Hey everyone,

A new demo update is out! As we wrote in our previous status report, this update is quite large, so let’s get onto the details. Like with our previous update, we’ve made a short devlog video describing the highlights. Dive in!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0kK1uF9flM


Going over bumpy tracks feels much more natural now. This was tricky to do though - for the best results the game needed to adjust stabilization dynamically based on approximation of where the player is looking. The result turned out quite good. We explained more about how it works in the devlog - check it out!


All paper-based information in the game has been remade. The new booklet style offers improved readability in VR, and by allowing any number of pages, it also decreases clutter. This will be crucial for future development of procedural missions, but also allowed us to make a far nicer tutorial and train yard maps.




Missions have been remade from scratch, now having more relaxed deadlines, but still remaining challenging. With the improved map and yard signs (mentioned below), navigation is now more fun too (but not too simplified)! Walking outside still remains to be done however, which will make it easier to change switches when they are obstructed by cars. Mission progress is now auto-saved during the same play-session, meaning that in case you derailed after completing the first mission, you’ll be able to continue from there until you leave the game.


Demo railway has been equipped with speed signs, yard signs and signals. Signals currently don’t have any purpose, but being fully operational, they’ll be vital for adding NPC trains to the game later on.




Finished truss bridge
Added new hopper car
Remade railway model


We’ve redesigned the main menu, which now features several options and can be accessed with the menu button. New floating tooltips have also been added, aiding players when they are encouraged to look at a specific location (e.g. a button on the controller). Touchpad now has better visual and haptic feedback, and you can toggle-hold items by pressing grip button while holding them (or see options for an alternative way).


Previous build had issues with sounds missing when starting the game sometimes. This has been fixed, along with missing reverb in tunnels. Environmental parameters have been tweaked, resulting in better audio immersion.


- No more trees popping when switching LODs
- Items in the cab are now affected by inertia
- Brake is now more responsive
- Derailed cars now blink on the coupler display
- Camera re-centering has been moved to options (or for experienced players: hold both menu buttons)


Finally, we have a big new work-in-progress feature: new train wheel physics. Once complete it will allow trains to tilt, flip, jump or otherwise detach from railway realistically. This is not included in the main demo build yet, but you can try the current version by switching to a beta branch (in Steam right click Derail Valley Demo, go to Properties and in the Betas tab choose “experimental”)!



There are many more small changes in this update. You can find them all listed in changelog.txt located in the game files.

With this update we’ve also made many under-the-hood changes and tests that are hard to show, but which were essential for us to determine exact steps we will take towards Early Access release of the game. We’ve described our new roadmap in our previous news post, so make sure to check that out if you missed it! In the meantime we’ll be working on a small update to integrate the new train physics in the demo, and from that point on focus solely on the release.

That's it for now! If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either for the update or the devlog, let us know on the forum!

Hey everyone,

A new demo update is out! As we wrote in our previous status report, this update is quite large, so let’s get onto the details. Like with our previous update, we’ve made a short devlog video describing the highlights. Dive in!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0kK1uF9flM


Going over bumpy tracks feels much more natural now. This was tricky to do though - for the best results the game needed to adjust stabilization dynamically based on approximation of where the player is looking. The result turned out quite good. We explained more about how it works in the devlog - check it out!


All paper-based information in the game has been remade. The new booklet style offers improved readability in VR, and by allowing any number of pages, it also decreases clutter. This will be crucial for future development of procedural missions, but also allowed us to make a far nicer tutorial and train yard maps.




Missions have been remade from scratch, now having more relaxed deadlines, but still remaining challenging. With the improved map and yard signs (mentioned below), navigation is now more fun too (but not too simplified)! Walking outside still remains to be done however, which will make it easier to change switches when they are obstructed by cars. Mission progress is now auto-saved during the same play-session, meaning that in case you derailed after completing the first mission, you’ll be able to continue from there until you leave the game.


Demo railway has been equipped with speed signs, yard signs and signals. Signals currently don’t have any purpose, but being fully operational, they’ll be vital for adding NPC trains to the game later on.




Finished truss bridge
Added new hopper car
Remade railway model


We’ve redesigned the main menu, which now features several options and can be accessed with the menu button. New floating tooltips have also been added, aiding players when they are encouraged to look at a specific location (e.g. a button on the controller). Touchpad now has better visual and haptic feedback, and you can toggle-hold items by pressing grip button while holding them (or see options for an alternative way).


