• Microsoft Train Simulator Steam

Microsoft’s Train Simulator is as self-descriptive as their legendary line of civilian flight simulator programs. You’re almost guaranteed the same response if you look at the creative force behind the program – Kuju Entertainment, best known today for their very own line of train simulator games bearing the same name, sans ‘Microsoft’. Microsoft Train Simulator Free Download PC Game setup in single direct link for Windows. It is a gripping simulation game. Microsoft Train Simulator PC Game 2001 Overview. Microsoft Train Simulator has been developed under the banner of Kuju Entertainment for Microsoft Windows. This game was released in July 2001 and Microsoft published this game. Microsoft’s Train Simulator is as self-descriptive as their legendary line of civilian flight simulator programs. You’re almost guaranteed the same response if you look at the creative force behind the program – Kuju Entertainment, best known today for their very own line of train simulator games bearing the same name, sans ‘Microsoft’.

Microsoft Train Simulator 2 (MSTS 2) was a train simulation game in development by Microsoft Game Studios on two occasions. Meant to be the successor to Microsoft Train Simulator, it was originally announced in 2003, until being cancelled in 2004. The second attempt at the game was first announced on January 19, 2007, and originally scheduled for release in the last quarter of 2009.^[1] It was postponed indefinitely and virtually cancelled due to the closure of Aces Game Studio in 2009.

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The project's lead designer, Rick Selby, announced in late 2008 that it was to be compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. It was being developed by Aces Game Studio (Microsoft Game Studios), known for their long line of Microsoft Flight Simulator games, as a part of the 'Games for Windows' initiative. The simulation was to use a modified version of the Flight Simulator X software platform. However, with the closure of Microsoft's Aces Game Studio on January 23, 2009, development of this simulator was immediately halted.^[2][3]

• 2Second attempt: 2007–2009

First attempt: 2003–2004[edit]

An earlier attempt at building a successor to Microsoft Train Simulator was originally announced during the Spring of 2003. Many improvements were attempted to make with procedural switches and walking passengers and was again going to be developed by Kuju Entertainment, who were the original creators.^[4] On May 15, 2003, a preview of the title was shown at the E3 Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles to demonstrate much of the new work, such as its new routes, rolling stock, and other features including animated people and functioning turntables.^[5]

However, only three months later into the Summer on August 18, 2003, Kuju had handed the project over to Microsoft Game Studios and they would eventually halt the entire development by Spring of 2004 as the following statement from Microsoft confirmed:

April 24, 2004 – 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.'^[6]

Much of the former development team from Kuju later established Rail Simulator in order to continue development of their own simulation platform. Its first version was published by Electronic Arts in October 2007. Its successor, RailWorks, developed by Rail Simulator Developments (today known as Dovetail Games), was released in June 2009, then RailWorks 2: Train Simulator in October 2010. Since 2012, the series has been known as simply Train Simulator.

Second attempt: 2007–2009[edit]

Development[edit]

The re-launch attempt at Microsoft's second version of the 'Train Simulator' project was officially announced on January 19, 2007. This time around the simulation was instead being made in-house by Microsoft's Aces Game Studio, which was most known for its successful Microsoft Flight Simulator series line, as a part of the 'Games for Windows' initiative. The simulation leveraged most of the existing core components of Microsoft Flight Simulator X's platform, thus providing an entire earth model in which to play from, and was planned to be compatible with both Windows Vista and Windows XP. A post on 'The Little Wheel Goes in Back' blog, written by one of the developers, confirmed the working title was 'Train Simulator 2'.^[7]

Microsoft's first demonstration of Train Simulator 2 occurred on August 25, 2007 at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany and released an official press kit which included several in-game visual prototype images, asset renders, and two videos. One of these videos presents a brief demonstration of the simulation's ability to model the entire planet's track corridors, reproducing a similar concept in Microsoft's Flight Simulator series, with global rail network data for anyone to operate their trains around freely without limits.^[8] The data would have also been available to route builders for modification of any kind to suit their modeling needs anywhere in the world. As opposed to starting an entire route from scratch, this would require more or less simple cosmetic details and object placement.

Despite having the name in common with its predecessor, backwards compatibility with the first version of Train Simulator would not have been possible due to the completely different base platform used for development and programming designs between the two versions. The original Microsoft Train Simulator uses routes based on individual levels which are loaded separately within the application, whereas this version would have introduced the entire world as a single game playing area where railroad corridors would have been based on their actual real-world locations just as in Flight Simulator.

Routes[edit]

In addition to the entire global earth model from which Flight Simulator X was based, Train Simulator 2 was also going to feature four high-detail routes, including the following lines, along with their respective railroad carriers:

Locomotives[edit]

The second attempt contained unknown drivable locomotives and multiple units; unknown if MSTS 2 would have featured AI-only trains, or a static in-game number.

