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Good for what rails you
Image credit:Gigatank 3000
Image credit:Gigatank 3000
Once upon a time, my favourite place to write was on trains. Specifically, laidback intercity services with nobody else in the quiet car and certainly, none of those screeching smaller bipeds, or “children” as they are scientifically known. That idyll is now lost to me thanks to Covid: I have vulnerable family members and continue to be careful about social distancing. As such I spend most train journeys these days lurking between carriages, trolling the door sensors and scowling furiously at anybody who visits the loo. But now, thanks to the obscene magic of video games, I can get my fill of authorial locomotivation once again.
The productivity element of On Track consists of a to-do list, perched below the window, and a timer. There’s optional lo-fi music (no thanks) and Sir Or Madam’s Choice of ambient audio - you can make the train louder and even turn up the hubbub from other, unseen passengers. The geography evolves a little as you complete tasks. Expect “surprises”, though probably nothing that’ll jolt you out of your seat, such as a nudist in a passing locomotive, or finding yourself unexpectedly in the world ofMetro Exodus.
On Track launches today, and will be free to play. Phoenix, Arizona-based developers GigaTank3000 are also the creators of the relatively unchillKaiju Catastrophe, in which you run around procedurally generated SimCities as Godzilla. There’s a demo for that - perhaps it’ll help you reach inbox zero, if you take Godzilla for a rampage in carefully controlled, endorphin-boosting five minute bursts? For a cuddlier variety of productivity tool, check outWeyrdlets.
