Train Fever - Railway Game in Development

[canis39]

Just discovered this game. It comes out this week! Here's the link to its Steam page:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/304730

They're offering 10% off if you preorder. I am considering it. The game looks great. Looks like a true successor to RRT3, with some Transport Tycoon and dash of Cities in Motion thrown in.

Supposedly mod tools will be made available. Considering the AMAZING modding community of RRT3 (including most of the "regulars" on this forum) it would be great if some of the RRT3 folks got interested in Train Fever and put together some maps / mods / etc.

[Hawk]

it would be great if some of the RRT3 folks got interested in Train Fever and put together some maps / mods / etc.

You can count me out. See this post for why.

viewtopic.php?p=32925#p32925

[canis39]

I believe they've added freight. Plus they are supposedly releasing mod tools, so before too long we'll have more cargo than we know what to do with.

It may be limited to European maps for the moment but again, with mods I can't see that remaining the case. Even if it is...I can't imagine boycotting a game just because it wasn't set in the US.

As for Steam...I have 120+ games on Steam, so that's not a downside to me. I know some folks don't like Steam but it enhances my PC gaming experience and that works for me.

[Hawk]

I can't imagine boycotting a game just because it wasn't set in the US.

You can't, but I can. I just don't like European railroading. I rarely play any European RT3 maps.

As for Steam...I have 120+ games on Steam, so that's not a downside to me. I know some folks don't like Steam but it enhances my PC gaming experience and that works for me.

I just don't understand how Steam could possibly enhance anything. Been there! Done that! Didn't even want a T-shirt.

[Blackhawk]

While I reluctantly use steam at times, I can't see how it enhances your gaming experience. It has a built in chat program and that's about it. There were other programs like xfire, raptr, etc that can be used to chat while in game. It's invasive as you can't play a game and still be on steam without it showing what game you are playing. Until recently (a few years ago) you couldn't throttle Steam's download speed, so when it decided to update something it would use all your bandwidth to download it. (Maybe not a big deal to those on cable/fiber lines but on a slow DSL line it was annoying).

Then there's the biggest issue with it... the fact that everything you buy, you don't really own. It can be taken away from you at any moment. You also can't resell your game, or your account. All things that you would be able to do if you actually owned the game. If a buy a game, and then 6 months later they have DLC out for it and it's cheaper to buy it packaged with the game again.... If I had a physical copy, I'd have 2 copies of the game and 1 copy of the DLC/expansion pack. On steam, I'm out of luck with this second copy of the game. It's rather ridiculous. I should be able to have that 2nd copy since I paid for it, and be able to gift it to a friend or someone. It's greedy penny pinching by steam.

There was a story a couple years ago where a guy went to reddit and said he was looking to sell his account, he didn't actually sell it, he was just looking to. Steam disabled his account, but a few days later re-enabled it. Possibility because there were people posting on the steam site annoyed at steam for its actions.

What if a game you play has a requirement to be played on a 1ghz machine with 512mb ram. But Steam modernizes and updates and requires a computer that has 2ghz and 2gb of ram to run. Essentially, you can now no longer play that game without upgrading your own machine because of the changes steam did to its interface, while the game should still be able to run. What happens if one day Steam shuts down? Then you're out of luck for all your games. And having to download all the games on slower internet connections, and having to deal with bandwidth caps makes me miss the days of just getting a game on a cd/dvd and doing a 30 second install and I'm ready to play.

For all the reasons above, I will only buy games on steam if they are deeply discounted. Essentially just the summer and winter sale. Anything full priced and locked on steam isn't worth it at all. It's the invasive DRM like this that increases piracy.

[Orange46]

I have games on Steam and mostly agree with Blackhawk, except that I find it slightly more worthwhile to get the game on Steam as opposed to Amazon. It was a real pain using their coupon for a purchase I made last year. Right now i am in the middle of yet another great Civ V game using the Terra map with raging Barbarains. (I like to battle barbarains for essentially the whole game and that's what you get with that combo. I also preordered the varaiant After Earth on Steam, and the bonus is just some maps. My nephew and I went to a Lookouts game when we were down there in May.

I guess Hawk never played Four Roads to Berlin. Too bad, it was my favorite. I hope you tried the sequal - Bridging the Mississippi. My nephew and I took in a

I thought about preordering Fever, but remembered Hawk's warnings about SMRailtoads (sp accidental), which I ignored, followed by my deep disappointment with the game. So, I will wait. If the reviews (hopefully, there will be reviews) are good, I will pony up the extra 10%, and if they are bad, I will wait for the winter or summer sale and buy for $10 or less. I do hope it's a good game. RT3 introduced to perhaps an 8 rating, but became a 9 with the 1.05 patch and 9.5 with the 1.06 user patch and extra content on this site (maps, scenarios and great rolling stock.