Aces Studio closure[edit]

On January 23, 2009, Microsoft announced that it was permanently closing its Aces Game Studio, the internal development studio responsible for the Microsoft Flight Simulator series and the development of Microsoft Train Simulator 2. As a result, all future development on Train Simulator 2 (which was just entering the final stages of development at the time of closure) was immediately halted, marking the second time that this project was terminated.^[2][3] A week later, Microsoft issued the following official announcement from Train Simulator Insider.

January 30, 2009 – By now, many of you have heard that Microsoft has closed Aces Studio, the publisher of Microsoft Flight Simulator and Microsoft Train Simulator. This was not a reflection of the quality of the products Aces has developed, the sales performance of the games, or the quality of the team at Aces. This difficult decision was made to align Microsoft’s resources with our strategic priorities. As a result of this difficult decision, development of the next version of Train Simulator is being postponed for an indefinite period.
Microsoft Game Studios is investing significant resources in many exciting and new areas of gaming and entertainment, including Windows games. We believe these future investments will push innovation, community, and collaboration to unprecedented levels and will provide more synergy with our ongoing investments in Games for Windows - LIVE as well as other Windows entertainment technologies.
We are humbled and proud of the passion and support that the Train Simulator franchise has developed. This includes you, the large community of railroading simmers, as well as the vibrant third-party ecosystem that has developed around the game. Thank you for your understanding of our decision and for your continued support.^[13]

However, Kuju game studios continued to make a train simulation game, Rail Simulator.

While Microsoft stated that they are committed to both the Flight Simulator and Train Simulator brands, it is currently unknown if the Train Simulator 2 project will ever be resurrected and completed sometime in the future.^[3] However, considering the fact that they discontinued support for Windows XP in 2014 and Windows Vista in 2017, as well as the Games for Windows line discontinued in 2013, it seems unlikely. Information regarding the product can be found on Microsoft's official Train Simulator website, through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.^[14]

On October 12, 2009, former Aces Game Studio directors, Rick Selby and Kathie Flood, announced the launch of a new simulations-based development studio named Cascade Game Foundry.^[15] Their first independent release is a scuba diving simulation game titled Infinite Scuba, released in 2013.^[16]

See also[edit]

• Microsoft Train Simulator – The original Microsoft Train Simulator
• Microsoft Flight Simulator – The Microsoft Flight Simulator series
• Flight Simulator X – The latest Flight Simulator release, which was TS2's simulation platform base.
• Rail Simulator – Related product built by former Kuju (MSTS) developers.

References[edit]

1. ^Train Simulator Insider - OverviewArchived 2009-08-21 at Archive.today Official Web Site Announcement
2. ^ ^ab'DailyTech - Microsoft Flight Simulator Devs Part of Job Cuts'. www.dailytech.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
3. ^ ^abc'Microsoft shuts down its Aces Studio'. blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
4. ^'GameSpot Preview - Train Simulator 2 E3 2003 Preshow Report'. gamespot.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
5. ^'GameSpot Preview - Train Simulator 2 Impressions'. gamespot.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
6. ^'Train Simulator 2 Canceled - PC News at GameSpot'. uk.gamespot.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
7. ^'The Little Wheel Goes in Back: Guter Tag von Leipzig!'. blogs.msdn.com. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
8. ^TS2's World of Rails Demo Global Rail Network Data
9. ^Train Simulator Insider - Horseshoe CurveArchived 2008-07-25 at Archive.today Norfolk Southern Route Profile
10. ^Train Simulator Insider - Stevens PassArchived 2008-09-07 at Archive.today BNSF Railway Route Profile
11. ^Train Simulator Insider - BLS LötschbergbahnArchived 2008-09-07 at Archive.today Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon Railway Route Profile
12. ^Train Simulator Insider - Deutsche Bahn^{[permanent dead link]} Cologne-Duisburg Route Profile
13. ^'About the Aces Team'. www.tsinsider.com. Retrieved January 30, 2009.^{[permanent dead link]}
14. ^'Initial Announcement of New Microsoft Train Simulator'. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
15. ^'Cascade Game Foundry'.^{[permanent dead link]} Press Release: Cascade Game Foundry Forges Ahead, Opens New Simulation Game Development Studio, October 12, 2009
16. ^cgfadmin (2013-04-18). 'Water, water everywhere… really!'. Cascade Game Foundry. Retrieved 2019-08-27.

External links[edit]

• Train Simulator Insider – Official Microsoft Train Simulator 2 Website
• Rick Selby's PBase Gallery – Pre-Production TS2 Screenshots
• Cascade Game Foundry – The simulation development studio founded by former Aces Game Studio veterans.

