Microsoft Train Simulator: Sybex Official Strategies & Secrets

Rating:
Summary: A must get if you are new to MSTS.
Review: If you just purchased MSTS and want to learn how to use "Route Editor", "Cab Editor", "Consist Editor", and activities....good luck trying to figure it out without this book.(I bought the book and I am still trying to figure it out!!) Unless of course you have a PHD. in computer science!Well rounded book outlining all the routes and features the simulator has to offer. Just wish it had an index.

Rating:
Summary: Spend five minutes with it at the bookstore.
Review: It is a nice book to scan in the bookstore. That's really all the time you need with it. The information that it provides is really worthless after you play the game a couple times. I would love for the coverage of the editor to be better. If you're thinking about buying the game and your not sure buy the book. It gives more detail than the box. But if you have passed the tutorials in the game the book is really not worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Strategies yes, but secrets maintained.
Review: Sybex' "Train Simulator - Official Strategies and Secrets" book was eagerly anticipated. The Microsoft product is so poorly documented, that I was counting heavily on this book to help fill in the cracks, and give the software more depth.

If you don't own it, the Microsoft Train Simulator (MSTS) has incredible potential. Several tools are released which allow you to create 'activities', lay more track, implement interiors (with instrumentation and controls) and much more. The release of a common set of development tools allows a tremendous degree of interoperability as home-grown developers flesh out the rest of the planet with rail interconnections.

Like most Microsoft documentation, the book is long on the obvious, but short on specifics. To be fair, the provided examples gave me JUST enough experience to understand the game developer's intent, but too many questions go unanswered.

There is considerable overlap between the Sybex book and the MSTS-provided PDF documentation. All too often, the obvious is described (like the track monitor tool), but no attempt is made to explain the difference between the blue lines (in the tool), and cyan ones. We KNOW what "speed" means, but the symbology goes undescribed - and still misunderstood.

All too often the phrase "..is beyond the scope of this book" appears, and I understand the complexities of the product. BUT, to use this phrase instead of describing how to drive a steam engine borders on unacceptability. Again, in their want to document the obvious, they show all the controls, but you can see them quite easily in the program itself. I would have been infinitely more grateful if the same time was spent DESCRIBING the use of the injectors, etc, or how to properly drive a train.

Online forums and real-life locomotive engineers have provided the needed answers and experience I had assumed would be intrinsic to the book. I salute the work of thousands of people collectively struggling to understand the tools

Find the forums, the websites, and save your money.

- adm -

Rating:
Summary: Only skims the surface
Review: The first chapter is a re-hash of the on-line tutorials in the game itself. The bulk of this paperback is taken up by descriptions of the various activities in the game. The different game editors are discussed in the last third of the book.

If you're looking for better instructions on how to run the steam engines, look elsewhere. The on-line tutorials actually provide more information than is printed here. The authors claim it is "impossible" to go into more detail in the book. Disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: Train Sim
Review: This book for this program is great.

You must like it!

Rating:
Summary: Great companion for Train Simulator
Review: This book is full of helpful hints and strategies for the game. It could be more detailed but it covers all the activities and routes that come with the game.

The book is extremely useful when you're about to start an activity for the first time or you don't know quite where to begin. It's written in simple language, not technical jargon, so it's easy to understand and easy to use. Each of the acitvities for each of the routes is covered, with tips and helpful hints to point out "gotchas" and things to watch. There's a little bit of historical information as well.

What makes an activity "hard" on the difficulty scale? Can I complete it in the time allotted? What hazards or conditions make the activity easy or difficult? Is there a stategy I can employ to make the activity more successful? Where on the route will I have to slow down or stop my train, and why?

These are the sort of questions addressed by the book. While it's probably not a necessity, I would highly recommend it for the Train Simulator owner who wants to get the most from the game.

Rating:
Summary: Beginner's Manual
Review: This book is really a basic tutorial and not much else. A lot
of space is dedicated to geographical description of the train routes and less to the technical issues, especially the Tools and Editors. The coverage for this topic is very elemetary. This is the kind of manual that used to come with the software. There are, however, some useful pieces of information which are not included in the MSTS documentation. It's a good place to start...but not to finish