Crystal Cotton Revisited

[Orange46]

Ray: You need to deliver the meat to a South Chicago Station (that covers the south dock) and make sure that the regular Chicago station does not cover the south dock.

I never played this scenario with AI railroads!

[RayofSunshine]

Okay Orange46,
As to not have AIs? Now you tell me. But I don't have a probllem with them, UNLESS a player has to be a sole survivor.
As to the South Depot, I was wondering the reason that a large depot did not cover both. But didn't give it a thought to get involved with a second depot, even though I have added depots in previous scenarios in order to have them operate independently. But thanks for the info.
Comes to my question. The Special Dividend has been active for a few years, of which it takes me 1/2 a year to get out of the red. However, I have yet to see a totaling of it in the end of the year ledger.

[low_grade]

Hmmm... stumbled upon this one as I'm looking for classics that I've missed out of the archive, and a collaboration between Grandma Ruth and Richard sounded good, so I downloaded and have been playing it for the past few days.

First try, on Medium, bailed 46 years in with no chance of bronze. Started 1870. Made a connect from Mem to Jacks, then north a little. Fairly profitable early, built a furnace in Mem then Concrete plant in Jacks for more cargo. Distillery in the town to the north. Challenging starting with only $800k, and can't buy industries, or issue stocks or bonds. So must start with track, but then I figured best as usual to find industry, which you can build. Slowly connected Chi-StL-Mem and points inward, started shipping Machinery, eventually connected to Cle warehouses. Such a challenge with the Dividends to build momentum. Could've played slightly tighter micro-managing trains for every last dime of profit, think my strategy was pretty good, but still would take me 60-70 years to get even bronze.

I'll have to try the Chi start strategy for the initial rail line anyway. Actually, have tried it once now to no avail, starting 1850 I think, as I've restarted a number of times just to see how much profit I can get in 2 years with various strategies/start seeds... Hmmm, I know some people have made Bronze on this, anybody ever Gold, even on Easy? That may be my next try, Easy mode... I know the point of this scenario is to be challenging, winnable only by learning between repeated attempts, but...

[Orange46]

low_grade,

I don't release a scenario until I can either get or think that gold is possible on the hardest level. Complaints caused me to revisit this one once the Vista/1.06 problem was solved. I can't remember what changes were made.

All of my playtests started in 1830 and east of St. Louis was usually where I started, but sometimes Memphis or Chicago made sense. As much as I don't like SMR, I missed the unit trains of RT2 and SMR and that is what motivated this scenario. But, don't get me wrong, as I love the mixed trains that RT3 lets us have without the pain of micro management.


I now have a new PC and Windows 8 and and some day I need to re set up RT3.

[low_grade]

Ah, here was the big thread, if you maybe want to combine them, Hawk... or move my comment, either way...

But some more comments about Crystal Cotton either way...

Seems like a really fast start would be crucial, build as much of a profit base as you can before the Dividends kick in. I'm guessing those are something like 75%-80% of you previous year's profit, so you're going to be taxed heavily and and further growth is going to be very slow.

One trick I inadvertently discovered by building Industries at the beginning, when late in the game all the ceramic from my business was heading elsewhere and my concrete plant unprofitable for years, I sold it for like $1.1M or whatever, but even better, got to write off another $1.1M from my profits that year, and so my next year's dividend was greatly reduced (well, by like $800K.) This makes for a good way of providing for big expansion projects after dividends hit, and for getting more benefit out of industries that will only remain profitable for 10-15 years.

Also, what start year is best? 1845-1870 is a pretty big range, lots of different locos, cargoes, and changing conditions come into play (train cars get heavier, making earlier trains obsolete, I eventually got access to 2D2's when I started in 1870, but wasn't about to electrify my track with my budget...)

[low_grade]

And, no GT3 set up?!?

But, I'm not complaining. It's great when a scenario really gets you thinking, and you can't just cruise to gold on the first play through. And didn't realize I could start earlier! Only tried pushing the up button on the start page. I'll have to try 1830 next! And, I'm generally stuck on Large stations, maybe I'll have to get unstuck and use some smalls for economy's sake...

[RulerofRails]

I downloaded this map ages ago. I never got around to checking it out. I guess the title didn't have a ring to it. I passed over it to play other scenarios. Fresh comments aroused my interest to see what it was like and I would say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. First of all thanks to the creator and contributors. I liked the unique features included.

Just completed it on my 2nd attempt (gold on expert). A scenario that forces me to restart is appreciated and an excellent challenge, Thank-you! In the first attempt I saw the supply warehouse in Memphis and decided to use that to grow my company. My main problem was that one of the AI had started in Chicago and wouldn't let meat gather at the ports long enough to make many weapons. I was trying to manage this, but when the meat packing plant there disappeared I gave up. I had been running a mainly freight network and ignoring passengers and mail. I also built a lumber mill and to my disappointment found that it would not give me a sustained 10% or more return on investment. Industry building is only for strategic reasons here.

On my second attempt I started with a line from Chicago to Milwaukee. I had to keep the AI away. I then discovered that passenger and mail production is still phenomenal on this map as it was in the original Germantown/Mississippi Valley maps. Towards the end of the scenario I had up to 150 loads of passengers in Chicago station at year end. My Chicago Hotel was regularly making profits above 200k/yr and peaked at 335k one year. That is the most I have ever managed to get from a hotel. I didn't have too much trouble with the haulage requirements. I liked the Special Dividend. Gives me a fresh strategy challenge. I don't know if it is the best way, but I spent every single penny of money I "earned", and consequently ended up being between 5 and 10 million in the red at the start of the next year. The way I looked at it, all that money was the equivalent of the debt the scenario doesn't allow (I spend it before it is really mine).

