j7n

Many older games have lousy installers that refuse to run on modern systems, such as if the installer is 16-bit and the 64-bit system doesn't include a virtual machine for running such obsolete programs. InstallShield and MSI installers were problematic even back in the day, because they could refuse to run if they didn't like something about the system. The games themselves will most often run fine as long as the video and sound drivers cooperate (varies from one system to another). This is the case with most not so old games, up to the point when things like Steam appeared. It's a shame really that we can't disucuss repacked versions on most open forums due to copyright reasons. A recipe that works in making such portable repacks, is, as stated above, making use of an intermediate standard 32-bit computer, or if not possible, an installation of VMWare virtual computer. You extract/install the game there, apply any official patches, then copy the game files over to the main system, add any needed "fixes", transfer any registry entries as normal REG files, verify that the game runs well. Then archive it from the main system into a RAR or ZIP file, so that the process doesn't need to be repeated in the future. My completely patched repack of RT2 TSC "Platinum", is 445 MB, and it will extract quickly and run without a CD. Hint: From the CD, besides the anim\*.smk, it will attempt to read a file called "music\track03.wav". The contents of this file doesn't matter. The latest patch 1.56 is important to have on modern computers, as it will fix the scrolling speed. The legally approved "Good Old Games" / GoG releases essentially are made like this. Except they add supplemental media to the game which doesn't belong to it.

I once tried to use throttle to keep several trains delivering loads for a scenario goal running one after another without yielding, but was unsuccessful "feeling" the decrease in acceleration. I soon caused a trailing train to slow down rapidly with the throttle too low, when slight decreases seemed to have no effect. In normal play I don't use throttle, because, as I posted in the Wish List thread, this alters train priorities, which cannot be read precisely, and the throttle setting does not snap in the default position. I also use all-round practical trains like the Mikado. In tight economy of the post-Geocore world, the Pacific seemed more efficient on flat ground though.

The practical significance of how a corner is implemented is in that mountain trains, which maintain more speed going uphill, also seem to work slightly better on curved track.

Case 3 could work better but also become unrealistic if you create 2 stations near each competitors station as close as the space permits. Then have a train go between the nearby stations, dumping any cargo whether demanded or not. Your trains would be ready most of the time to pick up loads rather than en-route between distant stations. Case 5 cannot be implemented when you need it. If you are lucky and have an AI build over your existing track, then it can work. I've used this method several times. I think the throttle setting has an impact on priority. Blocked trains will eventually start up and gain priority after waiting a really long time. Something related to case 5, but not quite the same is to divert AI trains running on your track onto spur lines, bulldoze the connection to the main network, and hold those trains hostage forever. Such trains will take up smaller amount of space than a blocked line, and I think you can even move them later if you need the land. The AI might even upgrade those trains (but don't take my word for it). I did attempt Case 3 in the Antarctica scenario. It removed profit from AI companies, and didn't cost as much to run. However, enemy companies were allowed to repeatedly declare bankruptcy halving their slowly built up debt, and would not be liquidated. A company getting liquidated happens once in a blue moon. In the end I had to propose a merger to purchase their debt with real cash.

I generally build 2 stations around Steel Mills, an In and an Out, so that trains at the Out can start up without yielding to an empty train that just delivered coal or iron. Most other kinds of industry are usually served by the one train. I do sometimes take advantage of separate demand to drop off some coal at the Out station. The problem with demand at Ports is a general problem with secondary demand in industries. That demand is low and does not recover. Jeff's Mod fixes most industries, but with the case of ports, I think that demand is recorded in the scenario file. The Antactica scenario is rather difficult because one must earn enough money to hurt or buy out competitors, without profitable industry. The last competitor stubbornly refused to be liquidated, and I purchased him with all his bonds.

There is nothing remarkable about it. I failed to get all of my company's stock, and profiting from interest. It's a Platinum game. The title reflects what I saw as the most important change in this scenario: alien costs and profits...

I find that it is rare when an AI route is useful for me. They usually run over steep grades, but have endless supply for sand only for the AI. And the short consists that the AI uses do not work well for me. Since moving trains to other routes costs money in fuel and maintenance, increases congestion, and costs more because the player cannot attend to his network while sorting out the AI subsidiary, I find that retiring all AI trains is the best course. The AI does not run electrical engines, so sorting out the new trains from the old should be easy. The Walls scenario turned out to be quite enjoyable and rewarding once I learned how to handle it. I continued playing it and built up the entire map. For the Chinese scenario, this approach worked for me. I electrified the track only recently. Some side lines are still not electrified, and I'm still running Hudsons, T1s and Mikados. The Mikado is a decent train for anything but absolutely flat land. I was angry about the Chinese scenario, and haven't played it past the victory condition. I hope that passenger lines serve them well.

