A-Train9: New Gameplay Features
It’s taken a while to get comfortable with A9. Until last weekend I had mostly spent my time blinking at the numerous menus, experimenting with the schedule dialogue box, randomly building and just looking – It’s easy to get distracted and find yourself exploring the landscape via the excellent intuitive navigation control.
I awoke one morning determined to play a proper scenario – get a better feel for the flow of a game in A9. I chose the first scenario (the designated starter map of the game), consisting of a well-developed office district surrounded by three satellite towns – all eventually, I guess, to be swallowed up as the city expands. Anyway, my point here is that it isn’t until you begin to play for real that attention is drawn to the differences in game play, some subtle – others obvious, and how they’re combining to enhance the game overall.
So, starting today, and for the next few updates, I’ll be looking more closely at the gameplay features new to A9 that are making all the difference.
And (if I may begin with a conjunction), in response to THIS question from dimas, knowledge of the Japanese language is a distinct advantage upon first approaching the game. However, knowledge of A8 or AHX from XBox360 is a pretty solid back-up if your Nihongo is lacking. Inspite of the apparent complexity with new variables like power and pollution to consider, menus are essentially set-up as they were in A8. It just takes a little time and patience as you familiarise yourself with the layout. Rather than irritate my old lady with requests to translate everything, I’ve been relying more upon my limited knowledge of Kana and by comparing images of the menu screens in versions of A8/A9. On the whole it’s worked well enough. Take a look at these screens:
Comparing the Japanese and Euro A8 data from the Balance Sheet screen is straightforward enough. But even with the new menu in A9 (the image to the far right) we can see that the essential layout is similar to that of A8. Therefore we have Total Returns, Total Costs columns highlighted and positioned to the left as they were before. Total Debt, Total Capital and Total Funds are stacked to right. All I did, then, was compare the Kanji from the two Japanese versions for sililarities and check them against the Euro version. The Kana (the more simplistic-looking characters) I can manage anyway. The A9 menu just has more buildings and subsidiaries and therefore a few more lines of information than before.
For example, in the A9 menu, looking at the highlighted Total Returns column on the top left and counting down 3 lines we see the Truck Returns data (currently at 0). Clearly this doesn’t appear in A8 at all. From there count down a further 4 lines and we see the Subsidiary Returns data (¥105, 430, 000). I didn’t have a clue what this was until I compared it to the J-A8 screen which has the same characters, then matched this with the Euro A8 menu to identify it as Subsidiary Returns.
In this manner I have been working my way through the various menus – and improving my Japanese slightly at the same time!! 
I do intend to post comparison screens at some point to help others who are struggling.
Anyway, I digress….
For the moment I want to talk about a feature in A9 which is so brilliantly practical and useful it makes you wonder why it took Artdink several generations of the game to realise it’s worth. This feature is nothing more than a simple green ring which appears around stations and truck stops to show their scope of effectiveness. It indicates the perimeter within which materials can be used and designates the area inside of which you may pick-up or drop off those little grey boxes.
Above we have a truck stop situated next to a materials yard in the center of the image. Clicking the truck stop produces the green circle you see. Now, to deliver or pick-up materials from this truck stop I must place a materials yard within the circle.
Here’s the same truck stop close-up (a yellow area of the road with four distinctive signs) sitting right next to the materials yard. You’ll see the trucks pause within this area of road, deposit/pick-up, and move along. In reality it didn’t need to be this close to the materials yard – as I mentioned, the green circle indicates an area within which loading/unloading operations are effective – the yard could just as easily have been positioned close to the beach to the upper right. You know, the inclusion, or rather, the return of buses and trucks is another game-changing design feature which deserves a post all of it’s own.
Okay, so what if we have two or more stations or truck stops within close proximity to one another?
In this image there are now two green circles – a bright green circle around the truck stop and a larger, dimmer circle around a train station (stations generally have a wider active area). Going to the construction menu and selecting, in this case, a new materials yard, I bring the selection (seen as a red box) into the area of the truck stop. Because the circles of station and factory overlap somewhat both have become visible. However, since I’m only within range of the factory this circle highlights brighter than the station’s. Also notice that the active building (in this instance it’s the truck stop) shades blue.
Moving the materials yard within the perimeter of both station and truck stop highlights both buildings and green circles to indicate that loading/unloading from this either location is possible for this yard.
As you can see above, this feature is also available (it can be switched off in options menu) for the truck depot which here is acting as a loading base from a factory just south and to the left – but still within the active green circle.
Here there are multiple converging areas around the main city station. My original truck stop is just visible at the very top of the image.
Simple. Practical. Time-saving. Love it.
08/07/2010 15:27 10 Comments
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By dimas, 09/07/2010 @ 16:28
wohooo, thank you very much bro!
btw, where or what site did u import this game from?
the only online shop that can reach my country (indonesia) is play-asia, and they don’t have this game T_T
thank you
By dimas, 09/07/2010 @ 16:32
and please don’t close this site again^^
this is the only site where I can find solid information about a-train (esp A9)
hehehehe
By MM, 10/07/2010 @ 01:12
Hi, only found this site a while ago, it’s really helped me with A-Train 8 and I even downloaded the A9 viewer and have managed to make it work (without knowing Japanese ^^).
Just wanted to say thanks and is it possible for you to post this game so I can view it in the viewer?
By MarkE231, 10/07/2010 @ 07:57
Hey MM
what do you mean ‘post this game’?
By MM, 10/07/2010 @ 19:05
I meant the savegame so then it is possible for me to view in the viewer.
By MarkE231, 12/07/2010 @ 12:50
@dimas
I have connections with Japan and so the game, for me, is easy enough to get from the high street over there. Once the new fan site is up I’ll be importing copies and selling Ebay.
@MM
As far as I’m aware you wont be able to play a save file with the A9 viewer. That’s my theory, anyway….
By MM, 12/07/2010 @ 14:46
I didn’t mean to play it, I just meant so I can view your network. I’ve done it before using somebody else’s save file I just added it to the viewer.
By Richard, 19/07/2010 @ 00:40
This needs to be released in the U.K. ASAP!
By Faisal, 23/07/2010 @ 17:35
@dimas :i think you have the same probs with me =0
i never know any Indonesian retailer sold this great game around…
By Emiru, 29/08/2010 @ 01:21
How about a guide on how to properly set up the schedules and so on to avoid trains getting stuck and on multi-track segments?
For some reason trucks suddenly start to follow my buses around, and I can’t wrap my head around what I’m doing wrong.