5 Great Lakes

[Hawk]

I didn't mind 5GL, I did mind that not all the AI's committed to starting a company. What fun is that? The map and senario, btw, were well done.

One of the methods I have used is the AI train capture. Its evil, and not for the feignt of heart. It works best when you have some cash to spare and have just made your first connection to a 2 or 3 train AI. Let him ride your rails for a while, perhaps getting deep into your territory. Eventually, he'll try to get those trains home. Somewhere around 1/2 way between your last station and his, while he's still on your rails, pause the game. Reroute the line to the left or right so you still have the connection between stations (you're going after all of his trains, no?), and bulldoze the line just in front of and just behind his train. Rinse and repeat. If you're lucky, you can snag 2 of his trains this way.

I've only done this once, to see if it could be done; the AI never attempted to connect the broken lines with his own rails, never bought another train (I wouldn't have captured it if he did, I just wanted to see what he'd do, like a spider in a jar), and after about five or six years, went belly-up.

Czar "Told you it was evil" Mohab

P.S. I don't recall wich map this was tested on. The AI's in 5GL (that actually started companies) grew kinda fast for me to try this out (it was going to be my test bed, but I couldn't control the AI's) and I've only done this once, I swear!

I wonder if that would work to help your own PNW?
Buy up stock in the AI company, help to increase in worth, then start selling short-capture a couple, or few, of the AI's trains and sit back and reap the rewards.
Problem with this idea is I still don't understand the stock market. I never do good in scenarios that have a PNW goal.

[UncleJR]

Problem with this idea is I still don't understand the stock market. I never do good in scenarios that have a PNW goal.

Well, now I don't feel so bad. At least I'm not the only one.

[Gwizz]

The stock market responds to changes in values.
Simply put: when a train arrives the railroad is paid and a value goes up, then the stock value go up.
If no trains arrive for a while the month to month costs and expenses can eat some dollars and stock prices drop. If you plan the demise of an AI by removing it means for making a profit, then sell all of its stock quickly. Later, you can buy the stock back at a cheaper price if you want to control or merge the AI.

For your own RR, if you see that many profitable trains will reach a station during a month. then buy some of your own stock. But, don't buy too many shares as your buying will cause your stock price to increase and the arrival of trains will only add a given amount of dollar increase to you Railroads value.

I tend to add extra chairmen into maps I make, that only buy stock and if stock value drops they can buy stock as well. They can get in your way in manipulating your stock market.

There is of course the brokers fee. But with moderation of your buy and sells it is not a major factor.

Selling Short: If you know/see that no AI trains will reach a station during the rest of the month, then it is a good time to sell the AIs stock short ,but only a share or two at a time as the drop will not happen all in the same month. In the next month if a number of trains arrive, then this move can hurt. So quickly buy back the share you sold short. If a player does not pay much attention to where trains are going, then they shouldn't sell short. It can be too dangerous for their bottom line.

If you set up the AI for sure failure then it would be saver to sell short 3 or 4 of the AI shares since over time the price will continue to drop. But, if the AI has money it can sometimes fix a problem you gave it and even stop the decline in stock value. So be sure the cut you make in its value will be fatal before you sell short.

Sorry I got a bit long winded.

[Hawk]

Nothing to be sorry about Gwizz. That's a pretty easy to understand explanation of the stock market.

[BikerTim]

I have won the gold every time I have played this scenario. The key is to not be too aggressive about merging with the AI. I might buy a few early if they have a key piece of track, are performing so poorly that they are not likely to start a new line, or if I need to shore up my margin position a little. The important thing is to get majority stock in each competitor. Then, instead of buying them out, just focus on connecting to all of the available cities. Once all of the available cities are connected, the AI will not start new railroads after they have been bought out. By that point, you should be so much larger and more profitable than any of the other lines, you can just buy out each one as the funds become available.

[ostlandr]

One tip is to only buy enough of your own company stock(s) to maintain control (51%.) Then buy your competitors' stock as soon as you can, a few shares of each. In long games, as the AI stock splits you will have more shares. As you buy back shares in your own company, the number of shares needed to maintain control decreases- sell the excess and invest in your opponents' stock. Trying to buy up your opponent's stock just before a takeover is counterproductive, as you drive up the share price. Of course, if the scenario goal is PNW as opposed to building up your railroad, this is a good thing.
I personally have trouble keeping track of the stock market and running the railroad at the same time. Every time I try to "play" the stock market by buying heavily on margin or short-selling the AI's stock, I lose my shirt. Much more efficient for me to ruin the AIs the old fashioned way by running a more efficient railroad, stealing their traffic, and cutting their profits.
Next tycoon game I want to finally try starting up a new company just to own industries, so I can keep my RR capital free for expansion.

[belbincolne]

Funny isn't how some scenarios get a lot of comment - like LA & LA and now Dispatcher - and some none.

This one came out recently and is a really nice scenario - just a bit different. After giving it a try on Normal to see how it worked I had a second go on Expert and got Silver. It's well worth playing and I'll be giving it another go to get that one bit extra - but there's another four to keep me busy so may be some time.

Anyway I can recommend it you all.

[Gwizz]

Thanks belbincolne for the review of my map.
I must have missed it at the time you made the post.

