HELP! I am a begginner, and I think I am being robbed.

[hiigara]

The situation is this: there is this nice coal mine, and 3 transport companies exploiting it. I am one of them.
All 3 companies have a 3 plaform single line station, all 3 companies have the same type of train with the same number of carriages(5). But whenever I am loading my train, my station coal rating reaches at most 78% whereas the computer companies get to 85%. And even when my percentage is, say 70% and the computer percentage is 68%, the computer quickly gets ahead and reaches 85%, and I for some reason usually get stuck at 73%, reaching 78% sometimes.
Of course that I had to shut down my station, the train would take ages to load.
It's not because of publicity campaigns, because my company rate in the local authority is higher. The only reason I can imagine is maybe because I am rated "Engineer" whereas their companies are "Director" or something else.
Can you please tell me why???

[Szappy]

It's because the computer gets an advantage in rating (ie. it cheats ).

You could try any of the following:
-buy exclusive transport rights for two years, so the competitors do not get any cargo, and shuts down his stations (quite expensive)
-sabotage his trains (connect a depot to his station, and force a cheap train into his one)
-sabotage his signals (connect the end of his station to his depot end)
-lower AI intelligence setting (this lowers his bonus rating)
-build a statue in town (boosts you rating)
-have a train loading at the station all the time (to improve your station rating)

ps. how did you get this nick? Homeworld fan?

[toholio]

Can you please tell me why???

The AI, by default, gets a "bonus" when the station ratings are calculated. My favourite solution is to play multiplayer against other humans instead of the AI.

[hiigara]

Thank you for your help.
Having a train at the station at all times doesn't work.
I tried with a two line station and 2 trains, but the computer with
a single train still had an advantage.
I think I am going to try sabotage.
Yeah, as you may have guessed my nick comes from,
Homeworld, brilliant game.

[Rob]

Another thing you can try is to build a trucksstop and send a truck to full load the cargo and unload it again at the same truckstop.
This will boost your rating quite A LOT, better then a train does anyhow.