About the Game
On January 21, 2023, AngeTheGreat released a video called "Simulating a Steam Engine with C++" which documented the creation of a simple steam engine simulation. This is that simulation now made into a simple game! Enjoy operating and listening to your own miniature virtual steam engine.
Screenshots
5 images
Version Information
Steam Patch Notes
Official update history
This update corrects some minor issues:
If you notice any issues, please let me know in the comments section of this post, thank you!
View on Steam
Change List (Base Game)
- Alt+F4 now closes the application.
Change List (Power Generation DLC)
- Fixed a very rare issue when the final game mission can be activated twice.
- Greg can no longer lower unlock levels (only happens if the game is active for multiple decades and the letter cap is reached)
- Part manager now remembers which page the user was previously on since some players complained that returning to the installed part page caused input mistakes
If you notice any issues, please let me know in the comments section of this post, thank you!
This update adjusts the difficulty of the end-game and fixes some minor camera movement issues.
This will be the final patch for at least a few days. I know there are some common requests still pending. I really appreciate everyone's interest and support of the game but I do need to move on now to my main project: Engine Simulator. I will document the crazy journey with Steam Engine Simulator in an upcoming YouTube video on my channel. I hope to see you guys there!
View on Steam
Change List (Base Game)
- Fixed an issue where there would be a delay before being able to pan on some mice.
Change List (Urban Power Generation)
- End-game challenges and final stage have been made significantly harder. Quite a few players have commented that the end-game seems a bit too easy in comparison to the rest of the game, especially the challenges which seem to actually be easier than day-to-day energy demands. There were reasons for this but regardless, I've made some adjustments to the final stages of the game. It is now much more difficult but should still be pretty relaxed on Normal/Easy difficulty. Expert, on the other hand, is now borderline impossible (unless you really know what you're doing). I assure you, it IS beatable but you will need to extract everything you can from the engine. Good luck...
This will be the final patch for at least a few days. I know there are some common requests still pending. I really appreciate everyone's interest and support of the game but I do need to move on now to my main project: Engine Simulator. I will document the crazy journey with Steam Engine Simulator in an upcoming YouTube video on my channel. I hope to see you guys there!
This update adds some quality-of-life features and fixes a few minor bugs.
View on Steam
Change List (Base Game)
- Added trackpad mode (can be enabled in the settings menu). This mode is meant to make the game easier to use on laptops where to pan is not convenient. Now, ALT + can be used.
- Added zoom to cursor setting (can be enabled in the settings menu). The game currently uses zoom to view center, while some people prefer zooming to cursor.
- Added scroll when hover setting (can be enabled in the settings menu). This setting allows the player to use the scroll wheel while hovering over a control, without having to use that control's keybind.
- Piston friction is now modeled slightly more accurately and large friction coefficients no longer cause numerical instability at low speeds.
- Fixed an issue where pause menu was still interactable for a short time after being closed, preventing other controls from being accessed.
- Fixed an issue where the game would override the normal mouse cursor even though the cursor was not above the window's client area (like when it's over the exit button for example).
- Reduced some noise artifacts coming from piston movement at low speeds.
- No access warning now works when using the scroll wheel on locked controls.
Change List (Urban Power Generation)
- Added additional information to parts list like whether an upgrade is available or whether an upgrade has been purchased but not installed. This makes it easier for players to keep track of what needs to be done during an outage.
- Adjusted energy usage randomness to make trends slightly more predictable.
- Reduced sporting event volume slightly.
- Added 3 new buildings.
- Fixed an issue where some ambient sounds might play very briefly when the game is first loaded.
- Fixed an issue where power outage warning would appear for a few frames after a planned outage ended, even if there was no outage (this was purely a cosmetic issue).
- Reduced generator volume slightly.
- Disabled pause game letter from Isambard if the tutorial is disabled.
- Spaced out part recommendations from Mr. Savery.
- Added higher quality fade effect for energy demand graph edges.
- Most tutorial arrows now disabled in Hard and Expert difficulty.
Change List (Power Generation Sandbox)
- Separated brake PID into two separate PIDs for generator speed and engine speed.
- Added more labels to feedback control cluster to clarify which PIDs control which inputs.
- PIDs now take control more smoothly than before.
- Fixed an issue where excitation PID was active even when master enable was switched off.
- Fixed an issue where enable damage toggle did not reset to the correct state on startup.
- Added pause keybind to controls list.
This update makes many adjustments to the game's tutorial based on community feedback. It also adds some minor features and bugfixes.
