Monkey Business (CA09) Campaign Scenario

[Wolverine@MSU]

The event to give access to Enterprise Island (1000 PAX) is set to trigger on laying track or station, but should probably be monthly or weekly.

Also, I can't seem to get any troops that want to go to Military Center. I've connected all the military installations on the west side of the map, built a ton of Gold Coast Ports to make PAX (which slowly get converted to troops), but none of them want to go to Military Center. I only have 9 years left and I fear I won't be able to muster a platoon, let alone the 50 loads that are needed.

The only other thing I need is the Autos to Duo Island. My Auto Plant doesn't seem to want to make them. I've got it right next to the Electronics Factory and Machine Shop, so they may be sucking the minor resources needed by the Auto Plant. I'm going to try building one somewhere else and using the "Ship at a loss" feature to supply it.

You really should make the Gold Coast Port unbuildable. I've build a whole slew of them and they are all cash cows. I'm bringing in over $30 million/yr from them alone!!!!!!!!!

[nedfumpkin]

Here's my set up after 15 years. All the industries are upgraded except the oil refinery which I just built. I have no bonds. The chemical plant spawned where it is. Otherwise, I am creating industrial zones where it fits. The publishing house and electronics factories are doing well in the towns, but everything else is placed where I can strictly control the cargo movement, and there is a bit of a chain to my set up so I use fewer trains and accomplish as much. For exapmple, I am using one train for wool that goes to the four towns and grabs a load of wool to go to the textile mill and goes on to the next town with textiles. It takes about one full circuit for the agri-communities to produce a load.

The explosives factory, biodiesel plant, chemical plant, and lumber mill all work together with 2 trains supplying logs and pulpwood, and another supplying coal with logs and explosives going to the mine. The Machine shop provides machinery in exchange for chemicals which makes more aluminum.

Meat plant and papermill take livestock and hemp, and return meat, fertilizer and paper...to Apesville and the publishing house also hides, and brings a load of chemicals with meat and hemp.

I also have a gold coast port where you see two ports near Chimdocks.

[edbangor]

The event to give access to Enterprise Island (1000 PAX) is set to trigger on laying track or station, but should probably be monthly or weekly.

I'll work through your points with some suggestions but, although that above is an error it's not a biggy, as.... well you'll figure it out.

Also, I can't seem to get any troops that want to go to Military Center. I've connected all the military installations on the west side of the map, built a ton of Gold Coast Ports to make PAX (which slowly get converted to troops), but none of them want to go to Military Center. I only have 9 years left and I fear I won't be able to muster a platoon, let alone the 50 loads that are needed.

This can be tricky, but once you get troops to start to flow they tend to rush around the map after a year or two. At least in all the tests I did.
However, to start the rush, you need to find some troops that aren't yet connected to your network (always in Island Nation) connect that, and the you should find some troops ready to leave, hopefully for Military Centre. When they are moving set up troop routes to any other troops on the map so that they's a network ready for when they want to move. Trust me, they will move, and in some numbers which is why I set the trigger at what would appear to be a high number.

The only other thing I need is the Autos to Duo Island. My Auto Plant doesn't seem to want to make them. I've got it right next to the Electronics Factory and Machine Shop, so they may be sucking the minor resources needed by the Auto Plant. I'm going to try building one somewhere else and using the "Ship at a loss" feature to supply it.

You - and Hawk have this pretty much sussed. You need to set up industrial zones in order to build the autos, and later the military equipment. I always placed the Auto plant, on it's own branch line, well away from anything else, and then shipped in everything it needs without removing anything (the trains returned to their source empty) The auto plant will 'leek' some resorces due tothe nature of the game but you should be able to supply faster than that. However, don't set it up until you have everything it is going to need, being produced in some number. For that reason you may need more than one machery and/or electronics plants. Then set up a simply delivery from there to Duo Island for autos only. Naturally once you've reached the duo island limit, you can change this set up.

You really should make the Gold Coast Port unbuildable. I've build a whole slew of them and they are all cash cows. I'm bringing in over $30 million/yr from them alone!!!!!!!!!

