Recommended mods?

[josq]

I'm going to start my first game in over a year. What mods are recommended for the latest version? Any good patch packs that include lots of stuff?
Have metros been added to the game yet?

Also- is there any sort of mod to give a sort of 'more developed start'- i.e. bigger cities from the get go?


Asking something redundant which has probally been discussed a million times but oh well.

[Transportman]

I'm going to start my first game in over a year. What mods are recommended for the latest version? Any good patch packs that include lots of stuff?
Have metros been added to the game yet?

Do you mean game patches that change behavior of the game (and its code) or do you mean NewGRFs that contain new vehicles/objects and stuff?

Also- is there any sort of mod to give a sort of 'more developed start'- i.e. bigger cities from the get go?

Open the scenario editor, place a lot of large cities, and play. Except that there is not much, unless you want to grow every city by yourself in the scenario editor.

[Zuu]

Noone have made a GS (Game Script) for that yet.

A GS can build industries (in trunk) and grow towns (from 1.2.x). However, I don't think the GS can build new towns for free (yet).

That said, you can probably get enough towns and industries created by the map generator. Then make a gamescript that quickly grow most towns by random or by some more intelligent logic. This is all possible to get working in OpenTTD 1.2.3. All you need is a relatively simple Game Script. The core part to grow towns could be as simple as this: (the house numbers need to be tweeked as they are just a wild guess)

Code: Select all

local town_list = GSTownList();
foreach (town_id, _ in town_list)
{
    local num_houses = 50 + GSBase.RangRang(200);
    GSTown.ExpandTown(town_id, num_houses);
}

[kamnet]

I'm going to start my first game in over a year. What mods are recommended for the latest version?

No mods of any kind are or should be recommended, as each one is entirely dependent on your own individual style of play and your goals. It is better to look through any patches, NewGRFs, NewObjects and Game Scripts to determine which you might like.

Any good patch packs that include lots of stuff?

Vaulter's Hard Patch Pack includes a fairly recent version of OpenTTD with several great patches, but the focus of the pack is to make it harder to play the game by increasing your costs and disabling a few of the easier features. Handrake also has a patch pack although it hasn't been updated since April. ChillCore's Patch Pack is very popular still (I play it myself) but it is quite behind the times with regard to the newest OpenTTD features. Other than that, there haven't been any significant or relevant patch packs released in the last year.

Have metros been added to the game yet?

There are a couple of NewGRFs which add them.

[josq]

I'm going to start my first game in over a year. What mods are recommended for the latest version?

No mods of any kind are or should be recommended, as each one is entirely dependent on your own individual style of play and your goals. It is better to look through any patches, NewGRFs, NewObjects and Game Scripts to determine which you might like.

Recommended isnt to say which ones are proven to be the absolute best. People will have different preferences yeah but what are peoples preferences and why?

I'd be looking for a better/different rail focussed game.

There are a couple of NewGRFs which add them.

Well and in a way that works?
I remember even a year ago there were some mods that added metros but....they didnt really work very metro-y nor fit in too well.


Will look up those packs. hmm...dont fancy using a very old version of the game.....but want a lot of stuff....

[Alberth]

Recommended isnt to say which ones are proven to be the absolute best. People will have different preferences yeah but what are peoples preferences and why?

You are assuming there exists a common way of playing the game. That is not a valid assumption in OpenTTD.

There are several different styles of playing the game (do efficient massive transport, make maximum amount of money, make good looking stations and tracks, build and tweak, etc). Many NewGRFs are tailored for a single style. That makes any comparison pretty much useless, as a NewGRF that is good for one style is useless with another style of playing.

[josq]

Recommended isnt to say which ones are proven to be the absolute best. People will have different preferences yeah but what are peoples preferences and why?

You are assuming there exists a common way of playing the game. That is not a valid assumption in OpenTTD.

There are several different styles of playing the game (do efficient massive transport, make maximum amount of money, make good looking stations and tracks, build and tweak, etc). Many NewGRFs are tailored for a single style. That makes any comparison pretty much useless, as a NewGRF that is good for one style is useless with another style of playing.

I never said that at all.


Are there really no lists of recommended mods out there? such things are very common for most games. People usually like talking about such stuff.

[Pingaware]

Recommended isnt to say which ones are proven to be the absolute best. People will have different preferences yeah but what are peoples preferences and why?

You are assuming there exists a common way of playing the game. That is not a valid assumption in OpenTTD.

