You could create virtual train driving companies (bit like they do in Euro Truck Simulator) with the game keeping scores etc and giving your TOC a score rating which reports to a leader board. You could schedule players to drive a particular service etc. The lack of it is not a franchise-endangering risk, but it is a significant limitation to customer satisfaction and growth. The multiplayer aspect would allow almost of the roleplay element of train driving. And I'll put a sharper point on it: were I a potential investor in their enterprise, I would not invest without an AI capability. I for one believe they are damaging their own franchise by the lack of AI traffic, and by placing the sole emphasis on multiplayer. And one's schedule does not always jibe with one of the bigger organized multiplayer sessions. Multiplayer is terrific, but sometimes there are just not enough people available when you go on a server to have a meaningful session with a good degree of traffic.
I have joined many multiplayer sessions for Run 8, both large organized ones, and smaller pick-up sessions on one of the 24x7 servers.
Maybe their attitude has changed, but the Run 8 guys seem to have been uninterested in it in the past.Ī big mistake, in my opinion. There has been discussion about the lack of AI traffic in Run 8 on the other sim boards such as, and plenty of requests for it. But moving meets are a whole lot more interesting and realistic (including overtakes, as you can do on the Needles Sub with all the double track). I agree that static meets are possible in Run 8, and I've set them up and run against them. Once players are matched for a game session, the matchmaker tells a game server manager to provide a dedicated game server process on a cluster of machines. The lack of automated or "AI" traffic (as MSTS calls it) in Run 8 remains to me their biggest achilles heel. Players connect to some kind of matchmaker service, which groups them (often by skill level) to play a match. The Cajon route should be on its way soon, and then others after that, including some recently announced new third party routes. Yup, the learning curve is steep, but it's worth it. Glad to know that you like Run 8 now that you're gotten acquainted with it.