RRT3 Going Nukular

[nedfumpkin]

Thanks, I am still tweaking it so I'm not quite finished yet. I just got the cargo working properly and the icon for it is three sticks of dynamite. I wanted to use the Recycling plant partly because we don't see it often, and especially not in scenarios from the 1800s, and also because it kinda has a bunch of stuff that looks like you would find at an explosives factory. I am trying to remove some parts to change the overall shape of it, but I am going one step at a time so it is taking a while.

[Aesir Rising]

One of the dynamics I'd like to see is how nuclear "waste" is managed.

For example, Depleted Uranium is a fancy term for 'waste by-product' but it's found to be useful in end products like 30mm cannon shells for the A-10 Warthog because of it's high mass.

Depending upon how far you want to get into modeling the industry and product cycle, and how much management time you want to put in as a player for handling output of a nuclear processing plant, you could create a production cycle that looks like:

uranium ore + plutonium ore ---> delivered to Refining or Processing Plant (industry) ---> yields Product(s) like reactor fuel or rod pellets and 'Waste" (Depleted Uranium might be one 'waste').

Depleted Uranium could then be either delivered to a waste disposal site for cash, or sent to an industry to convert to Depleted Uranium munitions, further extending the production cycle for those ore(s).

The waste disposal site could be something akin to the Yucca Mountain site - one location on the map where trains deliver the waste for "disposal".

[nedfumpkin]

One of the dynamics I'd like to see is how nuclear "waste" is managed.

For example, Depleted Uranium is a fancy term for 'waste by-product' but it's found to be useful in end products like 30mm cannon shells for the A-10 Warthog because of it's high mass.

Depending upon how far you want to get into modeling the industry and product cycle, and how much management time you want to put in as a player for handling output of a nuclear processing plant, you could create a production cycle that looks like:

uranium ore + plutonium ore ---> delivered to Refining or Processing Plant (industry) ---> yields Product(s) like reactor fuel or rod pellets and 'Waste" (Depleted Uranium might be one 'waste').

Depleted Uranium could then be either delivered to a waste disposal site for cash, or sent to an industry to convert to Depleted Uranium munitions, further extending the production cycle for those ore(s).

The waste disposal site could be something akin to the Yucca Mountain site - one location on the map where trains deliver the waste for "disposal".

Mostly that is exactly what I am doing. DU is going to be waste requiring storage until the 1960s when it becomes used for DU ammunition, and possibly armour.

[nedfumpkin]

By Jove I've got it!

I've still got to deal with the cargo icon but here's a screenshot of the missile carrier, and the cargo icons.

[nedfumpkin]

more pics...

[WPandP]

Wunderbar! Ausgezeichnet!

(when I get excited I start talking German...)

That is really looking good. I'm glad you've got the process figured out. Keep it coming!


EDIT:
Hey, here is an idea - how about making the missile production formula a little wasteful, so that 1 steel + 1 explosives = 1 missile. That way, the delivery value of missiles can be rather high without making the missile factory too obscenely profitable. I had to do a lot of tweaking on the Cereal Plant because my initial formulae resulted in extreme profits (I was taking low value corn and grain and making high value goods); by going to 1 + 1 = 1, I got something more reasonable. Of course, steel isn't cheap, and I expect explosives are high dollar too, so maybe it'll take a fair amount of testing.

[nedfumpkin]

I'm still tweaking the factory formulas, and I will have it that it takes 1 steel plus 1 explosives to make 1 missile.

I was just so happy that after working for 36 hours straight, I finally got things working that I had to share!

Still a work in progress.

[nedfumpkin]

I'm finished with it now....a Tarp-Covered Missile Carrier. I thought about using this for other purposes, but I can't seem to think of any right now. Empty it weighs 60 tons, loaded it weighs 100 tons. Basically the idea is that it is a purpose built flat car with bulkheads. It becomes available in 1944 and stays the same forever.

[nedfumpkin]

Just an update...

I've figured out how to make a Nuclear Reactor that also produces other cargo...it has to be the Nuclear Power Plant itself. There is nothing specific in the bca file that distinguishes it from any other industry, but when you set it up to produce a demand only, and then a suplly and demand, it will produce electricity as well as the cargo.....and it loses money just like the real thing. :)

[bombardiere]

Hey Ned, just an idea. How about making missles out of aluminium instead of steel. Well, May be steel is better for your scenario.

Nice Tarps anyway.

[nedfumpkin]

Thanks, I got the base image from a HO model of a stake car with a tarp on it and worked from there. I never realized how difficult it would find a tarp image on the internet, and that which I did find was a perspective view. But it worked out.

