RR2 Platinum Scenario question

[ConjurerDragon]

I´m using the german version of the game, patch 1.56 is installed.

In the "Geburt der Dampflok" scenario (the 1835 one in England) of the classic campaign I wonder about the starting choices:

One of the choices is the bonus to get the John Bull earlier and +10% speed.

As the John Bull enters the game normally at the year 1831 that bonus does not make sense in a game that starts 1835 where it´s available from the start.

Was perhaps the scenarios start date originally earlier like the England scenario in RR1?

Then it would make sense too, that the Trevithick is available in England which has worse stats than any later engine and would not be normally used in years later than 1831.

Is it possible to edit the starting conditions of that scenario in the Grand Campaign?

[jeffryfisher]

In the game editor, open map #07BIR~1 (after finding it on your hard drive and backing it up).

You're right that the John Bull is no gift in 1835. Perhaps the scenario should offer the Prussian (1837) locomotive instead? That would be truly advantageous, because it would carry you through to the American C in 1848.

Try offering the Prussian instead of John Bull. While you're at it, fix some of the spelling mistakes and unnecessary "upon-Tyne" type naming.

[ConjurerDragon]

In the game editor, open map #07BIR~1 (after finding it on your hard drive and backing it up).

You're right that the John Bull is no gift in 1835. Perhaps the scenario should offer the Prussian (1837) locomotive instead? That would be truly advantageous, because it would carry you through to the American C in 1848.

Try offering the Prussian instead of John Bull. While you're at it, fix some of the spelling mistakes and unnecessary "upon-Tyne" type naming.

How could the Prussian carry you through to the American C when the American as an american engine is not available in England - at least it has no check in the box in the editor for the England 1835 map so I assumed it would not be allowed there.

No, my intention would not be to make an even later engine available early like the Prussian, but to move the starting year to an earlier date.

e.g. 1828 like the England scenario in RR1

That would mean the bonus of having the John Bull early makes sense again and the Trevithick would be the only engine available at the start - which is the only way I can think that engine would see any use.

I just tried to make that change but it did not work:

I started the game, selected the editor, opened the map with the #07BIR name and tried to set the "earliest starting date" from 1835 to 1828.

Saved the map, exited Editor, loaded my current campaign - but when looking at the 2nd board at the selection it still read "1835" and when I started the scenario in the campaign it still started in 1835...?

Is it only possible to change the scenario to play that single scenario outside of a campaign?

Or would I need to start a completely new campaign to get the map with the earlier date?

Or do I need to change something else? In the dates windows of the editor it lists an "earliest starting date" (which I canged to 1828), below a date without description which is 1835 and a "latest starting date" which is 1835 too.

Is the starting date random if there is a difference between earlierst and latest date? Or is simply the entry in the middle used?

Edit: Starting a new campaing changes nothing. However when editing the date in the middle to 1828 the map in the campaign start 1828. However on the selection board where you click on the scenario you want to play in the campaign the text still reads 1835?

[jeffryfisher]

Unfortunately, I have never played or designed any of the campaigns, only stand-alone map-scenarios. So, I don't understand how they work or where some of the extra information comes from.

If you're just interested in fixing (and playing) that 1835 map, then you can probably edit it and save it under a new name (probably without the '#' tag in front). I think there's a check-box in the settings somewhere that flags it as part of a campaign; you'd need to clear that before saving it.

I don't know how to design/fix a whole campaign, sorry :(

[outofmage]

I tried to change the starting date to 1828 as you suggested, and it worked. You should change both the earliest and default starting date to 1828. You should also change the choice events. In the choice event trigger: GameYear>=1835 and CampaignChoice = 1, 1835 should be changed to 1828 or just deleted.

edit: you may also want to change the winning events. The losing date should be moved to 1848 instead of 1855, so that you are still given 20 years to accomplish the requirement.

[ConjurerDragon]

I tried to change the starting date to 1828 as you suggested, and it worked. You should change both the earliest and default starting date to 1828. You should also change the choice events. In the choice event trigger: GameYear>=1835 and CampaignChoice = 1, 1835 should be changed to 1828 or just deleted.

edit: you may also want to change the winning events. The losing date should be moved to 1848 instead of 1855, so that you are still given 20 years to accomplish the requirement.

Mmmh, I don´t think so. Moving the startdate from 1835 to 1828 means the game becomes harder because you start with far slower engines available.

In my game I changed not only the startdate but the economy too - the suggested values are listed in the window there and I did put the value suggested for 1830 in the field so that is an disadvantage too.

[ConjurerDragon]

A question about another scenario: The one where you try as Bismarck to unite Germany. How could I use the Editor to correct the error that the saxon railroad is in Bavaria and the bavarian railroad is in Saxony?

[jeffryfisher]

A question about another scenario: The one where you try as Bismarck to unite Germany. How could I use the Editor to correct the error that the saxon railroad is in Bavaria and the bavarian railroad is in Saxony?

Change the names?

[outofmage]

Mmmh, I don´t think so. Moving the startdate from 1835 to 1828 means the game becomes harder because you start with far slower engines available.

Eh... I don't know what to say. You were trying to move the start date of this campaign to 1828, and I just tried to help.

[ConjurerDragon]

Eh... I don't know what to say. You were trying to move the start date of this campaign to 1828, and I just tried to help.

You were suggesting to move the enddate to an earlier date too and I answered why I don´t intend to do that in my game.

[ConjurerDragon]

Change the names?

Thankyou. I had thought I had to assign the railroadstations on the map to a different company and never thought of simply changing the names of the companies.

[outofmage]

You were suggesting to move the enddate to an earlier date too and I answered why I don´t intend to do that in my game.

The earliest or latest starting date won't change anything in campaign maps, the game will start from default starting date.

[ConjurerDragon]

The earliest or latest starting date won't change anything in campaign maps, the game will start from default starting date.

So if the scenario is marked as part of the campaign then only the middle starting date (the default starting date) is used,

and if the scenario is played outside the campaign the earliest and latest date give the range of years that can be selected as the start year?

[outofmage]

So if the scenario is marked as part of the campaign then only the middle starting date (the default starting date) is used,

and if the scenario is played outside the campaign the earliest and latest date give the range of years that can be selected as the start year?

Yes, as far as I know, it works like this.