Global ATC Simulator

Multiplayer lies. Not fun.

It is a super fun game,it was a bit hard to figure out how the game works but once figured out it was easy.
Make a tutorial for the game for people who are new to it to know how to play and if it is possible to sync the game to real time flights etc.(I doubt it is possible but it would be amazing if you can)

As a professional air traffic controller with many years of experience, this simulator is incorrect in many aspects, and does not give anywhere near an authentic experience. There is also a lot of incorrect information that simply hast been updated to the current regulations and SOPs. Save your money.

This is an old game, but quite decent for ATC simulator. I had the old Aerosoft ATC simulator from W95 days.
While it's entertaining it does have some peeves. On two US airports, Denver international and Colorado Springs it produces departing flights that have a destination intersection or location that does not appear on the map. My workaround has been to send them in the general direction of the destination at the highest possible altitude. This has not happened in the one European map I played (Madrid Barajas)
Also a plane may collide with terrain or two planes might collide. It would be good if there was an option to replay or see what happened. Note that this game is no longer supported by the manufacturer.

This game was a good start, but it needed more work, and it's pretty much abandoned. I got it at 80% off ($5 US), and it was just barely worth it.

I have to be missing something. This is not intuitive at all and I don't know what I'm doing. No instructions? Do you require prior Air Traffic Controller schooling to play the game? And now I see that most reviews are from seven years ago. I guess I'm the one with egg on my face.

I have to say that I keep coming back to this sim when I need something to organize... which ain't that often. But that's just me. If you like logic problems and solving simulated emergencies then crank up the settings and go for rush hour at JFK or ATL.

What I like about the game is that it's easy to configure and control. When I say control, I mean manipulating the planes as they come and go. The airport database is very complete and I've yet to find an airport worth controlling that's missing. And, from what little I've experienced in real life, the SIDS and STARS are pretty darn good.

I also like the fact that it's pretty timeless... You don't need to sit around and wait for the devs to come up with updated graphics or scenarios - again, it's pretty straightforward.

What I don't like about the sim is that Aerosoft seems to have fielded it and walked away. If you try to update the database using the in-game link, it takes you to a dead website and a nasty-gram that it doesn't exist. If you try to go to Aerosoft's official website, you have to create an account to see what's going on with your game. What the heck is that all about? If I didn't purchase the game why in God's name would I be there looking for an update? Hey Aerosoft... What gives? Why do I need to create an account to get information on a game I've already purchased? And you can basically forget what they've advertised about real life weather... It's always the same and I've tested it a bunch of times.

Well, enough of that.

Overall, if you like spending hours sitting in front of your computer monitor staring at little dots with information rectangles crawling across your screen (and sometimes I do) then I guess this would be a good choice for you. But if you're looking for something that a real life air controller sees or deals with on a daily basis and real life weather conditions, than maybe not.

I would give it a "Thumbs Up" if it weren't for Aerosoft's apathetic attitude toward their customer base and (at this juncture) the horrendously high price. But, with respect to Nancy Regan, I'm gonna "Just Say NO!"

A bit of a short background, I'm a pilot myself with IFR training and NQ. I therefore know my way around approach and departure charts and their procedures.

I did not 'play' this extensively yet, but this seems basic OOTB.
It has an unfinished feel to me.

Looked good in the screenshots, but I had a different expectation from this sim (maybe even more focus on the procedures and the combined communication with the planes. Maybe I need more time with it to actually be able to appreciate this sim. For most 'players' that would probably end up in a very big maybe (currently reflected in the already low recommendation score).

Pros:
Lots of airports. You would have to know the ICAO code (EHRD, EBAW, EHAM, LAX, PSP etc), but you can find them.
Quite a bunch of arrivals. They seem to be setup and named after the real deal.
Same with departures.
Can maybe be quite flexible in setting up scenario's (did not dive into that fully).
You can possibly get very close to a real departure or arrival as flown in the real world, if you know what you are doing.

