With the cost from the ISP going up and my wife's income going down, it's a disaster waiting to happen, and there's no other ISP's in my neck of the woods.
Back again.
Re: Back again.
Well, it's a financial decision.
With the cost from the ISP going up and my wife's income going down, it's a disaster waiting to happen, and there's no other ISP's in my neck of the woods.
With the cost from the ISP going up and my wife's income going down, it's a disaster waiting to happen, and there's no other ISP's in my neck of the woods.
Hawk
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RulerofRails
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Re: Back again.
That's a bit rough Hawk, hope things don't get too difficult for you. 
JSS, I realized I forgot to say thanks for sharing the newer build of SCBC. So far I have put a couple hours into studying the events. I suspect I found a couple minor bugs so far, but will take my time a little on further investigation, proper testing etc..
One thing that is helpful here is to use a status event or two as a makeshift Variable readout since the regular one is MIA. Paste in some or all of this with the right setup (can only test one of each class per event) to get a pretty-usable workaround:
I would describe RT3's economic system as at a casual level "a bit chaos." Pricing is dynamic, cargo is free to travel wherever. Your profits rely on what cargo you can collect and a spot price difference in price at source station vs. at delivery. But, I think after many hours I came up with strategies based around the game's behavior that both feel organic and simplify this chaos down to a method where I can call things "under control." I notice details quite quickly, including fine-tune improvements, and tend to remember locations as if I was seeing a map. These traits are probably in my favor for this game where in spite of the "chaos", to have an ordered system the details do matter (especially achieving consistent natural resource streams to your stations). With the greater challenges involved I find the end result of a very profitable rail system that efficiently facilitates resource/consumer-product transportation super satisfying.
Of course map design is a big thing too. A handful of maps have done like you did in SCBC and handcrafted a lot of the resource/industry cargo economy, but for those using the regular seeding a more simplified approach (don't get all fancy) as Oilcan perfected is a much friendlier environment to have an "in-control" experience.
I will be interested to hear your thoughts on Railway Empire. In comparison, but after some time spent to get familiar, a controlled game there is quite easy IMO. What is needed for growth is definable. And pretty much everything follows growth. Build, build, build!
JSS, I realized I forgot to say thanks for sharing the newer build of SCBC. So far I have put a couple hours into studying the events. I suspect I found a couple minor bugs so far, but will take my time a little on further investigation, proper testing etc..
One thing that is helpful here is to use a status event or two as a makeshift Variable readout since the regular one is MIA. Paste in some or all of this with the right setup (can only test one of each class per event) to get a pretty-usable workaround:
Code: Select all
Game [Game Variable 1] [Game Variable 2] [Game Variable 3] [Game Variable 4]
Company [Company Variable 1] [Company Variable 2] [Company Variable 3] [Company Variable 4]
Human Pl. [Player Variable 1] [Player Variable 2] [Player Variable 3] [Player Variable 4]
RtoHope [Territory Variable 1] [Territory Variable 2] [Territory Variable 3] [Territory Variable 4]I would describe RT3's economic system as at a casual level "a bit chaos." Pricing is dynamic, cargo is free to travel wherever. Your profits rely on what cargo you can collect and a spot price difference in price at source station vs. at delivery. But, I think after many hours I came up with strategies based around the game's behavior that both feel organic and simplify this chaos down to a method where I can call things "under control." I notice details quite quickly, including fine-tune improvements, and tend to remember locations as if I was seeing a map. These traits are probably in my favor for this game where in spite of the "chaos", to have an ordered system the details do matter (especially achieving consistent natural resource streams to your stations). With the greater challenges involved I find the end result of a very profitable rail system that efficiently facilitates resource/consumer-product transportation super satisfying.
Of course map design is a big thing too. A handful of maps have done like you did in SCBC and handcrafted a lot of the resource/industry cargo economy, but for those using the regular seeding a more simplified approach (don't get all fancy) as Oilcan perfected is a much friendlier environment to have an "in-control" experience.
I will be interested to hear your thoughts on Railway Empire. In comparison, but after some time spent to get familiar, a controlled game there is quite easy IMO. What is needed for growth is definable. And pretty much everything follows growth. Build, build, build!
Re: Back again.
Hawk, I don’t really know what to say except hang in there. Things will certainly get better again even if it does not seem so at the moment. Life is too short to take it at face value. 
RulerofRails you got it all wrong. I am the one that has to say thank you for your efforts to breath new life into the map.
It would have taken me most likely months to get into it and continue on.
Must say that I still find it odd that after enjoying playing RT2 so much, that I got such an aversion to playing RT3. I suspect it was the look and feel of the game more than its features. With Railway Empire again it was almost like wow, finally a RT3 version that I like to play but I wish there were more features.