Previous build had issues with sounds missing when starting the game sometimes. This has been fixed, along with missing reverb in tunnels. Environmental parameters have been tweaked, resulting in better audio immersion.


- No more trees popping when switching LODs
- Items in the cab are now affected by inertia
- Brake is now more responsive
- Derailed cars now blink on the coupler display
- Camera re-centering has been moved to options (or for experienced players: hold both menu buttons)


Finally, we have a big new work-in-progress feature: new train wheel physics. Once complete it will allow trains to tilt, flip, jump or otherwise detach from railway realistically. This is not included in the main demo build yet, but you can try the current version by switching to a beta branch (in Steam right click Derail Valley Demo, go to Properties and in the Betas tab choose “experimental”)!



There are many more small changes in this update. You can find them all listed in changelog.txt located in the game files.

With this update we’ve also made many under-the-hood changes and tests that are hard to show, but which were essential for us to determine exact steps we will take towards Early Access release of the game. We’ve described our new roadmap in our previous news post, so make sure to check that out if you missed it! In the meantime we’ll be working on a small update to integrate the new train physics in the demo, and from that point on focus solely on the release.

That's it for now! If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either for the update or the devlog, let us know on the forum!

Hi everyone,

We’ve been too quiet lately (unintentionally), so just wanted to quickly share some information and keep you up to date with how things are going:


Yes. It is quite considerable too, spanning over what we originally intended to be multiple smaller updates.

One of the reasons it took so long is that many of the under-the-hood parts of the game, which were rushed for the MSI contest, have been reworked. This will help us keep the game stable and easily expandable in the future. Many small additions and improvements are included too - you’ll hear all the details in the upcoming devlog!

The update is nearly complete. Actually the biggest chunk of work left to do is to prepare the accompanying devlog.


Unfortunately no. It’s been an uncertainty for the last couple of weeks, but we just made that decision definitive. Based on our observations and comments we’ve received over time, our idea of what the release should include evolved into something slightly bigger. We’ll be postponing the release a few months to include those changes. The paid game should be undoubtedly perceived as a larger game than the free demo, which is the primary reason for the postponement.

With those extra features implemented from the start, a steady flow of updates will be far easier to maintain from there on during Early Access, and at the same time we will have more information to accompany the Early Access roadmap.

Postponing will also help us avoid a potential clash with summer holidays and sales.


The advantage we have now compared to several months back is that while reworking many of the things for the upcoming demo update, we got a clearer picture of what exact features we want to have in the initial release version, as well as how we’ll implement them. Thus, at this point we feel confident to share the rough initial release roadmap with you. Of course, more detailed explanations will follow in the months to come:

Large world (proof-of-concept)

Without going too much into gameplay details (this will be further discussed in a future devlog), we want the release version to offer at least one long hauling mission (lasting ideally more than 30 minutes to complete). It would require a railway network spanning over many miles of realistic landscape, and include a few train yards where shunting missions will be available.

The large world will not be fully complete at the time of release, but its purpose is to prove the feasibility of this major feature and to let us confidently announce what’s yet to come at the time of release.

One new locomotive

We want players to strive for something specific in the game, and already in the initial release version we see the need for at least one new locomotive (probably steam-based). Players will need to earn enough money by completing missions in order to buy the new locomotive.

We plan to add several more train types after the release, but again, further gameplay features will be discussed in a future devlog.

NPC trains

While going about your business, you will encounter other trains along the way. This will include the signaling system (which has been made already and is coming in the demo update), as well as new cars (one is also coming in the update, others are in progress).

Improved train physics

Driving a train is going to be more dynamic. You’ll see big improvements to derailment (coming in the next demo update already), as well as more gameplay-specific elements such as wheelslip, engine overheating, brake pressure management, etc.

Walking / Teleporting

We think that being able to walk outside the train is a crucial feature in order to solve visibility problems, especially when shunting long trains. A lot of work has been done in the upcoming build that made it possible to start working on this as soon as the update is released.

This will also make it possible to come out of derailed trains and observe them, or just do some trainspotting.

