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-Late Shore-

Train Attendant
Joined
Sep 29, 2002
Messages
35
what is all this talk about the microsoft train simulator? what is it? where can i download it, and will it cots me anything to download it?

still didn't get a definite answer really to how fast the speed limit is between albany, ny and cleveland, oh. did someone say 110? i donno about that? :unsure:
 
It's a shrink-wrapped game sold at retail outlets, and is not available for download anywhere (legally). I imagine the retail cost is in keeping with most other games - probably in the neighborhood of $40-$50.

I'm sure you can go to your neighborhood Staples or Best Buy and pick up a copy. From what I hear, it's quite a fun game :)
 
MS Train Simulator (MSTS for short) has been out for about a year and a half, and I've seen it as cheap as $20. I bought it shortly after it came out and I'm completely addicted to it! Out of the box, you can drive an Acela Express or HHP-8, plus some US freight and European steam engines. You can also download new engines, routes, cars, scenery ... the list goes on. As is probably no surprise due to my username, but I enjoy driving the Empire Builder (both Amtrak's and Great Northern Railway's) across Marias Pass (where the Empire Builder crosses the Rocky Mountains and the Continental Divide).

Anthony: Yes, it is extremely fun, but only if you like trains! ;)
 
I have, and play often, RAILROAD TYCOON II. Anybody else have it?

Any other railroad computer software? Games? Model Railroad track design?

Enquiring minds want to know!
 
Which game is better - Microsoft train simulator or Railroad Tycoon II? I have a Macintosh, but I can still play PC games on it through Virtual PC. Which game has more Amtrak trains in it? Thanks!
 
Just before I left Germany to move back to the U.S. in 1995, my cable service in Munich had a channel on which the viewer could watch out the front window of a train somewhere in Germany. It was not live, but a taped thing. The views were always daytime ones, and rather interesting in their scenic value. The "train channel" came on at about midnight and left the air at 7 in the morning. I played 7 days a week. I learned that some train buffs (a club) fitted certain train engines with cameras, a microphone (so you could hear the engineer talk with his dispatcher), and a tape recorder. It was still on some night cable systems as of this past summer. I thought it was something like a simulator. Today’s satellite technology allows for live feeds of this kind of thing, which I think could be interesting to some.
 
WoodenMike said:
I have, and play often, RAILROAD TYCOON II. Anybody else have it?
Any other railroad computer software? Games? Model Railroad track design?

Enquiring minds want to know!
I don't have RR Tycoon, but if you are looking for a game that simulates being a dispatcher try Train Dispatcher 3. You can also buy Track Builder 3 which allows you to build your own sims. If you are interested you can read more about the game here.
 
WoodenMike said:
I have, and play often, RAILROAD TYCOON II. Anybody else have it?
Any other railroad computer software? Games? Model Railroad track design?

Enquiring minds want to know!
WM: I also have Railroad Tycoon 2 and play it frequently. It's a lot of fun, but some of the scenarios get quite difficult. If you like model railroading, you might want to check out Trainz. I haven't bought it, but I played the demo that can be downloaded from the game's website. It seems like a lot of fun, especially since players can build any layouts they wish.

I also have to add my US$0.02 for Train Dispatcher. I've been playing the freeware version of Train Dispatcher 2, and I'm strongly considering buying the new commercial version. It's a lot of fun, but can be both addicting and frustrating. If you'd like to try out the freeware version, it can be downloaded here: Train Dispatcher 2 Freeware

jccollins said:
Which game is better - Microsoft train simulator or Railroad Tycoon II? I have a Macintosh, but I can still play PC games on it through Virtual PC. Which game has more Amtrak trains in it? Thanks!
jccollins: They're different types of games. Railroad Tycoon 2 (RT2) involves running a railroad by laying track, building stations, buying engines and dispatching trains to make lots of money. MS Train Sim (MSTS) lets you drive trains. If you're looking for Amtrak stuff, I would say that MSTS is the better choice, as RT2 only has a couple of Amtrak engines available.
 
Thanks for the info EBFan. I like the prospect of actually running a railroad - I think I'll try our RT2.
 
jccollins said:
Thanks for the info EBFan. I like the prospect of actually running a railroad - I think I'll try our RT2.
I can't remember who markets it, but there is a Mac version of RT2 available for sale. You might be able to find it in a store that carries lots of Mac games.
 
EmpireBuilderFan said:
I also have to add my US$0.02 for Train Dispatcher. I've been playing the freeware version of Train Dispatcher 2, and I'm strongly considering buying the new commercial version. It's a lot of fun, but can be both addicting and frustrating. If you'd like to try out the freeware version, it can be downloaded here: Train Dispatcher 2 Freeware
EB,

What do you find fustrating about TD2? You may find that the improvements in TD3 have fixed some of your fustrations.
 
