CTA bus simulator releasing soon

[garmon757]

​Yeah that is a bit of sad irony and coincidence. And your thought about using this a part of operator training may sound odd, but OMSI does rate how well the buses are driven as part of the game.

Bingo!

[Guest]

I work in the drivers training section at the Chicago fire academy. My job is making sure firefighters and paramedics are driving our fire equipment safely. We have three really cool three screen simulators built by L3. Im wondering if these are the same simulators CTA has. We have our sims programmed with only fire apparatus. Really cool! 

[Busjack]

Is it just me or it's very ironic how OMSI is going to release this simulator after that horrific accident and now CTA is about to heightened training for bus operators. Hell, they should take notes by distributing this simulator to oncoming operators in the future. Let's see how affective that can be!

​I thought it had been announced that CTA has training simulators, and it was, just that it turned out it was 10 years ago.

[Guest]

​I thought it had been announced that CTA has training simulators, and it was, just that it turned out it was 10 years ago.

​Yes, they had simulators for years!I I remember seeing them on the CTA cable program "Connections" Not sure if they still air it. But anyway, I recall a segment concerning bus drivers training. They showed a CTA operator in a simulator with a bus instructor. I know they didnt have them when I went through their training program back in the late 90s.

[jajuan]

I bought it off Steam and played it for a bit. Had a lot of trouble getting my DE60LF to move and ended up accidentally shutting off the engine. Eventually loaded up a new map and experimented without passengers at Kedzie Garage and read the manual. Did a trip on the 130 from the Adler Planetarium to Ogilvie and Union Stations.

The Good: The buses are amazing, almost everything works on them, and you can click on the hopper windows to open them like with the original German buses. I had to learn how to use the driver interface screen, but that was relatively easy. Both buses also sound great.  There are L trains that run overhead and down the Eisenhower, which is a really nice touch. I was playing it in the company of my friends, and one of them laughed when a passenger paid with Ventra and it made the accepted payment chime. The buses also carry destination signs for routes not included in the game, and as always, the route number can be entered in manually. In addition to the motor sounds, the entire add-on is just ear candy. You can click on the Ventra reader and it will show the Not Accepted screen and play the chimes too. The bus announcements are also included, played both on the internal and external speakers depending on the announcement. Pressing buttons on the screens in the bus also makes a beeping sound. The people boarding the bus speak in English. For someone who regards sound as a VERY important component of a simulation, the amount of unique sounds in this add-on is very satisfying.

The Bad: Unfortunately the real CTA logos and stuff weren't used, but that's a little minor thing, and maybe an update will fix that when the logos can legally be used. My biggest complaint however is that Lower Wacker isn't fully modeled (not that it matters for the route I did), and other missing stuff around the map, like detailed L stations. The Lake Shore Drive bridge was modeled as a single decker bridge, and the Eisenhower is missing the Blue Line stations along the line and the UIC turn back track. The animated trains (which are all four car 5000s with white destination signs) simply run down the line and into the subway. I experienced plenty of lag when I first ran the map, and I had to tone down the graphics on my laptop to regain frame rates.

​Is the 124 routing the current one with EB along Wacker, or is it the original Washington routing? Out of the game play vids I found so far on YouTube, I only found this route played westbound which is why I asked. By the way, full fares in the game is $2. 

Edited June 19, 2015 by jajuan
clarification.

[MTRSP1900-CTA3200]

​Is the 124 routing the current one with EB along Wacker, or is it the original Washington routing? Out of the game play vids I found so far on YouTube, I only found this route played westbound which is why I asked. By the way, full fares in the game is $2. 

​I drove the bus east bound up Wacker for most of the trip, as the route guide arrows pointed me in that direction. Also, since I turned off the player fare handling system, people were only paying with Ventra.

[jajuan]

​I drove the bus east bound up Wacker for most of the trip, as the route guide arrows pointed me in that direction. Also, since I turned off the player fare handling system, people were only paying with Ventra.

