6. July 2023

🚂 Railway Empire 2 | Update 1.0.3

Tycoons!

Today we are delivering Railway Empire 2’s first big update for PC, Xbox Game Pass for console and PC Game Pass for PC, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles (supported through Smart Delivery): Aboard the freight train there are over 100 fixes, including changes to the train logic and track construction, improving trains passing each other on free tracks, as well as fixing misplaced signals on a 4-track gridiron. Also, we’ve fixed several issues with waypoints not working properly and the Mallard engine now plays the correct sounds.

Aside from the train logic and track construction, we’ve made several changes to the UI, sound, task lists, multiplayer, bugfixes, gameplay, achievements, and many other issues.
Please find the full Changelog below.

This update will lay the tracks for the future improvements to Railway Empire 2, so please stay tuned and don’t forget to check out the first Roadmap for the game if you have missed it: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1644320/view/3672170635430641775

We encourage you to keep sharing your feedback on the forums (https://steamcommunity.com/app/1644320/discussions/3/), social media and discord!

Your Railway Empire 2 Team

Train Logic

• Improved train logic where a waiting train in a station could block other train tracks and might cause traffic jams. 
• Improved train logic for passing other trains when possible, rather than waiting for them in switching zones. 
• Improved the priority calculation behind unloading goods.
• Fixed an issue where trains would wrongfully reverse at a station after building a new track.
• Trains will no longer stop at train stations on their route if there are no actions possible.
• Fixed an issue where trains sometimes would glitch into and block each other.
• Fixed AI delivering goods to a city from a distant point, blocking goods consumption due to not receiving the delivery.
• Fixed an issue with broken waypoints interrupting rail line operation.
• Fixed an issue with signals close to supply towers sometimes wrongfully closing, leading trains to stop unnecessarily.
• Fixed an issue where wares could not reach their target city destination when being transported through a chain of warehouses, especially when two warehouses were built in close proximity to each other.
• Fixed an issue where placed waypoints within a train route could lead to trains skipping train stations and generally not behaving as intended.
• Fixed an issue where trains could not be refuelled at a supply tower due to the supply tower’s signal not being detected correctly. For save games from before this update, simply change the track direction, so that the signals update themselves.
• Fixed an issue with the calculation of the locomotive maintenance, ensuring all bonuses are considered and calculated correctly.

Train Construction

• Fixed additional tracks being displayed during girdiron construction when the respective platforms do not exist due to limited available space at the station.
• Fixed an issue where unselected tracks were wrongly highlighted while defining track direction.
• Fixed an issue in topographical mode where a switch between crossing tracks was sometimes not displayed correctly.
• When constructing a track using a controller, it is now possible to automatically snap to the closest track by pressing the corresponding direction on the D-Pad.
• Fixed an issue where signals were sometimes misplaced when constructing a 4-track gridiron.
• Fixed an issue where it would sometimes be possible to place waypoints.
• To improve waypoint placing using the controller, the track the player is hovering over now displays the waypoint cone in advance.
• Fixed an issue where parallel tracks were sometimes unnecessarily built as bridges.
• Fixed an issue where parallel crossing tracks were constructed incorrectly at the track junction.
• Fixed an issue where building parallel tracks could lead to the parallel track being built in disconnected segments.

