Tracks - The Train Set Game news & patch notes

Hi all, I'm excited to announce Tracks: Winter Wonderland! That's right, an actual physical wooden train, who knew such a thing was possible. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/15cdccd698555ab483d6f314f0cce8bb30de3e71.png The Winter Wonderland bundle comes with:

• A Christmas themed wooden train and carriage with magnetic connectors (compatible with major wooden tracks pieces) and three passengers
• A digital code for Tracks: Toybox Edition for Nintendo Switch
• The exclusive Winter Wonderland DLC to add this train & carriage to the game

Together it costs just £24.99 making it a great gift for Christmas or any other time of year. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/1974c4e78a2fe0bfa1da1c9bf513527a0389d974.png The bundle is available through Amazon, Smyths Toys (UK, Ireland, France) and several other places, hopefully one near you. It will become available in the United States hopefully some time next year. Additional retailers in the UK: Argos Very Games Collection Rarewaves Game Booghe Toys Retailers in Europe: Various retailers through Playman Distribution – Czech Republic Coolshop – Denmark Elkjøp and Co-op – Norway Various retailers through Just For Games Distribution – France Shinestar Distribution – Spain EB Italy - Gamestop – Italy Hope you enjoy it! Usual game updates will resume soon. Thank you! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/8fbc3eef745bf2d0f0f260f1da41d20d55611904.png

6th September 2024:

• Fixed decorations being unpickable in the toybox if no DLC was installed
• Fixed level crossings being placed at the point you’re looking instead of at the track intersection
• Fixed the circus not allowing trains inside
• Fixed a crash from using the Recently Used row in the toybox with a controller
• Fixed Jump to category in the toybox in Grid mode
• Fixed Jump to category in the toybox not working correctly when the search bar was in use
• Fixed terrain blocks affecting the scale of decorations which were restored with undo
• Improved autosave behaviour
• Fixed variants being deleteable multiple times while they were being deleted
• Fixed some decorations having the wrong colour values saved if they were restored with undo
• Fixed bushes having an arrow when highlighted

10th September 2024:

• Fixed autosave not working correctly when the Save/Load menu has never been opened before
• Fixed Overwrite file creating a duplicate entry in the list
• Fixed autosave not correctly choosing to overwrite another autosave based on the same file
• Fixed the autosave timer not always starting

1st October 2024:

• Fixed being unable to go through tunnels backwards with carriages
• Fixed the 1969 achievement
• Fixed track pieces built directly from a decoration (e.g. tunnels, turntable) not being saved
• Fixed various issues with passengers
• Fixed automatic Railroad crossings being built too low
• Fixed some variant intersections not being saved correctly

Hi all, For this update I decided to focus all of my time on code, doing things I've needed to do for *years* so no new decorations today, but hopefully you'll enjoy this update all the same for the many new features and improvements that have been made!

• Autosave & Quicksave Your building progress can now be automatically saved as you play. Autosaves don't overwrite your manually created saves, instead there are three rotating slots dedicated to it. You can choose how frequently it happens in the options menu, or disable it if you prefer. Additionally, you can now press a key (F5 by default) to trigger a save. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/9eefa16d9081ff25a11c6ae9006609e3c35f9db5.gif
• Large world optimisation Several low level aspects of the game's code have been upgraded to improve the experience for players building gigantic worlds with a large number of decorations: (Comparison numbers from the world below (by TGC_Cris) with 82,000 decorations on my PC)
  • Greatly improved loading times for large saves ( 28 seconds -> 5 seconds )
  • Saving large files is much faster ( 9 seconds -> 0.4 seconds )
  • RAM usage has been slashed ( 3.5GB -> 1.1GB )
  • Eliminated hitches that happened when decorations were removed in a large world
  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/653e3fccbebc3a96e84f95d0b54f2952179291b5.gif
• Toybox improvements
  • Layout
  There are now two options for how decorations are laid out: "Rows" is what you're used to, one category per row with decorations stretching left to right. "Grid" removes sideways scrolling and makes all the decorations in one category visible at once. You can scroll up and down to move to other categories.
  • Category tabs
  There's now an optional window on the left of the toybox with buttons to jump to each category, usable with either layout.
  • Label toggle
  If you prefer to find decorations by looking for the icon rather than text, you can now hide the name completely to increase the size of the picture.
  • Rewritten controller navigation
  Moving between options with a controller should now be more consistent and smoother
  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/8e200cabd9ba768dc3d32aa7e925fd8a40096541.png
• Passenger orientation Passengers can now be rotated to face a particular direction. The old random direction is still the default, though now you can see which way they'll be facing before you place them. Just press R to rotate them like any object and the random rotation will stop.
• Breaks & Boosters There is a new counter-part decoration to the Booster called "Breaks" which rapidly slow down the train as it passes. Please note the way boosters work behind the scenes has been changed. I tried to match the old behaviour as best as I could but if you notice any issues, things which are no longer possible but used to be, please let me know!
• Other improvements
  • Added Brazilian Portuguese as a language option
  • Highlighting is much more accurate for a range of decorations; I'm slowly making my way through them all, if there are any you find particularly difficult to work with let me know
  • Added a crosshair on screen to help when doing things far from the camera, and increased the maximum interaction distance
  • Added some missing songs to the soundtrack DLC
  • Improved versatility of repainting wooden slat decorations
  • Separate Small/Medium/Tall Painted House options replace the Random House decoration
  • Fixed the Merry-Go-Round not playing music
  • Fixed Wooden Trains with 100% condition still having a bit of paint chipping
  • Fixed an issue where a corrupt file would make the Toybox appear blank
  • New file loading screen and various other improvements to the UI
  • Added Constant Grid as a rebindable key in the Controls menu
  • Passengers who can't be deleted (e.g. because they're walking / on a train) no longer get highlighted when hovered
  • Fixed the Merry-Go-Round not playing music
  • Grooms now have an assortment of ties and can be recoloured
  • Fixed some collision issues around the presents in Bedroom (Night)
  • Fixed an active Fireworks (Toggle) continuing to play a sound after it has been removed
  • Fixed a small erroneous square on the Motel

