Review: World of Subways, Volume 1, "The PATH"
By D.C. Shoemaker
6 August 2010
This is part overview and part help
for getting started with this unique game. Winner of the "2009
Serious Game Award," Aerosoft of Germany has now produced two subway
simulations, the PATH and the Berlin U-7, and they are spectacular.
Be aware that some quick-overview reviews imply or say outright that
WoS is an add-on for Microsoft Train Simulator; this is not so, the
simulator is completely stand-alone.
I'm running WoS on a moderately powerful laptop. Written in 2008
and released in 2009, the graphics are about state-of-the-art for the
time, but you still need a decent machine. This is the most
impressive simulation of any kind I've ever seen, including
Railworks, Flight Simulator X or Space Shuttle Mission Simulator. It
is, however, likely very different from any other rail-based
simulation you're likely to have seen. You have control of only one
train at a time, with no switching, consist make-up, scheduling or
the like. There are AI trains you can run to enhance the realism,
with provisions for waiting for conflicting trains and signals, and
equipment failures. You have a choice of three car types, several
routes and times, and weather. You also have the choice of running
one route, or working an entire shift, for which the simulation rules
and scoring differ. For now, there are two add-ons, one of which is
included in the current version, a 3-D Manhattan skyline, and one
that adds scenarios to the basic game.
This add-on has five new missions and additional options for the
simulator. With a completely new Mission Module and five new missions
you work on train orders outside normal shift duties: take workmen to
their site on time, show your ability by driving a train with a
defective brake, or take your train for a wash before your shift
starts. This package also installs new scenarios including rail
workers on the tracks, traffic accidents on the road and close to the
tracks, and a burning building. These additional scenes can be turned
off or on. When you install the update, it seems everything reverts
to German. To fix this, open the Control Panel and uninstall the
Expansion Pack. Then uninstall WoS 1.20. Then delete the TML folder.
Reinstall the full version with a fresh download that contains
v1.20 with all the current updates built in and reinstall the
Expansion Pack. Start Wos and everything should be in English.
Clearly, work remains to be done. I suspect WoS is a small team.
While PATH is partly a subway
system, it's also partly a surface railroad. The scenery is truly
amazing for a 2009 game, and to an extent you have the ability to
look and move around in it. For example, start a train from Newark
and press the "O" key to follow it through the tunnels and across the
bridges to New York City. Unless you're engaged in a free roam, you
have a schedule to keep, varying numbers of passengers to take on and
discharge, and widely varying speed limits. So while some say all you
get to do is drive, that's what a real subway driver does, and I
expect you will find that sufficiently challenging.
A number of comments in forums and elsewhere suggest that users
have had difficulty getting started with WoS. The instructions were
originally written in German, and while the English translation is
adequate, finding the information you need to get started can be
awkward. You will also occasionally encounter a German term in the
game that wasn't translated, such as todman switch, the deadman's
switch. I've distilled and paraphrased and just plain stolen what I
needed from the instructions, and present them here to either help
you or pique your curiosity. It would be a shame to miss out on this
excellent simulation because of start-up difficulties. Note that you
can reconfigure the commands; with a laptop, this was the only way I
could make the train and station announcements play.
The simulation runs well under Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7,
but you will want a fairly powerful computer. If your system can run
Railworks, you can probably run WoS, but you should review the
specifications on their
web site.
For earlier versions of Windows, the launcher program (WoS.exe) works
just fine, but for Windows 7 users, an updated launcher is required.
Using the original launcher file in Win 7 seems to produce a memory
sharing violation error, possibly due to Windows 7 running a 32-bit
emulator in a 64-bit system. For some reason Aerosoft has not yet
made this file available for direct download from their site, but if
you request the access-share-violation version of WoS.exe from the
support forum at the maker's site
you can get it in less than 24 hours; technical support is not
Aerosoft's forte. There is also a patch that affects the operation of
one of the display panels that you should probably install called
"visual_indicator_air_condition.zip" from the Download section of the
main site. I downloaded my version of the game from an on-line
distributor. My understanding
is that the patches are required regardless of what version you buy;
this may change in future packages/releases. To start the download
version of World of Subways an online registration is required; the
PC running either the downloaded or boxed game version requires an
active Internet connection to register the game, but after that, no
Internet connection is required. It's possible to register via
e-mail, but I didn't try that option.
Following are the main keys you have to use, in the order to use
them to start the train. Note that because I use a laptop, the number
pad keys have been reassigned to regular numbers. This is done under
"Game Options."
Main Key Summary (in order of use):
K for A/C
SPACE for dead man's switch
PAGE UP for direction
LEFT ARROW to release brakes
NUM 7, 8 & 9, then F3
F1 / F2 to close doors (L/R)
UP ARROW to accelerate
L for lights
H for horn
O outside cab
You must be in the cab to drive, but once underway you can use the
"O" key to view the outside of the train and its surroundings; most
impressive. Direction control and power levers are set to idle to
begin with. Press "Page Up" to set the driving direction forward;
"Page Down" sets it to reverse if you need it. Pressing "K" switches
the air conditioning system on; this should remain on during the
entire journey. Set the destination (F8) so that passengers know
where the train is going; the CTRL key toggles the mouse pointer to
allow you to move into the display panel.