Despite having the name in common with its predecessor, backwards compatibility with the first version of "Train Simulator" would not have been possible due to the completely different base platform used for development and programming designs between the two versions. The original "Microsoft Train Simulator" uses routes based on individual levels which are loaded separately within the application, whereas this version would have introduced the entire world as a single game playing area where railroad corridors would have been based on their actual real-world locations just as in "Flight Simulator".