Do AI Players stop expanding once scenario ends?

[kamyFC]

Hello everyone,

  I have been playing Rail Road Tycoon 2 by PopTop since early 2000's in my friends computer.
Then in 2007, i got the RRT2 Platinum edition (1.56) CD via Amazon.com
I have this version since then and play the game every 2 years or so in my Gaming PC.

No game gives me so much joy as RRT2 does. I mostly play scenarios as i enjoy playing against AI teams and also like to play games spanning 100+ years.

I have couple of questions 

1) So while playing scenarios, assume i play against 2 AI teams, after a while once the scenario goals are met, RRT2 shows a Red color Box - with a message if we beat the scenario or we failed it.
   And then it asks you, if you want to keep playing or exit. I usually click on - 'YES' to keep playing.
   At that time i have observed that the AI teams stop expanding - although the trains are operating. I have also observed AI teams buy industries during this time.
   But they just stop expanding.  Have you guys observed this?  Is that the default behavior?

2) Also is there a mode, where we can play without any goals but at the same time have AI teams? I know bout Sandbox mode, but then the game disables AI teams!
    Essentially i want to play against the AI teams but without any scenario goals.  Looks like we cant right?

By the way just also wanted to say - you guys are such a wonderful community of RRT2 lovers.  It feels incredible and sad to think of the fact that RRT2 source code could be gone/lost forever.
I wish Phil Steinmeyer helped out. But he seemed to have totally distanced himself from PC games after 2005 (http://www.philsteinmeyer.com)

Anyway glad to be here and take care all.

[jeffryfisher]

The computer players don't know anything about end-of-scenario triggers, so they just go on chugging along. Their crappiness over the long haul is simply in their nature, so the timing is just a coincidence.

If you want to play 100+ years, try my US History map. With four radically different starting positions and a gold goal requiring almost 200 years of planning to survive about 500 events, it'll keep you entertained for years to come.

I hope you've at least downloaded the last patch (v1.56 sounds like it). If you're adventurous, you might try copying my modded versions of the exe file and lang file (backup your originals first of course). If I remember right, my mods are now included in the zip file with the latest version of US History.

[kamyFC]

12 hours ago, jeffryfisher said:

The computer players don't know anything about end-of-scenario triggers, so they just go on chugging along. Their crappiness over the long haul is simply in their nature, so the timing is just a coincidence.

If you want to play 100+ years, try my US History map. With four radically different starting positions and a gold goal requiring almost 200 years of planning to survive about 500 events, it'll keep you entertained for years to come.

I hope you've at least downloaded the last patch (v1.56 sounds like it). If you're adventurous, you might try copying my modded versions of the exe file and lang file (backup your originals first of course). If I remember right, my mods are now included in the zip file with the latest version of US History.

Your map sounds epic.  Will surely download and try.
Appreciate the response and your passion for RRT2

[MikeC]

16 hours ago, jeffryfisher said:

The computer players don't know anything about end-of-scenario triggers, so they just go on chugging along. Their crappiness over the long haul is simply in their nature, so the timing is just a coincidence.

If you want to play 100+ years, try my US History map. With four radically different starting positions and a gold goal requiring almost 200 years of planning to survive about 500 events, it'll keep you entertained for years to come.

I hope you've at least downloaded the last patch (v1.56 sounds like it). If you're adventurous, you might try copying my modded versions of the exe file and lang file (backup your originals first of course). If I remember right, my mods are now included in the zip file with the latest version of US History.

Re: the US History map: it is in fact epic.  Play it.  I have been playing it since downloading several weeks ago, and am only up to 1890.

[kamyFC]

2 hours ago, MikeC said:

Re: the US History map: it is in fact epic.  Play it.  I have been playing it since downloading several weeks ago, and am only up to 1890.

I have started and it is EPIC!

I have posted some queries in the other thread
https://forum.dune2k.com/topic/27325-us-history/page/7/

[kamyFC]

Okay i played 5-6 scenarios and the AI players suddenly stop expanding in the middle of a scenario. That is a known issue.
But when they stop expanding is totally random. 
In some scenarios, i have observed, they stop expanding after 10 in-game years - which is early. In some scenarios, they take longer.
This happens even if there are lots of towns to connect. All AI teams just stop making new connections. But they buy players stock, they keep running their existing trains.

But the interesting thing to note is in @jeffryfisher's epic - US History Map, the AI teams are active in terms of connecting and expanding for more than 100+ years.
So i guess this depends on scenario?  Interesting to understand what is happening!

I wish we could speak to a RRT 2 Dev from the old team
Talking bout dev's, i found photos of the team in the RRT 2 directory!

I wonder if we can even reach out to these guys?

Edited May 4, 2020 by kamyFC

[jeffryfisher]

6 hours ago, kamyFC said:

In some scenarios, i have observed, they stop expanding after 10 in-game years

Have you seen the bug where AI-controlled companies start replacing all their locomotives every year no matter what?

[kamyFC]

On 5/5/2020 at 5:52 AM, jeffryfisher said:

Have you seen the bug where AI-controlled companies start replacing all their locomotives every year no matter what?

Hi Jeff,

  Never observed that.  They quickly move on to Atlantics and then Pacifics.
I will lookout for that one.

Best,

[jeffryfisher]

The AI uses train age instead of locomotive age as part of the decision to replace. When a loco is replaced, it is young but the train just gets older. Somewhere around 25 years into a map, the AI managers are replacing most of their locomotives every year or two (if they have any cash) as they spiral into bankruptcy.