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Rail Route - Train Dispatching Game/Sim


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I've been playing this neat simulation/management game where you dispatch trains while trying to grow your railway company. It's an interesting premise for a game that I've been really enjoying lately so I thought I would share it here and see if anyone else plays it or would be into it, as well. The game is called "Rail Route" and you can find it on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1124180/Rail_Route/

One really cool thing is that there are both official and user-made maps. The one I'm currently playing on is a user-created one, "Tokyu Railways" which you can check out here: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2546003543

Of course, there's a bunch of other ones in the Steam Workshop such as maps for Beijing, Amsterdam, Manchester, etc. I would recommend starting off on "Endless" maps as you have more time to figure things out and can just go at your own pace. They also have "Timetable" maps where you need to keep to a certain timetable in order to score a lot of points.

Anyway, I hope someone else finds this as cool as I do, haha.

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At first I thought you were taking about some sort of cross-over between A-Train and Mini Metro, but, no. Sounds interesting. How long takes a map?

Edited by disturbman
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The first comparison I heard that got me interested was that Rail Route is sort of like a more complex Mini Metro. I would say it's definitely a very different game, though, even if the general graphical style is somewhat similar. 

I think it depends. Especially with Endless maps, there's technically no end unless you cause a crash or something. But there are different difficulties of maps, so for Timetable maps, some might be quicker to finish than others. I haven't actually given Timetable maps much of a try but my understanding is you're going for a high score there and you go through a specific schedule, so I think they just end when you finish the schedule and then it tallies up your score. 

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I have had issues to get into games recently because I usually like longer playthroughs and have only limited amount of free time. Otherwise, I would probably be playing the new Rimworld extension or Humankind. I even picked up a handheld with incorporated emulators to do some light, random gaming.

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I've played the game. Tried two official maps, Prague and Rhätische Bahn, both in endless mode. So far, my feelings are mixed, but I understand the game is still in development.

 

The very first impression was that the controls are a lot similar to controller simulator Unisim (also known as Gordikon, Multikon, Softikon). Building tracks in such tight space was quite challenging, it was kinda apparent that the creators forced me to build in the same way as real railways are built. I played both for enough time to get all enhancements.

 

The game changed dramatically during the gameplay - in the beginning I was  merely a controller, yet after some improvements the game changed into railway building and company management. The change was quite quick for me - I enjoy controller games, yet with the amount of trains running it was impossible to go in other way than automation.

 

Regarding contracts, the game was very biased towards some stations so in later game phases I was getting a lot of contracts that did not make sense in terms of the railway net I have built so far so the game forced me even more into its own way. The lack of more freedom in contracts is problematic, will probably wait for some time if they come up with a better system.

 

I also had a lot of problems with yards - they can be built only 5 squares from a station, yet require an arrival sensor and a signal to be fully automatic which takes a lot of space. In larger stations, it was not possible to place it with access to several different platforms for different directions. In some stations that are too close to some other station it's even less than 5 squares, making the yard impossible to build efficiently there.

 

In the near future I'm going to try the Timetable mode and also have a look at Steam Workshop stuff.

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@disturbman I know what you mean! I've had my eye on on Rail Route but put it off for a bit because I didn't really think I'd have time for it. I think, so far, it's been okay for just dropping in and playing as you please then coming back the next day. It feels very much like you can expand as quickly or as slowly as you want and there's a pause function and you can save whenever you want. So, it might be worth a try, but I understand the feeling if it doesn't feel substantial to just leave it hanging for some later time. 
 

@katem Thanks very much for the more detailed look at what a longer playthrough is like. I just started playing it so I can't speak much to the endgame. I do like games with a management aspect so I can't say it would bother me to eventually move away from manually controlling the trains. On my current game, though, I've decided to just start off very slowly and am rejecting any contract that goes outside of my small bubble of a couple of stations. So it has allowed me to do more manual control and feel more involved with managing my smaller lines. It does feel like everything is nudging you towards a more automated endgame in terms of controlling the trains, but since there's no actual objectives in Endless mode, you could technically just ignore all that.

Again, I can't say much to the later aspects of the game, but I feel the beginning is, at least, mostly in my control as to what I want to do.

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Hello everyone! I'm Aidan from Bitrich.info - the creators of Rail Route, a train dispatcher simulator! 

 


Find us on Steam here! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1124180/Rail_Route/

 

Rail Route is a tycoon & management game inspired by railroad dispatching. Construct your own sprawling rail network, control the traffic, and expand to your heart’s content! Unlock new technology, upgrade your infrastructure, and automate. You can even design your own maps with our in-game editor!


We've designed our game to highlight the work of real-life dispatchers, which is why we've based our UI and interface on a real dispatchers interface (albeit gamified). 
 

We've also got a free version of our game - a narrative experience called Rail Route: The Story of Jozic - here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1896900/Rail_Route_The_Story_of_Jozic/

 

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We also have a number of maps from Tokyo available to play, build and dispatch!
 
We'd love to know what you think!
 

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I remember seeing this on RailUK Forums. If it wasn't for my job working with actual trains I'd be spending some days just building existing networks. 😂

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It's cool to see you guys on here. I've mentioned this game on the forum last year as I really enjoyed it. I've actually been thinking of picking it up again. I haven't gone back to it in a while but I did apparently rack up 15 hours playing it so far and had no shortage of fun (just had some other things come up at the time). 

I'm glad Rail Route supports Workshop community creations as I've primarily spent my time playing with maps like this one called "Tokyu Railways":
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2546003543

If I start up playing again, I might have to try out this Hokkaido-based one as it looks like a fun challenge:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2564060631

Anyway, I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a train dispatching/management-type game. It might seem a bit daunting but it's actually not hard to get into and technically only gets as complex as you want it to.

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