Hello everyone!
Welcome to the first devlog about Trainfort! In this series we will cover many aspects of the game, like the controls, storing methods, levels and dungeons. Today we are going to tell you more about the Packing system in game.
One of the core mechanics in the game is the ability to pack up your base, vehicles, and equipment, turning them into compact, portable items that can be carried around. This system was designed to let players operate a mobile base, allowing players to embrace a truly nomadic lifestyle.
How It Works
Our goal was to make packing feel like holding a detailed miniature version of your gear. Most of the large craftable objects can be packed. Vehicles, base foundations, workbenches. However, already packed items can’t be packed again (so no infinite nesting of objects).
For you as a player, this means complete freedom: you can set up a base, make it precisely how you and your group want it, then shrink it all down and bring it along when you move to a new location.
Challenges & Early Versions
The packing system has been in place since early development, but balancing it was another story. At one point, players could pack a locomotive inside a base foundation, pack that foundation into a backpack, then pack the backpack into another backpack… endlessly. While technically impressive, it quickly became clear that some limits were needed hahaha!
Another major challenge was saving packed objects properly. The same system that handles packing also loads the entire world around the player and keeps track of items in backpacks or stored inside shrinkable machines. Getting everything to work together without breaking the game took time.
Early on, we experimented with different effects to make the shrinking process look satisfying. The goal was to strike a balance between clear visual feedback and technical feasibility, making sure players always understood what was happening without overcomplicating animations.
We always wanted deployment to look cool, and at some point there was a reference to how buildings "unfold" in C&C games. But, given how many different in-game objects use that system, we had to go with something simpler but universal.
Players’ Experimentation and the Future of Packing
So far, players have already come up with some unexpected uses for the system. One group built a zoo maze for monsters to test their AI, using packed objects as part of the experiment. Seeing how the community pushes the mechanics in ways we never anticipated is one of the most exciting parts of development.
Another aspect that might not be final is that packing and unpacking now happen instantly. You press a button, and in 3 seconds, the base is deployed. In the future, we might introduce additional limitations, like time or resources needed to deploy, especially for bigger bases with many items.
We love the system, but there’s always room to refine it. We’re still thinking about ways to improve how it interacts with the rest of the game, making sure it stays balanced and engaging as Trainfort evolves.
That’s all for today, hope you are enjoying the game, be sure to let us know what you think here, on itch.io or on our Discord. See you!