British Miracle version 3

[EPH]

This newest version has been sent to Hawk for posting. It is still a work in progress, so I hope you folks will help me tweak and tune it.

Foreign trade from the British Isles is now handled by AI-run 'steamship lines' running to France, Germany/Scandinavia, the Americas and the rest of the world. Gold victory is still based on winning the 'Battle of the Gauges', connecting to Scotland and helping push the British industrial revolution into high gear, measured by hauling coal, textiles, goods, weapons/ammunition and steel.

Coal is the secret to mine and factory production - the more that is hauled, the more the mines and factories can produce. Fortunately, the other railroads (and steamship lines) can help you with this annual goal. The silver and gold medal requirements must be hauled by your railroad.

Connecting from Bristol to Philadelphia can be valuable. Buying up the Atlantic packet line or the Channel ferry line can be VERY valuable - IF you can do it. Wait too long and you'll never be able to pile up enough money.

There are three camera views - press the '1' key for the opening shot, '2' for an overhead view and '3' for the access panel on the southern edge of the map. Putting a track piece in any of the three boxes will cost you $1,000,000 and give you access to Ireland, Scotland or the Western Trade zone 2.

I recommend starting on the Liverpool-Manchester-Birmingham triangle and then growing out to Bristol, London, Leicester and other points.

Anyway, I hope you will take a crack at it and let me know what you think.

[Hawk]

Now available in the archives.

http://hawkdawg.com/rrt/rrt3/map_arch/rt3_eur.htm

[Wolverine@MSU]

Something funny is going on with Continental Lines. In 1839 there's a game message saying that they have connected to Copenhagen, then again in 1841, and 1847, and again 1n 1848. Several of these times, it builds a Service Tower and Maint. Fac. on the spur to Copenhagen. After the 1848 connection, the game freezes for several seconds, sometimes as much as a half a minute, then goes for a few seconds and freezes again. If I use cheats to take over the company or go into the Editor and bulldoze the station and tracks leading to Copenhagen at the beginning of 1848, the problem disappears. I've never seen this before, but for some reason the company is making multiple connections to Copenhagen, and I think the CPU gets overloaded sorting out which connection to send trains to.

[Wolverine@MSU]

As far as gameply, I was well into the scenario (1848) and couldn't figure out how to get access to Scotland. I only noticed the little "console" at the bottom and figured out how it worked well beyond the time I would have liked to get access. Perhaps I missed a message about how this "console" works, but it would be helpful to advertise it more prominantly.

[EPH]

I thought I had fixed the problem with perpetual connections to Copenhagen by adding a land bridge between the Dover-Calais line and the Continent route. Evidently not...

As for the 'console', I agree it probably isn't needed. The 'access rights' were originally for other things, which I eliminated for reasons of un-necessary complexity.

I'll take a look at both of these issues.

How did the game feel? Different from the original?

[Wolverine@MSU]

It's been years since I played the original, so I've forgotten a lot about how it played. As for V3, I really like the way you've made "connections" to the western hemisphere and the rest of Europe. A surprisingly elegant solution . It's slow to start, but "picks up steam" as the years go on. I'm making good progress on current haul requirements, won the "Battle of the Guages", but steel hasn't come into play yet, so I don't know how I will fare on that front.

[EPH]

During my test plays, I met the textile and goods hauling requirements without even trying - other than buying/building and expanding some textile mills, that is. Coal was a little harder but I hit gold on it in in late 1850's or early 1860's.

The key to the weapons/ammo hauling requirement is to start early and try to move 4 or 5 per year. Steel was harder... it took a while for steel demand to pick up. I built/bought steel mills from 1856 on and dedicated trains to hauling in iron and coal, and hauling out the steel. If you can make 10 or 12 loads per year for 10 to 12 years, you are done with time to spare.

I set the loads up as I did because I wanted the player to have a late-game goal to focus on. Steel should keep you busy up to the end of the game, but you shouldn't need any 'gamey' tricks to make the hauls other than dedicated trains.

One 'beware': there is a period where the 'dock improvement' payments and income tax payments will be painful. Soldier on, make minimal improvements (replace old locos, lay some double track) and pay down debt. Once the dock improvements are paid for you should be swimming in cash.

I hope you enjoy it!

[bombardiere]

Thanks for the updated scenario. After I have now re-installed RRT3 this was of course first scenario I tried.

First the bad news. I have had similar Copenhagen problem. Computer tried re-connect to there time after time. When this happen same time while raining, it was too much for my computer. The game froze and waiting didn’t help. It was a fatal crash. I could hear my computer start whining when CPU was trying to find more processing power. It happen to me several times. The solution was to go to the editor and bulldoze Copenhagen station. This solved crashing, however the computer player hasn’t tried to connect to Copenhagen. (Same time I cheated and dropped battle of gauge to 25. Yes I know 45 connections is possible, but it doesn’t suit my playing style)

Otherwise I have liked it much. The games I enjoy most are usually pioneering type of games, when you start from clean slate and build your empire. I started between Liverpool and Manchester and quickly connected to Birmingham and London. First I couldn’t figure how to connect to City of London, but I guess you made it prohibited area on purpose. (Just like real London.)