Hi all, A new beta is now available for anyone who would like an early look at the next update and is willing to try a potentially buggy version. Accessing a beta on Steam:

• Right click on Tracks in your Steam games list and click Properties
• Go to the Betas tab on the left and choose the public_beta option from the dropdown menu (you don't need to enter a code)
• Steam should start downloading an update, and Tracks should have a tag in the games list

If you find any issues please report them on the forums or discord. You can see a full list of changes below: For this update I decided to focus all of my time on code, doing things I've needed to do for *years* so no new decorations today, but hopefully you'll enjoy this update all the same for the many new features and improvements that have been made!

• Autosave & Quicksave Your building progress can now be automatically saved as you play. Autosaves don't overwrite your manually created saves, instead there are three rotating slots dedicated to it. You can choose how frequently it happens in the options menu, or disable it if you prefer. Additionally, you can now press a key (F5 by default) to trigger a save. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/9eefa16d9081ff25a11c6ae9006609e3c35f9db5.gif
• Large world optimisation Several low level aspects of the game's code have been upgraded to improve the experience for players building gigantic worlds with a large number of decorations: (Comparison numbers from the world below (by TGC_Cris) with 82,000 decorations on my PC)
  • Greatly improved loading times for large saves ( 28 seconds -> 5 seconds )
  • Saving large files is much faster ( 9 seconds -> 0.4 seconds )
  • RAM usage has been slashed ( 3.5GB -> 1.1GB )
  • Eliminated hitches that happened when decorations were removed in a large world
  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/653e3fccbebc3a96e84f95d0b54f2952179291b5.gif
• Toybox improvements
  • Layout
  There are now two options for how decorations are laid out: "Rows" is what you're used to, one category per row with decorations stretching left to right. "Grid" removes sideways scrolling and makes all the decorations in one category visible at once. You can scroll up and down to move to other categories.
  • Category tabs
  There's now an optional window on the left of the toybox with buttons to jump to each category, usable with either layout.
  • Label toggle
  If you prefer to find decorations by looking for the icon rather than text, you can now hide the name completely to increase the size of the picture.
  • Rewritten controller navigation
  Moving between options with a controller should now be more consistent and smoother
  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/8e200cabd9ba768dc3d32aa7e925fd8a40096541.png
• Passenger orientation Passengers can now be rotated to face a particular direction. The old random direction is still the default, though now you can see which way they'll be facing before you place them. Just press R to rotate them like any object and the random rotation will stop.
• Breaks & Boosters There is a new counter-part decoration to the Booster called "Breaks" which rapidly slow down the train as it passes. Please note the way boosters work behind the scenes has been changed. I tried to match the old behaviour as best as I could but if you notice any issues, things which are no longer possible but used to be, please let me know!
• Other improvements
  • Highlighting is much more accurate for a range of decorations; I'm slowly making my way through them all, if there are any you find particularly difficult to work with let me know
  • Added a crosshair on screen to help when doing things far from the camera, and increased the maximum interaction distance
  • Separate Small/Medium/Tall Painted House options replace the Random House decoration
  • Fixed Wooden Trains with 100% condition still having a bit of paint chipping
  • Fixed an issue where a corrupt file would make the Toybox appear blank
  • New file loading screen and various other improvements to the UI
  • Added Constant Grid as a rebindable key in the Controls menu
  • Passengers who can't be deleted (e.g. because they're walking / on a train) no longer get highlighted when hovered
  • Grooms now have an assortment of ties and can be recoloured
  • Fixed an active Fireworks (Toggle) continuing to play a sound after it has been removed
  • Fixed a small erroneous square on the Motel

Thank you! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/19aaf064bb8d5f93436c88f2189039424375e998.png

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35446468/a12a16077b4c6bcbd7c6b20d5a280cbebb00f8bd.jpg Tracks - The Train Set Game is currently available at 75% off as part of the Excalibur Games Publisher Sale! We also have the Sci-Fi Pack DLC and the soundtrack heavily discounted, both at 66% off. Make sure to check out these limited time discounts on the sale page.

Hi all! Thanks for your patience waiting for this new update, and thank you to everyone who tried the beta and reported the bugs they found. Here's a complete list of new content and changes: Tram A classic tram is now available as a train style. It combines a train and one passenger carriage into a single unit, and supports all the customisation options available for the standard train. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/5eb99b9edb648586568be4a4f08d9a9442a6a0c5.png Cab Toys A new section of the Scenery menu gives you the choice between a whistle or a bell on your train. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/1c788d9af27c56617e82e7ad38dc443bbafbbe73.png Utility Poles Utility Poles are a new decoration class which automatically attach wires between each prop you place. To start with there are two styles: Telephone Pole and a large Electricity Pylon {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/94cd3872c5baba34f86bceab48ff5336dd7e0d92.gif New Decorations There's a wide variety of new decorations including 10 new houses, 3 new passengers, and several large buildings like a sports stadium and motel. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/877339efe69d409713b1303682c274c902749562.png Train Highlighting Certain actions could get awkward when you had a lot of trains. Now when you look at a train (or its carriages) you'll see a little arrow appear on top of it. With a train highlighted, any train-related actions will automatically apply to that train such as:

• T to drive it without opening the train menu
• Style options in the Scenery menu
• Adding carriages from the Toybox

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/e8f302ce38fe27b9d90b250120d28ae5c5f1269e.png Other changes:

