| Sid Meier's Railroads! | |
|---|---|
 Cover art by Michel Bohbot[2] | |
| Developer | Firaxis Games[a] |
| Publishers | 2K Feral Interactive(OS X, Android, iOS) |
| Designer | Sid Meier |
| Engine | Gamebryo |
| Platforms | Windows,Mac OS X,iOS,Android |
| Release | Windows OS X
|
| Genre | Business simulation game |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Sid Meier's Railroads! is abusiness simulation game developed byFiraxis Games on theGamebryo game engine that was released in October 2006 and is the sequel toRailroad Tycoon 3. AlthoughSid Meier created the originalRailroad Tycoon, subsequent versions were developed byPopTop Software.Railroads! was the first game in the series since the original to have direct input from Sid Meier himself. After a visit toMiniatur Wunderland inHamburg,Germany, Meier was inspired to reinvent his original creation.[4] A version for theMac OS X was published byFeral Interactive on November 1, 2012, under the latter's Feral Legends label.[3] A mobile version was released in April 2023.[5]
Railroads! is fullythree-dimensional and geared more toward head-to-headreal-time strategy than the previous versions,[citation needed] resulting in it being less suited to single player play, and a less realistic simulation of railway operation. The terrain is more compressed in this game; there are few areas where players are allowed a long, straight run of track without earthworks or a bridge, meaning that terrain (such as hills, mountains, rivers and inlets) plays a more important role, at least in the early stages of a game.
The game is heavily focused oneconomics – players have to build and sustain entireindustries using the railroads they develop. Gameplay changes from previous editions ofRailroad Tycoon include a system where new technology is firstauctioned to the highest bidder. This gives the player a ten-year exclusive use of that technology. Similarly, individual industries are also put up for auction amongst players.[6] However, the game does not have the dynamic pricing of goods across the entire map or cargo that can find alternate means of transportation if no train service is provided that were features of Railroad Tycoon III, and other simplifications compared to previous Railroad Tycoon games are that there is no separation of individual money from company money, nor the ability to raise money on an in-game bond market. Tracklaying is automated and much easier than other editions ofRailroad Tycoon.[7] When combined with the more "compressed" terrain, it allows for tactical placement of track to obstruct and frustrate opponents. However, players are limited to laying track in a contiguous system, which in turn reduces the impact of there being no network effects in the economics of the game. Another limitation is that trains do not keep to the right on a stretch of double track, meaning unrealistic blocking of the track by one's own trains is common if more than one train is allowed on a stretch of track.
Industries vary depending on the location and timeframe. European scenarios include Wine, Beer, and Dairy Products while Western United States scenarios focus onOil and Gold.
The game also allows head-to-head play over aLAN and, prior to 2013 whenGameSpy ceased online hosting services for multiplayer games, theInternet, supporting up to four players per game, either human orartificial intelligence.[8]
Like the previous versions,Railroads! offers various historical scenarios, in regions such as theSouthwestern United States, thePacific Northwest, theUnited Kingdom,France,Eastern Europe, andGermany. In these scenarios (fifteen in all), the game allows the user to take on the role of various famous railway tycoons androbber barons from the past, such asCornelius Vanderbilt andJ.P. Morgan.[citation needed]
With the introduction of patch 1.1 a map editor could be enabled by editing one of the game's.ini files,[9] allowing for the creation of custom maps by users.[10][11]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 77/100[12] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer Games Magazine |   [13] |
| Edge | 6/10[14] |
| Eurogamer | 7/10[15] |
| Game Informer | 8/10[8] |
| GameSpot | 8.1/10[6] |
| GameSpy |  [16] |
| Gamezebo | [17] |
| GameZone | 7.8/10[18] |
| IGN | 8/10[19] |
| Maximum PC | 7/10[20] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 85%[21] |
| The Times | [22] |
The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to thereview aggregation websiteMetacritic.[12]
TheAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominatedSid Meier's Railroads! for "Simulation Game of the Year" at the10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.[23]
