Age Of Steam V-Pheonix Rising For Your Review

[nedfumpkin]

Waaaaaah! I still can't get it to load. I even downloaded and installed the 1.06 patch, which I truly hate because it doesn't allow me to save games, or edit properly.

So where is that thumbs.db file supposed to go? I have it in extra user content.

[Hawk]

You can delete the thumbs.db file. That's an XP (and probably Vista) file for a thumbnails database for thumbnails on your hard drive. It has nothing to do with RRT3.

Are you running Vista? Is that why you don't like the 1.06 patch?

[nedfumpkin]

Nope, I'm still on Win 98. It doesn't show the map when I start a new scenario even though it is in the maps directory.

[nedfumpkin]

Sorry William, but I had to go back to 1.05 since 1.06 kills the game entirely for me. I went almost a whole year without any RT due to this antique box of silicon, so I will have to stick with what works on a computer the game isn't designed to work on.

My only saving grace during the trainless year was that I googled for the demo of RT2 one day and somehow got onto the download page for RT2 Platinum edition. I didn't realize until later, after it was installed that the site I got it from was a place selling it for download, but they didn't make the actual download page secure. Weird, I somehow got the game for free, not that I wouldn't buy it if I ever came across it in a bargain bin.

So recently I managed to get RT3 running, and as much as I enjoy your scenarios, I am stuck playing but a few. Right now I am playing Big Valley, and having fun. My style of play is that I like a good scenario story with a challenging map, which you supply. But one thing I like to do is start scenarios. I rarely play to a medal anymore after I have figured out whether I can get gold or not. So I generally play for up to 15 years, but start the scenario 50 times. Generally I will load a scenario, go through all the beginning stuff, and then just try all different starts. I actually play the whole game on slow so this goes on for hours at a time.

I usually play up to five years before I restart again, sometimes just because I put a piece of track wrong. I just keep going until I get it right, and generally by 15 years I am super-duper successful and able to get gold easily, and then I move on to the next map. I've gotten bored with scenarios that are just about laying a gazillion miles of track just for the sake of it because usually when I get a game to that point, I am laying millions of dollars worth of track at a time and buying every industry in sight. I much prefer the challenge of owing the whole railroad and being debt free within the first 5 years with at least 2 million in profit annually.

Now your maps I like to play to the end. So I'll stop whining, and hopefully you'll take the hint and consider us poor souls who cannot use the 1.06 patch because the exe file messes up (I'm wondering if it is because of my video card which is almost ready for carbon dating)

So anyways, Big Valley...lots of fun...start off with a paper mill and a Shay 2 truck in Arkansas where Canadians cannot figure out why it isn't pronounce Ar Kanzus....

[wsherrick]

I'm glad the new version seems to work better and ned I'm really sorry you can't play this game or Blue Streak. I put a lot of work into all of the scenarios and I feel bad that everyone can't enjoy them. But if we get this new game off of the ground then perhaps these problems will be solved.

BTW I'm wondering if everyone likes the names I gave to the warehouses etc. My favorite is, "Green Hippo Energy Co." How politically correct is that? One way to make big money is to send coal to Green Hippo and turn it into uranium to send to nuke plants.

[wsherrick]

It looks like you finally got logged in William. Glad to see it.

Yes indeed. Thanks big time Hawk for your help.

[ostlandr]

Awesome! That was the most fun I have had playing RRT3 in ages! Got Bronze on the first try (medium, no AIs), but since I kind of forgot about making the $5 mil minimum revenue for each territory until late, I had to scramble!! Took a long time, but I did get the rock, logs and iron hauled.
Iowa is big- I need a couple of AIs to buy out with all that cash I'm generating. Those profits should get me to Gold next time, if I connect all my territories early enough.

[UncleJR]

Let me add my own

This is, indeed, one of the most enjoyable maps I've played in quite some time. Love the restrictions early and the news announcements were a great kick.

Haven't been able to medal yet, still trying to figure out the correct balance. I get some real great revenue streams going, but never seem to have enough going into the proper territories.

This whole series is one of the classics, and it took me quite some time to finally hit on a winning strategy for the first AOS scenario, so I'll keep plugging away at this one and see if I can't finally come up with something.

Well done!

[Gandar]

Oh you sneaky sneaky devil You are certainly a master at scenario design. I thought I had it, gold on expert with 5 AI and I had all the haulage down pat, leading in the net profit stakes, gold was mine !! and then corn went sky high and the AI had all the corn farms and in one year they add 10mill plus to there earnings and it just keeps getting worse so three years left to go and I had to give up and start all over with a new strategy. I have not had so much fun since playing the first RRT way back when. On this scenario its crucial that you have the correct mix. I think I know the answer but I am going on vacation and I'm a desktop man not a laptop guy, so I guess I shall have to wait, DARN. Does anyone have a laptop for sale real cheap and right now.

