Optimizing Our Western Boom Towns | Century of Steam Dev Vlog

i know im a bit late to questions, and its definitely not a very on topic question; but i was curious if battle hymn of the republic will be in this soundtrack? its my favorite song from the other game that mark had done music with and was curious

Speaking of Western towns, can we expect a variety of outhouses / privys / long drops to bring out towns to life? Not something we usually see, but most necessary 😀

Is it going to be coming out at some time or is it just going to be video about it and no game ?

Oh my God, just within the last two weeks, it feels like almost everyone is producing some sort of AI vomit, it's ridiculous. THANK YOU SO MUCH for not going down the AI vomit hole! Having a hard time just navigating around Derail Valley mods that were either AI-coded or use AI-generated promotional art or use AI textures...

Hi guys! The shared-texture approach is a smart architectural decision: optimise residency, not just resolution. A smaller, reusable VRAM working set makes asset density far more scalable without trading away visual complexity. That’s really optimisation designed into the pipeline, not patched in afterwards. Very good work 👏 And I’m glad you’re not hiding behind “Early Access.” Too often, Early Access means: “It’s still shit.. but technically we warned you.” 😂 Genuine question: if 100% is the Century of Steam you ultimately want to deliver.. what percentage would you say the game is at right now?

Every time I watch a devblog, it is reassuring that holding off early access is the correct choice. Can't wait for the day that a date is announced!

considering how bad derail valley runs these days even on a high end pc i'm really glad to hear this, i'll be so happy once this is released to replace it for me.

Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster, but it doesn't have to :). Y'all definitely know what you're doing and I'm so glad you care this much about performance. Also very happy that you're releasing a finished product and not EA

.I was hoping you guys wouldn't be opposed to AI for game making, I'm disappointed because I'd hoped you would cut a little slack there, some people my not have a choice but to have AI Help them as not everyone can make their own games using studios, I also have to disagree about the environmental issues as any water they do use anymore is grey water and not drinking water, they also use coolant, also it doesn't steal from artists, it learns off them, not saying you can't like it as thats your opinion but denouncing it outright, I can't agree with that or support it, its improved alot over the years and will only get better, I'll always support the Studio 346 team but I have to disagree with you here

So, question... would it be ok if I were to take a still of the digital asbestos warning and send it to a local screenprinting shop to have a shirt of it made? I am more than happy to pay for this.

delores peter griffin death pose

So question now that I’ve had a few days to digest this. To what extent does the landscape use master materials? I’m sure it’s a balancing act because at a certain point tris do matter even with nanite. But I’m curious how much GPU savings you were able to glean by sharing textures between different landscape objects and plants.

Out of curiosity, how much RAM dose CoS currently take to run?

This was amazing! You presented a ton of incredibly interesting information in a way that was easy to understand, and provided some excellent examples of the problems and solutions in practice. Top marks, genuinely. Great to learn more about the limitations of VRAM and the impact that has on game development, it's something I never really knew before. Also deeply supportive of not releasing to Early Access and of making a point to call out (just a few of) the numerous problems with "digital asbestos" haha. The presence of digital asbestos in any project immediately kills my enthusiasm and support, and it's gratifying to see so many people who feel the same way.

I appreciate the time and effort it took to not only make this all well presented but engaging as well. Having had to deal with substance and different texture maps and all of that, this shit can get boring quick lol. You’ve managed to make this actually digestible and enjoyable for a large audience. Kudos!

I also just want to say, particularly as someone whose career goal is in the arts, thank you all for your stance on ai. I have seen it invade the railroading space and can't stand it.

thank you for making this. i gotta be honest, i do not think i will end up playing the game all that much, i am more attracted to ideas about managing railroads than driving the train. But seeing exactly what you tried to explain there: How much you guys love making this game and how you will go to great lengths to make the game fit your vision always makes me happy. I am a bit dissapointed that there will not be an early access, i would really love to play around with it as soon as you have something that somewhat works, but your explanation for why you have decided to only go for a full release is really good and i wish more studios will take inspiration from your approach to communicating about your designs.

