Kalypso a mis en ligne il y a peu une nouvelle vidéo présentant le gameplay de ce prometteur jeu de gestion d’empires ferroviaires. L’occasion d’y voir cette fois comment l’IA devrait en théorie bien se débrouiller pour construire des lignes de chemin fer en évitant les obstacles naturels et en utilisant au mieux les moyens à sa disposition.
En effet le jeu prenant en compte par exemple le degré des pentes ou le rayon des courbes pour ajuster la vitesse des trains tout au long de leurs trajets, certaines locomotives étant d’ailleurs plus appropriées à tel ou tel type de terrain, l’IA doit elle aussi en tenir compte pour optimiser au mieux ses dépenses. Les ponts et les tunnels devenant vite très couteux à construire, mais pouvant bien sûr avoir l’avantage de raccourcir certains trajets, et donc à terme d’augmenter les profits.
Au-delà des considérations sur l’IA, et le défi que la création de celle-ci représente pour les développeurs, cette nouvelle vidéo permet aussi de rapidement voir quelques exemples de régions où il faudra faire preuve d’ingéniosité pour relier les différentes villes et ressources y étant disséminées (le jeu modélise l’ensemble des USA, mais le découpe en sept grandes cartes différentes).
Au passage notez que la fonction pause qui était étrangement absente du début de la bêta (sauf pour la construction des voies ferrées) vient désormais de faire son apparition. Les développeurs ont eu la bonne idée de proposer celle-ci sous forme d’options, ainsi ceux préférant gérer un empire sans jamais pouvoir ralentir ou arrêter le cours des événements pourront le faire, et inversement, ceux préférant planifier tranquillement à l’avance ne seront pas régulièrement interrompus par les taquineries du gameplay. Les autres barons du rail gérés par l’IA ayant par exemple l’amusante mais parfois à force irritante manie de venir commenter le déroulement de la partie. Une bonne idée parmi d’autres pour dynamiser le gameplay, sauf quand on ne peut pas mettre le jeu en pause pour avoir un peu le temps de réfléchir.
Pour plus d’informations sur Railway Empire, dont nous reparlerons dans quelques temps et pour lequel la sortie est prévue le 26 janvier prochain, voyez cette page sur Steam. A lire aussi en complément mais en anglais ce récent article sur le blog officiel : Railway Empire: Can you beat the AI ? (la réponse est oui …).
Communiqué
New features roll into view for Railway Empire
Pre-purchase customers now able to stream content freely and test new features
Bracknell UK, 5th December 2017
Good news for all budding industrialists! Kalypso Media is pleased to announce that pre-order customers currently enjoying the Railway Empire closed beta can now download the latest update from Steam to test out some newly-introduced features, and are also now welcome to stream the game live for other gamers to enjoy.
Aside from a variety of bug fixes and improvements, the highlight of the new update is the new pause-function, allowing players to get even more strategic by stopping time and planning out their next move in detail, then resuming play to see their strategies unfold. This new addition is available in three distinct variations, designed to make the Railway Empire experience more forgiving or challenging depending on the player’s preference:
Trainiac – players will not be able to use the pause function, but will receive a bonus to their overall rank at the end of each scenario.
Normal – the game will automatically pause for certain dialogues in the game, letting players take in all the information without any effect on their ranking.
Manual – players can pause at any time to plan out strategies in detail, but will receive a penalty on their final ranking.To join the Railway Empire closed beta (Windows only), pre-order now on Steam for instant access, as well as a 15% discount, a custom paint job for the ‘Super Hudson’ locomotive, and a digital soundtrack. The full game is scheduled for release on 26th January 2018 across UK and Export territories for PC, PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Linux.
Watch the Railway Empire short trailer
Watch the Railway Empire – How to Play trailer
Watch the Railway Empire gameplay trailerAbout Railway Empire
In Railway Empire, you will create an elaborate and wide-ranging rail network, purchase over 40 different trains modelled in extraordinary detail, and buy or build railway stations, maintenance buildings, factories and tourist attractions to keep your travel network ahead of the competition. You’ll also need to hire and manage your workforce if you want to ensure an efficient train service, whilst also develop over 300 technologies ranging from mechanical improvements to the trains themselves to workplace infrastructures and advanced amenities as you progress through five eras of technological innovations.
However, you can’t just build and research your way to the top – the competition never sleeps, and to keep your business on track you’ll have to survive against up to three rival tycoons. To get to the top you may have to resort to more cutthroat tactics as you attack and sabotage your opponents through raids and industrial espionage.
Features of Railway Empire
- Exploit the economic opportunities of the United States in an extensive campaign, working your way step by step from coast to coast across this great continent.
- Lead your Railway Empire to success by establishing a comprehensive rail network and optimizing transportation of passengers and goods.
- Master challenges and objectives through a range of scenarios, or create your perfect railway network in construction mode without any financial pressure.
- Over 40 historically accurate locomotives and more than 30 different wagons can be acquired over the course of the game, and must be put to use in the best way in order to take advantage of their strengths and weaknesses.
- Invest in over 300 new technologies across five different eras to progress and maximize the potential of your rail network.
- Compete with up to three rival companies, and even sabotage their efforts with the use of bandits and spies.
Railway Empire is scheduled to launch for PC, PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Linux on 26th January 2018 across UK and export territories and can be pre-purchased from Steam now. Preview code is now available so please register your interest at ukinfo@kalypsomedia.com with your preferred platform or request a copy via Keymailer.
About The Kalypso Media Group
Celebrating its 11th year in the video games industry, the Kalypso Media Group is a privately owned, global, independent developer, marketer and publisher of interactive entertainment software with close to 100 employees worldwide, operating from seven offices across Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Kalypso Media has also established a digital-first label called “Kasedo Games” and enjoys very strong global digital distribution through its Kalypso Media Digital subsidiary. Furthermore, the group owns two development studios – Realmforge and Gaming Minds– to secure a constant supply of high quality games, and works with multiple leading independent developers. In 2015, Kalypso Media Mobile was founded in Hamburg, Germany, to deliver great games for mobile devices.
Kalypso Media‘s titles include the critically acclaimed “Tropico” series, strong strategy game franchises like “Dungeons”, “Port Royale” and “Sudden Strike”, as well as action RPG games such as “Vikings – Wolves of Midgard”, among others. For 2017 and 2018, “Dungeons 3”, “Railway Empire”, “Shadows: Awakening” and “Tropico 6” have been announced for all major platforms (PC, Xbox One, PS4). Moreover, Kasedo Games has signed “Rise of Industry” for digital distribution, and Kalypso Mobile will release “Tropico 3” and “Dungeons 2” for tablet devices.
More information about the Kalypso Media Group is available at http://www.kalypsomedia.com .