Information About ™A-train |
''A-Train'', known in Japan as '''''A Ressha de Ikou''''' (A列車で行こう), or '''''Take the A-Train''''', is a 1992 Computer Game , originally developed and published by Japan ese Game Developer Artdink for Japan, and was later published by Maxis for the United States . OVERVIEW The game places players in command of a Railway company. There are no rival companies, the player controls the only one in the City and the game is fairly open-ended. ''A-Train'' uses a near-isometric Dimetric Projection to present the city, similar to Maxis's '' SimCity 2000 ''. 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 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 s and Hotel s, and make profits from them if the conditions are right. MAXIS DISTRIBUTION AND PORTS The game was tremendously popular in Japan , thus motivating Maxis to license it for US distribution. Unfortunately for Maxis, aside from those spurred to purchase the game based on Maxis' then-stellar reputation (fresh from the successes of the early '' SimCity '' games), very few copies were purchased in the US. Some suspect that US gamers were not interested in the level of detail and Micro-management that captivated the Japanese audience. The fact that it is a game about managing a train system cannot be the reason it sold poorly, as Microprose 's '' Railroad Tycoon '' remains one of the bestselling game series of all time in the US. 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. A-Train for DOS, Macintosh and Amiga was based on (expensive at the time) to store a single map. Like the PC version, it proved unsuccessful. SEQUELS In later years, development of the series continued on both in 2004 . ''A Ressha de Gyoukou 2001'', a new version of ''A6'' with online support, was released for PS2 in 2001 and followed by several Expansion Pack s. The most recent game of the series, ''A7'', was released in 2005 for Windows -based PCs in Japanese only. ''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''. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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