Reviewed: June 28, 2004
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Oteeva, Inc.
Developer
Auran
Released: November 5, 2003
Genre: Simulation
Players: 1
ESRB: Everyone
7
7
7
9
7.7
System Requirements
As fun as model railroads are to setup and play with, you can only have so much fun watching the trains go round in circles; that is until now. Australian developer Auran has followed up last year's successful game Trainz, with a bigger and better sequel that not only ups the content, but adds significant new gameplay elements.
Trainz: Railroad Simulator 2004 adds several news features and improvements, many of which came directly from the requests of gamers on the forums. The Driver mode is back and allows you to make your normal run along the routes maintaining strict schedules while adhering to the speed limits. The Surveyor mode creates a virtual playground for you to create your own terrain, and lay down the tracks, add scenery, and basically construct the model railroad of your dreams. The Railyard mode lets you view all of the train cars and engines, much like an encyclopedia. It's here you will realize the sheer scope of this game when you see some of the old classic steam engines and historic locomotives this game includes.
The sheer amount of content is this package is astounding and will keep engineers and railroad model hobbyists busy for endless hours. There is already a massive community built up around last year's game so Trainz 2004 will certainly benefit from a host of new content, both scenery and trains, in the very near future.
The Driver mode basically gives you a bunch of preset missions that you can work your way through. Unlike last years game where you had the relative freedom to customize these missions, now everything is configured for you. If you want to tweak the variables you'll have to head over to the Surveyor mode to do that. It's a bit more time consuming but those willing to put in the effort will find a rewarding experience. The Surveyor mode also features an extensive scripting system and users with a few programming skills can create their own Rules and Driver Commands using TrainzScript.
One thing new to the franchise is a unique economic system that tries to elevate the game to something like Railroad Tycoon but falls terribly short. You now have industries that require certain materials. You'll need to manage several trains running in concert, picking up supplies and making deliveries to keep things running smoothly. You can even program AI engineers to run pre-programmed routes. There are also plans for a commuter system in a future patch that will allow you to make scheduled stops and picking up passengers.
Speaking of patches, the first thing you'll need to do after installing the game is download and install a 100+mb patch (or service pack). This really isn't even an option as the patch is required to enable (or fix) a lot of the features listed on the box. The patch also helps smooth out the graphics which are a slideshow, even on systems that exceed the minimum specs.
Building the railroad of your dreams takes a bit of patience learning the tools and how it all comes together. You start with the Surveyor which is an in-depth world editor that lets you move mountains, create cities, forests, lay down track and pavement and basically create the world for your railroad to exist. To really get into the design phase you are going to need some serious third-party tools like 3D Studio. Since a lot of gamers don't have thousand dollar graphics programs lying around most of us will have to rely on the skills of others in the Trainz community.
There are currently more than 15,000 additional items available for download from the official Trainz Download Station and more items will certainly be forthcoming. In fact, many of the enhancements in Trainz 2004 actually came from user submissions.
The graphics are better than last year's game but still fall short of greatness. The trains are stunning in complexity and detail and the buildings and some of the landscape foliage looks pretty good. There is also new animated water and some slightly improved lighting. The biggest improvement is the animated industries that belch smoke from their stacks or fill your empty train cars with coal. But even this is overly simple. Unloading coal simply shows your cars emptying and a giant mound slowly rising from the ground. There are no conveyor belts or bulldozers or other signs of life.
Depending on the power of your computer, you can adjust the graphical settings to give you the best blend of quality and draw distance. Driving from the engine view always looks great and if you keep the chase camera close to the train things are pretty good as well, but if you zoom out to get the big picture there will be plenty of pop-up and flickering textures and even a few clipping problems. Most of these problems can be reduced or eliminated by tweaking the options and sacrificing visual detail or simply not looking too far ahead.
Once you have found that perfect harmony of detail, quality, and framerate you will be in for plenty of “wow” moments. Some of the scenery is breathtaking and you will get vistas worthy of a framed picture or at least a postcard. The fixed camera tracking views with the train streaking by are excellent, and you now have the highly-requested free-roaming camera that lets you go just about anywhere.
The interiors of the train engines are now much more complex and interactive and look fantastic but the menus, interface, and HUD have actually taken a step down in quality.
I’ve often wondered what engineers do during those countless hours behind the “wheel” of a locomotive. Do they read, listen to books-on-tape, play Game Boy? I hope that whatever they do is more exciting than this game, at least in the sound department. There is no music to occupy the long hours you spend driving these trains around in real-time. Of course there is nothing to stop you from launching an MP3 or CD player prior to starting the game, but there is nothing built-in to overshadow the endless clickety-clack of the train.
Sound effects are as realistic as they are limited. You get the aforementioned clickety-clack sound as you cruise across the scenery. You also get hissing steam, squealing brakes, banging cars during heavy braking, the whistle of the conductor telling you to prep for departure, and of course the air horn and ding ding ding of the crossing bell, although in this game the engine actually makes that bell noise. The samples are all wave files and some of them are sampled at low quality causing some static or abrupt cutoffs.
If you are picking up this game to simply play the scenarios and mess around with the driver mode for a few hours you will probably exhaust all this title has to offer in 10-15 hours. There is actually less content in this game than last year's. Of course the main draw of Trainz is to get you building your own railroads, trains, buildings, and set pieces then share them with the massive online community that has built up around this game.
I was amazed at how many people are into this game. When your register your game you get an online account and access to the Trainz exchange; an Internet magazine and forum where you can engage in chats with other people playing this game, share tips, and get continuously updated information. You can head to the Trainz Download Station and download new content to be used in your model railroads, including thousands of objects with more being added every day.
Last year's game had a nice 40-page manual and now you are required to either view your documentation online or print out several PDF files. It might save some money but it just cheapens the package, especially in a game this complex.
If you are one of those rare people who love model railroads and have a fair amount of computer skills then you’ve just found a great new way to experience your hobby. If you are expecting something like Railroad Tycoon then move along. This game is a far cry from anything that complex, although it's starting to head in that direction. It's going to take a major rewrite to elevate this title from a model railroad simulator.
Trainz: Railroad Simulator 2004 is definitely a niche title and in this case its more of an update to last year's game than a full-blown package, and an unpolished update at that. It’s probably way too boring for the current crop of next-gen gamers. I can’t imagine seeing someone go from playing an FPS or action game to waiting at a red light for two minutes for another train to pass you by before you can continue down the track to your next stop. This is “simulation” in its most basic form and the closest thing to an electronic hobby that I have ever seen. It is executed with style and sophistication that I didn’t expect, and with the huge community support, this is one game that will remain active on your computer for years to come.