View source for Train Simulator (Ongakukan)

{{Short description|Japanese series of train simulation video games}}
{{italic title}}
'''''Train Simulator''''' (トレインシミュレーター, ''Torein Shimyurētā'', or abbreviated ''"TS"'') is a Japanese [[train simulator|train simulation]] game series produced by Ongakukan. The game is significant as it was one of the earliest of its kind since the series started in 1995. No titles were released outside of Asia until the 2022 title ''JR East Train Simulator''.
The original ''Train Simulator'' series (1995–2000) was designed from technology which was previously used to develop the Ongakukan product "Touch the Music by Casiopea", which synchronized video with audio. This particular game was based on music from the jazz fusion band [[Casiopea]], whose keyboard player at the time, [[Minoru Mukaiya]], was, and is, also the CEO of Ongakukan. With ''Train Simulator'' Ongakukan filmed video from the cab of a train on the desired railway and recorded sounds from that train. Later when the simulation had been completed and was running on a PC, the video would be displayed in a silver metallic box and the sounds would be played according to what was happening at that particular moment in the simulation. The video for the original ''Train Simulator'' series of games was 308×156 pixels at 30 frames per second using [[Indeo|Intel Indeo 2]] video compression and [[Audio Video Interleave|AVI]] file container.
Each game contains Japanese lines and trains, with the exception of four games featuring overseas routes, in [[Germany]], [[France]], [[Taiwan]], and the [[United States of America]]. Video shot from the cab of the train synchronized with the computer is used as a basis for simulation. Ongakukan have endeavoured to produce true to life simulation with much technical details, and since 2005, Ongakukan has started producing professional simulators for driver training.<ref>[http://www.ongakukan.info/english/biz/advantage.html "Train Simulator for Pro-use" in Ongakukan website]</ref>
==Versions==
Six distinct series of the game have been produced through a decade:
===''Train Simulator'' (1995–2000)===
The original series, starting in 1995,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ongakukan.info/pdf/pcts_support_end.pdf|title = Ongakukan.info}}</ref> these titles were all released on [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] and [[Macintosh]] systems.
* 1995.08.19: ''Train Simulator [[Chūō Main Line|Chūō Line]] 201 Series''
:([[Nakano Station (Tokyo)|Nakano]] - [[Toyoda Station|Toyoda]])
* 1995.09.21: ''Train Simulator [[Tōkaidō Main Line]] [[211 series|211 Series]]''
:([[Kamonomiya Station (Kanagawa)|Kamonomiya]] - [[Totsuka Station|Totsuka]])
* 1995.09.21: ''Train Simulator [[Tōhoku Main Line]] 211 Series''
:([[Toro Station|Toro]] - [[Mamada Station|Mamada]])
* 1996.07.19: ''Train Simulator Odakyu Electric Railway [[Odakyu Odawara Line|Odawara Line]] 5000 Series''
:([[Chitose-Funabashi Station|Chitose Funabashi]] - [[Sagami-Ōno Station|Sagami Ono]])
* 1996.11.21: ''Train Simulator [[Sagami Railway Main Line]] 9000 Series''
:([[Yokohama Station|Yokohama]] - [[Ebina Station|Ebina]])
* 1997.03.21: ''Train Simulator Deutsche Bahn [[West Rhine Railway]]''
:([[Bingen (Rhein) Hauptbahnhof|Bingen]] - [[Koblenz Hauptbahnhof|Koblenz]])
* 1997.05.16: ''Train Simulator [[Nanbu Jūkan Railway|Nanbu Jukan Railway]]'' (Also released as a Collector's Edition)
