Industry Conversion

[jeffryfisher]

I discovered an interesting quirk in the way that RT2 industry accumulates and converts raw materials. In my modded game, the weapons factory starts by needing steel+wood. For about 80 years, I delivered delivered the occasional steel load to one weapon factory. It accumulated a few dozen steel.

Long about WWI, my modded industrial model added a new conversion for the weapons factory: It could now turn one steel directly into one weapon with no wood needed. I looked at the pregnant weapon factory. It still had a few dozen steel inside.

I watched a steel arrive. Boom! All of the steel turned into weapons. I immediately bought several new trains to haul the bounty to military destinations around the map. The allies were pleased (and my company raked in wartime profits).

[MaglevForever]

Interesting quirk, glad you could use it to your advantage. I have not seen this happen. Right now I can't think of any original supply chains that return to one input after having two. Can you? Probably, the original programers didn't even consider this, so a little unexpected behavior doesn't surprise me too much.

Thanks again for making your mod. There is a much more realistic chance of being able to make military cargoes. When playing as the south on your US History map I built a special line from El Paso to Baltimore to deliver ammunitions from the factory in El Paso to the East Coast. I was excited that I only needed chemicals to make them. Then after two years, the supply chain changed and I needed another input! I think it was steel (not 100% sure).

[jeffryfisher]

Indeed, the early ammo was powder plus anything that would hurt when hitting at high velocity (usually lead shot or cannon balls). Therefore, (and because steel doesn't start up until 1856), I let early ammo be made from chems only.

Sometime later (by WWI), ammo was encased, and much lead was steel jacketed, so requiring metal input per the original game made more sense.

BTW, how did you like the lumber component of early weapons? Especially for cannons (their carriages), wood was a major component of early firearms.

[MaglevForever]

There are no weapons factories in the south on my map. I played RT3 first and then was given a RTII Platinum cd. So, I am used to the idea of wood as a component of weapons. I am a fan of more industries, I wish there were twice as many conversion industries in the cities of most maps. Whichever way I can get them is great. Takes some focus off passengers and mail especially before 1900.

 

One minor drawback to allowing the military cargoes early is the carriage weights. I'm guessing there isn't a way to change those without making new smaller cars?

 

P.S. Personally, I "mastered" RT3, but I feel that there was not much strategy involved once you learned the most profitable trick was to check every month for a new industry which you can buy for as little as double the profit of a single year!

 

P.S. II When the north opened up I bought out most of the other companies, and have been on an estimated 200 million dollar spending spree (I haven't finished yet). So far have spent 50 million in leveling costs alone. I got a bit fazed by the thought of trying to make a monster railway like that efficient enough to beat income taxes when the time comes. By and by I shall resume, I just wish this game was a little more user friendly on large scenarios. Any tips about how to organize trains? I am thinking about buying clumps that are tied to specific lines and areas, maybe 50-100 in each group, like a catalog. I expect I need 1000 on the system I am making. Buy them when you need them is not the way in here. I guess this is just like real life. Railroads sometimes wait years for a delivery of engines.

[jeffryfisher]

One minor drawback to allowing the military cargoes early is the carriage weights. I'm guessing there isn't a way to change those without making new smaller cars?

Indeed. I don't dare insert anything into the EXE file for fear that some indexing scheme would be mangled. I could make the existing cars lighter, but that would shift the problem to the modern era.

Fortunately, the American-C, available in time for the Civil War, is usable. Nothing before that really matters (in my scenario anyway). BTW, the South with its broad gauge gets to use the Iron Duke, so it gets a little advantage to go with its perils.

 

So far have spent 50 million in leveling costs alone.

Yikes! What did you do, erase the Rocky Mountains???

You might have benefited from depression-level pricing and a manager like Gerwig.

I just wish this game was a little more user friendly on large scenarios. Any tips about how to organize trains?

Not really, but I do tend to buy/replace engines in job lots, especially when I temporarily hire an engine-discount manager. However, the already tedious task of replacing one engine at a time is made even more tedious by the need to avoid replacing an engine while its train is waiting for cargo or switching back on itself as at a station (The overlapping engine/tender/cars bug).

I expect I need 1000...

I do not envy your replacement task :o

The open-source thread has a few wish-list features for sorting, filtering and bulk-replacing engines (and fixing the bug). However, there's almost zero chance that we will ever get that patch.

[MaglevForever]

Wow, how did you guess? I have Gerwig as my manager and I am in a depression! I forgot that track-building costs are lower in a recession. Do you remember the discount?

 

I wish we could change cargo weights. Then it would be possible to simulate large trains and would keep large maps less busy (with reduced supply rates). Drop shipping would also be more realistic. Another one for the wish-list. I have no programming experience and can understand that trying to change one thing could mess everything up.

 

Right now I have twelve tracks going through the Rockies. The double line past Cheyenne going to Oregon is the only one with a couple of 4 percent cells. I managed to make a line straight over the mountains from San Fransisco to Cincinnati with nothing over 3.5%. I have 287 operating trains in the South alone. I have not purchased any for the North or Canada yet!

[jeffryfisher]

Wow, how did you guess? I have Gerwig as my manager and I am in a depression! I forgot that track-building costs are lower in a recession. Do you remember the discount?

The worse off the economy is, the lower your building costs are. I don't recall the numbers, but I think they're in the manual somewhere.

 

I wish we could change cargo weights.

We can, but I'm not going to do a major scale-change like you suggested. I'd only dive in to redress an error (and I think I did shave some passenger car weights).

 

Right now I have twelve tracks going through the Rockies. The double line past Cheyenne going to Oregon is the only one with a couple of 4 percent cells. I managed to make a line straight over the mountains from San Fransisco to Cincinnati with nothing over 3.5%. I have 287 operating trains in the South alone. I have not purchased any for the North or Canada yet!

What a marvel! I hope you upload it sometime (preferably after you buy and schedule all of the trains).

[outofmage]

Similar issue happens on electric plant. If you deliver a lot of diesel or coal to it before 1960, the station will be full of waste when a diesel or coal arrives after its industry chain changes.