Densha de Go! 3 Tsūkin-hen
Densha de Go! 3 Tsūkin-hen (Go by Train Commuter Edition) is a train driving simulation video game released by Taito in Japan in 2000 as part of the Densha de Go! series.
This is the third installment, following Densha de Go! and Densha de Go! 2 Kōsoku-hen, with increased difficulty versus its two predecessors.
Overview[edit]
- In addition to a real-time feature that adjusts the train’s schedule based on the time outside the game, it also adds elements of realistic train operation, including passengers rushing onto the train at the last second, forcing the conductor to re-open and close the train doors again. This causes the train to be slightly delayed (and can result in comical animations of body parts being caught in its doors).
- Beyond the conventional game mode, it also includes an easier Family Mode that allows casual driving without time limitations, as well as a Tetsujin Mode for masters (lit. “iron man mode,” also likely a gag on Tatsujin Mode, the usual notation for a master mode - the character for “iron” is the same as in the word for “train” in Japanese). Tetsujin Mode includes a number of complicating factos, including much tighter train schedules, and no display of either the train’s brake status, the remaining distance to the next station, nor the current or upcoming speed limit.
- This edition introduces a ranking system utilizing the Internet.
- In place of Norihiro Furukawa (alias: Joutouhei Nakayama), who had been in charge of music for the series, Hakiharu Urita was responsible for music and sound effects for this title.
- The arcade edition uses the higher-performance Type-Zero arcade board in place of the conventional JC System board. Major graphical improvements over previous editions include train doors opening and closing, transparency in train windows, display of overhead power lines along electrified railway tracks, and dramatic reduction in graphical glitches. Load times were longer as a result.
Although the arcade cabinet’s specifications are essentially unchanged, the speaker color was changed from silver to red, the side of the cabinet and the seat were changed in color from a red and black combination to a light and dark green combination, and the size of the instruments was reduced to add space for a pocket watch, as would have been used in an actual train cab.
The PS2 version (released in Japan only) is the first PlayStation 2 ported work in the Densha de Go! series, and includes bonus PocketStation software (Dengo-Tsūkin-hen). Navigation functionality implemented in PlayStation versions since Densha de Go! Professional has been removed. In 2003, this was released by publisher D3PUBLISHER INC. as SIMPLE2000 Vol.22 The Commuter Train Driver ~ Densha de Go! 3 Tsūkin-hen ~.
The arcade and PS2 versions differ in the horns (particularly for the 201 series) and oncoming trains present. For example, when driving the Chuo Line’s 201 series train in the arcade edition, it passes E231-0 trains, which do not appear in the PS2 edition (though model data does exist in the console release).
Game Rules[edit]
The main rule changes from the second installment of the game are as follows.
- The condition for obtaining a Great! ranking has been changed from a combination of stopping zero meters from the designated stop position and no more than two seconds variance vs. the scheduled arrival time, to a combination of zero meters from the designated stop position and a zero-second variance vs. the scheduled arrival time.
- A Good is achieved by arriving either at zero meters from the stop point, or with a zero-second variance from the scheduled arrival time (but within the acceptable stopping position window).
- Time earned (the player’s “health” is measured in seconds) is the same for stopping at a station at the exact precise second as well as for passing a station where the train does not stop at the exact precise second. However, failing to achieve a Great! at a station where the train is to stop will reset the amount of time earned.
- Players lose time for being behind schedule, initially one second per seconds behind schedule at a stop or passed station, but then increasing to two seconds per second of delay. In Tetsujin Mode, these deducations increase to three and four seconds, respectively.
- In this edition, speed limit signs are now displayed on screen.
Game Modes[edit]
Players may select from three game modes.
- Family Mode
- A mode for beginners. Players can choose from four different types of train for each region. Players are not penalized for any actions, though each section of the line has a time limit. This mode ends after a few sections, and continues must be used to play the entire line.
- Normal Mode
- A mode with the standard Densha de Go! series rules.
- Tetsujin (lit. “Iron Man”) Mode
- A mode for advanced players. In this mode, the players’ remaining time (health) is more greatly impacted by delays or perfect on-time arrivals, and the game does not display the remaining distance to the station, brake status, or upcoming speed limits. Players cannot continue from a Game Over.
- This mode exclusively features two bonus games that are available after arriving at specific stations. Former editions of Densha de Go! featured a different bonus game where the player would have to carefully drive a train forward to connect with a stationary car. In this edition, the games require the player to sound their horn at the correct time when a passenger has stepped over the yellow safety line on the platform, or for the player to reduce their speed to a target speed without being able to see their speedometer.
- In the home console version, the brake level status is displayed (in a difficult-to-see fashion) if the user is playing with a generic game controller (which does not have a brake display). When using a special controller designed for the series (with a physical brake lever), the brake level is not shown.
Four Time Slots[edit]
Players may choose to play during one of four periods of the day.
- Morning
- 5am - 10pm
- Afternoon
- 10am - 4pm
- Evening
- 4pm - 7pm
- Night
- 7pm - 5am
Acceleration and braking change according to the time slot.
Also, rain results in wet tracks and more sluggish acceleration and braking, increasing the difficulty level. Rainfall is fully randomized and changes during each playthrough (rainfall may not occur at all in rare cases), with the exception that rain will always stop one station before the final stop.
Unlike previous entries in the series, this edition features sunshowers and heavy rains, with different levels of impact on train operation. A “real-time” mode can also be used to play the game at the time of day on the internal clock of the game's device (PS2, Windows machine, or arcade cabinet).