• Replaced the font used for Latin and Cyrillic languages
• Tracks, Roads & Rivers now create unique crossings when they meet a variant of other type.
• Added pop-ups with key reminders and tips when using certain decorations for the first time
• Added the Hungarian language option back into the menu
• Several UI and quality of life improvements
• Fixed several piece configurations not suggesting the proper junction piece
• Fixed a crash on the tutorial when playing in Korean
• Improved the game's start up time and memory usage
• Optimised and reduced the size of the Sci-Fi DLC
• Fixed an issue when F5 is pressed

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/6806032f4a46785fb06d928ca848f3b055b2bacb.png

Hi all! If you'd like to take an early look at the upcoming update you can now give it a try. Please note that this is a potentially unstable version, if you find any issues I'd appreciate if you could post about them in the forums or Discord. Click below to see a full list of additions and changes: Tram A classic tram is now available as a train style. It combines a train and one passenger carriage into a single unit, and supports all the customisation options available for the standard train. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/5eb99b9edb648586568be4a4f08d9a9442a6a0c5.png Cab Toys This update adds a new section to the Scenery menu which gives you the choice between a whistle or a bell on your train. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/1c788d9af27c56617e82e7ad38dc443bbafbbe73.png Utility Poles Utility Poles are a new decoration class which automatically attach wires between each prop you place. To start with there are two styles: Telephone Pole and a large Electricity Pylon {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/94cd3872c5baba34f86bceab48ff5336dd7e0d92.gif New Decorations There's a wide variety of new decorations including 10 new houses, 3 new passengers, and several large buildings like a sports stadium and motel. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/877339efe69d409713b1303682c274c902749562.png Train Highlighting Certain actions could get awkward when you had a lot of trains. Now when you look at a train (or its carriages) you'll see a little arrow appear on top of it. With a train highlighted, any train-related actions will automatically apply to that train such as:

• Left Mouse click / Press T to drive it without opening the train menu
• Style options in the Scenery menu
• Adding carriages from the Toybox

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/e8f302ce38fe27b9d90b250120d28ae5c5f1269e.png Other changes:

• Replaced the font used for Latin and Cyrillic languages
• Tracks, Roads & Rivers now create unique crossings when they meet a variant of other type.
• Added pop-ups with key reminders and tips when using certain decorations for the first time
• Added the Hungarian language option back into the menu
• Several UI and quality of life improvements
• Fixed a crash on the tutorial when playing in Korean
• Improved the game's start up time and memory usage
• Optimised and reduced the size of the Sci-Fi DLC
• Fixed an issue when F5 is pressed

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/6806032f4a46785fb06d928ca848f3b055b2bacb.png Accessing the beta:

• Right click on Tracks in your Steam games list and click Properties
• Go to the Betas tab and choose the public_beta option from the Beta Participation dropdown menu (you don't need to enter a code)
• Steam will start downloading a new update, and Tracks should have a tag in the games list

Hello there, I’m sure many of you have been wondering what's up with the lack of news / Tracks updates. I won’t go into details but long story short I’m now back to working on the game and I hope to do an update in the near future. As always, if you’ve got any suggestions you can post them to the forums/discord, I'll be a lot more active than I have been. Thanks for your patience! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/e8dc0a51a10ad8cad3dbd65fba753fb6ce8a39e5.png

Steam Deck

I'm happy to confirm that Tracks is now working very nicely on the Steam Deck! As part of this work, the game now uses the Steam Input keyboard whenever you need to enter text (if playing with a gamepad) which allows for a much bigger range of characters and has better support for languages besides English. We've submitted the game to Valve for their approval, though if you find any issues with it please post about them on the forums.

Other Improvements

• Added Korean language support
• Overhauled the language selection menu
• Improved accuracy of Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Japanese translations
• Fixed various small issues relating to the Steam Deck / gamepad support

Tracks: Advent Calendar Update

Starting tomorrow, a special advent calendar event will be available in-game. A new door will become available each day from the 1st until the 24th of December, with every door unlocking new decorations for you to use. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/8cef1482a27c7159070eda244121225973aa4eb7.png Don't worry if you miss some days, you can open doors from previous days and you can still play the event up until January 1st. In the new year the event will be hidden and all the event decorations will unlock even if you didn't open every door. The main menu has an icon to remind you if there's a door available that you haven't opened yet. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/1049f1296fce707c2752bdeb7d07c035ee39bf31.png The decorations range from festive snowmen passengers, reindeer and Santa's sleigh, to more year-round items such as the steamroller! For the rest of the new decorations, you'll have to play the update to find out what awaits behind each door! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/9402fdc5cdd281f1f2ef1a97af1c05b54556489e.gif

Other changes:

• Fixed an issue with the 'A reference' achievement
• Optimised several decorations
• Improved behaviour when swapping from keyboard to gamepad in some situations

https://store.steampowered.com/app/657240 We hope that you all enjoy the holidays and have fun with this new update!

Since Tracks hit full launch two years ago, we've seen you continue to play and love the game. So we've continued to support the game with lots of new content and improvements. Since v1.0 we've released... - Free Suburban DLC - Paid Sci-Fi DLC - Halloween update - Scenery update - Core update - Summer update And we're not done yet! Launching next week is Tracks: Advent Calendar Update. Unlock new decorations every day from 1 - 24 December to use in your toy worlds. From holidays items/passengers like snowmen, Santa and reindeer, to non-festive decorations such as spiral trees and steamrollers, this free update will add plenty of fresh material to the toybox. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/9402fdc5cdd281f1f2ef1a97af1c05b54556489e.gif {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/d93fc8bb6c6523b3d6aa7d7259b2b1513b2afdcd.jpg

Steam Autumn Sale

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/78bb66eede8ebc992ad54f03d7a8723a9e2b8c5c.jpg Tracks is currently available at 66% off in the Steam Autumn Sale, so it's a great time to jump in if you haven't already, or maybe even to gift a copy to a friend. https://store.steampowered.com/app/657240

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/6c2c701c48db060daedea8d932dee21c3951c5e9.png

Steam Cloud Saves

All your save files and progress are now synced to the Steam Cloud so you won't lose anything if you delete the game files or your hard drive dies.

