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World of Subways Volume 4: New York Line 7 Introduction
Welcome to the primary metropolitan
transportation choice for New Yorker's besides walking, the subway!
I am Justin Cogo and I am pleased to be reviewing World of Subways
Volume 4 - Line 7!
My experience with simulators is mainly flight simulators with a
good amount of train simulator experience as well. As a present I
got my first flight simulator, Flight Simulator 98, when I was 11 and
I have been hooked on simulators (and related games) since. I have
found train simulators detail and realism very comparable to flight
simulators over the years which is why I like them not only as a
training tool but as something to do for fun. The train simulators I
have experience with are Microsoft Train Simulator, Train Simulator
and World of Subways.
My experience with the World of Subways series includes playing
with World of Subways Volume 1 - New York PATH route, which I found
very fun and realistic. I have visited New York but travelled there
across country by airplane and did not experience the subway system,
but I am aware of its vast expanse and density. I am also interested
in the New York subway because of its great size and New York's
amazing culture.
Aerosoft
World of Subways Volume 4 - Line 7 is distributed and published by
Aerosoft. Aerosoft is of course known for its high-quality add-ons.
World of Subways Volume 4 - Line 7 does not stray from this pattern
of quality.
TML Studios
The creators of the World of Subways series is TML Studios. TML
Studios has created bus simulators, train simulators and other types
of simulators. All off their products are very realistic to their
real-world counterpart and fun for any enthusiast. Aside from
playing the first World of Subways Volume 1 - PATH, I've played Bus &
Cable Car Simulator and have found them very life-like and fun!
World of Subways Series
The World of Subways series of games puts attention to detail on a
single section of a subway, unlike 'big' simulators that cover
different areas or vast expanses. This gives you an immersive
experience even people that truly know these areas can attest to.
The World of Subways series is comprised of four volumes, each
covering a single area of a subway system. The four volumes are:
World of Subways Volume 1: New York Path Route
World of Subways Volume 2: U7 - Berlin Route
World of Subways Volume 3: London Underground
World of Subways Volume 4: New York Line 7
World of Subways Volume 4: New York Line 7
World of Subways Volume 4 - Line 7 recreates Line 7 of the New
York City Subway system and is set in the time period of the 1970's.
During this time, just after the 1960's, the music and arts culture
was molding, becoming new and racy. Crime ran high and the subways
suffered from graffiti and of course bellbottoms. Line 7 runs from
Queens to Manhattan and is a very busy route, even requiring an
express train to run alongside a local train during rush hours!
United States seen from space
Features:
- 21 original subway stations
- Eyeshot up to 4 km
- Playable drivers and conductors
- Interactive depot
- New Aggro - Mode for more fun
- Exciting missions based on stories
- Schedule rides with shift change
- Life-like signaling system
- Realistic KL-train traffic and dynamic passengers on platforms
- Interactive 3D driver cabin with all relevant operations
- Interactive 3D conductor cabin for the optional conductor mode
Getting Started Playing
After opening the game the way to get started is to first create a
new game, which you can then save and continue where you left off.
Each different game you create saves missions, settings and
interaction status with certain employees.
Once a new game has been created or you've continued a previous
game you're sent to the depot where all game playing begins.
Different ways to play the game are:
- Exploring the depot and train stations, and even the train track areas!
- Tutorial to lean to drive a subway train
- Driving a train on a certain schedule (normal, express, and in different directions)
- Playing missions (which involve train driving and solving other tasks)
The Depot
The Depot is a fully interactable 3D moveable environment where
game playing is initiated and where one can view different sights and
departments of the subway's administration facilities. You are put
at the depot after creating or continuing a game. Different areas of
the depot house the Director's Office, Staff Office, Canteen,
Workshop and Kitchen. Company employees populate the depot and can
be interacted with. Other depot details include working doors,
burning flames in the kitchen and lit welding tools that mechanics
use on the trains in the workshop. As you walk around the depot to
play the game you are also given a real-life experience of how a
train administration building works! Physically the depot is
situated on Line 7 at the Flushing/Main Street end of the route. The
route's tracks extend up to the depot where trains are worked on.
The depot is shown via diagram
On the left is a hallway, on the right the maintenance area
On the left is the breakroom, on the right the kitchen
Tutorial
In the depot, to learn how to drive a train you'll need to
complete a tutorial which takes you through setting the train up to
drive, leaving the depot and driving along the route stopping at
stations. To get to this menu you'll need to go into the 'staff'
office at the depot. Once in the staff office you talk to the Shift
Supervisor sitting at the chair, interact with him and a menu opens
giving you options for either starting the tutorial, driving a train
on schedule or driving a train right away.
Driving the Train on Schedules
To just drive a train you can either create a specific situation
with your own choice of game settings including:
- Date and time
- Weather
- Train starting location
- Train stops (local or express)
- Train direction
The other way to driving a train is to use the 'Quickstart'
feature which put you at Times Square in a train immediately. Both
of these menus are available after interacting with the shift
supervisor.
