At Medway games con the other weekend I got to sit down with Michael Richardson and Chris Payne from dovetail games and they gave us a sneak-peek into Train Sim World 2.
Train Sim World 2 Is a first-person, real-world, detailed simulation of what it is like to drive a train for the console and PC market.
Michael from Dovetail says:
you can't rent a train but this I the next best thing.
Short of the oily smell in the cab, this puts you in a train drivers shoes, giving you a 100% authentic experience.
Down to the controls: which have to be engaged in a certain way to power up the train even to have to turn a key behind the driver's seat.
To engage the engine the player has to go through every part of the process, turning two separate keys for everything. Every step is there, even as much as walking on to the train via the station.
Fun for fanatics and novices alike
Built into the game architecture there is a progression system that allows you to monitor your progress as a train driver.
There are also collectables throughout the game in form of ABD papers and route maps.
What is your favourite engine?
That’s impossible to answer. I like (sic) British diesel trains because they are not automated, I also love the American freight trains.
We have worked hard to bring the human element into the game.
The basic game comes with three routes:
· London Gatwick
· Boston Providence
· Riser Dresden
Other routes and engines are available as DLC. Think of the game as a virtual train set. That allows you to build your perfect railway and run it however you see fit.
Developers at dovetail have focused on adhesion and immersion of the experience.
Variables like weight, rain pressure, displacements of passengers have all been factored in.
If one word can be used to describe this game it's detail, detail, detail.
I had a chat with Chris Payne From Dovetail.
My grandfather worked on the engine sheds it was always instilled in me to be passionate about something I enjoy.
Everyone who works at dovetail is passionate about trains and games.
Dovetail games haven't gone for the GTA crash and smash approach although you can crash trains in this game, it is pretty hard to do.
All trains are completely customizable
Some locomotives are completely blank trains that can be customized and design up to play the spec.
We even hold competitions to see who can design the most outlandish train, at the moment there is a steampunk competition online to find the greatest design.
We have built a community around this game in use the community to get feedback on the product it's a good indicator for us that what we doing is working
What's the wackiest design you had?
We had a train simulator model that was designed as a UFO that was pretty crazy.
Conclusion
Train Sim World 2 is the train enthusiasts’ wet dream.
An open-world marvel that takes you through every stage of driving trains down to removing obstacles from the line.
On top of being able to pick up passengers and keep to a schedule.
A computer game is a literal imagining via technology of a fantasy world.
That’s what Dovetail games have achieved with stunning attention to detail and realism that would satisfy even the most finickity train enthusiast.
Train Sim World 2 is out now available on PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Steam
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