Don't forget to have fun!

Train simming for most of us is a hobby, something we do for enjoyment or relaxation. While investigating Yuuta Kawai’s YKTrain sim last month I was reminded of an aspect of train sims that appeals to many - the train sim driving challenge. Meet a schedule while obeying the rules and giving passengers a comfortable ride. YKTrain has some of the flavor of an arcade game, a "first person shooter" in gaming terms. Train simmers have never fully associated themselves with gaming, though they have much in common with gaming and, indeed, many train simmers have a dual interest in gaming or came from gaming.

Yuuta's effort was in the back of my mind when I created the Train Chase routes in Trainz. The message? Have fun!

I've always enjoyed chasing trains, though it's hard these days with so few trains or railroads around; but it was hard even under the best of circumstances, not to mention dangerous. The highway and railroad seldom ran parallel for long, nor were our cars in those days able to keep pace with the trains. Today our cars are faster, but so are the trains. My route, then, however impractical in terms of reality, is still fun. And that’s all I intended it to be,

See the January-February issue of Virtual Railroader for information about YKTrain and Train Chase.

-- Al