All Quiet Roads - v5.08 Update
New Features & Gameplay
The Bypass System: A major new routing mechanic has been added. You can now draw roads around neighborhoods to create a bypass. Vehicles will actively prefer these bypass routes instead of driving through the neighborhood and taking a "coffee break."
Pathfinding Adjustments: To support the Bypass system, vehicle pathfinding heuristics have been updated. Neighborhoods now carry a slightly higher transit cost unless they are the vehicle's specific destination, allowing you to engineer much more efficient early-game traffic flows.
Mechanics & Bug Fixes
Intersection Overhaul (Turn-Taking): An almost 4-year-old bug regarding how vehicles take turns entering busy intersections has been completely squished. Intersections now process incoming traffic fairly and efficiently.
Traffic Meta Shift: Fair warning on the intersection fix! Because traffic now flows fairly, the overall throughput at intersections is higher. If high-volume intersections are left unmanaged, severe gridlocks will occur. You will need to actively use the new Bypass feature to relieve pressure and manage these jams. Gridlocks will not vanish easily.
Under the Hood
Pattern Mode Iteration: A significant amount of backend work and iteration has been poured into Pattern mode. The foundation is getting stronger as the mode continues to evolve.