Enhancing Farm and Transport Games with…

As I begin establishing my first bus route in City Bus Manager, I can’t shake the feeling of pressure. I’m eager to provide an efficient public transportation system for the citizens of this city—my city. Utilizing OpenStreetMap (OSM) data, City Bus Manager displays recognizable streets and landmarks, illustrating the daily lives of my neighbors who, like me, are eager for an effective transit service. I’m determined to offer that service, even if it’s all within a virtual landscape.

City Bus Manager is among a select group of simulation games that leverage OSM’s community-curated database to create immersive experiences across the globe. Other titles, such as Global Farmer, NIMBY Rails, and Logistical: Earth, allow players to construct farms, railroads, or logistics networks worldwide, guided by real-world data on agriculture, communities, and infrastructure.

Niklas Polster, co-founder of PeDePe, the studio behind City Bus Manager, recalls the initial skepticism regarding the feasibility of using OSM, stating, “We had no idea if it would be technically possible.” However, once they secured access to the data, they uncovered a vast array of streets, buildings, and genuine bus stops—elements that enrich the game’s environment and enhance gameplay by simulating passenger movements. For instance, “Schools generate traffic on weekday mornings, while nightlife hotspots like bars and clubs tend to draw in more passengers during weekend evenings,” Polster explains.

Typically, players are inclined to explore City Bus Manager within their own neighborhoods. This trend is evident from various YouTube gameplay videos, where many creators express their intention to navigate their hometowns. According to Thorsten Feldmann, CEO of Thera Bytes (the team behind Global Farmer), this personal connection seems nearly instinctive. When they showcased the game at Gamescom in 2024, “every single booth visitor” expressed a desire to input their postal code and view their own residence.

There exists a unique fantasy in transforming familiar local spaces, Feldmann observes. Besides players’ own homes or towns, Global Farmer promotes locations like Buckingham Palace as starting points for new agricultural endeavors. “[Players crafting their] narratives around such iconic places can resonate more significantly than in entirely fictional settings,” he asserts.

There’s a certain thrill that comes with having control over well-known or iconic locations. The notion of repurposing a prestigious garden associated with the British royal family—which generates £510 million annually