New Decorations

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/44123b510b4b37a9c2c056a7e57612467b62c0ef.png

Changes:

• Several existing walls/fences are now repaintable
• Resizeable decorations now have a different icon in the toy box
• The train field of view option now affects all of a train's cameras
• Improved behaviour when you swap between keyboard/gamepad on the options menu
• Fixed certain repaintable decorations appearing as black when being deleted
• Fixed an invisible face on the triple junction
• Fixed Passenger collisions sometimes being misaligned if they're placed on a decoration
• Fixed emergency sirens and hi-vis passengers not glowing as intended
• Fixed an issue with shadows on the Merry-Go-Round
• Fixed some Toy Box headers not resizing with the zoom option
• Fixed renamed save slots appearing twice with the new & old names until the menu was reopened
• Fixed an issue with the train field of view slider if the build field of view has never been changed

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/0eb7de88caa2886cad4b972bbc4c8fb73067bb82.png

Hi all! This update features a lot of system overhauls I've been meaning to do for a long time so there might be some teething issues, but it'll ultimately be for the greater good. The way trains move around tracks has been completely changed to allow for new more interesting track pieces. Many new pieces have already been added and I'll continue adding more if there is an appetite for them. The same goes for the new selection/collision system, it should feel just like the old one for now but will allow for nice new options in future updates. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/6bb7ad3a09c66e823ef483e3ccbe990971b6dc84.png

New basic pieces

• Gentle slopes - (Alt mode) Scroll Up/Down to make a slope which goes up by 1 but is 2 pieces long, so less steep
• Sharp turns - (Alt mode) Move the cursor like you're making a turn but go even further to make a sharp piece which turns back on itself
• Clockwise and Anti-Clockwise Corkscrews

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/77856b9f73d62dfc8c47a6324d07ad5af29612de.png

New Junctions

• Y Junction - Turn into a turn piece to make a junction with turns going both ways
• Triangle Junction - Run a straight piece through a Y Junction
• Double Junctions - Turn into an existing Single Junction to make one with turns on both sides
• Super Crossing - Click on or turn into a Crossing to upgrade it with turns at all sides

Track Improvements

• Joining Junctions - The joining piece for connecting parallel tracks now has versions with 2, 3 or 4 endings so the train won't fall off the track if every side isn't connected
• Smooth slopes - Up/Down pieces which are next to others will automatically flatten themselves for a smoother ride when going through many of them

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/97abf307a9cafac38a320861686761e72b3aed87.png

Variant improvements (Roads and Rivers)

• Variants now have appropriate Up/Down pieces
• Junctions default to Triangle Junctions so you can turn in either direction
• The train now runs at the correct height instead of floating slightly above any variant it is on
• The model itself can now be highlighted instead of just the (invisible) track piece on top
• Improved passenger placement

Train redirector

• The old system of clicking on track pieces to choose a direction for the train wasn't any good on the new junctions with multiple sets of choices, so now you can control the train using Train Redirectors. Place them near pieces and they'll snap to endings with turning options. Click on the redirector to cycle through the available turns.

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/ba6df0c2af18630390c004380ce6217029f90e43.png

'Recently Used' row

• The toy box now has a dynamic row with your 20 most recently used decorations. It'll only appear after you've used at least 5 unique decorations.

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/11f5715a1e42265954108024bb0671eba3a45838.png

General Improvements

• Trains can now turn while reversing
• Improved Train-Track alignment and turn smoothness
• The Colour Picker now has a Hex value box
• Colours stored in the Colour Picker are now saved/loaded with track files
• Improved performance when there are many trains
• Improved CPU performance when there are many track pieces
• General train movement along tracks should be smoother
• Carriages can no longer overpower the train on a slope
• Improved building behaviour at the edges of the level
• Added a "New Content" banner on the menu
• Added a Clear button to the Toy Box search bar
• Made train customisation saving more reliable
• Trains and carriages no longer block selection/building
• Added helpful signs for when a Station in Passenger mode gets moved/hidden
• Tweaked the Pub to make it line up with other buildings better
• Tweaked the Metal Fence to make it line up better

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/5843e01493679b67c3fed73e4408306b10346a7e.png

Bug Fixes

• Fixed the train sometimes subtly bouncing from side to side when on a straight piece of track
• Fixed pieces which were overwritten by a forced Joining piece sometimes losing the correct rotation when that action was Undone
• Fixed the pause menu not appearing when driving a secondary train
• Fixed some issues with Tunnels
• Removed an invisible text box from the Train menu
• Fixed certain valid junctions being blocked if the end already had a piece there
• Fixed 2 Straight pieces going in opposite directions not offering a Crossing when approached
• Fixed the Speed Check showing the wrong side of the sign
• Fixed the pop-up message when changing languages not appearing
• Testing a fix for Steam not allowing some people to use the Suburban DLC
• Fixed some typos and mistranslations

We're also running a big 75% sale at the moment so if you haven't got the game yet or want to gift it for a friend, now is a great time. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the new update! https://store.steampowered.com/app/657240

Hi all! The next update is nearly ready and I've completely revamped quite a few things. Not all of it will be visible just yet but the upgrades give me a lot of nice new options going forward. Naturally this can introduce new bugs, so if you're interested in getting an early preview of the new content and helping iron things out there will be a beta available for the next week or so. The main new features:

• Complete rework of how trains move Allows for more complex track pieces, smoother movement and improved train controls
• ~15 new track pieces New junctions, new pieces, new road/river pieces
• New "Redirector" object for choosing where the train turns Replaces the old system of clicking on track junctions
• New "Recently Used" row in the Toy Box To make it easier to find decorations you're currently using

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/5843e01493679b67c3fed73e4408306b10346a7e.png Accessing the beta:

• Right click on Tracks in your Steam games list and click Properties
• Go to the Betas tab on the left and choose the public_beta option from the dropdown menu (you don't need to enter a code)
• The beta should start downloading and Tracks should have a tag in the games list

If you have feedback on the new items or find any bugs I'd really appreciate if you posted them in the beta thread on the Steam forums or in the Tracks discord server. Thanks!

