Thanks for the corrections. No matter how long one looks at their own writing, small mistakes awlays elude them.
The terrain editing for level track is an optional variant to the game. It is not necessary and certainly not required as a game goal. I played this game many times before I thought of adding this variant of building level track.
This particular map lent itself to this option since many of the cities were nearly at the same elevation in their original placement as coastal cities. It was not difficult to make them the same elevation.
To answer your seeding question, you can restart the game as many times as you wish to get the random seeding cast you desire. Once you have the seeded map you desire, begin the game. The editor tool is meant to be used DURING a game (paused) as you prepare to connect one city to another with rail. The editor tool prepares the track bed in advance of your track.
At first glance (and first try) it might seem that pausing the game to build a level track bed between cities is somewhat cheating because it removes all the challenge of reading the terrain on how to snake a track over hill and dale between two cities. It is actually adds its own kind of challenge: finding the most efficient route which minimizes bends and preserves the realism of cuts and fills.
If using the editor tool becomes annoying, then stop using it and finish the game without it. No harm done.
Creating level track does four things (maybe more):
- It does lengthen the game play time since one has to 'build the track bed' between two cities before laying track.
It allows the trains to run at their fastest speeds since the track is level.
It reduces track cost (as you mentioned)
It makes the trains and track look awesome, realistic.
(I did create a map in which all the cities were at 250 elevation on purpose. An entire map of level track was a game goal. It had deep canyons, meteor craters, ocean cliffs and rolling terrain which created sensational track beds and bridges. The map was too large and I (yes, even I) tired of making the level track between cities. I laid it aside.)
Regarding your PS about US maps, I will probably not make such a map. I agree that the PopTop US maps were (are) awful. I hesitate to remake tfinvold's work unless he/she allows it.