Goals

[conomark]

I was just wondering what kind of game scenario goals people like better. I personally like to build, connect, and haul. Finance isn't really my strong point. How about you?

[JayEff]

I prefer goals that suit the history. If one railway had a monopoly, then it should be a mission of some sort, with connecting and hauling. If it covers a wild and woolly period then it should be personal net worth. Freedom from debt can be important in government sponsored endeavours. I don't much like Company Book Value as a goal, because then it becomes all about issuing stock, and less strategy.

I also like it when seldom used goals are in place. I think I may be the only fan mapmaker who has ever used area seeded as a goal (Greening the Red Planet). I have also used a point system (Canada Bound!), and value of cargo hauled from (Athabasca 1905) or to (Warming Trend) a territory. None of these scenarios have wealth or company size as a goal; but it is easier to accomplish your goals if you have a strong company with at least 51% control. I think I am due to make an 'open range' map with high pnw as the only goal.

[Hawk]

I voted for the combination of all of them. It really depends on the map though, and where my heads at when I play.
I will admit, PNW has always been my week point. I just haven't figured out that stock market yet.

[CeeBee]

PNW and Industry profits are my least liked goals. The rest depend on the scenerio and the values as to whether they are reachable by me or not. If not I'll usually go into the editor and start messing around if I like the map.

[KevinL]

I like money and connection goals, because I prefer a hands-off approach to my trains. I like to set them on auto-consist and let them choose their own cargo to make the most money. In the meantime, I'll be off building new rails and connecting new cities to make even more money. I like to have most of the cities connected and making money.

With a load-hauling goal, then I have to pay more attention to what the trains are hauling and that takes away from my railroad building.

[Canadian Viking]

I don't care for Industry Profit as a goal since I want to focus on my railroad and not other businesses. Apart from that, I like a mix of goals that are appropriate for the scenario. I particularly like it when the scenario has two or more competing goals so that I have to balance one thing against another to accomplish both. As JayEff intimated, Company Book Value is a pretty easy goal if you just keep issuing new stock and use the money wisely. But if that is balanced with Personal Net Worth, the scenario becomes more interesting. Every time you issue more stock, you knock down the value of your own holding in your company, and you dilute your future earnings on a per share basis. PNW grows faster if your company buys back it's shares rather than issing more stock. So the tension between the two requires good decisions and creates much more interest for me.

[Gandar]

I also voted for the combination of all of them, I prefer to build railroads but I find frequently that building up an industrial base
is the only way to achieve the goals, and of course I have to control my company so I don't get booted out , but to tell the truth I like the game, so no matter which goals I have to satisfy I'm a gonna try it .

[BikerTim]

Mainly, I want goals that are consistent with helping the company succeed. Most of the time the goals are like that, but sometimes a goal will force a player to do something other than what is best for the company. A good example is the Alternate USA scenario. Quite often, a player needs to haul something other than the most profitable cargo in order to meet the haulage requirements for specific cargoes, such as getting corn to Roosevelt.

There are other features that I like about various scenarios. The point system, such as used on Canada Bound and Northeast Corridor, is a great idea. The goal of haulage value to or from specified locations, such as in Louisville and Nashville, is another good one. I also like scenarios with original concepts. In general, I like scenarios with few restrictions, lots of AIs, and based on actual geographic locations. You won't see me looking around in the "Other Lands" scenarios very often.

[Grandma Ruth]

I will admit, PNW has always been my week point. I just haven't figured out that stock market yet.

You and a lot more, Hawk !

[Sugus]

My preferred scenarios are those within the "Other Lands" section. Here and besides all the Harwans (@arop: no offence), the conditions strongly differ and are not still the same like "get a CBV of this and a PNW of that"! (I voted for the combination as well as the connections - hmmm).