Anyone else into simulators?

[ddrueding]

Does anyone else enjoy palying simulation games?

In the past, I've really enjoyed flight sims and driving sims. More recently, I've become a big fan of driving/racing sims. I really enjoyed the NFS series from #s 1-6, but "underground" doesn't do it for me. Right now I'm playing the demo of TOCA "Race Driver 2".

Does anyone have any suggestions on simulation games with good engines/physics models and good graphics?

 

[Handruin]

I used to love simulations as I was growing up. I played Silent Service, and 688 attack sub on the commador 64. I'd like to see a good sub game come out, or even a modern tank game that has some advanced scenery and physics. I've lost touch over the years when it comes to simulation games. I'm the mood for a change.

 

[ddrueding]

When I was in Jr. High, I loved playing the War Sim "Harpoon". Though Harpoon2 wan't as good. I wish I still had a copy of this oldy but goody.

 

[Handruin]

Was harpoon the ship game where you fired wired guided rockets, or am I thinking of something else?

 

[time]

Does anyone else think that NFS 1 had much better physics/handling simulation/engine sounds than the later games?

 

[ddrueding]

Harpoon was a full-blown "War Games" type coldwar simulation. Entire militarys were yours to control to very fine levels of detail.

This thread has cuased me to find the above link...sweet!

 

[timwhit]

Gran Turismo 4 looks like a sweet game.

I played a lot of GT3 and it was an awesome game.

 

[jtr1962]

The only games I ever play are simulators. I just never got into all the other types of PC games. I have MS Flight Simulator, MS Train Simulator, and Fly currently installed. As far as I know, the physics on the two flight simulators are halfway decent but out of the box MS Train Simulator leaves much to be desired. Three years of tweaks and add-ons by myself and many others have resulted in a railroading experience that is much improved over the original, but I honestly have to say that only the most hard core rail fanatics would have put that much time into getting the game to work right. And there is still some insoluble bugs such as the infamous broken coupler/track node problem (I spend weeks trying to fix that with no luck as did others).

MS cancelled Train Simulator 2 but some others are making train sims which will supposedly be backward compatible with MSTS and less bug ridden. I'll try these as they come.

Anyone else here ever try MS Train Simulator?

 

[Howell]

http://www.simhq.com/simhq3/sims/boards/bbs/ultimatebb.php

 

[ddrueding]

Anyone else here ever try MS Train Simulator?

I would love to TRY it, but without a demo available, I'm not quite up to making the plunge at the moment.

 

[Computer Generated Baby]

...MS cancelled Train Simulator 2 but some others are making train sims which will supposedly be backward compatible with MSTS and less bug ridden...

I wonder if that half-baked lawsuit over Train Simulator that Southern Pacific Railroad had against Microsoft ultimately had anything to do with MS Train Simulator's demise? "So, yer gonna teach peeple how to steal our trains, huh!"

 

[Mercutio]

I have a simulator called "Virtual Date with Jenna Jameson" that's pretty cool.

 

[jtr1962]

I wonder if that half-baked lawsuit over Train Simulator that Southern Pacific Railroad had against Microsoft ultimately had anything to do with MS Train Simulator's demise? "So, yer gonna teach peeple how to steal our trains, huh!"

I think it was simple demographics that caused MS to pull out-car and plane simulators sell better than train simulators. Or maybe they just couldn't get it to work right. The exact audience which would buy MSTS II would be more concerned with having realistic physics and realistic operation than pretty graphics. Train physics and signaling are enormously complex compared to airliners or cars. Maybe Microsoft's programmers weren't up to the task.

Southern Pacific's asinine lawsuit didn't go anywhere. Even if you stole a train exactly what would you do with? It's not like you could hide it or sell it on the black market.

Interestingly, Union Pacific refused to allow licensing of it's logo in Train Simulator because they said the sim allowed train wrecks and they didn't want people wrecking trains with their logo because of the "negative image" it would create. Somehow I think we have too many lawyers with too much time on their hands in the US.

 

[Pradeep]

I have a simulator called "Virtual Date with Jenna Jameson" that's pretty cool.

I think they call those stimulators...

 

[Howell]

I'm currently trying to sell

Longbow 2 and IL2 Forgotten battles
as well as my flight stick and throttle if anyone is interested.

 

[Tannin]

I am totally uninterested in any sort of action sims. Flight sims, battle sims, driving games - this is all stuff that I find incredibly boring. Hell, I wouldn't spend time on a flight sim if you paid me $30 an hour. ($100 an hour? Maybe: it depends on how much I needed the money.)

Real sims, on the other hand, are a completely different matter. In fact they are pretty much the only type of computer game I ever play. Age of Empires I (Age II sucks), Galactic Civilisations, SimCity (about three different versions), Civilisation, even right back to an ancient old CGA game called "Fire". These engage my brain (which I like) but don't stress me out with reflex-action crap. (If I want reflex action therapy, the only way to do that is with something in real life: cricket, for example, which I enjoy greatly. Something active in real life. Preferably something that involves a reasonable amount of exercise, though playing the guitar and trying to get the notes right probably counts as a form of fast-action therapy too.)

 

[Computer Generated Baby]

Southern Pacific's asinine lawsuit didn't go anywhere. Even if you stole a train exactly what would you do with? It's not like you could hide it or sell it on the black market.

It seems that around the time that MS wanted to update Train Simulator to version 2.0 there had been a rash of incidents of yay-hoos jumping into parked Southern Pacific Railroad trains way out in the middle of nowhere, starting them up and taking them for joy rides.

