Test Map

[Orange46]

"I can't figure out why some things move and some things don't"

This is an RT3 issue, in that way too much stuff piles up at industries before the price comes down enough to let it move on to where it is really needed. I wonder if some industries create a higher demand for a product. If so, they would hog it for quite a while.

[nedfumpkin]

Ruth, I had a look at your map, and I am posting a pic of my track at 1923. About the same time as yours. I have 57 trains at this point. Debt is around 4 bonds.

Something I noticed is that you have less than half the number of trains that I do, and I think this is part of your difficulties. This game isn't really designed to have all trains with "any cargo." In a lot of cases, any freight or any express can work, but I am finding that mail and passengers should be on separate trains. Using railroad offices will help increase mail traffic.

Freight should ideally be sent to where it is need by you. An example that was posted by wolvy is the problem with coal and the vulcanization plant (rubber). If you supply the plant well, it produces rubber profitably. The problem is that if you leave your trains at any freight, they will scoop your coal and send it to some unappreciative tyocoonatrons, and then you can't make rubber. The best way to combat this is by making sure you don't have trains leaving that can carry coal.

I am finding that somw industries can work well in the cities, others work better in industrial parks. Then you can control exactly what comes out of it and where it goes.

[Grandma Ruth]

This map probably wasn't the best one to post as I'd reverted to normal running, having met the main challenge.

You're right about cargo being shipped straight out again on an "any cargo" train. I used a different configuration whilst I was making the cars, the main cargo on the way in, and "any express" on the way out - just in case there happened to be any stray tycoonatrons looking for a ride. On the cargo run, I would sometimes leave the train to fill up before going, especially with the coal mines, I had them on 6/6 or 8/8 depending on the engine, etc. On the run back, it would be 0/4 any express. Not on this map particularly, but on some with steep hills, there would be nothing carried on the way back.

To answer the question you raised earlier about "goods" - yes I think it would be a good idea to have another industry making them. I like the fact that the tannery uses mostly raw materials so it's easier than the auto plant, for example. How about using lumber, rubber, cotton, hemp - in fact what you've got there is a toy factory (cotton for stuffing) - but you don't have to specify what the goods are.

I'm working on making a new scenario but I'm going to start a new topic for that.

[Wolverine@MSU]

Has anyone had a problem making Aluminum Mills profitable? I've got two, each placed next to a bauxite mine (with another close by), with bauxite piled up at each Mill, but neither are making a profit. They are making Aluminum in small amounts, but it looks like materials and labor costs are eating all the profits.

Ned's right about how to supply industries. I'm using a mix of "out in the boondocks" and "in established cities" for some. For exampe, I have 4 Machine shops out in the middle of nowhere northeast of Maccuso, placed next to a logging camp that I built a Tannery next to (now up to two Tanneries). The Tannery supplies Textiles, and I have a train that hauls Steel from Macccuso, Machinery away to Swain, Textiles back to the Shops, and Machinery back to Maccuso, all with custom consists. I built an Oil Refinery in Arton, and later added a Glass Factory and Electronics Factory, and once those were profitable, added my Auto Plant there as well. I have to ship in Rubber, which is made in plants located next to Tropical Plantations (I had these spawned to help with Gum production). Custom consists allow mw to get the needed materials to Arton, and even with "Any Cargo" trains going away from Arton, I still seem to be able to keep all the insudtries there happy with raw materials.

One thing that I've found (and seen it on occasion in the regular RT3) is that sometimes, the cell upon which sits the Large Station, will have a much lower demand for something compared to the other adjacent cells. In Arton, for example, the demand for Steel will go to orange in a sea of green on the cell with the station. In fact it's sometimes gotten lower than the demand an Maccuso, so the Steel that I've shipped there previously goes bye-bye. I've remedied it by placing a small station away from the main one and next to the Auto Plant, where the demand stays high in spite of piles and piles of Steel ending up there. I've never been able to figure out why these demand "sinkholes" appear, and they don't last very long until the demand returns closer to that of adjacent cells.

[nedfumpkin]

I didn't have any trouble making the aluminum mill profitable, but I sat it on a source of chemicals which seemed to make the difference. I brought in the bauxite.

I am currently putting together a generic facotry that makes goods from all kinds of different things. Once I get that finished, I'll upload a patch that should make some industries a bit better.

[Wolverine@MSU]

I forgot to mention that I built a Chemical Factory right next to the Aluminim Mills and supply them with Coal. They are making Chemicals, which get used by the Aluminum Mills, but still no profits. I'll try building the Mills away from the Bauxite and see what happens.

[nedfumpkin]

I checked the date on the bca file and it was last save in april, so I'm not sure why yours isn't profitable. As you can see, it isn't even a year old.

[Grandma Ruth]

I didn't have a problem. Based the mill near where the bauxite was and brought in chemicals.
ned - why does the legislature need furniture???? I can understand a world-weary person saying they might need gold, but furniture?? In my experience (and I have some!) what they need is food, alcohol and paper -not necessarily in that order!

[nedfumpkin]

My experience is that the government types like to rennovate a lot, and are constantly replacing furniture. I couldn't figure out how to make moat cleaning a demand for the legislature, so I settled on furniture. :)

[Grandma Ruth]

I didn't realise our little local difficulties were known over there!