:(Shichinohe - Noheji)
* 1997.06.18: ''Train Simulator Keihin Kyuko Railway [[Keikyu Main Line|Main Line]], Kurihama Line''
:(Shinagawa - Misakiguchi)
* 1997.09.19: ''Train Simulator JR Shikoku 1''
:(Takamatsu - Kotohira, Takamatsu - Kojima)
* 1997.12.17: ''Train Simulator Seibu Railway [[Seibu Shinjuku Line|Shinjuku Line]]''
:(Seibu Shinjuku - Honkawagoe)
* 1998.04.17: ''Train Simulator [[Nagoya Railroad]] 1''
:[[Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line|Nagoya Main Line]], [[Meitetsu Inuyama Line|Inuyama Line]] ([[Kanayama Station (Aichi)|Kanayama]] - Shin-Unuma), [[Meitetsu Hiromi Line|Hiromi Line]] (Inuyama - Shin-Kani)
* 1998.07.17: ''Train Simulator Hanshin Electric Railway''
:(Umeda - Kosoku Kobe)
* 1998.09.18: ''Train Simulator JR Hokkaidō 1''
:(Yoichi - Sapporo)
* 1998.12.18: ''Train Simulator JR East [[Yamanote Line]] Inner Loop'' (also released as ''Train Simulator'' DVD 1999.12.17)
:(Osaki - Osaki, anti-clockwise)
* 1999.07.07: ''Train Simulator South France'' (also released as ''Train Simulator'' DVD)
:([[Cannes]] - [[Nice]] - [[Monte Carlo]] - [[Menton]])
* 1999.09.17: ''Train Simulator Kintetsu [[Minami Osaka Line]] & [[Yoshino Line]]''
:(Abenobashi - Yoshino)
* 2000.03.17: ''Train Simulator JR East [[Keihin-Tohoku Line]]''
:(Kamata - Omiya)
===''Train Simulator PLUS'' (2000–2001)===
The ''Train Simulator PLUS'' series was designed for the Windows system and its releases were limited to Japan. The first episodes were published by [[Pony Canyon]] while the last one was published by Ongakukan.
* 2000.07.19: '''''Train Simulator PLUS: [[Keihan Electric Railway]]'''''
:(Yodoyabashi-Demachi Yanage)
* 2000.10.18: '''''Train Simulator PLUS: [[East Japan Railway Company|JR East]] [[Chūō Main Line|Chūō Line]] 2'''''
:(Tokyo-Otsuki)
* 2001.02.21: '''''Train Simulator PLUS: [[Odakyu Electric Railway]] [[Odakyu Odawara Line|Odawara Line]] 2'''''
:(Shinjuku - Odawara)
* 2001.12.31: '''''Train Simulator PLUS: [[Kyoto Municipal Subway]] [[Karasuma Line]] & [[Kintetsu Railway|Kintetsu]] [[Kyoto Line (Kintetsu)|Kyoto Line]]'''''
:(Kokusai Kaikan, Takeda, Kintetsu Nara)
===''Train Simulator Real'' (2001–2002)===
Published by SCE for the [[PlayStation 2]].
* 2001.10.4: '''''THE [[Yamanote Line]] - Train Simulator Real'''''
:(Osaki - Osaki, clockwise)
* 2002.10.31: '''''THE [[Keihin Electric Express Railway|Keihin Express]] - Train Simulator Real'''''
:([[Misakiguchi Station|Misakiguchi]]-[[Shinagawa]], [[Haneda Airport]]-[[Keikyū Kamata Station|Keikyu Kamata]], [[Shinagawa]])
===''Train Simulator'' (2003–2005)===
Released on PlayStation 2 system.
* 2003.10.30: '''''Train Simulator: [[Midosuji Line]]'''''
:Osaka Subway (Nakamozu - Senri Chūō)
* 2003.12.18: '''''Train Simulator ＋ [[Densha de GO!]]: Tokyo Express Edition'''''
:(Sakuragicho - Shibuya, Shibuya - Chūō Rinkan, Oimachi - Futako Tamagawa)
* 2004.05.31: '''''Train Simulator: [[Kyūshū Shinkansen]]'''''
:JR Kyūshū (Shin-Yatsushiro - Kagoshima Chūō, Kumamoto - Minamata, Kumamoto - Shin-Yatsushiro)
* 2005.08.25: '''''Train Simulator: Keisei, Toei Asakusa, Keikyu Lines'''''
:(Haneda Airport or Ueno - Aoto - Narita Airport)
===''Mobile Train Simulator'' (2005–2006)===
Released on [[PlayStation Portable]] system from 2005 to 2006 and available in Japan and Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore).
