| Welcome to Densha de Go! Forums [denshadego.info]. Discussion dedicated to console train simulators Densha de Go! (電車でGO!) and Railfan. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| A-train 6 Reviews By Afterbirth & Bigvern | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 14 2005, 10:03 PM (1,127 Views) | |
| Butch | Nov 14 2005, 10:03 PM Post #1 |
|
![]() Published by: Midas Interactive Entertainment Developed by: ArtDink Genre: Simulation Release Date: US: Import Only Japan: March 4, 2000 Europe: March 19, 2004 Recommended Requirements: 6MB A-Train 6 Review By Afterbirth (uk pal version) Right, first, a rant. It’s almost the problem that P.C users are having with their hard drives. An A-Train save game is 6000KB. About 6MB. Or ¾ of the memory card. So. Back to Play.com you go and order their Ps2 twinpacks with this game, because its likely you’ll need them. Rant over…. You’ve got to love companies like Midas. Theyre a budget company that are buying old titles from Japan and selling them over here in the UK. This is a good thing because not only do you get some oddities that breath life into Uk gaming, but it means you don’t need to wade through loads of Kanji. This particular title is quite interesting because there are very few god sims on PS2 and it also features that most enjoyable method of transportation (at least if you don’t live in the UK) – the train. Not the trains your used in the UK though. No. These are Japanese super trains. They are to the railway what PSP is to handhelds. Ubertrains. The A-train series has always been a big seller in Japan. Proberly because the Japanese love their trains, and because it puts you in control of an urban enviroment, of which Tokyo is the largest in the world. Okay, onto the game then. Firstly 50/60hz is selectable (good move) as is widescreen and the choice for higher or lower res graphics (These are Tokyo style cities remember!) Upon loading you set up your mem card and away you go. Cue lush orchestral music! The options are to start the game, an options menu, and a gallery, which gives you a detailed history of all the trains (over 40). You can change their colours to the relvent colours of those used on Japan lines. You are in control of a Railway company the aim is to develop an area using your uber transportation system. How your city pans out is entirely up to you, and dependent on who you build your rail system. To start with there is only 1 map, but 5 more will become available as your progress. New trains also become available later in the game (seemingly on a time based system as a reload prompted the arrival of a Bullet train!) Once started, you are set a target to complete that scenario. In scenario one you have 4 small areas and must create a rail system to sustain the transportation of 40,000 people. You do this by creating passenger and freight lines, and by attracting people, industry, and commercial development. Use up all the cash and its game over. In order to construct large scale buildings you must supply materials from factories on your map. Construction of the buildings can only occur with factories located nearby so you must develop your town and bring the materials as close as possible. Cargo transport systems have their own stations that stockpile the materials required. The trains do not stop at passenger station and VV. In order to develop your area, you must lay a track into that area, then build a station. You then attracted business to that area and so the expansion continues. Cargo/Passenger Stations come in 3 sizes, and are limited to how many trains they can handle. This does limit the amount of trains you can run although you can place points and ‘passing loops’ (duel track to single track) to allow two trains to operate between two station. This can then be increases but one serious fault is that if your trains are scheduled poorly, with one train in a station as one approaches, both trains will stop and will have to be rescheduled. Scheduling trains is easy, but frustrating, and it takes a long time as you have to schedule a trains movements over 24 hours. Any potential conflicts with other trains are not taken into account and this is where you need a pen and paper to work out what times your trains will be over a given junction. Of course, you could just have two trains leave two different stations at the same time and meet on the loop. This of course restricts you to two trains per route. It would seem you can say goodbye to Yanomotae line frequencies. Becoming a timetable Otaku, it seems, is paramount if you want to create complex layouts, to save money on track. The trains will always leave at the same times every day so by working out gaps, you can plan another train but it could have been automated better. Theres no signalling so your limited somewhat and i've found occasions where two trains will meet on a single line and both just freeze. A bit if lateral thinking is required for high frequency patterns. Also, using the automated process does not allow for other trains to be seen, so any potential conflicts (with other trains) cannot be seen in this way. Its made harder by the points, which also need a timetable if you are running the odd freight train over them. Again, setting up a base service first, then working out timings of additional trains is the best way to go. Trains can be scheduled to pass, stop, and turn at stations, or load and unload cargo (for freight). Trains turning at a station will