Well that little steam engine looks rather familiar! This is looking great, and definitely seems like you've visited us before from some of the footage used - we'd love to help out with this project where we can, it'd be great to have a chat!
It is familiar indeed! All the railway footage is from my visit to your railway in August last year, hope to be back soon to see Edward Thomas after its overhaul, and Talyllyn in its new blue livery!
I can really see the inspiration behind this. From the direct references to the Talyllyn, to your love of the British countryside. Keep following your passion, and this game will be a masterpiece.
Minecraft Create Mod trains are the peak of train gameplay. The cycle of building a nice-looking train, putting down tracks, tame animals to drive it (or do it yourself). And then you get to transport yourself or resources and expand your world until you need more trains! Its wonderful
@MashUpGames It's very fun, but it definitely isn't as relaxing as what you're going for. It focuses a lot on factory building that can tet frustrating, but I still love it.
If you like realistic trains railroader is a good game rn, when century of steam comes out that will be a great steam and diesel game, for more cartoony track building and games railroads online will help
My dear good man, you have basically created Ivor The Engine: The Video Game!😄 And the fact that you've based the engine on the Corris Railway's Falcon locomotives is so fittingly charming as well, really capturing that quaint, British/Welsh countryside narrow gauge spirit. I absolutely love this concept, can't wait!
Either the Falcon, or the Fletcher Jennings class C either sourced from the Talyllyn Railway or maybe even the Skarloey Railway. But in other words, I’m also very excited and will possibly get this myself!
I love the graphics sprinkled in the video, they really are the definition of simple and charming, cozy even! I'm not much of a train fan as I am a Metro/subway fan, but the idea still appeals. Good video!!
I recorded the line but then realised later I don't own Train Simulator to get footage for 😅 but at least the video says "games like Train Simulator" haha
I highly recommend taking heavy inspiration from the Cambrian, North Wales and Conwy Valley lines and all the industrial railway heritage around them. Especially as this little preview at the end of your video is already very narrow gauge core (and so were the real life clips in-between, recongised the Talyllyn right at the start), the industrial heritage of Wales' mines, quarries nad respective narrow gauge operations are an ideal setting for a comforting, and perhaps even nostaliga-invoking game.
I get what you're saying with wanting to drive a train but not being too overwhelming. It's American railroading, but a game called Century of Steam is being developed that you might look to some inspiration with. It's definitely looking more at the realism, but is focusing on narrow gauge railroading, so smaller scope, and more rural and wilderness operations. It'll also have more casual difficulty options. One recommendation I have to you, is to look for real life references for your trains. They don't have to be perfectly accurate, but if you make some effort in this area, the casual players won't notice as much, but rail fans will, and thank you for it. An important tenet of Thomas was that Reverend Awdry wanted it to feel like a real railroad. The engines had jobs to do, they operated like real locomotives - No, you don't have to go so far to simulate firing or wheel slippage - but giving stuff functional purpose, an iceberg of sorts of _feeling_ real, is what makes a great train game.
@@TonySpike No, I think they should have intentionality behind them - simplifying a train for a game like this is basically a necessity - no one will care if there isn't perfect valve gear - but some make imaginary trains that have pipes that are added for no reason, weirdly sized wheels, and just a complete misunderstanding of how trains work. Basically what I'm saying - if you learn the basics of how a steam locomotive works, and look at a reference picture, you'll get something that looks good - and the prototype he showed at the end of the video indeed looks nice.
I think another feature which might be cool is to change and replace engine parts maybe? Diffrent cab designs, diffrent whistles, diffrent funnels. A giesl ejector funnel would be pretty cool. Really looking forward to this game!
At first I thought the engine looked a lot like Talyllyn (Skarloey) but another commenter said it reminded them of Sir Haydn (Sir Handel), and I can definitely see that, too. I also noticed the stock footage of the Talyllyn Railway in the transitions. I’m wondering if there will be any other references to the Talyllyn Railway or the Island of Sodor in the rest of the game.
Its a solid game idea for sure! Only thing I would add is a slight bit more customization for the train. Such as different chimneys on top of different colors and maybe different whistles. All of which could be gotten from shops scattered around the island that you'd be able to buy with the money you get from helping folks. I'm a customization nut tho so take this with a grain of salt lol
This is literally all I've ever wanted in a train game, something quaint and cozy, so this is absolutely going on my wishlist. I do only have one request from this, full customization for the loco and car. Like color wheel, water tank and coal bunker placement, cab, half cab, cabless, funnel height, sand bunkers and dome placement, wheel arrangement, optional tender. Than for the drivers car, just make it like it could be anything from a passenger coach to a tram coach to freight wagon. Also the ability to save, load, and switch locos and engineers coach would be appreciated lol. Ahhhh I'm just really hype about this and I look forward to more updates
I would absolutely love this game! Stuff like repairing the loco, loading up on coal and water, shunting, and completing small tasks sounds like a dream! Best of luck!