There are several different styles of playing the game (do efficient massive transport, make maximum amount of money, make good looking stations and tracks, build and tweak, etc). Many NewGRFs are tailored for a single style. That makes any comparison pretty much useless, as a NewGRF that is good for one style is useless with another style of playing.

I never said that at all.


Are there really no lists of recommended mods out there? such things are very common for most games. People usually like talking about such stuff.

The point that Alberth and others are trying to make is that nearly every GRF or Game Script (GS) will have someone who swears by it as one of the best mods. It very much does depend on what playing style you have. If you just want to add an extra challenge to a standard game, try something like NoCarGoal (or another GS) or FIRS (with OpenGFX+ to be able to transport the new cargoes). If you want to make large amounts of money with no focus on reality, something like NUTS or the Monolev Set would probably appeal. And if you want to try and create something which looks realistic, the largest vehicle sets all aim to be true to life, examples being UKRS, the Japan Set, the DB Set, AV8, Long Vehicles and FISH. And of course, realistic games generally have large amounts of new object, new town and new station GRFs to make everything look better.

It really is up to you to test them out and choose what sort of playing style you're going to enjoy the most. Of course, if you have a way that you want to play the game, people can probably advise you on their preferred GRFs for such games.

[Supercheese]

Rather than type them all out, I'll attach a screenshot of the grfs I plan on using (more or less, anyway, might update a couple) in a new game either today or tomorrow. This is basically my "recommended" list, but of course I like some better than others.

Note that I have a modified version of OTTD, so I can load more than 64 grfs, but in trunk you're limited to 63-64 or so. Oh, and there are a couple of my own grfs in there that have not yet been released...

[Dave]

Which region do you want to recreate? Which sorts of cargo do you want to move? Do you want to play with large sprawling metropolises? Small quaint villages? What era do you want to play in? Do you want to play with fictional vehicles or reproductions of realistic vehicles?

Some individuals reveal their preferred mods. But if you're really looking for those, you need to ask individuals, not on the main forum. I would be reluctant to tell you which I prefer in this public arena, because I wouldn't want to:

a) offend anyone by not picking their mod.
b) skew your opinion towards the mods I use.

This game is about finding out what works best for you. Put some effort in.

[kamnet]

Are there really no lists of recommended mods out there? such things are very common for most games. People usually like talking about such stuff.

OpenTTD, on its own, is such a diverse game that it can be played without any additional features. OpenTTD itself can be considered a mod of Transport Tycoon Deluxe, it corrects many of the bugs and glitches in the original game, and also adds its own enhancements. The NewGRFs, NewObjects, Game Scripts and patches that have been added since then have typically focused on making small, individual changes for very particular purposes. As you play the game, you will learn what you do and do not like. There will be parts of the game where you might become frustrated or discouraged with. As you play you might start thinking, "Wouldn't it be better if I could do this..." and start thinking of how the game could be made better. THIS is where the NewGRFs, patches etc. start to come into play.

Most NewGRFs are simply there for added visual appear or providing an enhanced sense of reality. Some of the vehicle NewGRFs also address the issue of the cost and maintenance of vehicles, allowing you to purchase them either for a lower price in order to make more profit, or a higher price as an influence on making the game more difficult. Many people like playing with NewGRFs that reflect where they live, so those that are based on vehicles and stations in the UK, Germany, Holland, the US and other places are particularly popular for those who like nation-based themes. Some of the NewGRFs have graphics for specific time periods, and change them as time progresses in the game. Industry NewGRFs do more than simple eyecandy replacements, they completely replace the default industries with ones of their own. Most vehicle NewGRFs automatically support these, and if they don't there's a few others that will make any sets compatible.

NewObjects are completely eyecandy-only, all they do is make things look pretty can use up your money.

Patches are a bit of a different beast. They can completely modify how the game is played, add new features or modify existing ones. However, in order to use them you must compile them against the source code of the game and create a new executable. Any games played with these versions are not going to be compatible with the stock OpenTTD game, unless that specific compiled version of the game is widely distributed and adopted by others. "Patch packs" are such distributions that includes several patches that the creator of the pack has determined is useful or necessary, primarily to his or her own likes. While these patch packs may provide a great variety into the game, they often become quickly outdated due to the constant improvements and releases of the stock OpenTTD code. When a patch proves to be popular, and the code is judged to be of good quality, it may be included in a future release of OpenTTD.

[FLHerne]

As everyone above said, you'll find little consensus.
In case it helps, here's my current list - I like to play a realistic-ish UK-style system.

