For us, OMSI Bus Simulator is the simulator we was waiting for. It came out last year in March and it has been talked about and praised while still maintaining a low profile on the web. It was developed by only two, very passionate people over a period of over 3 years. Since its release, Youtube has been flooded with gameplay movies, bus mods, new routes and other such viral things.
Simulator aficionados will love its interface, in that there isn’t one - all the buttons and switches are on the dashboard of the bus and are operated via the mouse. Using the mouse is also recommended for steering the 12-meter giants through often impossibly narrow streets with cars parked on both sides. The more frequently used functions can be mapped to the keyboard for a more enjoyable experience. Graphically speaking it's decent but it lacks the eye candy of 'commercial' games - another plus in my book, as it enables the game to run on surprisingly old machines. It also supports Track-IR technology(tracking your head to move the in-game camera) and almost all racing wheels available on the market if you don't get used to the mouse controls.
The simulator is available with 3 variations of MAN double-decker busses from the 1980s and the only real map the game comes with is also set in 1980s Berlin. It is a joy to drive the beautifully recreated buses while trying to adhere to the strict timetable and also obeying traffic laws, indicating when changing lanes etc. Another of the game’s party pieces which adds a new level of realism to it is the fact that it is the first ever simulator to properly (or at all) simulate an automatic gearbox. The buses have highly realistic physics and they are slow to react, yet with a bit of finesse added into the mix, it soon becomes enjoyable and quite challenging at the same time. Throw heavy snow, rain and iced-over roads and various other weather parameters into the mix and you’ve got a complete simulation package.
If you are into simulators or if you especially like buses, give it a try. Despite being a new-ish game, it will work on a 6 year-old PC with the settings turned down - something modern games no longer cater for. Strong communities are also building up behind it and the number of high quality mods and new vehicles is on the rise.
The simulator is available with 3 variations of MAN double-decker busses from the 1980s and the only real map the game comes with is also set in 1980s Berlin. It is a joy to drive the beautifully recreated buses while trying to adhere to the strict timetable and also obeying traffic laws, indicating when changing lanes etc. Another of the game’s party pieces which adds a new level of realism to it is the fact that it is the first ever simulator to properly (or at all) simulate an automatic gearbox. The buses have highly realistic physics and they are slow to react, yet with a bit of finesse added into the mix, it soon becomes enjoyable and quite challenging at the same time. Throw heavy snow, rain and iced-over roads and various other weather parameters into the mix and you’ve got a complete simulation package.
If you are into simulators or if you especially like buses, give it a try. Despite being a new-ish game, it will work on a 6 year-old PC with the settings turned down - something modern games no longer cater for. Strong communities are also building up behind it and the number of high quality mods and new vehicles is on the rise.
Google News