I also grew up watching the classic TTTE VHS tapes, and this is exactly the kind of train game I've been looking for! One of my favourite things was watching the side-rods on the wheels pump as the engines were travelling, thank you so much for having that tiny detail on your fantastic little engine! Keep up the good work, I can't wait to see what this game can become!
This idea reminds of a game I used to play on Roblox called “Somewhere, Wales”. Takes place somewhere in, you guessed it, Wales, and you’re able to freely drive around a bunch of beautiful little narrow gauge engines. Definitely worth a shot if this appeals to you.
I already love the cute artsyle and ideas you have! I will certainly wishlist this game. If I may give some early feedback. The idea of an island might sound fun at first but I think you will miss opportunities by having it all be on an island. If the map were connected to different types of terrain, like forest and mountains, you could have the edges of the map be interesting as well. Coasts everywhere get boring quickly. (You can still keep the coast on one side of the map ofcourse). The different map edges could play a role in quests or resource gathering. They also make for a good dlc opportunity since the train could simply drive to whatever new area you might include in a dlc. This is ofcourse thinking far ahead but the choice between island an mainland is something you make early on, even though the effects are only felt later. Anyways, I'm looking forward to see where this project is going!
When you started talking about what you wanted to make, I was instantly thinking about a German children's book, about an island, where one of the main characters is driving a train around. It's called "Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer". It has been made into multiple movies over the years. It's by the same author as the "Neverending Story".
I think something vital to this game would be the ability to construct your own track. Maybe not completely sandbox, but say you unlock a new region and give the player the ability to connect places in that region to current track through designated areas in whatever way they wanted. It’d be so much fun to drive the train over your own path!
Hi, as a Talyllyn volunteer this looks amazing and I can't wait to see it come out! My main suggestion to you is a freemode multiplayer option would be wonderful! Often railway games completely lack any form of multiplayer functionality so it's a very isolated experience. Wishing you all the best in bringing this charming little idea to reality! :)
This sounds like a such great idea. You dragged me in with Thomas and sold me with Spirit Tracks. No one ever talks about that game and I adored it. I’m genuinely excited for this game, I can’t wait to see more updates 🤩
Really cute little game it looks like so far. I can really see the potential, perhaps missions to get other locomotives or funny little easter eggs would be welcome as it gives another reason to play. But it's purely up to you man. Some simple ideas if you wish to hear them would be things like maybe certain engines can pull certain amounts of weight or be better suited for certain jobs. Maybe even a custom livery maker like in Train Simulator so people can perhaps make trains that are more visually appealing to them and make it even cozier.
i know the game is supposed to be cozy, but two additions that would be nice are a tall snowy peaked mountain, and occasional thunder storms, mostly so that you can hear the little pitter-patter of rain on the roof and distant thunder as you transport your precious cargo along. also, along with the one little cabin car, a small caboose would be cool when fitting any quest carriages
5:50 surrounded by beautiful blue sea, fields of green and sandy yellow beaches there are rivers, streams and lots of trees where the birds sing, there’s windmills and a coal mine, and docks where visitors for the island arrive, and there are lots and lots of railway lines…
if you are after inspiration, I fully recommend taking a visit to the Isle of Man in the Irish sea! We have a government-run narrow gauge steam railway still in revenue-earning service, alongside a victorian electric tramway too! Not to mention the horse drawn tram and the electric tramway to Snaefell summit- thanks @weekendrailroader !
Two electric tramways, and let's not forget the horse-drawn tram along the waterfront. Come to think of it, a horse drawn tram may be good fit for the game.
This sounds like everything I've wanted in a train game. Wishlisted and subscribed :) I really love your editing and the little animated visuals to explain what you're talking about. They look so good and are helpful! Looking forward to more
One comfort train game for me is Derail Valley. A bit more complex controls than your game, but I feel so genuinely relaxed when I'm shunting in the yard, or doing freight hauls. There's even a good progression system in the form of "licenses" which you can purchase if you want to carry different freight for more money, or unlock bigger and more complex locomotives to be able to carry heavier loads faster. What's better is the pricing. Most train sims are full-priced, and will make you buy DLC for more locomotives and locations. But Derail Valley is a single $40 purchase for literally everything the game has to offer. No DLC or in-game purchases. It's also in active development. Frequent updates, official Discord the devs are active on, and a public roadmap of planned and in-progress features. Sorry if I gushed too much here, but I feel it's a bit of an underrated game, and is absolutely worth a shot for anyone passionate about trains who needs the itch scratched for a good train game, because I'd say this game did it for me.
