FYM
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Freight Yard Manager - or FYM as it is commonly abbreviated - is a Freeware, 2D Railroad Simulation programmed in Visual Basic and DirectX by Jim Hill. It focuses on Railroad Yard Operations within the US and Canada, with the player viewing satellite images of real-life yards.
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[edit] Overview of FYM
FYM is a 2D yard operations game, developed by Jim Hill. Each player has assigned yards, which he takes trains for, and passes of trains for other yards to the appropriate player via a central server. Also included is a chat client, to communicate with other players. The basic operations are creating railroad cars, which consist of just about every type of currently operating rolling stock car types, from the basic boxcar to articulated intermodal well cars. The cars are loaded and assigned a destination, then routed by players from origin to destination. The cars are unloaded when they reach their destination, then either returned to the place of origin for reloading, or loaded at the current yard and assigned a new destination. There are no fixed rules as to what players should do with the cars they handle.
The maps used in FYM are satellite images obtained from Microsoft’s TerraServer web site or Google's Google Earth program. The maps are downloaded in “tiles”, pieced together by mapmakers (which anyone can become), and the prototypical trackage is “laid” over the image. The software recognizes the lines as different types of track and switches, and guides the trains along them as if they were physical rails.
[edit] System Requirements
- Microsoft Windows XP or 2000 or Vista
- DirectX 9.0c
- .NET Framework V2
- 400MHz CPU
- 128 MB memory
- Video Card Supporting 1024x1024 Textures (Virtually any after 1996)
- 1GB of Disk Space (Variable)
Depending on the system, FYM often runs 3-figure FPS rates.
[edit] Realism
FYM has many realistic options, but players can choose how prototypically they run their yards.
[edit] Trackage
All trackage in FYM is modelled on real-life track, and is often nearly completely accurate to the real life model. Routes between maps are also realistically mapped. Railroads, locations and industries are all labelled correctly, along with trackage rights should they be applicable. This is all handled by a skilled mapping team, under the direction of Carl White.
[edit] Locomotives
There is a wide variety of power available to FYM players, from SW1200s to AC6000CWs. Each loco has individual horsepower, length and weight values. Also, there is a wide selection of real liveries that can be painted, or a player may use custom livery to put on a loco. Locos need regular fuelling, and servicing should they become damaged.
[edit] Cars
FYM has 23 types of car to choose from. Ranging from normal cars such as covered/open hoppers, boxcars and tank cars to intermodal cars, autoracks and roadrailers, FYM provides a wide variety for players. Roadrailers and Intermodal cars both have special loading methods, IM cars requiring cranes and roadrailers needing bogies to carry the trailers. Cars must be delivered to the correct spurs for loading/unloading, and sent out on trains to other destinations.
[edit] Yard Operations
FYM is based around yard operations. Players must send cars to local industries, which include ports, coal mines, power plants and steel mills, then string them together to form trains. Cars must be coupled at 20mph or less, to avoid car damage. Should this happen, cars can be repaired. The largest yards are generally hump yards, and there is an integrated "autohump" to allow cars to be sorted quickly as the player wishes. Transfers are commonplace between real railroads, with Chicago, Kansas City, Memphis and New Orleans being the major transfer points - as in real life.
[edit] Routings
Trains generally follow real-life routings, along with real symbols. The major Class 1 carriers (UP, BNSF, NS, CSXT, CPR, CN and KCS) are all included, along with many shortline railroads. Realistic routes are used as well. Where symbols are not available, each yard has a symbol assigned to it (based upon the BNSF system) that can be used to make stand-ins.
[edit] Hotbox Detector
FYM also includes an optional audio "hotbox detector", that will play a real-life recording upon a train entering a yard, the message changing if there are bad order cars in the train. The detector can be customised on a yard by yard, player by player basis. There are also additional sounds within FYM such as engine sounds and coupling sounds.
[edit] Intermodal Operations
FYM has very accurate Intermodal operations. Trains are loaded and unloaded by special Intermodal Cranes, which move at slow speeds on special intermodal loading tracks. This is very realistic, and represents the loading/unloading of containers onto these trains. Also, Roadrailers, another type of intermodal, are loaded slowly onto specially modified bogies, for transport as impromptu rail cars.
[edit] Multiplayer Interaction
FYM is a first in many ways, but foremost in its multiplayer capabilities. The online community is large, yet friendly and helpful. The ability to send trains from player to player is what makes FYM more than a simple toy to a full-blown game. It is very fun to plan a train with another player, or to see the journey a train has made since you last saw it. All this is programmed into FYM, in a very professional FTP system, along with a "My Trains" function, for listing only trains on the server that are to/from you.
[edit] See Also
[edit] External Links
- FreightYardManager.net - The semi-official site of the game, with downloads for the game. Also home to the FYM Wiki, a resource which players can freely add to.