17th December 2020:

• Removed the faulty speed cap when using ramps or falling
• Improved how the train behaves at very high speeds
• Fixed the Speed Check and Train Start Point sometimes getting stuck in the world
• Fixed trains moving slower when they are off screen
• Fixed cloning a save potentially overwriting a previous clone of it
• The gamepad control menu now shows an Xbox Controller instead of a Switch Joycon
• Added some missing Level of Detail meshes
• Added an arrow to House Lights so you know which side is the front
• Fixed distant Barns not always having the correct custom colours
• Fixed an issue with loading tracks in passenger mode
• Fixed newly created passengers not walking to existing Platforms in passenger mode
• Fixed a piece of furniture's collision in Modern Apartment

11th January 2021:

• Fixed various issues with the Start Point
• Improved passenger mode UI
• Fixed an issue with bonsai trees

I'm happy to announce that Tracks: Toybox Edition is now available on the Nintendo Switch! Enjoy Tracks on the go with all previously released DLC included. You can get it now through the eShop: Americas or Europe.

Hi all! This update features a lot of big improvements. New sky options, weather, better performance, a new save/load system and lots of fixes.

Backdrops

Instead of having a blank void overhead, there are now several sky textures to choose between ranging from distant clouds to a vivid sunset. Backdrops also change the lighting in your world for quick fitting results, though if you want to do something different you can tweak it with the Sky Colour option, which now lets you change the colour of the sky and lighting separately. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/65c0c72bea1dc511e739a3fcab3050a42dcf65b9.png

Weather

The Snow button in the Scenery menu has been replaced with a new Weather option to cycle through Sunny, Snow, Light Rain or Heavy Rain effects. The new Rain options give everything a slick and shiny look with the choice between a gentle drizzle or a downpour. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/328bcaa5bc1222267e63690ab9728e1f4120cc70.png

Improved fog

The fog density slider has been upgraded to give better control, especially at lower values. If you made changes to fog density in a save file you may need to adjust it for the new system.

Save system upgrade

Complex save files will now be much smaller and load a lot faster. For a real world comparison, one file I use for testing (~50,000 decorations) was 19mb and took 50 seconds to load, now it is 0.3mb and loads in 7 seconds. Old saves will still work just fine for now, but I recommend updating any saves you care about to the new system by loading them and then saving them again. The new system also includes an animated progress screen and will save your current position so you start right back where you left off.

Sensitivity

The Options menu now lets you adjust look sensitivity, this will affect both the mouse and gamepads.

Improvements:

• Vehicle light settings are now saved/loaded
• Idle passengers can now be highlighted and removed like decorations
• Improved passenger behaviour when walking to platforms and stations
• Made passengers bigger to improve their size compared to decorations
• Physics decorations now have a base to make them easier to remove after they are hit
• Improved how the Clear Track button works
• More decorations are now paintable
• Improved readability on various menus
• Improved tooltips on various menus
• Improved train/build transitions
• Improved the train menu's chase camera
• Alternate mode now toggles off after placing 1 piece
• Improved gamepad menu navigation
• Gamepads can now access the alternate train cameras (Y on Xbox controllers)

Performance:

• Tweaked the lowest graphics options to increase performance gains
• Greatly improved CPU performance for worlds with many trains
• Optimised the Toy box and fixed a hitch when opening/closing it on low end machines
• Optimised train headlights
• Improved performance on Modern Apartment (Night)
• Reduced install size
• Added new and tweaked existing LoD models on several decorations to improve performance

Fixes:

• Additional trains no longer start with 0% paint strength when you first customise them
• Fixed issues with saving/loading train customisation
• Fixed train wheels becoming rotated off axis
• Fixed the Barber shop having the wrong thumbnail
• Fixed fog density not updating the first time you open the Scenery menu after loading a file
• Fixed falling snow not being visible from all trains
• Fixed Track Supports extending infinitely down if placed beyond the world's floor
• Fixed certain Track Supports not being removed properly
• Fixed certain recently highlighted objects being removed when trying to clear your current piece
• Fixed track sockets not appearing properly on crossings
• Removed some developer tools left in by accident
• Long save game names now wrap instead of overflowing off the edge
• Fixed an object recolouring bug when using a gamepad

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/8f32270e356e861e5a227dd433dfea6cd4bbb78c.png Hello all, Halloween is here once again and one big focus of the upcoming update is new tools for setting the right mood, so here's a sneak peak at a spooky scene featuring the new sky and weather systems: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/7af69be3868799eb5e7f62ff795a8b67de0c77d5.png Level by TGC-Cris The update is scheduled for release in a couple of weeks, so in the meantime you can have fun with some of the Halloween items available in-game! We have Jack'O'Lanterns, normal pumpkins, lanterns and of course a night time mode. If you're looking for a bit of family-friendly Halloween gaming fun, look no further. https://store.steampowered.com/app/657240/Tracks__The_Family_Friendly_Open_World_Train_Set_Game/

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/76296c207d7a353058ea4256908f09f0f0a1115e.png Hey all, We're excited to reveal that Tracks is part of the Tiny Teams festival! This means that the game is now 25% off until 15 Aug. For new players jumping in during the festival, make sure to check out the (free) Suburban DLC and the (paid) Sci-Fi DLC too! https://store.steampowered.com/app/657240 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1296900 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1278630 The Tiny Teams Festival, organised by Yogscast Games, runs from 9 - 15 August, and aims to showcase games made by solo devs or small teams.

