Rolling Line News

Continuing with the theme of the log loaders added into the game, this update adds some more!

• A long pond unloader
  
• An alternative larger log loader
  
• A crane for both loading and unloading
  

And in addition to those, it also adds a bunch of new features:

• Shadow graphics improvements
  
• Ability to enable/disable shadows for individual props
  
• Physics based logs you can push around
  
• More graphics settings
  
• Levers to control whether loaders/unloaders are enabled or not
  
• Several more minor features and fixes!
  

[h2]Firstly, the new log pond unloader[/h2]



There is now a new animated unloader prop which dumps logs off freight cars!
When logs are brought into a lumber mill they are usually rolled off into a log pond, where they are stored and eventually pushed around and fed into the "green chain" up into the lumber mill saws.

This update also adds a physics-based log prop which you can literally click on to push it around!



[h2]Crane loader/unloader[/h2]

There is now a fully animated crane which can be used to load and unload freight. You can put any prop you like into this!



There are two versions, one at ground level and one elevated off the ground:



[h2]Alternative larger log loader [/h2]

There is also another alternative log loader prop which fits over two tracks and has both the log pile and donkey steam engine on the same side:



[h2]Leavers to enable/disable loaders[/h2]

You can now control whether a loader/unloader is enabled or not. If you click on this lever (which you can find on each loader prop) it will enable/disable the loader. While the loader is disabled, it won't automatically load freight wagons until you enable it again.

This is great for when you want to push a wagon in to place, then start loading it manually:



[h2]New shadow graphics changes [/h2]

Many people have pointed out that the shadows in Rolling Line behave in a rather unusual way, where shadows feel a bit "detached" from the object that is casting them.
This was originally a visual style choice, since it makes objects look softer and less hard-edged.
But the overall consensus is that the game seems to look better without this effect, and instead having the sharper shadows that you would expect from most games. So I've made the shadows look sharper by default now:

left = sharper shadows (new), right = softer shadows (old)





You can still change the shadows back to how it was before this update if you like, you can find this setting in the "Pause menu -> Graphics -> Lighting" menu, along with some more shadow settings:

• You can now extend/reduce the default shadow distance for both large and miniature independently
  
• You can change the intensity (darkness) of shadows
  

With this new shadow style a few other changes have been made to suit the new lighting:

• Flat objects like road markings & decals no longer cast shadows
  
• The "ground" terrain pieces (used for making pathways and such) also don't cast shadows by default
  

[h2]Painter to enable/disable shadows on any prop manually[/h2]

Along with the new shadow graphics settings, you can now use a new painter to manually control shadow casting on individual props. Just like other painters, you simply click on the prop you want to change with either the "shadows on" or "shadows off" painter.
You can find these new painters in the "Room -> Advanced" drawer:



[h2]More multipaint slots[/h2]

The maximum multipaint slots for props has been extended all the way from 4 to 12! This means prop mods can now use up to 12 paintable mesh slots:



[h2]Depth of field effect when using 2D menus[/h2]

This is just a simple visual effect, but it makes the 2D menus look so much nicer!



[h2]New drawers category for all loading/unloading props[/h2]

All of the loading/unloading props have been moved to a new drawer category (the one with the log stack for an icon):



Other minor features and fixes:

• There is now a setting in the freight load display menu on wagons to control whether loaded props play animations or not. This is useful for things like loading the steam donkey on to a flatcar, since you wouldn't want the animation to play.
  
• Fixed the gear rotation angles on the steam donkey animation.
  
• Fixed the switchboard spawn location on the Shay locomotive.
  
• Fixed glitch where wagons would "snap" their rotation when the player steps on to them sometimes.
  
• The "heavy rain" weather preset now includes a strong wind as well.
  
• Fixed bug where the shay would emit a bit of smoke when first spawned.
  

And that's everything!
Lots of stuff packed into this update, you can probably tell that I'm wrapping up all of the final features required for the big Sierra Logging map! The map isn't far away, and I'm hoping to release it within the next 2 months, and there will be more info coming as it gets closer to release.

But in the meantime, please enjoy all the new stuff!

