Locomotion AkA Transport Tycoon 2?

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by Standup
I really don't get the signals though. Placing double signals on a track with only one train on it the train stopped and wouldn't go past ? Why ? If there's nothing else on the whole network why would it stop ?

Sounds like something else is wrong, are the rails where it stopped connected right?

Also is there anyway to stop trains turning around and heading back to where they came from when they find a stop signal ?

Im still looking for something like that, just to order the train to stay there forever until the signal changes.

Do 'one way' signals turn the track into one way tracks or do they only hold traffic in that direction ?

They just direct the traffic.

I finished the beginner map with a three platform station because otherwise my trains just went nowhere - doesn't seem very efficent.

I manage to complete all the beginner and easy scenarios without using one proper junction, just A-B lines all the time and still doing it now with the first medium scenario.

If i set a vehicle to wait for full load does it pick up partial loads until its full or does it wait for a station to have the complete load ? Viewing the vehicle info tab it seems to be the latter which may be why i struggled to pick up any steel - it seems to drain away very fast.

It waits in the station until its got full cargo and picks up any cargo that comes to that station while its waiting.

I've spent ages trying to work out why trains or trucks are going to a station and eventually it's because the track isn't connected properly although the graphics make this hard to tell.

Yes i had that too, where the curved track meets a straight track sometimes it doesnt intersect perfectly but goes so close you dont notice until the train refuses to go there.

[Adagio]

Why does some trains just go to one station and then turn around, even though it's supposed to go to some station far away?

In the attached save I have 2 passenger stations (and about 4 other stations), with one train going between those two... or at least it's supposed to... For some reason the passenger train only goes between the two first stations... why?

[Maquiladora]

When i loaded it up it was going to each station fine...... then eventually it got stuck with another train at a 3 way junction that couldnt hold more than 1 train simutaneously. That may be why it looked like it wasnt going to both stations, because it turns back occaisionally when it gets stuck at that junction.

On that occaision with the 2 passenger stations it wouldve been easier to run a bridge over the junction and have a single private A to B line for the passenger train.

[Maquiladora]

In case you havent read the manual or havent got one, heres some good things i found from it.

===========

• Local: Local vehicles stop at all stations and stops along the
defined vehicle route regardless of whether the Route List orders
the vehicle to stop there. Local routes are ideal for densely
populated areas where busy stations are plentiful.
• Express: Express vehicles stop only at the stations designated as
stops on their Route List, ignoring all other stops that they pass
along the way. Long haul vehicles and vehicles carrying cargo that
must be delivered to a distant destination in a timely fashion
should be set to Express service.

===========

Company Value = Cash – Loan + potential sale price of all currently active
vehicles + (32 x current monthly profit of all vehicles)

===========

Performance Index

This statistic is calculated based on two factors:

• Monthly Units of Cargo Delivered x Delivery Distance: The amount
of cargo you successfully deliver every month multiplied by the
distance the cargo was delivered.
• Monthly Vehicle Profit/Loss: Positive cash flow with regard to your
vehicles leads to a higher rating. Vehicles whose operating costs
exceed their income detract from your rating.

===========

Interfering With Industry Output

The cargo output levels of many industries are affected by their
surroundings. For example, a grain farm’s output depends on the
number of fields around it. If the fields the farm is using, get cleared
or covered up — by trees, roads, tracks, buildings, and so on —
output drops.

Take extra care not to destroy the resources that allow local
industries to produce in your haste to expand your transportation
network. If space is available, these industries might attempt to
increase output — in this example, by creating new fields in the
surrounding landscape squares — but the best way to ensure a
steady production rate is to avoid the random destruction of valuable
industry resources.

===========

[DRoseDARs]

So I noticed in today's Circuit City ad that they are offering a $10 discount on the game, bringing it down to $19.99*. I went in earlier today and saw neither the game nor a tag for it anywhere on the shelves. Called them a few minutes ago wondering if they just hadn't put it on the shelves yet by the time I got there (noon-ish).

"Oh, it sold out."

Now, it's one thing to not get there in time to buy from their limited stock-on-hand ... it's another to be blatantly lied to inspite of having been told just moments before that I HAD BEEN THERE IN PERSON NOT FIVE HOURS AGO AND CHECKED THE SHELVES MYSELF, THAT'S WHY I'M CALLING YOU NOW YOU STUPID GIT!!!