Everything is still pretty much a work in progress at this point. I agree that missiles should be made from aluminium rather than steel, but since I am still working on other stuff, I just left it was steel for testing purposes to make sure everything was working. I still have a lot of tweaking to do.

So here's my problem.....I have four new cargos that I really, really like for the game.

I think explosives is a good cargo because they make sense as an input to mines, and their potential for use in scenarios is unlimited because they can be used to lower track and tunnel building costs and make sense. This is why I made them available in 1947 when Nobel invented dynamite.

The missiles I like because they offer a next generation for weapons. I am still tweaking the cty file, and I am going to look up the history on the V-1 in the 1940s and start from there. Initially I was going to make both dummy missiles and ICBMS, but I have decided that one generic missile will be plenty, and just have the inputs change later...most likely in the sixties, and again once more time. At first they will have two inputs, then they will have three inputs, and finally they will have four inputs.

The other two cargos are depletalloy, and isotopes. Depletalloy is oneof the orginal names for DU, and it was a waste product until the 60s, when it became used for DU ammo and armour. Isotopes are refined atomic materials.

When I was first playing with new cargos a few years ago, I was never able to get a power plant to produce waste products. I have since figure that out, and now I am able to get the Nuke plant to produce electricity, depletalloy, and isotopes from uranium. Last night I tried all kinds of different combinations to get something that is reasonably profitable and produces as much waste as it consumes, and produces a tiny amount of isotopes.

More than anything I can hope for would be that my four new cargos would work with 1.06 versions, but Milo says that it will crash. Since there seem to be a lot of people who can't play 1.06 maps, I want to make something that adds to 1.05. I am working on a scenario the starts in 1947, and is about the Cold War, so that is why I need those new cargos. I want to get back into the idea I was working on with Atlantis where the goal is a simple one with many different paths to get to it, and as much as possible is choice based where there is good and bad in everything.

In answer to the question about what excites me in scenarios (I'll cross-post), I think William set the standard for historical story telling with the Age of Steam series. Unfortunately, I can't play them all because I am only good on 1.05. I also like scenarios that that present a good challenge both as far as game strategy, map difficulty and economic interest. I also want something that will keep me playing until the end, not something where I am achieving gold with 10 years left.

I also like a map that is well made and provides a challenging terrain. I give Mr Scott props for his Anthracite map, and I made of the Made in America scenario just as an excuse to play the map. Unfortunately, you only get to play a small part of the map, and really, its just an excuse for some fun game play.

So this is why I am doing a new scenario on the same map. I'm going to try to make an interesting and intriguing spy story that will possibly be two or three separate scenarios just based on the twists. I don't want to give away too much just yet.

Starting to get to the point. I am going to try to use as much 1.06 cargo and buildings as I can. There are 10 cargos in 1.06, and so I will definitely be using machinery, medicine, and electronics. That allows me three additional cargos that I can use from 1.06.

The plan is to take a select bunch of the best of the best that's been created by people here (with appropriate credit), and put them into a pack like 1.06 but for 1.05 users. The only problem is that because of my four cargos, it wouldn't be ususable by 1.06 users. And that really really sucks. Unless of course the 1.06ers want to trade in 4 cargos that they aren't using.

Anyways, I'm still just working on getting things to work properly, I'm going to make my lead boxcar for isotopes tonight. And a reinforced box car for explosives. Depletalloy travels the same as uranium.

I still want to make a shopping mall, or series for starting in the 50/60s that are in fact buyable industries. Still working that out. I also want to make the missile factory either trackside or a station, and if anyone knows how to make it so that a car, in this case the tarped car, so that it will only take full loads, I'd love to know how.

I've got some other ideas too. All of this is stuff I am hoping will work in Mogul. Since it will be a while before that comes about, I am trying out some ideas that might be cool.

[coruscate]

I've got some other ideas too. All of this is stuff I am hoping will work in Mogul. Since it will be a while before that comes about, I am trying out some ideas that might be cool.

I think that's an excellent idea, you get to test the "story" idea of your game before you put too much work coding it on your own.

[coruscate]

So question, I think I've got it right BUT...

...I'm a Vista user so outside of what HighVoltage is putting togheter I can expect to go no further than 1.04 which does include Coast to Coast stuff? Or do I need to get coast to coast as well.

...and then even if I do get 1.06 working I will still be able to use your levels?

...and then lastly it sounds like a lot of work, skipping the painting of the image process, which will be dead easy for me... how much work is involved with that? One thing I hated designing my own level was the lack of local SD goods.

For instance I need electronics freight, it's a San Diego specialty especially with Qualcomm being there.

[nedfumpkin]

So question, I think I've got it right BUT...

