''A-Train III'', known internationally as ''A-Train'', is a 1992
computer game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...
, is the third game in the
A-Train
is a series of business simulation video games developed and published by Japanese game developer Artdink in Japan. The first game in the series was published in 1985. The first release in the United States was ''Take the A-Train II'', published ...
series. It was originally developed and published by
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese
game developer Artdink
is a Japanese developer of video games, based in Tsukishima, Tokyo.
By far Artdink's biggest international success was the award-winning ''A-Train'' (known in Japan as ''A Ressha de Ikou'', or "Take the A-Train") strategy game released for the ...
for Japan, and was later published by
Maxis
Maxis is an American video game developer and a Division (business), division of Electronic Arts (EA). The studio was founded in 1987 by Will Wright (game designer), Will Wright and Jeff Braun, and acquired by Electronic Arts, EA in 1997. Maxi ...
for the United States.
Overview
The game places players in command of a
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
company. There are no rival companies; the player controls the only one in the
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
and the game is resultingly fairly open-ended. A-Train III is the first game in the series to use of near-isometric
dimetric projection
Axonometric projection is a type of orthographic projection used for creating a pictorial drawing of an object, where the object is rotated around one or more of its axes to reveal multiple sides.Gary R. Bertoline et al. (2002) ''Technical Graphi ...
to present the city, similar to Maxis's ''
SimCity 2000
''SimCity 2000'' is a City-building game, city-building Simulation game, simulation video game jointly developed by Will Wright (game designer), Will Wright and Fred Haslam (game designer), Fred Haslam of Maxis. It is the successor to ''SimCity ( ...
''.
There are two types of transport that the player's company can take: passengers or building materials. The former is more likely to be profitable, but building materials allow the city to grow.
Wherever the building materials are delivered, they can be taken and used to construct buildings for the city. These start with
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
s, but eventually, as an area grows, roads, and shops and other buildings are built. These can provide extra revenue for a passenger service, but also allowing the city to develop and grow can be seen as a goal in itself.
As well as the buildings built by the computer, in response to the materials being present, the player can construct their own buildings, such as
ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...
s and
hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...
s, and make profits from them if the conditions are right.
Editor
A.III. MAP CONSTRUCTION, known internationally as A-Train Construction Set, is an editor that can change existing saved games, or to build landscapes from scratch. It comes with 6 sample maps.
Maxis also published A-Train Construction Set with A-Train as a single package in Europe, without the Ocean Software label.
Windows version
Artdink ported the A-Train III along with the editor to Windows 95, and published both titles as a package as the 3rd ARTDINK BEST CHOICE title in Japan.
Maxis distribution and ports
The game was tremendously popular in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, thus motivating Maxis to license it for
US distribution as ''A-Train'', available for DOS, Macintosh and Amiga platforms. It was released in October, 1992, though it sold poorly.
Even the release of an add-on pack for the game failed to stir up any real support amongst the gaming community. The game was the first major failure from Maxis.
In spite of the PC version's commercial failure in the US,
Maxis
Maxis is an American video game developer and a Division (business), division of Electronic Arts (EA). The studio was founded in 1987 by Will Wright (game designer), Will Wright and Jeff Braun, and acquired by Electronic Arts, EA in 1997. Maxi ...
later released a
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
version in 1996, based on
Artdink
is a Japanese developer of video games, based in Tsukishima, Tokyo.
By far Artdink's biggest international success was the award-winning ''A-Train'' (known in Japan as ''A Ressha de Ikou'', or "Take the A-Train") strategy game released for the ...
's ''AIV: Evolution Global''. The PlayStation was a relatively new platform at that point and the game suffered many limitations, such as requiring an entire
memory card
A memory card is an electronic data storage device used for storing digital information, typically using flash memory. These are commonly used in digital portable electronic devices. They allow adding memory to such devices using a card in a so ...
(expensive at the time) to store a single map. Like the PC version, it proved unsuccessful.
Economic Model
A-Train contains a very challenging economic system that includes a 5% land tax on all property owned, and a 50% income tax. The economic model however fails to capture realistic land prices, which adds a major flaw to the games design. Certain buildings the AI is not allowed to build, such as the Amusement Park, Golf Course, and stadium. These buildings cost a relatively similar price no matter where they are placed, however, if placed in a thriving city, they can be sold for up to $6mil. This bug completely circumvents the difficulty inherent in the highly restrictive economic model.
Sequels
In later years, development of the series continued on both
console
Console may refer to:
Computing and video games
* System console, a physical device to operate a computer
** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device
** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...
and
PC platforms. ''A5'', released for PlayStation and PC in 1997, introduced a totally 3D environment. ''A6'', the first game in the series for
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
, was released in Japan in 2000 and later translated to English and released in Europe as ''A6:
A-Train 6
is a series of business simulation video games developed and published by Japanese game developer Artdink in Japan. The first game in the series was published in 1985. The first release in the United States was ''Take the A-Train II'', published ...
'' by Midas Interactive Entertainment in 2004. ''
A Ressha de Ikou
is a series of business simulation video games developed and published by Japanese game developer Artdink in Japan. The first game in the series was published in 1985. The first release in the United States was ''Take the A-Train II'', published ...