​Well I took the plunge and downloaded OMSI 2 and got the Chicago Downtown add-on last night. I'm about to learn the ropes the manual and test out the 130 today.

[MTRSP1900-CTA3200]

Well I took the plunge and downloaded OMSI 2 and got the Chicago Downtown add-on last night. I'm about to learn the ropes the manual and test out the 130 today.

Sounds good! Please let us know what you think.

[jajuan]

Sounds good! Please let us know what you think.

It's a really great game. The detail is amazing. Too bad they couldn't put any of the Blue Line stations along the Ike between the garage and downtown to add to the realism. I just have to work out how to keep the bus from dying while still in route and giving the low oil, air and battery malfunctions.

[Busjack]

It's a really great game. The detail is amazing. Too bad they couldn't put any of the Blue Line stations along the Ike between the garage and downtown to add to the realism. I just have to work out how to keep the bus from dying while still in route and giving the low oil, air and battery malfunctions.

Doesn't that make it realistic?

[jajuan]

Doesn't that make it realistic?

Interestingly enough "bad maintenance" and "very bad maintenance" are two options to drive in OMSI 2. And there's the ideal "infinite" condition in which your bus never breaks down. And I managed to get my settings right to do a round trip for 124.  Of course Metra can't be named in this game either so you'll hear something like "transfer to Amtrak and local trains" (Union Station bus stop) and "transfer for Millenium Park and South Shore trains (Lake-Randolph stop along Michigan Avenue).

I think CTA5750 would like this version of Chicago, Brand new shiny 5000s on the Blue Line with express nonstop service straight through the Forest Park branch.

[sw4400]

It's a really great game. The detail is amazing. Too bad they couldn't put any of the Blue Line stations along the Ike between the garage and downtown to add to the realism. I just have to work out how to keep the bus from dying while still in route and giving the low oil, air and battery malfunctions.

Wouldn't it be something if your bus broke down on the bridge and the bridge started to raise up.....

[Busjack]

Wouldn't it be something if your bus broke down on the bridge and the bridge started to raise up.....

Happened to Elwood Blues. There wasn't even a reason for him to get off the Skyway to jump the 95th St. Bridge, or for that matter, go from Joliet Prison via the north end of Hammond. So, a bad simulation.

Edited June 20, 2015 by Busjack

[sw4400]

Doesn't that make it realistic?

Now if they could put the NABI 60-LFW in the game, all they need to do is have the articulated section of the bus fail and fall apart while in service.

[jajuan]

Now if they could put the NABI 60-LFW in the game, all they need to do is have the articulated section of the bus fail and fall apart while in service.

Speaking of artics, I haven't yet tested out the 4000s in the game. I'm going to do the OMSI tutorial for driving articulated buses in the game first before I give one of those a try. What I will do is take a virtual ride on one that the CPU is driving on the 124 to see how it handles that tight squeeze along South Water just to the east of Michigan Avenue. 

[jajuan]

A quick heads up, I tested out if you could drive the Chicago buses in other OMSI 2 maps, and you can. If you use the Chicago buses, instead of using the IBIS codes of those other maps, OMSI generates run numbers as if you were driving in the Chicago map and the Chicago farebox automatically defaults to an OMSI European style farebox.

[MTRSP1900-CTA3200]

I was on a TeamSpeak server with people who were playing this, and they said they only saw 3200s and 2200s. They also said they heard the train announcements from their bus ("This is Madison/Wabash!")...

Strange. I haven't seen either of those, but I'll keep an eye out for them when I play again.

...I just have to work out how to keep the bus from dying while still in route and giving the low oil, air and battery malfunctions.

That actually happens to me too, but that's because I keep accidentally hitting the keys that toggle the electric system or the motor (I run with infinite bus condition). 

[jajuan]

Strange. I haven't seen either of those, but I'll keep an eye out for them when I play again.

