Simutrans is a free transportation simulator game where you have to build a successful transportation system by connecting industries, buildings, resources, etc. Since the game is more of a simulator rather than an objective based game, you don’t have to worry about losing it. All you have to worry about is getting bankrupt in the game and devising ways to generate profit.
This transport simulator game can be played in a single player mode as well as multiplayer mode. The multiplayer mode works online and you have to join a server to play. On the multiplayer mode, maximum numbers of players you can play with (including you) are 14. The game is highly customizable. You can change size of the landscape, time, building costs etc. You can also adjust the game speed and take screenshots when you are playing the game.
The game also offers you graphic themes called Packsets. You can download and apply them for a different feel in the gameplay. Since the game is open source, you can also add mods to the game which modify the gameplay to your liking.
This free multiplayer transport simulator game has literally no limit to it. You can set the size of the map to any dimension you want. The population of lakes, resources, trees, parks, cities can also be edited so you can make the game more engaging.
If you like simulator games, then you can check out these websites where you can play flight simulation games.
Start a New Multiplayer Transport Simulator Game
When you launch the game, the game will ask you if you want to load a graphic P or add mods, select them if you want to load them. On the main menu, you can also load a scenario that gives you an objective which you must complete. You can also select Play Online to play multiplayer mode on a distant server.
On the New Game menu, you can select the size of the map. You can edit the map to have huge dimensions, but it also raise its bulkiness. You can edit the number of cities and the length of the roads too.
The Landscape Settings can edit out the topography of your map. You can toggle to show no trees here. You can also edit the population of different climate patches on the map. The normal settings let you edit various fields of the game including the economy, routes, landscape, etc. The most important setting here is the economy. You can ease up the game or make it a challenge by editing starting money and costs of buildings.
How to Play Simutrans Game
You have to play this game keeping basic economics in mind. The aim is to make a profit by connecting resources with their respective processing units. For example, you can earn money by connecting a coal mine with a power plant. You also have pay attention to a lot of constraints when choosing a resource. You have to choose a least costly path between a very potent resource and a high yielding resource processing unit. You can check out these constraints by clicking the resource or processing unit with the magnification tool.
You can choose between 5 modes of transportation, namely: railroads, light railroads, road, waterways, and airways. Each transport mode gives you the quality of path you can make and related additions.
To explain better, let me tell you how to establish a coal power plant line:
- Make a railroad using the railroad tool from a coal mine to the nearest coal power plant. Make sure that the railroad is touching both the plant and mine
- Make a freight station from the tools on the railroad next to the plant and mine
- Extend the railroad midways and make a depot on that path
- Select the depot and add a locomotive engine with goods carrying cars
- With the train selected, add halt points next to the plant and mine from the Schedule tab and click Start
- Your train will now start to work and will generate capital every time it reaches the coal plant.
Review your Finances
To see how well you are doing in the game, you can click on the Finances tool on menu bar. Here you can see a graph of how well you are doing. A list of various costs will be shown in red, the profit and earnings will be shown in black. The total cash flow on the bottom of the list will show your total earnings. If the cash flow is red then you’re not doing well since you’re in loss.
Review your Transport System
On the menu bar, click on Line Management to see how many transport lines and vehicles you have. You can review the finances with a graph on the side whenever you click a transport line. You can select different transport modes from their respective tabs.
Other Features of this free Transport Simulator Game:
- You can also level the landscape with the landscaping tools in the menu. Be careful since landscaping also costs money.
- You can review your whole map with the map tool on the menu. You can toggle option to view the cities, passengers, depots on the map. To get a better view of the map with an isometric view, select the check box of same on the map menu.
- The game also lets you fast forward the time if you feel you are going slow. You can use the pause button to pause the progress of the game. That way you can stack up changes in your game while paused. The changes will be made at once when the game is unpaused.
My Verdict:
In my opinion, Simutrans is a really good game with a decent game engine. The developer could have added more options like random event triggers (earthquakes, plagues, economic depression) that can spice up your game. This game is quite old and it still has retained its 90’s feel after a lot of changes. The midi based music adds more old school feel to it. So if you love retro and old school games, be sure to try this game out. I award this game 4.5 out of 5.
Get Simultrans here.
Know a better old school or retro game? Do let me know in the comments!
