Rail Nation – the railway multiplayer simulation. Even though the term nation appears in the title, this browser game has very little to do with epochal wars between nations. Things are much more peaceful here than in many other browser games. And basically even more environmentally friendly. In Rail Nation your task is to build a railway system. Just like in Hobby Keller, only you will do it virtually and with many other players at the same time. This makes Rail Nation a building game and business simulation that has a long tradition in its specific genre. Connect A with B and go over C. No problem with your own railway empire in Rail Nation.
Rail Nation is a browser game developed by Bright Future and distributed by Travian Games. Bright Future has a lot of experience when it comes to simulations and has spent years developing the Football Manager series for Electronic Arts. With Rail Nation we are now on the rails. The game can be played entirely in the browser. What else you need is an internet connection and maybe a train driver’s hat. The latter is of course optional. Simply register with Rail Nation and start playing straight away.
What is Rail Nation all about?
With Rail Nation a very fine piece of transport simulation comes to your monitor or, of course, tablet PCs. Loving graphics combine with economic aspects that require strategic calculation. But Rail Nation also offers hopeless railway romantics the chance to let off steam to their heart’s content. But it doesn’t work without economic aspects. Rubles and trains either roll together or not at all.
What’s special about Rail Nation is that it runs in rounds. Not turn-based though, more like a season. After four months, a game round ends, then you see whether you were able to achieve fame in the rankings. You gain prestige by conscientiously completing your tasks as managing director of a railway company. A good opportunity for all rail critics to provide their own ideas. You start small with a steam locomotive and a cozy train station. Over time you will expand and expand and go through the different railway eras from the steam locomotive to the electric train.
The economic simulation Rail Nation offers extensive multiplayer functions
The browser game Rail Nation works via a living system. There are several cities on the map that all want to be connected. This is primarily due to the industry, which needs its raw materials and goods delivered. For example, the wood has to go to the carpenter’s workshop, while the boards have to go to the city. At the beginning you start with a simple steam locomotive that will laboriously drag its wagons around behind it. It is important that your rail company must be run very economically. If you have more expenses than income, the hunt for prestige is quickly over. Routes always have to be built cleverly so that trains, for example, do not run without a load and connections are fully utilized. Because such gimmicks are worth money. The game is very complex and requires more than just building tracks with the very nice graphics. Sending the trains on the route only works well if the fleet is regularly brought into shape. Of course, this also causes costs. With research you can research new technologies and gradually move out of the age of the steam locomotive.
Isn’t everything a problem for you? That’s what they all say at the beginning, but once the real problems arise, you can demonstrate your good management. If war breaks out, costs will rise. If the workers are dissatisfied, there will be a strike and the weather will always thwart your plans. At this point at the latest, the romance of the railway becomes a tough everyday life where playful skill is required.
Although you run your own business, you are not alone in the game. There are interfaces to other players, for example, through offers, auctions or just normal competition. The economic system and prices are complexly related. The prices apply equally to you and your fellow players. It is even possible to form alliances and move towards progress in shared societies.
Conclusion on the Rail Nation railway game: Attention rail fans and friends of business simulations, with Rail Nation a game has appeared on the browsers of the world that is no longer far from a full-price title. The free browser game does a lot right. The graphics are great, lovingly designed and reminiscent of the glory days of 2D strategy titles. The economic system is coherent and complex and promises long-term gaming fun. The ways in which players influence each other in multiplayer are well laid out and require a lot of action on that front too. Rail Nation impresses with a number of plus points and will certainly have even more features in the future.