A-Train III

2025-03-17T19:10:31Z

95.70.3.110: /* Overview */

{{More citations needed|date=January 2022}}
{{Short description|1990 video game}}
{{Infobox VG
|title = A-Train III
|image = ATrain-original-box-cover.jpg
|caption = North American PC boxart
|developer = [[Artdink]]
|publisher = {{vgrelease|JP|Artdink|NA|[[Maxis]]|EU|[[Ocean Software]]}}
|designer =
|engine =
|series = ''[[A-Train]]''
|released = {{vgrelease|JP|December 1990 (PC-9800, FM-Towns, X68000)|JP|April 1991 (PC-9800, FM-Towns editor)|NA/EU|October 1992 (Amiga, DOS, Mac)|JP|March 2000 (Windows 95)|JP|March 2001 (Windows 95, within Memorial Pack)}}
|genre = [[Business simulation game|Business simulation]]
|modes = [[Single player]]
|platforms = [[PC-9800]], [[FM-Towns]], [[X68000]], [[Amiga]], [[DOS]], [[Macintosh]], [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super Famicom]], [[Windows 95]], [[Virtual Console]]
}}

'''''A-Train III''''', known internationally as '''''A-Train''''', is a 1990 [[computer game]], is the third game in the [[A-Train]] series. It was originally developed and published by [[Japan]]ese [[Video game developer|game developer]] [[Artdink]] for Japan, and was later published by [[Maxis]] for the United States.

==Overview==
The game places players in command of a [[railway]] company. There are no rival companies; the player controls the only one in the [[city]] and the game is resultingly fairly open-ended. ''A-Train III'' is the first game in the series to use a [[Isometric video game graphics|near-isometric]] [[dimetric projection]] to present the city, similar to the later ''[[SimCity 2000]]'' by Maxis.

There are two types of transport that the player's company can take: passengers or building materials. The former is more likely to be profitable, but building materials allow the city to grow.

Wherever the building materials are delivered, they can be taken and used to construct buildings for the city. These start with [[house]]s, but eventually, as an area grows, roads, and shops and other buildings are built. These can provide extra revenue for a passenger service, but also allowing the city to develop and grow can be seen as a goal in itself.

As well as the buildings built by the computer, in response to the materials being present, the player can construct their own buildings, such as [[ski resort]]s and [[hotel]]s, and make profits from them if the conditions are right.

==Editor==
'''A.III. MAP CONSTRUCTION''', known internationally as '''A-Train Construction Set''', is an editor that can change existing saved games, or to build landscapes from scratch. It comes with 6 sample maps.

Maxis also published A-Train Construction Set with A-Train as a single package in Europe, without the Ocean Software label.

==Windows version==
Artdink ported the A-Train III along with the editor to Windows 95, and published both titles as a package as the 3rd ARTDINK BEST CHOICE title in Japan.

== Maxis distribution and ports ==
The game was tremendously popular in [[Japan]], thus motivating Maxis to license it for [[United States|US]] distribution as ''A-Train'', available for DOS, Macintosh and Amiga platforms. It was released in October, 1992, though it sold poorly.

Even the release of an add-on pack for the game failed to stir up any real support amongst the gaming community. The game was the first major failure from Maxis.{{citation needed|date=September 2008}}

In spite of the PC version's commercial failure in the US, [[Maxis]] later released a [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] version in 1996, based on [[Artdink]]'s ''AIV: Evolution Global''. The PlayStation was a relatively new platform at that point and the game suffered many limitations, such as requiring an entire [[memory card]] (expensive at the time) to store a single map. Like the PC version, it proved unsuccessful.

== Economic Model ==
A-Train contains a very challenging economic system that includes a 5% land tax on all property owned, and a 50% income tax. The economic model however fails to capture realistic land prices, which adds a major flaw to the games design. Certain buildings the AI is not allowed to build, such as the Amusement Park, Golf Course, and stadium. These buildings cost a relatively similar price no matter where they are placed, however, if placed in a thriving city, they can be sold for up to $6mil. This bug completely circumvents the difficulty inherent in the highly restrictive economic model.

== Sequels ==
In later years, development of the series continued on both [[video game console|console]] and [[personal computers|PC]] platforms. ''A5'', released for PlayStation and PC in 1997, introduced a totally 3D environment. ''A6'', the first game in the series for [[PlayStation 2]], was released in Japan in 2000 and later translated to English and released in Europe as ''A6: [[A-Train 6]]'' by Midas Interactive Entertainment in 2004. ''[[A Ressha de Ikou]] 2001'', a new version of ''A6'' with online support, was released for PS2 in 2001 and followed by several [[expansion pack]]s.

The most recently released game in the core series, ''A7'', was released in 2005 for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]-based PCs in [[Japanese language|Japanese]]. A [[Traditional Chinese]] translation was released in July 2006. However, the Chinese version does not include the original Japanese train, and some unrealistic fiction trains are added. ''A7'' is advertised as an homage to the 10th anniversary of ''AIV'' and uses a [[Trimetric projection|trimetric]] interface, instead of the open 3D interface of ''A5'' and ''A6''.

