I am glad you are enthused about this project, Lama, and I welcome any input that you have. Having just re-read a lot of the threads made during the 1.06 development process I know that you had made some sensible suggestions regarding some of the issues that are now trying to be fixed that were for the most part brushed aside, or slated to be addressed in a later update, which never came. This project is not a true 1.06 update, but more like a patch to ride on top of the existing 1.06 install, but many of the primary issues and loose ends left with the unfinished 1.06 release can and will be addressed. Gumboots is correct in that this team consists of two people. He is taking care of all of the loco issues and I am doing all of the cargo and building fixes. I think this is about right for a project of this scope, but help with getting some of the different tasks done is welcome, and input from the community is simply essential. I am not actually a
programmer, but I am competent when it comes to modifying and creating assets for RT3. I had not done anything relating to RT3 for ~4 years or so, and the past couple weeks have been spent gathering the tools and resources I need to get things done. Now I am feeling like I am "In the Zone", as when I look at the Hex coding I can remember what is what, rather than it looking like a giant mass of meaningless random #'s. With a bit of a tailwind (weather permitting- rain= more RT3 time) I might actually have the proposed new industries put together this weekend.
I have good news regarding this :
I especially like the project of replacing some of the warehouses with nicer models. How about replacing the actual warehouses with smaller models, with a lesser footprint? That would be an aesthetical improvement. It would also make life easier for map makers. The warehouse is extremely unforgiving as a building to be auto-placed by the game, via city recipe, because it will not fit on the map in many cases.
I have a bit of a head start in regards to this issue, as I had already made a fix for this some (5!?!?) years back.
![Smile :-)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
I never "advertised" it though, and never had Hawk post it in the downloads section, so it has gone unnoticed by most everyone.
Click here to download the "Bandaid" I created that swaps out the Warehouse placemarkers for new buildings in 1.06.
The following buildings' models are changed with this fix:
Concrete Plant : Fertilizer Factory
Construction Firm : Small Commercial Building
Electronics Plant : Plastics Factory
Hospital : Medium Commercial Building
Machine Shop : Munitions Factory
Pharmaceutical Plant : Textile Mill
Warehouse : Brewery
I guess that can be considered a bit of a teaser for what is to come. You can see that I swapped out the existing Warehouse for a brick building with a smaller footprint in the Bandaid too. I used the Brewery for this, as it looks like the classic brick warehouses you would see along any railyard prior to the modern era. For those that want to retain the corrugated steel Warehouse building for the Warehouse, you simply do not add that file when placing these files in your RT3 Cargo Types folder. All of that is explained in the thread I linked, and in the Read Me text included in the zip.
Now, to address the other points you bring up, which are all spot-on. Please let us know what you think of the proposed remedies.
a) Crystals are produced from 1800, but not demanded until 1950
This issue is being addressed by changing the name of this cargo from the obscure "Crystals" to Sand (I agree about Sand being better than Silica, so consider that one a done deal). A new industry, the Glassworks, will be available from start with recipe: Sand+Coal=Goods. I am considering having a later recipe of Sand+Oil=Goods, this will be explored.
b) Ingots are produced from 1800, but not demanded until 1860
At this time, three new industries are proposed to address this . All will be available from start. First, a new "Machinery Foundry" using recipe Iron Ore+Ingots+Coal=Machinery. Second: a Jeweler, with a small footprint and output, having the recipe: Ingots=Luxuries or perhaps Ingots+Goods=Luxuries (Luxuries are the Toy cargo, renamed and made available from start) , and Third: the Mint, recipe Ingots=Luxuries (large footprint and output)
c) Machine Shop is available from 1800, but cannot produce anything until 1860
This one I am still thinking about.Originally I had considered the fix of making Oil available from start, but this will monkey up some existing scenarios. I may simply incorporate the Iron Ore+Ingots+Coal=Machinery recipe from the proposed Machinery Foundry into this industry and make the Machinery Foundry something else. Ideas are welcome.
d) Quarry cannot sensibly be used until 1950, when all its output will find a demand
I think you are referring to the use of Crystals (now Sand) in the Electronics Plant recipe. This is one I am not real familiar with, as I almost always play early period scenarios. I thought the recipe using Sand(Crystals) started earlier than that. I need to look into this, and any input is welcome. At any rate, the new Glassworks mentioned above gives a use for Sand beginning at the start. I think the Concrete Plant begins in 1850. I am open to ideas about this issue. In my opinion, the Concrete production chain is the most bonkered up. It bugs me the most anyways. It might have something to do with the fact that I have laid many acres of concrete over the years. As suggested earlier in this thread, Lime could be introduced to replace Concrete as a cargo. That initial discussion revolved around changing the Crystals cargo to "Limestone", being used to create "Cement" (Concrete). I nixed that idea in lieu of renaming Crystals to Sand and leaving the Crystals>Electronics and Concrete production chains intact. I am open to exploring changing the name of Concrete to Lime at this point. If this were done and the Cement Plant were made available at start, making lime in this time period makes sense. The idea of Ceramics somehow being turned into Lime is pretty weird though, as is the idea of the existing 1.06 idea of using Ceramics to create Concrete (Do Tycoonauts crush Bricks to use in Concrete??) Thank God that the original idea of including Steel in the Concrete recipe was tossed out. That one was even more bonkers. I would really like to fix this production chain, but thus far all of the ideas I have to make something that is actually plausible will have adverse effects to some existing scenarios. All ideas about this are welcome. Something that is already being proposed to address the Rock usage is the Kiln, recipe: Rock+Coal=2 Ceramics, and perhaps Rock+2 Pulpwood=2 Ceramics.
e) Ore Mine cannot sensibly be used before 1860, or else it lacks input or demand; but is available from 1800
This is being addressed with the introduction of the new Smelter industry, with the recipe: Ore+Coal=Ingots. The existing Furnace will remain intact, so as to not break any existing scenarios.
The actual recipe for the new industries will have to be tested for profitability and such, along with building costs, Demand only inputs , .etc.
Keep the input coming folks, things are starting to gel! If you know of some issue not being discussed or some industry you have always wanted to see in RT3, now is the time to speak up.