Railfan: Taiwan High Speed Rail
Encyclopedia
Railfan: Taiwan High Speed Rail (Railfan 台灣高鐵, レールファン台湾高鉄) is a July 12, 2007 train simulator
co-developed by Ongakukan and Actainment for the PlayStation 3
system. The Asian market edition for Hong Kong
, Taiwan
and Singapore
is available in Traditional Chinese and English languages. The Japanese edition which was released five months later adds Japanese in the language selection option. Although Zone 3 and Zone 2 region locking logos are displayed in the Blu-ray Disc
box arts, the game is actually All Zone which makes it workable on each and every PlayStation 3 version worldwide.
and it is the follow-up of Taito
's Railfan: Chicago Transit Authority Brown Line
which was released in Asia
in 2006.
The software is based on the Taiwan High Speed Rail
's 350 km line from Zuoying to Taipei
. A Sony team has captured 700 km, both sides of the HSR line, in Full HD including the eight stations which are located on the west coast of Taiwan. The simulator is based on the 2007 line since the Taiwan HSR opened to public in early January, additional stations are planned for 2012 though.
Available train is a 3D modelling of the THSR custom 700 Series Shinkansen
, known as 700T. The 700T high speed train is a 12 cars model including a single Business Class
car and 11 Economy Class
cars. Maximum operational speed is 300 km/h, though speed regulation systems such as D-ATC (digital Automatic Train Control
) and PSSC (Program Station Stop Control) are available.
Three different views are available, 3D modelled full cockpit, topless cockpit and rail view as recorded by the HD camera. Additionally the HUD
display is fully parametrable and can be entirely disabled. The "outer view" (recorded from an helicopter) from the original Railfan episode was removed. By default the background music
is disabled which allows to hear the 700T's actual sound as recorded by the Ongakukan team. Real time interactivity is limited to traction and brake levers adjusting, dead man's switch
(Driver's Safety Device or DSD), horn signal, windscreen wiper
control, doors opening/closing operation (when "Real" option is enabled) and driver seat adjusting.
700T hostess vocal messages are recorded in Mandarin, Cantonese and English. On the other hand, drivers messages are only spoken in English, however since most of the early THSR drivers and trainers are senior personnel from the French SNCF
or the German Deutsche Bahn
, they have a strong European accent. This was remarkable in the Chinese commercial and it is confirmed during the game's ending movie where credited drivers are Daniel Clairotte (seen in the game opening) and Holger Wulf, engineer Manfred Haubitz is credited as announcer since the conductor-engineer broadcast was taped for added realism.
spot, and three game modes with rules and penalties.
. The first version Railfan HSR Movie trailer for press conference was released in the Hong Kong PS Store on May 25, 2007, and the second one, Railfan THSR free promotion movie which is closer to the actual game's opening movie, was first aired at the Tokyo Game Show 2007
then uploaded on the Japanese PS Store on September 20, 2007.
The first promo video features behind the scenes segments of the software's production in Taiwan. The two 700T European drivers are appearing, as well as the Train Simulator series producer and Ongakukan CEO, Minoru Mukaiya. Also appearing is an Ongakukan engineer setting the HD camera which recording will be streamed
during the simulation. Recorded video framerate is adjusted on flight according to the Railfan: THSR user's accelerations and decelerations. An added motion blur
visual effect is used at low framerate speed.
Train simulator
A train simulator is a computer based simulation of rail transport operations.-Industrial train simulations:Like flight simulators, train simulators have been produced for railway training purposes...
co-developed by Ongakukan and Actainment for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
system. The Asian market edition for Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
is available in Traditional Chinese and English languages. The Japanese edition which was released five months later adds Japanese in the language selection option. Although Zone 3 and Zone 2 region locking logos are displayed in the Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
box arts, the game is actually All Zone which makes it workable on each and every PlayStation 3 version worldwide.
Train Simulator series
Railfan: Taiwan High Speed Rail is the latest episode in Ongakukan's popular Train Simulator seriesTrain Simulator series
Train Simulator is a Japanese train simulation game series produced by Ongakukan. The game is significant as it is was one of the earliest of its kind since the series started in 1995...
and it is the follow-up of Taito
Taito
Taito may mean:*Taito Corporation, a Japanese developer of video game software and arcade hardware*Taito, Tokyo, a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan*Taito, also known as matai, paramount chiefs according to Fa'a Samoa...
