Territory Conficate / Allow

[jeffryfisher]

The editor manual is vague on the scope of the territory confiscation. If I have an event tested against each company, will confiscation affect only it? What about disallowing rights? Has anyone tested this?

Unfortunately, the only example I can find affects a company stat (CompanyCash, obviously just one company). I might need to test to see which effects are only company wide and which are global. I'd hate for one player's precipitous decision to affect all companies unless it was affecting the economic level (obviously global) or production (should be global).

Hmm... I wonder about pay rates, fuel costs, engine availability etc. I wonder where the line is drawn between effects that vary per company and effects that affect others.

[Gwizz]

As long as you use a company ID,. only that company will be affected by an event.

You can clean off one territory or multi-territories if the company is in more than one.

If the event is for only for one territory, only that part of the railroad trackage in that

territory would be removed.  Of-course events can be time sensitive.  Some trains

will pass by while others pass at the wrong time and disappear.

Normally track, buildings or trains can be removed.  But, other things can be changed.

The editor in RRT2 is more powerful then in RT3 since you can use math.

There has been some clever events built by map builders.

You just have to convert what you want to do into a mathmatical equation that

the editor can read.

 

You can also use flaws that are in the RT2 engine.  I call these touchy spots.

I found a spot next to a lake where the lake had been built over a produce farm.

The produce farm didn't show up but was there. I called it a keep out zone in the

middle of a possible rail route.

A player was unable to build track over that spot.

Sometimes events are used together with the use of variables as counters.

   

[jeffryfisher]

You say that using a company ID can make an event only affect that company, but clearly if the effect is something like lowering the economic level, then it is going to affect all companies. What I am wondering is where the line is drawn. I have only tantalizing hints from the editor manual. I wish I could look at the source code.

I guess that if I test against multiple companies, then territory destruction, allowed rights, and confiscation will affect each company that passes the trigger in each territory. But what about things like revenue? If I pass only one company through the trigger and double goods revenue, then would that really only affect that company? If the game doesn't store a separate goods-revenue modifier for each company, then all would gain (or not) together no matter how I wrote the trigger. Has anyone tested dubious effects to see if they really can be made company-specific?

BTW, I've never seen confiscation. I imagine that it's different from destruction. The manual implies that confiscated property can be given back (by triggering a later event to set confiscate to none). Does this work?

[Gwizz]

There are a lot of sqeeeeky corners that didn't get enough grease when the code was refined.

I remember Fansel (sp?) told me, that Stan didn't believe anyone would gain more than 10 million in bond debt.

All you have to do is merge an AI with a lot of debt.  Then any bonds you hold over 10 Million becomes unpayable.

I've never tried to change the economy for just one company.  I bet it can work to do so. 

[jeffryfisher]

I've never tried to change the economy for just one company.  I bet it can work to do so.

Since there are several things (like resource production) outside of companies that depend on econ level, I really doubt that it's possible. What might make sense is if econ level could change from one territory to the next, but I can live without that granularity.

However, something like making a locomotive available immediately might be possible. I may design a test for that later.

[jeffryfisher]

Is there a cheat that will let me quickly change companies? I want to test some of the events to see which ones are company specific. I'd like to have an event do things supposedly for "my company". Then I want to switch to operating another company to see whether it gained territory rights, locomotive availability etc, but I don't want to mess with "playing the game" to do so (because I may want to do a lot of repeats on new games with new events).

Maybe the "force player" event will help...

[Gwizz]

I think the only quick way I know of,  is to buy 51% of the stock for the company you want to change to and change companies.

You may need to use the cheat code to get the money you need to do this.

An event to change managers or chairmen would take longer.

[RSimpkinuk57]

Jeffry,

use the editor to create a new event, and try setting an effect before you've set the trigger. You'll be told that it requires a comoany but you haven't set "test against companies" or a territory and you haven't set "test against territories".

Set "test against territories" and an effect of confiscate, and the editor will accept it without a "test against companies". Does this mean the effect can apply to either all companies or just one, according to what you're level you're testing at? Some help, but not enough.

You can always inspect a company you don't own. One of the few things you cannot see is what locos are available to it. But if you try making a loco available to someone else, and do or don't see it appearing in your own company also, that should be evidence enough. We actually know "loco available early" can be a company-specfic event, because it is used as such in some of the supplied campaign maps.

One thing it took me a while to figure out was how to switch companies when editing a map (so an AI could start with specific track). The answer is you have to switch player then select his company. Have you tried the "make player control this tycoon" event effect? I haven't, but it sounds interesting.

regards, Richard

[jeffryfisher]

use the editor to create a new event, and try setting an effect before you've set the trigger. You'll be told that it requires a comoany but you haven't set "test against companies" or a territory and you haven't set "test against territories".

Set "test against territories" and an effect of confiscate, and the editor will accept it without a "test against companies". Does this mean the effect can apply to either all companies or just one, according to what you're level you're testing at?

Aha, that's informative. I'd infer exactly what you suggest.

You can always inspect a company you don't own.

Good point... I can recall seeing territory mood in each company report. I haven't looked into track rights much because I've played all of my games in Australia (challenge down under and maps derived therefrom). Track rights aren't an issue there.

if you try making a loco available to someone else, and do or don't see it appearing in your own company also...

Yes, that's another test I should do.

One thing it took me a while to figure out was how to switch companies when editing a map (so an AI could start with specific track). The answer is you have to switch player then select his company. Have you tried the "make player control this tycoon" event effect?

I haven't had a need yet.

This reminds me of another wish-list item: Sometimes I'd like to start up historical railroads on a schedule. Right now, the most I can do is start a scenario at some historical snapshot. I can't add any of the characters and their real starting RRs to an educational story arc.

