Bus Simulator 18

If you like simulators and/or buses or repetition
then you'll have lots of fun with this game.
I'm not done with it yet but here's a review anyway!
(Very unlikely I'll change my recommendation).
Where to begin? You drive buses. It feels real. Have you ever been on
a bus and wondered what it'd be like to be a bus driver? Well this is
the game for you! Being a bus driver is a PITA! Literally. I've been sitting
on my ass for almost an hour driving and I'm feeling it!
This game is one which you'll either love or hate. Some might call it
boring because it's repetitive or something but there is fun in repetition
and the feeling you get after completing a long drive is very satisfying.
There are many routes you can take (scenic countryside, freeways, cities, etc),
different buses (bendy, coaches or just normal buses - or even double deckers
via the Workshop!) and just the right amount of customisation (there could
always be more though!). You can customise your buses, uniform, name your
company, hire drivers, play in Simplified/Realistic mode and tweak the game
to your liking. It's almost perfect, really. Something for everyone - casual or veteran.

The world feels alive with pedestrians, cars, etc, and quite gorgeous scenery;
cities, countryside, etc. You can get up, walk around the interior and outside of
the bus - and even just explore on foot! Not recommended though because it's
a bit lame and you can't jump. It's Bus Simulator NOT walking simulator, right?
You turn on the engine, lights, etc, and off you go. If people need tickets, you give
them tickets. You also check tickets in case someone is trying to fare dodge.
You stop at traffic lights, indicate left/right and so on. Basically, everything that
you expect to be there is there.
One thing that always makes me smile is when you drive past one of your other buses
and they flash the lights (like a little, 'Helloooo!'). I think that's really cool.
It's a great feeling, in my opinion, completing a route and especially acing it. It's pretty
repetitive but what do you expect? There are hazards, events and other little things
that keep it interesting though. The passengers dialogue is pretty fun to listen in on
for one or sometimes someone leaves something on the bus and you have to chase
after them to return it. Or sometimes someone is blocking the doors or listening to
really loud music and you have to tell them to stop being naughty. There's also
speed bumps/cameras, potholes, roadworks, crashes and other things you have to
avoid. Maybe one too many potholes I think (a lot of people have mentioned that)...
It's not just about driving buses though! Of course that's the main focus but there's
also creating routes, naming them and giving them a number. A bit of the managerial
side of things - hiring drivers (reading their 'CVs') and assigning them a bus/route
which they will drive and earn based on your best, past performance or 'highest
score'. You have to create a route and then drive it once before giving it to another
driver or else they'll not earn anything. While on the topic of routes, some of them
(especially when you do a 'Round Trip') can take 20-30 minutes to complete and
some of them are more boring than others. Personally, I like the long roads and
scenic, countryside places as opposed to the cities and constant turning corners.
Some places have really tight corners and narrow streets with cars park on either
side, one way streets, etc. You can always give the crappy, boring ones to your
employees to do though. When you complete a route, your final 'money earned'
is basically yours + employees.
So yeah, if you like what I've said so far then definitely buy this game! It's 100%
worth it on sale that's for sure.
Some doo doo things are;
Too many zebra/pedestrian crossings which are death traps. Protip: DO NOT
STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THEM AND PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION
because pedestrians like to walk into the side of the bus and the game
counts that as you've just hit a pedestrian and takes -20,000 euros from
you. Basically, mission failed... We'll get 'em next time. Rage inducing
I think if it were to happen seconds away from acing a 30 minute journey.
They're especially worse during rainy weather because they like to run
around like headless chickens and across the crossing. Just be careful!
Cars can be dumb - you MUST indicate but the indicator likes to go off
when you're turning and release the steering wheel (if you have to stop)
which is unavoidable really on KB/M. E.g. You're indicating left, turning,
stopping (release wheel), indicator goes off and the car who was giving
way starts to proceed while you're going forward putting the indicator
back on and you almost collide with it. I'm not sure how else to explain it.
It's just annoying and anxiety inducing - same with those pedestrians!
They also won't let you change lanes! Maybe that's actually realistic...
Not enough weather options - there's just not enough! No Dusk,
no Mid Afternoon, etc. A foggy night would've been interesting.
The game is very paranoid about offending people when it comes to
e.g. number plates. I say, 'F those people!'. Anyway, you can't use
certain numbers like 1--4, 1--8, 8--8, 420 or letters like A--H, S--S (I think).
Some make sense but I still think it's pretty dumb if there actually exists
people that get offended over letters and numbers. I don't think they do.
Sometimes the ticket machine will randomly stop working and the only way
to fix it is to completely exit the game.
There's a workshop too with some mods. That's a good thing though.
That's not doo doo! You can get yourself a few more buses and decals.
The game is a little bit rough around the edges but overall, VERY fun and
addicting game if you like repetition, dopamine, sitting in traffic and stuff.
If you want a radio station in the game (it wasn't working for me until
I did this);
This PC > C: > Users > > AppData > Local > BusSimulator18 > Saved > Config > WindowsNoEditor.
Find 'OnlineRadioEnabled=True' (make sure it's True and not False obviously).
Beneath this add UserDefinedStreamingPlaylist="
---You can put other links in there but I don't know what works.
This is a pretty decent station though I think!
Note: The radio seems to bug out and mess up the sound when it does. I think it
loses connection or something because Steam went offline at the same time.
What else? I highly recommend night driving. The game looks so awesome at night.
There is an infinite money cheat/bug where if you start a drive in 'Round Trip' and go
to the opposite bus stop of where you're suppose to start, the game will say you
skipped a stop (several times or however many stops are on that route - WARNING!
Headphone users) and say you've completed the route. Press 'End' and you'll see.
I think it only works if you have lots of drivers though because you don't earn anything
yourself but they do.
I hope my massive wall of text helped you to decide if this game is for you or not!

Better then the Bus Simulator 21

Better than Fernbus, Bus Simulator 21 and The Bus.

I like buses, and public transport in general. Bus Simulator 18 is a nice game, got lots of workshop mods too. Though, in my opinion, you should get and keep playing this game, rather then the newer, 21.

Wheels on the bus goes round and round...

Bus drivers, thank you for your service to the community.
Now I know how Bus drivers never hit the curb when parking at a bus stop. It's an incredible skill.

The wheels on the bus go round and round