Hello again! We’re now at a stage of the development process where we are ready to invite you to take part in Beta Testing the new improvements to the core builds.
Your feedback from the last phase of development work was clear in that you wanted to be able to opt into the updates and leave yourself with a fallback option. So, this is how we’ll proceed moving forward. You’ll therefore need to opt into the Beta to try out the new features/bug fixes, etc. We provide full instructions further into this article – see the section on Opting in and Opting Out.
The Beta is planned to be what we call a “Rolling Beta”. This means that the Beta will continue over a period of a year or more with the new features and fixes coming to the Beta first, and after receiving your feedback and any fixes applied, will then get rolled out to the Live Public branch. This process will continue throughout the Public Beta with builds coming in regularly depending on the work being done.
What’s New in The First Beta
The first Beta will include the upgraded implementation of the Lighting, 3D Skies and 3D weather engine, SilverLining by SunDog Software. We have implemented the latest cutting-edge version of this which brings a host of improvements and fixes to the Dynamic Lighting and 3D Weather in Train Simulator. Over the course of the next year, the plugin will be tuned, with your feedback, to take advantage of additional performance improvements coming later. This means greater detail, better looking skies and enhanced environmental effects. The first implementation you should already see a difference in how snow and rain render as you drive, with a more realistic representation of distance-based visibility.Caution Beta Software
Firstly, a caution. Please note that any beta builds that are uploaded, as with any beta software, there are no guarantees or warranties implied. Whilst we take every effort to make sure builds are suitable and usable by players, we cannot factor every eventuality, every configuration of PC, or every player ability when making this software available. Crashing, things not working as they should, poor performance, etc. are all things you should expect. You therefore opt into it at your own risk.Backup Your Content
Before you opt into the Beta, it is worth reading the below to make sure you are properly prepared and have taken the proper precautions to safeguard your collection. Whilst there is minimal chance of anything we upload affecting your collection, unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that opting into the beta branch will not trigger a verify process. This process is instigated by Steam itself and we have no control over it. It is known to take some time, depending on how large your content library is, and can sometimes overwrite files which have been modified to be different than what is downloaded from Steam. You should therefore only opt into the beta when you have enough time to complete the process. If you’re using modded content or content installed from sources outside of Steam, then you should take steps to safeguard your collection by making a backup of your Content and Asset folders. If you need help to do this, please contact Customer Support or ask in the forums for help. We would recommend that you spend a couple of days if you have a large content library to do the opt in process. Spend the first day backing up your content, and making sure you’ve considered everything, including any accompanying applications (announcements) and supporting documentation (manuals), then spend the second day opting into the beta and allowing Steam to complete a verify if needed.Opting In and Opting Out
As part of the Beta programme, you will likely need to opt in and opt out of the Beta several times during the course of testing. Opting into the Beta is easy, follow the steps below to opt into the Beta:- Navigate to your Steam Games Library and locate Train Simulator.
- Right-Click on Train Simulator and then left-click on Properties.
- Click the Betas option on the left-hand side of the Train Simulator Properties dialog.
- On the right, where it says “Beta Participation” select “public_beta” from the dropdown box.
- Close the Train Simulator Properties dialog.
- A download will commence and once completed, you will now have opted into the Beta.
- You can verify you are on the right build by noting the build number in the starting screen, which is currently 754b.
- Navigate to your Steam Game Library and locate Train Simulator.
- Right-Click on Train Simulator and then left-click on Properties.
- Click the Betas option on the left-hand side of the Train Simulator Properties dialog.
- On the right, where it says “Beta Participation” select “none” from the dropdown box.
- Close the Train Simulator Properties dialog.
- A download will commence and once completed, you will now have opted out of the Beta and will be back on the live public build.
- You can verify you are on the right build by noting the build number in the starting screen, which is currently 74.2c.
