Keeping the Network in Motion: Performance and Responsiveness Improvements

Hey everyone,

We're back with another update for Railroad Corporation 2, this time with a particular focus on improving overall game performance and stability. We've also continued working on train behavior, with several changes aimed at making trains more responsive when conditions across your network change.

A Faster Railroad

We've been working on a number of optimizations behind the scenes to improve overall game performance. While many of these changes may not be immediately visible, they should help the game run more smoothly.

We've also made improvements to loading from save files when the terrain cache is enabled, helping you get back to your railroad faster. Several issues that could cause loading to become stuck at 72% or 86% have also been addressed.

Keeping Trains Moving

Train behavior has received another round of improvements in this update. Trains now react correctly when their planned route changes while they are already on their way, and pathfinding can skip head-to-head conflicts that cannot be resolved.

We've also corrected how track reservations are handled when trains enter a new segment and improved how trains update their routes when a better option becomes available during their journey.

To make it easier to spot problems, we've added a new "train cannot move" notification. This should help you identify when a train is unable to continue its journey and requires your attention.

Clearer Information

A number of smaller UI improvements should also make managing your railroad a little easier. The waypoint selector now shows when a station is not electrified, the "no path" icon displays correctly for departing trains, and the electrified road option now has the correct default value and tooltip.

We've also improved several information panels, cargo lists, and mission screens. The Geology department now displays the terrain area, while a Load Game button has been added to the debriefing screen when a mission can be restarted.

More Stability on the Rails

Alongside the optimization work, we've addressed several crashes and gameplay issues. This includes a crash related to electrifying direct-pass station railroads, several client-side multiplayer crashes, and an issue with train arrivals that could prevent a train from entering a station.

We've also fixed a number of smaller issues across the campaign and generated scenarios, including Chapter 4's port warehouse upgrade, the amount of Lead ore available in Chapter 8, and several buildings that were rendering incorrectly at a distance.

Looking Ahead

Performance, stability, and train behavior are all important parts of keeping a growing railroad running smoothly. We'll continue monitoring these areas and working through the issues that can affect your networks, particularly as we receive more feedback from different systems and playstyles.

Thank you for continuing to report issues and share your feedback with us. It helps us identify where improvements are needed and keeps us moving in the right direction.