Live data from Hacker News

Train sim created by just one person is being called the best ever made

kotaku.com

161–170 of 375 posts

Re: Train sim created by just one person is being called the best ever made

#161
post #34

This is a 1 person job?! It looks practically photorealistic. That's absolutely wild.

> It looks practically photorealistic.

what has improved a lot recently is the physically based rendering - specifically, the lighting. Looking at the steam page, this train game has that type of lighting.

Another game that uses similarly realistic lighting is https://store.steampowered.com/app/2406770/Bodycam/

Re: Train sim created by just one person is being called the best ever made

#162
post #59

I always wonder how a solo developer can source high quality assets like these, plus develop a full game with them. In this case did the dev create the assets or did they purchase them from a freelancer? How much would purchasing this many assets cost?

There are lots of assets to purchase or even for free. majority of small devs will buy them, if they have money then will freelance. It’s very rare for one dev to do everything but do exist.

Assets are generally cheap, unity asset store itch.io

Unless you commission someone for work 1-2K would cover many small games easily.

Re: Train sim created by just one person is being called the best ever made

#163
post #123
post #119

The dev is a person from Indonesia (Rizky Nova) who's device has 16GB of ram. Being able to use the Unreal Engine for free to develop this is awesome. This couldn't have happened 10 years ago.

I think this is incredible, and I am so happy for him, he deserves all the praise he gets (and maybe more). I will sin and make this about me, briefly, but just to say that when I was a kid/teenager with a really slow computer, a) I enjoyed coding much more, b) I think I was a way better programmer. Constraints make you better, you have to be smarter. I miss those times.

And that is why gamedevs do not get machine-upgrades

Re: Train sim created by just one person is being called the best ever made

#164
post #59

I always wonder how a solo developer can source high quality assets like these, plus develop a full game with them. In this case did the dev create the assets or did they purchase them from a freelancer? How much would purchasing this many assets cost?

Almost every time I see a halfway polished “solo developer” game, they did not do all the work themselves. Especially, they usually hire out the music, maybe other sounds, and much of the artwork. Sometimes they also have freelancers doing marketing and such. Sometimes even some paid help writing the software. I highlight this not to bring those developers down, but because I think it’s important people understand ho…

Not lately, loads of sub-jobs going to LLMs..

Re: Train sim created by just one person is being called the best ever made

#165
post #119

The dev is a person from Indonesia (Rizky Nova) who's device has 16GB of ram. Being able to use the Unreal Engine for free to develop this is awesome. This couldn't have happened 10 years ago.

Unreal Engine's been free for just over 11 years now: https://www.unrealengine.com/blog/ue4-is-free

Re: Train sim created by just one person is being called the best ever made

#166
post #59

I always wonder how a solo developer can source high quality assets like these, plus develop a full game with them. In this case did the dev create the assets or did they purchase them from a freelancer? How much would purchasing this many assets cost?

It's not so much about the assets as the framing, lighting, positioning and blending it all in a compelling way. For instance in the trailer I recognize the large brick building at 0:14 from a cheap/free asset pack, though I don't recall which. And look at it - it's super generic copy/paste layering with some slight variations, and seemingly baked on lighting given the identical shading per floor/layer. But put in a well lit scene with appropriate framing, and suddenly you're here thinking it's a high end custom built asset.

Now a days you can also get basically endless assets for free. Unreal gives away a new pack every few weeks or so on Fab (and has been doing this for years), KitBash3D gives occasionally gives away some amazing assets, and many more. But again none of this matters without some serious artistic and style sense. Given I recognize at least one asset there, I'd imagine a good chunk of his assets are from stuff like this. But you're not going to be able to clone anything comparable even if you had the exact assets he used. Placement and such is way more of an artistic thing than you might expect.

Re: Train sim created by just one person is being called the best ever made

#167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Being able to use the Unreal Engine for free to develop this is awesome ... and paying Epic 5% of all lifetime profit is a blessing too (if he makes money appropriate for "the best train sim ever made")

Unreal is completely free for up to $1 million in revenue. And at that point, the 5% royalty is very much a happy problem.

Lifetime royalty fee on any related worldwide gross revenue is a happy problem?

Re: Train sim created by just one person is being called the best ever made

#168
post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Being able to use the Unreal Engine for free to develop this is awesome ... and paying Epic 5% of all lifetime profit is a blessing too (if he makes money appropriate for "the best train sim ever made")

Unreal devs have bills to pay as well. We already know what happens in Nebraska.

I doubt Epic struggles for money. By the way what happens in Nebraska?

Re: Train sim created by just one person is being called the best ever made

#169
post #123
post #119

The dev is a person from Indonesia (Rizky Nova) who's device has 16GB of ram. Being able to use the Unreal Engine for free to develop this is awesome. This couldn't have happened 10 years ago.

I think this is incredible, and I am so happy for him, he deserves all the praise he gets (and maybe more). I will sin and make this about me, briefly, but just to say that when I was a kid/teenager with a really slow computer, a) I enjoyed coding much more, b) I think I was a way better programmer. Constraints make you better, you have to be smarter. I miss those times.

> I will sin and make this about me (continues to make an awesome, general point about engineering)

:)

Re: Train sim created by just one person is being called the best ever made

#170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unreal is completely free for up to $1 million in revenue. And at that point, the 5% royalty is very much a happy problem.

Lifetime royalty fee on any related worldwide gross revenue is a happy problem?

To be able to use this tech in the first place? I have no glue about business problems but this sounds far better then the 30% rip off by apple and Google app stores....
Post reply on HN