View on Steam
Change List (Base Game)
- Controls with non-default input modes now reset properly on game start
- Fixed a shader issue where alpha might exceed 0-1 range
- Added CPU brand information to AVX warning dialog
Change List (Urban Power Generation)
- Tutorial is now separated from the rest of the game and the main sequence of the game does not progress until the tutorial is complete
- Population no longer changes during the tutorial (during the engine management portion)
- Sediment no longer accumulates during the tutorial
- Mr. Savery now corrects the player if the water level drifts off-target
- Added a very clear, prominent warning when an outage is occurring
- Fixed a minor performance issue related to the MARKETPLACE and MAILBOX buttons (it's minor in 99% of cases but in cases of unusual player usage, could be more serious)
- Increased vibration amplitude for both gear sticks
- Heat control is now highlighted during the initial set heat task
- The "Shift to sixth gear" task has now been separated into 2 tasks since it was not clear to many players that you need to both be in 6th gear AND have the generator at operational speed
- Fixed "reverser to neutral" task tolerance to match the UI control
- Spaced out some of Mr. Savery's tutorial messages to not overwhelm the player
- Fixed an issue where highlighted controls in "emergency mode" were still controllable while the game was paused
- Adjusted Mr. Savery's throttle warning since many players reported that it happened too frequently and at inapplicable times
- Added New Year's event music
- Added sporting event sound effects
- Added fireworks sound effects. Some fireworks displays are now slightly longer
- Made usage hint font size slightly bigger in the city editor
- Adjusted numerous tutorial letters to make objectives and information clearer
- Added page flip sound effect when changing letters and marketplace page
- Added sound effect when spending and collecting money
- Added signature sound effect when responding to letters
- Broken powerlines are now highlighted since many players reported missing cable break events
- Fixed a bug where the no-access notification did not appear when clicking on the city viewer without being given access
- Reworded population milestone tasks to make objective more clear (specifically with respect to debt). Some players thought the task was referring to debt levels of the population itself, which is not a mechanic in the game
- Tutorial arrows fade in/out faster
Change List (Power Generation Sandbox)
- Added pause button to sandbox mode
- Added dynamometer feedback controller to automatically manage generator excitation to maintain generator speed. This operates like a real-world dynamometer
- Sandbox mode now starts paused
This update fixes a few minor issues.
View on Steam
Change List
- CPU check for AVX no longer terminates the program but allows it to continue running after showing a warning. This is mainly for people running the game on unsupported platforms where AVX support is not reported but may be supported in other ways.
- Fixed an issue where the base game damage toggle was appearing in the DLC modes.
- Renamed "STORAGE" to "INERTIA"
- Adjusted generator voltage curve
- Fixed an issue where magical energy multiplier readout was not showing the correct value
- Fixed a formatting issue where "MWH" was instead rendered as "GWH"
- Added short description to frequency changer part in marketplace
- Made some weather changes transition more smoothly
This update adds a few minor improvements to the game and tutorial.
View on Steam
Change List
- CPU check is completed at the beginning of the program so players know if their CPU is compatible or not. This is really just a check for AVX support which is supported on most CPUs made after 2011.
- Added more decimal places to transmission readout.
- Adjusted tutorial letter to specifically say "BOILER STRUCTURE" repair so that it correlates directly with a heading in the marketplace.
- Player now gets a notification if they try to click on a control that they currently don't have access to.
- Mailbox and marketplace are highlighted with arrows during the tutorial so players can find them more easily.
- Arrows were added to help players find where to click when repairing the powerlines for the first time.
This patch addresses some common complaints I've seen, mainly regarding difficulty level. I did release a few other patches before this which mainly focused on minor UI changes like starting the game in the main menu to avoid confusion for people who just purchased the DLC.
I first want to address a common misconception about the career mode that fuel is "too expensive". It isn't and this is quantifiable and provable mathematically. Furthermore, there are no "dumb tricks" or hacks needed in order to win. That being said, I do understand that for someone who hasn't spent a lot of time in the simulation, it can seem mysterious or counterintuitive. I assure you, the simulation is not broken and it's not scamming you. Physics just doesn't care about gameplay and these are the harsh realities of physically based simulation.
To ease the pain for players, I've lessened the difficulty level slightly in the easier levels (everything other than Expert), specifically the economy which seems to be a common pain point. Expert mode is the only mode that is objectively balanced when looked at mathematically. The other modes are heavily biased in favor of the player.
With this in mind, I'd like to hear from you guys about where you're having difficulties and how the tutorial and game might be improved to alleviate those challenges.
