MS Trains

[kin3]

Microsoft pulled the plug on their Flight Sim and Train Sim programs a few years back. Now they have come out with a new flight program. Do you think a new Train Sim might be in the works for the future?

[ArcticCatZRT]

It might be, but I think the flight sim series was very successful for MS, and I think that is why they brought it back. Personally I am not a fan on how they are doing Flight as from what I have heard all add-ons will have to go through MS, but I don't know what the deal with it is now. I am afraid if they do make a train sim game, the same thing will happen.

On a another note when ACES was shut down many of the developers joined up and created cascades game foundry, one if you go take a look at their website they do have screenshots on their banner that show what looks to be the remnants of MSTS2 that they themselves may try to complete, but that site has been silent for quite sometime, even that might have been abandoned.

[spec5sx]

I don't think I've ever been so mad when I heard Microsoft shuttered Aces Studios overnight and pulled the plug on Train Simulator X, just a few months before release.
I personally don't think it's going to happen, but who knows.

[Shortliner]

Honestly, I've given up on ever expecting another train sim from Microsoft. They cancelled MSTS 2, and they also cancelled MSTS-X. Not to mention some of the other cancelled train sim project, such as TrainMaster and the one that was being worked on by a MSTS third party vendor before they went off the radar (forgot their name).

RSC has been the only company outside of Microsoft (MSTS-1) and Auran (Trainz) to actually release another simulator.

[Machinist]

Does someone remember a demo trainsim named "Spur Simulator" (or something like that) published around 2006/2007? It had just two tracks 10 miles long, an awesome diesel (at that time with a promising and revolutionary phisycs like charge overloading causing engine shutdown), an wonderfull steam (hard to drive due to its good physic also), and a set of wagons all of them with ultimate and high detailed graphics.... I guess was on a south african railway

I lost my demo file some years ago, and the link doesn't exist anymore....

[SMMDigital]

I think MS Train will happen. Why? Because when MSTS came out, the model for releasing a bug-ridden core game and then charging premium prices for DLC to improve it did not exist. RSC and Auran have perfected this model, and since there is money to be made from it, Microsoft will pursue it. Now whether rail fans will bite, given MS's wishy-washy history concerning MSTS, I dont know.

[TheFlier]

I think MS Train will happen. Why? Because when MSTS came out, the model for releasing a bug-ridden core game and then charging premium prices for DLC to improve it did not exist. RSC and Auran have perfected this model, and since there is money to be made from it, Microsoft will pursue it. Now whether rail fans will bite, given MS's wishy-washy history concerning MSTS, I dont know.

I personally don't think so. If you remember, ACES were working on two american freight routes, and two european ICE routes. That's great if your into freight or high-speed high-density railroading, but it hardly had mass appeal, and seemed a little lacking in imagination. They also made a huge boo-boo by designing MSTS-X to be DX11 ONLY, then had to make a massive U-turn when somebody told them that the 'Games-For-Windows' label guarantee'd their games would run on DX9. I certainly wasn't looking forward to its release, and I thought MS wasn't too enamoured either. Also, FSX never really appealed itself to the FS crowd either for various obvious reasons.

My respect for MS grew a lot after they pulled the plug on those two games.

However, Most of that respect has been wiped out by the dreaded GAMES FOR WINDOWS LIVE, and I generally avoid games that include it.