I am feeling a strange feeling of pressure when I set up my first bus route City Bus Manager. I want to fix the things of the city’s public transport consumers, probably because this is the city in which I really live. City Bus Manager Uses Open Street Map (OSM) data to settle its maps, so I can look at all the familiar streets and the points of interest placed in front of me. These are my neighbors, who want an effective transit service like me. I want to be able to provide them – even if only one is in the imitation.
City Bus Manager Management is part of a small group of Sims that is using the OSM community database to make the whole world set up. Other examples include Global farmerFor, for, for,. Nambi RailsAnd Logistics: Earth. In these games, players can create fields, railways or delivery networks all over the world using data about real fields, settlements and infrastructure to inform their decisions.
When the idea of using OSM was first raised on Pedpe, behind the studio City Bus Manager“We had no idea if this was technically possible,” says the studio co -founder, Nichas Polastr, Nichas Polaster says. But once it was established, the license provided them with access to roads, buildings and even real bus stops. And they work more than the formation of the game world. They are also used for gameplay elements, such as imitation of passengers’ behavior. “Schools create traffic in the morning on Saturday morning, while at night, such as Bar and Clubs attract more passengers in the evening,” Polaster says.
Generally, polyster says, people are attracted to the game City Bus Manager In their local areas. – Global farmer Developer Thara bytes. When he showcased the game at Games Work in 2024, the “Booth Visitor” wanted to input his postal code and see his home.
Fieldman says being able to change this place is a special concept that you are well aware of. In addition to your own home or city, for marketing Global farmer As the beginning of your new agricultural life, you suggest the use of famous tourist destinations, such as Buckingham Palace. “[Players creating their] Own stories around these places can be purely more effectively than the ICTION FACTOR Environmental, “says Fieldman.
There is some natural entertainment about controlling a place that you see every day or one who is deeply famous. Specifically, tearing a perfectly prepared gated garden from where the British royal family takes 510 million dollars per year And turning it into a land to grow food for a country 4.5 million children live in poverty There may not be one political solution, but it is emotionally compelled.
“We have heard the stories of players who are interested in public transport as a career thanks to the game.”
The standard of public transport – or lack of it – is another important political topic where I live. Are local buses Currently in this process South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Copard was re -energized after being declared a “failed experience” in privatization. Perhaps that’s why, even though it can only be a pixel on the screen, I want to fix it. This is a feeling that many players experience. “Our discarded community is filled with players who are excited about public transport,” Polaster says. “We have heard stories of players who are interested in public transport as a career thanks to the game.”
Of course, the game developers using OSM data are still making games instead of exactly imitation. The real world is not always a balanced game design. “In smaller cities and villages, the paths can be non -profit, with realistic numbers,” says Polyster. City Bus Manager He compensates for the players by providing more financial support, which is a straightforward and useful game design. But when it comes to understanding sports as a direct representation of the world, it has some complications. For example, according to Polaster, some players have reached their local transport agencies whose figures have gathered from playing in their local areas – despite the fact that the game is not really designed as a real -world loyal entertainment, even if it is a map.
Another challenge is that OSM data is not always fully reliable. Paulster has explained that there may be errors or missing data that breaks very specific areas in the game, which requires Pedpaid to manually find problems and fix them. But the OSM is also a voluntary -run program, which means players can correct the data on the source. “Many of our players contribute directly to the open street map,” Polaster says, if he makes mistakes in his local area, Polystr says, which improves the data for everyone, even if they are using it.
Data density is also a special problem for this Global farmer Developers, who found that the OSM had much information about roads than the field system. There are many areas where the boundaries of the individual field are not mapped, which is “total gray areas where the gameplay could not be really.” The developers made a map editor and compensated for it, where players can copy satellite images from other sources to correct the data, but this means that those who do not want to prepare their maps are limited to places where the OSM has detailed data or where other players have their own creations.
Management Sims have often reached a sense of realism, and OSM data is a useful tool in this toolbox. It also allows players to control the environment that they know well and can contact. But this is not the perfect entertainment in the world, and even if it was, it doesn’t always need sports. According to Fieldman, navigating these factors “can be very disappointing.”
But, just like the players, developers are attracted to the idea of blurring the lines between the places they know and the places they imitate. “Whenever you manage to find a solution and get good results connected to the real world, it is also very beneficial,” says fieldman.