Abandoned Tracks and Lost Players

Many of us have been there—you join a Civ server, receive a spawn book and a minecart, and eventually find yourself at a vast, bewildering rail station. You stare at a sign with the famous /dest commands, growing increasingly confused. You ask in global chat how it works, only to receive a stream of vague or unhelpful answers. Eventually, you log off, never to return.

In this article, I argue for the return of the one true rail system: direct lines.

Over time, the Civ genre has experimented with various destination systems, most of which rely on the RailSwitch plugin. Some of the most infamous include (ranked from worst to slightly acceptable):

• KANI (Knot and Nexus Interchange, CivClassic 2.0)
• AURA (AUtomatic Rail Assistance, CivClassic 2.0)
• OneDest (formerly known as SARS—an analogy to a viral respiratory disease, CivMC)
• HITS (Hjaltland-Impasse Transportation Service, CivClassic 2.0)
• GOR (Great Overland Railway, CivMC & CivClassic 2.0)

For a visual representation of this chaos, look no further than KANI’s coverage at CivClassics’ EOTW — pure hell.

All of these systems were built with good intentions: the world is vast, rail lines are costly and time-consuming to dig, and efficiency is key. What if we could minimise these efforts and interconnect the world? A noble goal, certainly, but one that comes with serious drawbacks. Destination systems must be adopted, maintained, and standardised across a server, requiring extensive cooperation. In practice, this leads to several problems—problems that are all too evident on CivMC today.

The Three Problems of Destination Systems

1. Maintainability

A new server launches, excitement is high, and an ambitious network of /dests is constructed. Fast forward two years—OneDest is barely maintained. Occasionally, some dedicated soul appears to patch a few lines, but these efforts are rare. Most of the time, the system slowly degrades, leaving players with broken routes and confusion.

2. Effort & Exploitation

Direct rail lines require immense effort. Many stretch thousands of blocks, taking weeks to construct with contributions from multiple people. But imagine the frustration of discovering that someone has hijacked your rail to add a dest, diverting traffic through their own rail network—a modern form of rail leeching. A system designed to be universal instead becomes a battleground for control.

3. Inaccessibility

Destination systems are only convenient for those who already understand them. To travel, you must either:

• Use an external map (CivMC Rail Map)
• Consult a third-party website (KANI Route Calculator)
• Memorise a labyrinth of commands

For new players, this is an intimidating and unnecessary hurdle. Rather than simply hopping on a rail and enjoying the journey, they must learn the complexities of RailSwitch, forcing them out of the game and onto external tools. Many never return.

The Solution: Direct Rail Lines

There is one alternative that solves all these issues: direct lines without destinations.

• Maintainable – No reliance on complex systems; a rail line is simply a rail line.
• Tamper-proof – No one can hijack or redirect a route without physically altering the tracks - a pearlable offense.
• Accessible – Anyone, new or old, can simply board a minecart and ride without needing a manual.

More than that, direct lines encourage exploration. There is nothing more satisfying than discovering a city, choosing a rail line with an intriguing flag, and simply seeing where it leads. By knowing the dest upfront, you already know where you’re going, taking away the magic of discovery. The true way for new players to integrate into the server—by is by travelling the world naturally, not by staring at a command list.

If we want Civ servers to be welcoming, sustainable, and fun, it’s time to abandon the tangled mess of destination systems and return to the golden age of direct rail lines.

This article’s cover picture is Yoahtl’s new rail station, built by x1025.

ArtificialDriver is the Duke of Highgrove in Pavia and is one of the main engineers behind the Monument Bank. I should point out that he in no way has direct influence on Lyrean Rail as a company, which this highly advocated for.