Category Archives: Blog

Train Sim 3.4.5 Released

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CTA 5000Train Sim 3.4.5 for Android is now live.  This new update features a new Chicago “L” CTA 5000 subway train with a realistic 3D driver cabin as well as a passenger 3D interior.

Also in this update are much requested
longer trains.  I managed to increase each train by at least 1 additional coach CTA 5000 Inside(without killing performance) and in some cases by 2-4 to match the exact historical configuration.  Opposite Trains also received a length increase.   Also in this update the Dash 9 Interior cabin has been significantly improved, eliminating one of the weaker 3D cabins in Train Sim.  I am currently working on releasing this update for iOS and Windows Store/Phone.

 

 

 

 

What’s New in Train Sim

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Train SimulatorIt has been a while since I updated Train Sim so I wanted to write a post about what I have been working on.  The main theme for the next update will be longer trains.  This means I will try to increase the number of cars for as many trains as possible.

The reason the trains were originally kept short was to make sure Train Sim performs well on slower devices.  The idea behind this tactic is that if the train is shorter the number of cars the GPU/CPU had to draw and move each frame would be reduced.

However longer trains is the feature that is the most requested by users (other then indian trains) so I decided to address this issue.  I am hoping that over the last year the number of slow/low memory devices have declined and the newer phones on the market will be able to handle these longer trains.  In order to make sure this is true I will probably only update the most popular trains, such as the Pendolino, Amtrak, TGV etc.  However if this update proves correct I will also increase car numbers for other trains as well.

Stay tuned for more news.

Lessons in Maya LT

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Maya LTAlthough I have been making games for over 2 years now, I always depend on purchasing my 3D assets from marketplaces such as the Unity Asset Store and Turbo Squid.  For custom work I contract 3d artists to create high quality modes for me.

However there are times when I wished I could either design a simple model for a scene or modify the existing model that was created incorrectly.  For example what if I wanted to open the train doors but they were not seperate from the main train body?  Should I waste my graphic artists time for such a simple job?

So I finally broke down, and focused on learning some 3D Modelling.  First I spent a day researching my options for 3D Modelling Software.  I had 3 main criteria:

  1. Run on my Mac
  2. Powerful enough (texturing, rigging, fbx, low poly)
  3. Easy to learn

I knew that the best free option was Blender.  However from my previous tries I knew that Blender was so very hard to learn.  After trying some alternatives I decided on Maya LT, a version of May that is designed for Indie Developers, which means it has less features and is cheaper then full Maya.

Maya LTMaya LT is retails for $795 which is not very accessible for a beginning Indie Developer.  However someone like myself who is way more interested in a tool that is powerful yet easy to learn it was a good choice.  Alternatively you can “rent” the software for as cheap as $20 per month on a 3 year term. (There is also a free 3 year education version you can get as well as a free trial version if you just want to learn).

Many tutorial videos later I was able to complete my first model, which was a textured Grain Silo.  I now feel competent enough to make simple models and modify existing ones.  For example the next version of Train Sim will feature a model of Metrovagonmash 81-760 which was modified by me to allow the doors to open on a single side.  Not a big deal for a professional 3D Modeller but saves me from hiring someone externaly for such a simple job.

Although Maya LT often gets slack for not being full featured, I really enjoyed that it only has the features I need.  This makes the user interface much easier to learn, and does not overwhelm you.  Another good feature is that being an Autodesk product it natively handles the fbx file format with no external plugins needed.  So far I found the Maya LT to be powerful enough for my needs and very easy to learn.  I am looking forward to making many cool 3D models for my games.

Lots of New Updates

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New Versions for Everyone!

For the first time in a long time, the newest versions my major games are available for iOS, Android & Windows Store in the same time.  I usually focus on updating Android first and then spend the time to port the new updates to iOS & Windows (because iOS and Windows is much harder to do).  In reality this means that the iOS & Windows Store versions of Train Sim, Flight Sim, Car Crashers & Kids Car Racers are often 2 versions behind the Android counterparts.

However because the last few versions of my games had some fairly significant updates I spent the time necessary to update these games for all the platforms.

