Poydras Islands

Discussion about reviews and strategies for user created scenarios made for RT3 version 1.05 and earlier.
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OilCan
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Poydras Islands Unread post

Poydras Islands is a fictional land of four island countries. 1.05 Version.

This is one of my most unusual games in that I specially prepared the map so most of the cities could be connected with level track through the RT3 Editor. The game can be played just as well without level track via the Editor, but the visual pleasantry of trains running on level track is forfeited.

I included with the game file a short PDF guide on how to use the RT3 Editor to make level track.

The player always starts in the same country and must buy access to the other islands.

The goals of the game are simple:
  • Connect the capital city of Blantyre (player's starting country) to the other three capitals on the islands
  • Connect all 70 cities
  • Haul 20,000 loads
  • Build 10,000 miles of track
30 years of leisurely play. No AI. No stock market. No tycooning. No maintenance sheds or towers needed. This is a relatively easy game meant more for sculpting level track beds and watching the trains run on them.

Enjoy!
Epps2.JPG
------- Revised Edition --- March 3, 2020 ---------


This map is now available in the archives: Poydras Islands
Last edited by OilCan on Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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RulerofRails
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Re: Poydras Islands Unread post

I didn't play this yet. I did take a quick look for grammar/typos
Track 15K
"reache"

Aldonia Entry TV1
"Iorn"

Loads 4K Accel
Also it's mispelled here: "accelleration"
***Game bug: acceleration effect is broken


I didn't yet know how to approach this with the suggested terrain smoothing. For me this is something that you would do once and then seed the map in on top of that. Maybe that's just not something I imagine being fun. If it was a side-mission where it was suggested to do a smallish section, maybe that would give me an introduction. But what if I make a strategy mistake or want to try a different seed? How long are you spending on that in such a game? I suppose I spend a chunk of time looking at the cargo overviews that others may not....

I do care about grades, because any fill has an impact on track cost. I do try to find ingenious ways through the given terrain. Sometimes it's a bit like sailing where I feel like I'm "surfing the waves." Others may have a different view.... I'm always disabling trees and showing the grid. In fact I was getting quite bothered that sometimes the grid doesn't auto show. Turns out it's a 1.05 bug when switching directly from cargo overlay to track-build mode. Seems to be fixed in 1.06. For the record I'm using a renamed GoG exe file.


PS. I'm a fan of your terrain work in general. It always bothered me how none of the full US maps do justice to the East and West coasts. Have you ever thought to do a version? One guy made an effort: viewtopic.php?f=87&t=4167. But it's not really a scenario and a bit cluttered on the cities/labels. Also, the seeding while a decent effort isn't of the quality you achieve. I never got a reply from him after sending him a corrected map. If you want a copy with corrections let me know.
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OilCan
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Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:03 pm
Location: East Tennessee, USA

Re: Poydras Islands Unread post

Thanks for the corrections. No matter how long one looks at their own writing, small mistakes awlays elude them. :-D

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.
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