Today, we'll be taking a deep dive into an exciting topic. Once again, we're focusing on the Berlin route, and we'll talk about fascinating details about the HK, a modding pilot project, and much more.
We're thrilled to announce an exciting collaboration: SubwaySim 2 is being developed in partnership with the team behind U-Bahn Sim Berlin (known from https://www.u7-trainz.de). In this post, we’ll give you an overview of what this collaboration looks like and how you, as a player, will benefit from it.
Key Details and Insights into the Berlin U-Bahn
The U-Bahn Sim Berlin team is actively supporting us by providing invaluable insights into the daily work of U-Bahn drivers. Their feedback on vehicle operation, handling, and the unique characteristics of different train types has been instrumental in making the digital versions as realistic as possible.
A Modding Pilot Project
One of the main focuses of this collaboration is an experimental modding interface for SubwaySim 2, which we’ve been developing in the background. With the U-Bahn Sim Berlin team, we have experienced modders working with us to develop, test, and refine the interface. The goal is clear: if this pilot project proves successful, we aim to open SubwaySim 2 for modding in the future. More on that later.
Wait… Modding?
Some of you may already know that Simuverse itself originated from a modding team. While it wasn’t railway-related back then, modding has always been in our DNA.
One thing we haven’t shared about the MEGA Update for SubwaySim 1 is that since then, we’ve been using the Lua scripting language for development, taking an important step toward modding capability. That’s why we’re especially excited to be testing a modding interface for the first time through this collaboration.
By the way, the U-Bahn Sim Berlin website is also featuring a post about this announcement today - make sure to check it out for additional insights! To their Discord-Server
Note: This is currently a pilot project. While we hope for successful results that will allow us to introduce a full modding interface for all players, we can’t make any promises yet. We’ll keep you updated on the progress!
The Sound of Berlin's U-Bahn
Without the right sounds, a U-Bahn simulation just doesn’t feel right. That’s why working on vehicle audio has been a particularly important part of our partnership. From the acceleration sounds to the hum of the HK’s motor fan and the iconic door signals, all of SubwaySim 2’s Berlin U-Bahn sounds were directly recorded, isolated, and prepared for dynamic implementation in Unreal Engine by the U-Bahn Sim Berlin team.
We’ve already teased the HK in previous posts, and there will be a dedicated feature on it later. But for now, we’re incredibly proud of the high-quality audio we’ve achieved thanks to this collaboration.
The team’s assistance was invaluable as some members are actual U-Bahn drivers who experience these sounds every day. They understand the subtle differences in audio better than we ever could - an essential advantage when capturing and fine-tuning sound. Their detailed knowledge helped us craft an audio experience that not only sounds realistic but also dynamically responds to the train’s movement and behaviour.
The HK’s Interior Display
As part of our collaboration, we also hold regular feedback and brainstorming sessions. During one of these, we discussed the LCD passenger display inside the HK. What seems like a simple element at first glance turned out to be far more complex.
Typically, we have two options on how to recreate such displays in the game: Either we create individual textures for every displayed text, or we need to simulate the entire functionality of the display directly in the game.
While the first option allows for precise visual detail, it doesn’t quite support dynamic text - meaning it wouldn’t work for elements like the time and date display. That's why in the end, we decided in favour of the full display simulation, even though it takes much more effort.
This approach allows us to update the text dynamically in-game and offers much more flexibility in presentation. Together with U-Bahn Sim Berlin, we developed an Unreal Engine material that uses a special mask to control individual display segments separately. The team also created several custom fonts, including various special characters, to ensure an authentic representation of the real display.
Some of you might be wondering: why not just display the text using a font?
Since Unreal Engine converts fonts into pixels internally, it would result in blurred segment edges. On lower graphics settings, the display wouldn’t meet our quality standards. That’s why we had to take this more complex route to balance quality and performance.
Developing this system required multiple iterations, as certain characters needed precise alignment within the segments. We also needed extensive references to ensure accurate representation. Additionally, different font sizes couldn’t simply be scaled - they had to be custom-made.
In the end, we’re convinced that this effort was worth it. On top of that, we gained valuable experience with complex matrices, which will help us implement future display systems. We hope you’re as excited about this detail as we are - and we can’t wait for you to experience it in action!
All aboard - join us to gain deeper insights into the world of SubwaySim 2 over the next few weeks and months!
About SubwaySim 2
SubwaySim 2 has been announced in August 2024 and is currently in development. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be giving you insights into the game, its development process, and the new features. Feel free to share your feedback in the Steam Discussions, join our Discord server, and follow us on Instagram. Be sure to add SubwaySim 2 to your Steam or PlayStation Store wishlist so you don’t miss any updates!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2707070/SubwaySim_2/
Note: This is a work-in-progress version of the game. All screenshots and videos shown are for preview purposes only and are not representative of the final product. Please feel free to share your feedback in the Steam Discussions if you like what you see or notice any specific issues!