Fernbus Simulator is a bus simulator game developed by TML-Studios and published by Aerosoft for Microsoft Windows. The game was released on 25 August 2016 worldwide.
| Fernbus Simulator | |
|---|---|
 Cover art of the game featuring a MAN Lion's Coach | |
| Developer(s) | TML-Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Aerosoft |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | Windows 25 August 2016 PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S February 28, 2023 |
| Genre(s) | Vehicle simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
edit
Fernbus Simulator is set in Germany, offering a route network of approximately 20,000 kilometres and 40 German cities that is built in a scale of 1:10.[1] More city routes were released as DLCs, expanding the map to the following countries: Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic and Denmark. The game features quite the same gameplay of the similar-genre video game Euro Truck Simulator 2, which includes construction sites, traffic congestion, police patrols and traffic collision, with dynamic weather and day-night cycle are available in the game.[2] The game also provides various licensed buses from MAN, VDL, Scania, and Neoplan that Flixbus uses for their fleet, allowing players to drive on highly detailed German motorways.[3]
Downloadable content
editMap expansions
editTML has released several map expansion DLC packs that include new countries.
| Name | Included content | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Usedom | The seaside resort of Ahlbeck and the town of Usedom | 14 November 2017 |
| Austria / Switzerland | Countries of  Switzerland and  Austria
|
5 April 2018 |
| Rennsteig | Adds Rennsteig to Central  Germany
|
25 April 2019 |
| France | Country of  France
|
18 October 2019 |
| Rhine Gorge | Rhine Gorge area | 21 October 2019 |
| Luxembourg | Country of  Luxembourg
|
12 December 2019 |
| Netherlands | Country of  Netherlands
|
15 December 2020 |
| Bavarian Castle | Famous 19th-century bavarian castle | 18 December 2020 |
| Belgium | Country of  Belgium
|
20 May 2021 |
| Czechia | Country of  Czechia
|
7 April 2022 |
| Denmark | Country of  Denmark
|
26 June 2023 |
| Poland | Country of  Poland
|
21 March 2024 |
Vehicle add-ons
edit| Name | Included content | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Neoplan Skyliner | Neoplan Skyliner bus | 23 March 2017 |
| Comfort Class HD | 5 variants of the Setra ComfortClass HD (unlicensed) | 29 November 2017 |
| VDL Futura FHD2 | 6 variants of the VDL Futura FHD2 | 25 April 2019 |
| MAN Lion's Intercity | 3 variants of the MAN Lion's Intercity | October 2019 |
| BB40 | Toyota Coaster mini-bus (unlicensed) | 2 December 2019 |
| MAN Lion's Coach 3rd Gen | 4 variants of the MAN Lion's Coach 3rd Gen | 28 August 2020 |
| Scania Touring | 3 variants of the Scania Touring | 5 December 2020 |
| W906 | Mercedes-Benz Sprinter mini-bus (unlicensed) | 29 May 2020 |
| VDL Futura FDD2 | 2 variants of VDL Futura FDD2 double-decker bus | 9 February 2021 |
| Altano TX | 3 variants of Van Hool Altano TX (unlicensed) | 20 December 2023 |
| Altano TDX | Van Hool Altano TDX20 & TDX 21 (unlicensed) | |
| Astromega | Van Hool Astromega TDX25 & TDX 27 (unlicensed) |
Football Team Bus DLC
editThis game expansion/mode has been released on August 30, 2018. In this mode, which is unlockable by purchasing Fußball Mannschaftsbus DLC, players have choose one of 18 football clubs based on the German football league and drive its players to their guest matches. All of the stadiums were recreated to the smallest details, and there is also a repaint for MAN Lion's Coach bus. Player's job is to manage the allocated budget wisely until the end of the season so that the team bus can be maintained, cleaned, and the team can be supplied with sufficient snacks and beverages.
Development and release
editFernbus Simulator is developed by a German-based game studio TML-Studios, the developers of the City Bus Simulator series and the World of Subways franchise.[3] It is powered by Unreal Engine 4 of Epic Games.[4] The game was released on 25 August 2016 for Microsoft Windows.[5]
Reception
editThe game is well-sold on the digital distribution platform Steam, but often comes in criticism and gets a mixed rating.[6] The game is often used to compare with Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator, and gets praised on the design of the game in terms of atmosphere, motorways, residential areas and detailed bus cockpit.[7] However, bugs, missing textures, insufficient to reality and a lack of long-term motivation makes the game widely criticised.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Fernbus-Simulator". Welt (in German). 28 August 2016. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ "Fernbus Simulator von Aerosoft macht euch zum Buslenker". heute.at (in German). 29 August 2016. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Fernbus Simulator". Aerosoft (in German). Archived from the original on 19 May 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ "Worldwide Fernbus Coach Simulator launch on August 25th". Steam. 25 August 2016. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ Stone, Tim (5 August 2016). "The Flare Path: Topical Titbits". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ Bachmann, Rhonda (26 August 2016). "Fernbus Simulator: Aerosofts Fernreise-Simulator mit starkem Steam-Einstieg trotz Kritik". pcgameshardware.de (in German). Archived from the original on 19 September 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ Schnelle, Mick (1 September 2016). "Fernbus Simulator test". gamersglobal.de (in German). Archived from the original on 4 September 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ Marco (26 August 2016). "DER FERNBUS SIMULATOR IM TEST". gptimes.de (in German). Archived from the original on 31 August 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
External links
edit
- Official website (in English and German)