turn and remain on the same track unless you put a point system in that diverts the trains once they've left the station, but again, watch the timings. Theres no real signalling. Once you’ve built a station, people will move in and build housing. Rice paddies (Japans made agriculture) also start to appear. Theres a limit on the amount of development around a station, so to improve development, you add another, then people will travel to that station and more development will occur. By interacting the stations (running trains) you can then attract business to a town to promote its development. Here, you buy land and sell it with a condition. The conditions are Farming, Industry, House, Commercial, Tourism and No condition. The relevant buildings will then appear in that area. You could have Houses in A, Commercial in B and Industrial in C. How these are connected are up to you. So I’ll let you play the rest. The controls are easy enough, but it would help if you could pan out the map a bit further. Sometimes you might want to lay track between two areas and you must basically guess where the line must go as you can’t see the other town. (I have subsequently found out that its actually better to improve the system a bit at a time, rather then one mahusive connecting line). Another point of note is the viewpoints. Pressing R3 switches the viewpoint to the cursor on the ground (First Person) so you can watch the world about you grow, and your trains run to your hearts content. You can also select a train and the viewpoint will follow the train. Pressing R3 will switch to inside the train. You can’t drive but watch your city in full 3D. Something sorely missing from games like Sim City and the Railrioad and Transport Tycoon games (Ps1 version excepted). Views can also be split and controlled separately to aid construction. It’s a very nice game to play, although as said scheduling is a bit of a pain. The music is only average consisting of old skool Ragtime, C&westen and jazz. Typical of this kinda game but helps add to the overall ambience. Train sounds are fair. Graphically, the game is quite nice. The trains themselves are like models but as the gamearea is massively open, pop-up does occur (although its at some distance, and its faded) Water is only average and not an issue until later in the game. Overall the game is very relaxing to play (as these games tend to be) and you always start with a large sum, so big cities don’t take to long to take shape. I disagree with Midas’s pricing arrangement here. This game is shown priced at £29.99 at their offical site (oh no, £27.99 – discount when ordered from their site!) – the same as Sim City 4 deluxe on the P.C. For a game 4 years old! (I wonder if they took advantage of Edges budget game coverage???) Still, Play.com are doing the game at a far better £17.99 deal. I’d also recommend buying the mem cards from there too as these again are well priced. Bought from play, this game is competent enough, but is quite simplistic compared with Sim City 4 (which can be complex in parts). After a few days play, you'll have one giant trainset operating that you can watch for hours. As i say the only poor points are the fact you can't have a system too complicated. Freights and passenger trains should be kept seperate ideally (although you can run them side by side and the game does allow point work - its just hard to utilise without a clash). 7/10. Steve. Afterbirth Buy This Game From Play.com (uk only!) ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
![]() |
|
| Bassman | Nov 15 2005, 03:12 PM Post #2 |
|
I just ordered this from Amazon UK for £9.97. There was something else I wanted so I was able to get free delivery. |
![]() |
|
| Butch | Nov 15 2005, 07:31 PM Post #3 |
|
Nice to see you're back Bassman!
I'm about to order this too, thanks to your review Afterbirth, and another bloody memory card! |
![]() |
|
| Bassman | Nov 16 2005, 08:08 AM Post #4 |
|
Thanks. I have been in pretty much every day, just didn't have anything to say. |
![]() |
|
| Wing Fat | Nov 17 2005, 12:14 AM Post #5 |
|
It looks like they are coming out with a version of A-Train for Xbox 360: http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/761/761547.html I couldn't find any information on it anywhere, other than a small blurb here and there. I wonder if it will be English or Japanese? |
![]() |
|
| Butch | Nov 17 2005, 12:29 AM Post #6 |
|
yeah, i was looking all over the net for more info or screenshots for the 360 version to do a feature on it here, but no luck. The second images are released, i'll put them up in the latest news forum. |
![]() |
|
| BigVern | Dec 24 2005, 09:42 PM Post #7 |
|