...I'm a Vista user so outside of what HighVoltage is putting togheter I can expect to go no further than 1.04 which does include Coast to Coast stuff? Or do I need to get coast to coast as well.

----patching up to the 1.05 is the current standard. Coast to Coast adds new levels and locomotives, 1.05 fixes bugs. 1.04 may cause you problems.

...and then even if I do get 1.06 working I will still be able to use your levels?

----- Probably not. Two reasons, HV is still getting 1.06 to work on Vista, he's not completely there yet. So it remains that Vista users may not be able to use 1.06, however, more than likely they will be able to use the pack I am creating.

...and then lastly it sounds like a lot of work, skipping the painting of the image process, which will be dead easy for me... how much work is involved with that? One thing I hated designing my own level was the lack of local SD goods.

For instance I need electronics freight, it's a San Diego specialty especially with Qualcomm being there.

Electronics is available in 1.06, and I will also be including it in what I am doing. I would suggest that you patch up to at least CtC and 1.05.

I would say that what I am doing is in fact a lot of work, but I am enjoying it. Skinning is one thing, but when creating cargo and industry, you have to think about the economic aspects as well, and find a decent balance through a lot of T&E.

[coruscate]

So it's this order...

Separate, fresh install of RT3 ( ^^;; )

Run the 1.04 update HV mentioned here viewtopic.php?f=5&t=789
Install Coast to Coast separately (hawkdawg fron page)
And then 1.05? (hawkdawg fron page) over all that?

And so what you're telling me on the detailing work is that the work is in what you do, not the how? So hypothetically if you knew the "numbers" and had an image file handy it wouldn't take long. It's the "ooh I'm not happy with that" tweaking that takes forever?

[nedfumpkin]

So it's this order...

Separate, fresh install of RT3 ( ^^;; )

Run the 1.04 update HV mentioned here viewtopic.php?f=5&t=789
Install Coast to Coast separately (hawkdawg fron page)
And then 1.05? (hawkdawg fron page) over all that?

Yes then back all of that up and try to install 1.06, that's where HV is at.

And so what you're telling me on the detailing work is that the work is in what you do, not the how? So hypothetically if you knew the "numbers" and had an image file handy it wouldn't take long. It's the "ooh I'm not happy with that" tweaking that takes forever?

There's a bit more to it. I'd say the there is the gathering of all the necessary components from inside the pk4 files, then there is the image editing for the skin, then there is the image creation for the icons etc, then there is the editing of the spec files, then there is the testing and tweaking tweaking.

For each cargo you need an industry the produces it, then industry that consumes it, at least. I'm also making some special carriers.

[coruscate]

So it's this order...

Separate, fresh install of RT3 ( ^^;; )

Run the 1.04 update HV mentioned here viewtopic.php?f=5&t=789
Install Coast to Coast separately (hawkdawg fron page)
And then 1.05? (hawkdawg fron page) over all that?

Yes then back all of that up and try to install 1.06, that's where HV is at.

But the above process will at least let me see most of what people are doing, or just mostly you since you(?) are the only one making non 1.06 maps?

There's a bit more to it. I'd say the there is the gathering of all the necessary components from inside the pk4 files, then there is the image editing for the skin, then there is the image creation for the icons etc, then there is the editing of the spec files, then there is the testing and tweaking tweaking.

For each cargo you need an industry the produces it, then industry that consumes it, at least. I'm also making some special carriers.

Kinda' hard to ask the right question if you're not exactly sure what it is you're looking to hear but I see it. So there's a science, and a process, and it doesn't sound like absolute greek. Just maybe the pain in the behind of breaking up a single car into say, six image files or six specific spots on an image file that is read by the software a specific way? (using six as just a number)

[coruscate]

Well I got 1.04 to work, I'm going to try for Coast to Coast and then the final 1.05 five next.

If that works I think I could probably use your freight / industry update pack for my level. There's enough miltary and I can see a scenario where the player would have to buy access rights to various territories to lock up their own, San Diego financial fiefdom.

I really like the malls, I think there should have been more "final destination" buildings like bakery in the industry options. Malls and other non-directly railroad things like amusement parks make local economies go around.

Edit: 1.05 works I'd be happy to help you try and verify your stuff.

[Hawk]

The Coast to Coast Expansion brings the game up to version 1.04.
Other than what I saw at Gamershell, I don't know what the 1.04 beta is, but the fact that it's a beta tells me to stay away from it unless I was testing.

[coruscate]

It's the version that High Voltage (?) recommended. Works fine. I crashed out of the game after an hour of playing my level but I'll attribute that to randomness at the moment, I wasn't doing anything weird at the time.