[RSimpkinuk57]

I suppose you could try having a character there from the start with no money, plus a dated event to suddenly give him a load so he can then start a company. My wish-list would include a new trigger point, "when new company started" so I could fiddle with access rights before it lays its first track.

Small invisible (remapped) territories can be used to limit access but I cannot think offhand of a way to tell which company #id a tycoon has started (other than guessing in advance).

Beware! You could end up finding all this more fun than actually playing the game!

P.S. Check out the classic campaign Orient Express map #8 for an example of stopping trains in a territory for the duration of a war. (It works too: most official map events do, but not all!)

[jeffryfisher]

My wish-list would include a new trigger point, "when new company started" so I could fiddle with access rights before it lays its first track.

There is! Look at the frequencies for when to check an event... Besides begin/end of month or year, there are briefings, track lays, and when a new company is started.

In my own scenario, I have a choice presented at company start: pick a nationality. Territory access will follow from that choice.

Because events roll in order from top to bottom, you can plan your on-start events so that effects cascade down. In my case, the choice of nations is actually three events: the first one determines which of the other two will fire, and that later one will pick your company's home country. Four countries become possible by executing two events out of three written. Territory initialization events will follow.

Finally, it's my hope that when an on-company-start event fires, effects will be (or can be) aimed at that company without my having to process multiple companies and find my newbie.

[lly]

>In my own scenario, I have a choice presented at company start: pick a nationality. Territory access will follow from that choice.

Could you print it? or link to the scenario that has it?

[jeffryfisher]

Well, I've done some testing, and here's what I saw:

*** Nationality Test

When I put a territory into play (timed event at end of a month or year), I give it a nation ID in T1.

When a company starts, its player must choose a nation, resulting in a nation ID being stored in C1.

At the start of each month, an event grants full access to each company in each territory where C1 = T1. Since mine is a manifest destiny type expansion scenario, I am starting small, adding territories frequently, and rarely taking them away.

Except for the delay to grant access to one's starting territory in the first month of the game, this works well (and on my machine it works quickly). Also, in a solo game, all computer players choose the default "country". In this case that's okay, because that's the Northern US (separated by gauge until the 1870s, sparing me some Civil War complications).

Later, all Southern companies and territories will have their Nation IDs changed to Northern ID, and the choice of South US will no longer be offered (not yet tested).

*** Activate Loco for company

I created an event that fired per company, computer companies only. It activated the 4-4-4-4 T1 in 1835 (it's just a test). You better believe the computer companies got it! What's important is that my human company did NOT.

This opens the door for performance-based locomotive awards.

*** Confiscate / Unconfiscate in one territory

"Confiscate all" changed all track and station ownership in the territory to "None", and all locomotives vanished (bye bye T1's!).

Unconfiscate does not appear to do anything at all. For sure, the ownership did not revert to its original company. The companies themselves, even though they have plenty of cash and access to multiple territories, have remained inactive.

Conclusion: "Confiscate" has very limited value. In particular, it will not help me implement the USRA during World War I.

Note: If you're an unapologetic rail baron, be sure you are sitting down with a stiff drink handy before you read about Wilson's USRA!

*** Next

I'm going to see how sub-territories affect rights. If a company gets rights to a parent territory, then does it gain rights in all of the sub-territories? Can I assign rights to just a sub-territory?

I'll try to activate a loco that's not even in the scenario.

I am also going to try various ways to "blockade" ports in a territory (Civil War's Union blockade against the South). Any suggestions? My ports have one tropical supply (coffee) and three conversions.

BTW, Is there any way to constrain robbers to the frontier? I don't want Jesse James holding up trains between NY and Philly!

[RSimpkinuk57]

Yes, you can exclude an engine from a scenario then bring it in with events (before or after its usual start date!) for one or all companies. The one thing that won't work is trying to activate an engine after the game's fixed cease-production date for the design. (This would otherwise have been a good way of simulating the cheapness and slowness of narrow gauge, e.g. the Denver & Rio Grande, vs standard)

I've used a (re-mapped) sub-territory specifically because a company does not gain rights to it when granted rights to the parent territory. This was by event. What happens when rights in the parent are buyable and you buy them I haven't tried.

Fully agree with you about keeping robbers in their place but don't think it can be done; let us know if you solve it! Same with blockading Southern ports.

[Gwizz]

I've been able to use an event to make a loco available before it time and bring one back from the past.

When you merge another RR, I don't think you get their territory rights. 

If you just take control of their stock and then of their company, you give up your old company rights and take on the rights of the company you took control of.  Where you place you self as chairman, are where the rights are that you will operate under.

[jeffryfisher]

I've used a (re-mapped) sub-territory specifically because a company does not gain rights to it when granted rights to the parent territory.

Umm, I just did. Granting full access to a parent territory granted access to all of its area, including tiles in hidden sub-territories.

Fully agree with you about keeping robbers in their place but don't think it can be done; let us know if you solve it! Same with blockading Southern ports.

So far, my blockade consists of commodity effects (production & income). I don't see a way to control a port (or ports in territories) directly. Add that to my "wish list".

[jeffryfisher]

I've been able to use an event to make a loco available before it time and bring one back from the past.

When you merge another RR, I don't think you get their territory rights.

That looks like a logical error in the game's business model. If rights have been bought (or granted), then either they should be transferable, or else mergers should be prohibited until the acquiring company at least as much access (and that would be an interesting game-option switch to add to the general restrictions).

If you just take control of their stock and then of their company, you give up your old company rights and take on the rights of the company you took control of.  Where you place yourself as chairman is where the rights are that you will operate under.

Of course... The rights belong to a company, not a player. A player is just a manager who could no more drag access rights with him than locomotives, stations and track.