I had a review of this title on my now defunct Trainsim UK site and with permission of our host I'd like to reproduce it below, for a complementary point of view... INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW The transport strategy game market has been fairly quiet lately. The "Rush Hour" expansion pack for Sim City 4 was very disappointing adding little in the way of new depth to controlling the transport network, while retaining the difficult elements of balancing a city budget. Railroad Tycoon 3 also was more of an upgrade to the previous version. The last A-Train title released was way back in 1994, when A4 Networks came out on the PC followed by a low key release for the original Playstation console. So it was quite refreshing to hear that Midas Interactive were releasing A-Train 6 (AT6) in the UK and other western markets. In actual fact, AT6 is not a particularly new title, first appearing in Japan during 2000 with distribution originally confined to the Asian markets. However the title has now made it to the west and many of us are hoping this heralds the possibility of a wider distribution of all the other railway games enjoyed by our friends in Japan but (officially) denied from buying/using in the West. AT6 is only available for the Playstation 2 (PS2) games console. Apart from the game and console you will also need a dual shock joypad (no mouse support) and memory cards on which to store your saved games. As each save uses 75% of an 8Mb memory card, this could work out expensive if you want to store more than one game at a time as these cards sell for around £20 each! (8Mb memory card = £20, mega Gb PC Hard Drive = @£80, go figure...). As with most console games, setting up is as simple as popping the game in the drive and waiting for it to load. Apart from a few options for graphics and sound etc. there is little to configure, notably you cannot re-assign the joypad commands nor can you change difficulty levels. There are a total of six scenarios to play, though when starting the game only one is immediately available. The limitations of a console release mean no editor is provided to produce your own scenarios and what you see is what you get - no patches or add ons. The graphics are reasonably good, though the game is showing its age a little IMHO. I have played more recent PS2 titles which seem to have a better resolution. We are limited by what the console and a TV screen are capable of showing, just don't expect crisp 1024 x 768 graphics and you won't be disappointed. Playing on a smaller screen will help to eliminate some of the fuzziness and blockiness too. All the views are manipulated with the joypad allowing you to zoom in up close, or right out to a sort of 2D top down plan view. At least the trains are recognisable as different types, unlike the earlier A4 Networks where they were indistinguishable from one another. The diurnal cycle is represented with night and day effects. Although this is very effective, can be irritating during construction as you approach a key location and you can't see what you're doing. No option to switch off, unfortunately. Some pop up is evident in the middle distance and when following a train, buildings closest to the line will tend to fade out. You can fix the view on an object (such as a train) and follow it round the map. A sort of pseudo passenger/cab view is also available - you will find yourself using this quite frequently as it is the easiest way to monitor how many passengers your trains are carrying and how much revenue is being generated. Sounds are ambient rather than in your face. The usual "easy listening" style music is available if you like (not as ghastly as the music in Railroad Tycoon 3 I must add). The usual interface clicks, crunches and bangs are played as you work around the map laying track and assigning trains. I found the train sounds vaguely disappointing. Apart from a generic clickety clack and the occasional departure "jingle" I couldn't hear any traction sounds. Okay, most of the rolling stock is electric but would still be nice to hear traction motors whirring away. There's also a few diesels and even a steam loco in there too which would have been nice to listen to. GAMEPLAY Gameplay requires you to start with a virtually blank canvas and build up a thriving metropolis. Success is attained by reaching the desired population level, spend all your money and you lose the game. One refreshing feature of AT6 is that you do get a fair wad of cash to start with, unlike some games in the genre which start you with barely enough to build one branch line. With apologies to the movie Field of Dreams, AT6 works on the basis of, "If you build it, they will come". By laying out tracks and placing stations in the middle of nowhere, after a few game "days" you will notice people using the trains and houses etc. starting to develop. You need to give this a helping hand by running freight trains from the established locations to carry materials out to the places where construction is underway. You only get "slots" for 25 stations and a similar number of trains so this aspect needs to be managed quite closely. Later on, you can zone certain areas to attract a particular type of construction, residential, commercial or industrial. In some respects, it's like Sim City in reverse. Unlike A4 Networks you can only set up rail routes in AT6, there are no buses or other forms of surface transport directly under your control (though road vehicles are visible). Laying down track is not too difficult with a bit of practice (the hard part comes later). You have a choice of ground level or elevated (in classic Japanese style) track and inclined slopes to link these together. What you can't do (so far as I can see) is build tunnels or go underground, nor can the terrain be deformed to create cuttings and embankments. The track will climb up gradual slopes but don't expect to be laying out the AT6 equivalent of the Fraser Canyon or West Highland above Loch Treig. Track placement is a two stage process whereby you first draft the line's course, then confirm final construction if happy. Track laying etc. can be done with the game paused which is a big help if you can't see what you're doing with the night graphics. I found it best to lay