Hi all, Firstly thank you for all of the support for the Sci-fi DLC! I wasn't sure how everyone would respond to the slightly wackier theme but I'm glad to see people enjoying the new decorations. A summary of small fixes for the latest content:

• Fixed the Alien Plant pulsing wildly if placed on an elevated surface
• Improved Crater texture
• Fixed Craters in different areas of the level not updating when the floor texture is changed
• Fixed Craters loaded from a file getting stuck on their initial texture
• Fixed some issues on the splash screen

I'm aware of an issue with trains not saving their styles and carriages, I'll be working to fix that asap.

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/66f4629c8ca11c4cdf69cdefbe70b451e4777e54.png Hello all, We're happy to announce that Tracks - The Train Set Game: Sci-Fi Pack is available now! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1296900 The pack includes:

• Over 30 new decorations including unique buildings, rockets, asteroids and a crater terrain block
• 10 new passengers
• A rocket-themed style for the train and carriages
• A new environment
• New achievements

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/35c2119378c418c9bbb19ce186b6c7c4df29543d.jpg The Moon environment features low gravity, allowing the train to jump much further and higher, as well as debuting the new volumetric fog effect to give lights a nice 3D look when fog is very dense. It also has a unique floor texture, a planetary sky theme and new music. We hope you enjoy this new pack - as always, let us know your thoughts! We're excited to see what you all get up to with the new decorations!

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/950d4e860879c911f22cd8d71a28a7ad71173e6a.jpg Hello all, We're happy to announce that Tracks - The Train Set Game: Sci-Fi Pack will lift off on 26 June! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/66f4629c8ca11c4cdf69cdefbe70b451e4777e54.png Return to the rails with Tracks - The Train Set Game: Sci-Fi Pack! Expand your toybox with over 30 items to use in your worlds. Look to the stars and take your train set further than ever before with new buildings, passengers, vehicles and a rocket train. Why not create an uncharted world with the new space rover, UFO, asteroid and alien? Perhaps take a giant leap for mankind with the new moon base, flag, craters and moon lander? Tracks' already expansive toy sandbox has just got bigger. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/d0578e87c7a76131cec9dfc0805a5d195efcd1ed.png This pack will be priced at approximately $3.99/£2.99. Add it to your Steam wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1296900 We're looking forward to seeing how you all put the new items to good use!

Firstly, thank you for all the kind words and feedback on the latest update! If you find that you can't place Suburban decorations and the icons don't load, try restarting the game, installing the DLC while the game is running currently isn't supported. 12th June 2020:

• Fixed the train not updating position when it wasn't on-screen, sometimes resulting in it appearing to be invisible
• Fixed the lighting on the lamp in Modern Apartment (Night)
• The Twitter/Discord links no longer activate with B/Y on gamepads
• Removed the recolour icons from some decorations which aren't recolourable
• Fixed the barrage of placement sounds you get when loading a large save

1st June 2020:

• Fixed decorations having an odd rotation after using the passenger brush
• Fixed passengers being sunk into the bed on Bedroom
• Fixed skyscrapers not saving their custom colours
• Fixed train wheels sometimes being rotated 90 degrees
• Fixed an inconsistency with level selection when using a controller

30th May 2020:

• Fixed certain bushy decorations leaving a phantom model that you can't delete or interact with
• Fixed rail crossings not letting you build track through them
• Fixed Fancy passengers having no icon or label in Passenger mode
• Fixed passenger labels in Passenger mode not being localised
• Fixed some base game passenger icons being stored in the Suburban DLC files

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/ef06705262c3b0307df56831309f61f08d60948d.png

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/41908982c849111715cafc6f4e2309fd6d175216.png

Suburban DLC

This update introduces the first content pack, Suburban, available right now and for free! In total it contains over 30 new decorations including buildings, passengers, vehicles and animals. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1278630

Optimisations

Players with weaker PCs or very large worlds should see some nice performance improvements. As part of this, MANY decorations have had major (hopefully invisible) reworks so if you notice anything odd about existing decorations please let me know! There are also several new tools in the options menu to improve performance even more.

Achievements

There are now 10 Steam achievements to earn, with perhaps more coming in future updates.

Sprint

You can now hold Shift to move faster in build mode, very useful for big creations. If you have previously made changes to key bindings you might need to open the Controls menu and manually assign Sprint to a key of your choice.

Passenger changes

The "Single" and "Group" system for passengers in the toy box has been replaced. There is now one option per passenger style. Placing a passenger with a key press will put down one just like the "Single" used to, and holding the key will quickly place up to 30 passengers in a circle. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/42ac9bd69dd751928b0d9a87d25d9ac20935da62.gif

New menu options

• Tutorial toggle The tutorial will no longer automatically appear when this is off
• Save game reminder toggle Hides the "Time since last save: " pop-up
• Motion blur toggle Removes the motion blur effect for people who don't like it
• View distance scale An option to change how quickly objects will reduce in quality/disappear at a distance. Decrease it to improve performance or increase it for a better view
• Simple materials Replaces certain materials (like the snow effect and landscape textures) with simpler alternatives. The difference is subtle but it can improve performance quite a bit.

