Chris Sawyer's Locomotion

Chris Sawyer's Locomotion is a video game by independent game developer Chris Sawyer Productions from 2004. According to Sawyer, it is the "spiritual successor to Transport Tycoon".

Chris Sawyer's Locomotion
Developer(s)Chris Sawyer Productions
Publisher(s)Atari, Inc., Akella
Designer(s)Chris Sawyer
Artist(s)Simon Foster
Composer(s)Allister Brimble[1][2]
John Broomhall
David Punshon
Scott Joplin
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
ReleaseSeptember 2004
Genre(s)Business simulation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

The game allows the player to use railroads, trams, trucking lines, buses, airplanes and ships to earn money in a transport company between the years 1900 to 2100. It contains over 40 pre-designed scenarios and a scenario editor, and can also be played in multiplayer mode with another human-controlled competitor. The game is played in an 2D isometric view like the other games by Chris Sawyer, particularly RollerCoaster Tycoon, which uses the engine that was originally developed for Transport Tycoon.[3]

The scenarios have five difficulty levels: Beginner, Easy, Medium, Challenging and Expert. Different objectives are available, some require the player to finish on a certain position in the company ranking list while others require the transportation of a specific amount of cargo. In some cases these objectives have additional limits, such as that the player must finish within a certain time limit. While many of the scenarios are fictional, some are based on real-world countries such as the United States, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

In recent years, several add-ons have been created for the game, including hundreds of trains, trucks, airplanes and other vehicles. Some people have used special programs to convert Microsoft Train Simulator rolling stock for use in Locomotion.

Downloadable content

Early on in the game's development, some Japanese vehicles and buildings were created, only to be omitted from the published game. One of these vehicles was the Shinkansen 0 Series, which later became downloadable from Chris Sawyer's website.[4] These Japanese assets were likely switched out for the Swiss ones.

Development

Locomotion was developed by game developer Chris Sawyer as "spiritual successor to Transport Tycoon". The game was published and released by Atari in the U.S. on September 7, 2004 and a few days later in the rest of the world.

In 2013 an Android and iOS version of Transport Tycoon was released that uses the graphics from Locomotion.[5]

On March 17, 2015, the game was re-released through digital distribution on Steam and gog.com.

In January 2018, the open-source project OpenLoco was launched to enhance the gameplay of Locomotion. This includes fixing bugs, translating the game to more languages, and allowing the game to run natively on macOS and Linux. Furthermore, OpenLoco features reduced limitations compared to the original, e.g. disabling vehicle breakdowns, unlocked building options, and using custom resolutions.

Reception

Reviews of the game were generally not favorable, with many noting that the game's user interface and AI were both poor in comparison to the original Transport Tycoon.

Trivia

The Class 656 locomotive in the Swiss game mode is actually not a Swiss locomotive. It instead originates from Italy.

References
  1. "Portfolio". Orchestral Media. Orchestral Media Developments. 4 October 2008. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  2. "Customer Support, Technical Support, Game Enquiries". Chris Sawyer Software Development. Retrieved 30 April 2016. Cinematic orchestral music for video games by Allister Brimble and Anthony Putson. Allister created the music and sound effects for RollerCoaster Tycoon 1 & 2, and Chris Sawyer's Locomotion.
  3. Gamespot Staff (2 April 2004). "RollerCoaster Tycoon designer offers first details on new title". GameSpot. Archived from the original (Interview) on 7 October 2009.
  4. Sawyer, Chris (2006). "The Shinkansen Series 0 "Bullet Train" for Chris Sawyer's Locomotion". Chris Sawyer Software Development. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  5. Brookes, Tim (14 October 2013). "Transport Tycoon Review: Infrastructure Has Never Been So Fun". MakeUseOf. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
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