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| title = Reception (''A-Train III / A-Train'')
| Dragon = DOS: {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Dragon187"/>
| Fam = PC Engine: 29 / 40<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=11971|title=A. III. (Let's go by train A 3)|website=Famitsu.com|access-date=13 January 2022}}</ref>
| GMaster = Amiga: 82%<ref>''GamesMaster'', issue 5 (May 1993), page 87, published 19 April 1993</ref>
| rev1 = ''{{Interlanguage link|Datormagazin|sv|vertical-align=sup}}''
| rev1Score = Amiga: 92%<ref>''Datormagazin'', Vol. 1993, No. 11 (June 1993), pages 52-53</ref>
| rev2 = ''{{Interlanguage link|Svenska Hemdatornytt|sv|vertical-align=sup}}''
| rev2Score = DOS: 94%<ref>''Svenska Hemdatornytt'', Vol. 1992, No. 10 (November 1992), page 28</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[The One (magazine)|The One]]''
| rev3Score = Amiga: 90%<ref>[http://amr.abime.net/amr_popup_picture.php?src=the_one/magscans/one67_1994_04/074.jpg&c=67941] {{dead link|date=January 2022}}</ref>
| award1Pub = [[Software and Information Industry Association#CODiE Awards|Codie award]]
| award1 = [[List of Game of the Year awards|Best Strategy Program]]<ref name="cgw199305"/>
}}

''[[Computer Gaming World]]''{{'}}s reviewer Stanley Trevena stated in 1992 that while he enjoyed the financial and management aspects of ''A-Train'', "many people will miss out on a fine program because of a steeply graded learning curve".<ref name="trevena199209">{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=98 | title=Leavin' On That Noonday Train To Chiba | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=September 1992 | access-date=3 July 2014 | last=Trevena | first=Stanley | pages=38, 40, 42 |issue=98}}</ref>

The game was reviewed in 1992 in ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #187 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.<ref name="Dragon187">{{cite journal|title=The Role of Computers|last1=Lesser|last2=Lesser|last3=Lesser|first1=Hartley|first2=Patricia|first3=Kirk|name-list-style=amp|journal=Dragon|issue=187|date=November 1992|pages=59–64|url=https://annarchive.com/files/Drmg187.pdf#page=61}}</ref> In 1993 the game received a [[Software and Information Industry Association#CODiE Awards|Codie award]] from the [[Software Publishers Association]] for Best Strategy Program.<ref name="cgw199305">{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=106 | title=Awards - Thy Name Is Controversy | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=May 1993 | access-date=7 July 2014 | pages=146}}</ref> ''A-Train'''s isometric, tile-based graphics and animated elements inspired the visual style Maxis went on to adopt for ''Simcity 2000'' in 1993.<ref name="pcmuseum">[http://www.pcmuseum.ca/details.asp?id=40218&type=software A-Train] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222203632/http://www.pcmuseum.ca/details.asp?id=40218&type=software |date=2017-02-22 }}, Personal Computer Museum</ref>

In 1994, ''[[PC Gamer UK]]'' named ''A-Train III'' the 46th best computer game of all time. The editors wrote, "Fascinating, absorbing and now quite cheap, ''A-Train'' is worth a place in any games collection — and don't be put off by the subject matter. It's brilliant fun."<ref name="pcgameruktop50">{{cite magazine | author=Staff | magazine=[[PC Gamer UK]] | title=The ''PC Gamer'' Top 50 PC Games of All Time |date=April 1994 | issue=5 | pages=43–56 }}</ref>

==Reviews==
*''[[The One (magazine)|The One Amiga]]'' (Apr, 1994)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-66|title=TheOne Magazine Issue 66|date=13 April 1994|access-date=13 January 2022|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
*''[[Amiga Computing]]'' (Jun, 1993)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://amr.abime.net/review_8279|title=A-Train review from Amiga Computing 61 (Jun 1993) - Amiga Magazine Rack|website=Amr.abime.net|access-date=13 January 2022}}</ref>
*''[[Amiga Format]]'' (Apr, 1993)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://amr.abime.net/review_2417|title=A-Train review from Amiga Format 45 (Apr 1993) - Amiga Magazine Rack|website=Amr.abime.net|access-date=13 January 2022}}</ref>
*''[[Amiga Action]]'' (May, 1993)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://amr.abime.net/review_6283|title=A-Train review from Amiga Action 44 (May 1993) - Amiga Magazine Rack|website=Amr.abime.net|access-date=13 January 2022}}</ref>
*''[[ASM (Aktueller Software Markt)]]'' (Jul, 1992)
*''[[Amiga Power]]'' (Apr, 1993)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://amigareviews.leveluphost.com/atrain.htm#atrainap|title=Amiga Reviews: A-Train|website=Amigareviews.leveluphost.com|access-date=13 January 2022}}</ref>
*''[[Zero (video game magazine)|Zero]]'' (Sep, 1992)
*''[[Amiga Games]]'' (May, 1993)
*''[[PC Format]]'' (Dec, 1995)<ref>[https://archive.org/details/pc-format-cd-gold-winter-1995/page/n34/mode/2up] {{dead link|date=January 2022}}</ref>
*''[[CU Amiga]]'' (Mar, 1993)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://amigareviews.classicgaming.gamespy.com/atrain.htm#atraincu |title=Amiga Reviews: A-Train & A-Train Construction set |access-date=2022-01-12 |archive-date=2009-02-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225222005/http://amigareviews.classicgaming.gamespy.com/atrain.htm#atraincu |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*''[[The One (magazine)|The One]]'' Amiga (Apr, 1993)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-55|title=TheOne Magazine Issue 55|date=13 April 1993|access-date=13 January 2022|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.a-7.jp/ A7], official [[Japanese language]] website for the most recent game in the series
*{{moby game|id=/a-train|name=''A-Train''}}

[[Category:1990 video games]]
[[Category:1992 video games]]
[[Category:Amiga games]]
[[Category:Artdink games]]
[[Category:Classic Mac OS games]]
[[Category:DOS games]]
[[Category:Maxis Sim games]]
[[Category:NEC PC-9801 games]]
[[Category:PlayStation (console) games]]
[[Category:Railroad business simulation video games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Video game sequels]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Japan]]
[[Category:Virtual Console games]]

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A-Train III