Rolling Line News

[p][/p][p]As the last update post announced, multiplayer is officially in development! [/p][p]But that doesn't mean that all updates stop for months until that's done, I do still have lots of features I want to work on before releasing multiplayer, and it's good to have some variety while I spend the majority of my time working on multiplayer programming. [/p][p]So here's a very fun feature that I've wanted to add for ages:[/p][h2]Freight wagons now have gravity and can roll down sloped tracks![/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]Basically, if a wagon is on a sloped track and is not connected to any locomotives it will freely roll downhill and then slowly come to a stop on flat ground. Locomotives act as 'anchors' and will stop any connected wagons from rolling downhill. You can also now control brakes on individual freight wagons. If a wagons brakes are enabled then it will stop it from rolling downhill and will also block any other connected wagons from rolling too. [/p][p]You can point at a wagon and press B to toggle brakes, or change the setting in the wagon options popup menu. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Settings for momentum[/h2][p]You can also adjust how quickly rolling wagons speed up and slow down, or even disable gravity entirely.
To help with compatibility with older maps, any wagons that are already on slopes when loading an older save will not be affected by gravity until you interact with them. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Hump yards & AI triggers [/h2][p]These new gravity features can be used alongside AI trigger signs (like decoupling) to make automated hump yards! [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]There is also now a new setting added for AI trigger signs which controls whether they affect locomotives or wagons:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Bonus feature: pixel art generator! [/h2][p]Since I've been working on a lot of technical stuff recently, I wanted to do a very quick and easy feature just for fun. So you can now create pixel art automatically using the 'spray' feature.[/p][p][/p][p]Simply replace the "spray.png" image in the folder:[/p][p]C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Steam\\steamapps\\common\\Rolling Line\\Modding\\spray.png[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]As long as the image is less than 100x100 pixels you can paint it directly into the game as pixel art:[/p][p][/p][p](And yes I've been playing a lot of Deltarune recently) [/p][p][/p][p]You can switch between the normal spray function (which is just an image texture) and the new pixel art feature using these settings in the "pause menu -> misc" menu:[/p][p][/p][p]The pixel art is made out of normal in-game cube props and each cube is painted to the correct color for the image. You can use the bulk move tool to shift the new props around your map too:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Load screen text now scales with resolution [/h2][p]The loading screen text & logo now scales with screen size, and you can further adjust the scale factor using the UI scale setting in the "PC options -> interface" menu.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]In other multiplayer news:[/h2][p]Progress on multiplayer has been going great! I've been posting lots of news on the official Discord server and lots of features are in the works. Especially things like animations and interaction. You can play different "emotes" from a list of animations, and when modding is added you will be able to include your own animations alongside a custom 3D player model! [/p][p][/p][p]Also the basics of character customization are already in progress![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Very exciting stuff!
I'll keep posting progress alongside these normal updates.[/p][p]...And as things move along I'll eventually even be doing beta testing! [/p][p][/p][h2]New Patreon video[/h2][p]I've also made a new video discussing the behind-the-scenes debug info about how the wagon movement system works, and how the new gravity feature fits into this. You can watch that video now here on the Rolling Line patreon:[/p][p]Wagon movement physics - devlog[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]And thank you to all my Patreon supporters![/h3][p]Matt, Ábris Pataki, NESecretWeapon, JohnR, ItzAerozic, Matthew Johnson, Microcosmologist, Blake Prevett, TrainTiny, Thomas Merolla, Lutz, Don Willis, Jayton Hawkins, Helga Nordgren, Leto Gloas, TheAmazingRyry, Outertoaster, Nathan Perez, TrainMann, Railraider, Garst, Richard Prior, Joblogh, Detroit_, CAMOGUY54321, Ben Burch, Gustavo Sanchez, Michelle chan, Jack Fruh, Jonathan Ginsburg, Lynk_Wyland, SmokeStream, KathalLasagna, Rivet, HuskyDynamics, Trackmeister[/p][p]You can join the Patreon to help support me to keep making free updates![/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]You probably never thought this day would come, but Rolling Line is officially going to be getting multiplayer! I've been working on developing multiplayer in the background and I'm finally at the stage of being able to show it off. [/p][p]A full release of multiplayer is still a long time away though, so don't get too excited just yet, but so far progress is going great and I'm really happy with how it's currently looking! [/p][p]Everything in this news post is VERY work-in-progress and will likely look very different before it's released. Especially the character models and interactions.