In this paper, we present the findings of a comparison study using predictive detailed simulation models for three different network protocol access methods: Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (ANSI/IEEE 802.3 STD), Token-Passing Bus Access (ANSI/IEEE 802.4 STD) and Token-Ring Access (ANSI/IEEE 802.5 STD). Discussions of network performance, the implications of the results of the comparison study, and the insight gained from this project for improving real-time simulation networking are presented.