Cons:
Seems to get boring quickly (land a plane, depart a plane).
You need to know about procedures of the airport, seemingly you would need to have the charts yourself.
Only for the extreme enthusiast, seems to be directed to a very select audience.
I'm having doubts about the maneuvers from the simulated planes. Would a simulated plane ever say 'unable' or something similar? How about missed approaches?
The strips with the procedure is quite often hard to read in my opinion.

As a pilot, controller, or enthusiast that knows his way around STAR's and SID's, this has some use, but I still think this is limited. In its initial startup It feels very basic. In a way that I am/was actually thinking about refunding. I'm just not sure about its value and how many times I would start this sim up. I did got this when it was on sale though.

It maybe would be nice if this could get connected with online players in a flightsim, but than you would end up towards something more like Vatsim (you would need actual people playing and talking through a headset for that, and a complete flightsim with it). If you could somehow introduce people 'controlling/flying' the planes with multiplayer, to 'train' the procedures, that seems like it could have an added value as well.

In the most part I cannot currently recommend it (especially for most 'players'). Maybe my point of view changes for the better, when I start it up at a later point in time... , who knows. I'll see how many times I start it up in the future. See this review as a first impression.

I've played many ATC sim games since the 90s. This one looks good at first but once you get into it, the bugs are too much to overcome. I can't see the flight strips, I can only see my mouse cursor change when I mouse over them. I tried changing the compatibility settings in the .pif file many different ways, nothing worked. There is no exit menu command option anywhere in the game, simply clicking the x on the upper right only closes the window and doesn't shut the game down even though the computer will think its not running, it still is running. Only way to exit game is to ctrl alt del and close the game in the task manager while the window is still open.

Summary

Pros

Cons

I have to say, I enjoy playing this game. I'm 55 year old, old school gamer, so the graphics are not an issue, for they are realistic enough. I wish there was a larger following of this game, and I wish there were other options in ATC type games. Younger folks who complain about this game need to learn to use their imagination, which seems to be lacking in many much younger folks.

This is one of those games you can run in a second screen, while you are doing other things at the same time, yet, if you want something that demands more attention, turn up the complexity. I guarantee, there will always be a level that you can't keep up on. It also a small educational example of 3D thinking in your head. You will need to track and assign aircraft at different altitudes. Its actually a lot of fun.

This is not a game, rather an accurate simulation of an Air Traffic Controllers duty of Tower, Approach, and Departure. I have to say I've had lots of fun playing, there is great customizability over how you can play. Think you can handle 50 flights in 20 minutes? It'll set that up for you. Wanna play casually? Alright, you can also set that up. It's very detailed, and friendly to the novice players, as myself, I enjoy flight simulation and ATC Simulations.
Although the sim can be overpriced, I still enjoy a good few hours "on air".

Bear in mind that this is a relative reccomendation... (I understand i dont have much time in this game. but since i bought it life happened)

Its a real simulator (or at least as close as they could get without overcomplicating). That alone should give you some indication of how much enjoyment you will get out of it. If you like simulators then we are off to a good start.

This is in no way a graphically gorgeous game its a simple interface with symbols and lines representing different things. on the map. And text that gives you info you need to know as sidebars. If you are okay with that, then thats another check on your checklist.

The UI is both simple and complicated. It provides you with what you need but at the same time that can seem daunting. You have a decent amount of info in front of you. The way you interact with the game is through clicking on aircraft and giving commands through a simple interface. I do however recommend getting to know some of the hotkeys (found in the manual) Which leads me to the next point.

This is not a game you will just be able to sit down and play like a pro straight away. You will crash aircraft. You will Pull your hair out at points wondering, shouting "what do i do? What is going on?". This game has a steep learning curve. It does provide a tutorial, or rather tutorials. But they will still leave you with questions. But my dear ATC prospects there is a tip i can provide you...

Get the manual and print it off (its not too big). Have it next to you for a few games and refer to it often until you feel comfortable. And unless you are fast with a mouse, hotkeys are your friends.

With all that said, would i recommend this game to anyone? Simple answer is no. Thats a no to anyone who just does not have the patience for micromanaging a lot of things at once. A no to anyone with little or no interest in aviation and ATC.

