European Tycoon II - beta

[OilCan]

Attached is a zipped game map named European Tycoon II -- in its beta version and in 1.06 version.

It was translated from the Italian game of 'EuropaTycoon 10' - which is posted on Molse's site.

The original game had a number of errors in its events - particularly the way it counted cites, it timing and some events were redundant. The game was way too easy to play. It gave the player enormous rewards over and over again. And one could play the whole game in just one section of the map.

I took the liberty of correcting the errors, making the game a little harder to play, and adding some events to stretch the player's railroad across the map. With all these changes, I renamed it European Tycoon II. It is stil something of an easy game, but I did not want to completely revamp it.

The game's duration is up to 25 years.
For the BRONZE: Connect at least 30 cities and have $30,000,000 in player cash.
For the SILVER: Connect at least 40 cities, have $40,000,000 in player cash.
For the GOLD: Connect at least 50 cities, and have $50,000,000 in player cash.

Comments and suggestions for improvement (or correcting an event I missed) are appreciated.

Edit: I've posted a corrected beta version in which the status page correctly counts cities.
(After the new year, more events and special tasks will be added to make the game more interesting.)

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Edit by Hawk: File removed. Tis map is available in the archives in the Europe section.

[belbincolne]

Will give it a try and report later

[Sugus]

Think that I'll retranslate it back to German.

[OilCan]

But I started with the German version! You might want to wait until it gets some comments back and a final version comes out.

[andy-rails]

I tried it, quite interesting but the counting of the connected cities is uncorrect: it counts the cities connected by the IA...i don't know how to make things go right...all my maps have no IA players, just because i don't understand how to make things go right

[OilCan]

I tried it, quite interesting but the counting of the connected cities is uncorrect: it counts the cities connected by the IA...i don't know how to make things go right...all my maps have no IA players, just because i don't understand how to make things go right

I will double check this.

[Sugus]

... and I'm will be patient, of course.

[belbincolne]

Remember playing the original - so easy it just got boring. Trouble is I cant see the difference between the two. Had two starts on Expert I tried Germany and after 5 years one carriage had travelled Then on Normal started in Belgium and it rocketed away so much so that its boring already.

Don't understand the comments on connection. Mine (a) has no AI so cant count them and (b) is really accurate. After the two Belgian towns I went to the German border and built a large station which covered three towns in Germany. I was credited with a total of five so, as I said, spot on and it is still accurate now with some 20 connected.

Incidentally I've so much money that after a couple of bonds to get into Germany I've repaid them, never issued stock and have hotels & restaurants in every town - nearly all highly profitable. This just adds up to why its all too easy for words.

[belbincolne]

Thought I'd try an experiment. Played this on Expert in RT3 with same "rules" as before. By end 1840 I'd connected all Belgium Germany France and Switzerland with hotels etc in every town. Carried 660 passengers and many of hotels/restaurants were unprofitable. And I'd still got 2 bonds.

Went back to RT6 and played on (in Normal) to beginning 1840 - by then I was bored stiff. I had also connected every town in Spain, Italy and a few other countries again with hotels / rest (all profitable) in each town and carried 1396 passengers.

No idea what this proves - but I've found no flaws with the scenario - and I can't see what the difference is to version 1.

[OilCan]

This is helpful information. I thought the game was easy as well the times I tested it, but I was in a delimma: should I completely redo it or should I leave it alone with a few improvements? I went with the second option and just improved it.
I like the concept of the game - connecting cities and building personal wealth - so I don't want to really change that. Maybe the rewards for connecting cities should be reduced. And maybe I should introduce some 'set backs' like strikes, revolts, embezzelment and such to add some stress. I could also add the option of electric or steam at the start of the game.

It sounds like this game needs some spice. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[OilCan]

it counts the cities connected by the IA...

The status page was mistakenly showing all cities connected, both by human player and the AI players. BUT, the gold/silver/bronze events were correctly set to count the human player cities only. Thanks for catching this error.

You can correct it on your map by going to the map editor and finding the event called 'Status Page'. Click on the 'conditions' tab. Then click on the radio buttons for 'on screen player's company only' and 'on screen player only'. Save, then restart the game. The status page should show only your connected cities and not the AI's.

[belbincolne]

I didn't add any AIs so cant comment on that but so far as the basic game is concerned it certainly needs some events to spice it up because its so easy it just becomes tedious after a short while.

[OilCan]

..it certainly needs some events to spice it up because its so easy it just becomes tedious after a short while.

I agree. After the new year, I'll add some events and special tasks to liven up the game....plus reduce the rewards which are already in the game. This will give me something to sit in my corner and think about while my house and home is invaded by an 'occupying force' of in-laws next week.

[RayofSunshine]

Usually I do not attempt to play beta scenarios, as I do not have the talent to correct errors which may disrupt my computer system, which has happened in the past.

With that said, as I ran out of new created scenarios, I gave it a try with this European beta. I am 1/2 way to the deadline, and have not encountered any problems.

So, with that said, this scenario is one of the best "playing" type that I have enjoyed. There are so many events which add to the game play. Hence the anticipation to continue to play, just to see what the creator has added to initiate more anxiety of a reward or bonus. e.g. to get a 35% reduction on bridges for 2 years, of which to span the Baltic Sea. It keeps a player interested, and even though the medal goals may not be acquired, this is the most fun scenario, to my opinion, yet created. Not to disregard any of the previous ones, which have their own anxieties and fun.

Even though Surgus mentions to make additions in the events, I do believe that I will keep this as a separate version, and that way I will have 2 of them of which to choose. I do hope that such a revision will indicate a different version to help us illiterates in our attempt to have separate scenarios for our inventory.

