The Bus
Game poster featuring a Scania Citywide articulated bus at the Brandenburg Gate
Developer(s)TML-Studios
Publisher(s)Aerosoft
EngineUnreal Engine 5
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
Genre(s)Vehicle simulation
Mode(s)Single-player

The Bus is a bus simulation game developed by TML-Studios and published by Aerosoft. The early access version was available via Steam for Microsoft Windows on 25 March 2021.

Gameplay

The Bus has the similar concepts like Bus Simulator 21.[1] It is described as "the next generation of city bus driving simulation".[2] It is set in the capital city of Germany, Berlin, featuring a scale of 1:1 recreation of the city.[3]

Development and release

The Bus is developed by TML-Studios, who is known for Tourist Bus Simulator, Fernbus Simulator and World of Subways series, with Aerosoft publishes the game.[4] The early access version was available for Microsoft Windows on 25 March 2021.[5] It was initially developed on Unreal Engine 4, and was upgraded to Unreal Engine 5 on 14 December 2022.[6] The game was set to leave early access in 2024, when multiplayer is expected to be available.[7]

Updates

Early Access will go through different major phases, but there are regular updates to the game in between them. Even though developers said it will take them around 8 to 16 months,[8] currently, as of December 2023, this game is in phase 2.[9]

Phase 1

The Bus was released to Steam platform, and initially included the bus line TXL with various routes, Scania Citywide LF 18m, 10.9m buses, along with simple features like: passenger transport with boarding and deboarding, ticket selling, weather, seasons, also route, line and tour editor tool. This phase ended in December 14, 2022.[10]

Phase 2 (current)

Introduction to five new lines: Line 200, Line 100, Line 300, Line 245, Line 123. Three new buses with its variants were released - Mercedes-Benz eCitaro (unbranded), MAN Lion's City DD and VDL Citea LLE & SLFA. One of the core features in this phase is Multiplayer mode, which hasn't been released yet. Modding was introduced to allow players to make maps and other various modifications to the game. This phase has also got performance optimizations, such as conversion to Unreal Engine's World Partition system.

Phase 3

Economy mode will be released, which includes creating player's own bus company, buying and selling vehicles, hiring and firing staff, etc. New content, such as Line 142 and Solaris Urbino IV electric will be released. Apart from more optimizations and polishing, AI buses and AI trams will be available.

Buses

The Bus offers vehicles from these companies and their models:

Manufacturer Variant Engine Release date
Scania Citywide LF 11m 2D Diesel 25 March 2021
Citywide LF 11m 3D
Citywide LF 12m 2D
Citywide LF 12m 3D
Citywide LF 18m 3D
Citywide LF 18m 4D
MAN Lion's City A39 (DD) Diesel 6 December 2021[11]
Mercedes-Benz (unlicensed as eCitybus) eCitaro 12m 2D Electric 14 December 2022[12]
eCitaro 12m 3D
eCitaro 18m 3D
eCitaro 18m 4D
VDL Citea LLE-99 2D Diesel 22 December 2023[13]
Citea LLE-120 2D
Citea LLE-120 3D
Citea LLE-127 2D
Citea LLE-127 3D
Citea SLFA-180 3D Electric TBA
Citea SLFA-180 4D
Solaris Urbino 12 IV Electric 2D Electric TBA[14] (Phase 3)
Urbino 12 IV Electric 3D
Urbino 18 IV Electric 3D
Urbino 18 IV Electric 4D

References

  1. ↑ "All Games Confirmed To Be Using Unreal Engine 5 So Far". Game Rant. 22 March 2023. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  2. ↑ Plunkett, Luke (24 March 2021). "It Is Once Again Time To Drive A Relaxing Video Game Bus". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  3. ↑ Smith, Graham (9 March 2021). "The Bus, a bus simulator, promises a 1:1 recreation of Berlin". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  4. ↑ "THE BUS launches into Steam Early Access today!". gamespress.com. 25 March 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  5. ↑ Sheehan, Gavin (8 March 2021). "Aerosoft Unveils A New Driving Simulator Called The Bus". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  6. ↑ Sheehan, Gavin (28 December 2022). "Simulator Game The Bus Receives Upgrade With Unreal Engine 5". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  7. ↑ Denzer, TJ (8 March 2021). "The Bus is a new bus-driving sim featuring a full-scale Berlin, coming to early access". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  8. ↑ "Save 20% on The Bus on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  9. ↑ "Trello". trello.com. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  10. ↑ "The Bus - The Bus Update Phase 2.0 - RELEASED - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. 2022-12-14. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  11. ↑ "The Bus - The Bus MAN Lion's City Doppeldecker - Update - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  12. ↑ "The Bus - The Bus Update Phase 2.0 - RELEASED - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. 2022-12-14. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  13. ↑ "The Bus - The Bus | VDL Citea LLE OUT NOW - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. 2023-12-22. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  14. ↑ NextSim23: Schwertransport-, Krankenhaus-, Polizei-, Feuerwehr und Offroad-Simulator | NextSim, retrieved 2023-12-24
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