Berlin Subway
By Jane-Rachel Whittaker (20 January 2006)
The city of Berlin fell victim to a clash of cultures in 1945 when
capitalism met communism. As the war in Europe came to a close the
suspicion and mutual distrust between the ideologies of East and West
saw the drawing of an iron curtain across Europe. To the residents of
Berlin the iron curtain was more than a political dividing line on a
map but a wall erected from concrete that split the city in two.
Families were separated for nearly 40 years based on nothing more
than the suburb they occupied in the city and to which side of the
wall their community found itself. The luckier ones were able to
remain under the democratic control of West Germany and the allies
but many found themselves under Soviet oppression and endured many
years of corruption and communism that led to wholesale dereliction
and decay. Tales of heroism from those who found ingenious means to
scale the wall to freedom and frontiers such as Checkpoint Charlie
have defined Berlin in the eyes of many. The rise of democracy across
Eastern Europe led to her own citizens literally tearing down the
Berlin Wall, often with their bare hands, paving the way for the
reunification of Germany.
Against this backdrop Aerosoft and TML have released "Berlin Subway"
as an expansion for Microsoft Train Simulator. The graphics engine in
MSTS has dated badly since first release and the developers have
taken the bold step of creating a whole new graphics system that is
bolted over the top of MSTS providing custom graphics for the entire
Berlin experience. As such after installation Berlin Subway has to be
launched from its own desktop icon. This leads into a range of
configuration screens from choosing realism options to a choice of
rolling stock.
One of the most immediately apparent innovations is to opportunity to
create a variety of weather conditions including winds and a choice
of seasons. If you desire your trains to run in heavy snow, rain or
brilliant sunshine then the options are all here with a plethora of
weather effects. I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to create a
Berlin winter scene with blanket snow and heavy winds. Of course
fighting the elements and running your motive power relentlessly can
take its toll on the wear and tear of the equipment and Berlin Subway
also provides a unique maintenance module. By choosing to operate in
fully realistic mode then rolling stock needs to be both cleaned
regularly and maintained. Failure to maintain the equipment in good
running order leads to increasingly dirty trains, this dirt being
reflected both in the interior cab view and exterior train views and
worse still the possibility of failures and breakdowns. All repairs
are carried out in real time, so if the realism mode is chosen a unit
that is in the repair shop will not be available for use for some
hours!
Luckily there is quite a variety of rolling stock including the H-97,
UL2, A3L92, F68 and the G1/1 multiple units representing equipment
manufactured in the West and those inherited from the Communist
regime after reunification. Once all the configuration choices have
been made to your satisfaction a button press launches MSTS from
within the Berlin Subway editor, loading a specially customised
version with Berlin Subway splash screens and only the Berlin routes
being available. I was relieved to find that opening MSTS
independently of Berlin Subway still provided normal operation of
previous routes and rolling stock, the customisations only taking
effect when running MSTS from the Berlin launcher.
When initially being presented with Berlin Subway for review I was
concerned as to the appeal of a subway simulator. The idea of
travelling underground through dark and dank tunnels initially seemed
considerably less glamorous and interesting than operating a steam
train through rolling countryside. Within a couple of minutes of
launching Berlin Subway these myths were dispelled and I was
completely hooked. The new graphics system provides the most
immersive experience I have ever encountered in MSTS. The subway
network came to life in exquisite detail finding myself in everything
from graffiti adorned tunnels and 1930's stations to modern complexes
all lit with a stunningly realistic lighting system.
The uniqueness of the Berlin Subway was assured when the system was
also split with the rest of the city. Some lines fell into decay with
rolling stock being abandoned on platforms where they stood and being
coverted into ad-hoc fleamarkets and bazaars! Reunification of
Germany saw a massive restoration program for the entire Berlin
Subway system and has created a network of contrasts with pre-war,
austere communist and liberal capitalist station architecture
standing side by side. The U2 North-South line and the U8 East-West
lines have been recreated in immaculate detail offering around 2
hours worth of track to explore end-to-end. The U8 line had the
distinction of passing through the communist controlled sector where
trains were allowed to continue albeit with the stations being closed
and guarded 24 hours a day by heavily armed troops with trains being
forbidden to stop!
These stations have now been fully reopened and within the Berlin
Subway simulation now teem with life with the inclusion of a vast
array of commuters being added to all the platforms. I was
particularly impressed with the ability to open the train doors at
each station to be greeted with the ambient sounds of hustle and
bustle as commuters and tourists jostled to board the train. A
particularly impressive feature is the announcement system that, on a
keypress, allows the driver to announce arrival at each station on
the route with each station name being properly vocalised and
announcing either a left or right door exit.
If you are unfamiliar with the network and are wondering why a
weather simulator has been included in a subway simulation the answer
lies in the fact that not all of the modelled U2 and U8 lines are
underground but large tracts actually travel overground on bridges
and embankments that traverse the city. Again such was the quality of
the graphics detail that I actually felt I was in Berlin with views
of modern Berlin transposed with bleak tenement buildings that seem
determined to offer a haunting reminder of Communist oppression and
despair whilst they cling onto an existence in defiance of the
bulldozers that have become a symbol for the vast refurbishment of
the city. I did however, have to be careful not to get too carried
away with sightseeing as a fully authentic signalling system is an
integral part of the simulation and I had to pay careful attention to
only proceed as directed to avoid mishaps with computer controlled
trains that also inhabit the network. Engineering work is also in
evidence and care has to be taken to obey all speed restrictions in
force lest the automated safety systems onboard the trains apply the
emergency brakes in response to driver negligence. I have to admit I
found myself in this situation a number of times in my initial
explorations of the system, being so absorbed by the sumptuous
graphics to the detriment of my driving skills, which was probably
much to the annoyance of my virtual passengers! When each line was
explored to my hearts content I was able to delve into the included
activities and was delighted to find that a whopping 46 separate
activities were available with everything from all-stations passenger
services to taking a unit to the train washing facility!
Berlin subway is simply phenomenal and single-handedly breathes a new
lease of life into the aging MSTS with a custom graphics engine that
left my jaw on the floor coupled to the incredibly researched and
detailed network that ensured that every square inch of track was not
only true to life but unique. The choice of Berlin to showcase this
new technology is an inspired one with the city's ambience and ghosts
of its turbulent 20th century history pervading every nook and cranny
of this simulation. Those of us who thought that MSTS was reaching
the end of its useful life may well have to think again! All I can
say in conclusion is please Aerosoft and TML can we have more of
these simulations, the London Underground Circle Line and New York
transit systems spring to mind, hint hint!
Publisher: Aerosoft
Developer: TML
Requirements: fully patched Microsoft Train Simulator
Price: $34.99
Purchase Here
Jane-Rachel Whittaker
janerachel1@btinternet.com