How to compete?

[alexender00]

Hi, I'm loving Locomotion ever since I got it. In the past I was more tolerant of the shortcoming of the road/train AI (for the competitors) in the scenarios but lately and partly because I'm now up to a higher difficulty level, it's becoming extremely infuriating.

I can build much more profitable rail networks (thanks in part to RO/RO tutorials and signaling) but I can't keep up with the building speed of the AI especially if I have to deal with it atrocious path finding algorithms when it build it tracks (Why oh why can't they build straight clean rails???) so I end up setting up one rail link by the time he build 2 or 3... meaning he takes all the good opportunity and frankly due to the way it build rail or road, it's impossible for me to build a track of my own where he did unless I go underground and that's another hellish problem of it own.

I'm desperate for good advice else I'm going to have to give up on scenarios and build my own without the pesky AI.

[X.G.fr0sty]

Give up on them...

Im more to incline the reason its coded like that, or for that very reason, so you cant finish the objectives.
Most people are making maps, where you have a time limit, rather then AI, as it still poses a challenge.

[rdrdrdrd]

autopause form
http://amitrains.co.uk/

[bnsfnut]

Usually I just make so they can't use trains, because yes they are horrible at makeing straight clean lines. Make sure there are some industries close to each other or they will just build tiny tram lines and not pose much of a competition.

[potts]

I find that trams are are realy effecient when used correctly (On the Feed Flintrock scenario, I won using just tramways and trains. (trains for goods and oil services and two complex tramways in Flintrock and Buttery Springs)). As a guide, avoid road vechecles when possible (Road=Bad, Rail=Good).

PS: Sorry I can't spell vechecles.

[Emperor Darth Sidious]

I don't use those dumb AI at all, it's so frustrating. The last time I competed against the computer was the first times that I played the game and that's a long time ago...I edited the ingame scenarios. First I made it so that the computer AI could only use busses and trams (because I wanted to give it a chance), but after a while I made all the standard scenarios time limited scenarios.

Talk about the AI...Are there maybe some mods just like in OTTD where you can download specific computer AI opponents ?

[uktrackbuilder_loco]

I gave up on the AI when it did things I wasn't allowed to when building railways etc so I prefer to set myself against the terrain, or give myself hard, but not impossible tonnage challenges within time limits.

[Emperor Darth Sidious]

I gave up on the AI when it did things I wasn't allowed to when building railways

I didn't even came that far, what did it do that you couldn't do then ? The only thing I saw the AI doing what I couldn't do was demolishing every town without penalty and spending much more money then I when I was positive it didn't had that kind fof money...

[uktrackbuilder_loco]

I gave up on the AI when it did things I wasn't allowed to when building railways

I didn't even came that far, what did it do that you couldn't do then ? The only thing I saw the AI doing what I couldn't do was demolishing every town without penalty and spending much more money then I when I was positive it didn't had that kind fof money...

That's it exactly the AI was building a railway I couldn't do without being told that the local authority prohibited the removal of this or that building
Also have you seen some of the layouts the AI achieves without penalties in terms of tonnage moved or speed?

Sorry I like to play against a fair minded system, not a computer that is a cheat at what it does

[Kevo00]

Kind of ironic how bad the competition is in Locomotion. I actually like the idea of having competing companies but Loco competitors seem to take the ability to build elevated lines and go nuts with it in a way that just doesn't look realistic. Infact I'm sure the track is almost just spurted out randomly to block the human player off.

I remember a certain Chris Sawyer writing in his notes at the start of the TTO manual 'I dislike games where the competition clearly plays by different rules to the player' (or similar). Erm, 10 years on in Loco and he did exactly that...