The International Simutrans Forum

A new version of Simutrans-Experimental is available to-day: Simutrans 110.0 Experimental 9.3. See here (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=1894.0) for more information on how to download, install and set up the latest version. For those already familiar with the installation and setup, here are some quick links:

• Windows binaries (https://github.com/downloads/jamespetts/simutrans-experimental/simutrans-experimental.zip)
• Linux binaries (i386) (http://www.43-1.org/~simutrans/simutrans-exp/i386/simutrans-exp-2011-02-27-e0c9be6)
• Linux binaries (x64) (http://www.43-1.org/~simutrans/simutrans-exp/amd64/simutrans-exp-2011-02-27-e0c9be6)
• Configuration files (https://github.com/downloads/jamespetts/simutrans-experimental/simutrans-experimental-config.zip) New (Alternative download location (http://simutrans-germany.com/files/upload/simutrans-experimental-config.zip))

Edit: Added links to Linux binaries.

Makeobj has been updated for this version, (Edit) as have the configuration files. Simutrans-Experimental 9.3 is a significant bugfix release, containing fixes for a number of reported problems, and includes all the latest fixes and enhancements from Standard.  Note that, because the Standard version number has incremented (from 102.3 to 110.0), games saved with Simutrans-Experimental 9.3 cannot be loaded in Simutrans-Experimental 9.2 or earlier, unless they are explicitly set to save in the earlier file format.

Most significant among the changes on this occasion are fixes to networking mode (9.2 did not work reliably in online mode - 9.3 should be as stable over the network as Standard) and the inclusion of a command-line only server build in the Windows release. A Linux version of the command line build should also be forthcoming in due course, if Ansgar is able to set one up. Also significant is a set of bugfixes in the passenger generation code, which results in a considerably greater use of private cars. For this reason, it is recommended that the citycar_level setting in simuconf.tab be reduced from 16 to about 11, or else the streets will be completely filled with cars. 11 is intended to represent a realistic average car occupancy level of 1.6 (16 represents a car occupancy level of 1, which is too low and leads to an excess of cars). Finally among the list of particularly significant changes is that the private car routes are now saved with the saved games. This means that the game is no longer unresponsive for a long time after loading a large saved game: this has a significant effect on playability of larger saved games (and is particularly important for online games, which are saved and loaded frequently).

Here is a list of the changes:

Changes

• CHANGE: Reduced the size of the depot window on smaller displays so as to fill less of the screen.
• CHANGE: Makeobj now works with MinGW (TurfIt)
• CHANGE: All passenger vehicles/convoys now have a minimum comfort rating of 1
• FIX: Non-passenger carrying convoys counted towards the total comfort of a line.
• FIX: Incorrect line in makefile
• FIX: Possible crash when enlarging the map
• CHANGE: Vehicles in a depot have only 5% of the monthly maintenance cost of vehicles in active use (as most of this cost is *staff* cost, not equipment cost).
• FIX: Vehicle replacer showed a zero cost if more than one convoy was to be replaced.
• FIX: The settings dialogue window was not wide enough.
• FIX: Could not properly increment numbers in the settings dialogue.
• FIX: Opening the settings dialogue caused the game to be saved with the wrong version information, making it unloadable.
• FIX: Not all industries iterated properly when one or more industries closed down or were deleted; could result in freezes at new months.
• FIX: Window positions are now restored properly in network mode.
• CODE: Add mechanism to debug simrand based network desyncs (enabled by defining the DEBUG_SIMRAND_CALLS preprocessor directive when compiling)
• FIX: Cities grow out of control when reduced in population below a certain level using the "shrink city" tool.
• FIX: The credit limit was not checked for planting trees.
• FIX: Factories in cities were not properly supplied with electricity.
• CHANGE: Updated the credits.
• CHANGE: Bridge purchasing and maintenance costs are now scaled with the distance per tile setting.
• CHANGE: Private car routes are now saved, greatly increasing performance on loading large saved games.
• CHANGE: Private car routes are refreshed annually rather than monthly, reducing the impact on performance.
• FIX: Error in computing how many power stations were required when building new industries such that, in some cases, only power station chains were built.
• FIX: Data relating to private cars (such as their origins and destinations) are reliably saved/loaded
• CHANGE: Alter the percentages of private car graphics that appear at any given "citycar_level". 16 = 100% of journies, 15 90%, 14 85%, 13 75%, 12 67%, 11 61.25% (the realistic figure given the average occupancy level of 1.6, which is the norm in the UK), 10 50%, 9 33%, 8 25%, 7 20%, 6 10%, 5 5%, 4 2.5%, 3 2%, 2 1%, 1 0.5%.
• FIX: Number of private cars in the game map was not correctly tracked, leading to an excessive accumulation in some circumstances.
• CHANGE: Overtaking estimations based on current speed not top speed.
• CHANGE: The origin and destination of private cars is now shown in their information window.
• FIX: Errors on loading some saved games.
• FIX: Electricity consumption data were not correctly loaded/saved in network games.
• FIX: Passenger generation would be suppressed in some circumstances (owing to an incorrect record of the number of outgoing private cars).
• FIX: Convoy odometer was subject to rounding errors.
• FIX: Network desyncs caused by incorrect processing of settings for vehicle cornering.
• FIX: "Reverse route" status was not properly reloaded in saved games.
• CHANGE: More data are saved so as to minimise the risk of network desyncs
• FIX: Network desyncs on industry creation because actual_industry_density was not saved.
• FIX: Occasional crash on map generation.
• FIX: Rogue high speeds were sometimes recorded, distorting a convoy and line's average speeds.
• CHANGE: The last departure time is no longer reset when opening the schedule window, to avoid journey time/speed distortions.
• FIX: Electricity supply to industries did not properly take account of the possibility of a city growing to engulf a factory and/or substation previously outside the city.
• FIX: Network desyncs caused by non-saved data for crossings introduced in the latest Standard commit.
• FIX: Vehicles not properly shown in depot window in some cases in network mode.
• CHANGE: Add a command line server build
• FIX: Passengers did not use private cars in cases when they should have done (and general improvements in the reliability of the passenger generation code)
• ADD: The "passenger destination" feature now shows more Simutrans-Experimental specific information as follows: (1) passengers who walked to their destination are shown in dark yellow; (2) passengers who would be able to use public transport but for whom public transport is too far are shown in pink; and (3) passengers who reach their destination by private car are shown in turquoise. The existing colours (yellow for reached destination successfully and orange for no route) are preserved.

Feedback and testing

Thanks also to all those who have tested Simutrans-Experimental and provided useful feedback: it is very much appreciated. Any feedback from this version would, as ever, also be very much appreciated, including (1) online play; (2) general bug reports; (3) information as to how well-balanced that the game is; (4) any difference in approach/strategy needed for Simutrans-Experimental as over Simutrans-Standard; and (5) any other useful feedback.

Thanks again to all those who have worked to test Simutrans-Experimental, and happy playing!

Note

This topic is locked, as it is intended to serve as an announcement. To report a bug or otherwise give feedback, please start a new thread for each bug/topic. To ask a question about how to obtain Simutrans-Experimental, use this (http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=1894.0) thread.

Edit: Added alternative download location for the configuration files, as there have been problems with the Github download. Also added two items to the list of changes (relating to passenger routing) that had been omitted originally.