Missions
In this simulation there is the option of going on a mission,
which recreates a realistic subway situation which you must complete.
There are eight general missions and one bonus mission. The missions span
different times of day, weather situations and tasks that must be
completed from finding a bomb planted on a subway train to installing
lights in a dark train station.
Missions are started by interacting with a subway employee in the
depot. These employees are either in a certain location or walking
around the depot and you must interact with them to begin the
mission. Each mission has its own backstory which the depot employee
you interact with will gladly explain to you. These missions bring
real-life scenarios to the game and make you feel like you're really
working for the subway.
Interactable subway employees - people with green circles
Aspects Of The Train Line
The following are aspects of the subway line in the game:
- Trains
- Local & Express Route
- Tracks
- Train Yard
- Dynamic People
- AI Trains
- Dynamic & Customizable Weather
- Extra / Small Scenery Details
- Surrounding Scenery
Trains
In the subway system the trains included that drive on the subway
are the R36/R33 - "Redbird" trains. These trains run on electricity
via a 'third rail' sitting adjacent to the two main rails. These
trains are around 51 feet long and can reach a top speed of 55 mph.
The trains are painted in a red color to deter graffiti. Wear and
tear as well as examples of this vandalism can be seen on station
walls. In this World of Subways you are able to walk about the train
and train stations seamlessly. For instance you can be on the
platform and walk right on the train, up to the drivers cab and drive
the train. Another cool feature is AI trains which I'll talk about
later.
On the left is front of train, on right rear of train
The trains are textured with highly detailed textures, even
showing the rivets making up the train body. The metal top of the
train is also realistically shiny when it is sunny out. The insides
of the train are nicely modeled and textured according to real world
specifications. Inside of the subway car details include
seats, passenger handles, advertisements and subway maps, making
the inside of the train feel real.
Various screen shots of outside and inside the trains
The drivers cab is textured in a detailed fashion and includes all
the real buttons, handles, and other train controls and indicators.
The controls, buttons and indicators move when interacted with and
display their true indication as you play the game.
The Drivers Cab
In the 1970's these subway trains required both a driver and a
conductor. The driver's job is pretty straightforward, but the
conductor performed a special job that you can actually play in the
game. The doors of the train can be controlled either by the driver
or conductor, so when playing the conductor you can open the
conductor's window, look out and down the tracks, and have control of
the doors and buzzer. You can switch between being the conductor and
driver cabins by using the 'F10' key. There is an option when
starting the route to have an AI conductor automatically open and
close doors when you arrive and are scheduled to depart stations as
well.
The Conductors Cab
For driving or conducting the train, there is a pop-up window that
gives you train and route status beneficial for playing. In this
time period (1970's), the trains were not computerized and relied
upon analog gauges or status information. The conductor would have a
paper schedule and some kind of other simple electronic piece of
equipment to help in his train duties. In this game three beneficial
pop-up windows give you this information:
- Date & Time display
This shows the current day and time. - Route Monitor
This give you the train's speed, current train speed limit, current and next signal information, train type (local or express), and start and destination information. - Stations Monitor
This monitor gives you information on the current or next station, departure time, and door information.
On the left are the three pop-up windows
Local & Express Route
Line 7 of New York Subway runs from Queens to Manhattan. In the
screen shot below you can see a diagram of the entire New York City
subway (circa 1970's). Line 7 is pointed out running from the NE
(Queens) to the West (Manhattan). Line 7 is 15km long and has 21
stations in which some are above ground and some underground. You
will also see other subway lines of this system intersecting Line 7
at certain stations.
The New York Subway Of The 1970's
The subway stations are very diverse and very detailed. The World
of Subway series is known for its detail and this volume does not
disappoint. Stations also show the culture of their time with
graffiti lining some walls of some of the stations and a grimy
appearance in certain areas. Stations' style and realism looks close to
their real-world counterparts and it has been fun to wander around the
stations and just view some of the architecture and style.
Paying real attention to detail some stations even follow the
engineering in real life, for example one station is not flat and
curves up and around in the center. There are some really nice wall
advertisements and station signage as well that are custom to each
station. Out of the 21 stations there are a few that are very
similar, but this is just how it is in the real world. Yet there are
other stations that have great style and offer a great viewing
experience.
Two types of routes exist on Line 7, the Local Route and the
Express route. Both routes run the entire length of the line, but
whereas the Local route stops at every station the Express route
stops at fewer stations. The express route also has its own
'separate' tracks allowing it to bypass the local routes stations and
tracks. The express route only runs during morning and evening rush
hours when demand is heavy.
The express route's tracks are seen sitting on top of the local tracks
Tracks
The tracks of the subway line are highly detailed. Track nails
and fasteners are visible, as well as the third rail. One thing I
noticed was that you can explore the track area but won't get
electrocuted when walking over the third rail. Other track details
include working track signals, track signage, staircases for walking
up to the platform areas, and even tunnel lights (blue lights) for
lighting up special areas of the track system.