That is an issue that needs looking in to. Unfortulantly, GOld Coast Port can't be turned off - the editor won't allow it - as I needed to have one placed on the map but I'll look into this if future revisions are needed. That they produce so much money isn't an issue as even without them, but the last section of the game, given that you should own all the most profitable industries already, you won't be short of cash.

[edbangor]

Here's my set up after 15 years. All the industries are upgraded except the oil refinery which I just built. I have no bonds. The chemical plant spawned where it is. Otherwise, I am creating industrial zones where it fits. The publishing house and electronics factories are doing well in the towns, but everything else is placed where I can strictly control the cargo movement, and there is a bit of a chain to my set up so I use fewer trains and accomplish as much. For exapmple, I am using one train for wool that goes to the four towns and grabs a load of wool to go to the textile mill and goes on to the next town with textiles. It takes about one full circuit for the agri-communities to produce a load.

Interestingly that's quite different from the way mine was set up during test plays as I tended to use Dipsy Town, as my main early industrial base, but I can see, that you will have an easier time when the long distance shipping starts as you've got some good through routes already set up and are already at the boarder ready to get into the southern state - at Townian - which is a crucial move in the head towards Duo Islands.

PS I really must get around to writing a proper stragegy for this before I forget it all.

[El Moichi]

I have been playing for nine years now. In 1968, I earned $ 16 million in industry profits.

I have built some upgraded Creamery plants which perform well. There is milk and produce from the communities and paper from the paper mills.

I also tried Publishing Houses for a year, but they did not perform well although properly supplied with paper, so I went back that year and spent the money for more ports. Perhaps I should have been more patient.

As Wolverine suggested, the ports are too profitable in relation to their initial costs. I think, $ 1.5 to 2 million per port would be appropriate.

I still have the feeling that I could make more profit If I would know more about all the new features.

I will continue to play tonight.

[nedfumpkin]

I'm working on some docs...please be patient....

[El Moichi]

@ Ned: Don´t hurry, I am still patient.

@ edbangor: I forgot to mention that I really like this map. It´s well designed and painted, and I have big fun to play this one. Your explanations are helpful, especially about hauling troops.

[edbangor]

@ edbangor: I forgot to mention that I really like this map. It´s well designed and painted, and I have big fun to play this one. Your explanations are helpful, especially about hauling troops.

You're welcome, although the brightness of the map, has a lot to do with Hawk's idea to paint it at the end, rather than at the begining as I would have done, even though this adds 1.5mb to the file size, but does show how much it is reduced over repeated saves while the events are tinkered with.

Anyway, good luck with the rest of the scenario...

[Wolverine@MSU]

However, to start the rush, you need to find some troops that aren't yet connected to your network (always in Island Nation) connect that, and the you should find some troops ready to leave, hopefully for Military Centre.

Where's "Island Nation"? I may be missing something, but I don't see it on the map. I made a "Silver" medal 'cause I could only find 1 load of troops to move to Military Center.

[edbangor]

Where's "Island Nation"? I may be missing something, but I don't see it on the map. I made a "Silver" medal 'cause I could only find 1 load of troops to move to Military Center.

Erm, yes.. I meant "Island Chain" (Island nation is in my thehub maps for RT3) sorry about that.

The trick to troops, is to get them moving to anywhere and to have trains already set up to move them on all the time.
Especially, you need to move any troops that are already on Military Centre, to other bases as they will then tend to generate those that want to go back.

Anyway, well done on the STATIONMASTER medal ('silver' is from that other game!)

[El Moichi]

So, this is my „certificate of employment“ for Monkey Business. I have been playing on expert level, but I disabled the train crashes at the start of the game. (Now I think that shouldn´t have been necessary, for I always used electric trains only).

I let my common trains running simply scheduled from a to b, using custom consist cargo select and by using the Rail Yard Structures. I used special trains with high priority to supply the industry buildings which manufactured the necessary goods for the freight goals.

To match the goals for troops, autos and missiles, I used my well-improved “ping pong system”.

I like this map very much, but I think it´s too easy as long as you can buy the Gold Coast Ports.

