Micro Managing in Simutrans

Thursday, May 17 2012 18:19 |

Nothing beats free and being able to play a simulation game as deep as Simutrans absolutely free should be a crime. Simutrans is a transportation game that allows players to build a means of transportation for goods and services to move about the city. It is similar to the hit pc game Simcity, but is more in line with the popular Open TTD Train game which is based on code from Transport Tycoon.

Players can lay track and build the locomotives that will wheel down them. Players can also create bus routes and stops to move passengers quickly through the city. The game has everything from planes, trains, and boats to move goods and passengers for the gamer to build. Players must do all this and keep the public opinion swayed toward them and their company.

Thinking in a long term strategy

In Simutrans, when players think about energy they have to think about it from its origin point, meaning that in order to get gasoline to a city, players will have to dig wells for oil. Once the wells are dug, players then have to have a refinery and so on until the gas reaches the pump. This line of thinking is prevalent throughout the game. It even extends towards moving people across the city. The passengers have a place to be and do not wish to ride around for hours hoping that the bus will deliver them to their destination. Players must make bus stations for passengers to transfer from bus to bus. Players must also make sure that the buses follow an efficient route. When it comes to the sea, the players must set up shipping lanes in the open water, but first they must build the ports and docks for the boats. When the goods start to flow through the cities, the cities then begin to prosper, leading to more people living in the cities and more traffic. Players must think in a long term strategy for their transport needs.

Fully customizable

Simutrans is fully customizable. The city that you start with is a stock city than can be changed however the player needs. If a player needs to take out a road, they can. Also, if a player needs to add roads, the player can. The same goes for the terrain. If the player decides to put a lake in the middle of downtown, they can. Players can also leave everything alone and the game will be just fine. There is even one graphic pack for Simutrans that gives the game a cartoon look and another that gives a science fiction look to the buildings and stations.

Download latest Simutrans

The current, most stable build of Simutrans is version 112.3 and is available on the official Simutrans website. There are several graphic packs available for Simutrans with pack 64 being the most popular. Simutrans is available on Linux, Microsoft Windows, and Apple Mac OSX. The game is currently being updated by a group of loyal players who seem determined on making a great transport simulator game. You can download the latest version from the offical Simutrans page here.