I most likely will start a new topic somewhere about the Railway Empire game. What do you think?
RulerofRails you got it all wrong. I am the one that has to say thank you for your efforts to breath new life into the map.
It would have taken me most likely months to get into it and continue on. Must say that I still find it odd that after enjoying playing RT2 so much, that I got such an aversion to playing RT3. I suspect it was the look and feel of the game more than its features. With Railway Empire again it was almost like wow, finally a RT3 version that I like to play but I wish there were more features.
I most likely will start a new topic somewhere about the Railway Empire game. What do you think?
The man who has no imagination has no wings. (Muhammad Ali)
Re: Back again.
If you want to start a thread about Railway Empire go right ahead. We're all just here because we like trains.
BTW, I'm the opposite to you. I started on RT3, and could never get into playing RT2. I just like the 3d world too much to go back to the old style.
BTW, I'm the opposite to you. I started on RT3, and could never get into playing RT2. I just like the 3d world too much to go back to the old style.
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Слава Україні! Героям слава! Re: Back again.
Gumboots, it looks like our difference in age is starting to show. 
I started with playing RT1 and found that RT2 was a great improvement over RT1 even though the Bidding Wars (to determine what railroad was allowed to build a station into a city) did not make it into RT2.
Never had that same feeling about RT3 when it came out especially as far as gameplay was concerned. We had many a discussion here at that time regarding product flow and pricing. Some liked it, some didn’t. I guess what keeps RT3 still going to this time is the variety of maps available so there is something for almost everyone’s taste. There also seems to be, as a total package, nothing else available to really take it away from RT3. Just MHO.
I started with playing RT1 and found that RT2 was a great improvement over RT1 even though the Bidding Wars (to determine what railroad was allowed to build a station into a city) did not make it into RT2.
Never had that same feeling about RT3 when it came out especially as far as gameplay was concerned. We had many a discussion here at that time regarding product flow and pricing. Some liked it, some didn’t. I guess what keeps RT3 still going to this time is the variety of maps available so there is something for almost everyone’s taste. There also seems to be, as a total package, nothing else available to really take it away from RT3. Just MHO.
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RulerofRails
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Re: Back again.
Finally I'm back with some testing report on SCBC.
The map runs well in general, however there are still some issues with the track construction projects beyond the Petain one.
There are both official "construction offers" and then a free-range mode.
You can only do one at a time (in a given year).
Track purchases are only possible with the free-range option (once a year). The trigger for purchasing more track isn't high enough to allow the longer official "offers" to be started. When trying to start them, get a "don't have enough track, try again next year."
I can raise the trigger for track purchase easily. My question would be how the official "construction offers" and free-range mode are meant to work together? If you don't remember that's fine. But I want to keep any teaks as close to your intent as possible.
What about the bonus (point awarded) for looking after crew well? I didn't see how this event will work. Do you remember what were you wanting to do with that?
The newspapers look unfinished. Only a year and a half's worth. Just wondering did you have some more saved somewhere outside the game? If so they could be copied in pretty quickly.
More ideas than questions:
What about also setting Briefing text with the construction completion message? Then it doesn't sound like there is construction to do when it was already completed some time ago.
In my testing I failed getting to Midway on time (two months late) because the weather hit too often. I also chose the wrong security option. How dependent on random is this meant to be?
Ideas that may change the way the map plays:
Having 10 track pieces limit when not in construction mode still allows caterpillar building every month. That is perhaps fine in the initial construction phases. But I could imagine in the mid-game (after main construction phase is over) raising price like 5x to ensure player isn't too motivated for that. This could take some perceived micro from the game.
What about a newspaper indicating sentiment before elections? In real life there would be some sort of expectation about who is likely to win. Not always right, but more often than not. At the moment it's a bit like a lottery. There's a whopping 75 events tied to the election, a shame if a typical player misses most of them. As a map based on actual history, building a specific route, I feel unlikely that many players will replay it past all the building just to experiment with the elections.
The map runs well in general, however there are still some issues with the track construction projects beyond the Petain one.
There are both official "construction offers" and then a free-range mode.
You can only do one at a time (in a given year).
Track purchases are only possible with the free-range option (once a year). The trigger for purchasing more track isn't high enough to allow the longer official "offers" to be started. When trying to start them, get a "don't have enough track, try again next year."
I can raise the trigger for track purchase easily. My question would be how the official "construction offers" and free-range mode are meant to work together? If you don't remember that's fine. But I want to keep any teaks as close to your intent as possible.
What about the bonus (point awarded) for looking after crew well? I didn't see how this event will work. Do you remember what were you wanting to do with that?