Microsoft Train Simulator (abbreviated to MSTS) is a train simulator for Microsoft Windows, released in May 2001 and developed by UK-based Kuju Entertainment.^[1] It sold one million units worldwide by 2005.

• 1Features
• 4Reception

Features[edit]

The simulation allows players to operate a train on various routes in Europe, Asia, and North America. Players need to stop and start the train, couple wagons, using the computer mouse, keyboard or a hardware addition such as Raildriver to operate the controls. Sound effects are enabled.^[2]

Routes[edit]

The original game featured six routes: (four in 1,435 Gauge and two in 1,067 Gauge)

Included with the game is the Editors & Tools program, which allows the user to build custom routes, create activities for any route, create custom consists, create custom cabviews or edit the default ones.

Locomotives (1.0/1.2)[edit]

The 1.0 base package contains 9 drivable locomotives and multiple units plus 8 AI locomotives/multiple units (AI units cannot be operated by the player without modification).

Large amounts of post-release DLC was also distributed, providing routes, locomotives, wagons and sessions.

Wagons (1.0/1.2)[edit]

The 1.0 base package contains 7 Passenger Car Types plus Various BNSF Freight Cars.

Large amounts of post-release DLC was also distributed, providing routes, locomotives, wagons and sessions.

Gameplay issues[edit]

The original version contained many bugs. For example, the 'front coupling bug', where the locomotive's front coupler would not work, the 'white void bug', where the route scenery disappears, leaving a white void, and the 'end-of-the-line bug', where the locomotive, if it crashes through the last buffers on the route, would fall into an empty void. There are also issues with the signalling and AI dispatching.

The game is also notoriously unstable, with unusually high tendencies to hang or crash without reason, and display error messages incorrectly and/or at the wrong times. In many instances, out-of-place error messages, usually for missing files, will cause a crash at the wrong time. MSTS 1.2 addressed some of these issues.^[3]

Updates[edit]

Version 1.2 added new items such as British and American rolling stock, namely the British Rail Class 50, British Rail Mark 1 Coaches, EMD SD40-2 and general US freight cars, along with two new activities each for the SD40-2 and Class 50.^{[when?][citation needed]}

Reception[edit]

Sales[edit]

Train Simulator achieved domestic sales of 191,952 units by the end of 2001, which drew revenues of $8.7 million.^[4] These numbers rose to 330,000 copies ($11.6 million) in the United States alone by August 2006. At the time, this led Edge to rank it as the country's 54th-best-selling computer game released since January 2000.^[5]

Internationally, Train Simulator received a 'Silver' sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),^[6] indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.^[7] In the German market, the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD) presented it with a 'Gold' certification in early 2003,^[8] for sales of at least 100,000 units across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.^[9]

Train Simulator ultimately sold one million units by 2005,^[10] and is, despite its age, still very popular and has a large, active community.^[11]

Reviews and awards[edit]

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Microsoft Train Simulator for its 2001 ' Computer Simulation Game of the Year' award,^[12] which ultimately went to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002.^[13]

Mods[edit]

The game features mod support as routes, trains, cargoes, scenery, etc. are abundant in the game. The installment of the mods is somewhat tricky since they have to be loaded into set files like Routes for Routes and Trainset for Trains, rollingstock, consists, etc. Over 1,000 mods were created for the game and are mostly hosted on community sites such as trainsim.com, uktrainsim.com and elvastower.com, to name a few.^[14] Additionally, MSTS BIN, a community mod that aimed to add features and fix old MSTS bugs has since been released.^[15]

Cancelled sequel[edit]

On May 7, 2003, Microsoft announced that it would be developing a sequel called Microsoft Train Simulator 2^[16] and it was first demoed to the public at E3 on May 15.^[17] 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.), more realistic crashes and other accidents, and turntables. It was being developed by Kuju Entertainment, the original MSTS creators. Despite restructuring efforts at Kuju, the project was however handed over to Microsoft Game Studios on August 18, 2003.^[18]

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.'^[19]

On January 19, 2007, Microsoft announced the relaunch of the Microsoft Train Simulator project. This time the game was being made in-house by Aces Game Studio (Microsoft Game Studios) known for its long line of Microsoft Flight Simulators, as a part of the 'Games for Windows' initiative. The game would have used the Microsoft Flight Simulator X graphics engine and it was planned to be compatible with both Windows Vista and Windows 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'.^[20]

On January 23, 2009, Microsoft announced that it was permanently closing Aces Game Studios, the internal development studio responsible for the Microsoft Flight Simulator series and the development of Microsoft Train Simulator 2. As a result, all future development on Train Simulator 2 (which was entering the final stages of development at the time of the closure) was immediately halted, marking the second time that the project was terminated. While Microsoft stated that 'they are committed to both the Flight Simulator and Train Simulator brands', it is unknown if the Train Simulator 2 project will ever be resurrected and completed sometime in the future. However, considering the fact that they discontinued support for Windows XP in 2014 and Windows Vista in 2017 (the two operating systems the second attempt was to be compatible with), as well as the Games for Windows initiative discontinued in 2013, it seems unlikely.

