First the summary; Don't buy this game unless you have money to waste! Read why below..
I got it as part of a paid for bundle and would never have specifically chose this game on its own based on the video on the sales page.
#Well, it's not a SIM, (I knew that from the video on the sales page. More about that later).
Here's why I'm punching this game in the face! Mission 20 = Black - not night - just black holes of nothing visible to see or click on. There was one mission like it earlier, I don't know the number, but it was totally stupid.
I tried to brighten the game graphics and my PC screen but there was still nothing visible. I guess the devs must have made it this way, like you can click something, but you won't know if it's worked or not until you drive your train.
Reverse the engine up to the wagon, hitch it up. Nothing - no click sound and no visible clue as to if it is connected. Pull the engine forward, the carriage didn't move.. Did this over and over and over again, Arrrrrrggggggg, how stupid this is..
Pools of light under the streetlamp-esk floodlights along the trackside on the shunting bays, but on the approach track where the train-carriages are to be shunted from, are totally in the dark, there was nothing - you couldn't select anything because there was nothing to click, nothing showed up. I spent ages clicking in the black areas, not knowing if I had got it or not. Reverse the train up to the carriages, nothing to click in the black areas.
You'd never work 'blind' like this. It's just stupid, totally stupid. Its no fun and what's more it is totally boring, what the heck were the devs thinking when they made this mission?
I was peaved with this game after the first few missions because of the direction controls changing all the time, (see later); but I gave the game (and the devs), more opportunity to try and entertain me. I don't like to hammer nails into coffins before the person inside is actually dead. But this 'SIM' ha ha, needs burying...
I wanted to give this game a real good chance as I love train type games. That's all it is 'Just a game'. But after 3 hours of playing it, (I think I've given it a good chance to impress me in some way), but it fails to amuse me and actually p's me off- on most of the missions. Like: every mission is basically the same!
For example: I've had a firman on standby in many missions yet after 20 missions I still have seen no-use for him, no fires or smoking wagons etc. Don't even know why he's in the game?
Next: You start with breaking carriages from the main line 3 - onto lines 1 and 2 - later its lines 1 and 3 all the time. By mission 19 you are still just breaking a train of carriages down onto lines 1 and 3. Man, that's gets old real quick.. What the heck were the devs thinking? A little research into what goes on in a shunting yard would have helped them.
Next; there is an issue to take up with the developer' Look - forwards and reverse does not change! A train has a front and a rear - and whilst it can usually push or pull equally well in either direction, forwards and reverse still remains the same.. Don't the devs know how to do research?
'W' is accepted by most keyboard driving games as being forwards - and 'S' would be reverse. - The most annoying thing about this game, (although there were several things), was the fact that the forwards and reverse keys kept changing their function, depending upon which direction you were facing!
Like most people, logically I think if I am looking backwards from the vehicle and want to reverse, that I will naturally press the 'S' key.. But, if I decide to spin the view, suddenly 'W' becomes the reverse key? How stupid is that? That's the main reason why I am going to say and recommend that you don't waste your money on this game.
It becomes more of a pain when you realise that you can drive the train from wherever you are on foot. So you decide to bring the train to you, waiting for it to appear through a foggy morning mist, by the wagons you need to shunt around.. . Then you realise it had gone in the wrong direction because of the direction you were facing when you tapped 'W' four times.
There are other things too, like there was a dark-black mission, NOT JUST NIGHT TIME! I mean total black! It was meant to represent night time I guess, but there were areas where total non-visibility. I struggled for 40 minutes on the mission that should have taken me 5 minutes, if only I could have seen what I was doing!
There are usually green track markers that light up the track selection - there were none in the dark-black missions. There was also no-visible wagon connecting spots, in the dark-black missions, yet in normal daylight there were big yellow, and green glowing spots. What's that about?
Finally : I could see it was just a 'game' game and not a real simulator, from the video on the main sales page, so I didn't really expect much by way of simulation. My point here though is, devs should stop calling their games 'simulation', especially in this day and age when we expect a little more from a game that calls itself a 'SIM'.
If you don't already understand that concept of 'SIM' over 'just a game'. then I ain't going to bother trying to explain it to you, because if you don't already understand it you won't agree anyway. I'm just annoyed that devs call their games 'SIM' when it is clearly just a game. Not even a good game!
The concept of making a train shunting yard game, is a good idea, but the way the devs have done it, means the game makes no progress. Career Mode? What career? Its just the same mission over and over again with random track and wagon breakdowns.
I won't be playing it any further. Sorry devs.
