'>>1710769
>Is it really the dark souls of economy sims?
Capitalism II or Patrician seems more your speed.';

'>>1710769
>Is it really the dark souls of economy sims?
A-Train Tourism! is simple, it simulates more or less complex things but if you play it right things happen naturally without you worrying about the mechanics.
For example, you have the depreciation of your assets, the older your properties, stations, etc., the less value they have, and this can be useful because you will pay less tax, but it will make your asset value on your balance sheet lower, which can cause problems as you need to have a positive balance sheet to pay your shareholders every year. But you'll never really have problems with these things unless you're playing in some extreme way.

In other words: the game simulates things that city and train sims usually ignore completely (depreciation of assets, balance sheet, payment to shareholders, property taxes, service taxes, real-state market, stock market, etc.), but these things only superficially influence the way you play the game. The real complexity lies in the timetables you need to make by hand. As there's no signaling, you'll need hours and hours and hours to plan a complex line.';

'>>1710769
>weeb garbage';

'>>1710969
But having said all that, A-Train Tourism! is super addictive and despite several problems (mainly in the user interface), I think it's the most interesting train game at the moment.
The game is based on scenarios and you really need to make a plan taking into account numerous aspects ranging from purely economic to urban planning, which in my experience is a much more in-depth process than most city builder/tycoon games offer.
The series today is "divided" between the isometric (Tourism!) and the "modern" games (A-Train 9 v5.0), with the isometric games being more in line with what you'd expect from a video game, and the modern ones leaning a little more towards simulating train lines, especially passenger ones.';

'>>1710769
Problem with niche games like a-train and Capitalism Lab is that nobody wants to put in the effort to crack them, or when they do it's not updated often (if at all.) Fuck Denuvo, obscurity is the greatest DRM a game can have.';

'>>1710975
Who are you quoting?';

'>>1711005
>Fuck DRM actually working';

'>>1712533
What? How'd you get that from my comment?

My point is that games with Denuvo are still crackable, so the greatest defense a game can have from being pirated is by being so obscure nobody bothers to crack them.';

'>>1712533
yes
if buying doesn't equal ownership, then piracy isn't theft';

'>>1712697
>if buying doesn't equal ownership
It does equal ownership, of a licence to use the software. Piracy is indeed not theft, it's unauthorised use of software.';

'>>1711005
>obscurity is the greatest DRM a game can have
But it defeats the whole point of having DRM in the first place(getting more sales)';

'>>1710769
Deeply overrated. It has tons of systems but they're all fairly basic. More seriously, the UI and translation are total dogshit, and plenty of stuff you just can't get info on like passenger flows.';

'>>1713039
The UI is really terrible, especially for A-Train Tourism. Some things are basically impossible to manage, like buses and trucks, when you have more than 50 of them. And you need to manage them because as the cities grow, they start to get lost, but good luck trying to fix these things. After a certain point, it's easier to just ignore buses and trucks instead of trying to manage them properly.
The mechanics are OK. The intention is not to create complexity for the sake of it, but to integrate all the mechanics into the gameplay so that you have a variety of things to do. The game is separated into scenarios and the challenge they provide can vary greatly depending on the mechanics the scenario author focuses on. That's where the interesting part of the game lies and what makes the scenarios so intriguing, much more interesting than what you normally find in train sims, which are basically games about making numbers grow.
And there's the timetables part, which is kind of unique to A-Train, since allmost all the other games work based on signaling and not on you creating timetables by hand (as you do, for example, with model trains).';

'>>1713881
>Some things are basically impossible to manage, like buses and trucks, when you have more than 50 of them
>And you need to manage them because as the cities grow, they start to get lost, but good luck trying to fix these things
Isn't this what Locomotion and TTD are better at anyways? I can literally go to the window that has all of the shit I own and click to find it's location instantly.';

'>>1713890
The interface of basically any western game is about 100 times better than any A-Train.
A-Train Tourism!, A-Train Classic and A-Train 9 v5.0 were all games that made me quit in a rage in some points. I had never raged at a fucking management game before, but the interface of these games can be so absurdly bad at certain aspects that it causes stress and anger in the user.
You can focus on your chosen vehicle (in A-Train 8, if I'm not mistaken, even that isn't possible, lol), but that's not enough. Tourism! Especially in some places it's really terrible, buses and trucks for example are all grouped together in one big list that takes up a lot of space on the screen and gives you almost no information. It's a nightmare.
Still, I can't stop playing these damn games.';

'>>1714088
>The interface of basically any western game is about 100 times better than any A-Train.

