Railroads - what the hell they do exactly?

[apostatedogfish]

Is there any formula for trade routes? I'd think quicker over-land travel ought to increase the yield of trade routes. Does the game calculate distance vs. time of trade routes or is the system not that complex?

[Fleetwood]

I think a commerce boost for cities conected by rail (esp foreign ones) would be a great addition.

PS: LOVE railroading every sqaure (obses compulse)

never have so many, owed so much, to so few

- the fat british cigar smoker

[Hayden]

Originally posted by Fried-Psitalon
Actually, your exact and precise words were...

It no longer is the critical technology it used to be.

That's pretty clear.

The effect has been tapered, but the effect of everything has been tapered and more effects added. There is no single massive advantage anymore, just a growing number of small ones.

Haha ok fair point

But yeah I think we both agree with each other anyway.

[baboon]

Originally posted by Fried-Psitalon

It no longer is the critical technology it used to be.

That's pretty clear.

That's the whole idea of Civ4 it seems, there hardly is anything you can't work around or do without. Which is good I think.

[dschur]

Originally posted by baboon


That's the whole idea of Civ4 it seems, there hardly is anything you can't work around or do without. Which is good I think.

Except Oil. I found that without Oil I was finished. I could build decent naval units because I did have uranium, but without Oil my military pretty much ground to a halt.

[khearn]

Originally posted by dschur


Except Oil. I found that without Oil I was finished. I could build decent naval units because I did have uranium, but without Oil my military pretty much ground to a halt.

Pretty much what the Germans found out in WWII. Except they didn't even have the fission tech to use uranium.

[Addled Platypus]

Originally posted by Skanky Burns


Whilst it is besides the point, I happen to enjoy railroading every last tile.

how true

especially long distances, and up to the war front

[Golden Bear]

I don't mind the new system with production boost only on the mined, etc. squares. Except...

If they were going to do that, they could have done a better job with the visuals. It is possible to have a connecting RR line between cities that is all but invisible. The ugly CIII RRs at least left no confusion about whether there was one in the square.

I would like to see a long and slender RR connecting cities at the point where I am just making my city-joining network.

[khearn]

Originally posted by Golden Bear

If they were going to do that, they could have done a better job with the visuals. It is possible to have a connecting RR line between cities that is all but invisible. The ugly CIII RRs at least left no confusion about whether there was one in the square.

I would like to see a long and slender RR connecting cities at the point where I am just making my city-joining network.

I agree. I've seen railroaded squares with other railroads to the east and west, where the railroad from the west turns south and dead-ends at the south side of the square (where there is no further railroad), and the railroad from the east turns north and dead-ends at the north side of the square (again, no connection to the north). So visually, the railroad doesn't connect across the square. It works fine functionally, but I'd much prefer to see an unbroken ribbon of rails from one side to the other.

[aracuan_76]

wow

wow,

it seems that i burn flames with my question!a lot of replies have taken place.thats good cause a lot of people should test their opinion about this matter.
on our subject,i do not agree with many of u.i think u should knkow that railroads i m saying again brought the major revolution in transportation and in trade!
it was the giant step from horses to steam power.if some of u have read"once upon a time was man"u would realise this.WHEREVER TRAIN PASSES BY ALL HOUSES,FIELDS,TOWNS TRADE AND VALUE IN THAT ERA WAS INCREASED VERY MUCH.so from pure realistic,historical view the underestimate of that discovery is wrong.
a simple example:which city u think is generating more trade?
a city that trains passes by?
or a city that doens have train station?
conlcusions yours.
about that edit that my dear friend from america told me to change about the xml file editing railroads,i m sorry but i dont know how.sad is that in civ 3 we had an editor.THINGS HERE ARE MUCH MORE COMPLICATED.WE ARE INFORCED SOMEHOW TO LEARN AND USE PYTHON,VIPER,COMBRAS,BOA,and other snake programms cause sid meier and his friends considered it better to edit the game through external programms only instead of working a bit more and conclude an editor on the game,like civ 3.
i have download python then and some other but it seems we need a big job and plenty of weeks in order to manage to make a mod of our own.if anyone of u has manage something in this i will gladly hear how he did it.but we must intervene.freaky things are happening.ITS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE BOMBERS WITH ONE PASS,OR 2 CANNOT SING A GALLEY OR A TRIREME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
these gentlemen before they release this game didnt see that?and they were satisied with that???

[Capt Dizle]

I would have liked commerce increase also, but I would also have liked cost (in worker turns) to increase exponitially to add a little strategy in determining exactly where to build them first.

And AI pillaging would be that much more damaging.

[QuestGAV]

It's great and all that you think railroads were that crucial aracuan, but so were each and every one of the other technologies portrayed in the game. Each technology is designed to represent a watershed moment in human societal development that changed lives and the way we look at life. Railroads are definitely an important invention - but more crucial than development of writing and alphabet? Machinery and motorized transportation?

Anyway, all of that is secondary to gameplay. In Civ 1-3 the massive production bonuses of Railroad made the tech a no-brainer. There was simply no valid alternative to beelining for railroad, it was the only way to get the most out of your land. Bringing the benefits of the Railroad technology in line with the benefits of choosing a different path is an excellent example of why Civ4 provides a better gameplay experience for the player. You have more options for success available to you, providing more interesting choices and greater value to the consumer.