WHAT ROUTES ARE INCLUDED? MSTS includes six routes from around the world: - Amtrak's Northeast Corridor route from Washington D.C. to Philadelphia. Note this is only part of the Northeast Corridor route, which has confused some people. - A 168 mile portion of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) from Shelby to Whitefish and the 13 mile long Kalispell branch. - The Flying Scotsman 72 mile-long route from Settle to Carlisle. - Southern Japan's mountainous Hisatsu Railway. - 56 miles of the Odakyu Electric Railway through Tokyo and near Mt. Fuji. - The Orient Express of the 1930's through the Austrian Alps. WHAT LOCOMOTIVES ARE INCLUDED? MSTS includes nine drivable locomotives: - BNSF GP38-2 - BNSF Dash 9-44CW - Acela Express trainset - Acela HHP-8 - LNER 4-6-2 Flying Scotsman steam locomotive - Odakyu Electric Railway Company's 2000 Series - Odakyu Electric Railway Company's 7000 Series - Orient Express' 2-10-0 locomotive - Kiha 31 Diesel Railcar CAN I SAVE MY GAME IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ACTIVITY? Yes. CAN I CHANGE THE GAME SPEED AND/OR PAUSE IT? You can pause at any time by hitting the ESC key, and resume by clicking on the appropriate prompt. You cannot change the simulation rate such as can be done with Microsoft Flight Simulator, all operating is done in real time. IS IT MULTIPLAYER COMPATIBLE? No. Future versions may include a multiplayer feature however. CAN I RIDE THE TRAIN AS A PASSENGER? Yes. If you feel like just riding along the rails as a passenger and enjoying the scenery, you will be able to do this in MSTS. In general, this only works with passenger trains. ARE EXTERNAL VIEWS AVAILABLE WHILE DRIVING THE TRAIN? Yes. There are several external views available in the game including a spotter view which lets you see the train as though you were stationary at the side of the tracks. You can also view the front of the train, the rear of the train, a straight down coupler view (for switching) and a yard view (also for switching). Most views allow panning and zooming. Also, some locomotives have a "stick your head out the side window" view that can be panned 180 degrees from straight ahead to straight back. DID AMTRAK AND OTHER RAILROADS INCLUDED IN MSTS PARTICIPATE IN THE GAME'S DEVELOPMENT? Yes. From the official web site: "Microsoft Train Simulator aims to bring the most realistic virtual train experience to the PC, by recreating hundreds of miles of routes with realistic scenery, equipment, and operations. We're working in close cooperation with six of the leading railroads from around the world to bring you the 'As Real As It Gets' experience you've come to expect from Microsoft Simulators." HOW LONG DOES THE TRACK-SIDE VIEW ALLOW US TO WATCH THE TRAIN FROM A STATIONARY POINT? WILL WE BE ABLE TO WATCH THE TRAIN APPROACH IN THE DISTANCE, PASS US, AND DISAPPEAR IN THE DISTANCE? The "railfan" watching beside the track view actually varies. In general, you see the train approach and pass and then jump ahead and watch it again. The exact position is somewhat random; it can be on either side of the track for example and at different distances. The duration seems to vary as well. You never know exactly what you'll get, which keeps it interesting.
Copyright © 2004 by Nels Anderson. All Rights Reserved.