When comparing Simutrans vs PlaneShift, the Slant community recommends Simutrans for most people. In the question“What are the best open-source games?” Simutrans is ranked 33rd while PlaneShift is ranked 52nd. The most important reason people chose Simutrans is:
Each product has a chosen destination and they will only use your company if you deliver them where they want.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Passengers & goods have their own travel destinations
Each product has a chosen destination and they will only use your company if you deliver them where they want.
Pro Multiple paksets
There are multiple graphic packages to choose from, each with different dynamics. So even though you have mastered one pakset you can have a different gameplay with another.
Pro Cross platform
Available for Windows, Mac, Linux & Steam-OS.
Pro Available through Steam
Simutrans is available through Steam for those who prefer automatic updates and game management through Steam.
Pro Transportation
For fans of transportation games it has lots of vehicle options and things to transport. The multiple graphical packages also mean a, kind-of, multiple games in one, as each graphical package can be completely different from the others.
Pro Multiplayer
Multiplayer support still has bugs and disconnections happen, but it works and is easier to setup with version 120.3 and up. It also allows you to setup servers without announcing them to other players, though that requires manual work.
Pro Map customisation
The map has multiple customisation options, like map size, climate zones, terrain 'roughness' and number of rivers, cities, industries and tourist attractions, & more.
Pro Modding
Creating new objects is not too hard, as long as you have some drawing skills you just need a text file with some parameters and then you can compile it to enjoy. Some paksets even rely on rendering from 3D objects.
Pro Community
Even though the game is old the community is active and open to developers and modders who want to improve the game. Decisions on how the game evolve also accept the decision of the majority of the community.
Pro More complex version called "Extended" for hardcore gamers
A fork of the project called Simutrans Extended extends the standard game with more complex and realistic features for extra complexity and realism for those who like hardcore gameplay. The fork is available in their official forums.
Pro Innovative to its core
It is different from the indiscernible mass of industry gruel (to avoid other four-letter words) out there.
Pro Win, Linux, Mac
Windows, Linux and Mac versions.
Pro Very detailed world
Cons
Con Unfinished, deprecated packsets or child's drawings instead of realistic buildings
Con Strange packsets mechanism
Con Strange default packset
Con Lacks players
Con Lots of running around & back-tracking
Without mounts, because they have a long and advanced quest line you need to do to get them.
Con Quests are janky
Once you had to type to do/answer quests. I.E. had to get into the mind who made these quests.
Now for the most part you can still do this, but they also give you selection of answers. For the most part, you still need to type in answer for some quests.