- Sid Meier's Railroads!
Infobox VG| title = Sid Meier's Railroads!
developer =Firaxis Games
publisher =2K Games
designer =Sid Meier
engine =Gamebryo
released =October 17 ,2006 (North America)October 27 ,2006 (Europe)
genre =Business simulation game
version = 1.1 (December 22 ,2006 ) [ [http://www.firaxis.com/news/news_search.php?year=2006&ty=10 Firaxis Games: News (2006)] ] [ [http://downloads.2kgames.com/railroads/RailroadsPatch110.zip Sid Meier's Railroads! Patch 1.1 Download] ]
modes =Single player ,multiplayer
ratings =PEGI : Standard (3+)
platforms =Microsoft Windows
media = CD
requirements =
input = Keyboard, Mouse"Sid Meier's Railroads!" is a
business simulation game developed bySid Meier on theGamebryo game engine that was released in October 2006 and is the sequel to "Railroad Tycoon 3". Although Sid Meier created the original "Railroad Tycoon", subsequent versions were developed byPopTop Software . After a visit toMiniatur Wunderland in Hamburg,Germany , Sid Meier was inspired to reinvent his original creation. [cite web | url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JjVsBQVK2A | title=Interview with Sid Meier | format=Video | publisher=YouTube | year=2006]Overview
"Railroads!" is fully three-dimensional and geared more toward head to head
real time strategy than the previous versions. [cite web | url=http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=12 | title=Sid Meier's Railroads! | publisher=Firaxis Games | year=2006 ] The terrain is also more compressed in this game; there are few areas where players are allowed a long, straight run of track, meaning that parts, such as hills, mountains, rivers, and inlets, play a much more important role in the game.The game is heavily focused on
economics – players have to build and sustain entireindustries using the railroads they develop. Gameplay changes from previous editions of "Railroad Tycoon" include a system where new technology is firstauction ed to the highest bidder. This gives the player a ten-year exclusive use of that technology. Similarly, whole industries are also put up for auction amongst players.cite web | url=http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/sidmeiersrailroads/review.html?sid=6160058 | title=Sid Meier's Railroads! | publisher=GameSpot | date=2006 | accessdate=2006-10-24 ] Tracklaying is automated and much easier than other editions of "Railroad Tycoon". [cite web | url=http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/724/724674p1.html | title=Sid Meier's Railroads! | publisher=IGN | year=2006 ] When combined with the more "compressed" terrain, it allows for tactical placement of track to obstruct and frustrate opponents.The game also allows head-to-head play over a LAN or the
Internet , supporting up to four players per game, either human orartificial intelligence .cite web | url=http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/2E1C4B8D-B401-4B7E-998B-9E8F6388B54F.htm | title=Sid Meier's Railroads! | publisher=Game Informer | date=2006 | accessdate=2006-10-24 ]cenarios
Like the previous versions, "Railroads!" offers various historical scenarios, in regions such as the
Southwestern United States , thePacific Northwest , theUnited Kingdom ,France andGermany . In these scenarios (fifteen in all), the game allows the user to take on the role of various famous railway tycoons and robber barons from the past. These include: [cite web | url=http://www.atomicmotor.com | title=Full Barons List | format=Flash | publisher=2K Games | year=2006]*flagicon|United States
Jay Gould
*flagicon|United StatesJay Cooke
*flagicon|United StatesCornelius Vanderbilt
*flagicon|United States J. Pierpont Morgan
*flagicon|United KingdomGeorge Hudson
*flagicon|United KingdomIsambard Kingdom Brunel
*flagicon|United KingdomGeorge Stephenson
*flagicon|France Baron Rothschild
*flagicon|FranceCharles de Gaulle
*flagicon|FranceNapoleon III
*flagicon|German EmpireOtto von Bismarck
*flagicon|German Empire Helmuth von Moltke
*flagicon|RussiaCzar Nicholas II
*flagicon|United States flagicon|Canada Jim Hill
*flagicon|United States Jim FiskTrains
Trains available in the game include: [cite web | url=http://www.2kgames.com/railroads/railroads.html | title=Full Train List | format=Flash | publisher=
2K Games | year=2006]1828–1840
*flagicon|United Kingdom
2-2-0 Planet*
*flagicon|United Kingdom2-2-2 Patentee1830–1880
*flagicon|United States
0-4-0 Grasshopper
*flagicon|United States flagicon|France4-2-0 Norris*
*flagicon|United States4-4-0 American*
*flagicon|United States2-6-0 Mogul
