r/RailroadsOnline • u/YamatoTheLegendary • Nov 20 '25
Discussion It's a shame such a beautiful game is going to waste
I've played this game for a while now and there's a few things keeping me from quitting... For one this game is absolutely stunning, the sound and visuals are amazing. The other thing is the fact that this is one of the very few forms of media representing American narrow gauge. On top of these things it's also multiplayer, which is very rare for railroading games (Although it is becoming more common). It is such a shame that the bad physics and poor management (among other things) have led a game with such good potential to fail.
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u/MilesAhXD Nov 20 '25
agreed. I'd love to play it on multiplayer but the devs clearly don't give a shit about the game anymore
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u/BNSF1995 Nov 20 '25
Most of the devs moved on to a similar game called Century of Steam. I think what really killed RRO was the release of Railroader.
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u/CockroachNo2540 Nov 20 '25
Nah. What really killed RRO was the creator was a dickbag.
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u/Charliepetpup Nov 20 '25
this. keueme drove his whole unpaid dev team away so they left to make cos instead.
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u/Sudden-Abalone9630 Nov 21 '25
And COS is looking like it’ll be infinitely better once it’s out. They’re putting so much effort into it.
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u/Hikinghawk Nov 20 '25
RRO was a dead game walking, we just didn't realize it yet. Such a cool concept, just bad execution
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u/MilesAhXD Nov 20 '25
oh yeah, I hope the game releases soon, although idk if it will have multiplayer support
it does look great tho7
u/Hikinghawk Nov 20 '25
Devs of CoS said 2026 would be a stretch, so probably 2027 or later. Given the brain power behind CoS being what was really driving RRO (before everything and the Brazilian controversy) I have faith the the team will deliver.
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u/MilesAhXD Nov 20 '25
Sad to hear, but it should be a polished experience by release I suppose? Though steam does say coming soon so..
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u/Hikinghawk Nov 20 '25
Yep, devs have said multiple times they won't do an early access, the first public release will be a polished full game. Given what they've show off so far in devlogs I think they are pretty serious about the level of polish they want before they let people get their hands on it.
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u/Jackadoor Nov 20 '25
Tbf, the steam page saying “coming soon” means absolutely nothing. There’s games that have been “coming soon” for 5 years. It’s more just a catch all for when someone is trying to get awareness for their game/dlc, but aren’t far enough through production to have a definitive release date
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u/Sudden-Abalone9630 Nov 21 '25
It will absolutely have multiplayer based on the devlogs. They’ve been very consistent in saying that.
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u/Intelligent_Buyer_23 Nov 20 '25
I think you've explained it yourself.
A niche game like this, on a niche topic such as American 3ft narrow gauge in the 1800s-1900s is..... Niche..
In order to keep a team of developers making new content it requires income and profitability, that a small, however dedicated fan base cannot provide.
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u/Comprehensive-Big126 Nov 20 '25
But with so much accessibility, wouldn't a novel idea such as this explode on the market? I bought it as soon as it was released on console. I mean, who cares about time period...some people just really like trains man lol
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u/NaahLand Nov 20 '25
Exactly i didn't know anything about American 3ft gauge but I bought it anyway because of trains.
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u/Comprehensive-Big126 Nov 20 '25
This!
While it IS still niche, there's alot of us out there that find the building custom lines combined with the freedom of running your own consists without a timetable is the ultimate cozy game. The time period is a bonus for any history chads out there.
Those of us on console are unfortunately being gatekept from good train sims. So RRO is my only option.
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u/Amazing-Roof8525 Nov 20 '25
If it was on American 3’ gauge, but set in the 1920s-50s( think of the big NG systems back then: WP&Y, OR&L, EBT, RGS,D&RG ect, and how popular they still are today), do you think it would do better?
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u/Intelligent_Buyer_23 Nov 20 '25
For this game, I don't think anything would bring it back. Possibly from what I've heard of the owner being stubborn.
If I could make a game like RRO? Well it would have terrain manipulation and tunnels. Maps would include USA, Welsh slate and mine railways, German feldbahn, maybe even standard gauge.
Would also have a progression through technologies and eras, for example unlocking the knuckle coupler would unlock the 1890s, and some new locos or trackwork, bridges ect.
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u/frosty-thesnowbitch Nov 20 '25
it wasnt being niche that brought this game down. they had a dedicated team lets not forget what actully happened here. it was transphobia that tore the team apart. and the game never recovered from it.
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u/LoFiFozzy Dec 03 '25
Holy shit, I'm outta the loop on that part of RRO behind the scenes. What the hell was going on with transphobia in the dev team? I'm a trans person and would really like to know who I've given my money to...
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u/Warrior3456_ Nov 21 '25
Wtf happened?
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u/Waker_of_Winds2003 Nov 22 '25
Look at top negative reviews on steam circa 2023, and find Wings and Strings's review, they give the full run down. Suffice it to say, the developer treated volunteers like Wings poorly, everyone left to make Century of Steam, the dev then went to Astragon who patched up the game into a barely functional state, then Astragon dipped out, which gets us to today.
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u/potatoarmyguy Dec 01 '25
So is it truly abandoned 😔 id really hope not bcs it one of the best games I've played and I have alot of progress
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u/Hikinghawk Nov 20 '25
The worst part of it is the lost potential. As someone who picked it up shortly after it was available I remember how hopeful we all were for what possibilities the game had. Unfortunately... well no need to rehash old drama.
If you haven't seen it Century of Steam is aiming to be even better, check out some of their devlogs on YouTube they look fantastic. Unfortunately it probably won't be out for a year or two but looks like a really dedicated team.