Rolling Line News

Happy new year!
To get things moving for the first update of the year I've decided to work on improving the train modding system and adding a whole bunch of new features.

The Rolling Line modding scene is HUGE and if you haven't already, go and check out the Steam Workshop for 1000s of player-made layouts, liveries, train mods, prop mods and more!

https://steamcommunity.com/app/754150/workshop/



This news post is going to list all of the new modding features added, but you can find a full official guide here which goes into more detail about the whole modding system. I will only be describing them briefly in this news post, so please check the info in the guide for more detail:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2664192139

[h2]Christmas update leftovers[/h2]

Firstly, since I was short on time before Christmas here are some features from the previous update which I wasn't able to finish in time, which are now included in this update:

• Snow models for the Big Boy & tender
  
  
  
  
• Improved snow model for the V8 which includes its front & back wheel blocks
  
• Fixed the snow plow on the V8, so it correctly attaches to the front wheel block
  
• Various fixes to snow models, like for the U20C custom livery model
  

[h2]Custom extra models[/h2]

Firstly, this update adds a much-requested feature: custom toggleable models!
This means you can provide a custom 3D model or animation which can be enabled/disabled by the player when using the wagon.

These can be used to hide/show additional details like smoke deflectors, window bars, flags, etc.
Or for a more exciting example... custom freight loads!
You can create a custom extra model for each type of freight (e.g. coal, iron ore, scrap metal, wood, etc) and then toggle them on/off in-game to simulate loading and unloading freight.





To toggle custom models, select the train with the hand-held controller, then press "Shift + 1,2,3,...9" to toggle each mesh by index.



Keep in mind one day there will be a dedicated loading/unloading system added to the game, but in the meantime you can use these modding tools to simulate it yourself!

You can find an example freight wagon mod which uses this new system here:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2916250594

You can also find this example mod in the modding templates folder:
"Rolling Line/modding/templates/train mod examples/"



[h2]Custom bells[/h2]

You can also now add bells to your mods!
This includes both custom audio files for the bell sound, as well as custom models (or animations) for the bell model itself. You can also choose from the default in-game bell models and sound effects as presets.


(example video made by Finn)

You can customize things like the location/size of the bell model, the speed and range of its swinging, or the 3D model/audio assets that it uses:



[h2]Pantograph customization[/h2]

"Addons" like pantographs and snow plows can be added to trains using the painters in the train drawers. Remember you can change the color of a pantograph by "painting" the painter with your desired color:



You can now add multiple pantograph spawn points to a train mod, as well as set the location/scale etc of each pantograph. You can also set it so that the train spawns automatically with pantographs added:



[h2]Snow plow customization[/h2]

Just like with pantographs, you can now also customize how train mods handle snow plows.
You can move the position of the snow plow, as well as give your mod a default snow plow that is enabled when the player spawns it into their map:



[h2]Speed and control values[/h2]

You can now mess around with a few of the speed related values for train mods!
The acceleration and deceleration can both be changed (which make the train speed up and slow down at a different rate) plus you can change its max speed.



And yes, you can make the max speed incredibly large ːsteamhappyː



[h2]Articulation options[/h2]

"Articulation" refers to when a locomotive has wheel blocks that pivot independently to the main body of the locomotive (like the Big Boy steam engine).
The modding system now allows for much more customization when it comes to articulation.

For a built-in template example of articulation, you can find a version of the Big Boy steam locomotive in the modding templates folder "Rolling Line/modding/templates/train mod examples/".



You can also find this example mod on the Steam Workshop:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2911728993

You will notice that the Big Boy has an unusual pivot style to it, the front block of wheels swings quite independently from the main body:



This effect can now be achieved using new options in the modding system!
Please check the official guide mentioned at the start of the news post for more information on how articulation works.

In addition to articulation, on a similar note you can now make all details & effects attach to different wheel blocks (instead of just the main body).
This means you can make headlights/particles/etc attach to the front set of wheels like this:



[h2]Multiple control layers for lights[/h2]

You can now make use of more "control layers" for lights on train mods.
Previously you could only link lights to either the headlight (pressing "L") or the cab light (pressing "shift + L") and were limited to just the two layers.
This update adds 4 extra custom control layers, which you can toggle by pressing "L + 1,2,34" for each control layer.



