Is there a way to set the initial direction of vehicles

[Cidron]

Subject pretty much says it. Can you, as you purchase your vehicle, set the initial direction of its travel (aside from trams, which you can lay on one rail pair, or the other). Mainly I mean busses, and loco/trains.

[chevyrider]

Trains and buses always start in western direction.
If you want it to the otherway, turn your map 180 degrees and it will run the otherway.
For trains: they will ofcourse take the direction the signals allow.
For buses: They go up and down between to stations.
In the English scenarios they drive on the left side of the road.

[Severous]

If building on pause...or you press pause as soon as you place the bus...then there is a direction of travel icon on the right hand side of the vehicle picture. Hit that will flip the facing.

I build tram routes without turns on each end. One tram justs runs up and down one side of the road. When I want a second tram on the other tram track then do as Chevy says and rotate the map view and hey presto you can now add the new tram to the other track.

[Cidron]

Hmm. So you are saying that you build trams in basically two lines, instead of a single (elongated misshapen) oval? Interesting.

Do you build thruout a city connecting all your tram stops, or do you build many two station lines in the same city? If one over the other, please explain what benefits one style would have over the other

[Severous]

My play style is unorthodox and no doubt will be critisied by the purists...

http://img127.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img127& ... ger1bl.png

The tram runs up and down a short route. The station names are dragged away by bits of station. The tram runs three squares but is paid for about 20. Do this at every big town and trams can earn big time. The best earn over 100 times their running costs.

Once the tram cannot cope I add another one to the other track. Once thats not enough...which needs really big town...then add a similar route somewhere else.

[Budahack]

The station names are dragged away by bits of station. The tram runs three squares but is paid for about 20.

Im curious how you make a single station so spread out...??? I'm guessing you create a large station, then delete parts of it? From your pic, it appears that stations have 12+ empty sections in their center, yet normally, station area of influence only reaches 4 squares away.

Looks like a tremendous money wagon though!

[Severous]

Follow the 'A' to 'I' for the build sequence of Dallas station. As you build the position of station name 'Dallas' is recalculated to be in the centre of the station pieces. I cannot build 'I' because its more than 8 tiles away from the centre. Next step for Dallas is rip up pieces B, C, D. This will move the average centre of the station further away from A and also allow placing 'I' becuase it will now be less than 8 tiles away from the new centre of the station. I could also add more station right next to 'H' which will also drag the station name further away.

Its possible to drag a station name over a 100 tiles away. But you are burning money, and maybe time, as you do this.

For the other station, 'Dallas Oilfield', I cannot place 'K' first. Its only 2 squares away from 'A' so the game will think im trying to place another piece of 'Dallas'. So 'J' goes in first. Its 3 tiles away so is a new station. 'K' can now go in because being right next to 'J' its deemed part of its station. Now need to extend the 'Dallas Oilfield' out of town in the other direction just like I did for 'Dallas' station.

Add bus or tram as required.

In the game shot further up this thread I was playing to complete the medium North America Midwest scenario using just that type of tram. The high tram profitability bumps up the company value which that scenario is all about.

The other impact of this approach is that the station catchment area is now very big. More passengers = more revenue = more profit.

Try it. Its about the only way to make lorries very profitable.