I didn't read the thread from the beginning just in case there were some spoilers. Now that I have, I am left wondering if I would have made the original 500 loads requirement in the ten remaining years I had left. I like a really challenging scenario and will sift through the forums to discover a few more I have missed. Was there ever a version of this with only one port in Chicago? Does anyone have a bug-free version with only one port in it or was that an early change?

[low_grade]

Huh, I wonder if letting the AI play makes it easier.... they make some connections for you, increase passenger traffic... I assume you connected to them? Well, your profits were about double mine if you were going down to -$5M or more after the dividend. I still have to get back to playing this... have a game started connecting out of StL (which has three warehouses!) and I stopped at the start of year three, 1100K profits after three years was best of about 10 little trial starts here and there. Hoping to build on this early success, which I feel is key to this scenario.

[RulerofRails]

low_grade, yes, the AI ended up helping me with connections. They ran trains on my track also, but they were a nuisance in building up cities away from my line that in turn sucked away some of my resources especially grain from St. Louis. Going to try this again without AI and go for 500 loads of each product. Relying on passenger revenue means that the industry seeding is not so important. I used dining cars on 7 car mixed trains. I have been playing with Lirio's latest loco pack. I doubt this makes it easier overall but there are too many factors for me to say either way definitely. Good luck when you play this again.

I noticed some of the earliest comments where about crashes and the problem people were having when they couldn't buy a replacement train because of large negative cash values for most of the year due to the special dividend requirements. I can confirm that this has been fixed. Once the dividend kicks in all locos displayed "Near Perfect" reliability while I was playing. I didn't see a comment about this change in this thread. I like it, but am still wondering was there an earlier harder version?

[Orange46]

The current version replaced a version that was too hard. Sadly, I lost that version when my old PC died.

[RayofSunshine]

Well fellas,
Usually I will keep an older version, of which there might be some problems, but in this case, after checking my inventory, I find that I must have just "over wrote" the "too hard" version. It is possible that I was not aware of the 2nd version, and when saving it from the Archives, that when the system mentioned that there was already the scenario, that I believed it to be that of the beta, and did over write it. Fingers some time work faster than the mind. Sorry.

[RulerofRails]

The current version replaced a version that was too hard. Sadly, I lost that version when my old PC died.

Oh well, thanks for replying anyway. Thinking about it, having only one port may require at least Prosperity for most of the scenario to produce enough weapons to meet the requirements. That would take away some of the enjoyment if the computer can randomly decide if it is possible to win or not. I am just trying your scenario "Bridging the Mississippi" now, enjoying it, but must say that without milk to haul I would be broke. Whatever you did to limit passengers works really well on this map. When I finish I will play this one again.

Ray, thanks for checking. Keep those trains running!

[RayofSunshine]

As I have stated in the Revisited thread, I had played this scenario, or which I don't have any notes at this time, so do not know my complete result of playing. However, being that others have played it, and that for some reason it was some how deleted from my inventory, is there anyone, who does still have that version, and could have it downloaded to either this thread, or to my e-mail address, or even to that of a PM? I usually keep updated sceanrios in my inventory, of which may have problems, whether corrected or not. Just like that of the Navajho which was pulled. And I do go back and play older scenarios in my spare time, even in those of the RT2 editions.

Appreciated.

[belbincolne]

My Map is 1/1/2008 and I have a version 2 of 20/12/07 - if you want either can send. The dates are described as date modified whatever that means but I would have downloaded them almost as soon as they were posted. Unfortunately I cant play them now as they need 1.06 patch which I still cant get my version of Windows to open. Can remember playing it a bit vaguely probably on Expert and think I won but cant be certain. CC Revisted is described as 2/7/11 which is later.

Just found some new scenarios which dont require 6 and am enjoying going through them (1954 Royal Tour and African Dream so far).

[RulerofRails]

belbincolne, I sent you a PM with my email. That would be great if you would send those maps to me.

Don't know if you have tried this, but I use the Trainmaster "RT3.exe" file to load 1.05, 1.06 and Trainmaster versions. It seems the most stable and fastest to load out of all the versions.

For 1.05, Oilcan's maps are great. They have a sense of creativity and quality while still being possible by almost every player. Pity some people criticized his work and he left.

[Hawk]

Pity some people criticized his work and he left.

It wasn't what was said, but the way it was said.

[RayofSunshine]

Hawk,
I am missing something in the "program". There has been a few thread added in the last few days, but the thread does not position itself to the top of the list as is usual with other threads? But then it doesn't always take much to get me confused.

[RayofSunshine]

Went to make another attempt of play for this scenario, but find that my download was deleted for no apparant reason. Could another beta be downloaded? Appreciated

[low_grade]

Lirio's latest loco pack

what is this/where is it to be found? currently going through being so anal as to save monthly. my tracks aren't jam packed, so maybe I could add some more locos to generate more revenue... 2,143K profit in 1852 isn't bad is it? Have connected StL to Louisville, and Chi-Mil-Mad-Dub-cross river to both "farm" territories, feeling pretty good so far.

[Hawk]

what is this/where is it to be found?

See this thread.

viewtopic.php?f=67&t=3441