Including the Excel simulator that is Victoria 3?';

'>>1710769
Well, if it's Japanese, then i suppose it could be considered the dark souls of economy sims...';

'>>1713881
>And there's the timetables part, which is kind of unique to A-Train, since allmost all the other games work based on signaling and not on you creating timetables by hand (as you do, for example, with model trains).
OpenTTD has timetables, though they're only useful for vehicle spacing as there's no day/night cycle
There's also Cities in Motion 2
Also you absolutely can have signalled model railways';

'A-Train Tourism barely works with a mouse because the game was ported from Switch. A-Train Classic works much better even though that was ported from DS';

'>>1712563
If Denuvo was easier to crack, it would get cracked despite being obscure. Anything using the SteamDRM thing can be cracked by copying over one generic dll.';

'simutrans-extended is the true dark souls of train management games, look at this shit:
https://simutrans-germany.com/wiki/wiki/en_extended_Signals_Working_Methods';

'>>1715688
OpenTTD is too abstract, if I remember correctly, the smallest unit of time in OpenTTD is 1 day, which is what you manage in the timetable. That can't even be considered a timetable really.
In A-Train you have much more depth. A-Train 9 v5.0 allows you to make completely customized timetables with 1-minute precision and you can literally do whatever you want, as long as you have the patience. Tourism! has more limited timetable rules, but still allows you plenty of complexity. The real problem is the math behind the process. Terminal stations are a nightmare to make work properly without trains blocking each other all the time.';

'>>1717875
>the smallest unit of time in OpenTTD is 1 day
that's changing in the latest update iirc
my biggest problem with timetables in a-train is that you're not given any information that would help you decide when and where to run trains';

'>>1710769
I don't know if the real Dark Souls is the game complexity or the UI but this series has soul.';

'>>1718653
Yes, you basically need to keep an eye on when the stations are full without much hard data.
Another problem is that timetables are so complex without signaling that if you actually do something very sophisticated, any change to your line becomes prohibitive. For example, if you have a terminal station that's running perfectly without collisions, adding a single train could force you to redo the entire timetable of EVERY fucking train (depending on how you've organized your stuff) which is basically unfeasible.
That's why the guys who take timetables seriously don't even play the game, they go into "construction" mode and build the whole line in one go, lay all the trains, and then contemplate their work.';

'>>1712865
>borrowing is ownership';

'A train feels like 3 half assed games combined in to 1. None of it's mechanics really feel fleshed out and it ends up causing more confusion than adding in extra depth. It makes sense why it struggles to catch on in the west as it spreads itself thin rather than just focusing on one aspect and doing it right.';

'>>1710769
>Redpill me on a-train
Its a real estate simulator masquerading as a train autismo sim';

'>>1719262
it struggles to catch on in the west because not enough troons in game';

'>>1719294
The A-Train Tourism accountant (the guy at the top) is ultra gay. But he's gay in the way that Japanese people make gays, i.e. he's just a nice gay man who's concerned about the company and the team and who happens to like other men (and doesn't talk about it all the time), rather than being an element of propaganda.';

'>>1720081
Here are more assets taken from the PC version of the game, for those who are interested.';

'>>1720083
More characters...';

'Also, if you have the Steam version, play my scenario "Across the Rivers". It's easy if you build a port immediately to sell all the products abroad, so you only need to use the easy money for the projects needed to win the scenario later. I've programmed several "intellectual" conversations with the characters that take place during the scenario, and if you deny all the girls' invitations to go out, reducing the "social life" parameter to 0/100, you get the true ending with the secretary.';

'>>1720083
Why are children in city government?';

'>>1720081
>kill
>>1720083
>marry
>>1720086
>fug
In that particular order.';

'>>1720095
I will play the game again and download your scenario.';

'>>1710769
Classic is better than Tourism if you want a more complete, responsive, and challenging experience. Tourism feels a little more fresh, a little more manageable which it spoils with its UI, and smaller scale.';

'>>1717644
I want to get into this but it’s honestly too complicated and there’s no good youtube videos on how to learn';

'>>1720603
It isn't too complicated at all, it just has poor feedback and little documentation.';

'>>1717644
Inferior to OpenTTD';

'>>1720621
Openttd is the dumb normie version';

'>>1720625
Keep telling yourself that. I'll keep enjoying my superior JGR's.';

'>>1720631
It’s true it’s just another painter game you can’t lose. You connect anything and make money.';

'>>1720621
Not if you like train autism or want realistic passengers';

'>>1720641
Yes, I said JGRs.';

'>>1710769
OP here tried the game it’s shit. Doesn’t tell you fuck all and it’s impossible to play.';