[/p][p][/p][p]Here are the main key points about what I'm planning for Rolling Line's multiplayer:[/p][p][/p][h2]Servers will be peer-to-peer[/h2][p]This means one person will "host" a map on their computer, and they can send a code to other people to let them join. I can't confirm yet whether there will be a public lobby system, I need to do more research and test things out before confirming this. [/p][p]You can host any save file you like, and if it requires mods then all joining players will need to also have those mods downloaded to be able to see them. [/p][p][/p][h2]Map editing will NOT be included in the release of multiplayer[/h2][p]I will be working on adding map editing in a future update, but for now it will just be train operations (everything except placing props & track). The reason I'm doing it this way is because map editing is going to be a massive, massive job. It would be a much better option to focus on the basics of multiplayer and get this ready for people to play sooner, rather then trying to do everything at once. [/p][p]So I can't make any promises as to how map editing will work, or when it will happen. There will be more news on that once the core features of multiplayer are done. [/p][p][/p][h2]The player model will be customizable & moddable[/h2][p]You will be able to customize your player model with things like basic clothing and colors, as well as choosing from some default model presets. And of course player models will be fully moddable using a similar system to prop modding, so you will be able to import 3D models to use as your player avatar. [/p][p][/p][h2]Player animations [/h2][p]I haven't yet decided how to manage player model animations, but the most likely system will be that your player model will have pre-set "gestures" like pointing and waving. But if you have a modded player character model then you will also be able to import custom animations! [/p][p]VR players will hopefully have some form of hand tracking, but I haven't researched anything about how to do this yet. [/p][p][/p][h2]Support for voice chat and text chat[/h2][p]Pretty much a requirement for any good multiplayer game, this will of course include voice chat and text chat. I would also love to add some sort of hand-held radio system, but I can't confirm details on how this will work yet. [/p][p][/p][p]And much more! [/p][p]I won't make too many promises since multiplayer is still VERY early in development and I'll be confirming things as I go. At the moment I am just focusing on the core framework and getting things to a fully playable state, so all the finer details will come later.[/p][p][/p][p]Speaking of which, here's the first ever captured photo of Rolling Line running in multiplayer! [/p][p][/p][p]The reason I'm announcing this now is because I've finally gotten the core functionality of multiplayer working and I'm starting to get a good idea of what's possible (and what's not).
I'm still testing out various networking connection options, so a lot is still not set in stone. Most of what you're seeing is placeholder and VERY work-in progress.[/p][p]The character models are just temporary, in fact these are from Spicy Tamale's prop mod: [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Things like animations, and displaying what players are holding in their hands is not in the game yet, but here are some examples of what the current state of multiplayer is like:[/p][p][/p][h2]Train interaction[/h2][p]All of the train interaction from singleplayer also work in multiplayer, so you can pickup and place trains, push trains, etc. And other players can see you doing this:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Riding trains[/h2][p]You can ride on trains, and see other players both on & off trains! You can have multiple people riding on a single wagon, so people can be inside the cab while others stand on the outside:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Miniature & large scale [/h2][p]And you can be in both miniature and large scale, and see other players doing the same thing! [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]And of course you can play on any map you like!
When a player joins a server they will download the map data directly from the server.
(Though I have not yet confirmed how I'm going to manage mods, whether it will require everyone to be using the Steam Workshop, or whether mod files can be downloaded directly when joining a server). [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Anyway, in conclusion, I'm really excited to finally be announcing this, and there will be lots more news coming as I make more progress. [/p][p]Multiplayer has always been such a far off dream, so seeing it actually in action is quite surreal. [/p][p]But this is going to take a TON of work! The progress I have so far is just the basics, there's a huge amount of work between this and a finished and fully-featured multiplayer update. [/p][p]My estimate would be several months at least, but we shall see.
And I'm still going to be releasing some smaller gameplay related updates before then. [/p][p]Exciting times! [/p][p][/p][h3]And thank you to all my Patreon supporters![/h3][p]Matthew Johnson, Microcosmologist, Blake Prevett, TrainTiny, Thomas Merolla, Lutz, Don Willis, Jayton Hawkins, Helga Nordgren, Leto Gloas, TheAmazingRyry, Outertoaster, Nathan Perez, TrainMann, Railraider, Garst, Richard Prior, Joblogh, Detroit_, CAMOGUY54321, Ben Burch, Gustavo Sanchez, Michelle chan, Jack Fruh, Jonathan Ginsburg, Lynk_Wyland, SmokeStream, KathalLasagna, Rivet, HuskyDynamics, Trackmeister[/p][p]You can join the Patreon to help support me to keep making free updates![/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]It might not be very glamorous or exciting, but optimization is a REALLY important part of game development and it's great to spend some time making improvements every now and then. [/p][p]This update is entirely focused on optimization, specifically around RAM (memory) usage and speeding up the map loading process! [/p][p][/p][p]These changes especially improve loading large maps with a lot of track, and when testing some famously large maps (like Beaumont, Nevada Arizona & Utah, Continental United Sates V2, Thunder Mountain Line) the improvements have been amazing:[/p][p]Nevada Arizona & Utah:[/p][p]RAM usage: 3.4gb -> 1.6gb of (52% reduction)
Load time: 15 seconds -> 10 seconds (33% reduction)[/p][p]Beaumont:[/p][p]RAM usage: 7.3gb -> 3.4gb (53% reduction)
Load time: 57 seconds -> 41 seconds (28% reduction)[/p][p]Continental United Sates V2:[/p][p]RAM usage: 4.2gb -> 2.5gb (40% reduction)
Load time: 41 seconds -> 20 seconds (51% reduction)[/p][p]Thunder Mountain Line:[/p][p]RAM usage: 5.3gb -> 3.4gb (35% reduction)
Load time: 45 seconds -> 31 seconds (31% reduction)[/p][p][/p][h3]That's a massive 45% average reduction in RAM usage and 35% average reduction in load times! [/h3][p][/p][p]These optimizations come from two main places:[/p]

