5 Great Lakes

Discussion about reviews and strategies for user created scenarios made for RT3 version 1.05 and earlier.
UncleJR
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5 great lakes Unread post

Ok, I d/l this and have a question about strategy for this one.

How am I to drive the others out of business?

I make more money than I know what to do with, and I am able to buy out some of my competitors, but they end up starting new r/r with the cash they got from me.

Also, some are at $1 but have no stock avail.

Is there a secret to driving your competitor into the ground?

Thanks

Jerry
UncleJR
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Hmm,

I keep crashing to desktop before the 1st year is up.

Tried it 3 times, keeps crashing out.

I'm using the 1.06 patch d/l from here.

Anybody else playing this?

Looks like an interesting scenario...
UncleJR
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I am using the latest version of 1.06 (d/l the other day and had no problem w/ it.)

The notes in the map state that you need 1.06 to play it. Did it get revamped?
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Hawk
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Unread post

No, it's still the same map that was uploaded originally. I don't know why you're getting the CTD's. I didn't have a problem with it. I played it on medium and expert both. I never made it past 6 years but you said you crash after the first year.
What are you doing at the end of that 1st year?
Hawk
UncleJR
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Nothing specific. Generally I'm trying to lay track, or some other innocuous act.

Ah well, I'll check into it and see if I can find a common denominator.
UncleJR
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Ok, I got the problem figured out. Lower Michigan doesn't like having 7 computer players. Think it was crashing as it was adding the 3rd or 4th computer player.

Playing it solo now and it's working just fine.

Thanks for responding.

Jerry
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Hawk
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I've tried it with 3 AI's and it worked fine.
Hawk
UncleJR
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Hmm, must not like the 4th for some reason.
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Hawk
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Is 4 AI's as far as you could go?
Hawk
Gwizz
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Is there a secret to driving your competitor into the ground?
There are methods like cutting his track, bulldozing his stations, etc.
But I seldom do that. Instead I do the following:

Pick the competitor that owns the largest number of his own shares first.
Buy 51 % of his stock before he or others buy up majority shares.
Haul his cargo over your tracks to your demand industries.
Or, just run his trains on your tracks.
Do not merge the company until it is about dead with low stock value.
Then a merge will not make an AI chairman wealthy.
As his stock value drops, the shares you own in his company
will drop also. But, if you are making lots of money who cares.
You make up the differance by getting paid when he runs on you tracks.
If the AI is still making lots of money, take control and have the AI
buy back any of his unsold stock but keep your 51% ownership. Use
any of his extra money to build routes that benefit you.
This is called tycooning.

Pick the AI companies early that build the best routes with At least
4 houses and supply industries, etc. at each station. These AIs will
quickly make money and their stocks will sell fast.

You can check a chairmans worth. Once their worth drop below 100K
and they don't own any growing stock that will increase their worth,
you can put them out of business for good with a merge.

Depending upon the map, I normally plan to have AI RRs deliver low cost cargo to my demand industries. I haul away the resulting production.
(the higher priced cargo) It is important to not let supply cargo pile up at a station the the AI is serving or it will buy another loco and start hauling the high priced cargo away.

Last, keep all of an AIs money spent
RayofSunshine
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AI loans Unread post

:?: A question for anyone.

In playing the 5 Great Lakes, I am competing against 5-7 AIs in the Expert level. Being that the goal is to become the sole survivor, I was able to merge with a few, and get 51+% control of the balance. However before I could reach that goal, I was not able to attain an amount to pay off the extensive loans which each of those companies accummulated. The reason was the number of outstanding loans at 11-15%. And they total in the $5M amounts of debt.

My question is now based on an item which I have not come across in other scenarios, probably because I don't usually have such a great number of competitor AIs.

Is it common programming for the AIs to be able to make loans with ratings above the "C" level? In this scenario case the AIs are borrowing funds with ratings of "F". Hence, when I merge, my credit rating drops for a higher interest percentage, as well as lowers my credit rating.

With this part of the programming, I don't see how it is possible to pay off all the debts of the AI after I am able to merge.
Gwizz
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Normally If the AI goes too far in debt he will go bankrupt. Depending upon how the map is set up. he could disappear, bonds cut in half, etc.

Best method to keep him from buying more bonds, locos or expanding is to use the bond manager to buy 51% of his stock, then demolish his stations so he has nothing to haul. Also spend all his money. Fire the bond manager to raise the stock price then sell all of his stock.

This works in RRT2 and I believe also in RRT3 as well. If not someone please tell me.
RayofSunshine
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Great Lakes AIs Unread post

Thanks Gwizz,

For the info. Never thought about such a system. That raises a question. Even with 51% of an AIs stock, doesn't a player have to merge before he can 'demolish' that railroads depots?

Also I noticed that although a player is 'locked' into a $500 bond limit each time, a couple of the AIs had bonds in the amounts of $1250 and $3000. And these were gotten when the had a "cash" balance of -$12G.

On different scenarios I see that a map maker will include "their house" on a map. However, I see that you have inscribed "GWIZZ" into the terrain near the city of St.Paul. Is this the 1st time you have done such an inscribing, as I don't recall anything like this in your previous maps?

Ray of Sunshine
Grandma Ruth
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Re: Great Lakes AIs Unread post

Ray of Sunshine wrote:Even with 51% of an AIs stock, doesn't a player have to merge before he can 'demolish' that railroads depots?
No, you can just take over as Chairman. BUT !*00*! - make sure you also have 51% of your OWN stock, or you won't be able to come back to your own company once you've done the damage in theirs.
Also, I would suggest you don't linger in the other company as the AI that's taken over yours might do some mad thing whilst you're "away". Put the game on pause!
UncleJR
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One of the stunts I discovered is that your "loan" is due out of company cash in 1896. It will take it out of whatever company YOU happen to be chairman of at the time.

So, I took out 2 mil in personal cash and 2 mil in Company cash. Then, in 96, made sure I was chairman of my biggest competitor, then let THEM pay back the 8 mil!

Still hard to drive then down enough to take them over, but still a neat stunt to keep in mind.
Grandma Ruth
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Unread post

Nice one, UncleJR!
Gwizz
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quote]On different scenarios I see that a map maker will include "their house" on a map. However, I see that you have inscribed "GWIZZ" into the terrain near the city of St.Paul. Is this the 1st time you have done such an inscribing, as I don't recall anything like this in your previous maps?[/quote]

Many of my maps have the word "Gwizz" normally hidden someplace on the map.
RayofSunshine
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Great Lakes AI Unread post

Okay Gwizz,

the AIs which had been merged, started other Railroads. As per your suggestion to limit their capability to get further bonds, I got the control of 51%+ of each of them. HOWEVER, as per your 2nd suggestion, I tried to delete their depots. It didn't work, and the comment at the bottom indicated that "this is not your railroad", so I was not able

Ray of Sunshine.
Czar Mohab
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Re: 5 great lakes Unread post

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!
Zathras is used to being beast of burden to other people's needs. Very sad life... probably have very sad death, but at least there is symmetry.
Gwizz
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Re: 5 great lakes Unread post

Some AI chairmen were only chosen to buy stock. Others to build RRs.

Don't apologize for being a tycoon. That is what the game is about.

There are many play styles. Just choose the one you enjoy the best.

If a map is not to your liking, go into the editor and make it fit your play style.
If there is some competition for the best win on a map then it is best to wait on making map changes.
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