*flagicon|United States4-6-0 Ten Wheeler
*flagicon|United States2-8-0 Consolidation*1835–1870
*flagicon|Germany
2-2-2 Adler*
*flagicon|Germany 2-2-2Beuth *
*flagicon|France flagicon|Germany2-4-0 Médoc1881-1930
*flagicon|United States
4-6-2 Pacific*
*flagicon|United States2-8-2 Mikado
*flagicon|United States Class P5a
*flagicon|United States4-8-4 Golden State*1841–1922
*flagicon|United Kingdom
4-2-2 Iron Duke
*flagicon|United Kingdom0-6-0 Dx Goods
*flagicon|United Kingdom4-2-2 Stirling*
*flagicon|United Kingdom 4-2-2 Johnson Midland Spinner
*flagicon|United Kingdom 4-4-0 Claud Hamilton
*flagicon|United Kingdom0-8-0 Webb Compound
*flagicon|United Kingdom ES1
*flagicon|United Kingdom4-6-2 A1*1842–1870
*flagicon|France 4-2-0 Crampton*
1871–1922
*flagicon|France
2-4-2 Class 121
*flagicon|France2-8-2 Class 141
*flagicon|France 4-4-2de Glehn Atlantic
*flagicon|Germany 4-4-0 Class S3*
*flagicon|Germany 4-6-0 Class P8*
*flagicon|Switzerland Ge 6/6 Crocodile Electric1923-1947
*flagicon|United Kingdom
4-6-2 A4*
*flagicon|United Kingdom Class 40 1-Co-Co-1 Diesel1921–1980
*flagicon|Germany 4-6-2 Class 01*
*flagicon|Germany 1-Do-1 Class E18 Electric
*flagicon|Germany V200 Diesel
*flagicon|Switzerland Re 6/6 Bo-Bo-Bo
*flagicon|France4-6-2 Nord pacific
*flagicon|FranceTGV 1931-1970
*flagicon|United States F-Series Diesel
*flagicon|United States GP-Series DieselNote: The asterisk denotes that the locomotive was featured in the previous
Railroad Tycoon 3 .Critical reception
Metacritic reports an average score of 77 out of 100 or "Generally Favorable" in published reviews. [cite web | url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/sidmeiersrailroads?q=railroads | title=Side Meier's Railroads! | work=Metacritic]IGN gave the game an "8.0" or "impressive." [cite web |url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/741/741678p1.html |title=Sid Meier's Railroads! Review |publisher=IGN |accessdate=2008-05-15 ]Criticism
Upon release, game players identified many problems with the gameOr|date=July 2008, some of which were subsequently patched by Firaxis' 1.01 version patch. [ [http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=12&showcon=2 Firaxis Games: Sid Meier's Railroads! Downloads] ] A second patch, 1.1, was released on December 22, 2006, [ [http://downloads.2kgames.com/railroads/RailroadsPatch110.zip Sid Meier's Railroads! Patch 1.1] ] which fixes a few glitches and improves the gameplay. [ [http://www.2kgames.com/index.php?p=support&product=245%2C3%2CSid+Meier%27s+Railroads%21%2CPC%2C2K_Games%2Crailroads§ion=patches Sid Meier's Railroads! Patch 1.1 Release Notes] ]
Reviewer complaints include some of the followingFact|date=July 2008:
* Automatic Train Routing is far from perfect. Trains frequently choose bad tracks and/or get trapped in a back-and-forth pattern.
* The limited camera angles available - unlikeRRT3 , players can't rotate the camera to view the sky, or zoom right down to track level, nor are they able to zoom out very far.
* Graphics are very demanding on computer systems, slowing down especially towards the later stages of the game.
* Simplified economic and stock market system which removed earlier titles' ability to raise cash by issuing bonds, and other nuances such as stock splits and margin calls.
* Steam locomotives do not have tenders.
* "Players looking for the complex economic cycles ofRailroad Tycoon 3 will find this particular game juvenile by comparison." [>cite web |url=http://www.askmen.com/gaming/pc/12_pc_review.html |title=Sid Meier Railroads! Review |accessdate=2007-11-15 |work=Askmen.com ]References
External links
* [http://www.2kgames.com/railroads/railroads.html Sid Meier's Railroads! Official Homepage]
*moby game|id=/sid-meiers-railroads|name="Sid Meier's Railroads!"
* [http://www.hookedgamers.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=29 Hooked on Railroads!] A Sid Meier's Railroads! fan forum with a very active modding community
* [http://www.moddb.com/mods/sid-meiers-railroads-intercontinental Sid Meier’s Railroads!: Intercontinental] A fan made expansion pack.
* [http://www.hookedgamers.com/gamewiki/Sid_Meier%27s_Railroads%21 Sid Meier's Railroads! Wiki]
* [http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/sidmeiersrailroads Sid Meier's Railroads! Reviews] at Metacritic.com
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izzyNA8FJGQ Official trailer & walkthrough for the game]
* [http://www.miniatur-wunderland.de Miniatur Wunderland, inspiration for the game] (German)
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