's Railfan: Chicago Transit Authority Brown Line
Railfan: Chicago Transit Authority Brown Line
Railfan: Chicago Transit Authority Brown Line or just is a December 20, 2006 train simulator co-developed by Ongakukan and Taito for the PlayStation 3 system...
which was released in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
in 2006.
Taiwan High Speed Rail line
Taiwan High Speed Rail
Taiwan High Speed Rail is a high-speed rail line that runs approximately along the west coast of the Republic of China from the national capital of Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung...
's 350 km line from Zuoying to Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
. A Sony team has captured 700 km, both sides of the HSR line, in Full HD including the eight stations which are located on the west coast of Taiwan. The simulator is based on the 2007 line since the Taiwan HSR opened to public in early January, additional stations are planned for 2012 though.
Line data
- Elevation: underground, ground level and elevated portions
- Length: 350 km
- Total length: 700 km
- Maximum speed: 300 km/h
- Stations: 8 (Zuoying~Taipei)
- Train: high-speed train Shinkansen 700T (12 cars)
Stations
- Taipei Main StationTaipei Main StationTaipei Station, also called Taipei Railway Station or Taipei Main Station , refers to the old downtown region in Taipei City, Taiwan, where different modes of public transport systems converge; the station is at the center of this region...
: underground, located in downtown Taipei City, shares the stationTaipei Main StationTaipei Station, also called Taipei Railway Station or Taipei Main Station , refers to the old downtown region in Taipei City, Taiwan, where different modes of public transport systems converge; the station is at the center of this region...
with Taiwan Railway AdministrationTaiwan Railway AdministrationThe Taiwan Railway Administration is an agency of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications of the Republic of China responsible for managing, maintaining, and running passenger and freight service on 1097 km of conventional railroad lines in Taiwan...
. - Banciao: underground, located in Banciao, shares the station with Taiwan Railway Administration.
- TaoyuanTaoyuan CityTaoyuan City is the county seat of Taoyuan County in Taiwan, located in the northwestern part of the island. Taoyuan city is the gateway of Taiwan: with the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in vicinity, and is a 30-minute ride to the capital, Taipei....
: underground, located in Jhongli, near Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. - HsinchuHsinchuHsinchu City is a city in northern Taiwan. Hsinchu is popularly nicknamed "The Windy City" for its windy climate.Hsinchu City is administered as a special municipality within Taiwan . The city is bordered by Hsinchu County to the north and east, Miaoli County to the south, and the Taiwan Strait...
: elevated, located in Lioujia, Jhubei, near Hsinchu Science ParkHsinchu Science ParkHsinchu Science and Industrial Park is an industrial park established by the government of the Republic of China on December 15, 1980 with investment from the Kuomintang. It straddles Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County on the island of Taiwan....
. - TaichungTaichung-Demographics:Taichung’s population was an estimated 1,040,725 in August 2006. There are slightly more females in the city than males.24.32% of residents are children, while 16.63% are young people, 52.68% are middle-age, and 6.73% are elderly....
: elevated, located in Wuri. - ChiayiChiayi-Administration:-City attractions:*Chiayi Park*Sun Shooting Tower *Lantan *Historic Archives Building of Chiayi City*University of Chiayi*Chiayi Museum...
: elevated, located in Taibao. - TainanTainanTainan City is a city in southern Taiwan. It is the fifth largest after New Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, and Taipei. It was formerly a provincial city, and in 2010, the provincial city merged with the adjacent Tainan County to form a single special municipality. Tainan faces the Taiwan Strait in...
: elevated, located in Guiren. - Zuoying: ground level, located in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City, joint station with Taiwan Railway Administration's new Zuoying Station, line terminal until extension to downtown Kaohsiung Station is built.
Taiwan High Speed Rail train
700 Series Shinkansen
The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train type built between 1997 and 2006, and entering service in 1999. Originally designated as "N300", they formed the next generation of shinkansen vehicles jointly designed by JR Central and JR West for use on both Tōkaidō and Sanyō Shinkansen...