[RayofSunshine]

A Happy New Year to All,

And I have to apologize for a statement pertaining to Surgas going to make some additions to the events. After I had sent the thread, I remembered that it was OilCan.

The only question I have, pertains to the $5M award to connect Bassora to Instanbul. When I did connect Bucharest to Instanbul, the book ledger showed that I had made the connect of Bassora to Instanbul. An award of $2.5M was given as an award due to completing a certain number of cities. However, I still had to connect to Bassora in order to get the $5M award. It isn't a big deal, but I would believe that it is not following the programing that the other 3 "deals" used.

I am only playing the Med level, and have completed all the goals, with the exception of the $50M for the PNV. But it is in the "works" as I still have 4 more years to the deadline and already have $47.5M in my "piggy bank".

Am anxious to see what OilCan is going to add to the events.

[RayofSunshine]

Okay fellas,

I went a step further, and inlisted the EXPERT level.

No problem except that although my closest depots were at Krackow, Prague, and Venice, the ledger book showed that I had "connected Istanbul to Baasaro.

I thought that I was in for trouble as after the 2nd year, the economy dropped to Recession, and stayed for 5-6 years. Hence to obtain the required goals, there was never an adequate amount of revenue, and thereby missed obtaining PNV of $50M, and only managed the Bronze. I did manage to get all the other goals.

This is a very interesting scenario, SO, I am going to attempt the EXPERT level and include the authorized 11 AIs, just to see what results I will find.

I did question the economy result on revenue of the consists being hauled.
Paris to Rome - 1Pass 7Clothing - $175k
Rome to Naples - 8Clothing - $350k
I know that this is all based on demand, but I thought the figures some what drastic considering the distances of both.

[belbincolne]

Played this on Expert and got Silver. Used normal tactics but all but one of the handouts available to either Company or Individual I gave to Company expecting that this would pay off later and still owned 100% pretty early. For first 15 years the Company was highly profitable but for last 10 very poor even during boom and awful in last 5 when it sank into depression so I couldn't pay the high dividends I'd intended. I'd also expected to be able to sell my stock at the end to make up any deficit but could only raise $5m not $10m so was still that $5m short of Gold. Enjoyable scenario and I'll try again to see if I learnt anything

The only flaw I noticed was that Bassora was said to be connected in the Almanac although it wasn't (the only $5m I failed to collect). Don't understand Ray's comments on Carryings as this doesn't seem to have any relevance to the scenario - I was never asked to carry clothing.

Originally I thought it was too easy but perhaps not. I'll comment on this when I've given it another play (s) - possibly including some AIs. Anyway thanks - its a nice idea and just that bit different.

[OilCan]

Thanks for all the comments. This is why this is a 'beta' version. Your suggestions will help improve the final version.
Here's the changes I'm thinking about:
I plan to scatter out the cities a little more than they already are (there are too many clumped together in some places on the map).
Create territories which can either be bought for access or opened by completing a task. The player would have access to France, Germany and Italy at the start of a game. The rest of the map would be restricted at the start of the game.
Change the reward for connecting 5,10,15,20, etc... cities to just the reverse: a rail tax which increases as the number of connected cities increase. This will make the player have to consider the cost verse profit of connecting to a new city.

To add more spice, I've been thinking about adding rail strikes, bad snowy winters, and a season of drough - plus one more.

There will be a new offer to haul X amount of passengers per year (a tourism business offer) to receive Y amount of company money. If you haul X++ amount of passengers/yr, your personal cash will get a 'bonus' gift. This will make the player double track main lines and create passenger express train routes.

Also, there will be an offer for a secret deal with a group of bankers to haul oil out of Russia, as well as an offer to help boost paper production across Europe. Two more ways for the player to make personal cash.

Ray of Sunshine has a good point about keeping the current version as its own game, with corrections make to the Bassaro - Istanbul event trigger, plus corrections suggested in the other comments. Maybe this should remain as ET II and the 'spiced up' version will become ET III (??)

[belbincolne]

Just finished the second try on Expert with 3 added AIs. This proved easier and I changed tactics slightly so that I always took the cash offers for myself with one exception when my company was cash strapped. Maybe the Bust/Boom times fell better for me but I managed to connect all the bonus cities and buy substantial blocks of shares in the other companies which I sold off over the last 4 years getting Gold with still 100% of my own Company a year early.

Apart from Bassora there was one flaw. Although I got all the city connection bonuses even at the end the Almanac said I'd only connected 4! It must have been looking at one of the AIs.

Your suggestions for Mk 3 look interesting but might well make the scenario a LOT harder. The towns certainly need scattering more (by reducing in size presumably) and the connection bonuses are very generous but without them it would be hard to win and I suspect a deterrent factor would make life almost impossible. Anyway I look forward to version 3.

[RayofSunshine]

Okay I got GOLD in Expert, and with playing of 11 AIs. But the traffic was terrible. Tracks all over the place, and naturally always at the city to which I want to go. This time however, I rebooted the "loading" as it went immediately to Recession. I didn't get to the Gold when just playing the Medium level with such a starter.

One thing which was the same. Right at the end with only 5 years to the deadline, the economy went into Depression, just like that of the Medium, which did not help to get the $50M PNV.

Now each city has some type of amenity, but this time I did not lay tracks to all of the same destineations, so hence, I did not get a reduction in bridge building or lay track. Instead I did get a 25% increase in revenue for Hotels, of which I had none.

In 1909 my PNV was at $43M, so being that close to the deadline, I waited until June 1910 and accummulated the balance by selling all my stock, and went into "margin" for approx $2M to total $51M and the GOLD.

I believe I will continue playing just to see how such a stock market adventure might work. That could be fun, as I usually do not get this involved in the stock market.