There were other cases where the train conductor might have momentarily left the train parked, but idling, to get out and do an inspection or whatever, only to have some idiots jump in the engine and take off down the tracks.

Southern Pacific Railroad must've started believing that MS Train Simulator was the root cause of all this activity!

Hell, I wouldn't spend time on a flight sim if you paid me $30 an hour...

And why would you? You've got wings dammit! That would be as bad as me having to waste my time playing a walking-down-the-sidewalk simulator or a running-through-the-park simulator. I guess we could make it a bit entertaining by having a "drunkness dial" or something, and calling the simulator "The Point A to Point B Challenge." A flight simulator must be as bad as a swinging-through-the-trees simulator.

 

[Buck]

The Bartender's Challenge is pretty close.

 

[Handruin]

I've had plenty of enjoyment playing all the simcity's (except #2). I also wasted several hours playing roller-coaster tycoon.

 

[Buck]

I still like SimTower and SimCity2000.

 

[Fushigi]

[It seems that around the time that MS wanted to update Train Simulator to version 2.0 there had been a rash of incidents of yay-hoos jumping into parked Southern Pacific Railroad trains way out in the middle of nowhere, starting them up and taking them for joy rides.

There were other cases where the train conductor might have momentarily left the train parked, but idling, to get out and do an inspection or whatever, only to have some idiots jump in the engine and take off down the tracks.

Southern Pacific Railroad must've started believing that MS Train Simulator was the root cause of all this activity!

Yeah, of course the game was at fault. Not the fact that there probably weren't any LOCKED DOORS to prevent access.

 

[Computer Generated Baby]

"But, we don't lock doors in Wyoming!"

Anyway, I should have mentioned earlier that Union Pacific and Southern Pacific merged a few years back. It's all called Union Pacific nowadays, though I regularly still see Southern Pacific engines mixed in with Union Pacific engines. The merger didn't do anything other than cause more train wrecks.

Tannin: How about a simulation game where you have a pair of Win98 computers connected to the Internet via broadband without anti-virus or spyware blockers. Both are fast getting infected and hijacked as each second ticks by. Your job in the simulation is to install anti-virus and spyware eradication software as fast as you can, then completely clean both computers.

But, there are a couple of problems! First, there are 3 gangsters outside trying to rob you home-invasion-style and all you have is a 2-shot Derringer pistol for protection. Secondly, Jenna Jameson is there in the same virtual room as you. She's getting restless and you must keep her satisfied because she has a knife!

 

[Howell]

CGB, Your sig ends that last post rather nicely.

 

[e_dawg]

SimCity started it all for me... then things progressed pretty much along the same lines as Tannin's sim journey. Weird!

 

[Tannin]

CGB, I've been playing, more or less, that game for years now. Religiously. I start at 11:00 AM on Monday morning, and stop at 5:00 PM every Friday afternoon.

In fact, I rather enjoy it.

I don't normally have the gangsters, but we do have a round half-dozen regular time-wasters that inspire more fear and loathing in us than the average Al Capone type could ever manage. OMG! It's <name suppressed>! Quick! Start talking on the phone (don't bother dialing, just pick a handset up and sound busy); see if you can make it to the dunny before anyone else gets there; do whatever it takes to make some other poor bastard be the one that has to have their day destroyed.

Nor do I have a Jenna Jameson around the place. Indeed, I've never heard of Jenna Jameson. Would Kristi do? Or what about Tea?

 

[e_dawg]

Jenna Jameson... never heard of her either. :mrgrn:

 

[LunarMist]

I resisted the urge to type the woman's name in Google, but I can guess her profession.

With my hopeless social skills, I would probably strike out in the virtual game anyway.

 

[Tannin]

If she is a professional, why does one need social skills?

 

[LunarMist]

:?: Now you have me confused, Tony. I assumed that Jameson was in reality a professional pornographer based on Mercutio's predilection. However, you seem to imply that her role in the game is as a prostitute. Is that the case? Maybe Merc can explain the function of the game more clearly.

 

[LunarMist]

Sorry that was so poorly phrased. It is well past my bedtime.

 

[Tannin]

Hey, I never heard of the lady. I'm just making guesses based on the context. Like ... er ... it was you ... I am resiting the temptation to consult the Font of All Knowledge and Repository of Many Links. Hell, for all I know, she might be the Queen of England.

No, that's Lizzie someone. OK, Queen of Italy. Or somewhere.

 

[i]

Given one of the recurring themes around here, I wondered if she was the proprietor of this place.

 

[Mercutio]

:?: Now you have me confused, Tony. I assumed that Jameson was in reality a professional pornographer.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

 

[ddrueding]

Given one of the recurring themes around here, I wondered if she was the proprietor of this place.

Nope, we're taliing about the other recurring theme around this place...

 

[LunarMist]

You say that like it's a bad thing.

I don't know enough to make an informed judgement.

 

[e_dawg]

Merc, since we're on the subject, do you know this girl called Dani? I hear she has a wonderful personality

 

[LunarMist]

This is about my speed.

 

[ddrueding]

Merc, since we're on the subject, do you know this girl called Dani? I hear she has a wonderful personality

I heard she's a bit naughty...

 

[e_dawg]

LOL... that's pretty good. I almost thought it was a website on the real person until I saw Symantec sercuity response.

 

[ddrueding]

I must admit that since starting this thread I've wasted at least 25 hours on Sim City 4 Deluxe. I need to get back to the driving sims...less chance of losing a whole morning.