Subway Simulator: Volume 1 - The Path: New York Underground

Volume 1 of World of Subways puts the player in the shoes of a subway train driver on the ca. 50km-long New York PATH Route from New Jersey to New York.

At the start of a game, the player can create a scenario out of several pre-configured parts. Besides difficulty settings, which influence how realistic the game behaves, these include the route, the weather, the shift, the presence of AI-controlled trains on the tracks, and the choice of three different types of trains to control. At the player's disposal are the PA_2R, the oldest of the PATH-route trains, the redesigned PA_3R from the late 1980's, and the contemporary generation of PATH-trains called PA_4.

After these decisions have been made, the game starts in the first train station and gives total control over the train to the player. The main objective is to keep the schedule and end the shift without any incidents. To do so, the player has to watch over the train itself with its engines, brakes, and the route with all the signals and train stations, as well as open the correct doors in the train stations, switch the air conditioning on and off, do the wagon announcements at the right time and in a realistic manner, etc.

At the end of the shift the player receives an overview of how well he did, with points deducted for failed objectives (e.g. overly rough acceleration). Depending on the realism setting, the use of some status monitors with information (such as the distance and color of the next signal) also negatively influences the outcome.