Sunlight rakes across the controls in the cab of a locomotive. Technical Updates Train Simulator 2012 offers its most visible updates in the graphics department. New graphical elements include a new lighting system, a new shadow system, and visual details like rain on locomotive windows. The options menu screen allows players to dial a variety of settings […]
Interface and Presentation Train Simulator 2012 sports a new menu design, which is simple and straightforward to use. Also new is an interactive loading screen. This screen serves as a sort of “billboard” that will display a slide show of new or upcoming DLC add-ons. It also has a series of buttons beneath the slideshow screen […]
Product Version 5.9d by “adlabs6” The EMD F7 Warbonnet rolls through a crossing. Cab Control overlay system is also shown. Introduction Train Simulator 2012 is the sequel to Railworks 2, by Railsimulator.com Ltd. This update is free to current owners of Railworks 2, and like Railworks 2 before it, is a Steam based product. For those wondering whether this free update […]
Other trains and scenarios greatly benefit from the new look as well. The real issue came with the technology demonstration scenario, Horseshoe Curve. As “adlabs” mentions in his review, this scenario contains a lot of the new bells and whistles that is new in Train Simulator 2012, but all that “ooo” and “aah” brings my relatively well-heeled […]
Product version 5.9d by “adlabs6” Introduction The Horseshoe Curve is a famous railway curve near Altoona, Pennsylvania. Completed in 1854 by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), it solved the problem of trying to get trains over the peaks in the Allegheny Mountains. Its value to American shipping was such that it was targeted by the Nazis in […]
Review: Thrustmaster T500 RS Back To Page 4 Conclusion Thrustmaster has provided the sim racing community with a truly top-tier controller for carving up the virtual track. Although large and heavy — and with a heavy price tag — the wheel sets a new standard for force feedback and rotation in both quality and quantity. […]
Review: Thrustmaster T500 RS Back To Page 3 PC Drivers Initially the T500 RS was released as a PS3-only product, but Thrustmaster assured consumers that software drivers for the PC were on the way. And indeed, those drivers are available now from the Thrustmaster web site. The drivers come in an easy to install executable file. […]
Review: Thrustmaster T500 RS Back To Page 2 Paddle Shifters Thrustmaster really set themselves apart from their competitors with their paddle shifter design by fixing to wheel housing instead of the wheel, so they don’t rotate with the wheel (somewhat like a rally car’s shifter). The solid-feeling, brushed metal paddles are big (nearly 7 inches (30cm) […]
Review: Thrustmaster T500 RS Back To Page 1 Wheel Size Like the wheel housing, the T500 RS’s wheel is also as big as Texas. While Thrustmaster claims the wheel rim to be 12 inches (30cm) in diameter, my tape measure shows it to be 11.5 inches, which is exactly the same as Fanatec’s Porsche Turbo S […]
Closing Comments Before I close out my review of this product, there were some difficulties that I encountered that I’ll comment on. The difficulties I experience were few, and none prevented my enjoyment of the Railworks 2. Firstly, my Steam client needs to be run with Administrator privileges for Railworks 2 to work. This was not at first […]
Graphics and Sound Visually speaking, Railworks 2 succeeds at building a convincing and lifelike world. While the graphics could be argued to be off the cutting edge, they are certainly very detailed. The trains are for the most part beautifully rendered, and feature nice reflective effects on the exteriors, animated drivers (when viewed from the exterior), and […]
Gameplay – User Interface The literature for Railworks 2 presents gameplay with the phrase “Be the Driver”, where the player will face the challenges an engineer would while operating these locomotives. The user interface includes what is called the “Cab Control” system, the 3D clickable locomotive cockpits, and the keyboard. In addition, the controls can be operated […]