'>>1721785
You must have tried A-Train 9, which is the most confusing thing in the world for beginners. A-Train Tourism has two tutorial scenarios.
A-Train games are easy, in fact, A-Train 9 may seem totally nonsensical, but once you understand that you only need to make enough profit to pay the costs/taxes and have a little left over, and that there are no companies competing with yours, you realize that all you really need to do is get the graphs out of the red, after which you can just play without any pressure and gradually expand your lines, distribute construction material, etc.
A-Train Tourism goes the other way, as it's based on scenarios, there's always total pressure on the player and some scenarios on Hard are quite unreasonable.';

'>>1720095
There should be a Tropico-like game where it's okay to run your company into the ground and cause multi-train pileups as long as you get to bang your employees.';

'>>1720100
Not a child just a womanlet who likes trains';

'All I know about this game is that the main artist used to draw loli porn.';

'>>1728449
When is Kazeuma going to make "A-train no anone"!? If the main author cannot it's the next best thing!';

'I decided to go back to the game, downloaded this Japanese scenario "1955 Road to the Future" and it reminded me how complex it is to plan your strategy in A-Train when compared to other city/transport games, mainly because of the scenarios objectives.
I find it sad that scenarios are not well explored in most games. I went to play Cities Skylines the other day, and the fucking scenarios are behind a fucking paywall!
Scenarios are what turn sandboxes into real strategy games.';

'>>1720631
>>1720642
JGR's signal autism is baby mode (i.e. it barely exists at all) compared to simutrans-extended's';

'>>1728728
I like A-Train specifically because of scenarios. They are really nice';

'>>1710769
>dark souls of economy sims
must be a pretty brain dead sim then';

'>>1714461
Vicky 3 is fisherprice tier compared to stuff like Rule the Waves or Aurora 4x.';

'I am in love with transport and city building. CS2 let me down and i dont feel like going back to cs1. I was searching for a good transport sim and tried a few and now i saw this thread. I played the first atrain when it was released when i was a teen in the 90s and liked it. Now, I wanted to check this out but: There seems to be a problem getting the latest version if you are not in japan? Is is worth the time to try to get it to run or is the steam version good enough?';

'>>1710769
Can I penis the Tourism Lead? As part of the dark side of econimic systems.
>"hurrhurrhurr, you better stay late and keep me, your superior, company or I will show everyone this random photo of your panties"';

'>>1736658
Latest version is tourist one and is available on all platforms afaik worldwide.
just keep in mind it's more transport management while city develops mostly in background';

'>>1736658
A-Train Tourism is based on the same principles as A-Train 3 (the first published in the West), so you already kind of know what to expect, i.e. transporting mainly construction material and passengers in an isometric game.
The game is difficult for the wrong reasons, however (terrible UI that makes playing convoluted and unpleasant), but if you have a lot of willpower and get past the initial problems, you'll have a good simulator of passenger transportation in urban areas.
You have to bear in mind, however, that the game doesn't use signaling, you have to learn how to make the timetables, which requires a totally different kind of thinking from what you find in Western games. Many OpenTTD fans drop the game completely because of this, which I think is a big mistake, since A-Train focuses on a lot more interesting things than OpenTTD, such as day and night simulation, holydays, rush hour, urbanism, etc.
Tourism! is the most suitable version for beginners because it has in-game tutorials, which teach you the basics very well (but force you to play on easy, which removes a lot of mechanics making some people think the game is simpler than it really is).
However, Tourism is an expensive game, like most Japanese games, and I honestly don't think the price is justified except for fans of the series. I recommend pirating it, I've seen the game on Russian sites, but I don't know if there are any decent cracks for it.
The other versions you can find on Steam, such as A-Train 9, focus on simulation and offer a very different experience, which I would only recommend to those obsessed with trains, lines, station design, etc. Even so, the Steam version of Atrain 9 is old, and you'll need to look for the Japanese version for the full experience.';

'>>1737136
>terrible UI that makes playing convoluted and unpleasant)
It's originally a console game, I think it'd be better with controller, feels nice to play it like that';

'>>1710769
>Is it really the dark souls of economy sims?
You mean simply, repeatable and without answers about what's going around?';

'>>1712178
Your dad.';

'>>1737180
i mean a-train 9 is for PCs and also has a dogshit UI';

'>>1737252
sorry, I thought you was talking about tourism one';

'>>1737136
>The other versions you can find on Steam, such as A-Train 9, focus on simulation and offer a very different experience, which I would only recommend to those obsessed with trains, lines, station design, etc. Even so, the Steam version of Atrain 9 is old, and you'll need to look for the Japanese version for the full experience.
So I guess this is what I was hearing about. And yes I am into autistic management. Is it a big change? bc i heared that the new one has no official translation and such so... yeah seems like a few drawbacks.
And money isnt a big problem, i never pirate anymore';

