Speculation About The B99 Announcement

[Geoppolis]

This is a link to the Steam page announcing the release date for B99.

What does everyone else see in that blurred image? Looks to me like a DE-2 with some new gauges (aw yeah). And possibly a computer screen added on the left side of the instrument stack?

Or is this the new locomotive referenced in the announcement?

[DriftinCovet1987]

It's a DE2 with some mods done to it (customization and loco ownership will be coming in the next update, as that whole section was removed from the future page that you can find in Future plans). That other rail vehicle in the background is likely the utility railbus, as that was removed from the future page a couple days ago, as well.

[PlutoProductions]

It's definitely a highly modified DE2 with extra equipment and potentially a paint job.

[Geoppolis]

Anyone know how the custom paint will work? Will there be a "paint shop" within the game, or will we need to modify texture files externally?

[TheFrommie86]

Originally posted by Geoppolis:

Anyone know how the custom paint will work? Will there be a "paint shop" within the game, or will we need to modify texture files externally?

Perhaps it's like an integrated Skin manager instead of having it as a Mod independently you only need the files.
Guess we will see next week for sure.

There is also a something to put the Stereo on, a hook maybe?

[Geoppolis]

Originally posted by TheFrommie86:

There is also a something to put the Stereo on, a hook maybe?

Seems like it.

Looks like the interior got custom paint too, perhaps. Is that a blue independent brake housing on the lower right?

[TheFrommie86]

Originally posted by Geoppolis:

Originally posted by TheFrommie86:

There is also a something to put the Stereo on, a hook maybe?

Seems like it.

Looks like the interior got custom paint too, perhaps. Is that a blue independent brake housing on the lower right?

Perhaps the interior just appears to be painted differently due to night time and custom light.

I honestly doubt it's a custom housing for the Break and rather an item placed there which is blue

[HuskyDynamics]

In addition to the other things that have been mentioned, I also see what I suspect to be a cab-mounted version of the locomotive remote on the right left side of the gauge cluster.

[Geoppolis]

Originally posted by HuskyDynamics:

I also see what I suspect to be a cab-mounted version of the locomotive remote on the right side of the gauge cluster.

Maybe for distributed power units? Or a telemetry readout?

[schutt]

the computer thingy might be something to set the switches in advance to your route, so you can dial in a route all the way to a specific target track? i suppose one of the new addable instruments is a train end counter of some sort, other one i have no idea what it is. maybe engine tuning and you got to watch additional engine temps? no idea. we will see.

[Bravura Lion]

Trains
New vehicles
2 locomotives — DH6-880, WE6-960
2 work trains — PM1-060 (Speeder), DE1-080 (MOW Equipment)
3 new cars — Bulkhead, Centerbeam, Powder
New simulation elements
Electric powertrain simulation
Twin control stand support
Knuckle couplers — option to choose the coupling system in-game
Train modding improvements
Documentation
Steam Workshop
Environment
New locations in the existing map
10 new industries
2 new cities
27 villages
Bonus yard
Railways rework
Layout modifications
Better map coverage
Adaptations to accommodate new features and locations
Future-proofing for AI trains, passenger transport and customization milestones
Double-tracks, passing sidings
Sign placement improvement
New types of bridges, viaducts, tunnels and landslide walls
Electrification infrastructure
Passenger stops — in villages
Track age variation
Roads
Gameplay
Advanced economy simulation
Reactive ecosystem with dynamic supply and demand
Economic strategy features — to be announced
Delivery order system revamp
Order permanence
Advanced car/cargo compatibility logic
Incentivizing longer, mixed trains
New UI for order management
Many more features — to be announced
150+ new cargo types
Track defects/maintenance — simplified, to be announced
200+ additional hours of playtime, drastic repetitiveness mitigation
UX
UI-based navigation for comfort players
Hands in non-VR
External view and related UI features in VR
Support for more peripherals, key mapping UI

[TheFrommie86]

Originally posted by Bravura Lion:

Trains
New vehicles
2 locomotives — DH6-880, WE6-960
2 work trains — PM1-060 (Speeder), DE1-080 (MOW Equipment)
3 new cars — Bulkhead, Centerbeam, Powder
New simulation elements
Electric powertrain simulation
Twin control stand support
Knuckle couplers — option to choose the coupling system in-game
Train modding improvements
Documentation
Steam Workshop
Environment
New locations in the existing map
10 new industries
2 new cities
27 villages
Bonus yard
Railways rework
Layout modifications
Better map coverage
Adaptations to accommodate new features and locations
Future-proofing for AI trains, passenger transport and customization milestones
Double-tracks, passing sidings
Sign placement improvement
New types of bridges, viaducts, tunnels and landslide walls
Electrification infrastructure
Passenger stops — in villages
Track age variation
Roads
Gameplay
Advanced economy simulation
Reactive ecosystem with dynamic supply and demand
Economic strategy features — to be announced
Delivery order system revamp
Order permanence
Advanced car/cargo compatibility logic
Incentivizing longer, mixed trains
New UI for order management
Many more features — to be announced
150+ new cargo types
Track defects/maintenance — simplified, to be announced
200+ additional hours of playtime, drastic repetitiveness mitigation
UX
UI-based navigation for comfort players
Hands in non-VR
External view and related UI features in VR
Support for more peripherals, key mapping UI

Yeah but not everything of that is in the new update. The remaining list will come in the coming updates sice all of the mentiones things are still on the Future Plans Page, while everything that gets added (eg. Trais Customization, Train Ownership and the Railbus) got removed

[Geoppolis]

Originally posted by TheFrommie86:

The remaining list will come in the coming updates sice all of the mentiones things are still on the Future Plans Page, while everything that gets added (eg. Trais Customization, Train Ownership and the Railbus) got removed

I'm regretting not saving off a copy of the old page so we can see precisely what was deleted.

On the other hand, I do revel in the anticipation and speculation.

[schutt]

altfuture already revealed: there will be one of the work trains in b99. he also said that the locomotives will not be there, but maybe they did squeeze in the dh6 and it comes as a surprise?
But what he said is that dh6 will come soon but not in B99.

Someone said the railbus will be the vehicle, but that would only make sense if passenger jobs are there too? So are we getting Passengers finally?

Ah wait: we might get DM1p-060 which is just a speeder, no passengers. And passengers are on the list for 2026 with DM1P-150 , so probably not this time.

[Knsgf]

Originally posted by schutt:

Someone said the railbus will be the vehicle, but that would only make sense if passenger jobs are there too? So are we getting Passengers finally?

There used to be 2 versions of a railbus on the roadmap: passenger and utility one, with the utility version coming first.

[Geoppolis]

Originally posted by schutt:

Someone said the railbus will be the vehicle, but that would only make sense if passenger jobs are there too? So are we getting Passengers finally?

Yeah, I'm struggling to understand the utility of a railbus within the DV world through B98.

That implies some major new job type that justifies a need for the bus. Or else my definition of a railbus differs from Altfuture's.