small sections at a time to avoid a snake like "wiggly" formation. Worth mentioning that you can only lay one single track at a time, if you want double or greater track then you need to lay another single line alongside the existing one(s). Tricky! Although track laying follows a sort of spline technique you don't get total free placement, the angles seem limited and in any event stations can only be aligned in steps of 90°. You can choose from differing types of station according to your wishes. Subject to space, these can be expanded later. Laying a simple, single track, route for one train is fairly easy. The hard part comes where you want double track and a more frequent service as AT6 does not support any form of signalling or other control AI to maintain separation of trains. This makes it extremely difficult to set up multiple train operation over the same section of route - the only way this can be done is trying to separate trains via the timetable/schedule arranging things so they should never meet on the same section of track. This was a major flaw in A4 Networks and I am, frankly, amazed a better system was not devised for AT6. If a full signalling system was beyond the scope of the programme, then something along the lines of Railroad Tycoon 3 - fading out opposing or lower priority trains while another passes through - would have been an acceptable alternative. This makes creation of a prototype looking network or rail system in AT6 very hard if not impossible. I suspect many users will end up with lots of single lines, all running one train in steam! Once you've got some track laid and stations placed and ignoring the control issues for now, it's time to get a train service running. AT6 features a good selection of train types to choose from, through suburban utilitarian units to the latest Shinkansen high speed Bullet Trains. Not all these are available straight way, though usually on starting up AT6 you get a new one! All the trains are of Japanese origin, no localisation has been attempted for the European market where it would have been nice to see more familiar types - an HST, TGV or even a good old fashioned Class 158 Sprinter! The main criteria to bear in mind are the running costs of your chosen train, determined by load factor. If you're adding a new train to an established route then you will get away with a higher load factor. For starting off a route, a train which makes a profit on perhaps 20% loadings is preferable. Speed is also a factor. A faster train will cost more but can perhaps do one more round trip in the game "day" than a slower one. You can increase the length of a train to a maximum of five cars. AT6 runs in a form of speeded up real time, so it is possible to draw up proper timetable operation (or at least a semblance of it). However the schedule editor is by far the hardest and most confusing part of the whole game. You can either place the train and create a schedule manually or use the built in schedule "wizard" . This starts the train running and you choose what you want it to do at each station or set of points encountered. This can be stop, pass or turnback in case of a passenger train. You can set the departure time (though only to the nearest 15') at stations en route. However closing the wizard is a bit imprecise as to what's happened with the schedule and arriving back at the train's home station at close of service, you need to skip the next departure time forward to when the train starts the next day or it will just set off again, causing all sorts of problems. Calling up the schedule for a specific train is displayed in the form of graphic bars at each station. This makes it quite hard to see what is going on or to make changes to the schedule. I have to say though, that running the trains in real time does reveal some dynamics at work. A train in the mid-morning or late evening may only be carrying 40 or 50 passengers, whereas the same train in the morning or evening peak will be crush loaded to 110% - i.e. carrying standees. On the flipside of this though, the overall economic simulation is fairly shallow. Building linked lines and intersections between routes, nowhere does it say if passengers actually change trains or lines. There are no little pop-ups or newspaper clips etc. to tell you how well you're doing (or advisors to scold you if not). I know this can be intrusive in some games but without it, AT6 feels a little bit empty and lonely - you are MD of a company but removed from the hustle and bustle of it all. CONCLUSIONS AT6 is an enjoyable transport strategy game, albeit a little limited by the chosen platform and some rather odd gameplay quirks. I sincerely hope Midas and Artdink (the original developers) would consider conversion to a PC version at some stage as this does tend to be the natural home for strategy titles in this part of the world. This would also perhaps allow improvements to the gameplay and interface (such as tabular schedules) which the PS2 simply can't cope with not to mention adding mouse control. However if you've got a PS2 well worth getting for a little dabble. It's not going to knock Transport Tycoon off its podium, but you'll have a bit of fun, probably some frustration but hopefully end up with a nice little train set to play with! Score: 80%. |
![]() |
|
| « Previous Topic · Other Vehicle Simulators & Games · Next Topic » |
| Theme: Zeta Original | Track Topic · E-mail Topic |
7:27 PM Jul 11
|











7:27 PM Jul 11