This update adds a new official steam engine to the game: the Shay!
With the upcoming Sierra Logging map, there's no way that the game couldn't include the most iconic locomotive of the American logging industry.

The Shay is especially designed for steep gradients and sharp corners, prefect for the tight complex railway lines used for logging in the hills.

The best thing about the shay is its unique gear system!



You can find the new locomotive in the "Trains -> Steam" drawer:



This official Shay model is built upon the amazing community-made mod by:
[h3]HuskyDynamics & Globin347![/h3]
Massive thank-you to both of them for their incredible work!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2962779184

The official version has some additional details, effects and a different livery template.

You can find the livery template along with all the other official liveries, in the
"Rolling Line -> Modding -> templates -> livery templates" folder:





[h2]Creating your own liveries[/h2]

Making liveries is easy! All you need is basic image editing software (even MS Paint is fine).
There's a guide here on Steam that explains how to make your own liveries!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1405658466

[h2]Downloading shared liveries[/h2]

You can find other people's shared liveries simply by going to the Steam Workshop and using the “livery type” drop-down list:



[h2]New steam donkey[/h2]

This update also adds a new variant of the steam donkey prop.
These older (and smaller) donkeys were often used for more light-weight jobs like skidding logs, while the newer more powerful ones were used for loading logs on to wagons.



[h2]Small details view distance LOD[/h2]

This update makes some minor changes to the LOD (level of detail) system. Some smaller props like grass, rocks and bushes now have their own view distance layer which will be hidden at a closer distance than other props.
This means an improvement in performance since details like grass don't need to be rendered at such a long distance. You can disable this setting if you want in the "Pause menu ->Graphics -> advanced" menu.

Here is an example of the effect in action (left = optimization on, right = optimization off):



[h2]New "cylinder chug alt" mod particle preset[/h2]

If you look at the GIF of the Shay's pistons you can see that there are two different particles which "chug" at alternating times. The mod system now has the option to make a "cylinder chug alt" particle to use this effect. They will simply emit particles at alternating times from the normal ""cylinder chug" particle preset.



And that's everything for this update!
It's been a while since there was a steam engine added into the game, and this is a really fun one. The Shay is a personal favorite of mine and it's so exciting to finally have it in the game.
The Sierra Logging map is nearing completion, and there will be lots of news about it in the coming month, so keep an eye out for that.

In the meantime, have fun with the new Shay engine!

Continuing the theme of freight loading from the last update, this next update focuses on the lumber industry and adds animated machinery for loading logs on to freight wagons!

This update also includes "steam donkey" engines, a new skeleton log car, and automatic loading/unloading functionality for any props you want.

[h2]Automatic loading & unloading[/h2]

There is now a feature to automatically load freight wagons in a chosen location with props. You can place a "loading source" prop on your map (e.g. next to the tracks in a yard) and then choose which props you want the loader to add.
When empty wagons move past, they are loaded with a random prop from the chosen list.
You can also make these into "unloaders" as well, and they will remove props instead of add them.







[h2]Animated lumber loading[/h2]

This update focuses on the lumber industry, so of course there's a unique loader/unloader prop for loading logs! Simply place the prop on to some track (it snaps on to track) and it will automatically load any empty wagons that support freight loading.

You can also switch it over to an "unloader" instead, and the animation will pick up and remove a log from the wagon instead of adding one.

These loading props are in the "trains -> loading/unloading" drawer:





These loaders aren't just limited to logs though! You can put whatever props you like in there:



[h2]Steam donkey engines [/h2]

In addition to the loading machinery (pulleys and ropes) you can also add an animated "steam donkey" engine to complete the scene!

These steam donkeys were incredibly common in early steam-era logging around America (and a lot of the rest of the world). They are a very portable and useful small steam engine, and they were used for pulling logs along the ground as well as loading them on to wagons.



The steam donkey prop snaps on to the log loader prop, and as long as it's close enough to the loader prop it will automatically play animations in-time with the loader!



[h2]Skeleton log wagons[/h2]

This update also adds a new "skeleton" log car, another very common sight in the logging industry.
You can find this new wagon in the "trains -> USA freight" drawer:





[h2]Vehicles with display points[/h2]

All of the road vehicles have freight load display points now too!