Train Yard
The train yard is a part of the Line 7 system and connects 'The
Depot' with the subway line on the Flushing/Main Street area of the
line. You can drive from the train yard but only in tutorial mode as
far as I've tried.
Dynamic People
In this game there are dynamic people that move around the game.
In 'The Depot' they can be interacted with and are the starting point
for missions. On the subway line there are other train drivers you
can interact with when beginning or changing shifts, and there are
train passengers that use the subway.
The train passengers wait at train stations and ride on the train.
They move from the platform to the subway train when you open the
train doors. The passengers are in high number so it feels like a
real immersive subway. Adding to the realism, passengers even sit
themselves down in a realistic fashion once they get on the train, of
course that is if there is an available seat. Going along with the
70's, the passengers are dressed in this period's style, featuring
bell bottoms and colors / shapes typical to this era and occasionally
you'll see people in suits.
AI Trains
In this game AI trains populate the tracks in both directions and
even queue up behind you if you're stuck at a station. The AI trains
also are rideable which makes for a fun experience if you'd like to
just play the part of a passenger and have the ability to get off at
any station you like, and at some stations, walk to the other side of
the station and catch the train going in the opposite direction.
Weather
In this World of Subways series the weather is customizable and
there are some nice precipitation features only recently seen in
video games this day in age. The weather can be changed between
sunny, cloudy, foggy, rainy, and snowy. Rain and snow can be seen
falling from the sky and when it snows the ground is visibly covered
in snow. Another highly technical feature is rain that falls on the
windshield of the drivers cab. As the drivers cab is pelted with
rain you can activate the windshield wiper and see the rain being
scraped off the window!
Extra / Small Scenery Details
Throughout the subway route there are many small details all over
the place to be seen. One I think was really cool was graffiti
fitting the time era of the 1970's. There are many small scenery
details like signs, track signals, trash filled containers, station
equipment, advertisements and subway route diagrams that are actually
readable as well. I think one of the best features are the stairs
linking the subway platform to the track level so you can walk around
the tracks themselves and explore.
Surrounding Scenery
Lastly, this subway simulation not only includes the trains and
station features but city scenery. Surrounding the stations and all
areas of the line are city features with populated scenery. There
are buildings, roads and moving road traffic all over the place. At
night road traffic lights up the streets with white and red lights
too! Another big scenery item is Shea Stadium which is situated next
to the Mets/Willets Point station. It can be seen from the station
and has pretty good detail for being just an extra piece of
scenery.
Computer Requirements:
- Operating system: Windows Vista / Windows 7 / Windows 8
- Intel i5 or comparable
- RAM: 4 GB
- Graphics card: NVidia GeForce GTX 560 or comparable AMD Radeon
- DirectX Version 11
- Installation-size: 10 GB
My Computer Specifications:
- Operating system: Windows 8.1
- AMD A10-5800K 3.8 GHz
- RAM: 8 GB
- Graphics card: NVidia GeForce GT 545
- DirectX: DirectX Version 11
Performance
With my computer I seem to have good performance with most games
that are out now and I'm able to turn the game settings up. I had
good performance with World of Subways Volume 4: Line 7 with the
settings at maximum. With enhanced game details like swaying train
cars, weather effects, seamlessly connected game areas (station
platform, train car, drivers cab) with no loading in between, dynamic
passengers and AI trains, the performance is above what I expected and
makes for smooth game playing.
Gameplay & Technical Summary
World of Subways aims to recreate a specific area of a subway
system, focusing on high detail and an immersive experience to show
you what it was like and how it feels to be there. I think they did
a good job recreating Line 7 of the New York subway from the 1970's.
I can talk to subway workers dressed in clothes of that time period,
see graffiti strewn about the Hunters Point station, and feel like
I'm really in this area of New York during this time period.
This game has a small learning curve which doesn't take much to
get over. The technical beauty of the game is great to behold once
you get to know the game and its intricate details. For instance at
first you feel like you're just driving from station to station and
"what's the point"? Then you realize there are hundreds of
passengers waiting at your stations, you're under time constraints,
the weather may not be cooperating and as you look out over the
tracks there is a bustling city below you with many sights to see
along the way. There are some real-world sights to see if you want
to get off the train and explore the stations, which all are fairly
unique, especially the underground stations. After I got this game
and realized it was set in the 1970's time period I decided to figure
out what it was like on the subway during these years. After
watching The Warriors, about street gangs of New York fighting each
other and using the subway for transportation I started to see some
of the style and architecture of the 70's come out in the game. I
really feel like I'm in the 70's when I play this game and I get a
big feeling of nostalgia when playing it as I travel through the vast
expanse of Queens, where it feels like the stations never end and
apartment complexes flood the horizon.
This is a game I'd play again and again so I could pretend like
I'm in the 70's in New York or just experience the intricate details
of trains. This game is as good as other World of Subways volume's
I've played and definitely not your run of the mill train simulator.
It aims to create a specific experience for you in depth. I really
like it and think you will too.
Justin Cogo
Purchase World of Subways Vol.4 New York Line 7