Support for more devices

Oculus has supplied us with a free devkit of Rift and Touch. We want to officially support these devices at release date.

Additionally, thanks to your feedback we’ll include rudimentary support of keyboard & mouse controls, for players who would like to try the game but don’t own VR headsets or even just controllers yet. A lot of work was put already into making many systems in the game work with such controls.

-

Now, we know that the release postponement might come as a turn-off for some of you. It surely is for us, and considering that the game is already playable it might not seem necessary. However the demo is still there and updated, and we think the game will have a better future if we ensure it will release with more content, more stable updates and more information regarding its future roadmap right from the start.

While the upcoming demo update will already provide a refreshment (it’s got entirely new missions, for example), for those of you who are absolutely eager to try the release version as soon as possible we might be able to sneak in beta access some time prior to release. :)

That’s all for this update. Please let us know your thoughts about this news and in the meantime stay tuned for the demo update coming very soon!

DV Dev Team

Hi everyone,

We’ve been too quiet lately (unintentionally), so just wanted to quickly share some information and keep you up to date with how things are going:


Yes. It is quite considerable too, spanning over what we originally intended to be multiple smaller updates.

One of the reasons it took so long is that many of the under-the-hood parts of the game, which were rushed for the MSI contest, have been reworked. This will help us keep the game stable and easily expandable in the future. Many small additions and improvements are included too - you’ll hear all the details in the upcoming devlog!

The update is nearly complete. Actually the biggest chunk of work left to do is to prepare the accompanying devlog.


Unfortunately no. It’s been an uncertainty for the last couple of weeks, but we just made that decision definitive. Based on our observations and comments we’ve received over time, our idea of what the release should include evolved into something slightly bigger. We’ll be postponing the release a few months to include those changes. The paid game should be undoubtedly perceived as a larger game than the free demo, which is the primary reason for the postponement.

With those extra features implemented from the start, a steady flow of updates will be far easier to maintain from there on during Early Access, and at the same time we will have more information to accompany the Early Access roadmap.

Postponing will also help us avoid a potential clash with summer holidays and sales.


The advantage we have now compared to several months back is that while reworking many of the things for the upcoming demo update, we got a clearer picture of what exact features we want to have in the initial release version, as well as how we’ll implement them. Thus, at this point we feel confident to share the rough initial release roadmap with you. Of course, more detailed explanations will follow in the months to come:

Large world (proof-of-concept)

Without going too much into gameplay details (this will be further discussed in a future devlog), we want the release version to offer at least one long hauling mission (lasting ideally more than 30 minutes to complete). It would require a railway network spanning over many miles of realistic landscape, and include a few train yards where shunting missions will be available.

The large world will not be fully complete at the time of release, but its purpose is to prove the feasibility of this major feature and to let us confidently announce what’s yet to come at the time of release.

One new locomotive

We want players to strive for something specific in the game, and already in the initial release version we see the need for at least one new locomotive (probably steam-based). Players will need to earn enough money by completing missions in order to buy the new locomotive.

We plan to add several more train types after the release, but again, further gameplay features will be discussed in a future devlog.

NPC trains

While going about your business, you will encounter other trains along the way. This will include the signaling system (which has been made already and is coming in the demo update), as well as new cars (one is also coming in the update, others are in progress).

Improved train physics

Driving a train is going to be more dynamic. You’ll see big improvements to derailment (coming in the next demo update already), as well as more gameplay-specific elements such as wheelslip, engine overheating, brake pressure management, etc.

Walking / Teleporting

We think that being able to walk outside the train is a crucial feature in order to solve visibility problems, especially when shunting long trains. A lot of work has been done in the upcoming build that made it possible to start working on this as soon as the update is released.

This will also make it possible to come out of derailed trains and observe them, or just do some trainspotting.

Support for more devices

Oculus has supplied us with a free devkit of Rift and Touch. We want to officially support these devices at release date.

Additionally, thanks to your feedback we’ll include rudimentary support of keyboard & mouse controls, for players who would like to try the game but don’t own VR headsets or even just controllers yet. A lot of work was put already into making many systems in the game work with such controls.

-

Now, we know that the release postponement might come as a turn-off for some of you. It surely is for us, and considering that the game is already playable it might not seem necessary. However the demo is still there and updated, and we think the game will have a better future if we ensure it will release with more content, more stable updates and more information regarding its future roadmap right from the start.