This is one of those simulators that was not built with the casual gamer in mind (even though it can try to pass itself off like that at times)

If however you are interested in aviation and ATC or you are someone who likes (serious) simulators. I would recommend it. It is definitely a niche game. But can be very satisfying.

My own personal let down was a lack of being able to verbally command aircraft. Other than that i enjoyed what i played so far.

The best point that can be made for this game, from my own experience looking for an ATC sim in the past, is this is a bargain for someone who may be an enthusiast. But has no need to buy a three figure sum simulator (that was a mouthful. Try saying that after a few drinks) meant for people who know thats the career they wish to follow and need in depth training.
That is not to say this game is shallow. rather it just means that it provides an enjoyable ATC experience without bogging you down too much.

I hope this helps anyone out there. And if you are looking at this at all something about this must have piqued your interest.

This is an OK game to spend time with and although it includes SIDS and STARS (Airport Departures and Arrivals) it feels very limited in what it simulates and feels more arcadey than simulation to me. I gave it a good go but didn't really find it that fun or compelling. I wouldn't have a problem with it if they didn't call it a simulator, but they do and I purchased it based on the fact that it purported to be a simulation.

Aircraft don't interact with you, make requests and don't make mistakes etc. I just feels like a very sterile environment with good little airplanes that will happily follow every little instruction you give them even if you send them off in the opposite direction to their intended destination. You'll learn about approach and departure proceedures and juggle different aircraft types in probably quite an unrealistic manner but learn pretty much nothing else about ATC I suspect.

Short:
Too pricey for an airport database with something added that feels like "what-if" - trial for landing and departure.

Long:
Yes, yes - this is a SIM. I get it. And it is maybe quite accurate when it comes to airport data base data.
However:
a) I could not find any type of real traffic. So, only the Airport basis may be accurate.
At least with scenarios, the game can somewhat emulate real traffic like here: http://steamcommunity.com/app/270830/discussions/0/619574421615322074/
b) This "game" runs almost by itself as if the simlated world was perfect with perfect pilots and weather conditions.
There is no real challenge - except make the settings harder or chose "Rush Hour" as increasingly hard mode.
c) The interface (click-and-drop + Mousewheel) removes the tension by making communication too easy.
d) GUI lables with randomly changing font sizes on Win 8.1
However, http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/apps-and-windows-store/app-display-issues --> "Disable display scaling on high DPI settings" should do the trick
e) No active Steam Forum support - to me it appears that the game is more of a hobby-project than a professional product by a game development studio. Keeping this in mind makes the poor support somewhat bearable.

All other statements about this game may be accureate (see reviews below) - but for a casual ATC gamer ("Air Traffic Controller 3", "Tower! 2011", "atc-sim.com") that seeks for some challange, this game is not worth the high price.

I would be happy to see some improvements on the actual game mechanics so I can change my assessment.

Just to make it clear:
The game has quite some potential and I enjoy arcading with it a lot.
But it is too arcady to be a sim and to simplistic to be an arcade like I am ATC3 or Tower!2011
But with a few tweaks, the game could be a real good sim.
Price tag however, is still too high.

I did honestly not expect it to be this basic
Yes, you can import AIRAC, but the level of simulation is something you expect out of a tablet game.
No communication, just order planes like you do on tablet games with no rules. Don't even dream of QNH, transision levels, flightplan, transponder, hand-offs or crosswind for that matter.

A good - put not perfect - simulation of Air Traffic Control at Radar and Tower levels.

It should first be said that the scope of this is enourmous. As it says, covers almsot 14,000 airports worldwide. If its comerically flown to in the real world at any sort of level, it will be in the game. I tried a number of local airports to me, some of which see only a handful of movements a day, and they were fully simulated in STARs, SIDs and Transitions. The simulation has these spot on, including things like altidude restrictions and holding points.