The newspapers look unfinished. Only a year and a half's worth. Just wondering did you have some more saved somewhere outside the game? If so they could be copied in pretty quickly.
More ideas than questions:
What about also setting Briefing text with the construction completion message? Then it doesn't sound like there is construction to do when it was already completed some time ago.
In my testing I failed getting to Midway on time (two months late) because the weather hit too often. I also chose the wrong security option. How dependent on random is this meant to be?
Ideas that may change the way the map plays:
Having 10 track pieces limit when not in construction mode still allows caterpillar building every month. That is perhaps fine in the initial construction phases. But I could imagine in the mid-game (after main construction phase is over) raising price like 5x to ensure player isn't too motivated for that. This could take some perceived micro from the game.
What about a newspaper indicating sentiment before elections? In real life there would be some sort of expectation about who is likely to win. Not always right, but more often than not. At the moment it's a bit like a lottery. There's a whopping 75 events tied to the election, a shame if a typical player misses most of them. As a map based on actual history, building a specific route, I feel unlikely that many players will replay it past all the building just to experiment with the elections.
Re: Back again.
Thanks Ruler of Rails for testing and exploring the map.
“My question would be how the official "construction offers" and free-range mode are meant to work together?”
In short, I do not remember for certain but most likely there is or should be no free range mode. (I am specifically referring to the connections to Vernon, Osoyoos and Spences Bridge)
Have looked at the notes that I have for all connections and there it says: “Note: Construction months are calculated for a pace of Summer 75 and Winter 55”. So, I presume that meant no free range mode.
“What about the bonus (point awarded) for looking after crew well?” I didn't see how this event will work. Do you remember what were you wanting to do with that?"
Again, I do not recall what the intent was but if I would have to guess it would be a personal bonus to you or your company in some form. The logical choice of course would be an increase of construction pace but that would throw off all connection times.
“The newspapers look unfinished. Only a year and a half's worth. Just wondering did you have some more saved somewhere outside the game? If so they could be copied in pretty quickly.”
No I do not. I was going to leave that to the very end since it was just a matter of finding some headlines of the time and writing them in. If you like I can try to wrestle some up and provide them to you.
“What about also setting Briefing text with the construction completion message? Then it doesn't sound like there is construction to do when it was already completed some time ago.”
Great idea.
“In my testing I failed getting to Midway on time (two months late) because the weather hit too often. I also chose the wrong security option. How dependent on random is this meant to be?”
If there is a way to limit the maximal occurrence of that random event then perhaps it should be done in such a way that it would be more difficult but not impossible to reach Midway. Not certain if it is to early in the game but to use the personal bonus part for a quick repair of weather damage could be one way.
“Having 10 track pieces limit when not in construction mode still allows caterpillar building every month. That is perhaps fine in the initial construction phases. But I could imagine in the mid-game (after main construction phase is over) raising price like 5x to ensure player isn't too motivated for that. This could take some perceived micro from the game.”
Agreed but it clashes with the actual building pace at the time. I would prefer not to have that changed much from what the actual construction pace (summer or winter) was.
"What about a newspaper indicating sentiment before elections? In real life there would be some sort of expectation about who is likely to win. Not always right, but more often than not. At the moment it's a bit like a lottery. There's a whopping 75 events tied to the election, a shame if a typical player misses most of them. As a map based on actual history, building a specific route, I feel unlikely that many players will replay it past all the building just to experiment with the elections."
Yup, sounds great to me.
Hope that was of some help.
“My question would be how the official "construction offers" and free-range mode are meant to work together?”
In short, I do not remember for certain but most likely there is or should be no free range mode. (I am specifically referring to the connections to Vernon, Osoyoos and Spences Bridge)
Have looked at the notes that I have for all connections and there it says: “Note: Construction months are calculated for a pace of Summer 75 and Winter 55”. So, I presume that meant no free range mode.
“What about the bonus (point awarded) for looking after crew well?” I didn't see how this event will work. Do you remember what were you wanting to do with that?"
Again, I do not recall what the intent was but if I would have to guess it would be a personal bonus to you or your company in some form. The logical choice of course would be an increase of construction pace but that would throw off all connection times.
“The newspapers look unfinished. Only a year and a half's worth. Just wondering did you have some more saved somewhere outside the game? If so they could be copied in pretty quickly.”
No I do not. I was going to leave that to the very end since it was just a matter of finding some headlines of the time and writing them in. If you like I can try to wrestle some up and provide them to you.
“What about also setting Briefing text with the construction completion message? Then it doesn't sound like there is construction to do when it was already completed some time ago.”
Great idea.