This means you can use these extra layers for things like ditch lights, warning lights, or any kind of extra light source you would want to turn on/off:



[h2]Other features and fixes[/h2]

This update also fixes & adds a lot of other things outside of the modding system, these changes are:

• Fixed a quite hilarious bug where you could enable 3rd person in VR by trying to move the transform edit tool when editing position values for mods:
  
  
• Added better collision to the transform-edit-UI that pops up when you are editing a train mod object position, so it is now much easier to select it instead of the train mod itself.
  
• Fixed the default SteamVR bindings for the Valve Index to include the trigger as a way to use teleporting controls while directional movement is enabled (hold trigger to switch between the two!) This input was previously left un-bound by accident. You can find more info about how to use the SteamVR input binding system in this guide:
  https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2029205314
• Fixed lots of LOD issues where objects (like bells and pantographs) would be visible beyond the trains render distance.
  
• Added back the "infinite" object view distance setting in the "Pause menu -> graphics" menu. Please ONLY use this for screenshots and not in normal gameplay. Putting this setting on infinite means literally everything in the map is rendered, every item in every drawer, every train and every button. Please only use it for screenshots and don't be surprised if it cripples your performance.
  
• The key to open photo mode "C" is now re-bindable in the controls menu.
  
• The main menu is no longer Christmas themed, but it still has a winter vibe to it.
  
• Updated the official maps set in New Zealand to be listed as "Aotearoa New Zealand", as to include the Maori name for the country.
  
• Fixed bug in the modding system where renaming wheels and couplers would not save.
  
• Fixed bug where track inside groups stored in custom drawers would not save correctly when at a specific rotation value.
  

And that's everything!
This update really ballooned into a "get heaps of things done on the todo list" kind of update, which honestly seems like the perfect way to start the year.

I hope you all had a lovely holidays and new year, and I'm looking forward to what this year will bring for Rolling Line's future!

Merry (early) Christmas!

While it may be snowy for most of the world, over here in New Zealand it's mid-summer and the Pohutukawa flowers are in bloom.
I'm going to be away from work over Christmas, so this update is a little bit early.

This year the trains are getting a snow-cover effect which automatically happens when you have the weather set to snowy!
You can also manually add/remove snow to a locomotive using a snow painter.





You can find the new snowy painter in the "trains -> steam" drawer, alongside the snow plows (which was a previous year's Christmas update!)



All of the official locomotives and wagons (and liveries!) have snow skins, but since I am heading away from work tomorrow I've had to leave out the Big Boy & tender, which I didn't have time to complete.
I will sort out a snow model for the Big Boy after I get back to work after Christmas, sorry for any confusion it causes!



[h2]Snowy models in modding[/h2]

As well as the official trains, you can add your own snowy model mesh for modded trains.

There are two new options in the train modding system (in the menu "Edit mod -> Effects"):
- Snow model (a 3D model which will be enabled when the train has snow cover)
- Plow offset (this is the same legacy value that QuickMods use to adjust the position offset of plow addons. This system is going to be upgraded in the future, but in the meantime the new modded system now has access to this value)





[h2]New weather preset: Blizzard[/h2]

Since the other snowy weather presets were quite dark, I've added a new one which combines heavy snowfall with white fog and brighter lighting. You can still customize weather further by using the custom weather values (in the "pause menu -> weather -> custom weather values" menu), but having an easy preset is always useful!



[h2]Decoration props[/h2]

The previous year's Christmas updates have been combined into one drawer (which you can find in the "Misc" category).





This includes a bunch of stuff like:
- Dynamic snow (which grows in snowy weather and melts in the sun, and can be plowed by trains)
- The Canadian Christmas train!
- Present props, and the random-box present which spawns a bunch of loot when you open it
- Snowglobe (from the snowglobe layout comp)
- Rotary plow train

And a new addition:
- the light-up neon decorations on the Christmas train & wagons are now usable as props



The Christmas-themed main menu is also back:



[h2]Interaction color options[/h2]

A common issue with making snowy maps is that the white cursor and placement UI blend into the white environment!
This update adds customization options for both, so you can change the color of the pointer in the center of the screen (and you can also change its size).
And you can change the color of the "placement ghost" which is the transparent ghost version of a prop/train that shows up when you are placing it on the ground.

You can find these settings in the "pause menu -> PC options":



Here is an example of using a custom dark cursor/placement UI on snow:



There is also a setting there for enabling/disabling the whole UI.
You could always do this by pressing "i" (re-bindable in the controls menu) but it made sense to have it as an actual setting.

