It is quite scary to think how long ago the early days of MSTS were - over 20 years. Even the OP Rail Simulator only has another 3 years to its 20th birthday! I wonder where the hobby will be 20 years from now? (Though still being around to check it out, or just being too old to care could be an issue ).
TSW25 will have just been released, still running on UE4.26, and will no doubt have as many separate class 66 DLC as there are locomotives in that class! Oh, and the Enough is Enough thread will have reached 2500 pages. We oldies shall be able to shuffle off our mortal coil reflecting with satisfaction that some things never change.
Train Simulator will still be getting between 500-1000 concurrent players, but will require players to have custom built retro (2024) PCs for the game to work.
Never played Railworks. I dabbled briefly with Trainz and then got in MSTS, which I loved. It was here where I was most creative, taking over and extending the Glas-Car route and also creating multiple re-skins and activities for the sim. Even worked for some of the commercial groups at the time doing testing and writing activities for their routes/packs. Glas-Car is my greatest contribution to the world of simming and I'm glad Open Rails allows me a chance to still fire up the route once in a blue moon. For those who don't remember it, I think it had over 100 stations by the time I downed tools for good, including lines all around Glasgow, including a few on the North Clyde lines.
I bought a sealed copy of RailWorks a few years ago to get the original versions of the three fictional routes that are included. They put so much effort into the physical version of the game. It has four manuals, with one of them talking about every default route, train and scenario in detail, and there's a large manual solely about the editor which is still useful today despite all the updates to it. I also have a RailWorks 2 physical copy and it was an immediate step down from RailWorks'.
Maybe in 20 years we will have another 1st gen DMU and a small sulzer? In all seriousness whatever is about needs all the best features of those that have come before it. Innovation of MSTS ie an editor which although flawed and unstable launched a thousand add ons. TSC Variety of stock and again editors that allow many to develop for. Zusi, although mainly German only content leads on operating realism. Rigid pathing in other sims ruins many a journey when a signaller/dispatcher would have sent the train a different way when a section is occupied ahead. TSW although I knock it its timetable mode is the best feature. Also graphics can be stunning on occasion.
