MsAsterisk blog :)

Train Misconductor is a game based on model railway shunting puzzles like John Allen's Timesaver and Alan Wright's Inglenook Sidings. It has been under development since December 2024. What began as a simple prototype based on the Inglenook has evolved into a much bigger project that has pretty consistently exceeded our expectations. We're having a lot of fun developing it and our closed playtesters are having a lot of fun playing it.

Here are some fairly recent gameplay videos:

Here's a look at version Train Puzzle dot exe (title pending) 0.00, version 0.2, version 0.3, and the most recent milestone version, Train Misconductor (title no longer pending) version 0.4, to see how the game has progressed over time.

Here's some art of the game's Gymnomi Slime alien characters: The Conductor and the Engineer, as illustrated by MsAsterisk and myself, respectively:

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who are the developers? A: The development team is myself (whirligig-girl / Luna Rose) and my friend @msasterisk. I am the lead designer and the artist, MsAsterisk is the excellent programmer. In addition there is a closed playtesting group, a work in progress soundtrack being volunteered by SpockAndStep et al, and some additional scenery art assets being volunteered by @vivvy-of-the-lake.

Q: When will Train Misconductor be released? A: It depends on a whole lot of factors. We want to make sure it's good and ready before it comes out. Some fundamental features are still not yet implemented, and there is a lot more art left to do. It all depends upon how long a two person hobby indie dev team with no budget can go before getting burnt out. My cute little soundbyte is "if it comes out in 2025 or 2027, something will have gone wrong." But we just don't know.

Q: What platforms will Train Misconductor be available for? A: PC for sure, likely also Mac & Linux.

Q: Where will Train Misconductor be released? A: We intend to release on Steam and Itch.io.

Q: Is there a Steam page? A: We're waiting until near the end of this development sprint to do so.

Q: How can I keep up with development? A: You can follow me on Tumblr or on Bluesky, or follow specifically the #Train Misconductor tag on Tumblr or Bluesky. When the steam page goes up, we'll try to keep that up to date as well.

Q: Is there a demo? A: Not yet; though there will be a short free demo before the game is released.

Q: What will the game cost? A: We expect to sell it in the roughly $20 (USD) range.

Q: What is an Advanced Steam Engine? A: Historically, Gymnomi locomotives looked something like this: large articulated steam locomotives, garratts especially.

By the 2310s AD, planet Gymnome had largely phased out steam locomotives and switched to diesel-hydraulics.

In 2329 resulting from a regular shift in the planet's orbit as it encountered the coorbital giant planet Omen, a global oil crisis began, which led to steam engines being taken out of museums to run the railways again.

By the mid 2330s, brand new high efficiency steam locomotives with modern electronics were built. The SLYM-11513 is one of these new locomotives. These fictional engines are loosely based on real world concepts like the ACE 3000, LVM-800, and 5AT.

Q: Will there be a story? A: There will be some character dialogue and narrative tied to the player's progression. More info to come later.

Q: How can I help? A: If you're willing to volunteer your skills, contact me and we'll see what we can work out. In particular, additional scenery art assets and soundtrack are wanted. Also, a tip on my Ko-fi would be appreciated. Aside from that, please reblog, share this and other dev posts and keep talking about Train Misconductor. Indie games live or die on word of mouth. I know it's cheesy to ask for engagement on a social media post, but hey, you read this far, may as well right?

Q: Can I playtest? A: The playtest group is currently a closed group.