Rail Simulator Review: Can the little child in all of us overcome the bugs?

A review of the game Rail Simulator.

I must confess: I am not a great fan of simulators. I mean, until we manage to rig-up an actual holodeck, what is the point? Over time, I tried most of them: steering ships and piloting planes and conducting trains - on rainy Sunday afternoons, in a T-shirt and flannel PJ pants, in front of a 17" TFT-panel: how immersed can one get? Honestly.

But I guess the little boy in us will always be impressed and yearn to be in the helm of great powerful machines. To prove to ourself that we can tame these beasts. So I couldn't resist and gave RAIL SIMULATOR a try. After all, it was supposed to be MICROSOFT's TRAIN SIMULATOR successor, sharing the same developer and all.

Is it realistic? Well, I am no real-life conductor, so how would I know? It would hardly be fair for me to comment on subjects that I am not an expert on, so I will refrain from doing it.
What I CAN tell you is that the game physics give off an original feeling all right. Heavier trains need a long stopping run; apply too much regulator and the wheels will slip; and one needs to master the reverser to successfully negotiate steep hills.

Graphically the game is improved compared to its "predecessor"; the routes are delightfully recreated, as are the individual trains - and I especially liked the option to have a free-roving camera instead of just the one following the train. Yet it manages to convey a feeling of unfulfilled potential. Much better graphics are available today.

The sounds are one of the first aspects that ruin immersion - and made me withhold the first star. True, the diesels and electrics all have their own distinctive engine notes, and environmental sounds (birds and church bells) were considered a nice touch. Yet, like a badly conducted orchestra, they managed to miss their mark every time it counts. It makes no difference whether you are in or outside the cab, the sounds are the same! And who can hear birds twerping when passing by in a speeding train?

What really ruins this game's potential is the inevitability of crushing bugs - another star missed. When certain combinations of warning signals and speeds coincide: back to the desktop. Try using the 2nd map: ditto. This one got rushed into the pre-Christmas market - and it shows.

The game comes with a nice and friendly editor which lets you edit the world, and even create your own levels from scratch. Moreover, it is backed by free downloadable content [railsimulator(dot)com] from where one can get free engines, carriages, some new scenarios as well as whole new editor packs. Apparently, RS developers are counting heavily on the fan-base to come up with new models and MODs. This is supposedly a greatly supported game. Now, let's only hope they support it with some much needed patches! Don't release a half-baked game and expect the gaming community to do the rest.

Finally, such a complicated game just screams for a good ol' thick detailed manual. No such luck I am afraid - and this is where it looses its third and final star. I understand that those RS-GUIDES are not going to sell themselves - but, come on, paper is cheap, through us a freaking bone here!...

My suggestion: a good game but wait till they fix it.
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