The video outlines the persistent and complex issues with elevators and transit systems in the game, highlighting slow progress despite dedicated teams and planned overhauls, while criticizing leadership for prioritizing other projects like Squadron 42 over core persistent universe features. It emphasizes the disconnect between optimistic public statements and the ongoing in-game problems, calling for greater transparency and focus to restore player trust and improve gameplay experience.
The video discusses the ongoing and long-standing issues with elevators, trams, and related transit systems within a game, highlighting their unreliable and often broken state. In February 2025, Benra Bosure acknowledged significant problems such as broken or missing elevators that trap players and trams that malfunction, causing players to fall through floors or be ejected unpredictably. The transit system, described as very old, requires a complete overhaul, particularly in its communication layer, to make it reliable and self-healing. A dedicated crack team was assembled to address these issues, with plans to rewrite the transit system to better handle server meshing and streaming challenges.
Despite these efforts, by December 2025, Chris Roberts, in a letter from the chairman, painted an overly optimistic picture, suggesting that while legacy systems like elevators and air traffic control had hiccups, server meshing was functioning flawlessly. However, the video points out that these elevator and ATC issues persisted in the game, contradicting Chris’s statements. By February 2026, Benoa revisited the topic, emphasizing the complexity of freight elevators, which are affected by multiple systems and come in different types with varying mechanics. Issues such as item loss and obstructions were still prevalent, especially when the game scaled up during events, revealing deeper systemic problems.
The discussion further reveals that freight elevators are managed separately from general transport systems, adding layers of complexity. Duncan Cich, a key developer, indicated on Reddit that his team had recently taken ownership of freight elevators and had made some progress, focusing on fixing exploits and preventing item loss, but vehicle elevators were not yet part of this phase. Despite some advancements, a skeleton crew was still working on the persistent problems, with most resources diverted to the development of Squadron 42, a separate game mode, leaving limited manpower for the persistent universe (PU) improvements.
The video criticizes the management and communication around these issues, suggesting that top leadership, particularly Chris Roberts, prioritizes cinematic and single-player experiences over the live PU, which suffers from neglected core systems like elevators, ATC, and metro transit. The speaker expresses frustration that despite repeated promises and partial fixes over several years, elevators and related transit systems remain unreliable and problematic. The video implies a disconnect between public statements and the reality experienced by players, with ongoing bugs and regressions undermining player trust.
In conclusion, the video highlights the slow and challenging progress on fixing elevator and transport systems within the game, despite dedicated teams and planned rewrites. It underscores the importance of these systems for player experience and expresses skepticism about timely resolution, given the focus on other projects like Squadron 42. The speaker calls for greater transparency and prioritization of these foundational gameplay elements to restore player confidence and ensure a functional, immersive environment. The video ends on a lighter note, showing a successful elevator ride in-game and inviting viewers to follow the creator on social media.