• [p]Changes to how track is loaded. Only the bare minimum track data is loaded when opening a map (just waypoint position data for the trains to use) and no visual meshes or textures are loaded. Instead the visuals for track are dynamically loaded as you move around the map in the same way props are. Basically track can now exist in either a "partially loaded" or "fully loaded" state. [/p]
• [p]Changes to how mesh data is stored and managed. I've done a huge deep-dive on where mesh data is being duplicated and improperly handled, and I found several great optimizations where mesh data could be reduced. This kind of "unnecessary mesh duplication" bloat builds up in the background and can be hard to spot, so tracking this down and improving it makes a big difference on large maps. [/p]

[p]Aside from these two main points, I've also made a ton of smaller improvements here-and-there which affect how the game loads meshes, textures and handles RAM. [/p][p][/p][p]Here is a full list of all the changes in this update:[/p]

• [p]Improved RAM management for loading screen custom images[/p]
• [p]Loading screen images can now have any aspect ratio and will correctly scale to fit any sized screen[/p]
• [p]Fixed flickering/flashing when loading in distant chunks while moving around the map [/p]
• [p]Improved map startup loading in several ways[/p]
• [p]Fixed bug where people using the old inventory selection system would experience issues when saving the game from the menu[/p]
• [p]The item held in your hand is now correctly re-equipped when exiting a 2D menu[/p]
• [p]Added new loading screen step for "reading save data file" when loading very large save text files[/p]