Turning this off will hide all UI, which means the cursor, belt equip slots, help text, etc.

[h2]Scale turnout levers on switchboards[/h2]

A commonly requested feature is to allow for custom turnout lever sizes on the switchboards, since dense track can be very hard to control. You can now find an option for this in the switchboards popup menu (in the "board size options" menu).



[h2]Drawers clean-up[/h2]

In addition to moving all of the Christmas stuff into one drawer, there has been a bit of other re-organizing in the drawers.
All of the other holiday events (Halloween and Easter) have been combined into their own drawers each.



The special Weka Pass buildings (like the long sheds and openable doors) have also been moved into the normal buildings drawers, instead of having their own one in the "misc" category:



[h2]Other features & fixes[/h2]

• Fixed issue where track groups that contained non-connected track would be treated as "symmetrical" groups, even though they actually weren't. Fun fact: An AI helped write the programming that fixed this issue! The future is now.
  
• Fixed issue where using the transform edit mode to move a group of track would sometimes result in track connections inside the group not being set correctly.
  
• Fixed issue where trains would have their interaction blocked when in low-detail LOD range.
  
• Added some new entries in the credits for Trackmeister (designing the double-slip turnouts) and Shini (making the Wellington bus).
  
• Fixed issue where the sky brightness was not instantly set when loading a map (it would fade from dark if the previous map was at night)
  
• The backup log text file now auto-clears itself if it gets too large.
  
• The game now automatically deletes any empty folders left inside the saves directory (since a previous bug was resulting in save files leaving empty folders behind).
  
• Fixed issue with the Rotary plow impact audio playing even at large distances.
  
• Added a few of the newer easter eggs into the possible loot spawns for the Christmas present prop.
  

And that's all for now!
The new snowy models for trains combined with dynamic snow, plows and weather really make for a satisfying modelling experience when making winter scenes, so I highly recommend giving it a go!
Hopefully next year I'll be able to finally make a snow-themed official map myself for Christmas... we shall see!

The latest official Rolling Line map is here!
And this one is special, since I'm currently living in Wellington!
I ride the bus past these exact buildings all the time, and it's been an absolute joy to create them in-game.

This map is called "Slice of Wellington" since it is more of a diorama than a full-on map. It takes a chunk of Wellington city (the capital of New Zealand) and recreates it to-scale.
The goal of this map is to show off the new dynamic roads system in action, and to finally make a map that features some proper modern city scenery!

Wellington is the political capital of New Zealand and features our famous "Beehive" parliament building:



The map also features the top of Lambton Quay (our main business area) and the major bus route through town:



You can explore the real location for yourself in 3D on Google Maps:
https://earth.google.com/web/@-41.27896091,174.77688965,7.92081625a,360.10171601d,35y,-71.18229337h,44.46446036t,0r



You can find the new map in the "new game" map list:



[h2]New buses [/h2]

This map also features a new type of bus!
Thank you so much to Shini (a long time community member and fellow New Zealander) who made the model for this bus! It really adds to the authenticity of the scene.



You can find the drivable vehicle version of this bus in the "vehicles -> cars [drivable]" drawer, and you can find the prop version in the "vehicles -> cars [props]" drawer.

[h2]Vehicle audio[/h2]

Also included in this update is audio for cars! Vehicles now make engine noise and have horns.
There is also a new ambient audio preset for "Birdsong Tui" which is used in this map.
Tui's are a native bird in New Zealand with a very distinct birdsong, and Wellington happens to be full of them!

Another audio related change is that the "random train horns" setting is now off by default. This setting enables/disables the random horns that go off while trains are driving around.
You can find it in the "pause menu -> misc" menu.

[h2]New props[/h2]

During the process of making this map a few minor new props were added, these are:
- stature base
- bus stop and live timetable sign
- unique playground slide based on the one at Wellington parliament grounds
- "center" snap piece for the roof top props



[h2]Pre-made buildings[/h2]

This was actually added in a patch after the previous update, but it was not mentioned in the previous news post so I'll mention it here.
There is now a drawer with some pre-made skyscrapers, you can find it in the "buildings -> city pre-made" drawer:



[h2]Hidden train/vehicle regions [/h2]

You can now define areas on your maps where trains & vehicles are invisible.
This is perfect for making cars disappear when they leave the table when you combine this feature with invisible track.

