Now two weeks away from the launch of SimRail, the developers have engaged in a Q&A session very informative on their ambitions for the game as well as on the features and locomotives present at startup. As a reminder, our previous article still left a few questions open. Now let's find out their answers.
Full game or Early Access? Indicative price?
SimRail SA and PlayWay have chosen to launch the game in the form of paid Early Access in order to be able to continue to enrich the game as the game progresses according to the feedback from the community while validating the commercial success of their simulator. For information, there are still plans for a console release also in 2023. The indicative price is currently set at $29.
There are no plans to make the game VR compatible. The game will support DLSS and AMD FSR technologies
Random events and dynamic weather?
In solo mode, so as not to always relive the same scenarios over and over again (Hello Train Sim World ...), there will indeed be the occurrence of random events such as the failure of a train in front of you forcing you, for example, to wait for the establishment of a new alternative route. It will be the same with the dynamic weather which will be modeled on the real weather conditions of Poland at the time when you will be in the game (like Flight Simulator).
To also have more difficulty and so as not to have to wait to play during the winter months, there will also be the possibility of playing solo scenarios in "winter" mode and thus confronting all the finesse of driving that this will impose in delicate conditions that the harsh climate of Poland can offer.
Freestyle?
There will be no free solo mode. On the other hand, there will be the possibility of creating your own missions. Eventually, it is also planned to add missions carried out and shared by the players themselves.
Support for specific gamepads, steering wheels or controllers?
Support for various classic controllers (joysticks) as well as steering wheels is planned. Subsequently, support for more specific controllers (such as the RailDriver) is also on the program to reinforce the immersion of the player.
Details on multiplayer and the role of regulator?
It will be possible to have 100 players on the Vienna – Warsaw line. Players will have the choice of their role between drivers and regulators. The role of regulator (in the signal boxes) will only be playable in multiplayer.
The game will natively integrate a voice chat on two levels: the first in the form of a radio or a telephone (depending on whether you are a driver or a dispatcher) allowing you to establish a private communication by choosing the right channel; the second with a key to press to talk to everyone within a radius of about 15 kilometers. The text chat will of course be present.
There will not be the option to create private or dedicated servers. At launch, there will be a list of servers accessible according to your language and depending on the number of users, several instances will be available. The servers will be supervised by moderators who can warn and even ban users if necessary.
The multiplayer mode will be available 24 hours a day and will be in real time in every environment and weather. If no one is controlling a train in multiplayer, a bot and AI will take control of the train and move it forward according to the rules. If someone leaves the game midway, the bot will continue to control the train until another player takes over. NPCs (cars, animals, passers-by) will be randomly generated in multiplayer to add variety.
There will be no passenger mode in the game, but you will be able to move freely in multiplayer.
Unity editor modding and capabilities?
The editor will be divided into three parts: missions, rolling stock (locomotives and wagons) and landscapes.
With the mission editor, you can create your own missions and scenarios, defining for example the time and the trains you will use to go from one place to another. The rolling stock editor will allow you to add your own train and wagon models to the game using the SDK (software development kit) and create your own liveries. The scenery editor will also allow you to use the SDK to create your own scenery and drive your own trains on it.
What will the game contain at launch on January 13?
There will be 500 km of line modeled (the historic line from Austria to Warsaw) as well as the following locomotives: ET25 Dragon, E186 TRAXX, EU07/EP07, 34WE (EN76/EN96), ED250 (Pendolino).
The steam locomotive as well as the mechanical signal boxes will follow thereafter.
The developers have also indicated the lines that will be present at launch, all based on real lines.