While the upcoming demo update will already provide a refreshment (it’s got entirely new missions, for example), for those of you who are absolutely eager to try the release version as soon as possible we might be able to sneak in beta access some time prior to release. :)

That’s all for this update. Please let us know your thoughts about this news and in the meantime stay tuned for the demo update coming very soon!

DV Dev Team

Hi guys!

The new update is up, fixing the most critical issues. With it we've also launched our first devlog video, so please check it out and let us know your thoughts! If the feedback is positive, we'll continue making these for every new update:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUzKT5uaX6g


You've probably experienced cars unexpectedly derailing at some points on the map, even at very low speeds. That's been fixed and trains now feel generally stronger and more robust. Also, when derailed cars should no longer get stuck on track ballast and falling through bridges.


Previously if any car would have derailed on the map, you would no longer be able to go through tunnels. Furthermore, if you'd try to come out of one, it would launch the locomotive flying! That's been fixed.


Based on your feedback, we've moved the controller interaction point slightly forward making it easier to handle controls. The spherical indicator now glows when in range of an interactable object, and touching the coupler buttons will give vibration feedback.


It's possible now to recenter the camera in room-scale, in case you'd like to avoid standing close to a wall. Proper teleporting feature will be added later.

Generally, for small spaces we recommend playing in seated mode. In it, you can reposition yourself to four different corners of the cab, using the camera controls (they need some tweaking though).


Interaction of wheels on railway has been made more prominent sound-wise, and now gives a better idea as to when you're about to derail. Trains generally feel more massive now.


We've added a newspaper-like changelog to the rear of the cab, in place of an obsolete old map (see devlog video for more details, the actual map is on the front desk!), where you will be able to see the list of main changes in future builds.

For smaller changes, check out the changelog.txt in the game files (there aren't many this time)!

---

That's it for this update! If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either for the update or the devlog, let us know on the forum!

Hi guys!

The new update is up, fixing the most critical issues. With it we've also launched our first devlog video, so please check it out and let us know your thoughts! If the feedback is positive, we'll continue making these for every new update:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUzKT5uaX6g


You've probably experienced cars unexpectedly derailing at some points on the map, even at very low speeds. That's been fixed and trains now feel generally stronger and more robust. Also, when derailed cars should no longer get stuck on track ballast and falling through bridges.


Previously if any car would have derailed on the map, you would no longer be able to go through tunnels. Furthermore, if you'd try to come out of one, it would launch the locomotive flying! That's been fixed.


Based on your feedback, we've moved the controller interaction point slightly forward making it easier to handle controls. The spherical indicator now glows when in range of an interactable object, and touching the coupler buttons will give vibration feedback.


It's possible now to recenter the camera in room-scale, in case you'd like to avoid standing close to a wall. Proper teleporting feature will be added later.

Generally, for small spaces we recommend playing in seated mode. In it, you can reposition yourself to four different corners of the cab, using the camera controls (they need some tweaking though).


Interaction of wheels on railway has been made more prominent sound-wise, and now gives a better idea as to when you're about to derail. Trains generally feel more massive now.


We've added a newspaper-like changelog to the rear of the cab, in place of an obsolete old map (see devlog video for more details, the actual map is on the front desk!), where you will be able to see the list of main changes in future builds.

For smaller changes, check out the changelog.txt in the game files (there aren't many this time)!

---

That's it for this update! If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, either for the update or the devlog, let us know on the forum!

Hey everyone!

We’re thrilled to announce Derail Valley, our train simulation game made for VR!


In Derail Valley you drive a train using your own hands in virtual reality. You’re tasked to reposition rolling stock between trainyards on time, which will probably result in an unexpected derailment. Our idea with the game is to bring something new to train sim and VR games. Please see the Steam description for more details.

If you have an HTC Vive, you can try the free demo!


The game is made by three of us - Ivan, Nenad and myself, who also happen to be roommates, long time best friends, and vehicle, game development and technology enthusiasts. There’s some more info on our history and roles on the website!




The plan really is to make it the best train simulation we can. This means that in Q2 2017 we’re set off to release an expanded version of Derail Valley in Early Access, and from that point on keep developing it according to available resources and community feedback.

