Future Plans and Foundation Part 4

[DrSalty]

TLDR More map, cargo types and progression should be the focus - at least from my player perspective, and I'm so glad that's what the roadmap says.

I appreciate all that's mentioned in Foundation Part 4 - its all good things and I love how much this team of 11 clearly loves this game.

Honestly the game is in such good condition that I would love if there was a hard focus now on new maps and missions. With progression on the side. Maybe train upgrading or other progression, like station purchasing, line upgrades (which seems to be suggested in the roadmap?!), station upgrades to unlock cargo types, etc. There's so much value that can be provided simply with new world and missions.

To contextualise - I never run the DE6, I never see a need for it. and I mainly just run the harbour to machine factory rout later in the game. The balance of reward for certain oil and chemical cargo wildly overrides all other routs, For a very long time, until radioactive material. So maybe some of the progression elements could incentivise spreading out more, especially the forestry cargo.

If the devs wanna go wild and make more trains go for it kings, but man do I wanna change of scenery!

[schutt]

Actually CSW and Food Factory are the alternatives and its pretty good money to go back from Oil Well central or Oil Well north, doing an empty haul or fast travel from CSW or FF to the corresponding Oil well.
But you are right, that is one of the main problems: other routes than going to and from harbor are virtually non existant.

[Knsgf]

Other routes hardly being relevant is solely thanks to infinite respawn - so the proper way to correct this is by putting limits on how often new jobs generate. Which is precisely what planned job system revamp ought to do.

[Hiigara]

At least a map 4 times bigger than the current map with more long stretches. Passing points and AI which would make the map more unpredictable with switches and passing points (length of train)

[Katch]

I am new to this game, but absolutely love it. Always been a train fan, and this is actually the first game I fully enjoy playing.

I do agree, game is in a very good condition. For me this game pretty much would feel complete if it had AI traffic, which means it would also need railway lights. Honestly for me, I only want to micromanages switches in yards, everywhere else I would prefer to follow railway signals instead.

And of course another aspect lacking atm is ownership. Would be nice to own a small yard, purchase trains and even your own cars for certain things.

[Knsgf]

Originally posted by Hiigara:

At least a map 4 times bigger than the current map with more long stretches. Passing points and AI which would make the map more unpredictable with switches and passing points (length of train)

There are no plans to make the whole map bigger so far.

[DrSalty]

Hmm I never considered respawn times and fast travel truly because I never fast travel and only ever play realistically. With the exception of teleportation because I dont want to have to stop my train to switch tracks when I have a long line of cars infront, and moving around depos on foot is boring.

If you using fast travel then eh kinda besides the point what the rount trip is.

Originally posted by Knsgf:

Other routes hardly being relevant is solely thanks to infinite respawn - so the proper way to correct this is by putting limits on how often new jobs generate. Which is precisely what planned job system revamp ought to do.

As for this respawn stuff, a calculated economy would be nice SO LONG AS it also calculates the reward dynamically and will pay out higher and higher the longer a specific job is left - supply demand. I assume this would then be tempered by AI trains when they come in. But then at that point were back to something simmilar to infinite respawn but just more code heavy and randomised... So probably not a solution...

[DrSalty]

Originally posted by Katch:

I am new to this game, but absolutely love it. Always been a train fan, and this is actually the first game I fully enjoy playing.

I do agree, game is in a very good condition. For me this game pretty much would feel complete if it had AI traffic, which means it would also need railway lights. Honestly for me, I only want to micromanages switches in yards, everywhere else I would prefer to follow railway signals instead.

And of course another aspect lacking atm is ownership. Would be nice to own a small yard, purchase trains and even your own cars for certain things.

I agree entirely, excepting the AI traffic, honestly I prefer having the rails all to myself. Ai blocking me up will just be annoying. Else yeah owing things directly and having line upgrades that let you set an entire path remotely so you dont need to worry about siwtches after leaving the yard is ideal!

[DrSalty]

Originally posted by Knsgf:

Originally posted by Hiigara:

At least a map 4 times bigger than the current map with more long stretches. Passing points and AI which would make the map more unpredictable with switches and passing points (length of train)

There are no plans to make the whole map bigger so far.

