Transport Tycoon Forums

Pyoro wrote: That screen is really weird. Quite a few graphical glitches... and somehow looks cut together ^^;

I certainly hope that is from an early build, and no where near what the final product will look like. Very disappointed it turned out to be a Locomotion version...

Well, rollercoaster freeform building and the graphics we're not necessarily the problems with Locomotion for me, so I wouldn't judge the game by them alone. (Kinda forgot why I didn't like it though! Somehow didn't grab me.). Next to that, if you have in mind that he probably wanted to name Locomotion Transport Tycoon 2, it's only fair that this game is called Transport Tycoon as well.

Were there some money/deadline problems with Locomotion? Since it didn't live up to it's potential, my guess was that somehow the game wasn't released as he originally envisioned. Now on the other hand, if Locomotion was precisely what he wanted it to be, my hopes for this game are a bit lower...

This article from gamasutra is an exclusive. So, i think the screenshots were given to gamasutra and are from the very last build of the game. They are promoting the game, so, they interest is to supply the most beautiful screens they can get. These screens are not from an early build or something. And to me, this screens reveal that they just grab locomotion code, replaced "Locomotion" by "Transport tycoon", and (hopefully) changed the interface to a touchscreen friendly one, and call it a 100% new game rewritten from the gound up.

If it is like that, it is sad.

I think it makes perfect sense to call it Transport Tycoon. That name has many more fans than Locomotion.

As for game play, I would say they aim for the general public, so most of the OpenTTD features are way too complicated. They are fun for us, but for casual gamers there are other things you want to work on. Basically, it has to conqueror a place between the other commercial transport titles with fancy 3d graphics (remember, casual gamers, not the few hundred die-hard fans here (no offense intended, but we are not relevant in sale numbers)).

Obviously, you start from the latest version you have, which is Locomotion. Depending how much budget they have left after rewriting the entire application, they may add more features, but with the restricted CPU power, I wouldn't expect much additional features.

Alberth wrote:I think it makes perfect sense to call it Transport Tycoon. That name has many more fans than Locomotion.

Commercially, sure, but morally I don't appreciate people trying to "trick" me. Of course the issue shouldn't be over exaggerated ... but quoting CS

it's probably the most complex game ever to be launched on mobile platforms

... probably the most exaggerated marketing statement I've read in quite a while. The statement would be debatable would he be talking about OTTD and we probably all expect it not to reach that level of complexity (though, who knows, sometimes you're in for a surprise...). It's only fair if both sides are like that

Hmm, quite disappointed. Never did like Locomotion, and this just looks like that. Bleh.
Should probably not have written Loco in asm in the first place, then you could've spent the past three years actually improving gameplay instead of just recreating same-old same-old.

I am still exited though ... I have never played locomotion beyond the demo.

As for actual gameplay ... time will tell but I agree that using the brand Transport Tycoon is a brilliant move.

Darkvater wrote:Should probably not have written Loco in asm in the first place

What makes you think he did that?
To me, it seems far more likely that for Lomo, he started with RollerCoaster 2, which was based on RollerCoaster 1, which was based on TTO, which is written in ASM.

That is good, it lowers chance of some idiotic copyright law attack on OpenTTD.

ChillCore wrote: I agree that using the brand Transport Tycoon is a brilliant move.

Just a side note: that trademark had been unregistered for years, and o/c could have been registered by any third party for a similar game since its trademark withdrawal in 2005 ... (might have resulted in a legal debate nonetheless, but who knows).

regards
Michael

Wahoo! Can't wait. May get a bigger phone.

Wonder if maps / scenarios will still work?

I'm not upset by this at all. Mainly because I have no reason or right to.

However, consider the fact that Chris Sawyer considered Locomotion to be the "spiritual successor" to Transport Tycoon. This is the next version of TTD that he wanted to release. I don't think that anybody is being "tricked", it's just the name of a game.

I am disappointed that it appears he has stuck with the old 2D graphics, which is much of what critics panned. Personally, I think Locomotion just looks too dark and too grim. If I'm playing a game that's just supposed to be fun, I like brighter colors. Part of the reason why I like OpenGFX.

Oh well, that said, best of luck to Mr. Sawyer now that he's got all his IP ducks in a row.

michael blunck wrote:

ChillCore wrote: I agree that using the brand Transport Tycoon is a brilliant move.

Just a side note: that trademark had been unregistered for years, and o/c could have been registered by any third party for a similar game since its trademark withdrawal in 2005 ... (might have resulted in a legal debate nonetheless, but who knows).

regards
Michael

Is that in the EU only? It seems to have survived in the US without ever being withdrawn:

http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74590 ... atusSearch

EDIT: Wow, it has some history!

According to this filing it was assigned to Mr Sawyer in 2010

http://assignments.uspto.gov/assignment ... 5-0804.pdf

then his new company the next year, just a couple of months later!

http://assignments.uspto.gov/assignment ... 1-0325.pdf


At one point in 1998 it was given to a bank! It was returned a while later. Was it collateral for some capital perhaps?!

http://assignments.uspto.gov/assignment ... 9-0315.pdf

Born Acorn wrote: [Micropose ./. Imperial Bank]
Was it collateral for some capital perhaps?!

"debtor entered into a trademark security"

regards
Michael

michael blunck wrote:

ChillCore wrote: I agree that using the brand Transport Tycoon is a brilliant move.

Just a side note: that trademark had been unregistered for years, and o/c could have been registered by any third party for a similar game since its trademark withdrawal in 2005 ... (might have resulted in a legal debate nonetheless, but who knows).

regards
Michael

I was aware of that fact but thank you for reminding me nevertheless.

My friend knows how much I love TT so emailed me telling me about this (I hadn't seen it yet).

I just saw the Gamasutra screenies and I'm not interested any more. All I am getting are bad memories of Locomotion. You know, brick viaducts covering the ground like knotweed, broken vehicle pathfinding and urban sprawl.

Even if those things were fixed, it'll feel too simple after playing OpenTTD, too limiting and restrictive.

Perhaps the shots from Locomotion are just placeholders for the moment? IMO Locomotion failed because of the gameplay, not because of the graphics. Assuming they don't have access to screenshots of the actual TT2013, using shots from LoMo makes more sense than using shots of TT.

Oh, how could I haven't aware of this ?

... Apart from your bad speculations and expectations, fallen popcorns and messy seats, just look at the good side that's really hard for us to achieve :
There'll be a real iOS port of the game ! Woo !

DISCLAIMER : none of my device runs iOS, but this guy would be happy.

Edit: In reply to the now moved discussion, mentioned below.


[OT]

with graphics by Simon Foster

:/

Regards
ChillCore.

Please talk about OpenTTD for iOS in the OpenTTD forum instead.