Improvements

• Improved train physics so speed affects how far you can jump
• Bug fixes
• Several existing decorations have been upgraded to support recolouring
• Expanded the floor in Clear (Night) to be the same size as Clear
• Specular highlights now become more diffuse in heavy fog
• Emergency vehicles now cycle through lighting states when clicked, instead of being all on/all off

Tracks: Sci-Fi Pack Arriving in June

That's not all. In June, we'll be launching the Sci-Fi Pack, featuring 30+ new items and a new train type. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/28ea7f015b80191d43e9a5e554d6975a987732a2.png Look to the stars and take your train set further than ever before with new buildings, passengers, vehicles and a rocket train. Why not create an uncharted world with the new space rover, UFO, asteroid and alien? Perhaps take a giant leap for mankind with the new moon base, flag, craters and moon lander? This pack will be priced at approximately $3.99/£2.99. Add it to your Steam wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1296900

Hello all, I'm excited to introduce you to Tracks - The Train Set Game: Suburban Pack, a free DLC arriving on 29 May! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/5e5830899fae63b6f6fea8a1f8d3cf12ef065d17.jpg Jump back into Tracks - The Train Set Game with this completely free DLC: the Suburban pack! Expand your toybox with over 30 new items to use in your worlds. Unlock a world of suburbia, with new buildings, passengers, animals and vehicles. Why not build a town square, with the new pub, cinema, cafe, school and bus stop? Perhaps create a local play park, with the new slide, swing set and ice cream van? Tracks' already expansive toy sandbox has just got bigger. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/47137a344ebc6c6de45d608edc016d6e782fccab.jpg Add Tracks - The Train Set Game: Suburban Pack to your Steam wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1278630

The Future of Tracks

This is just one of multiple DLC packs we have lined up for you all. And you won't have to wait long to hear more about them! While not all of the DLC packs will be free, we are over the moon to be able to deliver this one to you all free of charge. While the Suburban Pack is designed more so as an extension of the themes already found in the base game, future DLC will expand your toybox in some more out-there and perhaps surprising ways. We think you'll love what we've got coming up. Stay tuned! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/ba9ac663fae1df824ac8b83b65fa878f508abcda.jpg

Snow upgrade

Enabling snow will now blanket the entire level with a lovely coat: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/ecafa005cfae8db9b79bfb8b721d6b2d485bcf12.gif{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/fbc4631ed06403a4dfdb8b5799945f7fe196755a.gif {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/e3ad4013c0afdf6dc1475230f29f2409ee59e4de.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/7307f659808714a46a4d06537ac87a01fb9f1a7c.jpg Environment made by TGC-Cris

Also:

• Added Hungarian as a language option
• The train shouldn't fall through the tracks as often
• Optimisations to terrain blocks and rivers
• Removed some unnecessary files from the game

Discord:

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/3e82e76b510be6c729a5a835423ae3749aec320a.png Click the image or use https://discord.gg/dQgMHTC to join and ask questions/keep up with development.

Hey all, Firstly thank you to everyone for the positive response we've had since launch! I'm so glad people are enjoying the game and I'm taking on board all the thoughts and feedback from the forums and discord. There'll be some tastier content coming soon but for now this patch is just a quick one to fix some bugs.

General:

• You don't need to be looking towards the train whistle to use it any more
• Fixed the progress screen getting stuck on when loading very large saves
• Fixed various issues with the object recolour/resize menu
• Fixed Small and Tall Houses becoming a Medium House after being loaded
• Fixed the build cursor and decoration highlighting being visible from the train
• Fixed trains not being able to travel over Crossings via the road
• Fixed the train picker indicator being invisible in certain versions
• Fixed Passenger Spawners causing issues if they are placed too quickly
• Optimisations

Controllers:

• You can now change the train's speed with left/right triggers
• Fixed tutorial keywords being in English even if another language was selected
• Fixed various issues with Toy Box search and navigation
• Fixed recolour/resize menu continuing to change from a gamepad stick after the menu had closed
• Fixed the train menu not scrolling through the list if there were more than 6 trains
• Fixed needing to reselect the previously highlighted train menu option before using it

Hello all! The day has finally come for Tracks to leave Early Access (and also launch on Xbox One and Windows 10) A huge thank you to everyone who bought, played and gave feedback at any point in the last 2 years. The game is bigger and better than I ever imagined it would be and that is down to all of you supporting the game and letting me create something great. I'm not ready to announce anything as far as post-launch content goes, but know there will definitely be updates full of lovely stuff just like you've gotten used to. There is a new official Discord server for Tracks right here. Join if you'd like to chat about the game or keep up with development. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/5e4722e0ef98ad1ce74ec61f050b8e034057d9ab.png

ːHealUpː Recolour revamp

Random buildings are gone. Well, you can still have them if you want. But there is a new colour picker tool available when placing paintable items. This applies to any object which had random colour variations:

• Houses
• Apartment block and Skyscraper
• Vehicles

Extra objects which can now be recoloured:

• Flower pot
• Circus tents
• Camping tent
• Hydrant
• Tractor
• Cafe tables
• Picnic table
• Bench
• Light Arch
• House Lights
• Fireworks
• Fairy Tree
• Fountain
• Bushes
• Hedge
• Pine tree
• Christmas tree

Press G (Scenery menu) while placing a paintable item (indicated by an eye dropper icon in the Toy box) to bring up the colour picker. https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/29269006/2eb81ee8fc75d5a2f52281e4e84fd6122c30ce8e.png

ːHealUpː Terrain block resizing

• Similar to recolourable decorations, you can now open the Scenery menu when placing a terrain block to change the size of it

ːHealUpː Passenger mode

• Progress and current track layout are now automatically saved when you finish each stage
• Several new stages in Modern Apartment
• Whole new set of stages in Bedroom

ːHealUpː Performance

This update introduces a massive rendering overhaul which should dramatically improve framerates in large creations. There are a lot of components to this and it has been in the works for a while so if you notice anything strange (e.g. things not looking right, wrong colours, ghostly objects which you can't delete) let me know! Also:

• The game should now start up faster when you launch it
• Improved save game load times by up to 50%
• Potentially big framerate improvements on any environment with furniture
• Various improvements to model and material performance
• Reduced the download/install size

ːHealUpː New track piece: Vertical turn

It has been a real long time since I added a new piece. There's a long story but getting this one working properly should make it a lot easier to add new pieces going forward. https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/29269006/d1df56957be9f9484fe38500be32803e06dfdd5e.gif