[Gandar]

I stayed up late so I could have just one more shot at it, and now I want to say...Thank you for a great time, I got gold after 32 years and I left those AI in the dust, now that was 10,000 loads of fun. Now I'm wondering, can I do it in less than 30 years, I'm sure I can. If I go for the iron first and then the gravel and lumber, maybe I will get the welded rail even earlier, and then beat the AI with pure rail what do you think, is it possible ?
I hope everyone else enjoys this scenario as much as I did. William you put a lot of thought into this one and it shows. Excellent work, I really like a scenario that makes me struggle to meet the goals and this one had me punch drunk at times.

[wsherrick]

Awesome! That was the most fun I have had playing RRT3 in ages! Got Bronze on the first try (medium, no AIs), but since I kind of forgot about making the $5 mil minimum revenue for each territory until late, I had to scramble!! Took a long time, but I did get the rock, logs and iron hauled.
Iowa is big- I need a couple of AIs to buy out with all that cash I'm generating. Those profits should get me to Gold next time, if I connect all my territories early enough.

Let me know how you make out. Your connection goals will probably change the next go round. Some are easier than others. The AI's are pretty hard to take over. At first it was impossible, but in testing I found that it made the gold almost impossible if you play with AI's, so I weakened them a little so if there is a stock market crash or an AI player gets to greedy and loses all of his stock then you might have chance. So go for it.

[wsherrick]

I stayed up late so I could have just one more shot at it, and now I want to say...Thank you for a great time, I got gold after 32 years and I left those AI in the dust, now that was 10,000 loads of fun. Now I'm wondering, can I do it in less than 30 years, I'm sure I can. If I go for the iron first and then the gravel and lumber, maybe I will get the welded rail even earlier, and then beat the AI with pure rail what do you think, is it possible ?
I hope everyone else enjoys this scenario as much as I did. William you put a lot of thought into this one and it shows. Excellent work, I really like a scenario that makes me struggle to meet the goals and this one had me punch drunk at times.

I knew it could be done. Again there are five different sets of connection goals. I would like to know which is easiest or most difficult. Thanks again ALL for your helpful comments and compliments.
BTW-Getting your track improvements as soon as possible is one of the secrets. Then your 21st century steam engines can REALLY ROLL.

[ostlandr]

Started a new game with 2 AIs, just for kicks. I found a good use for the AI- one of them built a nice suspension bridge across the river. So I laid rail up to both ends of it. Saved me a ton of capital, that did!
When the money starts rolling in, will build my own crossing at a better location. I was working on buying out that AI, but the other AI was buying my stock heavily, so I had to dump my shares in that AI (at a nice profit) and buy my own company's.
Next step is to use those nice low-interest bonds to finance a sawmill and paper mill. Hey, someplace to haul logs to! Getting closer to the first gravel quarry, too. Will have to pass right by the steel mill (for welded rail) on my way to one of my connection points (Niikota machinery port.) Can't wait to replace the last of the P40s and GP35s with faster steam when it comes out.

Awesome! That was the most fun I have had playing RRT3 in ages! Got Bronze on the first try (medium, no AIs), but since I kind of forgot about making the $5 mil minimum revenue for each territory until late, I had to scramble!! Took a long time, but I did get the rock, logs and iron hauled.
Iowa is big- I need a couple of AIs to buy out with all that cash I'm generating. Those profits should get me to Gold next time, if I connect all my territories early enough.

Let me know how you make out. Your connection goals will probably change the next go round. Some are easier than others. The AI's are pretty hard to take over. At first it was impossible, but in testing I found that it made the gold almost impossible if you play with AI's, so I weakened them a little so if there is a stock market crash or an AI player gets to greedy and loses all of his stock then you might have chance. So go for it.

[wsherrick]

Started a new game with 2 AIs, just for kicks. I found a good use for the AI- one of them built a nice suspension bridge across the river. So I laid rail up to both ends of it. Saved me a ton of capital, that did!
When the money starts rolling in, will build my own crossing at a better location. I was working on buying out that AI, but the other AI was buying my stock heavily, so I had to dump my shares in that AI (at a nice profit) and buy my own company's.
Next step is to use those nice low-interest bonds to finance a sawmill and paper mill. Hey, someplace to haul logs to! Getting closer to the first gravel quarry, too. Will have to pass right by the steel mill (for welded rail) on my way to one of my connection points (Niikota machinery port.) Can't wait to replace the last of the P40s and GP35s with faster steam when it comes out.