I think having the caboose as your house is a pretty cool idea. Maybe when you are in a quest, the train gets longer and you have to climb over all the cars to get to your engine.
Train nerd here: An idea I had was that you could axpand the power output of your locomotive. First, adding a tender could make you able to go along the longer lines without having to constantly refuel, or reconfigure the wheels to go faster or have more power. Just a thought though! Love the game already!
Derail Valley also lets you run in Simulator mode with simplified controls and get out of the train wherever you want. Take quests, unlock more content, even take photos of your train and get a caboose you can live in. Most uniquely, DV takes inspiration from Serbian rolling stock. Regardless, i wish you the best of luck with this project.
The fact that George Carlin legitimately voiced Thomas the tank engine is still amazing to me. I seen the memes about it, but learning that he legitimately wanted to do it was mind blowing for me. then I got to thinking, not all of those were clips from his stand up. Some of those were actual bloopers that he just ran away with! Awesome job by the way.
I doubt you'll get round to reading this but a game like this would be great with some interactions that creates a relaxing atmosphere through a variety of ASMR. I could imagine boarding the train and you have the crackling of a small fire. then we need to build up steam pressure, so water injectors, then coal shoveling until you make roaring fire noise and then switch to the chuffing noises which are either loud barks or soft and rhythmic depending on speed and the gradient of travel, steep leading to the individual barks and soft wavy noises on the flat. if you want to release steam pressure cause you don't need it down hill then use the release valve for that shhhhhhhh noise along with a variety of soft snappy whistles to holding the whistle on. it would also be cool if the driver could cook bacon and eggs on the go, another crackling asmr sound to engage in. additionally with environment noises like birds, soft tree rustling, rain etc i think interactive sounds along the journey would make for a very comforting atmosphere for the game balancing between complexity to lack of variety repetitiveness it could fall into.
I once thought of an idea for a top down Pre-Grouping railway simulator in the style of Airport City or Tapped Out, set between the late 1800s and WWI. You could either be the CME of a real railway and chose how to expand it whilst making deals with nearby companies, or you could invent your own railway and attempt to make it flourish.
Highly looking forward to this, it looks lovely. On the subject of unlocking things to customise your trains, maybe different whistles could be cool? Different whistle varieties could give people more unique ways to personify their engine, whether it’s a simple toot or a blaring 3-chime. Could be something fun for people to strive to unlock. Keep up the brilliant work!
I really appreciate simple games, they're very hard to do well. Like Jon Blow's The Witness, it's amazing how chill it is to play, but making it was probably a hell and a half.
This game is actually the most perfect game I’ve ever ever had a concept for bus if you have a system where the money you get from doing quest you can use to buy more carriages which allow you to haul bigger loads you can do more quest pay more if you have quest sued in transport materials to unlock a new area and for every bit of materials you transport you unlock more of that area those are just my ideas but that seems like the most perfect game I’ve ever heard of
This game looks so cute! As both a train fan, and a fan of cozy things, I’m very eager to pick this up when it eventually comes out! One recommendation I’d like to make is having more locomotive varieties, perhaps three or four different locomotive types you can choose from when you start the game. My picks would be a Hunslet Quarry Engine, either the Ffestinog Railway’s “George England” or the Welsh Highland Railway’s “Russell”, and, for us Americans, a 2-4-4 “Forney” locomotive, akin to the “Fred Gurley” on the Disneyland Railroad in California. Another suggestion I have would be the ability to name your railway, name your locomotive, and give your engine a number. Games like Railroader and Railroads Online have this feature, and I think it would be well worth including. Looking forward to playing your game!
5:36 there’s actually a little franchise that actually has this exact idea called Jim button where this kid and his friend Luke the engine driver travels around the whole world on a little steam train called Emma, but their home area is basically this
I hear the words 'cosy' and 'trains' and I'm onboard. I love both cosy games, *and* trains - especially when steam trains make me feel so warm and cosy in their own right! So its such a perfect combination 🥰 its funny, a lot of train games to me are still quite intense in their own right, like simulators where you have to operate the controls perfectly, or build lines and manage railroads and whatnot? A game like Derail Valley I've fallen in love with, its still a simulator but its still super relaxing to me! But you're right, it would be nice to have a more cosy train game - Tracks I think came close to that! So colour me very intrigued 🥰
I love this idea so much! One of the first games I remember playing as a little kid was Thomas and Friends Railway Adventures for the PC, which featured some train driving around Sodor. There were many times I would play just to drive around the island and would ignore the various minigames and tasks to do. I occasionally have looked to find train games that recapture that feeling but they often lack the simplicity and feel of the original. Sufficed to say, I am very interested in seeing more from you and am looking forward to more updates on the project in the future 😊
I’d highly recommend a style similar to Art of Rally. Minimalist, but can be full of detail with the right hardware. I love the way the game looks, it’s satisfying, and calms me down even after a mistake when racing. This honestly looks to be really promising, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on it! Can’t wait to see how it progresses!