Are there not? They are adding in 2 new cities and 20+ towns as per the Foundation Part 4 - there's no way they are squeezing that into the map we have, they have to increase its size.

[Knsgf]

Cities will probably be as big as CSW or FF, and towns (rather villages) - just a platform with a handful of small houses nearby. All of these would fit comfortably on existing map.

[Katch]

Originally posted by DrSalty:

Originally posted by Katch:

I am new to this game, but absolutely love it. Always been a train fan, and this is actually the first game I fully enjoy playing.

I do agree, game is in a very good condition. For me this game pretty much would feel complete if it had AI traffic, which means it would also need railway lights. Honestly for me, I only want to micromanages switches in yards, everywhere else I would prefer to follow railway signals instead.

And of course another aspect lacking atm is ownership. Would be nice to own a small yard, purchase trains and even your own cars for certain things.

I agree entirely, excepting the AI traffic, honestly I prefer having the rails all to myself. Ai blocking me up will just be annoying. Else yeah owing things directly and having line upgrades that let you set an entire path remotely so you dont need to worry about siwtches after leaving the yard is ideal!

Ya cant say how it would feel, I just want it to feel more alive, and if you can have an option for ai traffic, such as choosing how many ai conductors to add to the map. That being said, that does sound like a lot of work for devs. If i had to choose, i would choose the base management/buying trains/etc over ai traffic on the priority list.

There are mods out there that can make switch management on the route easier. I can think of two mods, Remote Dispatch and Route Manager. I might try Route Manager today.

Forgot to mention, for ai traffic to work youd have to rework the tracks. Add double tracks or pass thru track on routes. It wouldnt work the way it is now with single track.

[Geoppolis]

Originally posted by DrSalty:

...I prefer having the rails all to myself.

There's certainly something to be said for the magnificent solitude.

Automobile traffic would make the world come alive, in my opinion, without any need for AI trains and all the complexity therewith. X10 if grade crossing accidents were possible.

As for the map size. I get that people want more map - completely valid desire. As for me, personally, I treat the game like running my own short-line railroad. I argue the map is perfect for that sort of scenario.

[whisper]

I don't see how they can add AI traffic without ruining the game... Waiting at a siding for another train to come and pass would not be fun.

[DrSalty]

Originally posted by Geoppolis:

Originally posted by DrSalty:

...I prefer having the rails all to myself.

There's certainly something to be said for the magnificent solitude.

Automobile traffic would make the world come alive, in my opinion, without any need for AI trains and all the complexity therewith. X10 if grade crossing accidents were possible.

As for the map size. I get that people want more map - completely valid desire. As for me, personally, I treat the game like running my own short-line railroad. I argue the map is perfect for that sort of scenario.

Yeah that solitude with picturesque landscapes - and minor stress of keeping the speed correct to keep you engaged - is ideal

I guess for me this game has become a kind of "nobody else exists and I can just complete things with cool vehicles" kind of catharsis.
Id take this coupled with like mashinky where you can make your own routs and build up yoru empire but your re the only driver.
Or even same as what we have now of tailored map but add in planes and vehicles - though there is already elite dangerous for the space/plane cargo stuff and I do find truck sim to be a lil bland over trains.

Honestly yeah the next work is an minimum ideal size - it could have more and it would still be ideal - but if its not size increase then more management and/or progression complexity is required instead (but not during the haul, only at either end).
Id take more frequent derailment (like wrong switches) if there was a re-railing engine/car you could take to re-rail instead of paying a large fee that wipes out the whole pay like what happens now

[DrSalty]

Originally posted by whisper:

I don't see how they can add AI traffic without ruining the game... Waiting at a siding for another train to come and pass would not be fun.

This - or having to back up or crashing - ruins the catharsis

[Knsgf]

Originally posted by DrSalty:

Originally posted by whisper:

I don't see how they can add AI traffic without ruining the game... Waiting at a siding for another train to come and pass would not be fun.

This - or having to back up or crashing - ruins the catharsis

On the other hand, this "catharsis" makes everything predictable, one-dimensional, sterile and boring. Having some randomness is what makes things more varied.