This method was used in the Wellington map to make cars appear and disappear when travelling off the table:





You can set up "hidden regions" using the new pop-up window on the wall "view advanced options -> view hidden regions"



From here you can place region boxes (this is the same system as both "tunnel regions" and "rain regions" added in previous updates).
Any cars/trains inside these "region boxes" will be invisible when passing through them.

From this menu you can also toggle whether this hidden effect is enabled or not, which is useful for figuring out the location of cars when they are invisible:



[h2]High-definition screenshots [/h2]

Here's an album of various HD screenshots of the map, feel free to use these as you wish!
https://imgur.com/gallery/EYaMN2M

Here are some examples:



And that's everything for this update!

Making this map has been an absolute joy, since every update this year has been focused on features and programming, so I haven't had any chances to work on maps.
Making maps is of course my favourite part of Rolling Line, and it always poses a great opportunity to add new props and scenery styles (like cities and roads in this example!).

And since I live in Wellington at the moment this map was extra fun to make.
In fact this might be the first time a video game has officially included Wellington city... If anyone has ever heard of any others please let me know! I would love to see it.

I hope you all enjoy this new slice of city scenery!

I'm currently working on the new upcoming official map "Slice of Wellington".
This map features a chunk of Wellington city (the capital of New Zealand, and where I live!) and working roads. The goal of this map is to finally do some modern city scenery for an official map, and to show off the new roads system in action.



This map will be coming out in the next few weeks (before Christmas) but in the meantime I've made a whole bunch of city building props that can be released in their own update!

This update includes:
- modular skyscraper props
- a few "pre made" skyscrapers
- shop front buildings
- rooftop props
- new multi-paint copy feature
- a bunch of other fixes

[h2]Firstly, the new modular building props[/h2]

You can find two new drawers in the "buildings" category that add a range of different modular pieces you can use to make buildings of different sizes:





These props are "modular" which means you can snap them together to create different shapes and sizes:



And here are some of the different building types you can make with these:









You can also use the new set of shop-front props to make city streets:



And there's also a bunch of rooftop details (like ventilation shafts and fans):



[h2]Multi-paint copy[/h2]

You can now copy all of the multi-paint colour slots in one go!
Simply hold "Right-Shift + Return" when pointing at a multi-paintable prop. Pressing just "Return" (without holding shift) will copy just the first colour as usual.

This will create a multi-painter in your hand which you can use to paint other objects with multiple paint slots:



Of course you can also re-bind this control in the "pause menu -> controls -> props" menu:



This update also includes a few smaller things:

• Fixed bug where the "left/right/both/etc" sides option for a track style used on a turnout was broken for some new road styles.
  
• Added snapping to the road line marking props
  
• Fixed mesh positioning of the station-wagon vehicle and the passenger plane
  
• The sidewalk road styles are now the full width of a road lane, plus there is a new "fill" style which can be used to extend sidewalks further.
  
• The skybox is a bit more blue during clear weather
  
• Shadows are slightly darker
  
• Fixed bugs where the moonlight would be pitch black during storms at night and when both Halloween sky and "no clouds" presets were enabled at the same time
  
• Made the moonlight overall brighter
  
• Fixed the collision on the "road fill" props (the ones that you can use to fill up open gaps in between road sections)
  
• Fixed a bug where setting a prop mod to paintable while also leaving the color as the default one would cause issues
  

And that's all for this update,
It's certainly about time Rolling Line got some proper official city building props!
I hope you all enjoy these new props, and I'm sure we'll get some more city-themed maps on the Worksop now.

Plus the new "Slice of Wellington" map is just around the corner!
And i'm really excited to release it, as Rolling Line's first official built-in map with a modern city theme.
So keep an eye out for that update in the coming weeks!

It's finally here!
4 years and 150 total updates later, Rolling Line is getting a full dynamic road system! With tons of customization and even drivable vehicles.

The last few updates have contributed to making this possible, by adding things like track style customization, side-snapping, track grouping, and multi-lane track generation.

That's because roads are essentially just different kinds of track!
The new roads system is basically just track with a new visual look, and "cars" are actually "trains", but instead of running on "track" they run on "roads".
This means that roads and cars have all the same functionality as track and trains.
You can make cars follow AI triggers, and you can create your own modded versions of both.

Before I go into too much detail, here is a full guide which explains everything you need to know about the new roads system:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2874171297

[h2]How to get started with roads[/h2]

There are a few different ways to make roads, but the easiest is to use the automatic road generator.
You can find this in the new "roads" category:



You can use this generator to make simple roads like curves, or more complex groups like intersections and lane-change segments:







You can customize the visual style, number of lanes, and shape of roads inside this road generator.

