Map Uploading

[pottypie]

Howdy. Long time user, first time actually posting.

Was messing around with the NorthWales map off the site and ended up modifying it and making it into a proper scenario rather than effectively a blank sandbox map, including edits to the actual map itself. Since it's my first time doing something like this and I've not been able to find an answer elsewhere, I was wondering
- How do I upload the map to the site?
- Is there any issues with the fact that it's based on someone else's map or is crediting the original maker sufficient?

Thanks!

[Gumboots]

You upload it by attaching it to a post here, and hassling me until I remember to add it to the archives.

People are fine with you existing modifying maps, but yes crediting the original maker is always nice.

[pottypie]

Sure thanks, Mediafire link is http://www.mediafire.com/file/6oj61gk3r ... ng.7z/file

[Gumboots]

Ok, cool. Usually we wait until a few people have had a chance to play a new map, just to see if anyone spots things that need fixing before archiving it. It's easy to miss things when you're coding something yourself.

[RulerofRails]

Hi pottypie,

I did try out the map quickly. Here's some rough notes:
- Can takeover liquidated companies
- Few Lumber Mills, No Barracks
- Chairmen can start one new company each, can be difficult to merge them again.
- Holyhead-Abergele event: the effects should be gamewide
- Grammar: West Coast complete "a* service" in newspaper
- End of Year check for Gold Medal, it's nicer to be monthly.
- Medals check before other events, if you were to connect the 60th city within December of the final year you would lose the game.
- Spelling: Mountain should be "Snowdown" instead of Snowden.


As I said these are rough notes from a quick play. If you are looking for some feedback or recommendations, etc. on the map, just ask.

[pottypie]

Hi pottypie,

I did try out the map quickly. Here's some rough notes:
- Can takeover liquidated companies
- Few Lumber Mills, No Barracks
- Chairmen can start one new company each, can be difficult to merge them again.
- Holyhead-Abergele event: the effects should be gamewide
- Grammar: West Coast complete "a* service" in newspaper
- End of Year check for Gold Medal, it's nicer to be monthly.
- Medals check before other events, if you were to connect the 60th city within December of the final year you would lose the game.
- Spelling: Mountain should be "Snowdown" instead of Snowden.


As I said these are rough notes from a quick play. If you are looking for some feedback or recommendations, etc. on the map, just ask.

Thanks very much for the review, a few questions and other things
- Is there a way to stop takeover of liquidated companies whilst permitting the takeover of still running companies? I couldn't spot one which is why it's still in there.
- Are you sure I've got the event check the wrong way round? I thought that the higher up the events list an event was, the earlier it was checked for, so it'll check for gold, then silver, then bronze, then lose.
- Snowdon spelling corrected but it's definitely not Snowdown!
- I've removed the military industries since I realised they weren't particularly relevant
- I've also reduced the proportion of logging camps and increased the spawning rate of lumber mills.

[RulerofRails]

- Is there a way to stop takeover of liquidated companies whilst permitting the takeover of still running companies? I couldn't spot one which is why it's still in there.

There isn't a way to prevent merging with them. But there is a way to make them "unobtainable". The liquidated prices are based on the price of the asset when built: 2/3 of the original price. You can use the editor with "when track/station is placed" trigger to raise the price before building them. I would do at least +5,000%. This way the player wont consider buying them, but pay the "tax" for usage instead.

- Are you sure I've got the event check the wrong way round? I thought that the higher up the events list an event was, the earlier it was checked for, so it'll check for gold, then silver, then bronze, then lose.

The medal checks are in the correct order. I said these were rough, and it was getting a little late when I got to this. I had to wait an extra year for the medal. But it must have been something I did. Sorry. When I test it now End of Month below End of Year in the list is actually working correctly.

In addition your setup is not dependent on End of Month check anyway. Those (cities/industry) are just notices, not recording to variables.

It is general practice to put a monthly check on the Gold Medal. That would be safe here too (without re-ordering) as far as I can see. If I don't get the medal within a month or two of meeting conditions I go to check the editor suspicious of a problem. But, it's up to you.

- Snowdon spelling corrected but it's definitely not Snowdown!

Apologies again. At least you got the idea.

The AI would do better if you start them with Large stations. It's up to you, but they are fairly weak at present. In my game, the buildings spawning in Caernarvon tweaked the ground enough that I couldn't upgrade the station there. I had the error "ground not flat enough." I would suggest at least this city is large enough for a big station.

No unconnected track condition does sometimes present problems for building in harsh terrain. There were a couple cities where I dozed some buildings to try to make the station fit. But the most annoying thing is probably bridges that refuse to build. If the starting bank of the river is much higher than the ending bank, the game doesn't like to make a bridge. (Without the only-connected-track condition, you can build from the low bank, and there is no drama). You can see I had some problems at Conway.

[low_grade]

Maybe disable starting new companies. Always annoying when a gold condition is being the only railroad left only to see the AI start a new company with majority ownership after you merge with his old railroad...

And yes I opened the editor to smooth around the placed AI medium stations so I could upgrade them to large, and I did the same after placing my own stations a few times when the challenging landscape produced wacky elevation changes upon station placement. Generally a polished scenario will have considered ease of access to cities, both track and station placement.

I met the industry goal with only hotels, so if your intention is to engage the player with textiles and lumber, perhaps increase the goal to $50M-$100M.

I did appreciate that in my play I started with a mix of Beuths and Cramptons, then added in some Stirlings, and finally some Dukes, so that for a few years four different locos were seeing service, which is always nice.

If you're up for the challenge, I'd suggest scripting some events to give the scenario some more local feeling. I know that coal was huge in Wales, so probably something about that. Historical popup dialogues are always nice, too.

[pottypie]

Thanks for the advices, I've done some landscaping around the rivers, muddled around with the industry chances so they seem more balanced, upped industry profit to 30 mil (although I'm still impressed that you managed to make 10 mil off of hotels) and upgraded stations to large where it made sense.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/yf86cs770 ... g.gmp/file