User Guide

MICROSOFT TRAIN SIMULATOR ENGINEER’S HANDBOOK
TOOLS FOR DRIVING | 16
THE REALISM OPTIONS
Realism Options make your train experience more—or less—realistic. With some of the Realism
Options, you don’t have to worry about every single one of the requirements of operating a train.
With other Realism Options you can heighten your experience by setting the options closer to
those of a real train.
To turn Realism Options on or off
While driving, use the key command (given below).
–or–
1. Before driving, from any screen, click Options.
2. Click the General tab.
3. In the Realism section, make your selections.
4. Click Save.
Below are the Realism Options and their key commands.
Simple Controls
With Simple Controls you can control the movement of the train with only three key commands:
D key=Increase power
A key=Decrease power
S key=Change direction
Some of the standard controls necessary to completing an Activity still work even if you use the
Simple Controls feature. For example, the Train Operations window still functions, and you can still
blow your whistle or horn. But some of the other tasks are handled automatically.
Derailments
If you select this option, you train will derail in the same circumstances it would in the real world, for
instance if you take a curve too fast. If you don’t select this option, your train will never derail. Select
or clear this option from the General tab of the Options screen.
Alerter
Some of the locomotives in Train Simulator have Alerters, which make sure that the engineer remains
awake and alert while driving. The Alerter sounds an alarm if the train’s controls are not operated
during a 25-second period. The engineer must respond to this alarm within 15 seconds or the brakes
are applied and the power shuts down (electric trains only), bringing the train to a halt.
You can turn the Alerter feature OFF if you wish. Select or clear this option from the General tab of the
Options screen.