Rolling Line News

There's lots of different features & additions in this update!

Starting off, there are now a whole bunch of new track painters that add a range of special rails and track types:



These include:

• standard 3rd rail & electric 3rd rail
  
  
  
• dual inner-rails used on bridges
  
  
  
• toothed rail & pulley based funicular rail
  
  
  
• solid concrete bridge
  
  
  
• sleeper-only without gaps
  

Something special you can do with these new rail variations is create 'fake' wider and thinner gauges! Keep in mind this is NOT an official system for multiple track gauges, but in the meantime im sure modders will have a lot of fun with this!



Along with these new rail types, there is also now some single rail props! This includes a couple of different lengths of a single rail, as well as a bundle of rails.

There are two different versions of these, one set that can be painted with normal colors, and another set which you can paint using the track style painters. this is useful for when you want the rails to match colors with your other track.

The rail end props (like the 3rd rail caps, and the inward-curving bridge end rails) can be painted using the track style painters in the same way,



Anyway, the reason I'm adding these new track features is for the funicular section of the Paranapiacaba (Brazil) layout! There are two different sections of track, one with a modern toothed rail system, and the historic old funicular which uses the pulley system.

Here are some screenshots of my progress on the old abandoned pulley system:



Something else you might notice in those screenshots is the new bridge!
This bridge has also been added in this update, and you can find it in the "props -> bridges" drawer:



[h2]Props [/h2]
Speaking of the new bridge, that brings me on to the next part of this update, a bunch of new props!

These new props include:

• Industrial wheels (used for the funicular pulleys)
  
• Piles of wooden beams
  
• Metal pipes
  
• Single segment of railing
  

There's also something which im sure will be VERY useful, a bunch of fruit trees and bushes!
Placing apples one-by-one on to trees is a huge job, but there's no need for that any more.
These also make for great berry bushes and even flowers!



Lastly, this update also includes a few bug fixes:

• Fixed issue where wagons would fail to place on track with capped ends.
  
• Fixed bad collision issue on large track after applying changes.
  
• Fixed bug with bridges and other track addons that would occur when painting multiple times.
  
• Fixed bug where the game would freeze when trying to save a backup of a map with an empty name.
  
• Fixed bug with biome brushes not being deleted properly when falling off the map.
  

And that's all for now! Lots of useful little things in this update.
The next update could either be focused on new freight wagons, or the new Side-rod locomotive, we shall see!

Also on a side note, the last update (the Paranapiacaba preview) got the most likes out of any news post Rolling Line has ever had!
Leaving likes & comments really makes a difference. I read every single comment, and it's great to see the community giving so much feedback, thank you all!

It's time to finally post some news on the Brazil layout!
As mentioned a while ago, i visited Brazil (Sao Paulo) last year, and since then I've been working on an official layout based on one of the places i visited there called Paranapiacaba!

I originally said that this new Brazil content was going to be paid DLC, but since then I have decided to instead release this all as free updates!
Some of the Brazil content has already been released, like the V8 locomotive and lots of props that I made specifically for this map.

But the best part is still to come, the map itself!
This map is by far the most detailed and complex layout I've worked on, and the first new layout I've added since the old Santa Fe. So much of Rolling Line has changed since back then, and this layout acts as a showcase of what Rolling Line is capable of now, 2 years after it's release day!

The map is still not finished, but today I would love to show everyone a preview of what has been built so far. The whole map will hopefully be released within the next month or so, and it will be completely 100% free!

Here are a bunch of HD screenshots of the complete parts of the map, you can view a full resolution version on the Imgur links included.


Full resolution: https://imgur.com/KQChBu7


Full resolution: https://imgur.com/bCR3JL7


Full resolution: https://imgur.com/YiDER7a


Full resolution: https://imgur.com/7zU11Rm


Full resolution: https://imgur.com/jM3umfi


Full resolution: https://imgur.com/eKBxGzw


Full resolution: https://imgur.com/mXza9aV


Full resolution: https://imgur.com/2nIGNvl

You can view the full album of screenshots (including a few more!) here:
https://imgur.com/gallery/LL6ZF90

[h2]Paranapiacaba [/h2]
Paranapiacaba is an abandoned company town which is now open for the public to explore, and it's at the top of a huge funicular railway which takes freight from the sea at Santos all the way up to the high plateau which Paranapiacaba and Sao Paulo city are on.

This means that the layout features a steep funicular incline with toothed rails and a special geared locomotive to operate on it! This new loco is the Hitachi side-rod, and will be added in it's own update before the full map is released.