[h2]Other fixes & features:[/h2]

[h3]fine-tuning room bounds[/h3]

You can now change how large the adjustments that the room bounds buttons make.
This means you can make smaller adjustments, like 0.1 and 0.01.



[h3]Snappable shipping containers[/h3]

All of the shipping container props now snap together!



And a bunch of smaller features & fixes:

• You can now adjust the horizontal offset for freight loads (in the freight load display menu).
  
• Fixed 3D model shading on a bunch of different props.
  
• The bulk move tool can now only be used when "placed", not just "dropped" on the ground.
  
• Holding shift while placing a prop in an objects inventory (or any equip slot) will now correctly keep a copy in your hand.
  
• Fixed number positions on the DX livery.
  
• Fixed various minor mesh issues (on shipping containers and the Dom tower easter egg prop).
  

As I've mentioned in previous news posts, all of these logging themed features are working towards Rolling Line's next big map release, the Sierra Logging expansion!
I'm incredibly excited about this map, and I can't wait to finally release it. There's still lots of work to do though so the full map release is at least a few months away still.

But since the scenery fits this update so well, I'm releasing a small diorama called "Slice of the Sierra" which takes a chunk of the larger map (one of the logging camps) and posting it to the Steam Workshop. If you would like to play an example diorama using the new logging machinery, you can download it here:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3426362092

Have fun!!

This update is a special one!
It marks the beginning of a series of major updates where I'm finally adding functional freight loading into the game, a much requested feature that I've always wanted to work on!

Since this is a very large and complex feature, I'll be working on it in smaller parts and releasing them as individual updates as they are ready. To kick things off this first update makes it possible to load any prop you want into an "inventory" which certain freight wagons have (like flatcars). These props are visually displayed on the wagon!

This system is incredibly flexible and entirely supports modding, which means you can display prop mods on freight wagons, and make your own train mods which can display freight. Wagons can even be loaded with locomotives and vehicles.

This news post will only briefly show off the new features, but there is a full guide here which goes into lots of detail about the whole system:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3395546391

At the moment these "freight loads" are purely visual, and there are no ways to load/unload freight automatically. These props need to be manually placed on the wagon.

But the next step in this series of updates is to add functional industries!
This means special buildings which have the ability to add/remove freight loads from wagons. Things like coal dumpers filling a wagon with coal, or a log pond to unload logs from a flatcar.
So keep an eye out for the next update, which will be all about turning this freight load display system into a fully functional industry system!















[h2]Loading wagons with props[/h2]

To access these new features, open the newly added drawer in the "trains" category called "freight loads":



It has a bunch of official wagons which support freight loading, as well as lots of props which can be loaded on to them.
Remember you can load ANY prop or train on to a freight wagon, not just the ones in this drawer!

Simply point at a wagon and press "L" to open the freight loads menu.
From here you can access the wagons inventory and places props in each slot:



You can customize all kinds of things, like the size & position adjustments of props, as well as control how the props are organized.
There is a full guide here which goes into lots of detail about the whole system:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3395546391

[h2]Modded freight loads and wagons[/h2]

This feight load display system is entirely integrated with modding, which means you can make your own prop mods which can be used as freight loads, and you can make your own train mods which can have "display points" to display props that are loaded on to them.

The above guide goes into full detail about how to use the new modding features, and has step-by-step examples on how to make a train mod which makes use of this new system.

I've also uploaded my own example freight wagon too:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3401617685

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

On the Steam Workshop you can now also see a tag for "Freight loadable" under "mod features".
This tag is automatically added to any train mods which support the freight loading system.



[h2]New props to use as freight loads[/h2]

This update adds a few new props as dedicated freight loads.
Some of these were made by SmokeStream and are from their mod packs!



I highly recommend having a look at their mods, they are excellent!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3209903016

[h2]Other features & fixes in this update[/h2]

This update also includes:

• You can now see which direction a train will be facing when placing it, there is an arrow on the "placing ghost" and you can also press Q and E to flip the placement direction while placing too:
  
  
  
  
• When using the "Clone left/right" hover options, wagons with randomizable colors are now shuffled (instead of all being the same color). If you want to place multiple wagons with the color you can still hold shift while placing them one-by-one and they will keep their color:
  
  
  
  
• In the modding manager, the "wagon length" option for train mods is now found in the "wheels" menu, as well as the "general options" menu.
  