Using Thomas as inspiration for this is perfect. Thomas needed more open world games like what you’re doing. The Genesis title and one called Railway Adventures was the closest we got to open world Thomas titles.
This is the first video of yours I've come across and I must say I love the sounds of this game. It sounds perfect to me and it will be added to my wishlist for sure.
The artwork really reminds me of Thomas and Friends model era and the description reminds me of the choo choo charles main gameplay with helping villagers as you go around the map but without the horror so I'll definitely follow this
This is the sort of game I have been wanting to buy since Train Simulator is a bit complicated, and I’m not quite after a puzzle game like Colour Trains on the old iOS store. Few ideas (take them or leave them): Aesthetic and world similar to Lonely Mountains Downhill, my cosy mountain bike game of choice from the pandemic years when I couldn’t ride. While it is low polygon in aesthetics, it does feel homely but the gameplay has the right intensity for what I expect as a mountain biker. Ability to make a rail yard: Thomas the Tank Engine to me as a kid had an appeal because there were different engines in the yard that had varying personalities. Initially you might start with the small engine with limited customisation (three paint jobs) but then you could acquire a medium sized engine, a large locomotive, and maybe even have a spot for a small train that climbs better or a diesel engine for winter missions? Train racing: a mini game which has slightly different mechanics to the main game, this one sees you shovel coal, and switch tracks to race from one location to the other. While being fast might seem easy, having slow enough cornering speed so it doesn’t tip off the rails or run out of coal before the finish is the finesse of the game. Love your video, keep up you hard work. 😁❤️
See, there's so few Narrow Gauge railway stuff out there, it's rather refreshing to see a game dedicated to it. Hope to see a Welsh Pony train in the game.
As someone who loves trains, and really enjoys cozy games, this is something I'm looking forward to. Off topic, I have no idea if this was intentional or not, but the train in the footage looks a bit like Sir Handel.
Hey, I have some suggestions for your game. That would be to base it on a mixture of the Romney, Hythe and Dimchurch located in Southern Kent, and the Nene Valley Railway. The reason I included the NVR is because while RH&D matches the cutesy look you are going for, the NVR has full scale locomotives and matches well with the countryside aesthetic you might be looking for on the interior of the island. I also highly recommend consulting with Mark Huber, who's undergoing a major game build called Century of Steam when looking for tiny bits of realism and for a whistle synthesizer his team has been working on.
I've always wanted to play a game that expands the ideas introduced by Spirit Tracks. I love that game so much on my DS and seeing this gives me hope to relive that experience again! Btw you said that you're currently looking for an art style for the game. I don't know if that'll be difficult or not, but what about a painted or water-colored art style? Maybe something reminiscent of the Railway Series books? I think it'll make the setting more cozy. Some food for thought. I can't wait to see more from this project!
this is just an aside, but for a train simulation game which is more game than staring out the window for hours like trainz or train simulator, look at Derail Valley. It's got a stunningly realistic and complicated train and locomotive simulation but it is somehow still approachable because it starts you off with easy locomotives before you unlock the harder ones. Each of the locomotives in the game are sufficiently different that each provides its own challenges when running it and the number of locomotives is kept small. You have a small diesel electric (DE2), a medium sized diesel mechanical with manual transmission (DM3), a small steam engine (S0-6-0), a large diesel-hydraulic (DH4), a large steam engine (S2-8-2), and a giant diesel electric (DE6). And unlike train simulators, derail valley's small map with lots of grades and curves keeps the action fast paced enough to keep your attention while still having some slow paced sections to enjoy the genuinely gorgeous digital scenery. it's not at all the kind of game you're talking about here, i just wanted to plug it as a solution to the "train simulators are boring" problem. It's less a train simulator and more a game with the gameplay emerging from a very realistic train simulator combined a gamified map.
As a train nerd: Looks lovely! I would however like to see the ability to pull more than 1 carriage. And also: Shunting! Give me little shunting puzzle minigames! Like, seriously: Running trains, adhering to a time schedule is nice and all but it's equally lovely to take a break from that all and just... push and pull carts and organise them so everything looks nice and pretty. And given this is meant to be cozy, it'll fit right in!
