Panama, Detroit and greater Los Angeles area

[robo]

This is a map I created with the tool Simcity4-terraformer, which is a standalone tool (for a short description see the thread for mapgen).
It's very easy to create mountains and rivers with this tool.
The map is not the "real" thing, but inspired by some reading about the old Panama railroad
http://www.trainweb.org/panama/history1.html
and if you want, you can build a small piece of a canal.

No mods required.

[robo]

Here's just another landscape I made with the SC4-Terraformer, a free adaptation of the US Midwest. I tried to optimize it for easy playing and especially for computer opponents allowed to use primarly ships, but also trucks and busses.
The only mod required is the basic automod 2.6 mod from plasticman available from amitrains.
The original scenario coming with this nice mod is really difficult (at least for me ), so I made this one, which is less challenging. The "challenge" is to deliver 35000 automobiles and be the top performing company, but the basic idea is to cooperate with AI-players whereever you can.

[CRATSCH]

nice looking one....i try it when i get home.

[robo]

If you like to relax and take your time to develop this map, it may be better to disable the option to allow computer opponents to use busses, because cities may grow faster than you can build . Trucks and ships on the other side can be very helpful, because there are many industries on the map.

[rdrdrdrd]

just a tip, thin out the industries so there aren't raw materials and production facilities right next to each-other

[robo]

just a tip, thin out the industries so there aren't raw materials and production facilities right next to each-other

You can adapt the industries to your playing style, but the computer opponents only use ships for short distances and direct connections, trucks are less problematic but similar. Computer opponents can be helpful to maximize the output of mines, too.
It adds more fun to the game, if you can cooperate with truck and ship companies.
The automobile industry is concentrated in Detroit, there are natural reasons for this (short distances to suppliers).
Another problem to take into account is that there's no storage of rawmaterials and products in Locomotion and especially if you have a complicated chain as in the automobile industry, too much freight is going lost on it's way if you can't deliver in one month.
You can build new industries whereever you like if the map is more developped.
I normally use normal trains (8-10 cars), the game may be different and your suggestions right if you use very long trains.


Detroit with additional Dekosoft mod and installed Provomap (busses not allowed).Trains transporting automobiles are still rather small, because I try to deliver them to all connected main cities.

[uktrackbuilder_loco]

Here's just another landscape I made with the SC4-Terraformer, a free adaptation of the US Midwest. I tried to optimize it for easy playing and especially for computer opponents allowed to use primarly ships, but also trucks and busses.
The only mod required is the basic automod 2.6 mod from plasticman available from amitrains.
The original scenario coming with this nice mod is really difficult (at least for me ), so I made this one, which is less challenging. The "challenge" is to deliver 35000 automobiles and be the top performing company, but the basic idea is to cooperate with AI-players whereever you can.

Nice landscape, sorry but un usable to me Can you do a mod free version?

[robo]

Nice landscape, sorry but un usable to me Can you do a mod free version?

I hope the map is working correctly with the basic automod or did you experience any missing files or other problems?
I saw that there's a minor problem with the translation of the new products automobiles, plastic pellets and scrapmetall if you play a non-english version. You have to translate them by yourself manually with locotool.
I couldn't clean up the scenario, but here's the basic landscape (no trees, industries and towns)
Perhaps someone want to offer an alternativ version of it.

[bluebeetle]

Nice landscape, sorry but un usable to me Can you do a mod free version?

I hope the map is working correctly with the basic automod or did you experience any missing files or other problems?
I couldn't clean up the scenario, but here's the basic landscape (no trees, industries and towns)
Perhaps someone want to offer an alternativ version of it.

its how i like maps too, without industries and so forth, looks pretty good. but where are u getting your grayscale maps from. i am having a hard time finding any good ones lol.

[robo]

its how i like maps too, without industries and so forth, looks pretty good. but where are u getting your grayscale maps from. i am having a hard time finding any good ones lol.

http://www.rebel13.com/SimCity/Home.html
I found a greyscale image for the US-Midwest in a large version somewhere in the railroads forum. I already played this map in the railroad tycoon3 demo, too. http://www.hookedgamers.com/forums/view ... 747418ff06

You can import greyscale images with the SC4-terraformer and create a landscape like this very quickly.

Another thing, some people seem to be interested in the panama map, I found some nice screenshots of panama city and was very surprised.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthrea ... anama+city
One thing I didn't like about the panama map is, that the tropical vegetation is getting brown in the winter season (because there's no tropical climate zone in Locomotion, but on the other side, railroad development in tropical climates probably never was very important compared to US or Britain)


Here's a savegame of the detroit scenario with computer opponents, if someone is interested. It requires only the basic auto Autoplant Mod 2.6, because there's so much stuff available I tried to keep it small, although I missed some of the addons. Another thing is that I'm not an train expert and don't know what trains to use in this region (apart from the dekosoft trains probably).
As the cities build and destroy autodealers I had temporely some problems with changing demand, but found a way to get around it.
This mod could need some trucks transporting automobiles to road freight stations to adress this, apart from that a well thought out mod.

[robo]

I never played MS Train simulator, but after reading about the Tehachapi and Cajon pass route as entry points into the Los Angeles area , I was curious how the greater Los Angeles area would look in locomotion and created this "highly compressed" map. I believe it's not too bad, but fans of long trains probably won't like it.
I believe the pass routes are very easy too build and you can run long trains for example between Bakersfield and LA or Bartow and LA, the challenge is too manage high traffic in the cramped space of the highly urbanized LA area. One solution is to build partially underground, for example it's possible to build something similar to the Alameda Corridor, I saw there's even a scenario available for this corridor.
The map doesn't require any mods and uses standard industries. Their placement is only a proposition, you can adapt them to your playing-style. Los Angeles is a major industrial center (http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The- ... onomy.html), probably you can place every industry you want, even oil drilling, but I couldn't see any agriculture on modern photos and the only river on the map (Mojave river) has no water. http://maps.google.de/maps?hl=de&q=grea ... a=N&tab=wl


UP's City of Los Angeles train and Almeda Corridor in the background.png