Contrary review on SMR

[flowmotion]

It seems to me the majority of opinion I have read are in my camp. The difference being those who want Civ4 in a locomotives skin and those who just want to play with toy trains.

And on the old RRT3 forums, everyone was complaining about the economic aspects because Railroad Tycoon should be all about the choo-choos, right? Well, I believe that RRT3 didn't sell that great, so maybe they were right.

Fact is the people who like the game are busy playing the game, and the people who don't like it are bitching on message boards.

RRT3 was produced during the dotcom-boom, and I believe the thinking was "People like day-trading, so lets make a stock market-oriented game". Me? I'd rather zoom in and look at the sparks and smoke and people getting on board than worry about shorting stocks or what have you.

[CaptainPatch]

So what you guys are saying is that you like game play just not SMR's, you want RRT1's game play. Well if tha so then just go and install RRT1. I for one like SMR's game play I'm sure there are others but there to busy playing the game to post.

Know where a person can still get a 5-1/4" drive? How well does a DOS-based game play on Windows XP?

As a beer-and-pretzels game, SMR is _okay_. But I think you guys don't quite understand what has us old-timers peeved about SMR. I can't speak for the others, but in my case what I dislike about SMR is not that it isn't a good game; like I said, it's okay. What has annoyed me enough to motivate me to place a complaint is Firaxis' bait-and-switch advertising. For month's on end they broadcasted that "Sid Meier will be revisiting his classic game, 'Railroad Tycoon'". Every implication indicated that he was going to bring _that_ game into the 21st Century. So those of us that loved that game eagerly awaited Sid's magic touch to create the game that PopTop failed to produce. But instead, after we laid out the $40 for Sid's modern miracle, what we get is "Railroad Tycoon Lite". SMR didn't _add_ one single solitary thing to RRT; all it did was take things _out_.

_That's_ what we were holding our breath for? It brings new meaning to the word "anticlimatic".

When people are the victims of bait-and-switch tactics, you shouldn't be surprised when they complain.

[malekish]

But I think you guys don't quite understand what has us old-timers peeved about SMR. I can't speak for the others, but in my case what I dislike about SMR is not that it isn't a good game; like I said, it's okay. What has annoyed me enough to motivate me to place a complaint is Firaxis' bait-and-switch advertising. For month's on end they broadcasted that "Sid Meier will be revisiting his classic game, 'Railroad Tycoon'". Every implication indicated that he was going to bring _that_ game into the 21st Century. So those of us that loved that game eagerly awaited Sid's magic touch to create the game that PopTop failed to produce

Hrm, something about someone else saving me the time of writing out a well-thought response

As far as the old games, you can use DOSBox to play them well. It emulates a full computer, complete with SoundBlaster and VGA graphics card.

http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/news.php?show_news=1

[Ralph]

Well, I have played a lot of RT2 and RT3 (as well as the Civs) and enjoyed every hour. As such, I had the same expectations for SMR that most have expressed. I couldn't believe it when I first saw the "dumbed-down" economic system (especially after the intricate one realized in RT3). And, automobiles in demand in 1830?? Gimme a break!

That said, I decided to get my $40 worth and give it a try anyway, and now I'm enjoying it, particularly since the patch which has fixed most (but not all) of my CTDs. I do restart the scenarios, but I do so to get the least advantageous start city. They definitely are not created equal! Also, planning efficient track layout with an eye to the future is quite challenging, especially since the playing area quickly gets so cramped.

Let me also say that I read stuff like the interview with Sid before I bought SMR, and he did say there that he was attempting to design a game that had the feel of a model railroad, so I knew a bit about what I was buying before I got it.

So, was I disappointed by SMR? Yes, but I'm getting over it. Do I play SMR for a realistic economic scenario? Nope, I have to crank up RT3 for that. However, IMHO, there are ways to play SMR that are reasonably challenging; they're just different sorts of challenges as compared to RT2 & RT3.

So, while I don't feel ripped off, I do feel somewhat "baited & switched".

[jaromon]

i for one still play rt3..[played 3 games last night]..i also like SMR for it's fun factor...am i disappointed ??No...now to one of these things isin't like the other post

microsoft trainsim
trainz
railroad tycoon series
SMR

answer =all the above is not like the others

only thing in common is trains

i play MSTS when i want to operate a train
i don't own trainz
i play rt3 when i want to operate a railroad entirely
i play SMR to relax,build a railroad and enjoy the eye candy

do i think anyone of the above is better or worse than the other?? No...
it would be like comparing pie and cake both are sweet but they are different.sometime i want cake and sometimes i want pie..

that is the fun of having a choice

for the record i did buy SMR not only because Sid's name is on it but i believed i would enjoy it..while i am not saying SMR is perfect {what game is for that matter?}i am saying it is a fun game to play..