Sim Elations

What's in a name?

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 03:26:19 GMT

I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised at the amount of response I have seen since the new Train Simulator website

became live a few days ago.

Between several forums, the comments here, and the comments on Rick's blog I thought we'd have a few people post things, sure, but this has been more like hittin' a beehive with a broom--lots of buzz.

To be clear, we read the comments and the forums and we are paying attention.

I've seen some great ideas so far, and I've seen rampant speculation/theories that even Oliver Stone would envy.

But what strikes me the most is how passionate and vibrant the Train Sim community still is! Be it wild rumors ("Microsoft is buying a Class I railroad") or accurate observations ("they're using the same technology as FSX") it is good to hear the lively discussions instead of echoes in the hallways.

OK, I made up the part about Microsoft buying a Class I railroad. Hmmm, maybe we could get the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train though... A lot of us drive by/over that track everyday AND it has great food...

I said earlier that we're working on Train Sim 2. Well, maybe...because I don't know what it will be named yet. I saw someone calling it MSTS X, which is fun and mysterious, unless you're a Citizen of Ancient Rome Reincarnate. Then it would just be confusing (though you might like Flight Sim X. Working on that product is how I learned to correctly pronounce "X" as "ten". The side benefit there is now I can tell my wife I'm going to rent a "10"-rated movie for us to watch this weekend and she thinks I'm talking Oscar-winner. Boy, won't she be surprised!)

So call it what you like for now. I just didn't want to have to constantly refer to it as "a new version of Microsoft Train Simulator"

Next blog Entry:

"Who is this Chucklehead and what does he know about anything?"

Introduction

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 19:06:32 GMT

My work is a game, a very serious game.

M. C. Escher
Dutch artist (1898 - 1972)

Hello. I'm Pat Cook, the Design Director for the Aces Studio in MGS (Microsoft Game Studios).

I hope to use this blog to share some information, ideas, and opinions about the products we are working on, sim/game design topics, the people who create them, our company, and anything else that seems relevant. Or irrelevant, as the mood strikes me.

I also would invite you to play along with me in the best game of all: human interaction. I love discussing, debating, opining, and learning. I look forward to hearing your comments and perhaps disagreeing with you. Though I can be convinced otherwise. As my co-workers have often heard me say: "My opinion may have changed, but the fact than I'm right has not!"

But first, let me cut to the chase on why you may have arrived here:

Yes, we're working on Train Sim 2.

OK, more on that in the coming days, just wanted to let you know it is true.

I would also encourage you to check out some of my favorite blogs (see links on this page). Rick Selby is our Lead Game Designer for Train Simulator and Paul Lange is our Lead Game Designer for Flight Sim. Rick's blog is HERE and Paul's blog is HERE. They are both remarkably talented and passionate about their subject matter and they make my job much easier. Especially since I can direct you to their blogs instead of trying to cover everything in mine.

Which product do I like better? Hmmm, depends which of these guys buys me lunch on any given day.

Actually, there are things that I find remarkably cool about both and things that annoy the crap out of me on both. The good news is I work with a lot of very talented and hardworking people and we are always trying to make things better. I'll talk about some of those things in the coming days as well.

Hey, as I also frequently say, "The first step to making things better is to make sure other people realize they have a problem."

Photo Album: Random Train Shots

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 08:14:59 GMT

Random Train Shots

Jamie's wheelsets shot

Custom List: Other Aces Sites

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 03:31:25 GMT

Other Aces Sites

Yard Limits
Rick Selby, Lead Game Designer on Train Sim
P-12C Pilot
Paul Lange, Lead Game Designer for Flight Sim
PixelPoke
Jason Waskey, Art Director for Aces Studio
TSEngineer
Jamie Osborne, Dev Lead (programming) for Train Sim
The Little Wheel goes in the back
Mike Gilbert, Program Manager First Class, Aces Studio
FSInsider
Get the inside scoop on Flight Simulator
Train Simulator
The Official Train Sim site
Mavyryk's Place
Brett Schnepf, Aces Community and Partner Dev Mgr.