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| Microsoft Train Simulator | |
|---|---|
 Cover art featuringLNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman | |
| Developer | Kuju Entertainment |
| Publisher | Microsoft Games |
| Director | Paul Chamberlain |
| Designer | Phil Marley |
| Programmers | Rhona Robson Paul Wright |
| Artists | Dan Frith Tony Zottola |
| Platform | Windows |
| Release | |
| Genre | Vehicle simulation |
| Mode | Single player |
Microsoft Train Simulator (informally abbreviated toMSTS) is a 2001train simulator game developed by UK-basedKuju Entertainment and published byMicrosoft Games (now known as Xbox Game Studios) forWindows. It was released on June 18, 2001.[2]
Microsoft Train Simulator allows players to operate a selection of trains on various routes within Europe, Asia, and North America. Gameplay features include the ability to couple wagons, start and stop them, as well as operate trains using mouse and keyboard or hardware accessories (e.g.Raildriver) as controls.[3]
The game features six routes in four countries: Austria, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.[4]
| Route name | Featured operators | AI Featured operators | Featured trains | AI Featured trains | Terminal stations | miles | km | Set in | Co |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hisatsu Line | JR Kyushu | JR Kyushu | KiHa 31 | KiHa 140 | Yatsushiro toYoshimatsu viaHitoyoshi | 53 | 85 | 2000 2001 |  |
| Innsbruck - St. Anton | BBÖ | BBÖ | Gölsdorf 380 | Gölsdorf 310 | Innsbruck toSt. Anton viaImst-Pitztal | 63 | 101 | 1920s |  |
| Marias Pass | BNSF | BNSF | Dash 9 GP38-2 | SD40-2 | Shelby toWhitefish, includingKalispell branchline | 152 | 245 | 2000 2001 |  |
| Northeast Corridor | Amtrak | Amtrak | Acela Express Acela HHP-8 | P32AC-DM E60 | Philadelphia toWashington, D.C. viaBaltimore | 133 | 214 | 2000 2001 | |
| Settle & Carlisle Line | LNER | LMS GWR | Flying Scotsman | Royal Scot Pendennis Castle | Settle toCarlisle viaAppleby | 72 | 116 | 1920s |  |
| Tokyo - Hakone | Odakyu Electric Railway | Odakyu Electric Railway | Odakyu 2000 series Odakyu 7000 series LSE | Odakyu 30000 series EXE | Shinjuku toHakone-Yumoto viaEbina andOdawara | 55 | 88 | 2000 2001 | |
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 84/100[5] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer Gaming World |   [6] |
| EP Daily | 8/10[7] |
| Eurogamer | 6/10[8] |
| GameSpot | 8.2/10[9] |
| GameSpy | 81%[10] |
| GameZone | 8.5/10[11] |
| IGN | 8/10[12] |
| Next Generation | [13] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 87%[14] |
| PC Zone | 80%[15] |
| The Cincinnati Enquirer | [16] |
The game received "favorable" reviews according to thereview aggregation websiteMetacritic.[5] John Lee ofNextGen said of the game, "All aboard for HO scale fans,trainspotters, and nostalgicrail buffs. Train haters, however, may prefer the old cliché,'Run for the roundhouse, boys. They can't corner you there.'"[13]
The game sold 191,952 units in the U.S. by the end of 2001, which drew revenues of $8.7 million.[17] These numbers rose to 330,000 units ($11.6 million) in the U.S. by August 2006. This ledEdge to rank it as the country's 54th-best-selling computer game released in the 21st century in 2006.[18]
Internationally, the game received a "Silver" sales award from theEntertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[19] indicating sales of at least 100,000 units in the UK.[20] In the German market, theVerband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD) presented it with a "Gold" certification in early 2003,[21] for sales of at least 100,000 units across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.[22]
The game sold one million units by 2005,[23] and, despite its age, is still very popular and has a large, active community.[24]
The game was nominated for the "PC Simulation" award at theAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences'5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, which ultimately went toMicrosoft Flight Simulator 2002.[25]
The game also included a route and activity editor that enabled users to create and modify routes, trains, and activities.[26] Additionally, the game also allowed formod support to add and change routes, trains, cargo, scenery, etc. Over 30,000 mods have been created and are mostly hosted on community sites such asTrainSim.com, UKTrainsim.com, and ElvasTower.com.[27] MSTS BIN, a community mod aimed at adding features and fixing old MSTS, was released in 2006.[28]
On May 7, 2003, Microsoft announced that it would be developing a sequel calledMicrosoft Train Simulator 2;[citation needed] it was first demoed to the public atE3 on May 15.[29] 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.) andturntables. It was being developed byKuju Entertainment, the original MSTS creators. Despite restructuring efforts at Kuju, the project was handed over to Microsoft Game Studios on August 18, 2003.[30]
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."[31]
On January 19, 2007, Microsoft announced the relaunch of theMicrosoft Train Simulator project. This time the game was being developed in-house byAces Game Studio (Microsoft Game Studios) known for its long line ofMicrosoft Flight Simulators, as a part of the "Games for Windows" initiative. The game would have used theMicrosoft Flight Simulator X graphics engine, and it was planned to be compatible with bothWindows Vista andWindows 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".[32]
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MSTS is compatible with theopen source projectOpen Rails, created by followers of MSTS,[33] which hosts a collection of third party digital content.[33] MSTS's development ended in 2009; however, community support for MSTS led to the creation of a third party team which created Open Rails.[33]
Open Rails uses theGPL license, and the project has progressed from providing legacy support for MSTS to adding new features.[33] Open Rails supports modern graphics processors, which allows it to achieve increasedframe rates compared to MSTS.[33]
A form of Open Rails was used in several studies about the real life operation of railroads, such as in a 2016 study analyzing the impact of cyber attacks on railroads.[34]
TrainSim.Com was the first community to embrace MSTS in 2001, and has an active support community as well as a file library of user created content for the game.[35] Over 50,000 files ranging from entire routes to individual locomotives and cars are available to use with the legacy MSTS game and with Open Rails. As of August 2024, new content is still being developed for the game.[36]
Additional communities, such asUK TrainSim, also emerged, however many of these have since closed down.[37]