I have played RTIII many times, but I am still pretty bad at this game. I can finish games on easy, but moving up to Normal is a challenge for me. I'd like to become better and there seems to be a lot of knowledge on this forum, but I'm not sure where to look.
I heard that industry is very strong in this game, but I'm not sure how to use it in the beginning. It seems like most industries are too expensive for me to buy, and they take about 10 years to start generating a return on investment. What sort of trick am I missing here?
Help for a newbie
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RulerofRails
- CEO
- Posts: 2063
- Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 1:26 am
Re: Help for a newbie
Welcome,
If you have an account for the downloads section of this site there is a comprehensive fan-made user's manual on this page http://hawkdawg.com/rrt/rrt3/Xtras/Tips_Tuts_Utils.htm. Title "A Handbook to RT3 - 2010". The handbook has an entire appendix devoted to industry in the game. It is 20 pages long. If you don't have an account for downloads PM me and I will send it to you.
Some games have raw materials (Dairy Farms and Oil Wells especially) that are available cheaply at game start. The reason for this is that demand has taken a while to reach them. In most cases, though, I will look to build a Lumber or Textile Mill where there are two or more supply industries close by that have a big stack. I make sure that I get the Mill (for example, Lumber) on the same square as one of the raw materials (this example, Logging Camps) (better if it is close to a town but doesn't matter as long as it isn't among the mountains). The Lumber Mills are capable of making 500K in their first year. Profits will drop off after a few years, but the good initial income will give me a good credit rating to issue many bonds to build some more good industries.
If you have an account for the downloads section of this site there is a comprehensive fan-made user's manual on this page http://hawkdawg.com/rrt/rrt3/Xtras/Tips_Tuts_Utils.htm. Title "A Handbook to RT3 - 2010". The handbook has an entire appendix devoted to industry in the game. It is 20 pages long. If you don't have an account for downloads PM me and I will send it to you.
Some games have raw materials (Dairy Farms and Oil Wells especially) that are available cheaply at game start. The reason for this is that demand has taken a while to reach them. In most cases, though, I will look to build a Lumber or Textile Mill where there are two or more supply industries close by that have a big stack. I make sure that I get the Mill (for example, Lumber) on the same square as one of the raw materials (this example, Logging Camps) (better if it is close to a town but doesn't matter as long as it isn't among the mountains). The Lumber Mills are capable of making 500K in their first year. Profits will drop off after a few years, but the good initial income will give me a good credit rating to issue many bonds to build some more good industries.
Re: Help for a newbie
As RulerofRails suggested you can take a look at the handbook and see if any of the ideas work for you.
Some basic comments: look at what the scenario asks of you? If it's a simple hauling scenario and things like personal net wealth aren't necessary to win, then be sure to issue lots of stock as a source of extra income. Don't be afraid to take out a bond at times. If there is an industry in a town you are going to connect to and by connecting to it you are going to start supplying it heavily, try to buy before its heavily supplied and the cost to buy it skyrockets.
Alternatively, sometimes a well placed industry that you build on your own can be lucrative. If you build your own industries, you may want to check the supply map where it shows which way the cargo is heading. If you try building in an opposite direction from that, it may take longer for the industry to become self-supplied. (This isn't a big deal if you supply it on your own). Using RulerofRail's idea of a lumber mill next to a logging camp. We'll say the logs are heading south down river to the nearest town. If we build a mill north of the logging camp, it can take some time (it varies but we'll say a year or so) for the demand pricing to change enough so the logging camp is supplied on it's own. But if we build it south of the camp, it will be immediately supplied as the flow of logs was already directed that way.
Also if you are primarily using trains, make sure you have enough trains to transport all the cargo and that the cargoes are going to profitable places. If you are transporting cargoes and only making 1k a load you could be losing money on that train when you factor in the maintenance and fuel costs. So be sure to check your locomotives to make sure they are each running profitably. With industry, your overall costs are lower and it is easier to make a profit. Whereas with trains, you have all the costs associated with the locomotive (fuel/maintenance), plus the costs associated with maintaining the track, the stations, and the maintenance sheds/water towers.
Some basic comments: look at what the scenario asks of you? If it's a simple hauling scenario and things like personal net wealth aren't necessary to win, then be sure to issue lots of stock as a source of extra income. Don't be afraid to take out a bond at times. If there is an industry in a town you are going to connect to and by connecting to it you are going to start supplying it heavily, try to buy before its heavily supplied and the cost to buy it skyrockets.
Alternatively, sometimes a well placed industry that you build on your own can be lucrative. If you build your own industries, you may want to check the supply map where it shows which way the cargo is heading. If you try building in an opposite direction from that, it may take longer for the industry to become self-supplied. (This isn't a big deal if you supply it on your own). Using RulerofRail's idea of a lumber mill next to a logging camp. We'll say the logs are heading south down river to the nearest town. If we build a mill north of the logging camp, it can take some time (it varies but we'll say a year or so) for the demand pricing to change enough so the logging camp is supplied on it's own. But if we build it south of the camp, it will be immediately supplied as the flow of logs was already directed that way.
Also if you are primarily using trains, make sure you have enough trains to transport all the cargo and that the cargoes are going to profitable places. If you are transporting cargoes and only making 1k a load you could be losing money on that train when you factor in the maintenance and fuel costs. So be sure to check your locomotives to make sure they are each running profitably. With industry, your overall costs are lower and it is easier to make a profit. Whereas with trains, you have all the costs associated with the locomotive (fuel/maintenance), plus the costs associated with maintaining the track, the stations, and the maintenance sheds/water towers.
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chaosakita
- Cat
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- Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:48 am
Re: Help for a newbie
Thanks for the replies! I tried the Chicago-New York on easy (I know...) using part of the strategy (by building a textile mill first and then building a meat packing plant) and it really worked. It took a very long time to get all the cars created and shipped, so I only finished the game with five or so years to spare, but I ended up having an extra 20 million cash on hand! I think starting out is the hardest part, so I feel if I can try this strategy in harder levels it will definitely give me a hands up.
Re: Help for a newbie
In general, industry first is the way to go. There are some scenarios that are exceptions to that rule, but they aren't all that common. 
Complete express car and caboose packs - Custom double tankers (Alternative F era) - Pennsy H3 Consolidation
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Слава Україні! Героям слава! Re: Help for a newbie
Hi, I would like to download that "A handbook to RT3" . but I need archive login. The problem is , that new registration are not possible anymore. Could somebody upload the book, or send it to my email?
regards
MB
regards
MB
Re: Help for a newbie
See the thread at the top of the main forum page titled 'Downloading Files From The Archives!'.
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