View on Steam
Difficulty Adjustments
I first want to address a common misconception about the career mode that fuel is "too expensive". It isn't and this is quantifiable and provable mathematically. Furthermore, there are no "dumb tricks" or hacks needed in order to win. That being said, I do understand that for someone who hasn't spent a lot of time in the simulation, it can seem mysterious or counterintuitive. I assure you, the simulation is not broken and it's not scamming you. Physics just doesn't care about gameplay and these are the harsh realities of physically based simulation.
To ease the pain for players, I've lessened the difficulty level slightly in the easier levels (everything other than Expert), specifically the economy which seems to be a common pain point. Expert mode is the only mode that is objectively balanced when looked at mathematically. The other modes are heavily biased in favor of the player.
With this in mind, I'd like to hear from you guys about where you're having difficulties and how the tutorial and game might be improved to alleviate those challenges.
Change List
- Generally improved and more consistent performance
- Water pump pressure changed from 50 psi to 100 psi
- Water valve now controls water flow rate instead of water pressure
- Holding shift now allows the mouse to finely control valves and other components
- Pressure relief valve is now controlled with an adjustable stop
- Visual indicator added to show when tank is overflowing
- Quality calibration no longer adjusts the quality down if the user manually sets the quality
- Reduced instability noise when tank is fully filled
- Demon mode heat transfer coefficient increased
As always, please let me know if you encounter any issues as your feedback is critical to improving the game. Thanks everyone!
Change List
- Game no longer crashes after 20 hours of play-time
- Fixed tick count on pressure gauge (it had 6 segments instead of 5)
- The engine and controls would sometimes freeze after a lag spike; this has been fixed
- Hints no longer display when hints are disabled
- Controllable elements are highlighted when controls are displayed
- Starter motor pitch adjusted down slightly
- Steam particle system looks more consistent at different framerates
New Content
- Added starter motor
- Added drain valve
- Added water pump (at 50 psi)
- Better animations when interacting with gate valves
- Improved gauge appearance
- Vacuum reading added to pressure gauge
- New vacuum achievements
Performance Improvements
- Better multicore performance (audio and physics are now multithreaded)
- Audio synchronizes more quickly after a desync/lag event
- Reduced audio latency
- Reduced game folder size by 60%
- Improved game startup time
- Optimized game geometry for faster rendering
- Improved steam particle performance on laptops
Bugfixes
- Window clears with the correct color when resizing
- Better error handling when encountering audio driver issues
- Game no longer crashes when alt-tabbing to desktop
Hidden Features
- F3 debug screen
- n + scroll will manually adjust audio/physics quality
Change List
- New achievements
- Fixed a bug where display is jittery when zooming and panning at the same time
- Physics engine robustness improvements
- Removed unnecessary files from game folder
"When engine builder?"
This game will not be expanded much from where it is now, however, I am working on an engine building game that will have many of the features you guys want. That is an entirely different project called "Engine Simulator 3D". You can also download the prototype of this project (not currently available on Steam) called "Engine Simulator" which does allow you to build and test gas-powered engines. Please check out my YouTube channel (all links in the game) to learn more.
Note about freezing after long play-time
In order to get some of the more insane achievements, some people have attempted running their games for many hours consecutively. A few have experienced the application freezing while doing this. I'm looking into it. I'm not sure what's causing it yet, but don't worry, your stats won't be lost if this happens as the game saves them periodically.
Note about "viruses"
Some players have reported that Microsoft Defender in Windows 11 flags this game as suspicious or potentially containing a virus. I can assure you that this game does not contain any viruses or malicious code. I've already submitted a false-flag report to Microsoft and hopefully this will be patched soon. If you do notice anything suspicious about the game or have any questions at all, please let me know.
Steam Achievements Are Here
It's a pretty basic list of achievements right now but we're open to suggestions. If you notice any bugs or broken achievements, please report them, thanks!
Change List
- Added Steam stats and achievements
- Gauge needles and whistle handle move more smoothly
- Reduced VRAM and RAM usage
- Window returns to original windowed size when exiting fullscreen
Current Release
Not available
Additional Files
DLC Unlockers (Legit Owners)
1 file · For legitimate game owners
System Requirements
OS
Windows 10
CPU
Intel Core i3-3110M @ 3.00 GHz / Ryzen 5 3550H
RAM
8 GB RAM
GPU
Intel HD Graphics 620
How to Install
1
Download all files
2
Extract the archive to a folder
3
Run atg-steam-engine-demo.exe to play
Troubleshooting tips
• Run Redist/_CommonRedist installers if game won't start
• Add folder to Windows Defender exclusions
• Run as administrator
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