Here's some of my photos from my visit, which were used as inspiration when designing the map:



There is also a bunch of freight wagons (like tanker cars, Brazilian style boxcars, hoppers) that will be added in their own update still to come!

But anyway, now on to what is included in this update:

[h2]New props[/h2]
This update adds a bunch of general props which i've used in the Paranapiacaba map.



This includes a whole bunch of new power poles and yard towers:



And a new style of bridge:



A bunch of modular stairs and small stairwells:



The power station prop has now been split into individual modular pieces and is also paintable:



There is also a new station shelter prop:



In addition to these new props, there are also a bunch of bug fixes:

• Fixed snow plows, the last update broke dynamic snow (which would no longer be cleared) this has now been fixed.
  
• Fixed the plow position on the Big boy, it now parents to the proper front wheels, not the boiler.
  
• Steam particles are now disabled at a distance, before they still remained visible despite the train being hidden by LOD.
  
• Rotating a prop while placing use to stop working if you toggled snapping while placing. this is now fixed and prop rotating works as is should.
  
• Fixed bug where biome brushes would have problems being deleted when falling off the map, which was causing save file problems.
  
• Fixed minor mesh bug on one of the trees.
  

And that's all for now!
I hope you enjoy the new preview screenshots of the Paranapiacaba map, and that you're just as excited as me to see it finished!

Custom livery support for the V8 is ready!
You can now make your own color-schemes for the V8 and post them to the Steam workshop.

As with all the other liveries, you can find the templates in the "Rolling Line -> Modding -> templates" folder.
You can also find a guide on how to make liveries here:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1405658466



In addition to V8 liveries, this update also adds a few new props!
A whole bunch of new fence designs:



And also this modular concrete bridge:



I made this bridge for the upcoming Brazil layout, it's based on a strange little concrete bridge in Paranapiacaba.
And yes, it really does look that odd in real life:



As well as these new props, there's also a few other changes:

• The "laser pointer" style of VR interaction is an option again. This allows you to pickup props/trains etc from a distance using a pointer ray, instead of picking things up by touching them. I recently disabled this option since i thought no one was using it, and it might be confusing new players. But turns out there are people who really like it! so ive added the option back again. You can find this setting in the "player -> interaction -> distance interaction" menu.
  
• Sprays now only work when you have "advanced controls" enabled ("misc -> advanced controls"). Sprays were confusing a lot of people who accidentally press T and dont know what they are. the sprays in Rolling Line are just like those in Team Fortress 2, its just a custom image you can spray onto the terrain. they are not included in save files and will disappear if you restart the game. You can edit the spray image using the file "Rolling Line -> Modding -> Spray.png"
  
• Fixed the plow position for the V8
  
• Fixed a glitch with placing trains on track while at the pause menu (time now automatically resumes when a train is placed)
  
• There is now an "update number" on the menu, alongside the version number. Rolling Line has had 72 update since release!
  

And that's everything for today!
Im spending a lot of time working on the Brazil map at the moment, but there's still lots of new props i'm yet to add, so the next update will likely be prop-focused. Aside from that there are also some new freight wagons on the way and even another locomotive.

The Paranapiacaba (Brazil) layout is going to be completely free! (not paid DLC) and will hopefully be ready around late March/early April.

There will be lots more news about the Paranapiacaba layout it in the near future, but in the meantime enjoy making new V8 liveries!

Today's update is a busy one, with new features, bug fixes, quickMod features, and even some new props!

First of all, articulation has finally been added!
"Articulation" is when a locomotive has multiple blocks of wheels that move & rotate independently from the main body, and It's always been missing from Rolling Line.

Most obviously seen on the Big Boy, which has quite a unique style of articulation, where the whole front of the train pivots separately from the boiler.



The V8 also has this same effect, which makes the wheels curve around turns much nicer!



The other steam engines (the Berkshire and Flyer) have also been updated to include these new smoothed wheels!

You can also make full use of this feature in QuickMods!
Be warned though: it gets pretty complicated, so this is more a feature for advanced modders.

I've updated the official steam guide to include new information on how to use articulation (and custom pivot behavior) and you can find that guide here:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1789707835

[h2]"Twisting trains" bug fix! [/h2]

Arguably the main highlight of this update is that I've finally fixed a major bug that has plagued Rolling Line for over a year!
This is the "twisting trains" you may have noticed when running trains for a long time.