The interface works very well and intuitevly. The drag and drop for heading plus the scrollwheel for height and speed make it quick and easy to give aircraft commands, and drag and drop for approach and landing works very nicely too. There is text based should it be needed, which I tend to use for joining procedures as I find it easier, but even this is not complex and is nicely done.

Don't be fooled by the trailer, there is very little in the way of audio. You will get voice notifications of aircraft arriving, departing, leaving your sector and for traffic alerts. There is no background "Buzz" and you don't get readbacks from pilots (well, you get text readbacks, but no audio). There is also no voice reconition for controlling. However, I can see why this is. The simulation includes countless airlines, aircraft and thousands upon thousands upon thousands of departure and arrival routes. To get it sounding anywere near decent would be very very difficult to do, and I see that this is a tradeoff to having more depth.

There are things missing. There is no VFR traffic, no transiting traffic and no circuit traffic. A few things are missing such as giving departing aircraft IFR clearance (although at most airports this is not the role of the tower or radar controller, at some it is). Altimiter settings are missing completely and speed you give as ground speed. There is no airspeed or MACH speeds to have to worry about.

The addition of multiplay is a nice touch. Although I can not comment on it personally since I have not used it up to now, if some of my friends were to get this I would no doubt be using it. It is a nice addition that I can see would add to the experience.

As for "learning" the way of the skies, the simulation does give some brief instruction of vectoring aircraft, ariving STARs and departing SIDs although this is FAR from compelte. If you dont have much prior aviation knowledge I would presume that this would be a very steep learning curve with not a load of support. There are however plenty of youtube vids aimed at flight simulation pilots discussing instrument procedures for flying. These can be used to get to grips with using them from the "Other side" and will give you enough to get into the simulation.

Overall, this is a well thought out and deep reaching simulation covering most aspects of ATC across a HUGE array of airports. There are a few missing touches as noted above but not enough to detract from the gameplay. If you are not interested in aviation / dont have much background knowledge I would give this a miss, but if this is the sort of thing that interests you, I would recomend it :)

As a line pilot on the B738 based in Cape Town, South Africa, I thought I'd have a bash at things from 'the other side of the screen' as it were. I've tried other ATC sims in the past, but frankly the hideous text interactions have always put me off - speech recognition has also not been up to spec, plus I've always wanted to play in my own back yard, ie the airfields I normally fly to. Thankfully, the simple drag and drop type interface in GATC, as well as the global database makes this all possible. Wall-o-text to follow:

The simple tutorials give you the basics of the interface which are easy to grasp, but very little 'training' in how to be an ATC (more tutorials are available on the Aerosoft website and are apparently more comprehensive, so this isn't a knock against the product). There are however, quite a few simplifications of procedures; some examples are no altimeter setting changes, no Mach/IAS conversion (you essentially tell the aircraft what ground speed to fly it seems unlike RL), likewise you tell the aircraft what track to fly (they seem to compensate for wind drift for you, not always done IRL unless asked for). The pilots are also all vegetables (don't joke, most of us are at least one step up from that!) in that they will happily fly into each other, and possibly the ground too. As an example, my very first flight was ended almost immediately after I cleared somebody for take off, then told the aircraft following to line up. IRL, the crew in the 2nd aircraft would simply wait until there was space to line up behind the departing traffic, but nope, the scenario ended as they taxiied straight into the other aircraft, which had actually reached 40kts already so was well clear (there is no simulation of intersection departures). There is also no simulation of ACAS RA's or EGPWS terrain avoidance (IRL a crew will avoid terrain and other transponder equipped aircraft). Also, with a bit of a crosswind aircraft will be unable to land and will constantly go-around - IRL, operational and procedural constraints often dictate a less than optimal runway; crews will only refuse in an emergency, or if the crosswind is considered excessive (crew restrictions, aircraft crosswind limits). For example, I 'forced' the use of RWY01 in FACT, with a wind of 340@15 aircraft were unable to land - IRL, using RWY34 (a shorter runway) isn't often done.