Everything was going fine and with connection to Bristol and Sheffield, I was planning on how to get to Edinburgh. Then came the Dock Improvements and perhaps foolishly I said yes and decided to pay in 10 years instalments. This together with taxes made my company going red and it was bleeding like wounded animal. Final straw was when stock went downhill and all shortbuying I did crashed. Now I am penniless, stockholders hate me and the company is on verge of bankruptcy. But hey, who says RRT3 should be easy. I have about 15 years time to figure out a way of this mess.

(On the other hand, I have heard that they plan to build a transcontinental railway in America. May be it is time to rob the petty cash and leg it across the waters. )

I don not have strong opinion about shipping companies. It is odd to see trains over the water. Liverpool ferry brings me all the cotton I ever need, but it also steals my clothes and goods, so Liverpool harbour doesn’t upgrade. I also invested in cotton industry early on. Even though limited production it still bring good income during difficult early years. (I got bargain on Mancunian factory which I couldn’t resist.)

[EPH]

If you want to set the 'Gauges' win at 25 I have no problem with that. As to the Copenhagen problem - beats the heck out of me. All I know to do is bulldoze the station in the editor and play it to see what happens.

You don't say whether you built the shipping line from Bristol; if not, you should consider it as it can be very profitable (and help you make your haulage goals). The scenario was tuned for a company 'of a certain size' - a failrly large one of around 45 connected cities - so the tax payments are scaled to your previous year's income but the dock improvement payments are a flat fee. Too many events would be needed to make the dock improvement payments scalar, I fear. So my financial advice to you is to do what British railways tried to do from 1850 to 1870 - make efficiencies, expand profitable routes and borrow if you must. The dock payments only last 10 years but they produce extra resources immediately. As it says in the 'readme', your company will be hard-put to pay its way for that decade, but it can be done. Expand profitable routes, start or buy new industries and watch your expenses carefully.

One problem with long games in RRT3 is a tendency for the player to be flooded with cash. Aside from their historical correctness, that is the reason for the tax payments. If you like, you can adjust the events to make the dock improvements free. Also look at lumber/paper mills, and perhaps a tool & die or a brewery. Industry can pay well, as will hotels (especially in London).

Connection into London IS prohibited (no event, no purchase price) as it is in real life - all stations are in the suburbs, tied into the subway system. Liverpoole harbor is only intended as a 'starter' source to prime the pump - the overseas hauls to 'New York' should be your main trading partner. But you can always expand the flow of goods and resources to and from Liverpoole a bit more... sooner or later the port will grow. :)

[bombardiere]

I hadn't made Bristol - Philadephia connection. Most likely a mistake. Instead I waisted my money on expencive tunnel to Sheffield and building connection to Edinburgh. And for this game my network was too small.

But still, I like this taxes and extra cost. You are right, too often in late game the player is flooded with money. It is more fun to struggle. (and hey I am European. We Europeans love our taxes. )

During early game, (probably till Steel Mill) well placed Tool & Die is very profitable. And I had Paper Mills too, but I didn't bother with lumber mills because there were so may already in Birmingham.

My knowledge about British Railway history clearly affect my play style. Britain was fairly quickly connected by railway, but it wasn't done by one company, but several dozens. Because of this I think, I want play like I am one of these companies and make my way "slowly". I added the maximiun number of player and porbably will later thinker the scenario and add option for few more.

[EPH]

Brunel's dream was to connect London to America by railroad and steamship. It'll cost you a pretty penny to buy the rights and set up the line, but the steamship line can make lots of money.

I cut back the number of players because the game seemed to struggle. I'd like to have been able to use eight or more, to simulate the actual situation in Britain. Sadly, the game begins to labor hard in mid to late stages, and it isn't possible to boost the AI performance to a competitive level.

Look at putting a lumber mill along the Thames to intercept the timber coming from Europe. Tool and Dies remain very profitable through the arrival of steel; the additional iron imports you receive from hauling coal and from the dock improvements will unleash enough iron for many industries.

I hope you'll give this one another try (or more). I'm much happier with this new version. And by all means please keep me posted on what you find.

[joost]

Hi I love this scenario, but it crashes in June 1848. Am I the only one with this problem? Is there an 1848 event or loc for which a specific download is needed? (I have expansion pack and the 1.06 fix and all)
thanks a lot

[Blackhawk]

I didn't realize there were multiple threads for the same scenario. At least I assume this is the same map as British Miracle.

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=428&hilit=british+miracle#p3050

The issue of the game crashing has come up a few times.

If you look on page 5 of that thread at this post: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=428&p=26964&hilit=british+miracle#p26802
I uploaded what I believe is a fixed version that won't crash around 1848. At least it stopped crashing for me after I made the changes. However, I'm not sure if it ever got EPH's nod of approval.

Edit: I think this was also a map for 1.05 not 1.06.

[EPH]

Altjough i haven't had much time of late, I'd prefer to post the revised and corrected version myself. As I understand it, all that is required is bulldozing and rebuilding the 'European' stations.

[Sugus]

A silly player like me is still wondering: Some days ago I successfully played "British Miracle" (V1), but now playing "British Miracle" (V3) I have now no idea, why in this "advanved version" there's e.g. no way to reach Edinbourgh.

A map inspection by means of the editor showed, as EPH noted in

Putting a track piece in any of the three boxes will cost you $1,000,000 and give you access to Ireland, Scotland or the Western Trade zone 2.

that you have to perform a "very special action".

That's definitely out of a "normal RT3 player's duty"!