[p][/p][p]Over on the Patreon I've also made a devlog video going into detail about how all of these optimization features work under-the-hood, and talking about how Rolling Line loads maps:[/p][p]You can join the Patreon and view the video here! [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]And thank you to all my Patreon supporters![/h3][p]
GaugeGang: SmokeStream[/p][p]Rolling Line enjoyers: Helga Nordgren[/p][p]Model railroaders: Lutz, Jayton Hawkins, TheAmazingRyry, CAMOGUY54321, Jonathan Ginsburg[/p][p]Railfans: TrainTiny, Thomas Merolla, Don Willis, Leto Gloas, Outertoaster, Nathan Perez, TrainMann, Railraider, Garst, Richard Prior, Joblogh, Detroit_, Ben Burch, Gustavo Sanchez, Michelle chan, Jack Fruh, Lynk_Wyland, KathalLasagna[/p][p][/p][p]You can join the Patreon to help support me to keep making free updates![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]This update makes a really nice quality-of-life change that I've been meaning to add for ages.
The game now has screenshots for loading screens (instead of just the grey background) and of course you can add your own too! [/p][p]Each of the main official maps has their own set of loading screen images, and you can even set your own custom images for your own maps, and include them when uploading to the Steam workshop. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]To use a custom set of loading screen images for a single save file, all you need to do is make a folder called "custom load screens" and put your custom images in there![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]You can add your own general custom loading screen images to the folder:
...Rolling line / modding / custom load screens[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]You can put any .jpg or .png images you want in there! [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]There's also several settings to customize how loading screens are displayed:[/p]

• [p]Load screen refresh - change how frequently images are changed.[/p]
• [p]Show mod count warning - enable/disable a warning message which shows when you have a large number of mods installed.[/p]
• [p]Allow infinite view map preload - this setting is off by default, which means that if you have your view distance set to "infinite" the game will not load the entire map in one go (since this is likely to crash or freeze the game on very large maps). It will only load the area around you and then load the rest once the loading screen ends. [/p]
• [p]Loading screen images - change whether the built-in official loading screens are included in the shuffle list. You can choose to instead use images in the "custom load screens" folder only. [/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]And a few other smaller features & fixes:[/p]

• [p]The quicksave screen now has a different visual style, it just blurs the game instead of using a full-screen loading screen.[/p]
• [p]The RAM usage message on the loading screen now changes colors (yellow, orange, red) to show when you are running out of RAM.[/p]
• [p]The "Batching props" stage of the loading screen has now been split into segments, showing progress of each chunk loaded.[/p]
• [p]VSync is now force disabled when launching in VR (since this can cause problems when enabled).[/p]

