industries for the sea

[sootynz]

Cargo distribution has evened the balance between road, train and air (thanks!). Ships are still not really worthwhile, except for oil rigs, obviously.

Could some more industries that require ships be added to the normal set of industries, without having to use ECS?
For example, as well as oil rigs, fishing (fish to factories), iron sands (to steel mills) and treasure/gold (to banks).

[kamnet]

No changes will ever be made to the default industries, due to needing to remain backwards-compatible with Transport Tycoon Deluxe. All future industry enhancements are handled through NewGRFs. FIRS offers more expanded play by water. It features oil rigs, fishing grounds and dredging grounds, which meets some of the cargoes you're interested in shipping.

In addition, the author of FIRS is also the author of FISH, which features a variety of ships to haul cargoes for FIRS and other industry sets, and also features a decent amount of passenger cargo vessels. You may be interested in using this set as well.

[Alberth]

Instead of FISH, you better use SQUID, it successor (also known as FISH2).

[leifbk]

Cargo distribution has evened the balance between road, train and air (thanks!). Ships are still not really worthwhile, except for oil rigs, obviously.

Ships are actually very worthwhile, in particular if you use the "Squid Ate FISH" set (aka FISH2) and the FIRS industry set. I'll also like to include Sailing Ships and the eGRVTS2 road vehicle set; this combo allows you to start as early as 1700. I usually start with fishing, which is like printing money even with the slow and tiny Brig. Just don't overextend your routes

[planetmaker]

<OT>

...due to needing to remain backwards-compatible with Transport Tycoon Deluxe...

The need is not to be compatible with TTD, but to be compatible with ancient NewGRFs which assume TTD behaviour and (only) default industries, vehicles and houses. If designed cleverly, there actually might be ways to accomodate both, ancient NewGRFs and changes to current defaults.
</OT>

[sootynz]

Thanks - I'll give Fish/squid a try in my next game.

However, what i was asking for was a (small) GRF with three or four extra sea-based industries to add to the normal set, not to replace it.

[Alberth]

As Kamnet already said, the default set cannot be changed, not at all.

As far as I know there is no industry NewGRF that is only sea-based available.
Maybe you should try making one yourself?

[FLHerne]

<OT>

...due to needing to remain backwards-compatible with Transport Tycoon Deluxe...

The need is not to be compatible with TTD, but to be compatible with ancient NewGRFs which assume TTD behaviour and (only) default industries, vehicles and houses. If designed cleverly, there actually might be ways to accomodate both, ancient NewGRFs and changes to current defaults.
</OT>

But since the base vehicles don't even include trams - which is both a more significant missing feature and probably far less likely to cause problems - I can't believe that'll ever happen.

[Hafting]

Thanks - I'll give Fish/squid a try in my next game.

However, what i was asking for was a (small) GRF with three or four extra sea-based industries to add to the normal set, not to replace it.

It is possible (for a programmer) to pick the interesting parts (sea industries) from FIRS and drop the rest. Or you can play using firs, and simply ignore most of the industries. For a simpler FIRS, consider the arctic economy. You get still get the fishing grounds, but not so complicated land industries.

[andythenorth]

<Dig>

I am looking for ideas. So suggest some sea-based industries that would fit into OpenTTD. Must have gameplay purpose.

Existing
- fishing grounds
- oil rig
- dredging site

Considered
- offshore windfarm / wavefarm
- wreck site (treasure, alternative to gold mine)

Rejected
- fish farm (not interestingly different to fishing grounds)
- guano mine (islands where bird or bat guano is mined - too weird to have islands just 'appear' when an industry is built)

I'm out of other ideas.

[romazoon]

Some gaz offshore platforms maybe ?
could be transformed at refinery in liquified gaz, wich for gameplay purpose i supose can just be "petrol" (for cars).
and if you still plan on adding a power plant, i supose that s a nice place to send gaz too.

[kamnet]

Only other things I can suggest
* deep sea mining for precious metals
* desalination and water transport
* hydrogen extraction

[Dave]

I like the wreck idea - it could be a ship wreck or a plane wreck?

It's not entirely offshore, but how about a variant on the FIRS Bulk Terminal - shipbuilder?

It'd probably be a black hole unless there was a tug which could haul new ships to somewhere like the bulk terminal - then of course the ship would simply disappear...!

And an industry for later games - Under Sea Research Colony? Accepts passengers and supplies... Produces ... Science.

[leifbk]

I'd like to have salt works as a primary industry, they could produce manufacturing supplies, and maybe get boosted with engineering supplies. I'm playing a lot with the Arctic basic these days, and I never can get enough MFSP for the fishing harbours and the stock yards. Salt would be a nice complement to the cardboard stuff.

[FLHerne]

- guano mine (islands where bird or bat guano is mined - too weird to have islands just 'appear' when an industry is built)

Guano mine that requires sea tiles around the edges and land in the middle?
The map generator tends to make annoying tiny islands of its own accord, and if it doesn't make enough the player can do the islands-from-thin-air trick themselves.

Plastic-soup patches, for the future? I've seen a few proposals for collecting and recycling floating rubbish that claim to be economically viable.

[Emperor Jake]

Speaking of the future, how about an algae farm? The algae can then be processed into various things including food, fertiliser, fuel and plastics. It might produce plant fibres or something which can go to the existing plastics plant and biorefinery. I'm not sure if it should accept or generate farm supplies, whichever is better from a game balance perspective I guess.

Another thing I wouldn't mind seeing in FIRS is a dredging site that can produce clay, and perhaps other things such as ore or valuables as previously mentioned. But I think it would make a lot of sense for it to be able to produce clay - maybe have two different ones, one producing sand and clay and the other sand and stone, depending on what the seabed is made of.

[Eddi]

The algae can then be processed into various things including food

soylent yellow?

[kamnet]

Another thing I wouldn't mind seeing in FIRS is a dredging site that can produce clay, and perhaps other things such as ore or valuables as previously mentioned. But I think it would make a lot of sense for it to be able to produce clay - maybe have two different ones, one producing sand and clay and the other sand and stone, depending on what the seabed is made of.

I was thinking about this as well. I know Andy ditched the concept of random outputs for the recycling center, but I think putting it back in for the dredging site would make sense. Based on this wikipedia article, at random it could output sand and stone, or copper ore and diamonds, or nitrates and farming supplies. Since it appears this wasn't very popular or profitable until recently, maybe not have the randomized cargo become available until 2010?

[Eddi]

putting it back in for the dredging site would make sense.

no, it doesn't. if you want two different output cargos, just make two different types of dredging sites (or recycling centers)

[TimeLapse1357]

Perhaps different types of fishing, each a different cargo with different payment rates. (crabs, lobster, shrimp, tuna etc.)
Shellfish beds located near the shoreline that produce food and valuables(pearls).
Not politically correct now, but whaling ships would be historically accurate for early 1900's.

A Navy Base that accepts PAX/Mail, Food, Goods and Gasoline(diesel?), produces PAX/Mail and Recyclables.

Heavy water production to a fusion power plan (available after year 2025)?

Oil Refineries also make Diesel Fuel that can be delivered to Depots (road & rail), Ports and Bulk Terminals.(Jet Fuel for Airports?)