Quick typo note (in case these can be fixed before making the video public): At 19:17, you've got "hardare" where it should be "hardware".

I love optimization so much, anything to help me keep a game installed so I don't have to pick and choose what's in rotation :3

Couldn't agree more on the AI message. Not only does it look awful but it sends the message "I don't care about this aspect of the game so I probably don't care about other aspects". I recently purchased a board game (coincidentally also about 19th century railroading) and all the art was AI. No surprise that there were tons of other errors including misspellings and unclear rules. Worse yet they had access to a reasonable amount of copyright free historic images to use. I knew Studio 346's attention to detail and care about the project put AI use beyond the pale, but I am glad that's been outright said and the problems with it articulated. It seems to be encroaching on the railroading world at an alarming rate.

I have not had my jaw hit the floor in a while but it did in this video. The detail and work being put into this game is just incredible.

Insert the "this, all of this meme" for the early access tangent. After finishing the video... Insert the "this, all of this meme" for the video. Like seriously Tom, excellent video. The game will be done when its done.

I love nerdy nerd development stuff and honestly... master materials are absolutely genius! And frankly, the people who say alot of this crap about not caring about the background stuff... I feel like these kinds of people will never end up buying the game anyway. Literal armchair engineers who can't even be bothered to touch digital brass much less real brass. XD

Thank you for a lovely update. The master material system seems like a great way to keep the VRAM budget under control. Just out of curiosity, will some or all of the master materials be map specific so that each map preserves it's own regional flavor, or will we be seeing the same kinds of masonry, siding, shingles, ect. on all the maps? On a more personal note. I hope you healed up well Tom, infected teeth are no joke. I had a few teeth extracted for other reasons years ago and still remember that sensation so I couldn't help but chuckle at your analogy.

I was pleased to see this out! Now the press makes perfect sense : ) A speedy recovery from the surgery to Tom!

I know I can sometimes be impatient for these devlogs myself but as long as they keep coming, I'm still more than happy to support you guys caring as much as you do to make this game not only right but with the small details that absolutely matter, even if those darn kids these days don't understand why they do to get the feeling of the game perfect. Keep caring and keep chugging along, Tom and Studio 346! :)

They say never to watch how the sausage is made if you enjoy sausages, but this has been one of the most informative vlogs, even if waaaay over my head. It just demonstrates how considerations are made that users just dont think about. Immersion is right - if you dont feel like you are there, then it is difficult to convince your mind that you are. Stunning buildings - love the bakery! Who doesnt love some crusty fresh bread, and you can bet it would be good bread :) More and more amazed with each update. Congratulations and thanks to everyone concerned with the development - it is just stunning!!

When this game eventually ship, I gotta say I'm gonna miss the devlogs lol Every one of these videos has always been a treat to watch and they not only show off the game, they also often act like their own lessons about 3ft railroading (which as a brit who has never seen 3ft tracks in my life is very welcome) Getting the notification whenever a new dev vlog comes out always puts a smile on my face and I'm looking forward to what you guys have to show off in the future!

Tom and the team, this video was an amazing insight, and I’m so glad to see this work. On the EA explainer: As a certified lunatic, I WANT to see the broken. I want to help find those last bugs. My love for what this project represents means I want, nay NEED it to succeed. If you ever need a beta tester, call me.

Can't wait to play this. Thanks for continuing to disregard the naysayers! Always get angry when I see them in the comments.

this is one of the absolute best dev logs we've seen from this project. I love that you all care so so incredibly much about the product you are making, from historical accuracy to gameplay to optimization, and I love even more that the historical accuracy and optimization can go so hand in hand. I also love the Dolores pinup next to the Comet replica!

Hey Tom, thank you for enlightening me why I’d never make it as a video game dev, you guys do what I’d give up on in five minutes. I apologize for the following question if it’s premature and overly detailed: I have a gpu with 20 gigs of VRAM, but I only plan on running the game at 2k res, would the game run well on my rig with this setup and would my choice of cpu affect performance under this setup as I’m planning on upgrading to a AMD 9800 3XD cpu?

