MAP/MP2/MP3 File formats?

[djf01]

Does anyone know if there is any published info on the RRT map file formats? 

There are several things I want to do in the RRT2 map editor but can't figure out how. 

Specifically I want to create a scenario where there are lots of government owned competing railroads.  I want to saddle these bohemoths with so much debt they can bearly break even.  But in the editor the credit rating is too low, so the debt is too expensive.  Once they get $500k in cash they can refinance and instantly become super profitable.

Alternatively, is there any way of firing off events in the editor?

Cheers,

DJF

[Gwizz]

I will try to answer your questions in a way that may help other map builders as well.

For an unplayed map, Example: Heartland.map,  the extention is ".map"  When you start playing the map and save it, the extention changes from  .MAP  to  .GM2  now a played game that saves what you built, etc.

You can start and build AI RRs in the editor.  Give or take away their dollars.

change the economy, etc. etc.  The important thing to remember is you need to control how they make their money.  An AI can make money in ways you can't, when you run you own railroad.  So don't give them too much to make a good profit with. But they need some profit to stay alive.

If an AI has a lot of track and many cities take away some of its industry or houses.  You can have a lot of control over the success of an AI RR. with small changes.

Events:

IMHO, the best way to learn how to make events work correctly is to open someone's map in the editor and open the events list and see how the events are written and used.

The operation is logical.

Each month and/or year, the events are read by the game from the top going down.  The time these tests are done depends upon how you checked the boxes for a give month or year.  An event can affect an event further down the list or affect an event above it when tested the following month or year when it checks the events list again.  Some events are checked yearly some monthly, some only once, etc .depending upon which boxes are checked.

Events fire true or false. Normally if false, the game moves on to the next event down the list and checks to see if it is true or false.

There is a list of triggers that can be used.  I printed this list out after

finding it.  Use Windows Explorer or some program that looks at game files.

Triggers are the event's specific instructions and the game tests for them.

If a trigger is true the game looks to see what result is wanted, if true and much less often, sometimes if it is false, again depending upon how you set up the trigger.

A result of a true test could be adding money to your RR or to an AI RR using its company ID number. it could be any of a number ot results you want to happen if the event tests true.

It is best to just see what you can do with an event and you can alway ask for help if needed.

Variables are often a stumbling block. They are mostly used as counters and are much simplier than they first appear. They can be used in a number of other ways:  To change an event to true or false; To trigger another event, etc.  Best way to see how these work is to look at the events on a finished map to see how they were built.  Some map makers have become very creative with variable use and the simple math that can be added to them.  Again the events operate in a very logical manner.  They can be as mathmatical as you want to make them.

PS:  The events are much easier to use in RRT3.  But the events have more power in RRT2 because they are more adaptable and less limited.

[Hawk]

To add to Gwizz's post, the .MAP file format is for the original RRT2.

The .MP2 file format is for later versions of RRT2 (TSC, Gold, Platinum).

To the best of my remembrance there is no .MP3 file format associated with RRT2 (but then, my memory isn't what it used to be  ::) ).

[TheDS]

If an AI has a lot of track and many cities take away some of its industry or houses.  You can have a lot of control over the success of an AI RR. with small changes.

IME, the AIs making use of industries is purely by accident.

.mp3 is an audio file. If you have Platinum, you have a lot of these; they are the background music, if you have that turned on (I have my own music I listen to, so I've not heard the music since the game originally came out.)