Trains
Alternative title: Railroad Tycoon  (Maxion release)
Platform: Commodore 64
Gametype: Undefined
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Trains is a top-down managerial game. In the age of steam-powered trains, there are opportunities to make money on great railroads. It will be up to the player to take control of a train on a railroad and turn a profit. The player does this by moving the train to a loading station that will supply raw material, and stopping in front of it with the appropriate car and blowing the whistle to begin the loading process. This is then delivered to the stations of industries that need them, unloading taking place the exact same way. The faster goods are delivered, the more money is made, with extra profits available when an industry is in critical need of a supply. Meters of available industry supplies can be shown on the screen. 

The train itself can only be stopped and move forwards and backwards, following the path of the train track, left and right movement is used only at switches, where the track splits into two directions. Each action of train movement uses coal, multiplied by the weight of the goods being carried. Coal is resupplied at the coal yard, and is loaded into the coal car the same way as other goods, spending money in order to buy coal. If the player runs out of coal while driving the train, it will cost them twice as much to have the coal delivered to the train. Every 3 minutes, $200 is deducted from the player for payroll and any crashed train costs another $200 in penalties. Each level is a unique track design, and can take place across cities, deserts, mountains and plains. As industry supplies are managed, a track is gradually built at the edge of the screen which will lead to the next level.

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Description from the packaging:

Get into Trains! Running an old-time railroad is fun- and challenging. Will you be successful enough to expand into new territories?
Trains puts you in charge of an old-time American railway empire- and whether your business gets bigger or goes bankrupt is entirely up to you!

As you speed around the tracks, you'll see that a lot of industries depend on you. The folks at the sawmill need you to bring in logs from the lumber camp. While without your delivery of ore, the factory will close. And don't forget to keep the people at the market happy with a carload of produce from the farm. Pick up and deliver on time and you'll make money- which you'll need to pay your workers and keep the locomotive filled with coal.

If you play smart, you'll make enough to expand the railroad into new- and progressively tougher- territories. If you don't? Well, you'll understand how a business can go bankrupt! Either way, you're going to find that working on this railroad is a challenge- and a lot of fun!
Interactive Picture Systems, Inc., creator of Trains, specializes in developing highly interactive, creative graphics software for personal and professional use.
Educational Value: Trains introduces children to the basic principles of running a business. It teaches them to manage financial resources, and to use different kinds of information in setting priorities and meeting deadlines.


http://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/trains
