Neutral vehicle stations

[HvS]

Oil rigs have neutral ship docks and helipads, so that any player can use them, including transferring cargo, which can be used to simulate trade between companies.

Tracks, on the other hand, are always owned by someone, and so there can be no such thing as a neutral railway station.

But roads can be neutral, and player-owned vehicle stops can be placed on them. Can there be a neutral road station? Some sort of facility where any vehicle can drive in and load/unload cargo?

[planetmaker]

Oil rigs have neutral ship docks and helipads, so that any player can use them, including transferring cargo, which can be used to simulate trade between companies.

Tracks, on the other hand, are always owned by someone, and so there can be no such thing as a neutral railway station.

But roads can be neutral, and player-owned vehicle stops can be placed on them. Can there be a neutral road station? Some sort of facility where any vehicle can drive in and load/unload cargo?

In principle that would be possible. Practically however the oil rig ship dock + heli pad are the only neutral stations available. Who should build the neutral stations? Who should have the right to destroy them? Should your vehicles stop there when using normal orders (and not non-stop)? What about if someone places a neutral one in your vehicle's path (if they are allowed to build those)? It opens a ton of questions which need answers.

[Wahazar]

Other alternative is just to use Infrastructure Sharing Patch.
You can order vehicle to enter other company station and transfer cargo, which can be picked by another company vehicles.
Something like cooperative play.
Also works good with cargodist.

[HvS]

In principle that would be possible. Practically however the oil rig ship dock + heli pad are the only neutral stations available. Who should build the neutral stations? Who should have the right to destroy them? Should your vehicles stop there when using normal orders (and not non-stop)? What about if someone places a neutral one in your vehicle's path (if they are allowed to build those)? It opens a ton of questions which need answers.

Is it possible to have a land facility with a built-in road station (after all, road stations can be placed on half-tiles), like an oil rig — but on solid ground? If so, then most of the questions are solved automatically.

[HvS]

Other alternative is just to use Infrastructure Sharing Patch.

I thought a neutral station would be easier to use, since it seemingly can be packed as a GRF, and not requiring applying patches and re-compiling OpenTTD.

[Transportman]

Is it possible to have a land facility with a built-in road station (after all, road stations can be placed on half-tiles), like an oil rig — but on solid ground? If so, then most of the questions are solved automatically.

There are also drive-trough stops for roads, so no, the questions are not solved automatically. And what if my vehicles have orders to that neutral station, would you be allowed to demolish it?

I thought a neutral station would be easier to use, since it seemingly can be packed as a GRF, and not requiring applying patches and re-compiling OpenTTD.

Nope, even neutral stations would need a patch of OpenTTD to make it possible.

[HvS]

[quote="Transportman"]And what if my vehicles have orders to that neutral station, would you be allowed to demolish it?

If it's owned by the "world" like an industry, for example, then nobody would have rights to do that.

[glbotu]

For anyone who has played Simutrans, there's the "public service" company. Anyone can use "public service's" infrastructure, but can't modify it. Would a similar implementation be possible?

Say one player could play as "public service", or could be pre-set for scenarios.

[planetmaker]

It's thinkable. But of course requires a patch as well.

However I'd not implement it as company but in a similar fashion like the oil rigs are currently handled. It would make most sense for airports and maybe bus stops.

Independently one could think of allowing to build joint stations which allow inter-company transfer of cargo; but that has implications for how transfer money is handled (which currently is a per-company setting which distributes the money between the vehicles taking part in transporting that cargo; thus it needs consideration how to come to a generally fair conclusion there).

[audigex]

Pre-built neutral bus stops in towns, and perhaps large airports attached to cities, could be nice additions. AI's could be made to take advantage of these to provide a "Corporation/Municipal Transport Authority" AI which provides a little competition within towns

[PikkaBird]

AI's could be made to take advantage of these to provide a "Corporation/Municipal Transport Authority" AI which provides a little competition within towns

FWIW that's more or less what CivilAI is intended to do (minus the neutral bus stops of course).

[audigex]

Yeah I had seen that, and it's nice for eyecandy - but it would be nice to be able to use the same stops and have both companies running together as happens in reality.

[cmhbob]

Private airports are few and far between, and usually rather small. But it's very common for an airport to lease or sell cargo handling space to various companies. I'm wondering if it is possible for the airports to be built by the town, and a special airport cargo stop be created? Maybe with a rule that you must build your cargo stop so that the airport is within the cargo stop's catchment area.