AlanB said:
EB,
What do you find fustrating about TD2?  You may find that the improvements in TD3 have fixed some of your fustrations.
Alan,

It's not frustration with the game itself. It's the frustration with the trains in the game. For an example: when a freight has a hot box or dragging equipment on a single-track mainline, and ends up causing a major traffic jam on both sides with an Amtrak train (that was on time, but now is going to be really late) stuck right in the middle of the jam. Now that's frustration! :D
 
EmpireBuilderFan said:
AlanB said:
EB,
What do you find fustrating about TD2?  You may find that the improvements in TD3 have fixed some of your fustrations.
Alan,

It's not frustration with the game itself. It's the frustration of the trains themselves. For an example: when a freight has a hot box or dragging equipment on a single-track mainline, and ends up causing a major traffic jam on both sides with an Amtrak train (that was on time, but now is going to be really late) stuck right in the middle of the jam. Now that's frustration! :D
Ok, well TD3 won't fix that problem. :)

However, now at least you have some idea what a real train dispatcher does go through. Although I will grant you that many times the dispatcher's do still put Amtrak in the hole, even when it's not warrented.
 
so, wait, I have a question, or another one should I say (haha, surprising, huh?). From what I've read, you can "pretend" that your driving the Empire Builder? That sounds way cool! I'll have to get it as a late christmas gift to myself! :lol:

But, my question is really..can I, like, make as if I'm engineering the LSL between, say, Albany, NY and Buffalo, NY. How does the game allow you to do this? I don't want to buy something just yet, that, even though it may have some reasonable directions to follow, that it may be a little harder for us "slower computer game guys", (I'll say), to comprehend and understand.
 
WM: I also have Railroad Tycoon 2 and play it frequently. It's a lot of fun, but some of the scenarios get quite difficult.
LMAO!!!

I prefer to call it "challenging". I like the stock market aspect, and enjoy it at around the 120 difficulty level. I always set the variables to ZERO and go head to head with the computer.

I like building the Transcontinental Railroad and the Seattle Metro, but find most all the different scenerieos FUN!!! (RT2 is a GAME, not a simulation.)

Is TRAIN DISPATCHER anything like the OLD Avalon Hill board game "Dispatcher"???
 
-Late Shore- said:
But, my question is really..can I, like, make as if I'm engineering the LSL between, say, Albany, NY and Buffalo, NY. How does the game allow you to do this? I don't want to buy something just yet, that, even though it may have some reasonable directions to follow, that it may be a little harder for us "slower computer game guys", (I'll say), to comprehend and understand.
LateShore,

Installing the game MSTS and playing it does not require huge computer skills. MSTS also does not rely heavily on hand/eye coordination to master the game. You will use your memory and planning skills more than anything to play this game.

Now I'm not sure if anyone has yet created the route of the LSL for MSTS. If they have then life would be pretty easy, once you've obtained both the game itself and the route. However if no one has created the route, then it gets a whole lot more complicated. It will take considerable effort on your part to create the route from scratch.

Not only will you have to learn how to use the MSTS route builder program, you would also need to obtain info on actual route. Things like # of tracks, station locations, branch lines, and train schedules.
 
-Late Shore- said:
so, wait, I have a question, or another one should I say (haha, surprising, huh?). From what I've read, you can "pretend" that your driving the Empire Builder? That sounds way cool! I'll have to get it as a late christmas gift to myself!   :lol:
You sure can, at least between Shelby and Whitefish, MT. You'll have to download a couple of things (for free) to allow you to make the run, but that's not too hard.

But, my question is really..can I, like, make as if I'm engineering the LSL between, say, Albany, NY and Buffalo, NY. How does the game allow you to do this? I don't want to buy something just yet, that, even though it may have some reasonable directions to follow, that it may be a little harder for us "slower computer game guys", (I'll say), to comprehend and understand.
Driving trains within the game is pretty simple, but making different routes if another story. Route Editor that comes with the game is extremely difficult to get started with and frequently a pain to work with. There are a lot of stuff that has to be done before even starting to lay track.

If you'd like to find out more, I would highly recommend the discussion boards at Train-Sim.com. There are posters who have been using both the game and the editors since MSTS first came out. You should be able to find the answers to any questions you have. Be forwarned: discussions frequently get quite heated over there.
 
Maybe we could start a board where we share our home-made routes with each other? I would love to drive the Empire Builder! But I don't have the time to deal with building a route!
 
I can't and will never try to build a route for MSTS unless a simpler program came out. It would be nice to start a Train Simulator/Model Railroading forum, but that is kind of off topic of Amtrak Unlimited's sight. I'll make a request and see what Anthony thinks.
 
For anyone wanting to take the Superliners off the NEC entirely, through the editor in the tools you can change the traffic consists of the trains you pass. I did substituting Amcans for Superliners and HHP-8's for the Gennies.
 
Train Sim is MS's simulator for railfans. It's nice, you drive all kinds of locos...I just saw the Dash 9 - 4723- they use to model the engine in the game.

I reccomend Trainz: the Ultimate Collection. You are God in the sim. You create entire cities,towns,everything. Then you got trains to drive and with the paint shed thing you can repaint the locos to YOUR dream scheme! The there's a farly intense 3-d rendering program to create new content for the game, you can model a bus to add to your virtual layout or whatever.

It's like $40 at Game Stop ($43.00 @ Microcenter) and damn well worth it. With Train Sim you gotta buy the paint shed and all the add ons seperatly.
 
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