www.derailvalley.com/future/




As we've made this massive update entirely from the game's sales so far — we'd like to say thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years!

In order to help fortify our next actions, we are ending the early supporter price period. The price of Derail Valley will go up for new customers, starting May 12th, 2023 at 19:00 CET, to $39.99 USD, or a region-tailored equivalent in other currencies.

We announced this change back in 2020, and now, more than four years after the initial barebones version of the game was released, we feel the change is justified. The team is now double the original size and all that time was spent working full-time on new features and content. Derail Valley has come a long way since, and it is especially the upcoming Simulator update that is driving the sales nowadays, with even more exciting coverage as well as a new trailer coming up in the following months!



If you're in position and willing to support our team for further development, please consider buying the game at the new price. If you'd like to buy it at a lower price, however, we've kept a time window for you until the 12th.

If you're wondering about the Early Access status - the game will remain in it, potentially, for years to come. This is because we want to add more features and content going forward, despite the product being stable and well rounded in its current form already. We'll keep at it for as long as possible, in our mission to make Derail Valley the best train simulator in the world.

[h3]April Recap[/h3]

April's been absolutely packed with work and we haven't had the chance to produce that many shorts this month. Next recap will, however, cover both April and May. In the meantime we've done a ton more bug fixing, finishing the UI, improving the translation workflow and have started work on the tutorial. The translation and closed beta teams have done a phenomenal job translating and finding bugs so far — thank you guys! We are about to start translating the second batch of languages soon.

That's all for today, we'll see you soon with more exciting content!

-Your DV Team