Hints and Tips on playing Locomotion (No off-topic posting)

The "spiritual sequel" to Transport Tycoon Deluxe: Chris Sawyer's Locomotion is the latest game from him - general discussion about it here please!

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Villem
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Hints and Tips on playing Locomotion (No off-topic posting)

Post by Villem »

NOTE:This is a topic to post your tips and tricks. Please, do not post requests for help, and try not to be too map specific in your hints. These should be hints you can carry over map to map.
Do Not Post a Tip or Hint that has already been posted.


10 Best Tips & Hints
1. Use trams to quickly grow cities(not to mention they provide stable profit), though do not go overboard as it can cause the city to use huge portion of the map, possibly making the game end much faster as you run out of things to do, or it just becomes impossible to maintain good ratings in your stations in the city.
2. Always go for high profit cargoes, such as coal first.
3. If you find your terminus clogged up, try turning it into a roll-in, roll-out station(Basically, you come into the station from the other end, then exit from the other end, basically trains never need to turn around).
4. Use waypoints to overcome pathfinding restrictions, and always use waypoints with ships.
5. Try to build your junctions efficiently, and if possible separate it into sections, as 1 signal block can only have 1 train on it at a time. For example, having multiple entries/exits into/out of 1 station would allow multiple trains to enter/leave at once.
6. Airplanes are very profitable somewhere after 1940-1950, but only really make sense on long distances, try to employ them when you can afford them as they can provide a ample cash flow to make expansion of your company much faster.
7. Try to combine tram, bus, and train transport into 1 station, as quick movement rate of the buses and trams maintain higher rating while trains are away, while the trains can handle the huge amount of passengers, and possibly mail.
8. Try not to make your stations too large, and try not to route too many trains/buses/trams/trucks to 1 station. Try to spread your services, this possibly could make jamming less frequent. Though its easy to tell trains to go between point a and point b, you will eventually run into a performance bottleneck if you overservice.
9. Try to catch as many industries with 1 station as you can, though as per tip 8, do not try too hard.
10. Do not compete with yourself, unless its absolutely necessary for improving ratings, or just performance wise makes more sense. Having 3 diffrent stations of your own for 1 industry for example makes no sense when you could simply have 1 station.
Last edited by Villem on 06 Aug 2008 02:52, edited 10 times in total.
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Post by DeletedUser21 »

If you want to start your company, build tram lines within cities, they can give you a good back bone for getting money for future rail network projects.
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Post by Allaboard »

In the Weatherworld scenario (beginner), build a rail line from Foggywood to Showerton immeditaly. Purchase a Pacifc to run on that line. Add two passenger carriages to the Pacific and start the train. Run the game at full speed. Before the end of the first year, you will win the game. :)
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Post by Menno »

EY, don't steal my tips/hints

another: of raw materials, coal is most profitable
*hmz*
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Post by Allaboard »

I'm sorry Menno, I did not mean to steal your ideas. I did not even know you wrote it. I never was on your website. Again, my apologies go out to you. :oops:
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Post by Samurai »

Allaboard wrote:In the Weatherworld scenario (beginner), build a rail line from Foggywood to Showerton immeditaly. Purchase a Pacifc to run on that line. Add two passenger carriages to the Pacific and start the train. Run the game at full speed. Before the end of the first year, you will win the game. :)
I completed this scenario in 2 months by using trams inside the two largest cities :wink:
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Post by d00mh4mm3r »

lol, yer weather world was easy, too easy..

my idea of getting a good rail network is a 6track line right around the map if possible, this does mean you have to plan ahead, i also leave a gap in the middle of the tracks so the i can add other lines to it rater then building heaps of lines all over...

and yes, the best tip out there, use trams in towns that are out of the way, and that you know wont interfear with your planning in the furture (say, behind mountains, on mountains, in the middle of no where, a courner, etc)
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Post by ecolier »

hello can anyone explain to me how the problem of cargo trains delaying the express passenger train services can be solved?? I tried building a main line with 4 tracks for bypass but buildign a junction is a nightmare!!
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Post by Villem »

This is a topic to post your tips and tricks, not a thread where you ask for help, not a thread where you comment how each of you completed Weatherworld. Post Tips & Tricks that are useful, thats it. Its a nightmare to sort out hundreds of posts of off-topic to find a hint that actually helps.
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Post by Allaboard »

I'm so sorry, I wasn't aware that scenario tips weren't allowed in this thread :oops:
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Post by Villem »

Scenario tips are allowed as long as you don't start replying to other peoples tips in big conversations, you just post your tips/hints and thats it. This is a collection of hints so people can look at them without browsing through 100's of comments on other peoples tips first.
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Post by DeletedUser21 »

Build an airline when you are sure that it makes profit, and if you have a good backbone to cover you when it all goes wrong.
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Post by Menno »

if you're planning to build an airport, in the beginning of the game, with lots of potential enemies, try to reserve the space to build the airport with railroad tracks
*hmz*
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Post by d00mh4mm3r »

if the AI have truck routes that are taking all your profit/ goods, the build a straight traght across the AI road and place the cheapest carrage on that little piece of track... it may be scummy but you will get your goods back
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Post by ecolier »

Akalamanaia wrote:This is a topic to post your tips and tricks, not a thread where you ask for help, not a thread where you comment how each of you completed Weatherworld. Post Tips & Tricks that are useful, thats it. Its a nightmare to sort out hundreds of posts of off-topic to find a hint that actually helps.
Well I thought if I ask someone would post a hint/tip relating to my question
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Post by d00mh4mm3r »

pre-planning is a nice way to know where to build and how much space you need, it also save money and A LOT of clicking and building up your finger.

Try and have a broad idea of where you plan to build, pause the game and take a look around the map.

Airports ive found to be a nice income generator but only later in the game, i personaly build my airport close into the city as possible so that the passengers are high, or for a more realistic look (ie japan) have a train dump passengers of to an airport in the middle of no-where (they may not get income, but your planes will make up for it by about 4 times the amount)
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Post by chevyrider »

Allways build two stations near an industry, like a coalmine.
In this way it will produce 100% instead of max 83%,
Also this will trigger that the total production will increase faster.
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Post by Menno »

chevyrider wrote:Allways build two stations near an industry, like a coalmine.
In this way it will produce 100% instead of max 83%,
Also this will trigger that the total production will increase faster.
i always do three, i'm not sure, but think that it boosts production more than two stations. another advantage is that if you use three stations, each one platform, you can make a nice 3*whatever ro-ro station
*hmz*
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Post by d00mh4mm3r »

for industry's that require 2 goods to make one, is a great way of getting income without losing popularity with the town/city/metropolitan, just so long as u dont supply the 2nd goods till you can send off the final product...


Keeps tracks as simple as possible, or you will get confuzzed and lose interest in the game because you have to fix up your lines, set new waypoints etc...

Mayjor (large) citys are best to get passengers from underground lines, when you can afford it of course.

if your have a nice large train line and set two trains that have no mix ups in there routes and always go where they should, name them (1 for express, another for common), this way setting up waypoints your just have both train waypoint boxes open, click on the empty one, the just click on the way points from the other train... ill try and make it simplar, but im tired, so if sum1 could plz do it

chears
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Post by chevyrider »

When you have enough money,then you can place a ringline with two roro -stations.( steel mill +coalmine)
depending the distance build 10+ trains and let them go without giving them orders.
At that moment place the platforms on the tracks of the second roro like a coalmine. this one will produce instantly at max.
Also the hopper wagon will then recognise that it has to load coal when it is lying on the platforms.
It's very easy working ,not the give orders when you want to build large networks and have running 300+ trains on the map.
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