Some game improvement ideas

[Wahazar]

Your savegames are not readable without those not available via content online newgrfs.

[deniz]

Sorry, in the second savegame I built regular tracks instead of electrified, that's why the train wasn't moving. How do you delete forum posts?

Oh OK I had 32bpp town buildings and GRVTS v1.4 32bpp NewGRFs installed.

[deniz]

And about what Sylf said, wouldn't it be possible to calculate the complete path from source to destination for each train? It would certainly be better because sometimes trains need to go in the opposite direction to get to their destination. Isn't something similar already being done in cargodist mode? It would be great if trains found all possible paths and then prioritized them. If the shortest one is occupied, choose the next best one etc. And then the paths of each train could be shown/listed with a user interface and you could even modify these paths?

http://wiki.openttd.org/Cargodist

Is this a graph theory problem?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_theory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shortest_path_problem

[planetmaker]

And about what Sylf said, wouldn't it be possible to calculate the complete path from source to destination for each train? It would certainly be better because sometimes trains need to go in the opposite direction to get to their destination. Isn't something similar already being done in cargodist mode? It would be great if trains find all possible paths and then prioritize them, if the shortest one is occupied, choose the next best one etc. And then the paths of each train could be shown/listed with a user interface and you could even modify these paths?

http://wiki.openttd.org/Cargodist

Every time a train needs to make a decision on its path, the complete paths to its destination are evaluated - and the cheapest is chosen. However a game is dynamic, you build routes, you re-build routes, other vehicles use the routes, may break down, wait on signals... thus there is not necessarily one path but a few which lead to the destination. And it *has* to be re-evaluated at each junction a train arrives. Or you would very quickly start complaining (rightfully!) that the train doesn't follow the route it should.

As to your understanding of signal blocks: see the attachment here which shows the nearly complete signal block. It's everything in all direction which is accessible from that signal up to the next signal whatever track you follow in whatever direction at each subsequent junction Thus the block continues to the right of the image on the track up to the next signal which is not shown anymore.

And pretty please a request as mod: do not double post. As long as your posting is the last one, do edit your posting in order to amend further information.

[Eddi]

the game already does all this, but it cannot show it to you, because as soon as the path is calculated, it is discarded again, and only the immediate way to turn is used. at the next junction, the path is calculated from scratch again (things like occupied tracks may have changed)

[deniz]

OK. So in that example, if that signal was a block signal, would it block the train if the part that goes out of screen to the right was occupied? Even though the two paths to the station are free?

OK I tried it in game and yes it will block, the whole reachable track counts as one block...

[deniz]

Another suggestion:

The profit graph shows the values like this: 6,485k. Wouldn't it be better if it showed 6.48M? And even though you can select metric units in the options, the thousands separator is represented with a comma. This can be confusing to those who use a dot for that. Maybe that could also be an option?

[Eddi]

the thousand separator depends on what language (or currency) you choose.

[deniz]

Oh you're right. But I think it would be better if that was a separate option so you can have different language/numbering combinations.

[Eddi]

what would be the use of that?

besides, you could always make your own language...

[GarryG]

A few industry ideas:

Instead of clicking on the town and going to Local Authority to fund roads and buildings, what if you have to deliver material to that town so it can expand.

Maybe change one setting so can fund the building of a Council Depot.

When this depot is build in or near the town, you need to start delivering materials so the town can grow.

These Council depots could accept: Stone and sand (for the roads), building material (for new buildings and bridges).

The more you deliver the faster the town will grow and the town Mayor might love you for it and they will pay you to deliver rather then you pay them to fund the roads and buildings.

[kamnet]

A few industry ideas:

Instead of clicking on the town and going to Local Authority to fund roads and buildings, what if you have to deliver material to that town so it can expand.

Maybe change one setting so can fund the building of a Council Depot.

When this depot is build in or near the town, you need to start delivering materials so the town can grow.

These Council depots could accept: Stone and sand (for the roads), building material (for new buildings and bridges).

The more you deliver the faster the town will grow and the town Mayor might love you for it and they will pay you to deliver rather then you pay them to fund the roads and buildings.

Town Growth game scripts and patches can already do this. Most of them right now simply use pax, mail and goods, but they could use anything to encourage town growth.

[Dave]

Although it doesn't contribute to the growth of the town, Pikka's Basic Industries includes an Engineers' Yard which accepts gravel and fuel oil, which simulates this somewhat.

[GarryG]

Downloaded Pikka's Basic Industries v1.5 but no Engineering yard. Has a Fuel Depot accepts Fuel Oil. In case was a conflict I tried it on its own. Is there another version?

[Dave]

Downloaded Pikka's Basic Industries v1.5 but no Engineering yard. Has a Fuel Depot accepts Fuel Oil. In case was a conflict I tried it on its own. Is there another version?

Oh yes, apologies. The engineers yard is in the UKRS Brick Chain (which is an add-on to PBI)

[GarryG]

Have you build a station near a town, but can not get close enough to the more populated area of the town? Discovered tonight, build a station any where near the town. Doesn't have to be in range of the coverage area, then select a non-track tile from your station list. Hold ctrl key and place this tile some where in the town.

It acts like an agent for your station. People can but tickets and send mail at this tile and be available for you to cart at the station.

Most players mat already knew this, but I only worked it out tonight. So could be others out there not realise this.

The Dutch Station Set, CHIPS Station Set 1.4.0 and Jezulkim's Stations all have some nice non-track tiles that can do the trick. Prefer the brick station building in Jezulkim's Stations as looks nicer.

[Wahazar]

build a station any where near the town. Doesn't have to be in range of the coverage area, then select a non-track tile from your station list. Hold ctrl key and place this tile some where in the town.

Personally I consider it almost as a cheat, therefore I switched this feature off for my server.
With cargodist enabled, there is no need to use such features, running local bus service into the city centre instead of station coverage extension is even better for station rating and town growth.

[kamnet]

It's a technique called "Station Walking", and as McZapkie mentioned it's considered a cheat in multiplayer games. A common tactic is to plant any type of station tile next to an industry source so that you start usurping production from any other stations, and then link it to a station further away with another vehicle waiting to load. In addition, you get credit for transporting the cargo not between the two places where your vehicles stop, but the two furthest destinations that are linked.

The downside to this technique when transporting passengers is that many players use it to claim a town, but in order to grow a town you need a minimum of five active stations. This will get you started in getting a foothold in a town, but you will find that you have a low number of passengers. Once you get a good rating from the town authority, you need to put in more stations to boost town growth.

[GarryG]

When I discovered that idea, I not really looked at it as a cheat.

I been building scenarios as realistic as possible and some railway stations where actually built away from towns. How to build a station like in real a distance from a town and still service that town. That when I sort of that idea, see if I can put the brick station from Jezulkim's Stations set in a town. The building is more practicable and looks ok. Looks a bit like a old style post office.

By putting the building in a town, it kinda acted like a invisible transport system between town and station for passengers and mail. Never really though of the idea to do that with industries too. Use it for industries that really would take away the reality of the game and spoil it all.

One such town I got in my scenario is called Stroud Road. It was built 7 km from the town it was to serve called Stroud. Another is Lochinvar, that station is just over 2 km from town. That was my intention when I figured out that idea.

My games start in early 1900s when buses didn't provide a service between the town and stations. They basically used horse or walked. Using this idea as a cheat was not my intention.

When my kids play other games, I not let them use god mode. I tell them why play if not play properly. Can't see the fun if can not lose.

[TitchFender]

OK, so I went to look for the Pikka basic industry, couldn't find it(in the online content download in-game), do I need to find it on here, the forums and download it?