'>>1737361
The Steam version has bugs because the team that translated it changed semicolons for commas in some of the game's tables, as far as I know, and this broke some mechanics. I don't know if there are any fixes for that. The game is playable, but there are some inconsistencies in some minor things because of the bugs.
Also, the Steam version is 4.0, while the Japanese version is 5.0, which is basically an expansion with more stuff and more refinement in the mechanics and gameplay.
In any case, A-Train 9 is super confusing, it's really hard to understand what the game wants from you when you start playing, there's zero handholding, there are hardly any explanations other than a 4-line introduction to the scenario you choose, and the adaptation period is quite long and painful, which is why I recommend pirating it even if you're a billionaire, because the chances of you not feeling engaged in the game are extremely high because of the horrible way it presents itself to the player.';

'>>1737419
>I recommend pirating it even if you're a billionaire
i wouldnt even know how, these days :) didnt pirate anything for like 20 years';

'>>1737471
>Brags about being a retard';

'>>1737484
people have lives';

'>>1737471
So I think it's best to ignore the game for now.
Maybe it's better to wait and see what Artdink plans for the future, maybe they'll release an A-Train 10 with an English option in the short term? I don't know...
It's not as if there weren't a lot of options for good management games before you took a chance on A-Train, which is pure niche. I only recommend it to those who have played absolutely everything and want to start checking out the more unfamiliar (in the West) stuff.';

'>>1737484
Sorry, didn't want to brag. Did it seem like that to you? I realy don't know know what would be a save way to dl stuff. I don't want to install cracked shit thats full of worms and viruses. Maybe you don't see it yet because it come natural to you and fits your habbits, but keeping up with the development of software piracy is a time investment as well. I think I remember DLing Civ5 when it came out. But maybe I'm wrong. I know I have a shitload of hours on it on steam and that I played it even before, so i guess I got it from somewhere else before buying it. But maybe it was from a friend and not by DLing it myself. Even if, that would have been 14 years ago. I am totally unaware of the "how" of piracy these days. And its not braging, its just how it is if you dont care about it for some time.
>>1737516
Exactly, thank you
>>1737556
I'm a sad boy now. I realy want to find myself a railroad game I can love, again. Last thing I tried was railroad Empire 2 and it was so damn shallow that I was done with it super quickly. Train World seemed fine mechanically, but the maps and the way the game wanted me to play economically seemed extremely stupid and forced. Train Fever is immersion-breakingly small in size. It seems I am searching for something that doesnt exist. I want a game that allows me to build up an manage a huge company, moving goods between industries and cities, deciding engines and train setup, and the map should be big enough to give meaning to the different types of trains. Didnt find that yet';

'>>1737897
>Exactly, thank you
np.
Sadly I doubt that anon will get it.

On another note:
>I realy want to find myself a railroad game I can love, again.
If you have console, I think there is Demo of A-Train All Aboard tourism on Switch.
You may just try that. I still would consider it's a very nice game, just quite a bit different from more of your western railroad games.
Or wait for sale and get A-Train Classic, which overall is fan favorite.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/492090/ATrain_PC_Classic/

It's very nice series, and while it's definitely not perfect, I'd say it's better to be a judge yourself to see if you'll like how it operates.
One thing for sure - it is series by train lovers.
>I want a game that allows me to build up an manage a huge company, moving goods between industries and cities, deciding engines and train setup, and the map should be big enough to give meaning to the different types of trains. Didnt find that yet
Perfectly fitting into particular set of desires types of games like that generally don't exist sadly.
I'd say from what I played A-Train wise, it sorta fills some of those criterias, but you should be the judge yourself.';

'>>1737262
no, i was just saying that all the a-trains have dogshit uis';

'>>1737897
>I want a game that allows me to build up an manage a huge company, moving goods between industries and cities, deciding engines and train setup, and the map should be big enough to give meaning to the different types of trains.
Try Railroad Tycoon 3, the rail simulation is fairly simplified but the maps are large and the supply/demand simulation is good.';

'>>1738185
It's certainly different but I wouldn't call it terrible';

'>>1738187
I played it a long time ago. Same with the first two entries in the series, each when it came out. I dont remember what bothered me in the end. Was there a cap on trains or stations or something? I dont remember... It was good as well';

'>>1738187
>Try Railroad Tycoon 3
How? It doesn't run on win10';

'>>1739001
they changed some stuff on steam and now they say it works ONLY win10 and upwards';

'>>1739001
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2358906262';

'>>1737419
do you have any recommendations for a-train 9 guides?';