Fernbus Simulator
| Fernbus Simulator | |
|---|---|
Cover art of the game featuring a MAN Lion's Coach | |
| Developer | TML-Studios |
| Publisher | Aerosoft |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
| Platforms | |
| Release | Windows 25 August 2016 PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S 28 February 2023 |
| Genre | Vehicle simulation |
| Mode | Single-player |
Fernbus Simulator (also known as Fernbus Coach Simulator), is a bus simulator game developed by TML-Studios and published by Aerosoft for Microsoft Windows. The game was released worldwide on 25 August 2016.
Gameplay
[edit]
Fernbus Simulator is set in Germany, offering a route network of approximately 20,000 kilometres and 40 German cities that is built on 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, Denmark, Poland, and England.
The game features similar gameplay to Euro Truck Simulator 2, and includes construction sites, traffic congestion, police patrols, traffic collision, and dynamic weather and day-night cycles.[2] The game also provides various licensed buses from MAN, VDL, Scania, and Neoplan that FlixBus uses for their fleet, allowing players to drive them on highly detailed German motorways.[3]
Downloadable content
[edit]Map expansions
[edit]TML has released several map expansion DLC packs that includes 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 |
5 April 2018 |
| Rennsteig | Adds Rennsteig to Central |
25 April 2019 |
| France | Country of |
18 October 2019 |
| Rhine Gorge | Rhine Gorge area | 21 October 2019 |
| Luxembourg | Country of |
12 December 2019 |
| Netherlands | Country of |
15 December 2020 |
| Bavarian Castle | Neuschwanstein Castle area | 18 December 2020 |
| Belgium | Country of |
20 May 2021 |
| Czechia | Country of |
7 April 2022 |
| Denmark | Country of |
26 June 2023 |
| Poland | Country of |
21 March 2024 |
| England | Country of |
3 September 2026[4] |
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
[edit]This game expansion/mode was released on 30 August 2018. In this mode, which is unlockable by purchasing Fußball Mannschaftsbus DLC, players have to choose one of 18 football clubs based on the German football league and drive its players to their guest matches. All of the stadiums are fully recreated, and there is also a repaint for MAN Lion's Coach bus included. The 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
[edit]Fernbus Simulator was developed by 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.[5] The game was released on 25 August 2016 for Microsoft Windows.[6]
Reception
[edit]The game is sold on the digital distribution platform Steam. It has a mixed review rating.[7] The game is often compared with Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator. The design of the game has been praised in terms of atmosphere, motorways, residential areas and detailed bus cockpits.[8] However, bugs, missing textures, insufficient realism and a lack of long-term motivation are common criticisms.[9]
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.
- 1 2 "Fernbus Simulator". Aerosoft (in German). Archived from the original on 19 May 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ↑ "Fernbus Simulator - England on Steam". Steam. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
- ↑ "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)
- 2016 video games
- Aerosoft games
- Bavaria in fiction
- Bus simulation video games
- Open-world video games
- PlayStation 5 games
- Rhineland-Palatinate in fiction
- Single-player video games
- Thuringia in fiction
- TML-Studios games
- Unreal Engine 4 games
- Video games set in Austria
- Video games set in Belgium
- Video games set in Brittany
- Video games set in Denmark
- Video games set in France
- Video games set in Germany
- Video games set in Île-de-France
- Video games set in Luxembourg
- Video games set in Poland
- Video games set in Switzerland
- Video games set in the Czech Republic
- Video games set in the Netherlands
- Windows games
- Xbox Series X and Series S games