July 2008

RSDL has released an Isle of Wight add-on for Rail Simulator:

This latest release from RSDL pushes the boundaries of creativity in Rail Simulator to new heights. Many features and new tricks are used to great potential to enhance the experience of Rail Simulator beyond anything seen before.

Featuring authentic recreations of the Class 483 Electric Multiple Unit and 0-4-0ST “Invincible” Steam Locomotive as well as the Isle of Wight Steam Railway 484 Push-Pull set and more with over 15 scenarios to engage in.

This pack gives you the opportunity to traverse the main Island Line at 8.5 miles in length running between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin and operated by ex-London Underground tube trains, as well the famous Preserved Steam Railway running between Smallbrook Junction and Wootton along previously abandoned track bed of the once great Isle of Wight railway network.

Ship Simulator 2008 now has its own Shipyard, a place to “downloadable ships, environments and features” for the simulator.

Here’s an example of one the available add-ons.


Ship Simulator 2008 - The Shipyard - The Furie from Pjotr van Schothorst on Vimeo.

The add-ons are payware, but this is a great way to expand the sim. The costs are pretty reasonable. The ship in the above video is only 4.99 Euro. This is very cheap compared to add-ons for most flight simulator products.

You’ve got to try this out

Universe Sandbox lets you “Smash planets together, introduce rogue stars, and build new worlds from spinning discs of debris. Fire a moon into a planet or destroy everything you’ve created with a super massive black hole.”.

This is a fantastic and fun way to learn about physics, and smash a few celestial bodies up along the way. I’ve never seen anything quite like this before, so hats off to the developer for coming up with something pretty unique.

Interestingly, there’s no fixed price for the application. Simply pay the author what you think it’s worth. Can’t ask fairer than that!

Lighthouse Interactive has announced that their WWII tank simulator Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942 will be available across Europe this summer:

Leading Publisher Lighthouse Interactive and developers Discus Games and Graviteam are proud to announce that their World War 2 tank simulation game, Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942 will be storming across Europe this September. The events of Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942 are based on a little-known Russian offensive that occurred during May 1942, in which a German counterattack had three Soviet armies surrounded, forcing them to fight their way out of the Barvenkovskiy Kotel ‘meat grinder’. For the PC, Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942 is created with painstaking historical detail and promises ferocious confrontations as players carve their own paths to victory!

“Steel Fury brings tank sim and action game fans a fresh perspective on the genre,” said Erik Schreuder, CEO of Lighthouse Interactive. “The game is packed with some awesome features. For the first time in a WW2 tank simulator, large numbers of troops fight alongside tank battalions. This provides a multitude of new gameplay possibilities and an engaging battle experience.”