The Definitive Station Ratings

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Patchman
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The Definitive Station Ratings

Post by Patchman »

Due to popular demand, I tried to find out the actual formula TTD uses to
calculate station ratings. And I succeeded! Here it is:


Rating out of 255[1] =
-90 (base value)
+ LastVisitRating
+ CargoRating
+ SpeedRating
+ AgeRating
+ StatueRating
+ ComputerRating

In Percent: Rating / 255 * 100%

This gives the maximum value attainable, the actual rating will grow or
decay to that value in a certain amount of time.


Maximum: 271.5, or 106% for people
334.5, or 131% for highly intelligent (yeah, right!) computers



LastVisitRating: (Ships four times longer)
130 < 3 days
95 < 6 days
50 < 12 days
25 < 21 days
0 >=21 days

Total Value: 130 (51%)

CargoRating:
130 < 100 units[2]
120 < 300 units
100 < 600 units
90 < 1000 units
55 < 1500 units
0 >=1500 units

Total Value: 130 (51%)

SpeedRating:
(LastSpeed[3] - 85mph)/4

Total Value: 42.5 (17%)

AgeRating:
33 < 1 year[4]
20 < 2 years
10 < 3 years
0 >=3 years

Total Value: 33 (13%)

StatueRating:
26 if Statue in city

Total Value: 26 (10%)

ComputerRating: [only for computer players]
63 high intelligence
31 medium intelligence
0 low intelligence

Total Value: 63 (25%)


[1] That's how they are calculated internally
[2] units: passengers, bags, tons or 100 liters
[3] or 255mph, whichever is lower
[4] age: current year - year built (changes Jan 1)


Conclusions from this message are left as an exercise to the reader :p

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Josef Drexler | http://publish.uwo.ca/~jdrexler/
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Patchman
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Re: The Definitive Station Ratings

Post by Patchman »

In article <MPG.1276f48ab1a0400b989...@news1.on.sympatico.ca>, Josef
Drexler says...
[Following up to myself... How odd...]
AgeRating:
33 < 1 year[4]
20 < 2 years
10 < 3 years
0 >=3 years
[4] age: current year - year built (changes Jan 1)
Clarification: that is the age of the last carriage of that type of
cargo, not that of the engine. The engine only matters for the speed.

--
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Steven Lalewicz

Re: The Definitive Station Ratings

Post by Steven Lalewicz »

Josef Drexler wrote in message ...
Due to popular demand, I tried to find out the actual formula TTD uses to
calculate station ratings. And I succeeded! Here it is:


Rating out of 255[1] =
-90 (base value)
+ LastVisitRating
+ CargoRating
+ SpeedRating
+ AgeRating
+ StatueRating
+ ComputerRating

In Percent: Rating / 255 * 100%

This gives the maximum value attainable, the actual rating will grow or
decay to that value in a certain amount of time.


Maximum: 271.5, or 106% for people
334.5, or 131% for highly intelligent (yeah, right!) computers

[snip]

Hi Josef,

Brilliant stuff! Guess it is time for me to retire from the table making
business.
I doubt I would have ever discovered some of the other subilties like cargo
rating and last visited rating.

As I filled in more of my table it was clear that trains with same speed had
the same values.

I can't believe it has the age depending on the last carriage. I managed
after about four/five years to close down an AI line by come 1st Jan sending
my trains to the depot for a brand new last carriage. I managed to keep a
pretty constant 87% and it 84% but it was enough to starve it of cargo.
However when it highest rating is 86% (for a 4 yr old Electric) I've not
managed to make the other train have a loss yet (so I spent a small fortune
on exclusive transport rights, will see if that works, looks like a statue
would have been a better bet).

My experimental results showed me for a 100mph train, I can get a max rating
of 87%. Looking at your formula

-90 + 130 + 130 + (100-85)/4 + 33 + 0 + 0 = 206.75 / 255 * 100 = 81.07%

Is there something I'm missing?

Regards,
Steve.
--
Josef Drexler | http://publish.uwo.ca/~jdrexler/
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Edward Bernard

Congratulations!

Post by Edward Bernard »

Well done to all those who have worked so hard in working these out. We know
finally have an answer to any newbies who come along and ask for some
formula for it. It looks rather complex though!