Brilliant video as others like Matthew at the top have said. I think people nowadays lower their expectations way too much when it comes to games, and this is something that I really do not understand or get at all. Why lower your expectations and get a game which is worse overall then if you kept your expectation higher? Early Access titles really killed people's inherit standard for what a game should be on release. Now they complain about it too if the game isn't release 0.001 seconds after its announced...then after they finally get it they complain about the fact that "it isn't complete". Well no freaking duh Sherlock, you're the one who wanted it NOW vs waiting till it was actually completed. Its like you buying a car that's only had the engine built and complaining about the fact it doesn't drive yet.

This has been a very informative DevVlog. Keep up the amazing work!

I am appreciating the level of detail and passion for the history. I'm looking forward to the release of Century of Steam. Early Access is one of those models that has its place, but is not for every project and I appreciate Studio 346 recognizing that it is not a solution for this project!

Whew! I feel like we just got a lesson on the dark arts, And boy is it as mind-bending and extravagant as we all imagined it to be (Sword Art Online eat your heart out, You guys are making a world inside of a computer game? That's cute, but.... Screw that! These guys are actually making a real for real world that just so happens to be inside of a computer game!) And like I said in another devlog my computer is more on the weaker side. So the fact that you guys are going through so much effort to cut down on all the fluff while still making the game immaculate, I will forever be grateful to the guys at the studio for this endeavor. Everything is again looking incredible and it is rather interesting to hear your guys's side of the story, which is why I know when this game comes out it is not only going to take the railroader world by storm but I think even the regular crowd will be oohed and ahhed by the game. Once again, keep up the good work gentlemen. This is already shaping up to be a masterpiece ☺️😄🚂 P.S My deepest sympathies for the toothache actually going through something a bit similar (canine hurts on and off I'm booking a dentist Appointment ASAP)☹️🚂 P.P.S It will be nice to have a complete on arrival game and that's why I'm all for it, besides, I've actually found a game to scratch that itch for the time being, the bad news is is which game that is. But despite its infamous reputation I actually don't hate it (if you know, you know) ☹️🙂🚂

This is way above my pay grade. That being said I appreciate that you guys are transparent. It leaves little to misunderstand and cause anger amongst fans.

You can't understand how relieved I am that you're so adamant on not releasing the game on early access. Keep up with the awesome work! :)))

Man, the Youtube comments when this goes public are going to be wild. My answer has been and always will be, LET THEM COOK. While this is the first time you've shared many of these concepts, I knew in my gut this was the level of care and meticulous optimization you guys were putting into CoS, because its been blatantly obvious you guys have always and continue to put your heart and passion into this project. Tom, thanks for taking the time to get on the soap box and make it clear why these concepts are so important to you and the team and explaining the details in the way a layperson can understand. This is one of my favorite devlogs ever. As fun as it is to watch Mark blow up #9 on the hill, this is the meat and potatoes of this project and has me as excited as when the trailer first dropped. I cannot wait to see more content and eventually play the game, but stay the course and do it right to the finish line. The real ones will be waiting. No one has put this much care into a game in a long time. Keep working on your masterpiece, and you'll make waves when its ready.

Tom, I just wanna type and let you know that I really appreciated this. Dev vlog more than any other vlog simply because of the fact that you took the time to explain how we all want the level of detail of anything that we ever hoped for without it, eating our computers, lives, and the cost of building a whole new system to run such a high profile game, very interesting to listen to you explain how everything is put together and making everything universal without it eating our ram alive and making it better for the art team in the long run! Very nice step in the right direction! Keep up the great work!

If I could post images here it would be the "LET'S GOOOOOO" screaming baseball meme but it would say "OPTIMIZATION!"

out of interest, given that making geometry is cheaper than making texture, is there a reason why you can't define the letters as geometry, since presumably they would all be filled by the same colour? also I’m not sure if its been answered before but where buildings carry town names will it be possible to change these names in similar ways that you can on on the rollingstock?

building