They have started to announce and promote their upcoming "simulator" update later this year by posting a short video every day, 20-40 seconds, this way highlighting every day another detail and feature of the upcoming and apparantly quite impressive changes. Some of this is pure and sugar-sweet candy. Just let the video run 30 seconds, and at the end click "next video" and the next short video automatically starts (you must watch it at youtube for this, and you must mnaually click, if you let it automatically load the next video, then youtube messes it up and you miss most of these short shots because youtube then launshes other videos sooner or later).

Rain. Weather. Full day and night cycle. Lights simulation, and extremly well looking lights. Water reflections. The stations look good at night! So do the tracks lit by your headlights!

Welcome to the valley. Dont get lost in it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6gZM5W4pRI

Okay, I'm going to have to give this a try. I have several games in my collection that are a direct result of Skybird's posts, and he hasn't steered me wrong yet. Thanks for the thorough reporting, Skybird.

I have Train Sim Classic or whatever they're calling it these days, and I enjoy that, so Derail Valley seems like it would be right up my alley.

And I like VTOL VR, so I'm sure I'd like the "hands on" controls just fine.

Thanks for another good tip, with the excellent background information, Skybird!

:Kaleun_Salute:

I cannot imagine how somebody who likes trains cannot love this one. You cannot get closer to the real thing on PC.

https://www.youtube.com/@altfuture

^In the "shorts" section, there are the teasers for the stuff coming in their big update. That really promises to turn things into an orgy. :D

The shorts of February collected in one video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLM_OFYK2qw


The same for January.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mijb9hwDXuw


And soembody told them that last year I got into watches.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sso99F13dUU


Some scenes of pure beauty!


One of the videos lists a release window for this massive overhaul and upgrade of "Q2 2023".

Nice videos! I'll definitely be buying, "Derail Valley" soon. Thanks for the information, Skybird!

:Kaleun_Cheers:

Here are a few other train titles that may be of interest:

SimRail - The Railway Simulator

Zusi 3 Hobby

LOTUS-Simulator

Trainsim World 3 by Run 8 Studios

Railway Empire

Transport Fever 2

Anno 1800

Zompiercer

Anyone who can't find a train-related title that they like in that mess probably doesn't really like trains.

:Kaleun_Salute:

Just to make this clear: the videos inform on features coming with the next major update. They are not yet fully included: either not included at all, or only in early, premature states.


The game has gone to 2D as well meanwhile, but I cannot comment on that.

I know some earlier Train Sim titles, namely Berlin Subway, Microsoft Train Simulator (old...), World of Subways: London Underground, World of Siubways: Berlin Line 7, the German Railway series addons for Microsoft Train Simulator, some of the Pro Train addons.

There were two or three more, earlier verisons of the titles that doing at the market today, but I never got hooked on those long ago titles.

None gets even close to Derail Valley.

Omsi and Omsi 2 are the predecessors of LOTUS. LOTUS imo is a faling prject: too long, too late, to expensive, and looking to backwardly again, and wantign too much with too little ressriuces and developers. Its in the works since many, many years, and still does not convince, sorry. They simply want to do more here than they can deliver: the project is way too big for their team size. I have stopped following it long time ago already, check it just once a year or so. And am disappointed every time. Omsi 1+2 however were very good for what they were, even if their groahcis were ten years otudated already at their release dates. I am an Omsi fan. Problem is: Lotus does not look really significantly better than Omsi... And then for that outdated looks those hilarious price tags. No, this way is no way.

I have OMSI 2 with DLC, and that is a nice title. I didn't even know that LOTUS was its successor. I have a couple of friends who like LOTUS, but I know what you mean about the development.

OMSI 2 took quite a few years to come up to where it is. It's a good title, but by the time that they brought it to its current level, the graphics and such were very out of date. That development team seems to have two modes, slow and slower.

:Kaleun_Salute:

Microsoft Train simulator was my all time favorite.

Markus

The graphcis of OMSI 2 were those of OMSI 1. The developer were two men only.

These two were school friends and travelled from and to school in former West Berlin - with he bus line depicted in Omsi 1. I know that line too, and the busses, I know their sounds and looks, I lived there, I experienced them live. Superb recreation. SUPERB. Most realistic recreation of original sounds I ever experienced in any driving sim.

OMSI 2 had an addon for the Berlin line X10, which was my favourite to drive, a very long line. Two thirds of its track I know myself, too. (I lived in W-Berlin in all the 80s). OMSI1'S grpahcis already were otudated by tne years when it was released. OMSI 2 some years later brought no improvements on graphics. But that was okay, for the system envertehless allowed atmosphere and immersion, nice cnage of mood with the chnbages in lught and weather. I have many very good memories of Omsi 1 and 2. But I find it not acceptbale to release one day a hopelessly overpriced game that then has graphics that lack behind by two decades. This and the slow pace of LOTUS is why I have turned my back on it. I cannot see this ever becoming an economically successful project. It will always remain to be a niché project for enthusiasts and hobbyists.



The Hamburg addon for OMSI 2 also is very good.


Anyhow, back to Derail Valley.

Here are the Shorts/Recaps from April.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CnNv2xdTXQ

I am interested in a game that simulates the operation of a sorting yard. Where you have inbound trains and the player has to separate and sort new consists within the limitations of the size and structure of the yard.


Which one of these games would you suggest?

Finally...!! :yeah: The release date for the so-called Simulator-Update has been announced, it is June 30th.

This is what in my view represents more or less the release of the complete full game, and it features all what the videos I posted teased over the past months.


Note that the reduced early customer price has ended already two weeks ago.