Latest update — October 12: Multiplayer version check

Now live in the main game and Playtest.

• Steam lobbies now compare installed game builds when version information is available. Players with different known builds receive a clear message before joining.
• The message asks both players to close Lotwick Hill, restart Steam and wait for the game update to finish before trying again.
• The warning is available in all 14 supported languages. Missing version information does not count as an outdated game or block joining. Single-player is unaffected.

Older game versions without this check may still connect without a warning. Please make sure everyone has updated before playing together.

Latest builds: main game 25878814; Playtest 25878804.

Earlier update — October 12: Arabic and main menu

Now live in the main game and Playtest.

• Added Arabic language support for menus, interface text and world signs. Select العربية in the language settings. Feedback on wording is welcome.
• Replaced the moving, zooming main-menu city backdrop with a static city image. This removes the animated menu backdrop associated with the reported black-pixel artifacts.
• Fixed missing translations in city event notifications, including fire, leaks and bonus-bus messages.
• Fixed translation lookup for formatted construction and hotel messages.

Builds: main game 25874584; Playtest 25874577. Please update all players before a multiplayer session.

Earlier update — October 11

Today’s update focuses on simulation performance, harbour traffic and multiplayer synchronisation. It is now available in the main game and Playtest.

Performance

• Reduced repeated work in harbour, delivery, airport and traffic-clearance calculations.
• Made multiplayer vehicle updates more efficient by refreshing the relevant vehicle data instead of repeatedly scanning the entire town.

Harbour traffic

• Updated queueing, merging, reversing and barrier-stop behaviour for harbour trucks and delivery vans to help traffic recover from blocked queues.
• Improved the traffic occupancy data used when resuming after a multiplayer pause.

These traffic changes can affect delivery timing and harbour income; they are not purely visual changes.

Multiplayer fixes

• Fixed several issues with incoming snapshot data, including mixed numeric and text keys and shared blocker data.
• Restored missing sack visuals for guests.
• Reduced unnecessary work when applying vehicle updates on guests.

Known remaining issues

Some tight harbour merges, reversing manoeuvres and queues across tracks can still look awkward. Long waits at farms, tunnel queues and delivery-van stops around town remain under investigation. Some objects can still be missing when a guest joins a saved town.

Please update all players to the same version before starting a multiplayer session.

Builds: main game 25866168; Playtest 25866165.