Until then we’ll be working on new features, such as procedural shunting missions, NPC trains, and more car variety. A lot more features and content will eventually make it into the game, but we will reveal our plans as we go. We intend to post news updates regularly, so stay tuned!

Paid version of the game is expected to be in the $15-20 range at launch date, with a possible increase later down the road, respective to the amount of features and content the game will eventually have. Demo will remain available for free.

Please see Early Access information for more details.




Derail Valley currently offers a single 2x2 km square map with 4 train yards, one fictional diesel-electric shunter locomotive and 4 shunting missions. Essential train controls are functional, as well as coupling and derailment (which still needs some work), in both seated and room-scale modes. The game is playable and completing the missions can take multiple hours.

At least in the initial version, we want players to experience imperfection of the rail transport, so we’ve decided to focus on abandoned equipment, with old rusty tracks, worn-out trains set in overgrown nature and a bunch of paperwork on the desk. Some odd railway vehicles that normally wouldn’t find a place in simulators, are welcome here.

Although we started making the game 8 months ago, the major push in our development was made thanks to the MSI VR Jam, where, amazingly, we’ve won 3rd place among more than 600 participants. We were awarded $15.000 cash prize, which will ensure stable development of Derail Valley for months to come!




Currently Derail Valley requires an HTC Vive headset. In future we will look into the possibilities of Oculus Touch integration as well as keyboard and mouse controls for those who don’t own a VR headset. We’ll be posting more about these possibilities later on, and if you’re one of those who would really want these features, be sure to let us know on the forum!


We’ll be posting further updates to the Steam page regularly, as well as on our social networks, so you can follow us via links below:

Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Website

You can also find @nothke, @_bgr_ and me individually on Twitter.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, make sure to make a post on our Steam forum!

Hey everyone!

We’re thrilled to announce Derail Valley, our train simulation game made for VR!


In Derail Valley you drive a train using your own hands in virtual reality. You’re tasked to reposition rolling stock between trainyards on time, which will probably result in an unexpected derailment. Our idea with the game is to bring something new to train sim and VR games. Please see the Steam description for more details.

If you have an HTC Vive, you can try the free demo!


The game is made by three of us - Ivan, Nenad and myself, who also happen to be roommates, long time best friends, and vehicle, game development and technology enthusiasts. There’s some more info on our history and roles on the website!




The plan really is to make it the best train simulation we can. This means that in Q2 2017 we’re set off to release an expanded version of Derail Valley in Early Access, and from that point on keep developing it according to available resources and community feedback.

Until then we’ll be working on new features, such as procedural shunting missions, NPC trains, and more car variety. A lot more features and content will eventually make it into the game, but we will reveal our plans as we go. We intend to post news updates regularly, so stay tuned!

Paid version of the game is expected to be in the $15-20 range at launch date, with a possible increase later down the road, respective to the amount of features and content the game will eventually have. Demo will remain available for free.

Please see Early Access information for more details.




Derail Valley currently offers a single 2x2 km square map with 4 train yards, one fictional diesel-electric shunter locomotive and 4 shunting missions. Essential train controls are functional, as well as coupling and derailment (which still needs some work), in both seated and room-scale modes. The game is playable and completing the missions can take multiple hours.

At least in the initial version, we want players to experience imperfection of the rail transport, so we’ve decided to focus on abandoned equipment, with old rusty tracks, worn-out trains set in overgrown nature and a bunch of paperwork on the desk. Some odd railway vehicles that normally wouldn’t find a place in simulators, are welcome here.

Although we started making the game 8 months ago, the major push in our development was made thanks to the MSI VR Jam, where, amazingly, we’ve won 3rd place among more than 600 participants. We were awarded $15.000 cash prize, which will ensure stable development of Derail Valley for months to come!




Currently Derail Valley requires an HTC Vive headset. In future we will look into the possibilities of Oculus Touch integration as well as keyboard and mouse controls for those who don’t own a VR headset. We’ll be posting more about these possibilities later on, and if you’re one of those who would really want these features, be sure to let us know on the forum!


We’ll be posting further updates to the Steam page regularly, as well as on our social networks, so you can follow us via links below:

Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Website

You can also find @nothke, @_bgr_ and me individually on Twitter.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, make sure to make a post on our Steam forum!