pbenn

Welcome to Victoria, 1930! Things have changed in the last half-century: the gold has gone, Australia has become a nation, agriculture and (increasingly) manufacturing have become the economy VictorianRail20thCentury.zip VictorianRail20C.txt

This scenario is intended to be about running a railway (as opposed to being a tycoon) so it's mostly about transporting loads to enable industries to work, so it might not suit your style, belbincone! The phase goals depend on building up a rail network as the game progresses, so if you've concentrated on industry early you'll have a good profit flow but not the wherewithal to carry things. So I suggest building track from the start. Historical accuracy is a tricky thing. By 1930 the Victorian network was almost at its peak, so if we're starting from scratch we're down a different trouser-leg from the start; and NSW and South Australia had their own networks, too, and weren't sitting about waiting for Victorians to do it for them. So it was more a case of 'what if...' based on real geography. The gauge thing is something I haven't figured out how to simulate effectively - didn't bother about it for this one. There are lots of loco types because VR bought from all over the place as the fancy took them (until diesel, that is, when they went totally GM). As for raw materials - I think you'll find that everything you need is there somewhere! Rubber arrives at ports, and grain for alcohol has to be sourced from the northern plains. The phases intentionally have competing demands (because life ain't meant to be easy, and because I wanted a scenario that was going to be interesting to play more than once). Troops won't move unless the barracks is covered by a station (like passengers & mail) and thence connected to another. War materials, as you say, have to be running for a year or 2 to be producing, and they have to be connected to demand to run well ... getting steel going is critical. The briefing obviously needs to be a bit clearer so the nature of the scenario is plain - no good players getting frustrated because it's not plain what needs to be done. Getting another angle is very useful, so thanks for your comments!

Thanks - will fix. (This is what betas are for. It never occurred to me that anyone would not build track!) Perhaps you could play on and see what happens? Peter

New scenario, requires interested computers for temporary residence ... Victorian Railways: 20th Century This uses the same map as the previous Victorian Railways, but updated and with completely new scenario. A lot has changed since the gold rush days; lots of mining boom towns have dwindled away, and agriculture and manufacturing have developed. New towns have appeared to service the growing population and new areas of the state have been opened up. This scenario runs in phases of a few years, at the end of each of which you can scarper with your medal (if any!) or keep going - the goals change each time. Potentially you can run right into the 21st century, although by then my old computer (1.1GHz, 512MB) is gasping and wheezing with the number of trains and stations. I would be grateful for some constructive comment. I hope you enjoy it. Peter VicRail_-_20th_century_beta.zip

The key seems to be to have your Windows screen resolution set the same as the RT resolution before you start. Having got over that problem, just gathering my strength to begin another map now ...

I'm trying to load a new heightmap into the editor, but when I press F9 to go into windowed mode, I get a couple of clunks and a dialog box saying RT can't go into windowed mode. I used to be able to do it ... I've tried reinstalling RT, turning off virus protection and firewall ... anyone else come across this? Maybe a conflict with another program? It doesn't seem to matter which RT version, either, from 1.01 to 1.05 and C to C. I'm stumped!

Text file and thumbnail for above scenario.[attachment archived by Gobalopper]

Hi, folks. A bit of an absence while life occurred ... finally this is done, I hope you like it because it took ages! A historical scenario about the expansion inland from Sydney in the 1850s (there's gold in them thar etc etc). Thanks to the people who tested for me (especially those who made comments!). Cheers! PS Check out the SteamRail page at http://www.steamrail.com.au/main.htm (especially my photo of R703!)[attachment archived by Gobalopper]

Unfortunately RRT2 maps aren't able to be converted ... so it means starting again, and of course even beginning with the same idea you wander off in different directions. And it doesn't combine well with time for other aspects of life, like children, house and garden, mortgages etc! Glad you like Australia maps, rather partial to them myself. Have learnt an amazing amount of geography through this game, especially a shocking familiarity with the midwest though I've never been near the place. But also in mapmaking, trying to get the industries and landforms right. Even if noone else can tell!

Yes, I've been dumped a few times on a range of maps - sometimes it seems that to be in the middle of building track when the game starts doing something else, like an autosave, can be too confusing for it. There seems to be a strong element of luck in the economics of RT3 - I've had failures, just like belbincolne's, and then the next time (from the same saved gamestart) everything goes swimmingly. Makes it hard to program for a consistent game. In the light of that, I've managed successful games from several starting points in the state. Towns not connected by water seem to pay better at times. Linking raw materials with industries is pretty reliable, especially if I own the factory. Farms etc don't seem to be worthwhile in the long run.

Hi, Lama - you're right, I think the RT3 economy model will suit Mixed Local - I look forward to seeing it! (Have a good trip ...)

Thanks, Gwizz. Mind them mooses. Nothing so hazardous in this scenario, though there may be some wildlife sightings ... Here's the text file to go with the map (got excited the other night and forgot it!).[attachment archived by Gobalopper]

I think this map is in reasonable shape, but would value some more objective eyes having a go at it. Set after the goldrush in Victoria (Australia), you have to build a rail network to serve the new population centres and developing industry and agriculture. Please let me know what you think (politely, of course!): bennet.peter.j@edumail.vic.gov.au Thanks, Peter :)[attachment archived by Gobalopper]

Has anyone figured out how to make rivers look good? I can't seem to get junctions right - always chunky, and hours of fun trying to get all the branches of the river flowing in the right direction (current best method: cut off the section going the wrong way, reverse it using the paintbrush, then rejoin - repeat with variations until it's right. Go round all the branches about 12 times until by some miracle everything's right at once). And if the river's in the wrong spot, it's easier to redesign the topography than to shift the river. The junction button doesn't seem to do anything. I know we're in a drought - I sometimes think that drying up all watercourses might be the best solution ...

I said this somewhere else so I hope I'm not boring anyone, but I had a similar problem which disappeared as soon as I turned off (and eventually uninstalled) ZoneAlarm. Never figured out why.