I enjoy modelmaking, but there sadly lies a large void between the space I have available, and the desire to actually run some trains every now and then (my OO gauge stuff hasn't run for probably 10 years sadly). Until the studio is complete and I can have some room for a new layout, that means I have to settle without "playing trains"; but there is a middle ground... albeit virtually!
No, I'm not actually quite talking about model railway simulators or even "proper" sims like Train Sim 2020 et al. Whilst the latter of which I do have, I can't say that it fills the gap very well. (As an aside, for me I don't think it was worth the money either; although that's a topic I'd rather not bore you all with!). And whilst plodding along on the IoW in the old Underground trains in Train Sim is pretty fun, a friend of mine did make a recommendation for something a bit more... well... "hands-on".
The game he recommended was Derail Valley, which is currently available of course on Steam, for £15.49 (When you consider a DLC for Train Sim 2020 can easily be more than that on it's own, it's a bargain; and no, I'm not in any way affiliated with them!).
On first glance, judging by the name, screenshots, and video on the Steam Store; you can easily be forgiven for thinking it's all about derailing and crashing trains. But nope! Not so! I suspect that's to market the game to a wider audience than just us train fanatics. What the game is really about is hauling and shunting trains (for the time being freight only; passenger trains may be in the pipeline), earning money to buy new licenses to haul longer and more dangerous loads, and buying new locomotives and handy tools (like the remote control below!):
Above: As it happens, I've just found and unlocked the remote control for the diesels, which is a game-changer that makes my life a lot easier shunting yards with long freight trains!
I only wish I had a VR set-up so I could get fully immersed in it, but hey ho, even on PC it's a lot of fun! You still get a lot of the "hands-on" experience without VR, and it's the first game I've played where you physically couple up trains and vacuum pipes, AND you get to move around freely. They're subtle but really rewarding features. Oh, and all the points have to be set manually, which is perhaps the only weird thing about this game; you're the only person in this world, so you have every job, and there are machines that fulfil other roles (like providing new jobs and servicing locomotives etc). I've never driven a locomotive, so I couldn't tell you how realistic it is, but it feels fantastic, and exactly how I'd expect it to be. You can really feel the weight of the trains, and the slackness in the couplings/buffers etc.
Above: Whilst there are world map schematics and full station (depot/yard) schematics, it's a bit tough at first working out which points lead to where! You get used to it though, trust me. You also eventually recite the most common "roads", and many of the depots feature useful features like run around loops, reversing triangles, and return loops.
Above: As it's an open-world game, every point (including major junctions like this one) has to be set manually on approach. As you can see, the speed limit signs are in the European format, so add a 0 onto the end!
Above: Jobs can be found at every single depot/yard/city (see the map behind for how big the game world is!). Once you pick up a job paper, you'll have all the information you need to carry out your task. Once you've successfully completed it, you return the card into a machine in the station office and will be given your reward. This is my most successful one to date; completing the job in a whopping 45 real world minutes ahead of the expected time. That's a 2x payment bonus for me! Usually things are much tighter, if indeed you even make it ahead of schedule at all...
On the face of it, it may appear to be a simple case of driving trains from A to B, but there's actually a lot of challenge in the game, and it's a pretty steep learning curve to be honest. The gradients alone are pretty extreme, as are the tightness of the curves; indeed, if you find yourself not paying attention you'll be derailing and going down a 300ft drop before you can even apply the brakes... (Thankfully I only did that twice!)
Above: Whoops! Not my finest hour. A sharp curve, a heavily laden train, and a steep downhill gradient are a recipe for disaster... if you're not paying attention! Thankfully, the developers have since revamped the signage to give advanced warning of these sudden speed limit changes; so scenes like this are more easily avoided if you're not getting distracted by the scenery that is...
Above: The locomotives (there are two generic diesels, and one steam engine (the latter of which I haven't yet tried)) have full working interior controls; and for the diesels that means you physically turn on the breakers/fuses, start the engine, and have various working dials for brake pressure, engine temperature, oil, fuel, sand, and speed. Here, the engine temp is about to hit the red; when that happens you will soon have your engine cut out. Good luck starting it again if you're on a hill and hauling a heavy freight!
The little shunter is a nightmare with engine temperature problems on gradients, and I once had to head to the nearest town to rescue it with the larger diesel; thankfully the developers had just added cables at that point which allow you to link two locomotives together for double-heading.
The world itself is pretty huge to be honest, and in my opinion I'd be contempt even if this is the only map they make. The harsh gradients and sharp curves make for dramatic scenery, and I think this is what really lifts the game above all others. Sure, it's a little bit over-the-top, but it's much more interesting and challenging than any other sim.
Above: There's decent variety in freights (unlike the modern railway seemingly!), almost to a model railway level where anything goes. That said, I think it's a good thing, and I like that the game has found a balance between realistic and fun. To be honest, it's something I base my modelmaking on, so it's definitely an appealing factor for me. The montage above shows only a small number of the many types of freight you can haul; just make sure you have enough horsepower for the job!
Above: And if you're really feeling brave, you can leave your cab and walk to the end of your train to admire the view. Just don't do it near sharp corners or on steep gradients (unless of course you have the remote control).
Whilst it is an amazing game, there are still some things I'm not so keen on, although as the game is still in Early Access (and is already very enjoyable); I can't say any of it really bothers me. For the sake of completeness, I will still give a brief run-down though of things I hope they improve:
- Loading/unloading is a bit... naff, I guess; loads just pop on/off without any form of machinery.
- Despite improvements, there are still some dodgy tree placements and lazy terraforming.
- Roads cross in the middle of depots which does not make any sense, and are often blocked by trains (I know, not exactly a huge problem in game-form!)
- If I was being nitpicky, I'd comment about the lack of checkrails and fastening straps on wagon loads as well.
Well done, Altfuture; I take my hat off to you!
Finally:
I'm planning to make a video on the game soon showing a typical evening session, so don't be surprised if you see this as a future blog entry! Oh, and if you have any questions about the game, do post them in the comments below and I'll be happy to answer them. I hope you enjoyed this rather different blog post than is the norm from me.
Amazing
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