Anyway, the golden age of Trainmaster is rising, good bye to the “old” RRT3 version……..

Thanks to edbangor for this GREAT map!

[edbangor]

To match the goals for troops, autos and missiles, I used my well-improved “ping pong system”.

I like this map very much, but I think it´s too easy as long as you can buy the Gold Coast Ports.

Anyway, the golden age of Trainmaster is rising, good bye to the “old” RRT3 version……..

Thanks to edbangor for this GREAT map!

You're welcome and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Interested to hear more about the "Ping-pong" system though as I can't find anywhere to put the net...

And yes, I aguee, Trainmaster is so much more fun than old RRT3, there is so much more that can be done, with all the improvemnts Ned as put in.

Anyway, once Ned is free from the real world issues that are cutting into his train time - I'll have another look at the Gold Coast Port issue as I wouldn't want the map to be "too" easy.

[edbangor]

The Gold Coast Port issue has been solved, and an updated version of the map submitted to Ned to post whenever he's ready.

[Grandma Ruth]

Finally I've got the time and I've got TM working and I'm playing this scenario! It's great, I'm enjoying it tremendously. Thanks,Ed.
I've got a ghost town! I don't know how it's happened. I connected to Chimdocks and the station called itself "Chimdocks Junction" which they sometimes do if the scenario writer created a station whilst making it. So I ignored it and carried on. Now I notice there's a station called "Chimdocks" which isn't mine but it isn't anybody else's either, in fact it doesn't exist! I'll try and route a train to it and see what happens. [later - train wouldn't go there - it doesn't exist!]
Ned, I don't imagine these things, they do happen to me, honest!

Edit: I've found it, it looks like a port on Sanctuary Island. Maybe a Gwizz port? An experiment that got left over in the final version? Anyway I'm pleased it does exist and I'm not completely losing my marbles!

[Grandma Ruth]

Hawk mentioned before about the "fine" for not having electric. Ed, did you really mean it to be up to $10,000? That doesn't seem very much, $100,000 would be more like it? Just my

[edbangor]

Edit: I've found it, it looks like a port on Sanctuary Island. Maybe a Gwizz port? An experiment that got left over in the final version? Anyway I'm pleased it does exist and I'm not completely losing my marbles!

It was placed there along with Gold Coast Port to entice people over to Sanctuary Island as a sort of trap but I had to remove the Gold Coast Port as it placing it meant I couldn't turn it off from being built by the player which, as you'll see from further back in this thread, made the map too easy.

[Grandma Ruth]

Well, I've just stranded myself on Sanctuary Island all by myself with no need for encouragement! Going to start my fourth attempt now. I do love the newspaper headlines, by the way!

[edbangor]

Well, I've just stranded myself on Sanctuary Island all by myself with no need for encouragement! Going to start my fourth attempt now. I do love the newspaper headlines, by the way!

If you're finding this one a bit tough to start with, why not try "Monkey Motors" first my other campaign scenario, as it's a sort of prequel to this one, with the same characters, but only one cargo chain to worry and with all the industries you'll need already placed.

As for amusing newspapers, I take it you've not played all three "thehub" scenarios yet...

[Grandma Ruth]

It's OK, I persevered and got Trainmaster in 1986!!
This is a smashing scenario - I enjoyed it so much my husband is accusing me of being addicted!
I like the way you can do different things, I didn't even look at some of the other possibilities - I might go back and try a different win. Very impressive. Must take a break though or the old man will be calling the doctor!
I don't like to cheat - as I define it - so I didn't do the re-cycling cargo thing, it was all genuine. The troops weren't so bad once you get all the bases linked up and get troop trains bouncing around between them. It took me a while to realise that you can ship freight cargo at a loss in TM, once I'd got that straight it was plain sailing.
Only thing I didn't like so much was a big build-up of cash - maybe it could have done with a financial goal as well?
Anyway, well done Ed, grand scenario.

[edbangor]

Thanks Ruth.

I did think about putting in something to cut the vast ammounts of money that can build up, as you own all the industry but didn't want to over complicate thing... well not anymore.

Just don't tell your old man, that it's my fault he's a Railway widower!