[belbincolne]

Fine Wizz - if we don't tell map-makers what we think we don't deserve to get more scenarios from them - and that's what keeps the game alive. When you look at how many times some have been downloaded but no comments its real puzzling.

Pleased to say I got gold on Expert on this one a few years early on my second try.

[low_grade]

This is referring to Sugus's map Five Lakes Journey, yes? Nice map, breezy play, not really challenging on Hard. First four-five years nothing but industrial development, then those Consolidations will really make a profit for you! Forgot breakdowns were disabled, so ran with cabooses unnecessarily... still won in 1877, 8 years early, in the month after delivering 5000th LTD load needed to get access to final territory. Didn't really have to think about what I was doing after the first scan of the map, just build build build whenever I had the money. CBV and PNW no problem. Still, enjoyable original map and storyline, definitely recommend if you're looking for a scenario you can finish in an evening which is a little different from the norm and not too stressful.

[Gwizz]

Belbincolne did you play my 5 Great Lakes map or Sugus's Five Lake Journey Map?

You are correct that The Great lakes map has had a ton of downloads.
I think because my maps are simple with easy starts they don't really need a review or any special strategies.

[belbincolne]

Hi Wizz - just back from hol - I've played both but my comments here are on your 5 Lakes scenario - think I've commented elsewhere on Sugus's Five Lakes Journey.

[Orange46]

I enjoyed this scenario. My scenarios do not require stock manipulations to take over competing companies, so I am out of practice. It took me 22 years to win, but an experienced manipulator could have achieved victory much sooner, using strategies I only remembered in year 22. But, I got to manage an enjoyable railroad for at least 5 extra years, so, it was a winning situation for me.

There are 2 small problems with the scenario that didn't impact my enoying the game. First, the gold condition is only a message and doesn't actually trigger a gold medal. Second, early in the scenario you are given an option to take out loans for the company and for yourself, while at payback time, personal loan to yourself gets paid back with company funds. This would normaly result in a scandal, but that didn't happen in this scenario.

[Gwizz]

In my experience Tycoon bankers are part of most scandals.

[Thunder Mnt RR]

five great lakes is a awsome map but the terain really got me because im all for the fast railroads were the trains can easly get to their destenations with out hassle or slowing of trains its real importaint for steam locos you think you an mabe smooth out the terain just a bit

[Orange46]

This map looks very smooth to me. The run out of NY should traverse lots of hills and small mountians, but I remeber lots of flat landscape along this PRR or Lackawanna like route. The NYCentral route to Chicago which went north up the Hudson valley was longer than the Pennsy route that cut across Pa. But, the train running times were about the same as the Hudson route was flatter. (That's one problem with the maps in RT3 - it is hard to get flat routes near rivers that run by hills.)

[RayofSunshine]

I ran a search in the Forum for the 5 Great Lakes Tycoon III, without any thread found. I am sure Hawk will post the thread of where it is. Did find some interesting threads pertaining to the words "great" and "lakes". Some of interest on map making.

However, I played a number of years of this scenario, which requires a player to be the sole operations to earn the GOLD. Well I managed to merger with 3 but had a problem with the other 2. 1 owned by James Hill and the other by Huntington. I did manage to get a merger with James Hill, but he turned around and started another railroad. He did put up stock, so that I did get the controlling factor. However, although I then merged with Huntington's rwy, he turned around and was the sole owner of all stock. And although I gave him a lucretive bid for a merger, he just kept turning it down each year I proposed a "buy out".

Hence, has anyone been able to get a GOLD with this type of Programming?

An interesting concept, but don't know the possibiity for being the sole survivor.

[Hawk]

Your search didn't work to good. There was already another thread started, so I moved your new post into it.
You even posted in the thread, 3 times. Twice on page 1 and once on page 2.

[RayofSunshine]

Hey Thanks Ed,

I knew that you would find the thread. Of all the threads that were given I chose the wrong one, and got the "Scenario Solutions", which had a lot of comments of the game.

With that said, and the previous posts are from 1907-08, so it will take some thinking or memory of a members game strategy. Now this is a V.2. I remember another D & W, of which I had a problem, which may have been due to the lack of memory, well computer memory, of trying to get some commodities west of the mountains. This V2 is some what different. So here is the question.

I manged to take over the Denver Rail Depot, and running 3 engines from different directions, but the problem is to get access to Cheyenne for the steel. The closest city cnn by track is Boulder. A long way without any rail. I don't see any advantage to try and either merge or possibly take control of any railroad. Those available are distant from CHN, or the 10% to gain control is of a bleak nature.

Any suggestions?

[RayofSunshine]

Well I sort of got my own question answered. I had a small amount of track left, so laid a track on an extension of the Cheyenne UP, to Ft.Larime. And it could have been a coincidence at the same time that a consist of 10 steel reached FT. L, that a notice popped up notifiying me of 1047 sections of track was awarded or found to help in my efforts. With that track, I cnn DEN to CHY, as I not only believe that the steel has to be hauled to DEN, but also am attempting to haul all the other required commodities, to try and avoid fee penalties.

So now as all the other members indicated, is the chore of getting those commodities to DEN, the "coal" of which is naturally on the other side of the map. And the majority over foreign track. So a dbl penalty or at least fees. We shall see, as I am sure that it will take a couple years for a haul of that distance, and getting stopped for the volune of UP engines using the same track.