• When adding items to a list (like in various modding menus) the page of the list will automatically set the page which the new item was added to.
  
• Some props that are very thin (like logs and containers) now have wider hitboxes when they are inside an inventory slot so they are easier to select.
  
• The hand-held controllers on the wall now auto re-spawn if they are destroyed.
  
• The setting which makes controllers return to their holder when dropped is now on by default.
  

And that's everything!
I'm so excited to finally be working on freight loading, this is a feature I've been dreaming of for years. Keep an eye on future news and updates as this system has a lot more development still to come!
The goal is to have a fully dynamic loading & unloading freight system, where freight trains can be loaded up in one location and then driven to another to then be unloaded, all with a wide range of different industry types.
In the meantime, please enjoy these new freight load display features!

It's time for Christmas! This update adds a bunch of new features & bug fixes, and of course brings back the Christmas coat of paint for the game.

There's also a new freight loading system which is currently work-in-progress, and can optionally be played in an early state if you choose to (more info on this at the end of this news post).

Rolling Line has had several years of themed Christmas updates, so there's a lot of snow themed features to make use of already in the game!
Previous year's Christmas updates added things like:

[h2]Snow cover effects for trains:[/h2]





[h2]The Canadian "Christmas train":[/h2]





[h2]Rotary plow:[/h2]



[h2]Snow plows and snowy tracks:[/h2]





[h2]Snow globes:[/h2]



[h2]Christmas props:[/h2]







[h2]Snowy menus[/h2]

Just like with the earlier Halloween update, the game now has a set of winter themed menu scenes. You can disable these or replace them with your own in the "Pause menu -> Gameplay -> Main menu options" menu.



[h2]Other non-Christmas features[/h2]

This update also includes a bunch of fixes and features, these are:

- Added a new set of table wall props, these have an overhanging roof and fit the theme of the "official" maps in the game a bit more:



- There is now a "Next music track" button in the "pause menu -> Audio" menu, which you can click to play the next background music song (either the default music or your own custom music).



- Fixed bug where collision meshes for terrain mods would not always use the entire mesh. All models inside the fbx/obj file will now be used as collision correctly.
- Fixed broken physics on the flag props.
- Fixed bug where the save file would be clipped by view distance when saving a menu scene mod regardless of whether the "clip map size" option was used or not.
- Fixed an old bug where a single piece of floating track could be seen far off outside the room bounds.
- Made adjustments to table snapping.
- The "made with Unity" logo now shows up at the start of the game, since I no longer have a unity Plus license. Basically I use to have the "Unity Plus" plan, but they removed that option, so now it's either "Free" or "Pro", and pro is laughably expensive and removing the splash screen is the only difference it would noticeably make. So I'm back on Unity Free ːsteamhappyː

[h2]Work in progress: freight loading features! [/h2]

I was hoping to get this ready in time before Christmas, but lots has been happening around the end of the year so I haven't managed to get this update ready for release yet, but I've made it available for testing!

This update is the beginnings of a freight loading & unloading feature, and allows you to load any prop onto flatcars and display them. Wagons now effectively have an "inventory" that you can store objects in! The goal is for this system to eventually allow for automated adding and removing of objects from wagons, meaning you can set up things like logs being added to a flatcar, or iron ore filling up an ore cart.

But in the meantime this system is still very bare-bones.
If you would like to give it a try, you can add the launch tag to the game (in Steam) for:
-freightloadtesting

Adding this launch tag will enable all the work-in-progress features of this freight loading system.





And that's everything for now!
The freight loading system will be released around the start of the year, once I've had more time to finish it off. I'll also write a guide on how to use it of course!

Also while on the Christmas theme, give this awesome map a go!
(it even has a bunch of Christmas cards made by heaps of different people in the community)
Huge thanks to Camoguy for making the map!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3386502754