Taskbar4.png (14.5 KiB) Viewed 3788 times

[josq]

d

The point that Alberth and others are trying to make is that nearly every GRF or Game Script (GS) will have someone who swears by it as one of the best mods. It very much does depend on what playing style you have. If you just want to add an extra challenge to a standard game, try something like NoCarGoal (or another GS) or FIRS (with OpenGFX+ to be able to transport the new cargoes). If you want to make large amounts of money with no focus on reality, something like NUTS or the Monolev Set would probably appeal. And if you want to try and create something which looks realistic, the largest vehicle sets all aim to be true to life, examples being UKRS, the Japan Set, the DB Set, AV8, Long Vehicles and FISH. And of course, realistic games generally have large amounts of new object, new town and new station GRFs to make everything look better.

It really is up to you to test them out and choose what sort of playing style you're going to enjoy the most. Of course, if you have a way that you want to play the game, people can probably advise you on their preferred GRFs for such games.

I'm wanting to create a decent railway network. Something realistic would be good but I'm not totally wed to realism or bust.

Which region do you want to recreate? Which sorts of cargo do you want to move? Do you want to play with large sprawling metropolises? Small quaint villages? What era do you want to play in? Do you want to play with fictional vehicles or reproductions of realistic vehicles?

Some individuals reveal their preferred mods. But if you're really looking for those, you need to ask individuals, not on the main forum. I would be reluctant to tell you which I prefer in this public arena, because I wouldn't want to:

a) offend anyone by not picking their mod.
b) skew your opinion towards the mods I use.

This game is about finding out what works best for you. Put some effort in.

Region: Depends which seems the most well done and complete between Britain and Japan. Quite torn, like the British steam engines but modern Japanese engines appeal moer.
Cargo: Mainly interested in passengers. Though will have to do some other stuff to make the money to do that.
Big cities would be great yeah. Never seen a mod that does anything like that.
Era: Pretty modern is ideal....but I think starting a fair bit earlier is best, makes things a bit more realistic to have a system in the modern day.
Realism is good- though I have noticed some mods overdo it with the option for 100 different trains with slightly different model numbers. Always a pain that, particulaly when it doesnt delete outdated trains from the list. Not so into absolute total realism but somewhat realistic is good.


Anything that handles metros well yet?

A big pack which handles a lot inc cargo destinations but uses a modernish version of the game would be good. Big changes from vanilla are vert welcome since ive played vanilla loads.

[FLHerne]

Depends which seems the most well done and complete between Britain and Japan

British (assorted sets) and Japan (JapanSet + various other stuff) are both quite well-covered. Perhaps just play a game of each and see what you prefer?

UKRS2 has some Tube trains, I think JapanSet has metro-stuff but not entirely sure.
Also, I'm currently testing out my attempt at an updated patchpack. Not as big as ChillPP (or as stable, most likely), but there were too many features in recent trunk

[Lord Aro]

As an aside, can you please stop using the word 'mod' for OTTD?
It is somewhat confusing, as it could mean a 'patch' (a change to the source code) or a NewGRF (adds vehicles, industries, etc) or a script (an AI or a GameScript)

Ta

[josq]

Im open to any of them though.


I can't seem to find any cargo destinations mod in the list....is it not available for the new version?



edit two points with a look at some sets-

Also looking at the Japan set I note monorails are actually shinkansens only theyre still called monorails...is there a way to rename this track? And anyway to keep monorails as well as having shinkansen?

So there are no proper metros in the game yet? I looked at some sets and they seemed to just add different surface tracks, the way they always have. No mod to give proper underground metros yet?

[Pingaware]

I can't seem to find any cargo destinations mod in the list....is it not available for the new version?

This is why you need to differentiate between patches and GRFs. The Cargodist patch by Fonso, which is a form of cargo destinations, is still kept up to date with trunk (I think) and so can be applied to trunk, but I think you have to compile it yourself (though I may be wrong about this - binaries may be built by the compile farm). Regardless, a majority of people don't know how to compile from trunk and so patches are rarely recommended in situations like this.

So there are no proper metros in the game yet? I looked at some sets and they seemed to just add different surface tracks, the way they always have. No mod to give proper underground metros yet?

It is far out of the scope of a GRF to add real underground metros to the game. This would require a lot of patch work and as such has not yet been attempted. However, there are two sets (at least) which do their best to mimic subways - Fake Subways and Subway Stations. They do this in very different ways however. I also think there's an old version of NuTracks which has the rails disguised by buildings, but I couldn't find a download link to it in a brief search - it should be somewhere in the repository (if you're searching for it, start from this revision.)