I've never been able to muster much enthusiasm about trains, but 1 have sympathy for those who do. When I was asked to go and look at Microsoft's Train Simulator, the very words filled me with a kind of quiet dread. How could anyone think about taking a form of transport that is fundamentally boring in the first place, and actually try to simulate that boredom?
However, after seeing the sim I wouldn't say I was actually a convert, but I've a little more appreciation for what the thermo-clutching masses are on about. And the fact remains that some people just adore trains -usually quiet men of a certain age who remember when trains were interesting, romantic even, and when a new a la carte menu didn't just mean the same crap as before only with a sprig of parsley on top.
This sim, which seems destined to do for trains what Flight Simulator did for planes, puts you primarily in the role of an engine driver in charge of one of a number of steam, diesel and electric locomotives and allows you to drive them across 600 miles of authentically landscaped real-world routes. Alternatively, you can just take a passenger's eye view and spend the time admiring the digital scenery.You're not going to be driving the 5.15 from Liverpool Street to Southend either, because Microsoft has chosen to go down the more commercially viable 'period* route. This puts you in the driving seat on routes such as The Flying Scotsman from Settle to Carlisle in the 1920s, or a modern-day freight train through the Rocky Mountains.Each train requires a different style of driving, from extending the flange valve and cranking up the ratchet handle on the steam locomotives (which will undoubtedly be the game's strongest selling point), to the random button pushing and dial watching involved in manipulating the current electric beasts. It's every trainspotter's wet dream.
One of the most unique things about the package, and one that will reach deep into the hearts of train enthusiasts everywhere, is the route editor package included with the game, which contains many of the original tools used to create the sim. This will allow you to create your own rail routes and locomotives, plus terraform and decorate the landscape to suit your whims.
Microsoft Train Simulator is you ticket to experiencing railroading like never before! Six highly detailed train routes from around the world with over 600 total miles of rail, carefully recreated with accurate elevation and terrain data, to mirror the real-world scenery, industry, and towns along the routes. Bahn, MS TRAIN SIM. It was a nice try but unfinished. Buildings missing, parking and taxiway sometimes not acording to the current charts. 3D Train Stuff - Produces commercial US and UK routes for Microsoft Train Simulator (MSTS). 3DTrains - Produces free and commercial add-ons for Microsoft Train Simulator including Alcos, Geeps, E-Units, F-Units, and complete passenger trainsets (California Zephyr, Super Chief, Pacific Surfliner). ActivitySimulatorWorld - Free add-on locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, objects,.
There's no doubt that this feature makes the possible scope for TYain Sim huge. Expect to see new routes, locomotives, landscapes and buildings, spreading like Internet wildfire after the game's release this spring. These people are dedicated.
Ms Train Sim Software
Boring or not, TYain Simulator is breaking new ground for sim games, and if it attracts the same kind of audience as Flight Sim, its success is assured. But let's hope it stops there; a couple of years from now I don't want to be previewing Caravan Sim -all the thrills and spills of open-road caravanning from the comfort of your bedroom...
Ms Train Sim S Card
Train Simulator takes the obsessive realism of Microsoft's best-of-breed Flight Simulator games down to earth. Six real-world rail lines are included from throughout history, including the Flying Scotsman line of 1920s England and the modern Odakyu Electric Rail commuter line in Tokyo. Microsoft Train Simulator brings the power and excitement of some of the world's most famous trains to your PC, placing you in the role of engineer or passenger with unprecedented realism, exciting real-world rail challenges, and the tools to recreate almost any railroad experience in the world.