Eddie
Patchman
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Posts: 7575
Joined: 02 Oct 2002 18:57
Location: Ithaca, New York
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Re: The Definitive Station Ratings

Post by Patchman »

In article <7uket1$eu...@hyperion.mfltd.co.uk>, Steven Lalewicz says...
Brilliant stuff! Guess it is time for me to retire from the table making
business.
I doubt I would have ever discovered some of the other subilties like cargo
rating and last visited rating.

As I filled in more of my table it was clear that trains with same speed had
the same values.

I can't believe it has the age depending on the last carriage.
From looking at the code, it looks like they wanted it to be the
*average* age, but due to a bug it only takes the age of the last
carriage.
I managed
after about four/five years to close down an AI line by come 1st Jan sending
my trains to the depot for a brand new last carriage. I managed to keep a
pretty constant 87% and it 84% but it was enough to starve it of cargo.
However when it highest rating is 86% (for a 4 yr old Electric) I've not
managed to make the other train have a loss yet (so I spent a small fortune
on exclusive transport rights, will see if that works, looks like a statue
would have been a better bet).
Yup. I'm pretty astonished, actually, about how much a statue does. It
will increase station rating by 10%, for all stations and forever. So
far, I only thought it's "nice" to have a statue but didn't really see
the point. I guess there is one after all...
My experimental results showed me for a 100mph train, I can get a max rating
of 87%. Looking at your formula

-90 + 130 + 130 + (100-85)/4 + 33 + 0 + 0 = 206.75 / 255 * 100 = 81.07%

Is there something I'm missing?
No, my list was slightly incorrect. I had my distance units set to
kilometers, but thought it was miles. So all values have to be taken in
kilometers. The 85 still is the same value in km/h without correction,
and 100mph is 160km/h (in TTD world), so that gives 86.96%, nicely
matching your 87%.

--
Josef Drexler | http://publish.uwo.ca/~jdrexler/
---------------------------------+---------------------------------------
Please help Conserve Gravity | To email me, please change the country
Carry a helium balloon. | code to .ca - Death to Spammers!
Steven Lalewicz

Re: The Definitive Station Ratings

Post by Steven Lalewicz »

Josef Drexler wrote in message ...
In article <7uket1$eu...@hyperion.mfltd.co.uk>, Steven Lalewicz says...

Brilliant stuff! Guess it is time for me to retire from the table making
business.
I doubt I would have ever discovered some of the other subilties like
cargo
rating and last visited rating.

As I filled in more of my table it was clear that trains with same speed
had
the same values.

I can't believe it has the age depending on the last carriage.

From looking at the code, it looks like they wanted it to be the
*average* age, but due to a bug it only takes the age of the last
carriage.
Before you mentioned this bug, I was thinking, if one wanted to take
advantage of the higher ratings a brand new trains gives, they have to time
it very well. Make sure the AI station you are trying to close down does not
have too much back log of cargo (cause it won't make any loss). I think it
takes about a year and a half of negative profits for the AI to close down a
line.

I'll have to work out the ethics of using this bug (I really hate the depot
trick of making your train crash into one of theirs, I may as well turn off
AI competitors).
I managed
after about four/five years to close down an AI line by come 1st Jan
sending
my trains to the depot for a brand new last carriage. I managed to keep a
pretty constant 87% and it 84% but it was enough to starve it of cargo.
However when it highest rating is 86% (for a 4 yr old Electric) I've not
managed to make the other train have a loss yet (so I spent a small
fortune
on exclusive transport rights, will see if that works, looks like a
statue
would have been a better bet).

Yup. I'm pretty astonished, actually, about how much a statue does. It
will increase station rating by 10%, for all stations and forever. So
far, I only thought it's "nice" to have a statue but didn't really see
the point. I guess there is one after all...
Building a statue is brilliant. Managed ratings of 97% (100mph) and 99%
(110mph). Wiped out a 3ish yrs old AI electric train which was getting 86%.
Mind you it was still pretty tough.

I think the (coal for example) must still be distribited to both stations,
so it was still getting enough coal to make some money. I build a second
station of my own to try and reduce the percentage of coal going to the AI.

Two things happened. One, it would not give any coal to my brand new
station. I guessed perhaps it's initial rating was too low. So I let my
other station rating fall quite drastically, coal started to appear in the
new station.

Second observation, I then got the ratings back up to 99%. I have a feeling
it only distributes coal (what ever) to only two stations. I had the AI
train sitting there for one 1 1/2 years and not one ton of coal was added to
it. After about 1 1/2 years of negative profit, it shut the line down.

