MAJOR Transporter update for 7 March 2024

New month is here and with it a new update! Version 0.2 is adding new gameplay layer with career mode, research and progression system.

Career mode

Create your own transport company in the Career mode and build your way from a few old trucks to a Logistics Enterprise with the latest, cutting-edge technological advancements.
Start only with limited number of vehicles and unlock new options through game progression and research.
Freeplay mode stays the same, with all transport options unlocked from the start. Switching to Editor is disabled in Career mode.

Research & Expertise

• Company can gain expertise by delivering cargo. Expertise affects prices and building costs and a certain level of expertise is often required for additional research.
• Research unlocks certain buildings, improvements, and new transport options. Most research has multiple steps to complete and requires significant amount of time and money.

New technology breakthroughs – such as Maglev or AVs – are unlocked through research. Additional vehicles are then unlocked automatically as time progresses.
Current research options are not final. Over 80 Research nodes and 20 Station upgrades are in right now and there is still more on the way.

Progression system

• Stations can level up and gain experience from loading, unloading, or selling cargo. With each level, station will receive a point to spend on one-time upgrades, increasing station stats.
• Vehicles can level up and gain experience from reaching a station and delivering cargo. With each level, vehicle will slightly increase stats, but increase operating costs.
• Industries have a chance to get a random upgrade when leveling up.

Other additions

• New company UI window with options to change company name or color scheme – including custom color picker - and track company score.
• Added a simple loan system. Loan amount is limited based on map size.
• Added a simple local rating, allowing to demolish town buildings if the rating is high enough.
• Added ‚Preset‘ Orders – Simplified, premade orders to choose from instead of the full order options. Presets are on by default, but player can still switch to full order options if needed. This was made mostly to make orders a bit less confusing for new players, so I’ll see if it sticks.
• Added option to copy orders from other vehicle.
• Added keybinds to ‚Pause menu‘ and ‚Close Last Window‘ and added ‚Menu‘ buttom on screen.
• Added 2 new locomotives - CHME3 in Ukrainian livery and CHME3M in Latvian(ish) livery
• Added vehicle VFX.
• Added 11 new music tracks.
• New UI when placing new station showing what cargo station can accept or sell and from which industry.
• New UI when moused over buildings showing – station capacity, industry production/stock, city population
• Highlighting connected stations when placing new station.
• Minor UI changes, mainly to make the main toolbar smaller and less obstructive.
• Some minor graphical improvements.

Fixes

• Improved railway placing performance and fixed grid snapping.
• Railway now snaps to other nearby tracks when placing.
• Fixed upgrading road connected to a station.
• Fixed road depot not connecting properly on load game.
• Fixed ship depot not deleting vehicles.
• Fixed road depot duplicating trailers.
• Fixed notifications and music menu controls.

... and some other minor fixes I forgot to write down.

Insane amount of work went into the last couple of updates, and there is still so much more to come, so if you have any interest in what this is becoming, please consider giving this a shot.
If you are discouraged by the lack of communication/social media engagement and such, please know that it’s only because ALL of my time is spent working on the game itself.