The Saga Continues...

Creating DLC for any video game is not an easy endeavor.  Most of the time, it's like trying to out run a Pit Bull while walking on a treadmill, or walking a mile through knee-deep mud in flip-flops. After all the trouble, you would think that while waiting for the BT's to do their thing, we would be kicking back on a beach somewhere with a cold one and some blue-water scenery. The truth is though, we would probably be bored to tears with that.

Click to get a larger view of my desktop.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I Present You... Beta Testing.

It can now officially be said that testing for the EMD GP40 CSX Pack is under way. The locomotives, freight cars, Quick Drive, and Standard Scenarios have been turned over for QA inspection and comment. How long this will take, we don't know. The team has done everything in their power to ensure quality in the package, even before alpha testing. But, sometimes when you are so close to a project for so long, you can suffer from  "trees in the forest" syndrome. This testing will allow us to address unseen issues before the pack gets out in the wild.

Take heart! It shant be too long.

We hope.

Detours: Cryin' Skies

State of the Code

@2446 lines of LUA code.

There is still room for optimization, but we still need to add a few more small functions.

And just to tease...

Stay, Just a Little Bit Longer.

The GP40 project that you have heard and read so much about has actually been around for much longer than you might think. It was originally started in August 2012 as a follow-up to the SMMD C39-8 locomotive. In that humble iteration it was a freeware project, and was intended to carry the NS flag as a companion to the already-released RPE4D slug. But, things happen, and after the initial build and unwraps were finished, the project was shelved.

Thanks to PapaXpress, the NS GP40-2  didn't completely die, although for a while it was in a holding pattern. By April, the project had been revived by the group of railroad simulator enthusiasts that came to be known as VRC. But soon after the resurrection of the project, it became clear that the model was inadequate for the more sophisticated tastes of Train Simulator users. Many new parts were added, and  new paint wraps had to be done. By May, the idea of being the first model in Railworks to carry the officially licensed CSX logo had came about. After licensing was acquired, it was decided that instead of one logo, five would be done. Then freight cars were added. By the time it is all done, this locomotive package will little resemble the humble slug-mother that it was to be.

So the question of the day is, "where is it"? Well, operationally, all five locomotives, four sub-liveries, and nine CSX and predecessor liveried freight cars are locked, cocked, and ready to rock. You can start them up, couple up, and pull on any route you desire. They have sound, they have power, and they have all of the comforts that a spartan-cab 1970's era locomotive can afford. But, there are still a few things we need to add - mostly electrical work for the Expert mode, and a few bits of animation here and there. Then we have to give it a thorough going over to be sure it performs to our own standards (we are quite picky).

So be patient just a little longer. Freight trains don't run on schedule, but this train is still a-comin!

Its like getting the key to Dad's car...

So thats what it looks like from here...