(time to start a new thread perhaps).

I've managed to close down now quite consistantly several competitor lines.

Of course the AI in several years will build another station besides your
again and it all starts all over again.

I think I'll save the money I use on exclusive transport rights buying
shares instead (in companies which are doing really well).
My experimental results showed me for a 100mph train, I can get a max
rating
of 87%. Looking at your formula

-90 + 130 + 130 + (100-85)/4 + 33 + 0 + 0 = 206.75 / 255 * 100 = 81.07%

Is there something I'm missing?

No, my list was slightly incorrect. I had my distance units set to
kilometers, but thought it was miles. So all values have to be taken in
kilometers. The 85 still is the same value in km/h without correction,
and 100mph is 160km/h (in TTD world), so that gives 86.96%, nicely
matching your 87%.
Thanks!

It is also good to see clearly how the computer plays too. At least it is in
this case playing by some rules (even if they are weighed in it's favour).
When I first saw the excessive ratings I was convinced it was cheating, and
that kind of thing really lowers my opinion of a game.

Regards,
Steve.
--
Josef Drexler | http://publish.uwo.ca/~jdrexler/
---------------------------------+---------------------------------------
Please help Conserve Gravity | To email me, please change the country
Carry a helium balloon. | code to .ca - Death to Spammers!
Christie Lewis

Re: Congratulations!

Post by Christie Lewis »

Yeah, this is a success story. Steven launched the investigation, Josef
figured out the equation which has now been circulated in the newsgroup, and
already people are telling us how handy it is. Cheers all 'round.
--

/--< Signature >--------------------------------------------\
| Sender : Christie Lewis |
| ICQ : 52536504 |
\--------------------------------------------------< EOF >--/

Edward Bernard <Edw...@ebernard.greatxscape.net> wrote in message
news:7ul980$qg0$5@news6.svr.pol.co.uk...
Well done to all those who have worked so hard in working these out. We
know
finally have an answer to any newbies who come along and ask for some
formula for it. It looks rather complex though!

Eddie
Stephen Down

Re: The Definitive Station Ratings

Post by Stephen Down »

Steven Lalewicz wrote:
negative profit
??

Do you mean 'loss'?


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Steven Lalewicz

Re: The Definitive Station Ratings

Post by Steven Lalewicz »

Stephen Down wrote in message <38163139.9AE4D...@york.ac.oook>...
Steven Lalewicz wrote:

negative profit

??

Do you mean 'loss'?
When you click on a train and bring up it's info. There is a number called
profit. When it's negative for over a year, the AI usually sells up. That is
what I meant by negative profit. But yes, loss is probably better English,
not that I can see the difference.

Regards,
Steve.
--
email address spam-trapped:
see if yooo can spot it
Rémi Denis-Courmont

Re: Negative Profit

Post by Rémi Denis-Courmont »

Steven Lalewicz <s...@mfltd.co.uk> a écrit dans le message :
7v6pm6$q2...@hyperion.mfltd.co.uk...
Stephen Down wrote in message <38163139.9AE4D...@york.ac.oook>...
Steven Lalewicz wrote:

negative profit

??
Profit = (total incomes)/year - (total running costs)/year.
If costs are greater than incomes, profit is negative.

Note: costs excludes building/buying costs.

--
Rémi Denis-Courmont
(remove numbers from address to reply)
Trikky

Re: The Definitive Station Ratings

Post by Trikky »

Stephen Down <sjd...@york.ac.oook> wrote in message
news:38163139.9AE4D12C@york.ac.oook...
negative profit
??
Do you mean 'loss'?
Don't be so pessamistic......Thats my job.....B-)
--
Trikky

ICQ- 51210676
Tri...@Transport-Tycoon.co.uk
Edward Bernard

Re: The Definitive Station Ratings

Post by Edward Bernard »

Don't be so pessamistic......Thats my job.....B-)
Nice to see you taking your role seriously :-)

Rqqvr
Edward Bernard

Re: The Definitive Station Ratings - Acronyms!

Post by Edward Bernard »

Christie Lewis <christiele...@worldmailer.com> wrote in message
news:7vhb7q$lvn$2@news5.svr.pol.co.uk...
Another Acronym!

Rqqvr

Infoplease
You seem to have worked it out, if reading a later post is anything to go
by.

Rqqvr = Eddie once unscrambled with ROT-13 coding.
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