TransCaspian Railroad - BETA

[Hawk]

Well, here I am in May - 1900.

Clipboard01.jpg (56.02 KiB) Viewed 4390 times

I can see getting Silver at best.

[RayofSunshine]

The challenges are great, and the terrain is operative play, even without the Editor to "level" the high spots. I don't use the Editor and find the user creations more of a challenge.

I don't seem to get the benefit of revenue from what I would believe the result of hauls. But then it is probably part of the 'programming". However, on hauling a 8 consist of cotton, I had first directed it from Kunerad to Buchazi, with a "handsome" amount of revenue. Then I realized that the requirement is for "clothing", so I then directed the consist to a Textil Mill in Saikule, then hauling the 8 clothing to Krasnovodsk.

That "handsome" amount of revenue to Buchazi, was drastically cut when directed to Saikule, which I would consider within limits, however, the revenue for 8 clothing from Saikule to krasnovodsk was barely shown. Considering that clothing is a requirement, I would believe that the revenue should be of some creditiable amount. ????

Otherwise, I have found the operation has been within tolerance and a very interesting concept for the imagination of the creation.

[OilCan]

I've posted a step by step process of using digital terrain data and google maps to create a RT3 map in the 'Letters to the Editor / Map Creation' section of the forum.

[Wolverine@MSU]

I have played this one both ways (North route and South route), and by far, the South route is much easier, mainly because the distance to Tashkent is much shorter during the time that the rails to there are being laid. This allows the player to reach the destination much sooner (at least in my playing). With the North route, one has to go all the way around Buchara and Samarkand, which takes several years worth of track allowance, and has few intervening towns to make some profit from. By the time I connected and started running dedicated trains from the Ports to Tashkent and back, I didn't have enough time to make the haul requirements (by the way, I only achieved Bronze requirements, but was awarded the Silver medal). Also, given that the majority of the track was only single, I had a lot of back-and-forth traffic that was running into each other, slowing things even more. It wasn't until about 1903 that I was able to get the route double-tracked, and by then it was too late.

The southern route was much more direct, and afforded several cities along the way that made extending the rails a profitable enterprise.

All in all though, a very nice scenario with manageable grades and nice painting. I'm going to have another go at the North route and see what happens now that I have one try under my belt.

[RulerofRails]

Ok, I tried the Northern route again without using the strategy I outlined to exploit demand. Even though I like to think this strategy helps the bottom line, maybe it distracts a little from industrial opportunities, and I was only slightly slower this round. Because of the track allowance, this scenario is a lot about track laying. A tip for those trying this map: lay all the track available, instead of waiting to save up for the long stretch of track across the desert. Some of the events that give extra allowances of track are determined by your track mileage and you may trigger them early this way.

This scenario involves limited track laying. When I play the Northern Route I have two long true desert stretches of rail between the Ports and Porsu/Khiva and from Petro to Sauran. I don't expect to be able to connect all the towns around the edge of the map until after the main route is done. I don't think in track miles there is that much of a difference between the shortest possible Southern and Northern routes if all Ports are connected first. I checked and if Achabad and Buchara are included in the Southern route, the shortest possible route is only 100 track units shorter than the Northern route. This route only involves one more city than the Northern route, 7 versus 6. Those seven cities are larger and better spaced though.

I do agree that the Southern route is quicker than the Northern Route. I am guessing this is probably intentional, the shorter looking one (North) is not actually the best choice. Anyway, the Pulpwood production is the thing that limits the Northern route. I am in such a habit of building my industries on the same cell as the raw material producer. Here I think it is actually better to locate Paper Mills on an adjacent square as demand will build faster and that will mean more Pulpwood is produced as the Logging Camps will make more money. Of course Lumber Mills need to be built to the same principle for this to have the proper effect. This is often a fact that players overlook, and hence people say things like the Iron delivery in Mich 1830 is impossible. Plan your routes and industry placement in order to make the Iron Mines profitable and that goal isn't a problem either.

Oilcan, I hope you don't mind me giving some tips on your map. I decided to try again to see if more classic starting tactics would hinder me, but didn't find much difference. I still achieved Gold on Expert mid-1900. I don't know why others are having some difficulty here. Anyway, I enjoyed playing this again immensely. Hope others enjoy it also.

[OilCan]

Oilcan, I hope you don't mind me giving some tips on your map.

Not at all. I made some revisions to the game based on the comments of others and yourself; I'm still doing test runs of the 'final' version.

[low_grade]

Well, I gave this a whirl today. Had me sweating in 1907 whether I was going to make the haulage goals... I took the northern route after first laying track to the towns on either side of the central port for some quick cash. Bought an orchard that was right there for a bargain, and then slowly built north. Cash was never really a problem, pretty much just the required industries and autoconsists with Dukes, then some S3 for long hauls, then Eight Wheelers replacing the Dukes for local service, consist cut down to 4+cab in 1900. I grudgingly put P8's into service for the haulage goals, 7+cab and high priority. I did some early double-tracking that cost me a few years getting to Taszkent. Had enough cash to engage in tycoon shenanigans upping the dividend to $10/share after I had half the shares, for for a little side PNW. Never even tried to connect to half the cities, though, wasn't really playing to grow CBV.

Problem was, of course, no demand for Goods in Taszkent. I bulldozed a bunch of retails in the two port cities producing goods to help. And yes one t&d for each port. Also built a bunch of distilleries, so demand for sugar remained positive, though low, just $6-$13 more in Taszkent than the ports.

Well, it worked out in the end. Made 100 paper in Dec 1909, and 75+ sugar and goods in Jan 1910, Gold on Expert Feb 1910, that was close! Didn't connect to Taszkent until 1901, double track done 1907 or so. Spent a lot of time buying new trains as soon as I could use them for hauling, I'm sure half of them never made a round trip. Edit, checking, it looks like it takes 2+ years for the P8's to make it one way across the map. Yeah, I figured I could stop buying haulers by mid/late 1908...