The Bus

The Bus is an advanced simulation game that allows us not only to play the role of a city bus driver, but also to become the head of our own fleet. The game was developed by TML-Studios, a team specialised in this genre, and was published by AeroSoft.

Mechanics

The Bus gives us the entire city of Berlin at our disposal; the German capital has been transferred to the game on a 1:1 scale. In the virtual city we can find not only real depots and stops, but also monuments, public places and various landmarks known from its real counterpart. We move around the German metropolis mainly behind the wheel of a bus, but the authors also let us move freely on foot, both inside the vehicles we control and on the streets.

In the free ride mode, our task is to drive around Berlin in such a way as to follow the designated route and arrive at subsequent stops according to the schedule. Realistic day and night cycle, seasons and changing weather have been implemented in the game. Apart from that, as a bus driver, you have to have eyes all around your head to ensure safe passage for your passengers. You have to watch out for signs and traffic lights (some intersections can be extremely complicated), as well as other traffic participants (cars, trams, pedestrians), who can sometimes behave unpredictably. At bus stops, we have to wait for everyone to get off the vehicle and for everyone who wants to get on it. In the case of the latter, we must also deal with selling them tickets or checking the tickets they already have.

The game has two main control variants. As their names suggest, the realistic one is intended for experienced drivers, while the arcade one has been prepared for players unfamiliar with the meanders of bus driving. In addition, there's nothing to stop you from creating your own game that combines the features of both, and an extensive tutorial awaits newcomers.

It doesn't end there, as The Bus also allows you to create your own bus company within a special economic mode. This involves buying and servicing vehicles, hiring employees and laying out routes. Of course, for all this we need money, which we earn by selling tickets.

Game modes

The Bus offers both single and multiplayer gameplay. In addition, a photo mode was implemented in the game, which allows you to create personalised screenshots.

Technical aspects

The Bus boasts detailed, realistic graphics. The game uses eye tracking technologies (Tobii Eyetracking and TrackIR), and allows you to play using a mouse and keyboard, pad or steering wheel. Driving around the city is enriched by two radio stations - DoubleBass.FM and FlashBass.FM.