A 10 Year Old Simulator Continues To Impress
Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 5:06 pm
2001. 10 Years. The PC Simulation world was abuzz with anticipation of Microsoft Train Simulator. The simulator was adequate but not as good as they had promised. But despite this, the BNSF Locomotive featured in the game, roamed BNSF Tracks in real life with the MSTS Logo on it. Then came the announcement of MSTS 2. After being scrapped by Kuju and ACES... MS Cancelled the project. That brought focus back to MSTS.
Despite competitor games, MSTS continues to be supported through 3rd Party Trains, Engines, Routes and packs of all sorts. I have several freeware and payware routes. One being something that will blow your mind. See at the start and for many years, many people thought that the simulator was limited. This was due to the fact that the stock routes contained 250 miles out of the full "route". The northeast corridor only featured DC to Philly rather than Virgina to Boston. But that was challenged by Columbus Locomotive Works with a route they set in motion over 8 years ago.
The Pennsylvania Eastern Region was built to depict the PRR in 1960. Covering the entire route. Well as of this year, they added new updates. The PRR Eastern Region would connect with New Jersey Transit routes and form an MSTS Route that boasted over 1400 Miles. This is a beta testing freeware route and I have confirmed that the engine doesn't lag after 10 years. This engine was inadvertantly built to process more than 250 miles in a route. But that's not where she continues to shine. Texture and scenery upgrades without causing the route to crash have been impelmented using Microsoft's own stupidity.
Trees in the game are 2D. By taking the 2D model and rotating a second one every 45 degrees, you get a full 3D looking tree that doesn't suck video data space unless it's an entire forest of them (BNSF Scenic Sub from Streamlines.ca). Thunder during rain. Real Raindrops. Real Snow. Real wind sounds. The sky's the limit, seriously, I have a better looking sun and moon. But this year, MSTS will feature something never before though of in 2001 and it will not tax the the game engine at all.
MULTIPLAYER.
How you ask? It's an offline game! Well basically in a nutshell as being a beta tester even I don't know the specifics that well, you get 4 players and a dispatcher. We use Team Speak. The dispatcher controls the signals on one MSTS Route and the other 4 Players have to navigate from point a to point b. For example. We did a run on the Scenic Sub. I was Burlington Northern 921, an eastbound Intermodal Train that had to co-ordinate with 2 locals and a grain train. Like real railroads, we are given dispatch permission for track travel, timetables and speed limit restrictions (in the game.). It's really fun. 10 years later, MSTS is still kicking. The support from the community has been outstanding. We loved our game so much that we took to heart fixing microsoft's mistakes and making it the game it was meant to be.
We may never see MSTS2. But we don't need it.
I can't give a star score on this as it depends on the freeware and payware addons you use, but I can star the community for it's support. And that star is an infinate score. The perfect community. A Simulation that's more entertaining than flight.
Despite competitor games, MSTS continues to be supported through 3rd Party Trains, Engines, Routes and packs of all sorts. I have several freeware and payware routes. One being something that will blow your mind. See at the start and for many years, many people thought that the simulator was limited. This was due to the fact that the stock routes contained 250 miles out of the full "route". The northeast corridor only featured DC to Philly rather than Virgina to Boston. But that was challenged by Columbus Locomotive Works with a route they set in motion over 8 years ago.
The Pennsylvania Eastern Region was built to depict the PRR in 1960. Covering the entire route. Well as of this year, they added new updates. The PRR Eastern Region would connect with New Jersey Transit routes and form an MSTS Route that boasted over 1400 Miles. This is a beta testing freeware route and I have confirmed that the engine doesn't lag after 10 years. This engine was inadvertantly built to process more than 250 miles in a route. But that's not where she continues to shine. Texture and scenery upgrades without causing the route to crash have been impelmented using Microsoft's own stupidity.
Trees in the game are 2D. By taking the 2D model and rotating a second one every 45 degrees, you get a full 3D looking tree that doesn't suck video data space unless it's an entire forest of them (BNSF Scenic Sub from Streamlines.ca). Thunder during rain. Real Raindrops. Real Snow. Real wind sounds. The sky's the limit, seriously, I have a better looking sun and moon. But this year, MSTS will feature something never before though of in 2001 and it will not tax the the game engine at all.
MULTIPLAYER.
How you ask? It's an offline game! Well basically in a nutshell as being a beta tester even I don't know the specifics that well, you get 4 players and a dispatcher. We use Team Speak. The dispatcher controls the signals on one MSTS Route and the other 4 Players have to navigate from point a to point b. For example. We did a run on the Scenic Sub. I was Burlington Northern 921, an eastbound Intermodal Train that had to co-ordinate with 2 locals and a grain train. Like real railroads, we are given dispatch permission for track travel, timetables and speed limit restrictions (in the game.). It's really fun. 10 years later, MSTS is still kicking. The support from the community has been outstanding. We loved our game so much that we took to heart fixing microsoft's mistakes and making it the game it was meant to be.
We may never see MSTS2. But we don't need it.
I can't give a star score on this as it depends on the freeware and payware addons you use, but I can star the community for it's support. And that star is an infinate score. The perfect community. A Simulation that's more entertaining than flight.