“In my testing I failed getting to Midway on time (two months late) because the weather hit too often. I also chose the wrong security option. How dependent on random is this meant to be?”
If there is a way to limit the maximal occurrence of that random event then perhaps it should be done in such a way that it would be more difficult but not impossible to reach Midway. Not certain if it is to early in the game but to use the personal bonus part for a quick repair of weather damage could be one way.
“Having 10 track pieces limit when not in construction mode still allows caterpillar building every month. That is perhaps fine in the initial construction phases. But I could imagine in the mid-game (after main construction phase is over) raising price like 5x to ensure player isn't too motivated for that. This could take some perceived micro from the game.”
Agreed but it clashes with the actual building pace at the time. I would prefer not to have that changed much from what the actual construction pace (summer or winter) was.
"What about a newspaper indicating sentiment before elections? In real life there would be some sort of expectation about who is likely to win. Not always right, but more often than not. At the moment it's a bit like a lottery. There's a whopping 75 events tied to the election, a shame if a typical player misses most of them. As a map based on actual history, building a specific route, I feel unlikely that many players will replay it past all the building just to experiment with the elections."
Yup, sounds great to me.
Hope that was of some help.
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RulerofRails
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Re: Back again.
Thanks for the comments JSS, very helpful. I will work up a revision to fix especially the small issues with the track system, when I get a bit of spare time. Providing that goes well we can then think about the newspapers. 
Re: Back again.
Wow that sucks man, I hope things will get sorted out!
In the worst case scenario, what would happen to the forum and the website??
Re: Back again.
I've agreed to take it over and keep it running.
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Re: Back again.
A question for all about SCBC.
The medals provide the option to keep playing. There is a bug with this that I am fixing, as in if you chose to play on after being awarded a Gold medal, at the "end of game" date (start of 1920) you will only get a Silver Medal. The question is, should I still have a choice in that if you were successful with Gold you could keep playing past the end date? Of course there is no support for later dates, no new events etc.. Looking for opinions if anyone has one.
For JSS,
In terms of balance, Iron is oversupplied and demand is completely collapsing later in the game. I'm tempted to do something about this. Also, Paper/Textile Mill seeding is very inconsistent. Because we have a fixed route, seeding in local area is quite important. Were you happy with these seedings or can I think of this as work in progress that I can tweak?
The medals provide the option to keep playing. There is a bug with this that I am fixing, as in if you chose to play on after being awarded a Gold medal, at the "end of game" date (start of 1920) you will only get a Silver Medal. The question is, should I still have a choice in that if you were successful with Gold you could keep playing past the end date? Of course there is no support for later dates, no new events etc.. Looking for opinions if anyone has one.
For JSS,
In terms of balance, Iron is oversupplied and demand is completely collapsing later in the game. I'm tempted to do something about this. Also, Paper/Textile Mill seeding is very inconsistent. Because we have a fixed route, seeding in local area is quite important. Were you happy with these seedings or can I think of this as work in progress that I can tweak?
Re: Back again.
But no matter what the events say, you will always be able to keep playing anyway. It's a built-in game default option. I think any events to do with playing on could be removed without anyone caring.
Reducing Iron production late in the game is easy. If you think it needs that, just do it.
Reducing Iron production late in the game is easy. If you think it needs that, just do it.
Complete express car and caboose packs - Custom double tankers (Alternative F era) - Pennsy H3 Consolidation
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RulerofRails
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Re: Back again.
JSS, when you stop by, I think there is a missing trigger for overdraft expansion. Got any info on what you intended there? One idea would be to offer this only if the player already used overdraft. I might set it that way in the meantime.
Re: Back again.
Ruler of Rails, I was happy with the seeding but I never got to play the map much for the sake of playing it if that makes any sense. I played it almost all the time to test for something and look for tweaks. So if you folks think re-tweaking the demand/supply will make it more playable please go ahead.
RulerofRails, me thinks we are talking about the event as outlined in the guide under “3.10.3 Overdraft”. In it I mention four options but describe only two. Is your question about the other two options or are you missing the event altogether?
Thanks you guys for the time you put into this map.
RulerofRails, me thinks we are talking about the event as outlined in the guide under “3.10.3 Overdraft”. In it I mention four options but describe only two. Is your question about the other two options or are you missing the event altogether?
Thanks you guys for the time you put into this map.
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RulerofRails
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Re: Back again.
I've been putting a lot of time in it this week.
I did make a couple of minor tweaks to seeding. Main things I did was to place two Logging Camps to stabilize the start. In some seeds there was a second camp next door to the one owned by Boundary Mill just up from Robson. I placed one there so that it wasn't a case of good versus bad seed since the player is forced along that path. Second camp is at the end of the north facing tributary out of Rock Creek. This was also a place the game selects automatically. The idea is so that there is some Logs in Rock Creek city no matter what.