Let me know how you make out. Your connection goals will probably change the next go round. Some are easier than others. The AI's are pretty hard to take over. At first it was impossible, but in testing I found that it made the gold almost impossible if you play with AI's, so I weakened them a little so if there is a stock market crash or an AI player gets to greedy and loses all of his stock then you might have chance. So go for it.

Well, have you won the Gold yet?

[ostlandr]

Yep. Was drop-shipping iron, corn and coal at central stations on the west (left) side of the map with local freights running QJs, then running it East on unit trains with Northerns as my primary freight power. Passenger service got upgraded to Mallards on long runs with short passenger-only trains with diners, and Red Devils taking the local traffic and mail/express. Bought a few strategicaly placed industries as I could afford it- doggone taxes.
Hint- build industries in your terrtories to max out the profit potential.

quote="wsherrick"]

Started a new game with 2 AIs, just for kicks. I found a good use for the AI- one of them built a nice suspension bridge across the river. So I laid rail up to both ends of it. Saved me a ton of capital, that did!
When the money starts rolling in, will build my own crossing at a better location. I was working on buying out that AI, but the other AI was buying my stock heavily, so I had to dump my shares in that AI (at a nice profit) and buy my own company's.
Next step is to use those nice low-interest bonds to finance a sawmill and paper mill. Hey, someplace to haul logs to! Getting closer to the first gravel quarry, too. Will have to pass right by the steel mill (for welded rail) on my way to one of my connection points (Niikota machinery port.) Can't wait to replace the last of the P40s and GP35s with faster steam when it comes out.

Let me know how you make out. Your connection goals will probably change the next go round. Some are easier than others. The AI's are pretty hard to take over. At first it was impossible, but in testing I found that it made the gold almost impossible if you play with AI's, so I weakened them a little so if there is a stock market crash or an AI player gets to greedy and loses all of his stock then you might have chance. So go for it.

Well, have you won the Gold yet?[/quote]

[wsherrick]

Yep. Was drop-shipping iron, corn and coal at central stations on the west (left) side of the map with local freights running QJs, then running it East on unit trains with Northerns as my primary freight power. Passenger service got upgraded to Mallards on long runs with short passenger-only trains with diners, and Red Devils taking the local traffic and mail/express. Bought a few strategicaly placed industries as I could afford it- doggone taxes.
Hint- build industries in your terrtories to max out the profit potential.

quote="wsherrick"]

Started a new game with 2 AIs, just for kicks. I found a good use for the AI- one of them built a nice suspension bridge across the river. So I laid rail up to both ends of it. Saved me a ton of capital, that did!
When the money starts rolling in, will build my own crossing at a better location. I was working on buying out that AI, but the other AI was buying my stock heavily, so I had to dump my shares in that AI (at a nice profit) and buy my own company's.
Next step is to use those nice low-interest bonds to finance a sawmill and paper mill. Hey, someplace to haul logs to! Getting closer to the first gravel quarry, too. Will have to pass right by the steel mill (for welded rail) on my way to one of my connection points (Niikota machinery port.) Can't wait to replace the last of the P40s and GP35s with faster steam when it comes out.

Well, have you won the Gold yet?

[/quote]


Good job. You're hired.

[groundhog]

Finally - gold in expert with 5 AIs. Just pulled it out in the last year.

William, your "Age of Steam" scenarios are by far the most enjoyable of any I have played (which, I think, is all of the ones in English).
You said this is the last in this series. I hope it will not be your last series or scenario though. Thanks for the hours of entertainment.

Groundhog

[wsherrick]

Thank you very much. No, I will keep on making new scenarios. They have to cook in my head for a little while before I start experimenting. So sooner or later I will think up something. Everyone's comments and support has greatly helped me along the way thus far.

[Grandma Ruth]

Just started this and I can see it's going to be a good one Can't seem to make enough money to keep going more than a year or two so far. I'll try again with the benefit of some of the tips here.
Kewanee! This is the first time I've seen Kewanee on a map Do you know it? Did you know Vernon's bar? Don't you just love the way the railway tracks go straight across the road, right in the centre of town? Wow! I'm so impressed
Later: This is also the first time I've seen a 3% interest rate!

[wsherrick]

Just started this and I can see it's going to be a good one Can't seem to make enough money to keep going more than a year or two so far. I'll try again with the benefit of some of the tips here.
Kewanee! This is the first time I've seen Kewanee on a map Do you know it? Did you know Vernon's bar? Don't you just love the way the railway tracks go straight across the road, right in the centre of town? Wow! I'm so impressed
Later: This is also the first time I've seen a 3% interest rate!

I'm excited that you are playing this. I hope you enjoy it. I expect a full report.