Benchmark your Locomotion skills scenario

[Sairait]

I've created a scenario suited for testing everyones Locomotion skills. It should be fairly easy to complete, since there is plenty of opportunities to make money. It's a flatland scenario with no enemy AIs which allows perfect rail network creation with no clutter, and better comparison of your results. This scenario should prove how efficient network can you build, and also how good you are at serving the cities in the area. Again - it should be easy to win, but the question is how fast can YOU be ?

Please, post your results in this thread. You can even brag about how stunning your network is, and attach some screenies for everyone to see

There are two objectives:
- to reach Tycoon rank (100%) as fast as possible
- to have highest city population in January 1950 and/or 2000

Scenario features:
- desert flatland with some random forests and a lot of cactuses
- five cities ready for rapid megalopolis growth
- no enemy AI to spoil your network
- all trains, stations and semafors available
- groups of industries in map corners allow for long straight lines and big payoffs

/Sairait

EDIT: Updated scenario available, see attachments.

Changes in this version:
- starting year 1950
- it is possible to build tunnels
- a slightly different industry placement

[loerelau]

I like your game... I'm playing it all weekend now

Thanx for making it!

[Stylpe]

It's great, 'cept for two things: I can't build underground, and the wineyards are too far away from the wineries, at least when using early trains, ie. you make no money cos the grapes go bad before they arrive.

Maybe they're both deliberate, but they're still annoying. I doubt I'll continue playing this version. I got to 1915 with Mega City One at 30k peeps, and just over 90% performance. I don't know if I'm quite satisfied with myself. Give me a new version! ^_^

[Sairait]

It's great, 'cept for two things: I can't build underground, and the wineyards are too far away from the wineries, at least when using early trains, ie. you make no money cos the grapes go bad before they arrive.

The impossibility of building underground was one of the features I have put there on purpose. However - you're right that it's annoying, and I'll change the next version so that this is possible. I'll change the wineyards as well - I found this bug when playing the scenario myself too and had to abandon wine deliveries for some time ... modern and faster trains can deliver it without problems, so I have two options - change the start date or wineyards locations. What's your opinion ?

Maybe they're both deliberate, but they're still annoying. I doubt I'll continue playing this version. I got to 1915 with Mega City One at 30k peeps, and just over 90% performance. I don't know if I'm quite satisfied with myself. Give me a new version! ^_^

I still haven't finished the scenario either, and have nearly same year/performance/population. I'll post changed version hopefully later today

/Sairait

[ampz]

There are two objectives:
- to reach Tycoon rank (100%) as fast as possible

Tycoon rank is actually 90%..

[Stylpe]

Yay! Later starting date! I hate the slowest earliest engines. It was a bit of a challenge to decide which engine to use for the coal runs, since they have different acceleration and top speeds. Of course they all still suck, and I used a great deal of fast forward to get new trains. So, go for later starting dates.

Tycoon rank is actually 90%..

Yeah, but the goal in the scenario is 100%, which also is Tycoon

[Sairait]

I have added updated version of benchmark scenario ... there are few changes in placing different industries, it's possible to build tunnels now, and the starting year has been changed to 1950.

Goals remain the same
- reach the Tycoon (100%) rank as soon as possible
- have highest total city population in year 2000

/Sairait

[Josve]

Great challenge

Completed it in 27 years and 9 months.
Really nice to play without the incredible stupid AI......

[Sairait]

Here's my result from updated scenario (I played with no breakdowns mod):

Finished in 6 years, 8 months ...

I started by building coal/iron ore to steel mill network in northern part of map and filled it with trains. I had to make a maximum bank loan, but was able to repay it by the end of 1950. Once I had some steady income, I have built tram networks in hamlets to encourage city growth, and connected all cities with a dual track network (clockwise and counterclockwise tracks). These intercity trains didn't make much profit first, but managed to cover their expenses around 1954/55.

Next step was building grape/winery network, connecting five wineyards in northern part of map. This was a mistake, most routes didn't make decent profit until later when 3 trains per route could rotate without waiting in the stations. This is the cause of stagnation in 1952/1953.

In 1953, I tweaked the coal/iron network and added the steel mill to factory connection. By this time, the income was around half a million $ monthly - more than I was able to spend by building new networks and buying trains. I electrified all tracks by this time and changed most of the trains to best electric model available.

Next large project, started in 1954, was the coal/iron to steel mill network in southern part of map. Large part of this network (mostly return routes) was built underground, and it seems to be more efficient than in case of it's northern counterpart, which is built completely on the surface. During 1955, my income quickly raised, and the rating got to 90%+.