Basically I was looking for a bit more intelligence from the aircraft, perhaps an unrealistic expectation (actually, given the poor progress of AI in games in general, definitely unrealistic). As it stands now, you're basically remote controlling some drones (the way of the future?) The other thing I'd like to see is being able to clear aircraft for a visual approach without such harsh angular restrictions (they must be basically on final to accept a visual in game, in which case what's the point of the visual? May as well use the ILS.) IRL, if I can see the field and certain other constraints are met, if I'm cleared for a visual I fly myself onto final and land, from any direction (right or left, as cleared). I'd also like to be able to give them the option of flying at whatever speed they would like - IRL, the aircrafts FMC and company policy would dictate some kind of 'econ' descent (and as mentioned earlier, there's no transition between Mach number and IAS) and that's what crew would like to fly at - which brings me to my next point. I would have really liked to see some kind of efficiency rating - as it stands there seems to be no penalty whatsoever (and conversely no reward) for doing anything efficiently. IRL, pilots would scream bloody murder (after the flight of course) if you just 'forgot' to clear them to land (as I just did with Air France, sorry guys). Likewise, companies would like direct routings in empty skies - currently, you can leave everybody on a long roundabout departure and it makes no difference. To counter this, I'd like some kind of 'fuel efficiency' rating, comparing my performance to the worst case (ie all departures/arrivals flown in their entirety, aircraft held up in their climbouts etc). Along the lines of Max fuel burn/time enroute until clear of the sector vs actual fuel burn/time in the airspace. Something like that.

Some nice points, which I've found you can't always take for granted, are realistic times for lining up and getting rolling, as well a plausible simulation of what we often struggle with - energy management on the approach, in other words the old 'I can go down or slow down, but not both at once' problem.

But I'm being picky. At it's core, GATC offers a taste of the practical business of safely routing aircraft into and out of a worldwide database of airfields, including real world SIDs/STARs which is great. The simplifications of procedures don't really get in the way of this IMHO. It works, it's fun (if you like ATCing) and it covers the basics quite neatly in an easy to use interface. All my gripes could really be summed up as 'aircraft AI', perhaps something that is a bit beyond the scope of this project to do properly. I can therefore recommend it, again, assuming you have an interest in the subject at hand of course.

If your a fan of Air Traffic Control simulators, then your going to love this. Easy interface, not a HUGE learning curve and you can play casual or ramp up the settings to a nightmare of traffic.

It IS however missing some things that tried and true fans of ATC are going to miss. First off, it's not very accurate in how ATC is done, I believe this was done for playability...but even some basic things are missing....no hand offs to center, no frequency changes or transponder codes, no pop up traffic, no transition traffic, no vfr or small non-commerical traffic, no limits on altitude settings, no barometer settings...etc. Also, no scoring or evaluation system...just keeps track of how many are in the air, landed, departed and collided...but it don't track your overall career or ratings.

So again, not horribly accurate, but very cool in that it allows you to control at airport locations all over the world and it's easy to jump right into and play. The point and click/drag interface makes a HUGE improvement over the old Tracon game many of us loved.

Great for aviation enthusiasts and non enthusiasts.

Don't expect high graphics as this is a simulator of an air traffic control radar screen. This can be rewarding and frustrating in equal measures. The biggest downside is that you cannot zoom in and out of specific sectors of your radar screen, you can only zoom in on the airport it self. This sometimes makes it very difficult to find specific waypoints. Despite this, you can order the movement of aircraft by means of drag and drop.

Even though it is difficult to sometimes find the required waypoints which can be frustrating, this is a good simulation.

This is one of the most technically compehensive ATC sims I have ever seen. Being a private pilot myself, I find it very interesting to be able to load up a controlled airport in my area and see the operations from the perspective of the controllers on the ground. So far I have played around in CYXU and CYYZ with real weather and I am impressed. However, the sim does lack and could use some more immersion elements like text to speech and speech control, but it makes up for it by providing a highly detailed TRACON sim that conveys accurate approach and depature procedures for pretty much every airport around the world.

I recommend this mostly to people who have an interest in the procedural aspects relating to civilian aviation. Casuals will indeed lose interest fast I imagine.