Many former employees of Aces Game Studios went on to join Cascade Game Foundry, a new company that was itself founded by two Aces alumni. Cascade Game Foundry focuses on developing entertainment simulations.^[21]

Open Rails[edit]

Open Rails is an open-sourcefreeware project launched, developed, maintained and nurtured by a team of volunteers and licensed under GPL.^[22]Its project summary states the following:^[23]

Open Rails is a train simulator that supports the world's largest range of digital content.
Accurate behaviour for steam, diesel and electric traction including trains with multiple locos.
Signals which correctly protect the train and permit complex timetabled operations.
Multi-user mode in which any timetabled train can be driven in person or by computer.

Key technical objectives are to be backward compatible with as well as extend all MSTS content.^[24] It adds new features such as improved multiplayer and mouse controls along with a newer engine that has better graphics and more realistic physics than MSTS.^[25] It is optimised to be able to take advantage of the features of newer CPUs, and can support more detailed models.

Open Rails 1.3.1 was released in 18 December 2018.^[26]

See also[edit]

• Train simulator – reference article to other train simulator products.
• Other games from the Simulator series:

References[edit]

1. ^'Train Simulator - PC'. Retrieved January 10, 2018 – via Amazon.
2. ^Marchelletta, Courtney. 'Fuill Product Review Microsoft Train Simulator'. About.com. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
3. ^'Train Simulator Add-on page'. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
4. ^Bradshaw, Lucy (January 31, 2002). 'Markle Forum on Children and Media'(PDF). New York University. Archived(PDF) from the original on June 19, 2004.
5. ^Edge Staff (August 25, 2006). 'The Top 100 PC Games of the 21st Century'. Edge. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012.
6. ^'ELSPA Sales Awards: Silver'. Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009.
7. ^Caoili, Eric (November 26, 2008). 'ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK'. Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017.
8. ^'VUD-SALES-AWARDS Januar 2003'. Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland. January 2003. Archived from the original on April 22, 2003. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
9. ^Horn, Andre (January 14, 2004). 'VUD-Gold-Awards 2003'. GamePro Germany. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018.
10. ^Stuart, Keith (June 24, 2005). 'EA takes the train'. The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015.
11. ^Hilliard, Kyle (September 6, 2014). 'Gears Of War's Rod Fergusson On the Franchise's Past And His Optimism For The Future'. Game Informer. GameStop. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
12. ^'Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Announces Finalists for the 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards' (Press release). Los Angeles: Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. February 5, 2002. Archived from the original on June 2, 2002.
13. ^'Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Announces Recipients of Fifth Annual Interactive Achievement Awards' (Press release). Las Vegas: Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. March 1, 2002. Archived from the original on March 6, 2002.
14. ^http://www.trainsim.com/vbts/showthread.php?292660-MSTS-Add-On-Web-Sites Retrieved 27. March 2017
15. ^'MSTS Bin - MS train simulator upgrade'. mstsbin.uktrainsim.com. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
16. ^'Microsoft Train Simulator Review for PC'. GameFAQs. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
17. ^'Train Simulator 2 Impressions – PC News at GameSpot'. uk.gamespot.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
18. ^'Microsoft takes over Train Sim 2 – PC News at GameSpot'. uk.gamespot.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
19. ^'Train Simulator 2 canceled – PC News at GameSpot'. uk.gamespot.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
20. ^'The Little Wheel Goes in Back : Guter Tag von Leipzig!'. blogs.msdn.com. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
21. ^'The Simulation Game – games TM'. www.gamestm.co.uk. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
22. ^'Discover - Open Rails'. Open Rails. Open Rails. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
23. ^'The Open Rails Open Source Project'. Black Duck : Open HUB. Open Rails. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
24. ^'Discover - Our Mission'. Open Rails. Open Rails. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
25. ^'Learn - FAQ'. Open Rails. Open Rails. Retrieved October 13, 2016. Why does my train operate differently in Open Rails?
26. ^'Milestones: Open Rails'. Launchpad. Open Rails. Retrieved March 27, 2017.

External links[edit]

• Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived June 10, 2004)
• Microsoft Train Simulator at Curlie

Microsoft Train Simulator Steam