Rails Across America

by Strategy First

Product Features

• Game of railroad empires in North America
• Hundreds of routes and thousands of engines
• 58 different engines and cars
• Intelligent AI modeled after 8 real world rail barons
• For 1 to 8 players using LAN or Internet connection

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005K89G
• Item Weight: 5 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: September 26, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,461 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Rails Across America is a game of railroad empires in North America, covering the period from 1830 to the near future. It is a real-time strategy with a "sim" flavor. Rails allows hundreds of tracks with thousands of trains crossing the continent. Players must focus on strategic decisions: Where to expand, where to compete, and when to call in favors from government officials, unions leaders, and other powerful figures.

Product Description

A game of railroad empires in North America, from 1830 to the near future. It's a real-time strategy "sim" allowing hundreds of tracks with thousands of trains crossing the continent.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very fun game, September 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Rails Across America (CD-ROM)

I really like this game. Instead of individual trains, you get to build and run a railroad network, like you would in the board game Rail Baron. The graphics even look like a board game and you can play a game in a couple of hours so it is easy to try out different strategies. Just like the real world, you start out cooperating with the other railroads to build up the network and share the traffic but you end up in a real dog fight for total domination. This is the first game I have played that makes this kind of transition well. In most games, the bigger your empire gets, the more tedious the management becomes but this game automates much of the management freeing you up to concentrate on the other players. One thing to remember, the winner is the person with the most prestige points, not the person with the most money. You get prestige points by building a transcontinental railroad or connecting the gulf of Mexico to Canada or dominating a region. As you play, you collect influence card which are things like politicians or newspapers. You use these cards to attack the other players by causing a scandal or sabotaging a section of their railroad. Of course, you use the same card to protect yourself from the same kind of attacks so you have to be careful how you use them.

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Railroad Strategy (not Trains) for a version 1, January 27, 2002

By 

"deinonychus" (Denver) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rails Across America (CD-ROM)

This excellent game fills a niche that has long been missing in computer railroad games. The game positions the player as the President of the Railroad who must make policy, strategy, and management decisions for an expanding railroad system. It is at the opposite end of the spectrum from MS Train Simulator. The decisions that must be made for the owner's railroad are many and keep the player busy if they want a "good" railroad.

Other reviews have stated the graphics are crude, but the President of a railroad company isn't interested in fancy looking reports. The MAP of the system and other graphics for game control are more than sufficient. Traffic control is at a higher level and hence much more realistic than Railroad Tycoon (II) is. A company president would never worry about the routing of an individual train. Better graphics would add nothing to the game.

Other reviewers have indicated that the "board" is the same every time. This is not true. The cities are always in the same place, but the cargo and passenger connection requirements are different. For example in one game Washington DC. might need 500 passenger cars to NY. The next game there might not be any passengers from DC to NY at all.

My main criticism of the game is that the default "normal" game is too easy. This is why some reviewers have CLAIMED to master the game in a short time. In my opinion, to make a challenging "normal" game there should be at least five (5) other players, the players starting position should be set to "random", and the "attacks" should be set to "rare" instead of "never". One can never claim to have mastered this game until they get a gold, not just first place, in each of the scenario options. There are other minor problems with the game but do not distract from the total effect.

If you get this game be certain to get the on-line upgrade that fixes some bugs and most importantly adds a "Hall of Fame" so that one can rank themselves one game to the next.

In short an excellent game for simulating railroad management that still has room for improvement (Can't wait for version II). Highly recommended for railroad people. Straight gamers might need to learn something about railroads to fully appreciate it. This review is written with about 40 games played in one month of ownership.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Build an Empire, November 8, 2001

By 

Brian Jenkins (Spring Valley, Ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rails Across America (CD-ROM)

If you are looking for a game with great 3D graphics, and something where you can micromanage your Rail Road down to the last detail then this isn't the game for you.

But if you want a game which allows you to build a massive Rail Road Empire and use every trick you can pull out of your hat to bury your competition without having to become bogged down in the daily workings of the trains unless you want to, then this is definately the game for you. It allows you to run a massive RR empire and compete to be the most prestigious and well known of them all. At the same time using all the dirty tricks from stealing stock to causing labor stikes to slow down your opponent. But be careful, they can do the same to you!

Well worth the 39.99