Bus Driver (video game)
Encyclopedia
Bus Driver is a game created by SCS Software
using OpenGL
. The game was completed in March 2007 and with a full feature 1 hour demo.
Despite being a Czech game, many of the bus stop names are named after insignificant places in Greater London
, England
, such as Debden
, Collier Row
, Feltham
, Potters Bar
and the terminus Westminster
.
The game contains a variety of buses including severasl single deck buses, one double-decker
bus, an American schoolbus, two coaches and a prison bus
s, active traffic lights and varying weather conditions. The game also contains 'living roads' intelligently controlled by a sophisticated AI
System. This means that the traffic conditions vary and you may have to predict what the traffic will do. The routes have been modelled to look like a realistic fictional British city. Including varying styles such as, modern, old town, residential suburbs, a local harbour and an airport. However, realism is nevertheless lacking in some aspects of the game such as the playing of other traffic and also there not being an interior to the buses.
There are several new features, such as
SCS Software
SCS Software is a Czech software development company. It produces various computer games for the PC including the 18 Wheels of Steel series, Hunting Unlimited series, OceanDive, Deer Drive, Bus Driver and Euro Truck Simulator.- 18 Wheels of Steel series :...
using OpenGL
OpenGL
OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL...
. The game was completed in March 2007 and with a full feature 1 hour demo.
Gameplay
The player selects a route from tiers (described below), and then after a short loading time, the player sees the selected bus either at a bus depot or terminal. After halting at the first stop, the bus must be driven along the correct route (indicated at intersections by orange arrows) whilst obeying all traffic rules and stopping at all bus stops. If the player fails to do so, points will be taken from their score. When the game begins, one tier of routes, which includes six buses, is available. In total, there are six tiers, thirty-six routes and thirteen buses. In order to unlock the next tier, the player must drive at least four of the buses successfully. As the game progresses, routes become harder. The player will lose points if they disobey traffic laws, upset passengers (by braking too hard or causing accidents) or they depart from the bus stop too early, or even if they leave passengers waiting at a bus stop. Conversely, the player will gain points for obeying traffic laws and being punctual.Despite being a Czech game, many of the bus stop names are named after insignificant places in Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, such as Debden
Debden, Epping Forest
Debden is a suburb of the town of Loughton, in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. It takes its name from the ancient manor of Debden, which lay at its northern end. The area is predominantly residential, but is also the location of Epping Forest College, East 15 Acting School and the De...
, Collier Row
Collier Row
Collier Row is a place in north east London in the London Borough of Havering. It is a suburban development north of Romford, located north east of Charing Cross....
, Feltham
Feltham
Feltham is a town in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It is located about west south west of central London at Charing Cross and from Heathrow Airport Central...
, Potters Bar
Potters Bar
Potters Bar is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England, located north of Central London. In 2001 it had a population of 21,618....
and the terminus Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
.
The game contains a variety of buses including severasl single deck buses, one double-decker
Double-decker bus
A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or 'decks'. Global usage of this type of bus is more common in outer touring than in its intra-urban transportion role. Double-decker buses are also commonly found in certain parts of Europe, Asia, and former British colonies and protectorates...
bus, an American schoolbus, two coaches and a prison bus
Reception
Bus Driver was not designed as a bus simulator, however it is considered one. Reviewers have suggested that an inside view would improve the gameplay, however, the developers have stated that this is because the game was not designed to be an exact simulator.Realism
The game is considered to contain a high level of realism including, street names, traffic signTraffic sign
Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of roads to provide information to road users. With traffic volumes increasing over the last eight decades, many countries have adopted pictorial signs or otherwise simplified and standardized their signs to facilitate international travel...
s, active traffic lights and varying weather conditions. The game also contains 'living roads' intelligently controlled by a sophisticated AI
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
System. This means that the traffic conditions vary and you may have to predict what the traffic will do. The routes have been modelled to look like a realistic fictional British city. Including varying styles such as, modern, old town, residential suburbs, a local harbour and an airport. However, realism is nevertheless lacking in some aspects of the game such as the playing of other traffic and also there not being an interior to the buses.
Minimum System Requirements
- CPU: 1 GHz Pentium III or equivalent
- RAM: 256MB
- Video Card: OpenGL 1.3 compatible 64MB AGP with hardware T&L
- Hard Disk: 300MB free space
- Operating System: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista with DirectX 9 installed
Recommended System Requirements
- CPU: 1.5 GHz Pentium IV or equivalent
- RAM: 512MB
- Video Card: OpenGL 1.5 compatible 128MB PCI Express with hardware T&L
- Hard Disk: 300MB free space
- Operating System: Windows XP or Vista with DirectX 9 installed
- Optional: DirectX compatible soundcard
- Optional: DirectX compatible gamepad or steering wheel
Downloads
The official bus driver game website offers an hour-long demo of the game. As well as this, two bus driver themed wallpapers are available to download via the official website.Updates
Sometime near 2010, SCS Software created a patch for Bus Driver. The patch was entitled "Bus Driver Gold".There are several new features, such as
- A New Bus
- New Camera Perspective
- An extra tier to add the tier to 6, from original 5