The Train Game
Encyclopedia
The Train Game is a simulation video game
originally published by Microsphere for the ZX Spectrum
in 1983.
to avoid derailment. To score points, trains must stop at stations to pick up passengers. The player selects a level of play, which determines the number of trains running, and for every 25 passengers picked up, the sub-level increases by one. If passengers are kept waiting too long, they become angry and do not increase the player's score. Up to three trains may be running on the network, and passengers are colour-coded indicating which train they wish to board.
Each switch is designated a letter of the alphabet, corresponding to the keyboard key the player must press to switch it. Track A has 25 points, and track B has 19. While the player may pause the action to consider which points to switch, doing so decreases the score.
Occasionally, goods trains will enter the network, and must be directed back the way they came.
described it as original, well-thought-out and full of action. ZX Computing considered the game to be an excellent example of what the 16K
Spectrum is capable of, requiring skill and practice to navigate even one train. It was suggested that a training track with eight switches should have been included. CRASH
observed that The Train Game was "simple in idea, but sophisticated in its details", with the player required to rapidly check the switches each train is approaching, whilst also considering the needs of the waiting passengers. The graphics were highlighted as "cute and to the point", and overall a review score of 75% was awarded.
Criticisms of the game included repetitive sound effects and the indistinct letters used for switch designation.
In 1991, The Train Game was ranked at number 95 in Your Sinclair
's Official Top 100, which highlighted the game's balanced difficulty curve and tendency to put the player under pressure. The list's compiler, Stuart Campbell, later championed the game for its requirement of "complex spatial awareness, fast reactions and multiple forward planning", comparing it with Typing of the Dead (1999).
Simulation video game
A simulation video game describes a diverse super-category of computer and video games, generally designed to closely simulate aspects of a real or fictional reality.-Sub-genres:-Construction and management simulation:...
originally published by Microsphere for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
in 1983.
Gameplay
The player assumes the role of a chief operations manager at a railway. Two different track layouts are included, A and B, each viewed from overhead on a single screen. Trains must be kept running by operating switchesRailroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
to avoid derailment. To score points, trains must stop at stations to pick up passengers. The player selects a level of play, which determines the number of trains running, and for every 25 passengers picked up, the sub-level increases by one. If passengers are kept waiting too long, they become angry and do not increase the player's score. Up to three trains may be running on the network, and passengers are colour-coded indicating which train they wish to board.
Each switch is designated a letter of the alphabet, corresponding to the keyboard key the player must press to switch it. Track A has 25 points, and track B has 19. While the player may pause the action to consider which points to switch, doing so decreases the score.
Occasionally, goods trains will enter the network, and must be directed back the way they came.
Critical reception
The Train Game was critically well received. Sinclair UserSinclair User
Sinclair User, often abbreviated SU, was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum...
described it as original, well-thought-out and full of action. ZX Computing considered the game to be an excellent example of what the 16K
Kilobyte
The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
Spectrum is capable of, requiring skill and practice to navigate even one train. It was suggested that a training track with eight switches should have been included. CRASH
CRASH (magazine)
Crash was a magazine dedicated to the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published from 1984 to 1991 by Newsfield Publications Ltd until their liquidation, and then until 1992 by Europress.-Development:...
observed that The Train Game was "simple in idea, but sophisticated in its details", with the player required to rapidly check the switches each train is approaching, whilst also considering the needs of the waiting passengers. The graphics were highlighted as "cute and to the point", and overall a review score of 75% was awarded.
Criticisms of the game included repetitive sound effects and the indistinct letters used for switch designation.
In 1991, The Train Game was ranked at number 95 in Your Sinclair
Your Sinclair
Your Sinclair or YS as it was commonly abbreviated, was a British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum.-History:...
's Official Top 100, which highlighted the game's balanced difficulty curve and tendency to put the player under pressure. The list's compiler, Stuart Campbell, later championed the game for its requirement of "complex spatial awareness, fast reactions and multiple forward planning", comparing it with Typing of the Dead (1999).