That actually happens to me too, but that's because I keep accidentally hitting the keys that toggle the electric system or the motor (I run with infinite bus condition). 

Yeah I was accidentally hitting those keys too. Now I don't have it happen as much. I also run with infinite bus condition.

[BusHunter]

If you guys want to see how realistic this game is Youtube has videos of the entire #124 and #130 trips. The only thing that I saw that wasn't right was the Library - State/Van Buren staircases don't go to State street, otherwise it's pretty accurate. There's no Roosevelt streetscape but that just happened this year. The only questions I have is how far out is it simulated geographically like if I wanted to free play. Also could i put other destinations besides #124 and #130? Reading the OMSI forum sounds like you can create your own buses. Perhaps someone will make a fleet of different buses for this? They pass a leap bus, generic for jump. I wonder if you can drive that? The automated announcements are cool but cty generic for cta sounds hokey. They could have made it real close if they called it CTJ cause it almost sounds like A. And they could have called Leap, Hump and it almost sounds like jump.

 

Edited June 24, 2015 by BusHunter

[jajuan]

If you guys want to see how realistic this game is Youtube has videos of the entire #124 and #130 trips. The only thing that I saw that wasn't right was the Library - State/Van Buren staircases don't go to State street, otherwise it's pretty accurate. There's no Roosevelt streetscape but that just happened this year. The only questions I have is how far out is it simulated geographically like if I wanted to free play. Also could i put other destinations besides #124 and #130? Reading the OMSI forum sounds like you can create your own buses. Perhaps someone will make a fleet of different buses for this? They pass a leap bus, generic for jump. I wonder if you can drive that? The automated announcements are cool but cty generic for cta sounds hokey. They could have made it real close if they called it CTJ cause it almost sounds like A. And they could have called Leap, Hump and it almost sounds like jump.

 

Based on the the map in your map provided in the Chicago Downtown folder inside the addon folder, you can drive and see detail along the Ike from Homan all the way into downtown and up where Congress Parkway ends at Buckingham Fountain, along Michigan Avenue from Roosevelt up to the Wrigley Building, Trump Tower, along Wacker from Jackson over to Lake Shore Drive, Lake Shore Drive from the Museum Campus up to Lakepoint Tower between Grand and Illinois, Columbus between Museum Campus and Grand, and of course the streets that comprise routes 124 and 130 obviously to play the game. The Leap bus is indeed drivable. The Leap (J14 wrap) is one of the available looks for the DE60LF artic in the game. I've been using the Chicago 40 footer a lot on the Berlin-Spandau map in the base game and in the Bowdenham Version 4 map I downloaded off the aussie.org forum. 

[BusHunter]

I saw the london one that looks interesting with the double decker busez.

[jajuan]

I saw the london one that looks interesting with the double decker busez.

Yeah that one does look interesting. The Romerberg one on the omnibussimulator.de main OMSI 2 support site forum also looks interesting.

[sw4400]

I'm liking it.... I want it, but I hate the fact I got to buy two games just for it!!! OMSI 2 and then OMSI 2-Chicago Downtown. Why can't it be standalone???

OMSI 2 is about $30 and OMSI 2-Chicago Downtown is about $20. So I'd have to buy $50 in simulators just to use the Chicago Downtown game.....

[YoungBusLover]

Remember that idea about the RTS, well.........

 

[Busjack]

Remember that idea about the RTS, well.........,

For starters, they would have to get rid of the parallelogram doors. Also, undoubtedly the bullseye logos (the logo on the back of the bus is correct, but the taillights are not; the modeler must have assumed an RTS03-06), the new priority seating stencils, the articulated NFs, the lack of exit numbers on the expressway signs, lack of any fleet number on the bus, no run number box, the Bus Tracker display on the bus shelter (apparently byproducted from the NF version), and apparently nobody paying fares. The doors, though are the most egregious error.

This, and sw's comments raise a substantive issue--does someone have to pay $50 for this without being able to modify the models? At least Briman gets to model his own train cars.