These two were also the most difficult scenarios for me. For the Walls Come Down scenario I had to learn what cargos should be ignored at the beginning. Coal, wood and ores could be shipped at profit early in the game, but could not at this stage. Ignore those cargos until you can complete their vectors to produce goods and food. Also use only electric trains. The SD is available at the beginning and looks like a fair choice, but it is discontinued soon, and there are no economical diesels remaining. There is plenty of time to expand slowly with electrical. I felt that the People's Train scenario had a typo in its allotted time. The player is usually given ten more years for a comparable goal. A truly phenomenal and unrealistic growth rate must be achieved. I tried to build a network the usual way, with electrical track, but ran out of time. Passenger production is high, and there will be an event that will increase pax production considerably. Have many trains running from the very south of the map to Beijing at this stage to ship those people. Another event will give decent steam engines (the Hudson if I recall correctly) at a great discount (think chinese electronics). Take that event to expand even faster and ship any passengers still waiting. I also ignored freight, but did not build any electric track, as this type of expansion is slower. I did start electrifying only after the steam train event. You want to spend all available cash at all times on new trains. Do not purchase industry, like some guides suggest, because the cash spent on it will just sit there for a decade before it will start turning a profit. You could keep the cash and be better off. Run long, straight passenger lines right across the southern mountains.

I recall the winter was relatively hard last year too in Europe. I wouldn't personally see it as extraordinary that a winter actually came, but it was unusual in comparison to previous years. Could it be that cold is back, or at least reaching into extremes for a couple weeks? Looking forward to it.

InstallShield frequently refused to run even on XP. That is an unreliable installer that always needs several files on the target system, and may be disabled by wrong registry settings. Steam is a legal download server for games. I've dealt with only one Steam game, and it was an executable wrapped into another executable (to make it twice the size) and some DLLs. The outer exe then would spit out the contained one, when executed, and control how that sees the system.... This was not RT2, however. If the Windows search function can't find any GM2 files, you can try using another file manager to do the searching, like Total Commander. This question has been asked before on HawkDawg's site.

I fear Microsoft Windows is being too smart once again, and makes decisions where files have to be stored. Every Windows version brings this kind of shocks to me. If you have installed the game into Program Files, Windows may decide to "protect" that directory and put your saves that ought to be in a subdirectory there, into your user profile. Look into here for GM2 files (GAM for the basegame). C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\* It should also be possible to use Search over an entire hard drive for *.GM2

This map has been very well done indeed. It is almost alive with all the events. I think it makes sense when troops now go to a destination rather than only between barracks like passengers. I've won the civil war without access to any military depot and achieved transcontinental status in 1866. So far the scenario has been easy. I only miss the ability to purchase industry. It doesn't change how I supply them, but takes away the ability to manage their growth, and control which industries will be kept and which will disappear. I've had very few breakdowns and one crash until now. I think i'm on +85% in reliablity. If you are still developing the map, maybe key military buildings could be placed, or made very probable in some towns? Same with the Foundry (steel mill). I have one military depot on the map in Norfolk, which can't be reached from the northern states, and a steel mill in Canada, also unreachable, which was needed to produce weapons. Since the war was over another steel mill sprung up in Portland also, and I'm supplying that. The chemicals and delivery of troops could be given some meaning if there were specific destinations for military cargo. I've stopped production of Ammunition in the north-east, since it now requires steel which is all the way in the west in Portland.

Are you saying that there are physical models of the lumber mill, the die factory, and farms, which I can rotate 360° and touch? That would be cool. I've only seen a model railroad once in my life.

I'm sorry if this has been explained already, but I tried to not look at the thread to avoid spoilers. The AI is drowning in chemicals in my game! I started in the northeast, near Baltimore and Washington, and there are ugly Chemical Plants all over this region. The year was 1936. As far as I can tell, those chemicals aren't demanded anywhere yet, and they ship in a 40 ton car. All AI opponents also build there, and they ship chemicals from one town to the next as expected. Do I need to deliver this product for an event? Where should Troops be delivered? Barracks now demand Weapons instead.

"momenta" ... thank you for the correction. Having options to manage train priorities would be even better. I did just race a few fast trains to see how they did on a practically flat land. And the Thalys slowed down abruptly on 2 squares of 3% grade "under" a bridge. I hadn't noticed this before because I didn't use this type of train. One more thing: The game should handle more common errors without terminating, if at all possible. It crashes with a Windows error message too often, for example if there's a missing graphic. Currently, if the chosen GM2 saved state file cannot be opened for writing, RT2 will exit without an option to save the game with another name, or to restore write access to the intended filename. This could occur quite often these days with file system permissions. (I have set my finished saves to read-only.)