Train Simulator DSME

After 4½ years of development and many months of alpha testing I feel that this simulator is finally ready for others to try out. It is packed with features that, I hope, may appeal to train simmers and those who just want some fun and entertainment.

The simulator is not modelled on full size train networks. It is modelled on an existing model engineer society called the Durban Society of Model Engineers. The gauge of track used is 3½ inch and 5 inch. It is an elevated track and is not ground level. The society is run by a small team of live steam train enthusiasts who own or build their own coal fired steam locomotives or diesel (gasoline) powered locomotives. Many are beautiful scale replicas of full size locomotives and can take many years to build in their workshops. These locomotives take people of all ages for train rides.

Some of the features such as firework displays and flying drones are not features in the real society but I have included them to appeal to a broader range of players. 

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

A  64 bit computer running Windows 10 or 11 that can play a modern computer game at a reasonable frame rate is essential to play this game. The game requires 1.3GB disk space. A good graphics card is vital to play the spectacular firework displays that are included in the Party Option. The computer I used to create this simulator is described later in this description.

I have placed the simulator in Early Access and it has been marked down by 50% for a limited period. It is basically a Beta Version and although I have spent many months trying to eliminate faults there may be some faults that occur in the hundreds of physics interactions that can occur between objects.

I am open to any wish lists or suggestions that you feel may improve this simulator as I intend creating the second version after I take a break from creating this one.

Before I get into the features please note that you will need a keyboard and wheel mouse to play this game. With so much to do, by only one person, I have not investigated the use of other controls such as joysticks and game pads or even multiplayer. If there is any interest in this simulator I will consider such options in the next version.

Here are a few of the features:

• There are only 2 locomotives in this simulator. A Steam Locomotive and a Diesel (gasoline) Locomotive. Both are modelled on the actual real scale locomotives used by our club members. The reason that there are only 2 locomotives to choose from is based on the time required to build these locomotives in 3D. With so many other custom built assets I had to create for this simulator I will leave building more locomotives for the next version.
• A fully recreated Steaming Bay with interactive Turntables, Storage Bay and an unloading Turntable that is used to assist unloading locomotives from a transport vehicle.
• A Traverser that is pneumatically powered and controlled from the Traverser Control Room. A Traverser is found on elevated tracks and is basically the equivalent of ground level track points or switches.
• A Station with Station Bell, Signal Lights and pedestrian walkways and Station Footbridge.
• Bridges and a Tunnel are all part of the elevated track layout.
• There are 4 passenger coaches and 5 Tip-Up Freight Cars. There are many interactive objects that can be picked up and placed on the Freight Cars. The Tip-Up mechanism can be activated to unload the cargo anywhere on the track. Objects can also be placed on the Heavy Lift Drone Grapple and transported to any part of the scene. The smaller Rescue Drone is specifically designed to take the Emergency Toolkit to stranded Locomotives. It has a fully functional Scoop that is lowered on a cable and has the same controls as the Heavy Lift Drone Grapple. The Emergency Toolkit is located near the Steaming Bay.
• There are many interactive objects, large and small, that can be picked up and placed anywhere in the scene. They can even be piled onto the track to form a barricade! How the locomotives demolish them can be quite entertaining. Interactive objects can also be pushed by the Player by Toggling the feature on or off with the ‘F4’ Key.
• There are 3 choices available for the starting position of the Steam Locomotive. A) It can be unloaded from a transport vehicle and pushed to the Steaming Bay and coupled to its Coal and Water Tender. B) It can start in the Steaming Bay fully fired up with its Tender and ready to steam onto the main track. C) It can start in the Station ready to couple up with 9 rail cars and steam out onto the main line.
• There is a 4^th and unique choice for the Steam Locomotive’s starting position. It is positioned on a straight piece of track ready to be air lifted by a Heavy Lift Drone. The Drone is a unique addition to this simulator and this option is basically a tutorial on how to fly it and operate its Grapple and Jaws. Details instructions are provided on how to operate it by pressing ‘F3’ during play.
• There is a fully equipped Clubhouse that recreates in detail the real Clubhouse. There are interactive cupboards, curtains, fridges, display units, doors and (I threw this in for fun) 2 flushing toilets! There is also an Education Display that I will enhance in the next version of this simulator.
•  There a Game Option. A First Person Shooter style Game that pits the Player against Alien Invaders intent of doing what most Alien Invades do, destroy the world as we know it! It is set in an apocalyptic scene that bears the scars of the Aliens handiwork. Because this is a train simulator I did not want to use a more traditional weapon to destroy the Aliens. It had to be a unique weapon powered by steam that is created in a coal fired boiler. Thus the Steam Combat Cannon was born pulled by the same Steam Locomotive that appears in the rest of the simulator. For the first version of this simulator there is only 1 Level to this game. If there is any interest in this game I plan to create more challenging Levels in the next version.
• There is a Party Option. I wish to point out that DSME in the real world hosts children’s birthday parties but do not use Fireworks at these parties. In the Virtual World I have used some ‘Artistic License' in providing the Player with a choice of Spectacular Firework Displays! These are included in a set of menus that the Player can use to customize the Party Scene. The Player can view the Firework Displays from the air in a Drone called the Firework Cannon Drone. The Drone has a Firework Cannon that fires a stream of particles that fan out into a mass of sparkling explosions. There is so much noise and visual action when these options are used the Player is provided with an essential option, the ability to turn them on or off at will.
• There is a diesel (gasoline) locomotive that can be started with a pull cord, like in the real world. Because it operates on the same Keys that operate the steam locomotive the brake on the steam locomotive has to be locked otherwise both locomotives will operate at the same time.
• There is a very small scale railway that we call the GO125 track located near the Station. It has its own small loco and carriages and is operated from a floor mounted control box.

Physics has been used extensively in this simulator and is one of the reasons why alpha testing has stretched over so many months. Each piece of coal in the Tender is controlled by physics giving very realistic results when shoveled into the firebox as well as scattering on the ground if the Tender and Steam Engine fall off the rails! As this simulator is based on small scale model steam engines incorporating scale coal does not present a major problem when using physics. I would not like to use physics in a full size coal tender that may have many thousands of pieces of coal! The coal tender in this sim has only 96 pieces of coal!

 I have tried to predict players making mistakes accidently or on purpose. The locomotives and drones can crash if handled incorrectly. Unlike full size trains model trains do not crumple into many twisted parts when they crash, if they are built well of course. However, if they come off the rails they will obey the force of gravity and collide with objects in their path with very dramatic results! I expect some players getting quite a lot of fun just seeing how things crash.

I wish to thank Unity for providing such an amazing Gaming Engine free of charge to sole developers like myself. Without such support from Unity this simulator would never have been created. Thanks again to the Unity Team! I also wish to thank itch.io for providing a gaming platform free of charge for indie developers such as myself. If this simulator attracts some interest and earns some much needed, dare I say it, money, I intend placing it on Steam at a later stage.

If you have purchased this simulator I thank you for your support. The computer I used to create this simulator on is now over 4 years old.  It is a 64 bit Core i5 (9^th Generation) system running Windows 10 with a MSI GEFORCE GTX graphics card. This simulator plays effortlessly on my computer so I presume more up to date computers should have no problem with running it!

I end on a personal note. Now approaching 80 years of age I wanted to have a hobby that could keep the skills I acquired from a professional career in 3D modelling and animation alive. With a background of creating mechanical and electrical/electronic machines in my workshop as both a profession and hobby I joined DSME to run my 5 inch gauge electric 'steam engine' on their tracks in 2017. It was not long before my computer skills started taking over from my workshop and this simulator was born!