Here are the highlights of the recent changes:

  • Flight Sim received its 10th airplane and some major bug fixes.  Version 2.1.2 available now on iOS and Android
  • Car Crashers received a T34 Tank you can crash and some significant user interface fixes.  Version 1.8.6 is now available for Android, iOS & Windows Store (Windows Phone Coming soon)
  • Kids Car Racers received an 18th car (GoKart) and an improved menu with pictures, so that kids can easily see what scene they are choosing.  Version 1.9.2 is available on Android and is under review for iOS.  Windows Store/Phone coming soon.
  • Most importantly Train Sim has been updated to contain 3D Cabins for all trains.  Version 3.4.4 is also available for Android, iOS, Windows Store & Windows Phone

What’s Next?

I have a finished Airbus A380 Model finished for Flight Sim,  my next focus will be to update Flight Sim with its 11th free airplane.

 

Train Sim All 3D Cabs

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As promised in my Post in February, I have been focusing on delivering 3D cabs for all Trains in Train Sim.  With the addition of a 3D cabin for the Flying Scotsman my goal is complete and all 40 trains in Train Sim now have a 3D Cabin.

Flying Scotsman Cabin

Now to be fair not all the 3D cabins have the same standard.  The weakest of the lot are the Dash 9, LNER Mallard and the NY Hudson.  I will be focusing on improving these in the near future.  There are also a few Passenger Cars that do not have a 3D Interior that will have to be fixed.

However for now I am happy to report that there are no more 2D Train Cabins in Train Sim and that all future trains will also have 3D Cabins.

Train Sim Google Play (Android) Store

Metrovagonmash 81-760/761 Added to Train Sim

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Metrovagonmash 81-760Train Sim 3.4.3 was release for Android.  This is a rather large update that added a new Subway Train and an amazing 3D Cab for the Challenger Locomotive.  This means that The Flying Scotsman is the last train to feature a 2D Cabin and I hope to have that fixed in the next release.  In this release I also made it possible for all opposite trains to stop at stations, making their behaviour slightly more realistic.

Metrovagonmash 81-760Here is the list of new features in Train Sim version 3.4.3:

-3D Cab for Challenger Train
-Track Switching to the Desert andMountain Scenes
-Metrovagonmash 81-760 Subway Train
-More Historically Accurate Flying Scotsman Tender
-Opposite Trains now stop on stations

This weekend I will try to get Train Sim iOS version updated as well, which means it could go live within 7-10 days.

Flight Sim & Car Crashers Updated

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Flight Sim for Android received a new Cirrus SR22 airplane.  This brings a total to 9 free airplanes that you can choose in this exciting mobile Flight Simulator.  My goal is to bring the total to 20 airplanes in a short period of time.  These will all be free to fly with no in game purchases.  iOS update will follow soon.

Flight Sim Cirrus

Car Crashers for Android also received a new update in which I added a new vehicle to crash: T34 Tank.  I also fixed the controls by changing their style from additive to fixed.  I found that it was too hard to aim the vehicle before launching it, especially for kids.  iOS update will follow soon.

Car Crashers Tank

 

 

40 Trains 50MB

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The next update of Train Sim will feature a new 2-6-0 Mogul type steam locomotive.  This will bring the number of playable  Locomotives to 40.  This is a significant milestone for Train Sim and a bit of a technical achievement as all these trains fit in a 50MB download just under the limit imposed by Google Play.  On top of the highly detailed 3D Train Models and their 3D cabins the game also contains 23 Car models, 8 scenes and over 100 environment models and textures that make the scenes look real.  At this point there are no other mobile train simulators that can even approach the number of Trains available in Train Sim.

Train Sim Mogul

Why is this important? At some point in the future I will have to make a decision about going over the 50MB download size and splitting the download into 2 parts.  This means Google Play users will first have to get a smaller 20-30MB download and then get prompted for the additional download portion that will contain the remainder of the game.  This is not a great user experience and I am hoping to avoid this.  I hope that at some point in the near future Google will expand their single download maximum size to 100MB solving this issue.  However if that does not happen and I want to add more trains and scenes I will have to move to an “additional download” model.

For now Train Sim still fits under 50MB so enjoy the new version Coming Soon to Android (iOS and Windows platforms to follow)