This beta build has changes to large sections of the backend of the game, so there are lots of changes and not many new additions.
If you would like to help and give this a test run it would be most appreciated. The more it is tested, the better it will be. It would be best to only test this if you have a lot of experience with LOGistICAL and know your game well. Often I don't get to test as much as I would like and then have to deal with the problems that arise which takes me away from creating more content and upgrades for the game. So again, your testing help would be most appreciated.
I have created a "beta testing" forum to isolate these posts. It is open to all at the moment, so please post all feedback into that forum or pm me.
Modular Load
"Modular Load" is a term I have given to this build where only the modules that you are wanting to play in the current session are loaded.
You will now find the globe loading and game loading super fast. There will now be a pause when you load your first and subsequent modules.
You start with the globe (except for a "new game"), click on a country (module) that you own and it will zoom into the map view of that country.
If you want to play another module/country at the same time, then click the globe in the bottom right hand corner and then click that country on the globe.
Some modules auto-load, eg NZ and the tutorial auto-load AU.
There shouldn't be a limit to the amount of modules you can load, but I think we might run into problems after the 5th. I will test and change if necessary.
A list of flags appear in the bottom right hand corner. Click on a flag and it should take you back to that module where you were last playing, with the currently selected truck and town.
What has changed
A lot has changed. In fact, so much has that it would be hard to list, but the interface hasn't change much at all.
All the data was already modularised, but the save game file wasn't. To be backward compatible things haven't changed a great deal in that area, but there are a lot more checks on load and save to ensure that data is not lost or overwritten.
Only the towns, roads, contracts, regions, states and metadata for that module are loaded. The trucks are all there, but only the ones for the loaded modules are visible.
I have had to rewrite a few areas including the regions, contracts popup, the map display, the hi-res map display and many others.
Summary
Once this build is stable, LOGistICAL will load super fast and also play faster. It will also enable the adding of new modules without bloating the game.
You should be able to sit comfortably and play half a dozen modules at once.
Things I still want to add to this build
Place the word "Loading" on the map when the module is loading.
There is a pause every so often if you drag the map around a lot. That one is driving me nuts as I can't quite figure out where it is happening.
How to
This build can be accessed via the Steam "beta" program.
You should back up your save files before you do this.
They are most likely in the default directory of "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\
\573060\remote".
When you start the game, you should also create a second copy of the game you wish to play with. That is done by the copy icon to the right of the game file. Try to keep the original save game file prior to this update, so you can always go backwards and check things. I have about 5 simultaneous spawns from the original.
To access the build, right click LOGistICAL in the Steam library, select properties, select the betas tab and select "Modular Load beta" from the drop down list. If "Modular Load beta" is not in the list you will have to restart Steam first.
Thanks for giving this a go.