Other thing I did was to Paper. There was heaps of Pulp sitting on the map. I added a Paper Mill in Keremos, then another in Kmir (this gave average extra $100k company profit in first year, let me know if that's bad?). I coupled this with a reduction of -40% Pulp production so that it doesn't factor too much in the early game. Also did higher production on Textile and Paper Mills to make them draw cargo from further away.
Overdraft:
For the Charter all it needed was CV3 =/= 5 added to "FA-Charter-0-0-1".
This is correct because the problem was actually that landsales didn't stop which in turn didn't give overdraft expansion a chance to fire.
For the sake of balance, the benefit for taking over Boundary Creek Lumber company was too much (you knew it's possible to merge him at the start of the game, right?). I took some of those benefits away. But still kept cheaper stations/bridges/tunnels.
The other big thing I did was to take away the +20% on cargo prices (kept it for passengers and mail, extra +10%). Any event that raises prices bugs the formula for price at the stations for freight. That makes stations not industries the maximum price points. This is a pain when servicing specific industries which is a big part of this game (lets say that with normal prices you aren't forced to micro-manage). To compensate for lower revenue I added some cost reductions at the start of the game (still probably less than old Boundary Creek Lumber company advantage).
I don't know how tight you want the game to be (any idea you can give will be good). I could leave it without the cost reductions. It would still be doable, for me (I tend to get good results not only because I have a good sense of the frequency behind price variations). But the chances of a player failing on a first attempt would be quite high, even if he had spent the time to investigate the stock market and lay of the land etc., which is quite important.
Other things I did:
- added warehouses in Agassiz and Keremos for CPR off-map supply. 3 Grain, 3 Corn, and Paper->Alcohol conversion.
- Fruit and Dairy Farm near Agassiz
- Port Iron supply reduced to 2 per year, there was too much Iron in the game. I tested that ports upgrade as easily as before.
- Naksup port Iron demand increased to remain stable. The AI still too stupid to make consistent profits.
- Consolidation type is available throughout the game.
- stabilized track costs during economic cycles, the normal +/-20% has been reduced to +/-8% (no choice when to build track here)
- added a couple hints about building near rivers, using Supply Towers to prevent ground warp, using Common setting for bridges to do away with most ramps, etc..
- There is now an option to pay $650k for a political analyst that gives you an election hint
- Small yearly reductions of -1% on train maintenance, overhead, merger premium, etc..
- In the ledger, The delivery information for bonuses, such as Logs to Cascade Mill is now displayed.
- It's now possible to reach Penticton on time even if you missed Midway by a few months.
- Player can keep access to USA after 1910
+ many bug-fixes in the events.
Another question: Is the bank supposed to be a start-game merger?
It's possible to give the bank a special bond with negative rate that will earn him a decent return each year (was thinking $250k or so per year). When you merge him you would then inherit this. But to do that would mean keeping him low cash so he doesn't repay it (high-value post office for CBV offset). But low cash means no incentive for an immediate merger.
With all the Lumber Company benefits, the combined Bank+Lumber Mill is a lethal starting strategy. To the point that nothing else compares. The only possible drawback to taking over the Bank is that then Jay Cooke will be a silent investor, he wont buy/sell anymore stocks. This precludes shaking him out of some of the big companies he is invested in. On the flip side, he wont buy even more shares.
Please let me know any comments you have about these changes. If things aren't close to your vision for the map, they can probably be undone.
I know you said that you didn't want people contacting you about the beta not working, but is it fine to leave your email in the briefing? I could put this site instead.
ETA,
Failure on Meat haulage sets production -100% in BC. This is sort of game-breaking, because then further Meat haulage will soon be impossible unless you can get down into the USA and you have lucky amount of ranches down there. On the other hand it will knock the Cattlemen's Association, making it an easier target for a merger, if you want some useless assets. At the moment I set it to -40%. Also divided the bonuses between affecting the entire territory and company specific.
Also, slightly reduced growth rates by one percentage point: 4% for year 1-10, 3% for year 11-20, and 2% for year 21-30. At year 20, this means 49% instead of 66%.
I did make a couple of minor tweaks to seeding. Main things I did was to place two Logging Camps to stabilize the start. In some seeds there was a second camp next door to the one owned by Boundary Mill just up from Robson. I placed one there so that it wasn't a case of good versus bad seed since the player is forced along that path. Second camp is at the end of the north facing tributary out of Rock Creek. This was also a place the game selects automatically. The idea is so that there is some Logs in Rock Creek city no matter what.