UI

• Fixed cumulative bonuses not being displayed in the info box of some technologies.
• Fixed the number of train cars being displayed incorrectly when using special cars (e.g. the refrigerator car).
• Fixed the “regions” button disappearing in some cases.
• Fixed quarterly report showing maintenance costs when no maintenance post or depots are being used.
• Fixed route lists at train stations still being accessible after station’s last train was deleted.
• Fixed the camera focus not centering on the connection bonus city when clicking on the connection bonus icon.
• Fixed loading screen showing unsupported files when other files than save games are copied into the save game folder.
• Ratings window is now showing which campaign, chapter, or which specific scenario was played.
• Fixed cities now displaying which goods are being produced when building a new train station.
• Fixed display of areas suitable for building during factory construction when the selected factory cannot be built in the selected city.
• Fixed the “tips and tricks” screen not being closed correctly in the main menu when opened via hot-key.
• The number of wagons now cycles properly when used manually.
• Improved controller navigation when changing the order of stations while editing or creating a rail line.
• In the Personnel interface, bonuses from research that affect the cost are now visually indicated via an arrow icon. Hovering over this icon displays more details on these bonuses.
• Fixed an issue where values were wrongly displayed in the newspaper.
• The total research bonuses in the research menu are now correctly displayed for engine reliability.
• Fixed an issue, where scrolling in the Goods Supply and Demand page also changed the zoom level in the gameworld.
• Fixed an issue where the schematic track representation disappeared when opening the list of routes and selecting a train.
• Changed the controller key assignment so that it is now possible to open the auction bidding during track construction.
• City names are now displayed in the building menu (e.g. when constructing train stations).
• Fixed the express tooltips not including bonuses from the engineer or entrepreneur characters.
• Fixed maintenance post cost not being included in the calculation for the average balance per week in the company menu.
• Fixed the cash icon not being displayed in the newspaper.
• Fixed a research node being researchable even without an existing connection to other research nodes.
• Fixed an issue in the save game menu, where after changing the language some of the map information was not displayed correctly.
• Fixed issues with the font in the save game menu for several languages (Arabic, Chinese, Japanese)
• Fixed an issue where the maintenance post’s green influence circle was not displayed when selecting a maintenance post while a different maintenance post was already selected.
• Fixed an issue where track directions were displayed within train stations even though it is not required. Now when selecting a route, the tracks are highlighted within stations, but no track direction will be displayed within the station.
• When using a controller editing a train route, the confirm option is now only displayed if there were any changes to the route that can be confirmed.
• Changed the order of goods being displayed when changing goods in a warehouse, so that basic goods are displayed in a more prominent position.

Tasks List

• Fixed an issue where missions in the task list would ask for either resources or the connection of rural businesses that would not appear within the task’s timeframe.
• Fixed the scoring screen sometimes displaying a score of 0.
• The name of the scenario or campaign is now also displayed in the task list.
• Fixed task “gain access to 4 regions” only updating after loading a save game.
• Added informational hint for task “Ensure 95% train utilization” to help the player understand what needs to be done.
• Fixed “Produce X loads of X” task only counting goods produced in cities.
• Fixed a hint for a particular task that was missing and led to the incorrect assumption that the task could not be completed.
• Fixed the task “Ensure 95% train utilization for freight in …” not working properly.

Tutorial

• Tutorial 2: Fixed confirmation button being hidden by the dialogue textbox for some resolutions.
• Tutorial 2: Fixed an issue, where switching to the track construction tab was not possible.
• Tutorial 2: Fixed an issue in Tutorial 2 where it was possible to select train routes other than the intended ones.
• Tutorial 3: Locomotives can no longer break down in this tutorial mission.
• Tutorial 3: Fixed some trains not counting for the “select a train line once more” request.
• Tutorial 3: Fixed an issue where it was not possible to select locomotives having a breakdown.
• Tutorial 4: Sacramento will now start with a larger population and grow faster within this tutorial mission.
• Tutorial 4: Reworked San Francisco <-> Sacramento tracks to allow smaller grid iron placement.
• Tutorial 4: Fixed an issue where the dialogue to edit locomotives could not open when using a controller.
• Tutorial 5: Disabled any random auctions appearing and interfering with the tutorial flow.
• Tutorial 5: Fixed player having insufficient money to participate in auction in some cases. Now additional money is granted before an auction is initiated.
• Tutorial 5: Fixed an issue where the game would be stuck when the player bought a business too early into the tutorial.
• Tutorial 7: Fixed conditional blocker when player starts searching for a saboteur before he is supposed to.
• Tutorial 7: Fixed an issue where the Tips & Tricks button in the competitor screen was not accessible.

Sound

• Added additional sounds to interactions/UI interactions.
• Fixed and improved whistle/horn sounds of trains.
• Fixed Mallard engine not playing the correct sounds.
• Fixed an issue where the whistle/horn didn’t turn off within the Engine Shed when quickly switching to a sub menu.
• Fixed an issue where, after setting the audio volume to 0% and restarting the game, an additional audio sound could be heard.