"We're expecting another shipment later this week."
"Can I get a raincheck?"
"No."







*Note: Circuit City is the only place I saw with a reduced price. Amazon, Walmart, EBGames, Atari, Best Buy ... all had it listed at or near $29.99. Circuit City's discount is good through Sept. 18th per today's ad.

[Joseph]

Originally posted by DRoseDARs


So I noticed in today's Circuit City ad that they are offering a $10 discount on the game, bringing it down to $19.99*. I went in earlier today and saw neither the game nor a tag for it anywhere on the shelves. Called them a few minutes ago wondering if they just hadn't put it on the shelves yet by the time I got there (noon-ish).

"Oh, it sold out."

Now, it's one thing to not get there in time to buy from their limited stock-on-hand ... it's another to be blatantly lied to inspite of having been told just moments before that I HAD BEEN THERE IN PERSON NOT FIVE HOURS AGO AND CHECKED THE SHELVES MYSELF, THAT'S WHY I'M CALLING YOU NOW YOU STUPID GIT!!!

"We're expecting another shipment later this week."
"Can I get a raincheck?"
"No."







*Note: Circuit City is the only place I saw with a reduced price. Amazon, Walmart, EBGames, Atari, Best Buy ... all had it listed at or near $29.99. Circuit City's discount is good through Sept. 18th per today's ad.

I check Target and Wal Mart today 9/12 and no game, however I did order it on line and should have it by Wed.

[Adagio]

Originally posted by Maquiladora
In case you havent read the manual or havent got one, heres some good things i found from it.

Thx... I checked the pdf file, but couldn't find anything usefull from just quick-reading...

[DRoseDARs]

Installing it now! Well, shortly anyway...

Though, I should note that Circuit City tried to mess with me one last time: Brought it to the register and it rang up as thirty-something dollars. I had the weekly ad in hand, so she rerang it up as $21.46. No matter; I have my game now.

[gjramsey]

wahoo! I just finished the first scenario. Not real sure what finally triggered the 10% thingy, but now on to number 2!

[Joseph]

Originally posted by gjramsey
wahoo! I just finished the first scenario. Not real sure what finally triggered the 10% thingy, but now on to number 2!

Mine was here when I got home and have played the first scenario also.

[Standup]

Getting the hang of it so long as i don't get ambitious - signals and junctions ? pah straight lines and lots of stations for me are fine
Just finishing off the 'easy' scenarios.

But a couple of gameplay questions.

According to the graph in the game the price received is based upon the cargo type and delivery time. Does distance come into this ? Wonderful as early helicopters and planes are they don't seem to make me that much profit.

Demand seems to be a simple on/off. Price doesn't seem to change much. Does this mean that i can flood a small village with passengers and still get the same price throughout the scenario ? There will be no 'return fare' but that's not always needed.

Industries seem to be able to take as much raw materials as you can chuck as them without prices dropping. They do seem to have a minimum amount before they start producing. Trucks and industry seem a bit pointless.

Is there an easy way to upgrade vehicles ? At the moment i buy the new one, copy the route and then sell the old one.

Is there an easy way to destroy bus stops and stations ?

Station platforms - i seem to be able to run trains longer than the platform but they take much longer to unload/load ? Or is this just my imagination ?

What influences town growth, if anything ? Some seem to grow regardless and others i'm running services to stagnate.

Can you take over other companies ?

thanks

S

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by Standup

According to the graph in the game the price received is based upon the cargo type and delivery time. Does distance come into this ? Wonderful as early helicopters and planes are they don't seem to make me that much profit.

The price listed is per ten squares traveled.

Demand seems to be a simple on/off. Price doesn't seem to change much. Does this mean that i can flood a small village with passengers and still get the same price throughout the scenario ? There will be no 'return fare' but that's not always needed.

Yes, you could do that. I think that the price does fluctuate some, but it's a global fluctuation and I'm not sure if it's related to what's been transported.

Industries seem to be able to take as much raw materials as you can chuck as them without prices dropping. They do seem to have a minimum amount before they start producing. Trucks and industry seem a bit pointless.

