Rail Simulator

Rail Simulator ( abbreviation RS or CRS ) is a train driving simulator. It was developed by Kuju Entertainment, the developers of the Microsoft Train Simulator and distributed by Electronic Arts. The European release took place on 12 October 2007. Following the publication of the UK version of the support and further development of the simulator of Rail Simulator Developments Ltd was acquired, which continue to release updates, bug fixes, official program enhancements and new content for the KRS- fans. RSDL was working on a follow-up program ( RailWorks ) which on 12 June 2009 ( download) and 3rd July 2009 ( Retail) was published. The successor program to be fully compatible for Rail Simulator with add-ons. Add- Ons to freeware - based products are already available on Internet sites such as rail Sim.de. The company Aerosoft has announced for February 2010 a revised version for Germany. This version was published under the name Railworks 2010.

Scope

The Rail Simulator focuses on the European distribution version mainly to England and Germany and includes tracks and rolling stock from these well-known railway countries.

Stretch

The Rail Simulator contains in the European distribution version four routes - three English and German. The English lines were created directly from Kuju, the German with the assistance from the Train Simulator accessories manufacturer German Railroads.

Included routes:

• Oxford - Paddington
• Bath Green Park - Templecombe
• Newcastle - York
• Hagen - Siegen

Additional new routes:

• Cajon Pass ( U.S. Route including new rolling stock )
• Isle Of Wight ( English route, including new rolling stock )

In the American distribution is missing the route Newcastle - York, but the Cajon Pass route is included.

Rolling stock

It contains the following locomotives / EMUs:

• The Black 5 the distance of Bath Green Park to Templecombe
• The 7F 2-8-0 with the distance of Bath Green Park to Templecombe
• The HST for the routes Oxford - Paddington and Newcastle - York
• The Class 55 " Deltic " locomotive for Roads Oxford - Paddington and Newcastle - York
• The 101 series for the Hagen- Siegen route
• The 294 series for the Hagen- Siegen route

For additional route Barstow - St. Bernardino ( Cajon Pass ):

• The General Electric ES44AC, a heavy diesel- electric freight locomotive line of modern ( American ) type
• The EMD SD40 -2, one of the most built diesel- electric freight locomotives in the world

For the British and the German -distance passenger and freight cars some common simulated with screw coupling, common for the Californian route wagons with American Janney coupling.

The cabs are displayed in three dimensions. On the British route Newcastle - York, the train control systems and AWS on the track are Oxford - Paddington combining AWS - TPWS with the functions Overspeed Sensor System (OSS ) and Train Stop System (TSS ) is simulated. On the German track, the acoustic form of the AWS has been implemented, the correct functional implementation of the German PZB has been missing, even Sifa has not been implemented so far. When the locomotive BR 101, the simulation of the modular cab indication is in accordance faulty.

Additional new locomotives and rolling stock ( paid add -ons ):

• EMD Class 66 ( for English and German routes, sold separately)
• Class -08 " Shunter " Switcher (sold separately)
• Series 323 " Köf II", for the route Hagen - Siegen ( German Railroads Add- On)
• Class 143 as Regional Express and S -Bahn version ( German Railroads Add- On)
• Class 151 ( German Railroads Add- On)
• Voyager DMU, for the English lines
• Class 483 Electric Multiple Unit (Isle of Wight Add- On)
• 0-4 - 0ST ' Invincible ' Steam Locomotive (Isle of Wight Add- On)
• ES44AC diesel locomotive ( Cajon Pass add-on )
• SD40 -2 Diesel Locomotive ( Cajon Pass add-on )

Criticism

At first, the publisher Electronic Arts wanted to integrate advertising into the game. It should dynamically downloaded and advertising images are displayed on poster boards that are placed along the route. The program should record how long the advertisement is viewed by the player and send that information back via the Internet to advertisers. This can be considered as invasion of privacy (spyware). Because of the resistance of this community planning was rejected. The game contains in the retail version no in-game advertising and also leads no record of the activities of the user.

Simulator fans complain that the RS though equipped with a handsome graphic, the railway system has been neglected. So had no railroad safety systems include, positioned wrong signals and the creation of a roadmap not possible.

Many of the initially criticized weaknesses have been overcome. As mentioned previously, the AWS and TPWS train control systems are already in place, at least punctual train control systems are therefore programmable. Schedules can be programmed since the upgrade Mk2.

More seriously, the simulator brings no coherent, logical development environment, and the documentation is lacking. The installed routes assets of the landscape ago largely to convince, steam locomotives have become a consistent speed and performance-related exhaust stroke and the loading and unloading of rolling stock is possible. The simulator is being bundled with too few types of locomotives and simulation scenarios that do not exploit the possibilities of the simulator by far. For example, the path of the Cajon Pass is only supplied with a weather location for all four seasons, while the simulator allows for a wide range of variations of the weather and the simulation of the Santa Ana weather conditions with its storms and mists in autumn and snow storms in winter on the way to the Mojave Desert would permit and is able to give some spice to the otherwise quite simple simulations in the cargo area yet.

The simulator may not satisfy as a game, however, is a solid platform, and it provides a thoughtful and user-friendly development environment of the freeware community the opportunity to program a good driving simulation. The corresponding community that existed in the Microsoft Train Simulator and sometimes still are, as yet largely missing for Rail Simulator.

Assessment

• Gamestar: 74 game points
• Computer Bild Spiele: 2.62
• Golem.de: EA goes against the buffer