Great scenario! Lots of elements providing good strategy and a robust challenge for the player. Two thumbs up from me.
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I like the engine setup. Also, without Oil/Water/Sand stops Diesel doesn't have an unfair advantage over Steam. Good map to play with D-era Steam.
Played this one three times so far. Didn't take the help. The first time I tried to do a no-industry run. I also goofed badly for a first year of $215k. Started Chilumba to Karonga, problem was I was just $15k short of the cash needed for a third (large) station in Chitipa (after initial high-revenue runs). Slightly different routing would have given me this. Anyway, I eventually realized that because of the cash cap I needed to purchase industries to reach the CBV target (on "industrial" runs I took advantage of the expensive tunnels to "park cash" once all profitable industries had been purchased). I only bought those close to 10% ROI as a way to "bank" cash. In the end I missed the medal by one year. I know this isn't really the way it's meant to played. I would have the medal that way on a second attempt I'm sure.
Other two attempts were "industrial". I bought the cheap farms to start. Rail network started around Blantyre. Bought and built industry, but tried to connect the close towns to achieve high track mileage earlier in the game. 21 years medal. Used diesel only in this play. Second attempt starting "industrial", had the first rails laid between Karonga and Chitipa. Less focused on high mileage, even sold some track a couple of months. Made up for shortfalls by getting Tanzanian exports going. Fertilizer was harder to produce this time, but effort was good enough for a 18 year medal. In my plays I did connect to some "Villages" but didn't really go out of my way for them except if there was a farm or two nearby (preferably that I could catch with a Large Station).
It's purely a cosmetic thing, but the setup of the events to count revenue to specific towns can leave the wrong display active in the ledger if you reach the target revenue before connecting the town to the capital. Not really an issue at all, but using "+1" instead of "Set to" on the Territory Variable would solve this.
Other comment is that there is no demand for Rice except at Houses, while Warehouses are also set to produce a small amount. In late game I felt that demand was a little soft. Clothing, less so, but also softer than ideal IMO. I realize that these things could have been intentional. I think it would be better to control the profit available from these things by using a price reduction event specifically for those commodities and have more outright demand at a warehouse or port somewhere.
PS.
Oilcan, I see you read through the engine stuff enough to see that Engine Maintenance is the best tool that a map maker has for adjusting engine running cost.
Also, have you realized all along that the game's random generator for buildings doesn't work properly the first time after launching the game that a scenario is started? Info on that
here.
Malawi_BETA.zip
I wouldn't even consider using the Class 01 for D era freight. I've tried it before and it's far too gutless on any grade, and far too expensive to run. Besides which, the Class 01 and U1 are not the sort of locos that would ever have been sent to Malawi. The old grunters like the QJ are a much better fit, IMO.
That shouldn't be too hard to fix, I hope.