Other thing I did was to Paper. There was heaps of Pulp sitting on the map. I added a Paper Mill in Keremos, then another in Kmir (this gave average extra $100k company profit in first year, let me know if that's bad?). I coupled this with a reduction of -40% Pulp production so that it doesn't factor too much in the early game. Also did higher production on Textile and Paper Mills to make them draw cargo from further away.
Overdraft:
For the Charter all it needed was CV3 =/= 5 added to "FA-Charter-0-0-1".
This is correct because the problem was actually that landsales didn't stop which in turn didn't give overdraft expansion a chance to fire.
For the sake of balance, the benefit for taking over Boundary Creek Lumber company was too much (you knew it's possible to merge him at the start of the game, right?). I took some of those benefits away. But still kept cheaper stations/bridges/tunnels.
The other big thing I did was to take away the +20% on cargo prices (kept it for passengers and mail, extra +10%). Any event that raises prices bugs the formula for price at the stations for freight. That makes stations not industries the maximum price points. This is a pain when servicing specific industries which is a big part of this game (lets say that with normal prices you aren't forced to micro-manage). To compensate for lower revenue I added some cost reductions at the start of the game (still probably less than old Boundary Creek Lumber company advantage).
I don't know how tight you want the game to be (any idea you can give will be good). I could leave it without the cost reductions. It would still be doable, for me (I tend to get good results not only because I have a good sense of the frequency behind price variations). But the chances of a player failing on a first attempt would be quite high, even if he had spent the time to investigate the stock market and lay of the land etc., which is quite important.
Other things I did:
- added warehouses in Agassiz and Keremos for CPR off-map supply. 3 Grain, 3 Corn, and Paper->Alcohol conversion.
- Fruit and Dairy Farm near Agassiz
- Port Iron supply reduced to 2 per year, there was too much Iron in the game. I tested that ports upgrade as easily as before.
- Naksup port Iron demand increased to remain stable. The AI still too stupid to make consistent profits.
- Consolidation type is available throughout the game.
- stabilized track costs during economic cycles, the normal +/-20% has been reduced to +/-8% (no choice when to build track here)
- added a couple hints about building near rivers, using Supply Towers to prevent ground warp, using Common setting for bridges to do away with most ramps, etc..
- There is now an option to pay $650k for a political analyst that gives you an election hint
- Small yearly reductions of -1% on train maintenance, overhead, merger premium, etc..
- In the ledger, The delivery information for bonuses, such as Logs to Cascade Mill is now displayed.
- It's now possible to reach Penticton on time even if you missed Midway by a few months.
- Player can keep access to USA after 1910
+ many bug-fixes in the events.
Another question: Is the bank supposed to be a start-game merger?
It's possible to give the bank a special bond with negative rate that will earn him a decent return each year (was thinking $250k or so per year). When you merge him you would then inherit this. But to do that would mean keeping him low cash so he doesn't repay it (high-value post office for CBV offset). But low cash means no incentive for an immediate merger.
With all the Lumber Company benefits, the combined Bank+Lumber Mill is a lethal starting strategy. To the point that nothing else compares. The only possible drawback to taking over the Bank is that then Jay Cooke will be a silent investor, he wont buy/sell anymore stocks. This precludes shaking him out of some of the big companies he is invested in. On the flip side, he wont buy even more shares.
Please let me know any comments you have about these changes. If things aren't close to your vision for the map, they can probably be undone.
I know you said that you didn't want people contacting you about the beta not working, but is it fine to leave your email in the briefing? I could put this site instead.
ETA,
Failure on Meat haulage sets production -100% in BC. This is sort of game-breaking, because then further Meat haulage will soon be impossible unless you can get down into the USA and you have lucky amount of ranches down there. On the other hand it will knock the Cattlemen's Association, making it an easier target for a merger, if you want some useless assets. At the moment I set it to -40%. Also divided the bonuses between affecting the entire territory and company specific.
Also, slightly reduced growth rates by one percentage point: 4% for year 1-10, 3% for year 11-20, and 2% for year 21-30. At year 20, this means 49% instead of 66%.
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RulerofRails
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Re: Back again.
I finally felt like everything is done.
I put a beta version over here viewtopic.php?f=86&t=4241&p=46415#p46415. Check it out if you want.
Didn't end up making the bank advanced because somewhere I lost the ability to change chairmen. They aren't displaying in the stock market when the map is loaded in the editor, but are showing up fine in a real game.
I put a beta version over here viewtopic.php?f=86&t=4241&p=46415#p46415. Check it out if you want.
Didn't end up making the bank advanced because somewhere I lost the ability to change chairmen. They aren't displaying in the stock market when the map is loaded in the editor, but are showing up fine in a real game.
