Microsoft Train Simulator is a 2001 train simulator developed for Microsoft Windows, it was released on May 31, 2001, and developed by the UK-based company Kuju Entertainment.[1] It sold one million units worldwide by 2005.

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Microsoft Train Simulator
Developer(s)	Kuju Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Microsoft Games
Director(s)	Paul Chamberlain
Designer(s)	Phil Marley
Programmer(s)	Rhona Robson Paul Wright
Artist(s)	Dan Frith Tony Zottola
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release	May 31, 2001; 21 years ago (2001-05-31)
Genre(s)	Vehicle simulation
Mode(s)	Single player

Features

The simulation allows players to operate a selection of trains on various routes in Europe, Asia, and North America. Players need to stop and start the train and couple wagons, using the computer mouse, keyboard or a hardware addition (e.g. Raildriver) to operate the controls.[2]

Routes

The game featured six routes in four countries: Austria, Japan, United Kingdom and United States of America. Four of the routes use standard gauge (1,435 millimetres (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)) and two 1,067 millimetres (3 ft 6.0 in) Gauge.[3]

Route name	Featured operators	AI Featured operators	Featured trains	AI Featured trains	Terminal stations	Gauge	miles	km	Set in	Co
Hisatsu Line	JR Kyushu	JR Kyushu	KiHa 31	KiHa 140	Yatsushiro to Yoshimatsu via Hitoyoshi	1,067mm	53	85	2000 2001
Innsbruck - St. Anton	Arlberg-Orient Express	BBÖ	Gölsdorf 380	Gölsdorf 310	Innsbruck to St. Anton via Imst-Pitztal	1,435mm	63	101	Late 1920s
Marias Pass	BNSF	Amtrak	Dash 9-44CW GP38-2 SD40-2 (1.2)	P32AC-DM SD40	Shelby to Whitefish, including Kalispell branchline	1,435mm	152	245	2000 2001
Northeast Corridor	Amtrak Acela Express Acela Regional	Amtrak	Acela Express Acela HHP-8	P32AC-DM E60	Philadelphia to Washington via Baltimore	1,435mm	133	214	2000 2001
Settle & Carlisle Line	LNER BR (1.2)	LMS GWR	Flying Scotsman BR Class 50 (1.2)	Royal Scot Pendennis Castle	Settle to Carlisle via Appleby	1,435mm	72	116	1920s 1930s 1980s (1.2)
Odakyū Odawara Line (Tokyo - Hakone)	Odakyu Electric Railway	Odakyu Electric Railway	Odakyu 2000 series Odakyu 7000 series LSE	Odakyu 30000 series EXE	Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto via Ebina and Odawara	1,067mm	55	88	2000 2001

Reception

Sales

Train Simulator sold 191,952 units in the United States by the end of 2001, which drew revenues of $8.7 million.[4] These numbers rose to 330,000 copies ($11.6 million) in the United States alone by August 2006. At the time, this led Edge to rank it as the country's 54th-best-selling computer game released since January 2000.[5]

Internationally, Train Simulator received a "Silver" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[6] indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[7] In the German market, the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD) presented it with a "Gold" certification in early 2003,[8] for sales of at least 100,000 units across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.[9]

Train Simulator ultimately sold one million units by 2005,[10] and, despite its age, still very popular and has a large, active community.[11]

Reviews and awards

John Lee reviewed the PC version of the game for Next Generation, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "All aboard for HO scale fans, trainspotters, and nostalgic rail buffs. Train haters, however, may prefer the old cliché, 'Run for the roadhouse, boys. They can't corner you there.'"[12]

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Microsoft Train Simulator for its 2001 "Computer Simulation Game of the Year" award,[13] which ultimately went to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002.[14]

Mods

The game also included a route and activity editor, that enabled users to create and modify routes, trains and activities.[15] The game also allowed for mod support to add and change routes, trains, cargoes, scenery, etc. The installment of the mods is somewhat tricky since they have to be loaded into set files like Routes for Routes and Trainset for Trains, rollingstock, consists, etc. Over 1,000 mods were created for the game and are mostly hosted on community sites such as trainsim.com, uktrainsim.com and elvastower.com, to name a few.[16] Additionally, MSTS BIN, a community mod that aimed to add features and fix old MSTS bugs has since been released.[17]

Cancelled sequel

On May 7, 2003, Microsoft announced that it would be developing a sequel called Microsoft Train Simulator 2[18] and it was first demoed to the public at E3 on May 15.[19] Seemingly its main improvements were the addition of people to the game (e.g. passengers waiting at the stations, people operating the new locomotive roster, etc.), and turntables. It was being developed by Kuju Entertainment, the original MSTS creators. Despite restructuring efforts at Kuju, the project was however handed over to Microsoft Game Studios on August 18, 2003.[20]

This project was ultimately halted, as the following statement on April 24, 2004, from Microsoft confirmed:

Microsoft Game Studios has halted the Windows-based game "Train Simulator 2.0." The decision to halt "Train Simulator 2.0" was made some time ago and was based on a long, hard and difficult look at our business objectives and product offerings. We remain focused on the simulations category with successful, platform-driving franchises such as "Microsoft Flight Simulator."[21]

On January 19, 2007, Microsoft announced the relaunch of the Microsoft Train Simulator project. This time the game was being made in-house by Aces Game Studio (Microsoft Game Studios) known for its long line of Microsoft Flight Simulators, as a part of the "Games for Windows" initiative. The game would have used the Microsoft Flight Simulator X graphics engine and it was planned to be compatible with both Windows Vista and Windows XP. A post on 'The Little Wheel Goes in Back' blog, written by one of the developers, on August 23, 2007, suggested the working title was 'Train Simulator 2'.[22]

On January 23, 2009, Microsoft announced that it was permanently closing Aces Game Studios, the internal development studio responsible for the Microsoft Flight Simulator series and the development of Microsoft Train Simulator 2. As a result, all future development on Train Simulator 2 (which was entering the final stages of development at the time of the closure) was immediately halted, marking the second time that the project was terminated. While Microsoft stated that "they are committed to both the Flight Simulator and Train Simulator brands", it is unknown if the Train Simulator 2 project will ever be resurrected and completed sometime in the future. However, considering the fact that they discontinued support for Windows XP in 2014 and Windows Vista in 2017 (the two operating systems the second attempt was to be compatible with), as well as the Games for Windows initiative discontinued in 2013, it seems unlikely.

Many former employees of Aces Game Studios went on to join Cascade Game Foundry, a new company that was itself founded by two Aces alumni. Cascade Game Foundry focuses on developing entertainment simulations.[23]

Open Sourcing

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MSTS content is compatible with the open source train simulator project Open Rails.[24] Open Rails boasts the largest collection of digital content in the world thanks to the following of MSTS.[24] Hope of developing MSTS further ended in 2009; however, the support for third party DLC that MSTS provided gave Open Rails a talented community.[24] Open Rails uses the GPL license.[24] Open Rails is now moving on from providing legacy support for MSTS to adding new features.[24] Open Rails takes advantage of modern graphics processors.[24] This allows Open Rails to achieve better frame rates than MSTS.[24]

A fork of OpenRails has been used in several studies about (real-life) operation of railroads, for example a 2016 study analyzing the impact of cyberattacks on railroads.[25]

References

External links

• Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived June 10, 2004)
• Microsoft Train Simulator at Curlie

На других языках

[de] Microsoft Train Simulator