I'm really glad you made it a tank engine and not a tender engine that's missing its tender. Too many games do that for some reason and my brain hates it lol.
Hi there! I'm actually currently scripting a 2D Thomas game at the moment and my oh my does it make me feel happy that someone else is making another railway project at the same time with a similar concept. I also find it reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who wants a simple, pretty train driving game. So hard to find those for some reason. I cannot wait to play your game whenever it comes out!
This is the exact kind of train game I was looking for. Been rediscovering Thomas the past year, but was disappointed by the lack of video games. Trainz and TSW are cool, but like you said, those are more complex. I'm very eager for when this releases.
This, THIS, this is all I truly want in a game in this day and age. in the last few years i’ve scrolled through app stores to find a game like this. I found simple train games, but they weren’t visually pretty. I found visually pretty train games, but got complicated and boring very quickly. If you successfully make this a game. I would be over the freakin moon. this concept seems so cool! I hope there are many lovely places in this. a quiet port, a busy town center, a grimy coal mine, fields of livestock and farms, deep valley’s with a viaduct through it, dense woodland areas with a lake at the heart of it, and so much much more. really excited for something like this i can’t wait to see what you come up with in the future. and maybe one day you could add a DLC that slowly integrates other railway cultures across the globe.
Being into steam engines I’d love to see a mechanic that requires you manage the locomotive in some way. Something simple like adding more water or fire to the boiler, but in a way that makes driving the train slightly more engaging. Either way I can’t wait to pick this up when it comes out!
I LOVE how this game looks! Can't wait to get it in the future, but I think it would be cool to be able to customize the locomotive a bit more than just the paint. Maybe different whistles, different parts, or completely different models available.
If I could suggest possibly allowing you to upgrade the train or be able eventually to get different models of trains I think that would be amazing And I know this is very early development but possibly some kind of co-op online multiplayer would be fun also maybe add some customization to the little character
My four y/o loves trains and I'm having a terrible time finding train games they can play or are happy with watching me play for an extended amount of time. So here's hoping for this one.
The locomotive depicted looks a perfect blend of realistic and cartoony/stylized! It's perfect. Imma go boot up my PC and open up the steam page. Ha, a game on steam where you drive a steam engine!
This game sounds AMAZING. I don’t want to be “That Guy” that says “I have ideas” But unfortunately, I have ideas. I think to could be pretty cool if you could customize the appearance of you train a little more than colors. Like maybe adding a little coal bunker to the back, or changing the saddle tank to side tanks. Maybe adding in a leading truck with 2 wheels or a trailing truck. Upgrade it from an 0-4-0 to an 0-6-0 so you can take on missions with more cars. Feel free to say no or explain how that isn’t feasible at this stage though. That is totally fair & this is your project after all. Maybe I just need to make a train game of my own at this point 😅
I'd make a minor modification to the locomotive to have a small coal bin behind the player. Look at saddle tanks for the idea. As it stands at the moment, your train has no fuel source.
I need this game in my life. Hell, if you ever need a playtester, i've playtested a few games before, and i'd be more than happy to playtest for this one!
I really like the aesthetic of this game. The colors are nice and the models are cute 😊 I’m not usually one for cozy games (I’m hyperactive) but I’ll check this one out when I can.
It would be cool if the carriage kind of worked like animal crossing. Like you can build and edit the inside, along with if you pick up a npc (idk if you will do that in this game) they would sit in a random chair inside the carriage. How you would get furniture is that every town has a little shop that sells like 5 random items, and these shops reset every 5-10 minutes to be different items. If there’s a world map, it would show what shops are selling in each town on the map, adding a little bit more exploration and customization.
I cannot BEGIN to describe how excited I am for this game!!!! All of the gameplay systems sound so perfectly simple and enjoyable, and I've wanted a game that could scratch that Spirit Tracks itch for pretty much my entire life. I definitely understand if you don't want to, but I think adding in some lite character customization (hair styles, skin color, etc) would just be the cherry on top what sounds like an absolutely FANTASTIC time!
@@MashUpGames If I wasn't already guaranteed to pick this up as soon as it drops, I am now!!!!! And in the meantime, I will eagerly await development updates!
This whole island thing with a small train reminds me of an old show I watched. Its called Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver, where there is a small Island with tracks going all around it. They go on an adventure and such and such... with the train of course! The story was book adopted to puppet show new and old, a movie and a tv show if i remember correctly. Maybe give it a watch?