2001'', a new version of ''A6'' with online support, was released for PS2 in 2001 and followed by several
expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, supplement, or simply expansion is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game, video game or collectible card game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, characters, or an ...
s.
The most recently released game in the core series, ''A7'', was released in 2005 for
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
-based PCs in
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
. A
Traditional Chinese
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
translation was released in July 2006. However, the Chinese version does not include the original Japanese train, and some unrealistic fiction trains are added. ''A7'' is advertised as an homage to the 10th anniversary of ''AIV'' and uses a
trimetric interface, instead of the open 3D interface of ''A5'' and ''A6''.
Reception
''
Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
''s reviewer Stanley Trevena stated in 1992 that while he enjoyed the financial and management aspects of ''A-Train'', "many people will miss out on a fine program because of a steeply graded learning curve".
The game was reviewed in 1992 in ''
Dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
'' #187 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
In 1993 the game received a
Codie award
The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) is a trade association dedicated to the entertainment, consumer and business software industries. Established in 1984 as the Software Publishers Association (SPA), the SIIA took its new na ...
from the
Software Publishers Association
The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) is a trade association dedicated to the entertainment, consumer and business software industries. Established in 1984 as the Software Publishers Association (SPA), the SIIA took its new na ...
for Best Strategy Program.
''A-Trains isometric, tile-based graphics and animated elements inspired the visual style Maxis went on to adopt for ''Simcity 2000'' in 1993.
[A-Train](_blank)
, Personal Computer Museum
In 1994, ''
PC Gamer UK
''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games mag ...
'' named ''A-Train III'' the 46th best computer game of all time. The editors wrote, "Fascinating, absorbing and now quite cheap, ''A-Train'' is worth a place in any games collection — and don't be put off by the subject matter. It's brilliant fun."
Reviews
*''
The One Amiga
''The One'' was a video game magazine in the United Kingdom which covered 16-bit home gaming during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was first published by EMAP in October 1988 and initially covered computer games aimed at the Atari ST, Amiga ...
'' (Apr, 1994)
*''
Amiga Computing
''Amiga Computing'' was a monthly computer magazine of a serious nature, published by Europress and IDG in both the UK and USA. A total of 117 issues came out. The games section was called Gamer, although later ''Amiga Action'' was incorporated i ...
'' (Jun, 1993)
*''
Amiga Format
''Amiga Format'' was a British computer magazine for Amiga computers, published by Future plc. The magazine lasted 136 issues from 1989 to 2000. The magazine was formed when, in the wake of selling ''ACE'' to EMAP, Future split the dual-format t ...
'' (Apr, 1993)
*''
Amiga Action
''Amiga Action'' was a monthly magazine about Amiga video games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Europress (later IDG Media) and ran for 89 full issues, from October 1989 to December 1996. After its closure, it was merged into sister pu ...
'' (May, 1993)
*''
ASM (Aktueller Software Markt)
''Aktueller Software Markt'' (literally ''Current Software Market''), commonly known by its acronym, ''ASM'', was a German multi-platform video game magazine that was published by Tronic-Verlag from 1986 until 1995. It was one of the first magazine ...
'' (Jul, 1992)
*''
Amiga Power
''Amiga Power'' (''AP'') was a monthly magazine about Amiga video games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Future plc, and ran for 65 issues, from May 1991 to September 1996.
Philosophy
''Amiga Power'' had several principles which com ...
'' (Apr, 1993)
*''
Zero
0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation
Positional notation (or place-value notation, or positional numeral system) usually denotes the extension to any base of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system (or ...
'' (Sep, 1992)
*''
Amiga Games
__NOTOC__
This is a list of games for the Amiga line of personal computers organised alphabetically by name. See Lists of video games
This is a list of all video game lists on Wikipedia, sorted by varying classifications.
By platform
Acorn
* ...
'' (May, 1993)
*''
PC Format
''PC Format'' was a computer magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future plc, and licensed to other publishers in countries around the world. In publication between 1991 and 2015, it was part of Future plc's ''Format'' series of magazines ...
'' (Dec, 1995)
*''
CU Amiga
''Commodore User'', known to the readers as the abbreviated ''CU'', was one of the oldest British Commodore magazines. With a publishing history spanning over 15 years, it mixed content with technical and video game features. Incorporating ''Vic ...
'' (Mar, 1993)
*''
The One
The ONE is a shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is built on the site of the former Tung Ying Building at 100 Nathan Road. It was developed by Chinese Estates Holdings and opened in 2010. Owner Joseph Lau Luen-hung g ...
'' Amiga (Apr, 1993)
References
External links
A7 official
Japanese language
is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ma ...
website for the most recent game in the series
*{{moby game, id=/a-train, name=''A-Train''
1992 video games
Amiga games
Artdink games
Classic Mac OS games
DOS games
Maxis Sim games
NEC PC-9801 games
PlayStation (console) games
Railroad business simulation video games
Video game sequels
Video games developed in Japan
Virtual Console games