Score Calculation[edit]
Players are scored in each of the following five categories on a 100-point scale, in 0.1-point increments.
- Adherence to schedule
- Proper stopping position
- Braking (rider comfort)
- Adherence to signals/indicators
- Safety
These five scores are added to the result of dividing the total kilometers driven by the number of continues plus one to receive the player's final score.
Driving performance has a greater impact on the final score than in the previous edition of the game (a maximum of 100 points versus 500 in this edition). Players who would previously do their best to boost their remaining time (health) in trying for a high score would be better-served in this edition by trying to get a good performance evaluation.
Playable Routes/Trains[edit]
- Models mentioned below without special notation are local trains on the line in question.
- Sasaguri Line
- Sasaguri → Hakata
- Kiha 58 Series, Kiha 66 Series, Kiha 200 Series
- At the time the game was developed, the Sasaguri Line had not yet been electrified, and while the vehicle used featured a diesel engine, sections feature utility poles placed along the line. Yoshizuka Station was also under construction for installation of overhead power lines.
- By pressing the Select button on the route selection screen, the player can change the train used from the Kiha 56 series to the Kiha 58 series. The train performs identically to the one used on the San’in Main Line, with a slight decrease in difficulty.
- Kiha 58 Series, Kiha 66 Series, Kiha 200 Series
- Kagoshima Main Line
- Futsukaichi → Hakata
- Tosu → Hakata
- 787 Series Ariake Limited Express, [[Kiha 72 series|Kiha 72 Series] Yufuin no Mori Limited Express
- At the time the game was developed, Yayoigaoka Station has not yet opened, and a sign requiring use of the horn was installed nearby to indicate the area was under construction.[1]
- The Yufuin no Mori Kiha 72 series train is the only train on this route that has no morning schedule available; even if the player chooses the morning period, the afternoon schedule will be used.
- 787 Series Ariake Limited Express, [[Kiha 72 series|Kiha 72 Series] Yufuin no Mori Limited Express
- Sanyo Main Line (JR Kobe Line)
- Kobe → Nishi-Akashi
- 201 Series, 205 Series, 207-1000 Series, 221 Series Rapid Service, 223-1000 Series Special Rapid Service
- San’in Main Line (portions are commonly known as the Sagano Line)
- Kameoka → Kyoto
- Kiha 58 Series
- This is a pre-electrification line included in the original Densha de Go! release and in the Professional release. This version features a graphics overhaul. However, the vehicle’s performance parameters are set lower than those in previous games, resulting in increased difficulty.
- *At Kyoto Station, the final stop, there is not much track between the stopping position and the buffer stop. During Iron Man mode, this means the player must watch the station signals, drop speed to 45km/h, and use ATS (Automatic Train Stop) confirmation.
- The present-day Saga-Arashiyama Station is shown in the Professional release of the series simply as Saga, the name of the station before its line was electrified. However, for some reason the name is reverted to Saga-Arashiyama in this release.
- Kiha 58 Series
- Chūō Line Rapid Service
- Shinjuku → Tokyo
- 201 Series Chuo Special Rapid
- Players on Tetsujin Mode must use ATS confirmation when arriving at the final stop, Tokyo Station, similarly to Kyoto Station on San’in Main Line. Players choosing the real-time option will still drive on a rapid service schedule even when playing the game in the early or late hours, when only local service would normally be available.[2]
- 201 Series Chuo Special Rapid
- Chuo Local Service (via Sobu Line)
- Shinjuku → Akihabara
- 201 Series, 205 Series, 209-500 Series
Densha de Go! 3 Tsūkin-hen Daiya Kaisei[3][edit]
Arcade: Launched around October 2000
This release was sold as an upgraded version of Densha de Go! 3 Tsūkin-hen. No routes have been added or removed from the original.
Secret routes in the original version are now playable from the beginning, and, as suggested by the title (lit. “revised schedule”), some section schedules have been changed to offer greater challenges. Scenery above the horizon is now easier to see in this version. This edition also includes an always-on speedometer (can be hidden). Performance evaluations are changed from units of a tenth of a point to full-point units.
This game was also released by game company Unbalance for Windows, allowing connection to the Internet for scoreboards.
The arcade version was released at the same time as Ganbare Untenshi!![4], another edition in the Densha de Go! Series. Machines are rare as a result.
Special Controllers for Densha de Go! 3 Tsūkin-hen[edit]
The following controllers can be used for the PS2 version of this release.
- Densha de Go! Controller
- Densha de Go! Controller (Single Handle)
- Densha de Go! Mamecon<ref>A controller with the shape of a PlayStation controller, but with the d-pad replaced by an up-down lever (acceleration) and the circle-square-triangle-x buttons replaced with a circular pad (brake).
- Densha de Go! Controller (Type 2)
The Multi Train Controller, while not designed specifically for Densha de Go!, can be used for this version.
References[edit]
- ↑ in the later Professional 2 entry to the series, the station had been opened.
- ↑ Note that, as of March 14, 2020, train schedules have been adjusted so that the Chuo Line offers rapid service all-day. However, in the era of the 201 Series, this was not yet in place.
- ↑ lit. “revised schedule”
- ↑ lit. “Good luck, driver!!”
External Links[edit]
- Densha de Go! 3 Tsūkin-hen Arcade Version Official Site(archive.org, Japanese only)
- Densha de Go! 3 Tsūkin-hen PS2 Version Official Site(archive.org, Japanese only)
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