DrainSim | Ep. 1 – We’ve got a beauty of a drain here today
A brand-new adventure begins, and this time we’re swapping swords, spaceships, and survival horror for something a little more… waterlogged. DrainSim might not sound like the obvious choice for a relaxing evening, but after keeping an eye on it for a while and finally grabbing it during the Steam Sale, it was time to roll up our sleeves and see whether restoring drains could really make for entertaining chaos.
As it turns out, there’s something strangely satisfying about watching floodwater disappear one muddy channel at a time. Of course, this wouldn’t be one of our streams without a few unexpected mishaps, plenty of laughs, and the occasional questionable engineering decision along the way.
🌊 About the Game
DrainSim puts you in charge of tackling flooded streets, blocked drains, and waterlogged neighbourhoods using everything from simple hand tools to powerful pumps and generators. Every job is about restoring the city’s drainage systems while figuring out the most effective way to move water back where it belongs.
What sounds like a straightforward clean-up simulator quickly becomes a surprisingly engaging puzzle. Each flooded location presents its own challenges, rewarding experimentation and creative thinking as you battle mud, hidden drains, and stubborn pools of water that refuse to stay put.
🧭 Where We Are in the Journey
This first episode marks the very beginning of our DrainSim journey. We’re learning the ropes, getting familiar with the equipment, and discovering just how much depth hides beneath what initially looks like a simple simulator.
As with any new series, there are plenty of mistakes, discoveries, and unexpected laughs, but by the end of the evening it’s clear there’s far more strategy hiding beneath the muddy surface than first meets the eye.
⚠️ What Happens in This Episode
The evening begins with the tutorial, although before we can even start mastering the art of drainage, the mouse sensitivity has other ideas. After a quick adjustment, we finally settle in and learn the basics of digging channels, clearing blockages, using buckets, and setting up pumps. Naturally, one of the first memorable moments involves happily redirecting floodwater into the neighbour’s garden. It seemed like the obvious solution… at least at the time.
With the fundamentals under control, our first real assignment takes us to the flooded Midtown Market. Streets, cafés, and public spaces have all become unwilling swimming pools, but after experimenting with pumps, clearing drains, and gradually getting the water flowing again, the market slowly returns to normal. Although, judging by the amount of water around the café, perhaps they were aiming for more of a waterfront dining experience.
Curiosity then leads us into one of DrainSim’s stranger side activities: magnet fishing. While it certainly offers a change of pace, it feels a little out of place compared to the main cleanup jobs. After wrestling with the mechanics and pulling up a few interesting finds, there’s plenty of joking about hoping this particular mission doesn’t become a regular feature of our working life.
The biggest challenge of the night waits for us on Forest Road. Arriving under the cover of darkness makes it difficult to judge just how extensive the flooding really is, so the first task is simply scouting the area while digging away enough mud to begin draining the initial section of road. A pump soon gets to work while we explore further ahead, only to discover an even larger flooded area constantly fed by rainwater running down from the surrounding hills.
At first, it seems obvious that building a mud barrier and pumping everything dry is the solution. Unfortunately, reality has other plans. As daylight finally breaks through the trees, we spot the real culprit: a deeply buried storm drain that’s completely clogged and sitting frustratingly out of reach beneath the floodwater.
Working out how to reach it becomes a puzzle in itself. Inflatable barriers initially seem promising, but with little explanation from the game, figuring out how they actually work proves almost as muddy as the road itself. Eventually everything clicks into place, only for us to notice an overlooked gap at the edge of the flooded area. Digging a channel there allows huge amounts of water to escape naturally, lowering the level enough to finally reach and unclog the hidden drain.
Once the storm drain begins doing its job, the entire area starts to come back to life. With water levels falling, one final mud barrier redirects the runoff from the hills safely into the drainage system instead of back across the road. After plenty of trial, error, and improvised engineering, Forest Road is finally reopened.
Alongside the gameplay, chat keeps the evening lively with helpful tips, plenty of banter, and shared laughs as everyone settles into this surprisingly relaxing new series. A welcome raid from flyingfox21 brings even more energy into the stream, while we finish the night by raiding across to OurChickenLife, rounding off a fantastic first outing for DrainSim.
With the tutorial complete, several successful jobs behind us, and much bigger drainage disasters waiting in the future, it’s safe to say this muddy adventure is only just getting started. We’ll be back with more DrainSim in two weeks’ time, while next Thursday we’ll be taking a one-off detour into Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library.
▶️ Watch the Episode
If you’d like to experience every muddy discovery, engineering mishap, and surprisingly satisfying cleanup as it happened, you can watch the full episode below.
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpMJ87Gtp1I
If you enjoy the adventure, be sure to visit the channel at https://www.youtube.com/@Dr_Ravenholm, leave a like, share your favourite moments in the comments, and subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes.
You can also follow the complete series here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT1gq3EGazKo
🌧️ Join the Adventure Live
The next cleanup is never far away, and every stream brings fresh mysteries waiting beneath the floodwater. Whether we’re solving engineering puzzles, discovering unexpected mechanics, or simply laughing at another questionable decision involving the neighbour’s garden, every live session becomes part of the story.
Join us live on Twitch or YouTube, where the community helps shape the adventure with ideas, jokes, and plenty of encouragement whenever another drainage disaster appears on the horizon.
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/dr_ravenholm
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/@Dr_Ravenholm
🤝 Community & Links
Every journey is better with fellow travellers, and this growing community is always ready to share advice, celebrate victories, and laugh through the inevitable chaos together.
Live
The next adventure is only a stream away.
https://www.twitch.tv/dr_ravenholm
https://www.youtube.com/@Dr_Ravenholm
Community
Join our Discord and become part of the conversation between streams.
Socials
Keep up with everything happening across the network.
https://www.tiktok.com/@dr_ravenholm
https://bsky.app/profile/dr-ravenholm.bsky.social
https://www.instagram.com/dr_ravenholm/
https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Ravenholm/
https://www.threads.com/@dr_ravenholm
Support
If you’d like to help support future adventures, you can do so here.
https://teespring.com/stores/dr-ravenholm
https://streamlabs.com/dr_ravenholm/tip
More
Explore more projects, services, and articles from across the network.
https://transparent-aluminium.net/
https://transparent-aluminium.net/resources/Business/Transparent-Aluminium-Service-Brochure.pdf
https://transparent-aluminium.net/about-me/
https://transparent-aluminium.net/blog/
🌅 Closing
The city may finally be draining again, but there are still countless flooded streets, hidden storm drains, and muddy mysteries waiting beyond the next bend in the road. Until next time, keep your boots dry, keep the pumps running, and I’ll see you on the next adventure.
— Dr Ravenholm
Discover more from Transparent-Aluminium.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