ːHealUpː UI improvements

New Options:

• Invert Look - Inverts vertical movement for both the mouse and controller sticks
• Cursor Scale - Adjusts the size of the mouse cursor

Also:

• General improvements to Toy box visibility and layout
• The size slider in the Toy box now adjusts more than just the icon size
• Various improvements to the tutorial including better text size, styling and wording
• Improved cursor style
• Audio options and Toy box zoom size are now saved between sessions

ːHealUpː Controller improvements

• Removed the 'beta' tag from controller support
• Massively improved toy box navigation and scrolling behaviour
• You can now use the D-Pad to navigate the Scenery menu, with snapping options moved into the column of buttons.
• New tutorial style better suited to gamepads
• Tutorial now uses rich text formatting like the Keyboard/Mouse tutorial
• Fixed the tutorial showing one point twice and leaving out another
• Colour wheel value is now set with the right stick instead of the X/Y buttons
• Fixed pressing X on the Scenery menu deleting the object you were placing
• Fixed movement speed varying based vertical look angle
• Fixed the restricted objects warning in Passenger Mode causing the Toy Box to get stuck
• Fixed the warning about your track being cleared not being navigable

ːHealUpː Miscellaneous

• Added 3 new pieces of music
• Fixed track pieces sometimes disappearing from save files
• Fixed Field of View options not saving if only one of them was set
• Removed the Experimental category from the Toy Box, added Terrain and Signs categories
• Fixed save game discovery getting stuck if you only had passenger mode saves
• Removed the Experimental category from the Toy Box, added Terrain and Signs categories
• Like 50 nice improvements which have been lost to the cyberweb because my list got deleted when Steam introduced the new announcement system
• Added columns for several Track Support pieces
• Improvements to every terrain material and block mesh (resizing coming soon)
• Improved visual effects for a lot of decorations, passengers, sockets, train rerouting
• Tweaked the train's acceleration on slopes to make climbing while reversing easier
• Fixed tunnels causing a permanently black train view if used with 2+ carriages
• Fixed tunnels letting the train enter even if it isn't linked to another tunnel
• Fixed a double placement bug caused by quickly clicking on new decorations
• Various improvements to the mechanics and visuals of deposit/collection towers, and removed them from the experimental category

ːHealUpː New languages

• Spanish
• French
• Italian

If you notice any mistakes or issues with these translations please let me know in the forums! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/29269006/252842d04e4e654deeeefcdd0f057fffa433be23.gif

ːHealUpː Decorations

ːromopolis_houseː Signs

• Traffic Signal
• Semaphore
• Crossing
• Level Crossing
• Railway Crossing
• Light Signals
• Stop
• Pedestrian Crossing
• Rail Crossing
• Cattle
• Workers

ːromopolis_houseː Signal Box ːromopolis_houseː Mountain ːromopolis_houseː Campfire {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/8ce7a65ffd1c2578f3474faa7f3482a74ad5d201.png{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/f6e2570a32c92f4d29a5299ac7af134b1cb64c3a.png{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/60ea160aa0d84289a701b77a044cc7c5b217be47.png{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/1c23be166a56b4878f50db71fec5cf8283751e35.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/6316c2796e42cf24281af5481b9c10fd1f60c9e4.png{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/75a8d6f7b6751b3ea5250746c151d34195862a20.png{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/e3ac971c3d0f2a1615caa3b5d9665180a9ad2baf.png{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/689a6486d6329b2138298c2ff87c90737183df75.png

Thank you to everyone who tried the last beta version, there is a new optional update available on the beta branch. For details on the last beta update you can get a full rundown from the previous announcement. Tracks will leave early access on Steam and officially launch on Xbox One and Windows 10 on November 14th, but you can get a preview of the (almost finished) version right here!

How to Access the v1.0 Update Beta

To access the beta version of the 1.0 update, please do the following:

• Load up Steam and head to your library
• Right click on Tracks – The Train Set Game and then select "Properties"
• Head to the Beta tab and in the drop down select "1.0beta" (no password needed)
• This will then download the new update for you

ːHealUpː Discord

• There is now an official Discord server for Tracks right here. Join if you'd like to chat about the game or keep up with development.

ːHealUpː Terrain block resizing

• Similar to recolourable decorations, you can now open the Scenery menu when placing a terrain block to change the size of it

ːHealUpː Passenger mode

• Progress and current track layout are now automatically saved when you finish each stage
• Several new stages in Modern Apartment
• Whole new set of stages in Bedroom

ːHealUpː Other changes

• Added 3 new pieces of music
• Fixed track pieces sometimes disappearing from save files
• Fixed Field of View options not saving if only one of them was set
• Removed the Experimental category from the Toy Box, added Terrain and Signs categories
• Fixed save game discovery getting stuck if you only had passenger mode saves

ːHealUpː Decorations

ːromopolis_houseː Signs

• Traffic Signal
• Semaphore
• Crossing
• Level Crossing
• Railway Crossing
• Light Signals
• Stop
• Pedestrian Crossing
• Rail Crossing
• Cattle
• Workers

ːromopolis_houseː Signal Box ːromopolis_houseː Mountain ːromopolis_houseː Campfire {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/8ce7a65ffd1c2578f3474faa7f3482a74ad5d201.png{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/f6e2570a32c92f4d29a5299ac7af134b1cb64c3a.png{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/60ea160aa0d84289a701b77a044cc7c5b217be47.png{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/1c23be166a56b4878f50db71fec5cf8283751e35.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/6316c2796e42cf24281af5481b9c10fd1f60c9e4.png{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/75a8d6f7b6751b3ea5250746c151d34195862a20.png{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/e3ac971c3d0f2a1615caa3b5d9665180a9ad2baf.png{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29269006/689a6486d6329b2138298c2ff87c90737183df75.png