I agree that trucks seem useless... but maybe that's just because I've only been playing in 1900-1910 so far. Industry routes can be extremely profitable, however.

Station platforms - i seem to be able to run trains longer than the platform but they take much longer to unload/load ? Or is this just my imagination ?

I haven't tried it in locomotion, but that's how it worked in the original.

What influences town growth, if anything ? Some seem to grow regardless and others i'm running services to stagnate.

Again, I'm not sure how it is in Locomotion but in TT towns would grow on their own to various degrees, but cities with services running through them would grow much quicker and more steadily.

Can you take over other companies ?

It seems not. YOu could in TT, though. I don't play with computer opponents in Locomotion because there's no way of geting rid of them. I wish you coudl introduce opponents mid-game like you used to be able to, aswell.

[Maquiladora]

According to the graph in the game the price received is based upon the cargo type and delivery time. Does distance come into this ? Wonderful as early helicopters and planes are they don't seem to make me that much profit.

Early Helicopters and Planes dont carry enough cargo to go with that extra distance and speed they give to turn the same profit... and what General Ludd said.

from the manual:

• Faster delivery = bigger profits. The faster you get your cargo from
its origin to its destination, the more you get paid. The payment
rate for certain cargo types — food and passengers, for instance —
drops off sharply over time. The payment drop-off isn’t quite as
sharp on other cargo types but every type of cargo loses value due
to slow delivery. Check the cargo payment rates tab on the
Companies List window for a graphic representation.

• Longer delivery distance = bigger profits. Another factor that
figures into cargo payment rates is the distance the cargo is
delivered. Cargo delivered over great distances (measured in
“blocks” — land squares) leads to higher payment. Fast, long
cargo routes are big money-makers.

Demand seems to be a simple on/off. Price doesn't seem to change much. Does this mean that i can flood a small village with passengers and still get the same price throughout the scenario ? There will be no 'return fare' but that's not always needed.

I think you can flood it to a point but im guessing it will start rejecting those passengers at some point. If you hover the mouse over each building like a small house it might say "produces passengers..... accepts: 1/8 passengers" I know you need to encompass at least a total of 1/1 in the station catchment to accept that type of cargo but i dont know how it figures into demand.

Industries seem to be able to take as much raw materials as you can chuck as them without prices dropping. They do seem to have a minimum amount before they start producing. Trucks and industry seem a bit pointless.

Ive managed to a few times haul too much oil to a refinery and then it just rejects it back into the station, I assume this was because i/someone wasnt hauling the produced goods away.

Trucks in industry seem best when its a really short distance, and youre using modern trucks that carry more.

Is there an easy way to upgrade vehicles ? At the moment i buy the new one, copy the route and then sell the old one.

When i upgrade say a train, i select the train go into vehicle construction menu (the second tab from the left) and drag the engine onto the trash, then press the upper right hand button to buy the new engine and it plops onto the front of the cargo. I havent had to replace a truck or tram yet.

Is there an easy way to destroy bus stops and stations ?

I think if youve selected the same station button while you right click it only removes the station and not construction on the road/rail.

Station platforms - i seem to be able to run trains longer than the platform but they take much longer to unload/load ? Or is this just my imagination ?

Its true.

What influences town growth, if anything ? Some seem to grow regardless and others i'm running services to stagnate.

I know that passenger services inside a single town increase growth a lot, i think intercity passenger services increase growth in each city too but seems like less.

Can you take over other companies ?

I dont think so...

[duke o' york]

One of the most annoying things about the first game was that when a company went out of business, sometimes they would leave a small stretch of road or track behind, and you couldn't build on these squares because they were supposed to be owned by someone else. Well they were, but not any more!
If you're in it for the long haul, then it is a good idea to decide where you think the towns will expand, and take this into account when planning routes and new stations. Because the towns will expand en masse, and you won't be able to build a station right in the middle of that prosperous residential area if there are houses there already. If you place the station first though, then the town will grow around it, and what started off as a pretty worthless site will soon be raking in the cash as the population grows and the people need transport.

[Maquiladora]

you won't be able to build a station right in the middle of that prosperous residential area if there are houses there already.

Yeah i hated that in TT too, but now you can build anywhere, but it costs a little more to demolish the building as you lay track but not much. The only building you cant build through is another companies headquaters, in think you can even build through most industries.