Re: Back again.
RulerofRails, firstly, let me thank you for all the time you have spent on the map.
As you perhaps have gathered from the posting on {BETA} fix/update South Central British Columbia 1898 , there can be other views on what the map should be like. The fact however is that at best, it can only be a compromise and not necessarily suite everyone’s stile of playing. Some of my approaches for this map were unconventional and not to forget, in the last 10+ years a lot more insight and experience has been gained by you on how RRT3 ticks.
A few general comments:
a.) The map was to be a remaking of the actual KVR track and parts of the proposed and surveyed sections. So my intent was for it to be played more as an historical remake of the actual line rather than a fictional scenario.
b.) The tunnel section out of Robson took me many, many hours to “get just right” and is available with reasonably low grading. Yes, one has to experiment a bit to find the best route but the track is right where it actually is supposed to be. What your screenshot shows is not the routing I recall to have taken.
c.) The ground wooded cover should be also what it used to be. There were perhaps fewer wooded section around lumber mills and mines due to direct usage from those industries but generally speaking it should be correct.
d.) If someone would like to find out more about the happenings regarding the KVR please read Barrie Sanford`s book “McCulloch`s Wonder – The story of the Kettle Valley Railway”. Perhaps it will help you to get better in the spirit of playing the map.
Please let me know any comments you have about these changes.
Some of your questions:
“Please let me know any comments you have about these changes.”
All your changes sound fine to me except the one about delayed getting to Midway.
Please remember it should be of primary importance to get to the connection places within the actual time frame and when one misses to get to Midway in time then game over for a Gold medal. So still connecting in time to Penticton should not be possible.
“I don't know how tight you want the game to be (any idea you can give will be good).”
My aim was it to make it a challenge and not a cake walk.
“Is the bank supposed to be a start-game merger?”
No, not as far as I remember. Me thinks it should be available later in the game to help with other mergers.
“I know you said that you didn't want people contacting you………”
Please use any email address that is appropriate and can be helpful. Given my 70+years of age accurate memory is somewhat limited therefor I doubt that I can be much of a help. Please also make sure you add your name as an creator to the map because your contribution has made it all happen.
Thanks again.
As you perhaps have gathered from the posting on {BETA} fix/update South Central British Columbia 1898 , there can be other views on what the map should be like. The fact however is that at best, it can only be a compromise and not necessarily suite everyone’s stile of playing. Some of my approaches for this map were unconventional and not to forget, in the last 10+ years a lot more insight and experience has been gained by you on how RRT3 ticks.
A few general comments:
a.) The map was to be a remaking of the actual KVR track and parts of the proposed and surveyed sections. So my intent was for it to be played more as an historical remake of the actual line rather than a fictional scenario.
b.) The tunnel section out of Robson took me many, many hours to “get just right” and is available with reasonably low grading. Yes, one has to experiment a bit to find the best route but the track is right where it actually is supposed to be. What your screenshot shows is not the routing I recall to have taken.
c.) The ground wooded cover should be also what it used to be. There were perhaps fewer wooded section around lumber mills and mines due to direct usage from those industries but generally speaking it should be correct.
d.) If someone would like to find out more about the happenings regarding the KVR please read Barrie Sanford`s book “McCulloch`s Wonder – The story of the Kettle Valley Railway”. Perhaps it will help you to get better in the spirit of playing the map.
Please let me know any comments you have about these changes.
Some of your questions:
“Please let me know any comments you have about these changes.”
All your changes sound fine to me except the one about delayed getting to Midway.
Please remember it should be of primary importance to get to the connection places within the actual time frame and when one misses to get to Midway in time then game over for a Gold medal. So still connecting in time to Penticton should not be possible.
“I don't know how tight you want the game to be (any idea you can give will be good).”
My aim was it to make it a challenge and not a cake walk.
“Is the bank supposed to be a start-game merger?”
No, not as far as I remember. Me thinks it should be available later in the game to help with other mergers.
“I know you said that you didn't want people contacting you………”
Please use any email address that is appropriate and can be helpful. Given my 70+years of age accurate memory is somewhat limited therefor I doubt that I can be much of a help. Please also make sure you add your name as an creator to the map because your contribution has made it all happen.
Thanks again.
The man who has no imagination has no wings. (Muhammad Ali)
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RulerofRails
- CEO
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Re: Back again.
Midway connection.
I probably wasn't clear. If you fail Midway by 1910 you still lose the game. I didn't change anything about the Midway connection itself.
The thing I did change was when you can start towards Penticton.
The way it was: if you make it early, you can begin new construction in April. Otherwise (you connect early in 1900) you would have to wait the entire year for April 1901. This obviously makes it impossible to get to Penticton early (end of June 1901).