* 2005.02.17: '''''Mobile Train Simulator ＋ [[Densha de GO!]]: Tokyo Express Edition'''''
:(Sakuragicho-Shibuya, Shibuya-Chūō Rinkan, Oimachi-Futako Tamagawa)
* 2006.02.23: '''''Mobile Train Simulator: Keisei, Toei Asakusa, Keikyu Lines'''''
:(Haneda Airport-Aoto, Ueno-Narita Airport)
===''Railfan'' (2006–2007)===
''Railfan'' is a subseries of ''Train Simulator'' designed for the [[PlayStation 3]] system. The first game introduced in December 2006 was published by Ongakukan in Japan, by [[Sony Computer Entertainment]] in Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore) and by Cyberfront Korea in South Korea.
* 2006.12.21: '''''[[Railfan: Chicago Transit Authority Brown Line]]'''''
:[[Chuo Main Line]] ([[Mitaka Station|Mitaka]]-[[Tokyo Station|Tokyo]]), [[Keihan Main Line]] (Demachiyanagi-[[Yodoyabashi Station|Yodoyabashi]]), [[Brown Line (Chicago Transit Authority)|Chicago Brown Line]] ([[Fullerton (CTA)|Fullerton]], [[The Loop (rapid transit)|Loop]], Fullerton)
* 2007.11.1: ''Railfan Taiwan Koutetsu'' was released in Japan late 2007 for [[PlayStation 3]], published by Ongakukan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/10/26/gaming-life-in-japan-15?page=7 |work=IGN |title=Gaming Life in Japan |date=26 October 2007}}</ref> The game simulates the early-high speed rail line in Taiwan, from Taipei to Zuoying. The game provides a simulation of a train moving at 300 km/h and details of 300 locations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/07/17/playstation-premiere-railfan-heads-to-taiwan |work=IGN |date=17 July 2007 |title=PlayStation Premiere: Railfan Heads to Taiwan}}</ref>
=== ''JR East Train Simulator'' (2022–present) ===
First version released in November 2022, ''JR East Train Simulator'' was the first title in the series to be regularly updated in the West. The base game features full [[Keihin–Tōhoku_Line|Keihin–Tōhoku Negishi Line]], short segments of the [[Tōkaidō Main Line|Tōkaidō]], [[Chūō Line (Rapid)|Chūō]], and [[Ōito Line|Ōito]] lines, with 12 DLC [<nowiki/>[[Tōkaidō Main Line|Tōkaidō]], [[Chūō Line (Rapid)|Chūō]], [[Ōito Line|Ōito]], [[Saikyō Line|Saikyō]]–[[Kawagoe Line|Kawagoe]], [[Senseki Line|Senseki]], [[Keiyō Line|Keiyō]], [[Yamanote Line|Yamanote]], [[Jōban Line|Jōban]] ([[Ueno–Tokyo Line|Ueno–Tokyo]] included), [[Shin'etsu Main Line|Shin'etsu Main]], [[Hachinohe Line|Hachinohe]], [[Nambu Line|Nambu]] ([[Nambu Branch Line|Branch]] included), [[Tsurumi Line|Tsurumi]] ([[Tsurumi Line|Umi-Shibaura Branch]], [[Tsurumi Line|Ōkawa Branch]] included), and [[Sōbu Line (Rapid)|Sōbu]] ([[Narita Line|Narita Airport branch]] included) lines] available on [[Steam (service)|Steam]] platform to extend these lines to their full length.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Yokoyama |first1=Keiichi |title=JR EAST Train Simulator's official Steam release arrives along with some new routes |url=https://automaton-media.com/en/news/20221116-16771/ |website=AUTOMATON |date=16 November 2022 |publisher=Active Gaming Media Inc. |access-date=20 May 2023}}</ref>
==Controllers==
A number of external controllers with realistic controls have been manufactured for use with the games:
* Train Mascon (uses serial port to connect to PC or Macintosh)
* Master Controller II for Trainsimulator (USB)
* Multi Train Controller (PlayStation 2)
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.ongakukan.co.jp/en/}} {{in lang|en}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Train Simulator Series}}
[[Category:1995 video games]]
[[Category:Classic Mac OS games]]
[[Category:Windows games]]
[[Category:PlayStation 2 games]]
[[Category:PlayStation 3 games]]
[[Category:Train simulation video games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Japan]]
[[Category:Video game franchises]]
[[Category:Video game franchises introduced in 1995]]