[h2]Building custom intersections manually[/h2]

There is also a more complex "lane generator" which you can use to make individual pieces of roads to create your own advanced intersection designs!
(this process is explained in detail inside the guide mentioned earlier).





[h2]Road styles[/h2]

Just like with track, you can customize your roads in a whole bunch of ways!
Like road markings, cycle lanes, roadside barriers, parking spots, and more.

There are a ton of different "style painters" in the various drawers in the "roads" category:





And of course you can also manually edit styles using the popup window.
Press Q when hovering over a single lane of road to open the "style options" window.
From here you can fully customize everything like markings, bike lanes, edges, etc.



There's even a drawer with some "group painters" which you can use to easily copy a whole style onto a whole road group:





[h2]Props[/h2]

This update also includes a ton of roadside props, like road signs and functional traffic lights.

You can find a whole bunch of road signs (some new ones plus the old ones which have been converted to be multi-paintable) in the "roads -> road signs" drawer.



More types of signs will be added in future updates too!

In the meantime, there are also lots of mods on the Steam Workshop which add more kinds of road signs:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2874292686&searchtext=

There is also a drawer full of road markings ("give way" "bus lane" etc) which you can freely place anywhere on roads:



There are also pieces you can use to create pedestrian islands:



[h2]Traffic lights[/h2]

You can find traffic lights in the "roads -> traffic lights" drawer:



Each piece of the traffic light head can be snapped together to create different kinds of lights:



They can be painted to look like other styles of traffic light too:



Each traffic light head has a switch on the top which you can click to change the colour of the lights:



[h2]Vehicles [/h2]

Along with the new road system comes drivable vehicles!

These work exactly like trains, which means that you place them down on a section of road and set their speed with a hand-held controller (or in the driver's seat).
They will follow the "track" just like a train, so the way cars behave is entirely based on the design of the road they run on.

You can find drivable versions of all the cars in the "vehicles -> cars [drivable]" drawer:





These vehicles can all be painted too:



The trucks, tractor, bus and station wagon all have proper interiors now too!



[h2]Modding[/h2]

You can create both road styles and vehicles using the pre-existing mod tools!
Since "roads" are just "tracks" and "cars" are just "trains" the mod system for both can easily be used to create roads & cars, all you have to do is make a few minor adjustments.
Here is a guide which explains how to create your own vehicles and road styles using mods:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2874140634

As mentioned in the guide, there are also now some new example mods which you can find in the "Rolling Line / Modding / Templates" folder, for both road styles and vehicles.



You can find these example mods on the workshop too:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2873885648&searchtext=
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2874138272&searchtext=

[h2]Cab preset[/h2]

There is also now a new cab preset included for train mods which is great for vehicles:



[h2]Tags[/h2]

Vehicle and road style mods also have their own separate tags on the workshop.
They are added automatically when you upload the mod.



[h2]Official maps[/h2]

Please note that the official maps (e.g. Top of the South, Santa Fe, etc) which featured roads before this update do NOT support driving vehicles.
These roads were made using simple 3D models and are not made with this new system.

Future maps will feature fully functional dynamic roads though!
In fact, I am already planning a new official map which shows off this exact feature...



But more news on that will be coming in the future!
In the meantime, you can try out a preview of this map right now on the Workshop:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2874534650

[h2]Other minor fixes[/h2]

This update also includes:

• When track groups are held in-hand they are rotated to be less in your way.
  
• Fixed major issue where copying a track group would break the track connections of the piece that is being cloned.
  
• The preview track which spawns for track style mods in the modding manager now shows up as a road when you are creating a road style mod.
  
• Train mods will add the "vehicle" tag automatically (instead of "locomotive") if you are making a vehicle instead of a train.
  
• Fixed visual alignment issue with the underside of all table props.
  
• Copying dynamic track data into the road generator no longer copies the "separation" value, since this breaks the alignment of multi-lane roads.
  

Remember, please have a look at the full guide which explains everything you need to know about the new roads system, as I couldn't describe it all in this news post:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2874171297

It looks like people are already making some amazing stuff with the new roads, so keep an eye out on the Steam workshop for new maps which make the most of these new tools!

Roads have been a long time in the making, and something I've wanted to add to the game since day one. Seeing this feature finally complete is a big milestone for me personally, and I'm so happy with how it's turned out!