Multiplayer

• Fixed demolishing not working as intended for host and client.
• Fixed inconsistent amounts of goods’ supply and demand getting displayed for host and client player.
• Fixed the game crashing for a player who is upgrading an industry while another player is demolishing it.
• Fixed client player being unable to access the first train station expansion in some cases.
• Fixed the game crashing for player in ride-along mode while another player changes the colour of the engine.
• Unavailable multiplayer sessions can now be deleted from the multiplayer menu.
• Fixed client player not being able to build train station expansions before a first route was connected to a new train station.
• Streamlined the buy buildings auction so that only the host player can now initiate and participate in the auctions.
• Disabled “pause when game loses focus” option for multiplayer games.
• Fixed the train marker arrow not shifting to newly established train for client.
• Fixed an issue where unused slots were displayed as being spectators if the client player joined a lobby in the 4^th slot.
• Fixed an issue where the player could not increase the maintenance limit to 100% when using a controller.
• Fixed an issue where, during track construction, the topography map could not be displayed during multiplayer.
• Fixed an issue where it was not possible for the client to demolish owned buildings.
• Fixed an issue where the quarterly report could differ between the client and host players.
• PS5: Fixed an issue, where using the “Restart Activity” function in multiplayer mode would lead to UI overlapping after loading into the main menu.
• Fixed an issue where the message “spectatormode activated” would appear even though no spectators could join the game and no spectators were active.
• Improved an issue where sometimes entering a multiplayer mode did not work and led to an error message.

Other

• Bugfix: In the Scenario „The Southern Route“, it is now no longer possible to demolish prebuilt tracks in the locked areas.
• Bugfix: The research bonus given by the “Trolley” (unlockable during the 1840s), which reduces the cost of maintenance post by 5%, is now applied properly.
• Bugfix: Fixed the “Center View on Object” option during an auction not working when currently having the “Center View on Train” option in use.
• Bugfix: Fixed an issue where the saboteur would stop working when the last remaining competitor had been bought.
• Bugfix: Fixed an issue where the AI opponent could place waypoints in blocked height ranges. This could lead to issues with the game’s performance or crashes.
• Bugfix: Fixed an issue where businesses could be located outside of the playable area.
• Bugfix: Fixed an issue where new city building spaces did not unlock after reaching the required population.
• Bugfix: The F11-key can no longer be assigned to the photo mode, as this could cause a soft lock.
• Bugfix: Fixed an issue where the game could crash, when the highest bidding opponent is bought, and the company merged during an action.
• Bugfix: Fixed an issue where the player could receive refund higher than the initial investment when demolishing bridges.
• Sabotage: Fixed an issue, where trains were still being loaded even though sabotage should have prevented this from being possible at a specific train station.
• Gameplay: Fixed connection bonuses not being rewarded properly. The system to check whether a connection bonus should be received has been improved.
• Gameplay: Fixed an issue where station extensions (restaurant, post-office, market hall) were generating more revenue than intended in their bonuses.
• Gameplay: Fixed an issue where the list of trains affected by a Maintenance Post were not updated properly.
• Gameplay: Fixed an issue where wares were not being requested by cities even though they had reached the appropriate population size.
• Gameplay: Fixed an issue where the train consumption would be displayed as 0%.
• Gameplay: The AI opponents will now try to place their initial headquarters in a city directly neighboring the player’s headquarters.
• Gameplay: Fixed an issue where the cost of some businesses was calculated incorrectly.
• Gameplay: The Caboose bonus is now added independently of the maximum possible personnel efficiency bonus.
• Balancing: Inflation scaling is now adjusted depending on the starting year. The inflation scaling has been increased overall for auctions and Buildings.
• Exploit: Fixed an exploit, that allowed the buying and immediate selling of company shares to generate money.
• Campaign: Fixed an issue where the player could demolish tracks within restricted areas.
• Campaign: Fixed an issue in campaign 3 where it was not possible to buy shares from Walter Pajonk’s company, which was required for a task.
• Campaign: Fixed an issue in campaign 2 where it was sometimes not possible to build a route between the two required destinations in Dec. 1852.
• Campaign/Scenarios: Several technical adjustments to the Campaign and different scenarios (in France and Germany) regarding region unlocks.
• Achievement: “Together We Stand” achievement can now be unlocked in all modes as intended instead of only in free play.
• Achievement: Fixed the “Hostile takeover” and the “Assimilated” achievement being unlockable through unintended methods.
• Achievement: “Call of Duty” achievement can now be unlocked as intended.
• Achievement: Fixed an issue with the “Max Power” achievement being unlockable through upgrading city’s factories instead of rural businesses.
• Achievement: The “Let off some steam” achievement can now be completed through all means of sabotage.
• Report Issue Functionality: Fixed the “Report Issue” function not opening the location of the save game in some cases.
• Graphics: Fixed tunnels visually overlapping with each other in some instances.
• Graphics: Adjusted the beginning of game camera settings, so that the camera always centers on to the player headquarters.
• Art: Fixed the lip movement of avatars sometimes not being displayed correctly.
• SteamDeck: The game now correctly defaults to external Bluetooth/USB controllers on the SteamDeck.