Simulation games of any kind are notorious for having steep learning curves. Sometimes it’s so difficult to learn these games that if you put a master of plane simulator games in a real life plane that they know, they’ll need little to succeed in flying. Train Simulators are one of the more deceptive in the genre, since you might think it’s simple since you’re only following tracks. There’s actually more to that and to explain all of it will require at least a college dissertation of sorts, so in this guide we’ll only show you the basics to start you off in your train simulator journey.
Beginner’s Guide For SimRail
Like what is said before, explaining the intricacies and all of the buttons you need to know to drive a train will take us a few hours in writing form, maybe a bit less in talking form but this isn’t the scope of this article. This is a guide on how to get yourself started in learning these things, so let’s get started.
Multiplayer
I know what you’re thinking, jumping into multiplayer already!? SimRail is more of a multiplayer game, and even if you learn how to control a train in the singleplayer scenarios, there’s nothing better than trying your skill in Multiplayer. So if you want to learn your train, try the SP scenarios, when you’re done jump into multiplayer!
There’s a lot of servers out there that you can choose, we suggest to choose one that speaks your language and has good ping. You might also see ones that say “Only Drivers.” That means there’s no players playing as Dispatch and you can just go with play with trains.
There are also servers for beginners and there you can talk to people to try to learn the game.
Picking a Train
Of course before you go into a multiplayer lobby you’ll first need to pick a train. There’s different trains with different things that they do. These are some of the train types you can find in the game:
- TME, TLE, TCE – Cargo Trains.
- LTE – Light Engine Moves.
- TLK – Low-cost inter-city passenger trains.
- EC – Stands for Euro-city, more expensive passenger trains.
- S – Commuter type trains
- REG – Regional trains
When choosing a train make sure to check the Departure Time and the server’s time. If you see a train that’s Departure time is before the server time that means that train is already along the way. While if the time is after the server time then you’ll have to wait to depart.
Communication
Of course since it’s mainly a multiplayer game you’ll need to communicate with other people, mostly dispatchers. For example is on the image above the train is currently stopped and you’ll need to tell the dispatcher to clear your train to move. Remember to be polite and to not spam the chat or voice chat.
The Dispatcher is your friend and will be helping you go through your route. Think of it as Aircraft Traffic Controllers in flight sims, the ones that monitor all traffic. Congratulations you now know the basics of playing in SimRail, I know it’s not much but again this is more of a beginner’s guide. There’s a lot to learn in these simulation games and this is just your first step in doing so, good luck! Many thanks to Schnauzahpowahz for showing everyone these tips, if you need more information or advanced tutorials go check their video out here: SimRail | Quick-start GUIDE & TUTORIAL | #simrail – YouTube
ALSO READ: SimRail – Can You Play Singleplayer?