This bug was actually caused by the wheel sets of wagons straying apart over time, which resulted in the wagon "twisting" to compensate for the difference.
The reason the wheels seemed to still be in position is because the wheel position was being automatically smoothed, so the trains seemed to be twisting off the tracks instead.

But this bug has been 100% fixed! along with a ton of background programming improvements to how trains move along track. Twisting wagons are now a thing of the past.

Another bug (with similar roots) which has also been fixed thanks to this is how trains would sometimes slow down when passing over flexytrack, or even completely derail. This has been 100% fixed too, and flexytrack behaves exactly the same as any other track.

[h2]New props! [/h2]

A bunch of miscellaneous new props have been added (mostly ones ive made for the Brazil map that are hard to fit into categories) and these are:

• dumpsters with lids
  
  
  
  
• barrels
  
  
  
  
• concrete retaining walls
  
  
  
  
• rows of bushes
  
  
  
  
• engine shed with empty interior
  
  
  
  
• a new metal barrier
  
  
  
  
• station props
  
  
  
  
• Brazil style pedestrian overhead bridge
  
  

[h2]QuickMod features [/h2]

As well as articulation, quickMods have also gotten a few new features:

• a "6_6" wheel preset (two sets of 6)
  
• the V8 horn
  
• the option to flip the front pantograph (as well as the second pantograph, if used)
  
• fixed bugs relating to paint colors not being applied correctly when cloning quickMods
  

Check the official steam guide (mentioned previously) to see all the up-to-date quickMod features.

[h2]Miscellaneous features & fixes[/h2]

• the PC tutorial has been fixed to show the correct "add left/right" button controls
  
• the V8 now has working doors on the front of the cab! you can open/close the doors by clicking the door handle
  
  
  
  
• addons (plows and pantographs) now disable rendering at a distance
  
• small mesh fix on the door of the v8 and a minor detail on the cab
  
• the red V8's pantographs have been flipped to match the real-world design
  
• wagon wheel LOD is now tied to the "object view distance" setting, so increasing this setting will make the low-detail wheels show up further away.
  

And that's everything!
This update was suppose to be about v8 liveries but bug fixes and articulation ended up taking the spotlight, so V8 liveries will instead be coming in the next update.

Though im sure that finally fixing the infamous "twisting" bug is well worth it!

Enjoy!

[h2]The V8[/h2]
It's finally here, Rolling Line's first ever official electric locomotive!
This new loco is called the V8, and its quite a unique one that is rather famous in Brazil. It's incredibly similar to the "Little Joe" in America too!


(Photo by Alexandre Gabriely)

It comes in three different official liveries, and custom liveries will be coming in a future update.



[h2]Pantographs[/h2]
This update also adds the ability to add pantographs on to all the trains in the game! (the things trains use to get electricity from overhead wires).

Pantographs work in the same way as snow plows (added in the Christmas update), you can "paint" them on to trains using the new painters in the electric trains drawer.

Remember you can set the color of pantographs by painting the "painters" in the drawer with colors, just like how you can with snow plows:



You can add pantographs on to any train you want, all the official trains support them!



Pantographs even have a little spark effect every now and then, just for fun:
(you can turn this off in the "graphics" menu if you choose)



Each individual pantograph has a small button you can press to raise/lower it, but you can also raise/lower all pantographs by using the button in the cab.
If you are playing on PC you can also press "p" while controlling a train to toggle pantographs.



[h2]QuickMods[/h2]
As well as all the official trains, you can also add pantographs to quickMods!
QuickMods now also have the option to include addons (plows and pantographs) by default, which means you can set your quickMod to always spawn with a specific type of pantograph. You can also include custom textures for it.



There are several new properties you can edit which are explained in detail in the official steam guide:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1789707835

[h2]Train placement fix[/h2]
Something else that this update includes is a much needed bug fix to a very old problem!

You may have noticed sometimes that it can be difficult to place trains on certain track, or into small gaps. sometimes placing long locos (like the big boy and NR) is almost impossible for no good reason.

Well I've finally fixed this!
Placing trains should now be much, much easier.
i'm sure anyone who's played Rolling Line for a while is going to be very happy about this fix.

There are also a couple of small changes & fixes included in this update:

• The chimney props now have collision.
  
• Addons are copied when cloning trains (both plows and pantographs)
  

And that's everything for now!
This update completes the "electrification" of Rolling Line, and now you can run electric trains to your heart's content. And im sure all the Brazilian players will be very excited about the addition of the V8!
Liveries for the V8 will likely be coming in the next update, along with a few odds & ends, bug fixes and some new props too.

Enjoy!