[Hawk]

I guess Hawk never played Four Roads to Berlin.

As I said, I rarely play European maps. I did play Four Roads to Berlin though.

[Orange46]

I stand corrected.

[AdmiralHalsey]

You can't, but I can. I just don't like European railroading. I rarely play any European RT3 maps..

Why? I'll admit i'm and unabashed American map lover who'll defend even the worst of them to death but even I like playing the European maps.(Especially the ones set in England at the beginning of the RR industry.)

[Hawk]

I'm not sure really. I guess it has to do with familiarity. I've traveled this whole country, with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii, and I guess I just like going to places I've been before.
I know. Shabby excuse, but that's all I can come up with.

I will admit, I do like fictional maps though, and I don't have much interest of ever going to Europe, Asia, or any other foreign country, with the exception of Australia.

[Gumboots]

This is funny. I tend to not like fictional maps. No idea why, but I just don't. However, generally I'm happy to play any map from anywhere in the world.

[RulerofRails]

I am with Gumboots on fictional RT3 maps. I don't tend to play them unless they are of the best quality. I much prefer real-world. I also tend to enjoy maps from the more exotic locations around the globe, I imagine I am traveling there and learning the geography there. (Sorry, Hawk ) The main thing for me, though, is good scripting that requires strategic decisions.

As for Train Fever, I am interested, but will wait for video of actual gameplay revealing how mission goals and strategy options are handled before deciding whether to get it. I don't do steam, but if the game is great I may get it just for this game. I do wish they would make a stand-alone version though. Let's create some demand for that! Obviously, I hope it is a success for the company. They are brave venturing into the waters of a sim-type railroad game, and I hope that their success will inspire others to do the same. I hope they prove there is still a worthwhile market for this type of game.

[Hawk]

I much prefer real-world. I also tend to enjoy maps from the more exotic locations around the globe, I imagine I am traveling there and learning the geography there. (Sorry, Hawk )

No need to be sorry. Just differing opinions.

[Orange46]

My German isn't up to reading this, but perhaps someone else can comment on this review.

http://www.gamestar.de/spiele/train-fev ... 77971.html

http://www.gamestar.de/spiele/train-fev ... 51449.html (their 8.2 rating broken down into it's component parts - it's readable.)

[Hawk]

Well, their system requirements stop me from ever using it. Even the minimum graphics card is above what I have.

[RulerofRails]

Well, their system requirements stop me from ever using it. Even the minimum graphics card is above what I have.

I think mine just scrapes in above the minimum. I am also pretty sure that the Minimum processor speed is a mistake. 4.4 Ghz is crazy and the largest number there.

[Blackhawk]

Various sites seem to say different things. Like steam says Intel Core Duo. (which they must have made some sort of deal with steam because it's in the "ads" for games when you first go to the steam page.) Another review site says Core Duo, 2.4ghz.

As expected I'm seeing a lot of reviews that say it's ok, but they expect more or more needs to be done to actually make it a complete game. If they weren't going to release a fully finished game but needed more money, they should have just called it a beta and sold chances to be a beta tester/player and used that to make a more complete game.

[canis39]

They had a beta, I believe someone from this forum got a spot in the beta.

It does seem to be a little lacking in features at the moment. Sadly this is pretty common for game releases these days. I will almost certainly pick it up at some point, but I'm not going to pay $35 for an unfinished game.

[Blackhawk]

I thought their beta, they had a random draw of a people and only a certain number of people got to be in the beta. The type of beta I mean seems to be (unfortunately) becoming more common. Like the game Planteary Annihilation. There were others but I can't remember them at the moment. They raised money for the game, then after they had a rough idea of the game created they sold "early access" to the game as an alpha and then later as a beta. This had the advantage of raising more money, but also getting yourself some beta testers. Personally, I prefer the idea of beta testing being done for free, rather than having to pay for access to it, only to have to debug an early concept of the game. Business wise though, I can see why more games are shifting to allowing you to buy early access. If people will pay you for it, why not take advantage of it.

[AdmiralHalsey]

If people will pay you for it, why not take advantage of it.

Plus you normally get a larger then normal group of people who can beta test the game and find bugs you'd have otherwise missed.