, known as 700T. The 700T high speed train is a 12 cars model including a single Business Class
Business class
Business class is a travel class available on many commercial airlines and rail lines, known by brand names which vary by airline or rail company. In the airline industry, it was originally intended as an intermediate level of service between economy class and first class, but many airlines now...
car and 11 Economy Class
Economy class
__FORCETOC__Economy class, also called coach class , steerage, or standard class, is the lowest class of seating in air travel, rail travel, and sometimes ferry or maritime travel....
cars. Maximum operational speed is 300 km/h, though speed regulation systems such as D-ATC (digital Automatic Train Control
Automatic Train Control
Automatic Train Control is a train protection system for railways, ensuring the safe and smooth operation of trains on ATC-enabled lines. Its main advantages include making possible the use of cab signalling instead of track-side signals and the use of smooth deceleration patterns in lieu of the...
) and PSSC (Program Station Stop Control) are available.
Three different views are available, 3D modelled full cockpit, topless cockpit and rail view as recorded by the HD camera. Additionally the HUD
Head-Up Display
A head-up display or heads-up display is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints...
display is fully parametrable and can be entirely disabled. The "outer view" (recorded from an helicopter) from the original Railfan episode was removed. By default the background music
Background music
Although background music was by the end of the 20th century generally identified with Muzak or elevator music, there are several stages in the development of this concept.-Antecedents:...
is disabled which allows to hear the 700T's actual sound as recorded by the Ongakukan team. Real time interactivity is limited to traction and brake levers adjusting, dead man's switch
Dead man's switch
A dead man's switch is a switch that is automatically operated in case the human operator becomes incapacitated, such as through death or loss of consciousness....
(Driver's Safety Device or DSD), horn signal, windscreen wiper
Windscreen wiper
A windscreen wiper or windshield wiper is a device used to remove rain and debris from a windscreen or windshield. Almost all motor vehicles, including trains, aircraft and watercraft, are equipped with such wipers, which are usually a legal requirement.A wiper generally consists of an arm,...
control, doors opening/closing operation (when "Real" option is enabled) and driver seat adjusting.
700T hostess vocal messages are recorded in Mandarin, Cantonese and English. On the other hand, drivers messages are only spoken in English, however since most of the early THSR drivers and trainers are senior personnel from the French SNCF
SNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
or the German Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
, they have a strong European accent. This was remarkable in the Chinese commercial and it is confirmed during the game's ending movie where credited drivers are Daniel Clairotte (seen in the game opening) and Holger Wulf, engineer Manfred Haubitz is credited as announcer since the conductor-engineer broadcast was taped for added realism.
Modes
The software includes a free mode dedicated to tourism with features such as gourmetGourmet
Gourmet is a cultural ideal associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterised by elaborate preparations and presentations of large meals of small, often quite rich courses...
spot, and three game modes with rules and penalties.
Tour Mode
The Tour Mode features 300 recommended "Siteseeing" and "Dining" spots specific to each station as well as an "Introduction" to the 700T and the THSR. This mode is based on text, available in the selected language, pictures, maps and 3D models. Free "Driving" without restriction nor penalties is also possible in both Local and Express lines.Promotion videos
Two Full HD promotion videos were released in the PlayStation StorePlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store is an online virtual market available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The Store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games,...
. The first version Railfan HSR Movie trailer for press conference was released in the Hong Kong PS Store on May 25, 2007, and the second one, Railfan THSR free promotion movie which is closer to the actual game's opening movie, was first aired at the Tokyo Game Show 2007
Tokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
then uploaded on the Japanese PS Store on September 20, 2007.
The first promo video features behind the scenes segments of the software's production in Taiwan. The two 700T European drivers are appearing, as well as the Train Simulator series producer and Ongakukan CEO, Minoru Mukaiya. Also appearing is an Ongakukan engineer setting the HD camera which recording will be streamed
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
during the simulation. Recorded video framerate is adjusted on flight according to the Railfan: THSR user's accelerations and decelerations. An added motion blur
Motion blur
Motion blur is the apparent streaking of rapidly moving objects in a still image or a sequence of images such as a movie or animation. It results when the image being recorded changes during the recording of a single frame, either due to rapid movement or long exposure.- Photography :When a camera...
visual effect is used at low framerate speed.