How it is now: if you connect to Midway before June 1900, you can start construction to Penticton onwards from March (up till June, depending on when you made it).
There were spare events sitting in these sequences that encouraged me a bit to do this. Now there isn't a large wait to start towards Penticton and you could reach Penticton early even if you didn't quite make it to Midway early.
The bank.
I might increase the cash it has. That will make it more expensive to take over.
The benefits it has are most useful in the earlier game though. Later in the game, it's just an expense saving. Might be as little as $200k per year.
Also, as time goes on it's harder to get the chairman to sell a few shares to lose their majority. So the player would probably still have to set it up in the early game though, if he doesn't want to pay an exorbitant merger price. But same goes for Cattle company etc..
I probably wasn't clear. If you fail Midway by 1910 you still lose the game. I didn't change anything about the Midway connection itself.
The thing I did change was when you can start towards Penticton.
The way it was: if you make it early, you can begin new construction in April. Otherwise (you connect early in 1900) you would have to wait the entire year for April 1901. This obviously makes it impossible to get to Penticton early (end of June 1901).
How it is now: if you connect to Midway before June 1900, you can start construction to Penticton onwards from March (up till June, depending on when you made it).
There were spare events sitting in these sequences that encouraged me a bit to do this. Now there isn't a large wait to start towards Penticton and you could reach Penticton early even if you didn't quite make it to Midway early.
The bank.
I might increase the cash it has. That will make it more expensive to take over.
The benefits it has are most useful in the earlier game though. Later in the game, it's just an expense saving. Might be as little as $200k per year.
Also, as time goes on it's harder to get the chairman to sell a few shares to lose their majority. So the player would probably still have to set it up in the early game though, if he doesn't want to pay an exorbitant merger price. But same goes for Cattle company etc..
Re: Back again.
The reason I made it with the waiting period was most likely because April was the “normal” start of the construction season due to local weather conditions. Prior to that the supplies had to be still be brought to the sites. However, your correction does make for a more fluid game and does not change anything on the basic timeline.
I am hoping that the Banking takeover/merger option does not take away the financial worries of track building. When testing I remember it oft being a struggle to keep on going with a timely construction pace due to finances. Just like the financial struggles the real companies had.
My intent with takeovers and mergers (an aspect of the game I really liked) of other companies was to finance rail expansion later in the game. I am certain you will find the right balance.
Looking forward to see the finished map posted.
I am hoping that the Banking takeover/merger option does not take away the financial worries of track building. When testing I remember it oft being a struggle to keep on going with a timely construction pace due to finances. Just like the financial struggles the real companies had.
My intent with takeovers and mergers (an aspect of the game I really liked) of other companies was to finance rail expansion later in the game. I am certain you will find the right balance.
Looking forward to see the finished map posted.
The man who has no imagination has no wings. (Muhammad Ali)
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RulerofRails
- CEO
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- Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 1:26 am
Re: Back again.
To be clear about the change, it wont let the player start on the project before April. My intent was to prevent an extended wait such as February 1900 - April 1901, by removing the condition that the waiting must begin at the start of the year. I felt that it's disadvantaging the players who are a little less efficient in their play, pushing them even further behind.
Good to have more details about difficulty. When attempting to stabilize seeding, I went the way of adding a second Logging Camp up from Robson, but from your comment about low finances I think the better option will be to prevent the second one from seeding instead. More tweaks incoming. . . but I am not getting heaps of time to work on it at present so will be awhile before a new version.
If you got tired of my many questions that's ok, but of course I'm curious how you hoped the mergers would work.
How late in the game are we talking for the mergers? By "finance rail expansion" are we talking the industrial profits they provide, or?
I'm seriously considering a small tweak to the tunnel. I raised both vertices where the tunnel starts by 4 units. This makes slightly more of the tunnel "tube" stick out (compare left to right below), but there's no chance of 9%, 11% type of grades.
Good to have more details about difficulty. When attempting to stabilize seeding, I went the way of adding a second Logging Camp up from Robson, but from your comment about low finances I think the better option will be to prevent the second one from seeding instead. More tweaks incoming. . . but I am not getting heaps of time to work on it at present so will be awhile before a new version.
If you got tired of my many questions that's ok, but of course I'm curious how you hoped the mergers would work.
How late in the game are we talking for the mergers? By "finance rail expansion" are we talking the industrial profits they provide, or?
I'm seriously considering a small tweak to the tunnel. I raised both vertices where the tunnel starts by 4 units. This makes slightly more of the tunnel "tube" stick out (compare left to right below), but there's no chance of 9%, 11% type of grades.