RailSimultator.com to become Dovetail Games

[Bungle73]

I can reveal that we are now in the very early stages of developing a range of completely new simulation products to sit alongside Train Simulator. What I have found during my time in the videogames industry is that the process of learning, development and innovation never stops. We have learned a great deal and taken our business forward considerably over the past four years, and I feel the time is now right for us to move ahead with long-term plans to offer a broader range of high quality, entertaining simulation products.

It was clear to me that with our new, broader perspective, we would need a new company name. RailSimulator.com has been the perfect name for us over the past few years, but once we start to expand into new areas outside of trains, this name could create some confusion.


Do not think that our focus on train simulation is set to change – far from it. I will continue to grow our train simulation team and we are currently putting together our most ambitious product release plan to date. Over the next 12 months my team will be producing many more of the British, German and American trains and routes which you have asked for, and thanks to feedback from the community, we will begin to produce trains and routes for other growing markets. Since our company and our product range has grown, so too has our community, and we are gearing up to satisfy the demands of a huge global Train Simulator user base, which I find very exciting indeed.


I hope that you will not only continue to be avid players and supporters of Train Simulator, but that you might also find something of interest in our new range of products.

http://www.engine-driver.com/article/show/1162/railsimulator-com-becomes-dovetail-games

Hmm, interesting.

 

[jon91]

They've also posted vacancies for programmers to develop a new game engine for Train Simulator using the Unreal 4 engine. Long overdue but I'm glad they're finally planning on replacing the one we've got now.

 

[Zulnex]

They've also posted vacancies for programmers to develop a new game engine for Train Simulator using the Unreal 4 engine. Long overdue but I'm glad they're finally planning on replacing the one we've got now.

I agree as well. It's awesome that there will be a new game engine.
Hopefully multiplayer as well.

 

[Bungle73]

I agree as well. It's awesome that there will be a new game engine.
Hopefully multiplayer as well.

All I keep seeing is people keep going about "multi-player". But not one person has come up with what "multi-player" actually means. Tell me how you can have multi-player in a game where it is entirely based around a solo activity?

All people have come up with is "guards/conductors"....yeah, right. And a bunch of other stuff that either is something no one would want to play, isn't prototypical, or is something this game doesn't aim to be.

 

[Class 92]

Does that mean that the specs will change meaning you cant use a Intel HD graphics card or not?

 

[Darandio]

Who knows?

 

[ainsworth74]

Does that mean that the specs will change meaning you cant use a Intel HD graphics card or not?

I would broadly go with the above answer 'Who Knows?', however, common sense would suggest that if they're developing a new engine then they will want to develop something that is a bit better than what they use currently. This would suggest a bump in system specs will occur, now whether or not one of those Intel cards will work is anyone's guess.

 

[jon91]

All I keep seeing is people keep going about "multi-player". But not one person has come up with what "multi-player" actually means. Tell me how you can have multi-player in a game where it is entirely based around a solo activity?

All people have come up with is "guards/conductors"....yeah, right. And a bunch of other stuff that either is something no one would want to play, isn't prototypical, or is something this game doesn't aim to be.

Perhaps letting a human take over from the AI to control the dispatcher, that way it'd be easier for a session with more than one player.

 

[Bungle73]

Perhaps letting a human take over from the AI to control the dispatcher, that way it'd be easier for a session with more than one player.

Who would want to play a dispatcher - a job where all you do is give trains the ok to go?? This is what I mean. I'm still waiting for a proper suggestion of a job, other than driver (in the context of a train driving simulation) that people would actually want to play.

It seems to me people just keep repeating "multi-player, multi-player" like parrots without any real idea exactly what they want.

The real truth is that multiplayer just does not work in a game like this, because the only real job that everyone wants to do - the only that is fun - is driving. And train driving is a solo activity with little or no contact with anyone else, unless some kind of problem crops up.

 

[Domh245]

I suppose that you could do something whereby two trains come together (with separate drivers) couple up and then a third driver takes it onwards. For example: Train A comes from location 1, and Train B comes from location 2. They both meet up at location C where Train A is taken over by another driver, who takes it as far as point D, where there is a change from electric traction to diesel traction, which takes it through to it's final destination.

 

[ainsworth74]

The only multilayer I can see working would be to have in effect SimSig and TS combined. So you could have some people driving and then have one person acting as signaller setting routes using a signalling interface. You could also perhaps spice things up a bit by having random failures meaning that the signaller then has to try and compensate and re-route services or co-ordinate single line running.

That's the only way I can really see it working.

 

[zn1]

what needs to happen is ts and BVE need to collaborate and get the best from both to make something that is superb....Openbve has qualities that TS needs and vice versa, ts needs a proper tpws system, vigiliance system, etc

 

[Bungle73]

what needs to happen is ts and BVE need to collaborate and get the best from both to make something that is superb....Openbve has qualities that TS needs and vice versa, ts needs a proper tpws system, vigiliance system, etc

There's already a vigilance system on some trains: the 395 has one, the 377 has one, and a few others.

 

[Class 92]

The only multilayer I can see working would be to have in effect SimSig and TS combined. So you could have some people driving and then have one person acting as signaller setting routes using a signalling interface. You could also perhaps spice things up a bit by having random failures meaning that the signaller then has to try and compensate and re-route services or co-ordinate single line running.

That's the only way I can really see it working.

I was thinking exactly the same.

 

[Bungle73]

They already has a "Relay Play" in the last version, but it seems to have been dropped with the latest one as far as I can tell.

 

[jon91]

Who would want to play a dispatcher - a job where all you do is give trains the ok to go?? This is what I mean. I'm still waiting for a proper suggestion of a job, other than driver (in the context of a train driving simulation) that people would actually want to play.

Erm, you seem to have got the wrong end of the stick chap. I suggest you look deeper into the actual workings of the sim and find that the dispatcher I was referring to is the part of the program which controls the routes trains take. Really its does the signaller's job but for some reason its referred to as the dispatcher...

It throws tantrums when only having to deal with AI trains, hence my suggestion that a human takes over that side of proceedings for multiplayer where flexibility may be required.

 

[straller]

I will still call it RSC, because I'm used to it, Dovetail Games is just their brand name, and their website is railsimulator.com.

 

[starrymarkb]

All I keep seeing is people keep going about "multi-player". But not one person has come up with what "multi-player" actually means. Tell me how you can have multi-player in a game where it is entirely based around a solo activity?

All people have come up with is "guards/conductors"....yeah, right. And a bunch of other stuff that either is something no one would want to play, isn't prototypical, or is something this game doesn't aim to be.

Flight Simulator can be made into an MMO with a couple of plug ins, you can even get high standard ATC from other players!

TS would be a bit harder - I guess a yard shunter and signaler could be a good multiplayer activity?

Main issue would be preventing griefing