[p][/p][p]It's amazing how much of a difference it makes to have pretty screenshots to look at during a loading screen makes, I should have added this ages ago!
This is just another step closer to the game being more polished and approachable to people, which is my goal at the moment (just like the previous tutorial update). And there's lots more to come. [/p][p]Have fun! And I'm keen to see what kind of bizarre custom loading screens people are going to use! [/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]And thank you to all my Patreon supporters![/h3][p]
GaugeGang: SmokeStream[/p][p]Rolling Line enjoyers: Helga Nordgren[/p][p]Model railroaders: Lutz, Jayton Hawkins, TheAmazingRyry, CAMOGUY54321, Jonathan Ginsburg[/p][p]Railfans: Thomas Merolla, Don Willis, Leto Gloas, Outertoaster, Nathan Perez, TrainMann, Railraider, Garst, Richard Prior, Joblogh, Detroit_, Ben Burch, Gustavo Sanchez, Michelle chan, Jack Fruh, Lynk_Wyland, KathalLasagna[/p][p][/p][p]You can join the Patreon to help support me to keep making free updates! [/p][p]https://patreon.com/RollingLine?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Now that the huge Sierra Logging project is complete I can shift my focus on to new things!
And one of Rolling Line's biggest weak points is the new player experience. This game has quite a complicated learning curve since the controls and mechanics are a bit different to what people would expect. I'm planing to dedicate some proper time to improving the new player experience and making the controls easier to understand. [/p][p]And the best way to kick that off is to finally add some new tutorials! [/p][p]Previously the in-game tutorials were quite lacking, leaving out lots of important basic game mechanics. So these new ones help fix that by adding step-by-step instructions for things like trackwork, scenery and even some of the more niche mechanics like pantographs and snow plows. [/p][p][/p][p]You can play these tutorials from the main menu, or from the pause menu:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Steam guides[/h2][p][/p][p]For more complex mechanics, like skyboxes, automation and modding, I've already made tons of guides here on Steam:[/p][p]https://steamcommunity.com/id/jach5270/myworkshopfiles/?section=guides&appid=754150[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Sierra Logging news[/h2][p][/p][p]In other news, the release of the Sierra Logging map has been amazing! I'm so glad that people are enjoying the map so much. I love seeing everyone's screenshots and comments, especially people finding easter eggs and admiring the little details around the map. The Sierra Logging map took a staggering amount of effort and time, and I'm really happy with how it all worked out. It's definitely the map I'm the most proud of from all the official map releases. [/p][p][/p][p]I recently posted a proper trailer video for the map:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]And a developer commentary where I explore the map and talk about the design inspirations and building methods that went into making it:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]The above commentary was released early for everyone subscribed to the Patreon, and I'm going to be making more videos like this in the future! [/p][p]I'll share them early on Patreon, but they will eventually make their way to Youtube at a later date, since I don't want to lock anything behind a paywall. [/p][p]If you would like to support the game and help me keep making free updates forever, then please consider joining the Patreon, even $5 is awesome and really helps! [/p][p]https://patreon.com/RollingLine?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Other fixes & features[/h2][p][/p][p]This update also includes some other fixes & features:[/p]

• [p]Fixed bug where portable drawers were not spawning correctly in VR[/p]
• [p]Various settings have been moved into the "pause menu -> editing" menu, all settings relating to prop placement and snapping can be found here [/p]
• [p]There is now a new drawer dedicated to all snow themed props and trains[/p]
• [p]The drawer style edit menu now disappears correctly when the drawer is removed[/p]
• [p]The "default up/down context action for prop placing" now affects both VR and PC. This means on PC you can now change the default behavior of whether the scroll wheel changes scale or height offset when placing props[/p]
• [p]You can now use the 'expand list' button on the various save file list on the main menu[/p]
• [p]Gap-fill track now no longer requires track snapping to be enabled to work[/p]
• [p]The 'tutorial complete' message now shows up in VR too[/p]
• [p]The 'color hexcode copied to clipboard' message is now hidden in VR[/p]
• [p]VR now has 'fast scaling' enabled by default [/p]
• [p]Fixed bug where player held items were visible during the load screen[/p]
• [p]Added labels to the tables & walls drawers to separate the large & small tables [/p]

[p][/p][p]And that's everything! [/p][p]I've got big plans coming up, mainly revolving around making the game more polished and easier to understand overall. Along with other gameplay themed features like continuing work on expanding the loading & unloading features! [/p][p]Lots of cool things on the way, so keep and eye out. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Thank you to all my Patreon supporters![/h3][p]
GaugeGang: Trackmeister, SmokeStream[/p][p]Rolling Line enjoyers: Helga Nordgren[/p][p]Model railroaders: Lutz, Jayton Hawkins, TheAmazingRyry, CAMOGUY54321, Jonathan Ginsburg[/p][p]Railfans: Don Willis, Leto Gloas, Outertoaster, Nathan Perez, TrainMann, Railraider, Garst, Richard Prior, Joblogh, Detroit_, Ben Burch, Gustavo Sanchez, Michelle chan, Jack Fruh, Lynk_Wyland, KathalLasagna[/p]