By the start of 1956, I had rating of 99,9%, but didn't finish the challenge until September. I was hoping to get over the limit by tweaking the network for a few months, but it didn't seem to help much. I started to build new grain to food plant network, but won the scenarion before any of these grain trains left it's station.

The cities didn't grow much so far, my highest population city was Gotham (506) ... None of the cities accepted mail nor food nor goods by this time, but there is still plenty of time till the year 2000 Train speeds were mostly limited by wagon speed, fastest iron/coal car around could go only 60 mph ...

I'll continue building this map untill 2000 to see how the cities can grow I hope to see more results !

/Sairait

[orion_joel]

Wow Sairait. You build your networks a lot fast then i it appears i have a lot of industries connected but not as well and i am at 1965.

Anyway my Progress.

I started out with the profitable Coal Runs in the north of the map, while also adding a small bus route between each end of Mega City One.

I played with the Grape to Winery in the north until i got a combination that worked well, and added in the Iron Ore Run in the north as well.

I started adding a bit of frame work into Mega City one to try and boost growth a little by adding a trainstation which picked up pretty much every building and adding a ring road to help it develop outwards a bit. On the ring road i put a tram with stops even though most didnt produce or accept passengers. With these the town grew to about 2000 and leveled off till about 1962.

In the mean time i had also added Coal and Iron runs in the south, Lumber from the North and South into the same Paper Mill, then transport for paper to the printing works. Plus a number of Other Oil and chemical Runs.

About 1962 i added a goods route from the printing works into Mega City One. Well must i say this sure helps population growth just a little. In just 3 years the poopulation has grown from 2000-3000 to over 20,500. Which is amazing, even knowing that there are growth abnormalities in the game. I dont see the growth rate continuing though as that would put the city size at over 1million in 2000 i think havent done the sums actually.

Whats to come

Well i have some farm runs in the south planned and some more winery runs in the south as well. Megacity one also now accepts food so some runs fromt he winery to the cuty m ight be in the works. Plus finalise all the chemical and Oil runs and try to ensure as many goods are getting from industry to the city as well. And it looks like more growth for Mega City one population has gone up by about 2000 in the 1 game year i have spent on this post.

Current Stats

Mega City One Pop - 22,500
Rating - 67% (i have lots of work to do here)
Cash - $76,500,000
Company Value - $120,289,000
Earning per Month - $1,233,848

These figures are all in dollers.

Anyway will post again when i get to Y2K

[Leone]

Nice work Sairait. I would like to see in detail how do u make ur rail network, please can u post a savegame after reaching the objective? Thanks

[orion_joel]

Well i have actually restarted this particular scenario as i wasnte happy with the way it turned out previously. And as such i have managed to absolutly blitz my previous effort where i wasnt even close to getting the goal of 100%.

Completed the Scenario in 26 years and 6 months which is probably a little over what most other could. Currently as i write this post i have just a matter of months to go until i get to the year 2000, and have the population figure but i will outline a basic what i have done.

I started with the Coal and Iron Ore runs at the top of the map and then added steel to the factory close to MEga City one. After this I added Lumber from both North and South to the same paper mill to the west of the map.

Next came the start of some passengers rountes primarily between, Mega City One and Tir Na Nog. Also a goods run from the factory near Mega City one once goods were accept. Next i added the paper run from all the lumber being deliver to the printing works also near mega city one. This was quite successful and i added the goods route to this as well into mega city one. Next i added in the Northern Grain farms to the Food Processing Works. And a food run from there to Mega City one.

Next came the Vineyards to the Winery in the north and a subsequent food run into mega city one. finally i have start working on the Oil wells and will follow this with Chemical plants very soon. Also to go is the Grain Farms in the South west all the livestock farms, and there is some other individual industries to be connected.

Have had a number of different industries top over 1000 production and 1 of the oil wells has also exceeded 3000 but dropped off again. The capacity for thsi i have left in place and as such even though many of the trains will have to wait for a load and block the whol lot up it is paying off the Oil well has just annoced increased production again.

the final figure on population for Mega City 1 is 53,788, but this was exceeded by Tir na Nog which has 58,155. The other three cities all have less then 5000 population.

Money has not been an issue since 6 months into the first year as such a run between coal and iron ore to the steel mill was very profitable

Currnet Stats for year 2000.
Mega City one Pop 52,788
Rating - 100% steady for over 10 years
Cash - $3,792,908,374
Company Value - $4,890,361,446
Earnings per month - $33,197,520

Anyway, i think even for somone without much knowledge of the game the great deal of long delivery routes would make this scenario fairly easy for just about anyone. Especially with the flat land for pretty much the whole thing.