Advice to improve

[orient_express]

Hello

I am new to openttd and am looking for some advice on how to improve.
I am getting really frustrated with train breakdowns and causing huge tail backs obviously reducing production/delivery times.I have upgraded the trains from a 47 to the double engines but one has 50 breakdowns since last service after 3 years!
What is the best way to address this please?
I have attached my save file if you could spare 10 minutes to take a look and see what my options are.
Should I add two more parallel tracks? Separate raw materials supplies to different track?
Im trying not to spend a load of time changing things only to find they dont work.

Any input much appreciated thanks

[3iff]

You could try turning breakdowns off.

[Sylf]

You can add a depot at the exit of the pick-up stations, and add an order to always visit that depot as they leave the pick up station. A visit to the depot costs nothing, and it will keep the reliability up, preventing from excessive break downs.

[orient_express]

You could try turning breakdowns off.

That would be cheating not improving 3iff

[3iff]

Not necessarily, I never have breakdowns on. If I did I would end up smashing the monitor.

If you're really that new to ottd, then having breakdowns off would allow you to concentrate on the many other aspects of the game.

However, if you wish to persist with managing breakdowns then don't let me stop you. Good luck with whatever you do.

[orient_express]

You can add a depot at the exit of the pick-up stations, and add an order to always visit that depot as they leave the pick up station. A visit to the depot costs nothing, and it will keep the reliability up, preventing from excessive break downs.

Thanks Sylf will give that a go

Thanks 3iff I hear what youre saying but I think id rather keep the break downs on for now

[Alberth]

Looks nice to me, map looks good in general.

- the exits from the stations at the coal mine have 2 45 degrees angled corners directly after each other which is bad for speed. You may want to lengthen that a few tiles.
- For added thrill, you may want to delete the long stretch to the powerplant in the north-east, and instead merge that traffic onto the track near Flondhead, and then over the inner tracks to the power plant.
- If you click on the "stations" (button left of the finances at the toolbar), and sort on waiting cargo, you can easily find problematic stations. All pax (passengers/mail) seems to severely lacking in service, otherwise, there is a goods station you may want to look at.
- The station next to Nanfield IronOre mine would have been better at the same level of the mine. Instead of a tunnel you could have build a bridge.
- At the Great Warnley Steel Mill, you have one station both for drop-off and for pick-up. In theory, all platforms could be filled with 'pick-up', but then no 'drop-off' would be able to reach the station anymore, and all traffic will stop. Often, people will build separate stations, one for pick-up only, and one for drop-off only.
- You don't need many platforms for dropping off cargo, unloading is quite fast.


As for the breakdowns, happy to see more persons care about reliability as relevant criterium for picking engines
- If engines break down a lot, you can add depots, so they get serviced on time.
- Another option is to shorten the service period (but only useful if reliability decreases rapidly). In my experience, it's usually more useful to switch to a better engine when that happens.

Another solution to add a second track for the busy parts, so traffic splits between two lines. I'd at least do that for the last part to the Great Warnley Steel Mill, perhaps also at some places at the coal tracks, but it seems less busy.


Welcome, and a great first game

[Baldy's Boss]

Looks nice to me, map looks good in general.

- the exits from the stations at the coal mine have 2 45 degrees angled corners directly after each other which is bad for speed. You may want to lengthen that a few tiles.
- For added thrill, you may want to delete the long stretch to the powerplant in the north-east, and instead merge that traffic onto the track near Flondhead, and then over the inner tracks to the power plant.
- If you click on the "stations" (button left of the finances at the toolbar), and sort on waiting cargo, you can easily find problematic stations. All pax (passengers/mail) seems to severely lacking in service, otherwise, there is a goods station you may want to look at.
- The station next to Nanfield IronOre mine would have been better at the same level of the mine. Instead of a tunnel you could have build a bridge.

Bridges have speed limits,tunnels don't...I generally prefer tunnels.
But be careful about making either too long...on busy routes they cause backups because they are single signal blocks.

- At the Great Warnley Steel Mill, you have one station both for drop-off and for pick-up. In theory, all platforms could be filled with 'pick-up', but then no 'drop-off' would be able to reach the station anymore, and all traffic will stop. Often, people will build separate stations, one for pick-up only, and one for drop-off only.

Or separate tracks/platforms of one station.

- You don't need many platforms for dropping off cargo, unloading is quite fast.


As for the breakdowns, happy to see more persons care about reliability as relevant criterium for picking engines
- If engines break down a lot, you can add depots, so they get serviced on time.
- Another option is to shorten the service period (but only useful if reliability decreases rapidly). In my experience, it's usually more useful to switch to a better engine when that happens.

Another solution to add a second track for the busy parts, so traffic splits between two lines. I'd at least do that for the last part to the Great Warnley Steel Mill, perhaps also at some places at the coal tracks, but it seems less busy.


Welcome, and a great first game

[orient_express]

Hi Alberth and thank you very much for taking the time to look at the game for me.

There are quite a few points you highlighted in this post so I will try them out over this week, Thank you.

Welcome, and a great first game

Apologies if I gave this impression, but this is not my very first game. I have probably played 7 or 8 short games since Friday but this one seemed to be much more organised and lasted longer than the 1 or 2 hours previous games have where things ended up rather difficult and long to maintain, so I just went with it.

I have since made another game where things are more organised and thought out. But I still found problems, like building a station only to discover it should have been bigger or positioned differently. Then changing it and having to chase 20 trains around to change their orders to include the new station! But i am learning

Bridges have speed limits,tunnels don't...I generally prefer tunnels.
But be careful about making either too long...on busy routes they cause backups because they are single signal blocks.
]

Hi Baldy Boss

I managed to find this out already. If you can break the long tunnels into shorter sections, you can put a signal in the breaks between tunnel sections. I have used bridges but tend to favor tunnels at the moment for some reason, probably due to them appearing to be more flexible.

Anyway thanks very much for the input everyone.

[Wahazar]

...having to chase 20 trains around to change their orders to include the new station! But i am learning

I recommend to learn about Ctrl key hidden functions, especially vehicle order sharing

If talking about reliability, there is 'conditional order jump' option, I often use it to force visiting depot if reliability is below, let say, 77%.
Anyway, without forcing to visit depot, trains will seek nearest depot and make mess.

[Alberth]

Welcome, and a great first game

Apologies if I gave this impression, but this is not my very first game.

What I meant the first game you posted

But i am learning

We all are, and I have been playing this game for only 20 years (with breaks).

[Alberth]

-You didn't refit your SH125's to carry the cargo your trains are carrying, this results in a lot of your trains running with less than full load. The SH125 can carry a small amount of cargo, wich defaults to mail, so if your station is near a town, the train will leave as soon as it has a full load of mail (which it constantly has since it can't drop the mail off anywhere), effectively rendering your full load orders useless. Either refit the engines, change to another engine, or make the orders "full load all cargo" instead of "full load any cargo".

Full load all at a mine where the engine carries mail, is going to stop the train forever, since there isn't mail at a mine.

[Dave]

The ultimate solution is not using a passenger locomotive to haul freight trains...!

[Kevo00]

The ultimate solution is not using a passenger locomotive to haul freight trains...!

Oh I don't know about that

[Dave]

Where's that from!?

[Kevo00]

Here! http://ftp.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic.php?f=238&t=19649