What sets it apart is the incredible detail that has been put into the game’s simulation of German railway systems. The point of differentiation for Zusi 3 among the competition is not its visuals, which Hölscher acknowledges are “not that good”. Zusi 3 – Aerosoft Edition was released in June, repackaging Hölscher’s software along with the newly-added Cologne-Düsseldorf route.įetch.AI and the UK rail network’s digital revolution While Hölscher has primarily marketed the Zusi series to the German market himself, for Zusi 3 he teamed up with German sim developer and publisher Aerosoft, which has logged more than 25 years in the world of simulation.

The game, developed by Carsten Hölscher, models more than 500km of driveable routes on the German rail network, including Cologne-Düsseldorf, the upper Ruhr valley railway, the marsh railway Heide-Westerland and the Intercity-Express (ICE) route Kassel-Göttingen. Zusi 3 is an excellent example of the latter style of professional-level train sim games. In some cases they have also been industrialised for use as part of rail operators’ simulated training programmes. These games, which in many cases blur the line between entertainment and technical training, might not have the prettiest graphics on the market, but they are designed to emphasise something arguably more impressive – the detailed modelling of complex rail systems, from train braking physics to true-to-life timetables and signalling systems, in the most realistic way possible.Ī cottage industry of software developers, often supported by extremely active online communities, have allowed users to get to grips with the nitty-gritty details of train operation with more authenticity than ever before. And then there is the ‘hardcore’ end of the train simulator spectrum.

Railway empire 2 demo