1850-1900, 50 years of boredom?

[Jin Shepard]

Hey,

So I am trying to enjoy the game from the start but whatever I do, I end up waiting for quite some time sitting infront of my screen doing nothing, even if I make 200k a year, it takes a LONG time to say build a new train of 1,5M, and then I need to wait for it to become profitable and wait again.

Due to this i loose interest, should I just totally avoid trains at the start of the game?

[MagnusA]

Does it help to fast forward the date clock and the game speed?

You don't *have to* start 1850. it is your game but if 1850-1900 is boring I would start 1900 instead. It's not fun being bored.

[Jin Shepard]

Well there might be some easy thing to do that makes it not being a waiting game for money, I usually try to build a decent train cargo track/route, but it always ends up still being 200k ish profit ( if some wacko thing doesnt happen like right now, where I had 2 wood forest going to one plank manufacture, and the second wood generated almost nothing compared to the first ).

[Saint Landwalker]

The truth of the matter is that, particularly if you're playing on normal simulation speed, the 1850-1875 range or thereabouts is going to be slow going simply because your available vehicles are largely slow, low-capacity options that (depending on difficulty settings) are not likely to generate the profit necessary to engage in wanton, perpetual expansion. On top of that, I find that on my maps, towns are so far apart that intercity passenger transport during that period takes forever (and you generally have small populations to work with, as well).

I still enjoy it, but if I'm being honest, I play it more for the sake of "must do everything" than because it's my favorite period. I prefer the time from the introduction of gasoline-powered cars to the sunset of the steam locomotive.

[Jin Shepard]

I play on hard difficulty, but the start.. I even did a tip about connecting 2 towns for passengers, but they made almost no money at all.. I am doing something wrong that my profits are to low to continue on building during the game, instead I am waiting.. forever.

btw, the first train you get, how do you figure out how much it can pull and thus remain going at its top speed of 40 kmh?

[Saint Landwalker]

Originally posted by Jin Shepard:

I play on hard difficulty, but the start.. I even did a tip about connecting 2 towns for passengers, but they made almost no money at all.. I am doing something wrong that my profits are to low to continue on building during the game, instead I am waiting.. forever.

btw, the first train you get, how do you figure out how much it can pull and thus remain going at its top speed of 40 kmh?

Why would you connect two towns right off the bat for passengers? Passengers are unreliable as hell.

For the Baldwin Six-wheels (since I'm using USA vehicles), I just throw wagons on it, and mostly try to keep the performance (in the bottom-right corner of the vehicle purchase screen) no worse than Mediocre. But if you hover over the performance, it'll tell you how long it'll take the train to get up to maximum speed as it's currently designed.

[Jin Shepard]

Some youtuber I saw did it, making 250k with very little required vehicles. That did not work in my game at all, as ya said, people didnt wanna go over the next town.

Do you use performance to Mediocre one step from poor? Or a few more steps back?

[Autocoach]

For freight you can go 'just' poor with the early ones if it is flat. Stick to freight to make money in TpF2 until you have money then do passengers.

[Josch]

Originally posted by ;2639605226297722283:

I play on hard difficulty, but the start.. I even did a tip about connecting 2 towns for passengers, but they made almost no money at all.. I am doing something wrong that my profits are to low to continue on building during the game, instead I am waiting.. forever.

btw, the first train you get, how do you figure out how much it can pull and thus remain going at its top speed of 40 kmh?

Look for a good oil production and you're good to go ;)

[phobos2077]

I actually enjoy the earliest periods in this type of games very much. One of the main reasons I bought this game in the first place. 70+ hours in and I'm not disappointed. Though most of those hours is playing through the entire 18-mission campaign. Just started my first random game in 1850 and doing pretty well on medium difficulty. Playing campaign first really helps you to play successfully in a random game.

I don't get bored waiting because I either use this time to plan my next moves, enjoy the scenery or just turn on the fastest game speed. Also you can change the "date speed" by clicking on the date in the bottom-right. Default 1x speed is way too fast (it takes months for a train to do a single trip), but it's useful for early period if you want for better vehicles to appear quicker. Might reflect the ever-increasing speed of life as new eras and technologies emerge. You can change this speed from Pause and 1/4x to 2x IIRC.

[Tossi]

The best way to start is to create a cargo route. As straight as possible (curves decrease profit). And as flat as possible. I used 80m long stations and trains that would be as close to 80m length as possible. Fill the route with trains until you are able to transport everything that is being produced but not more. Also take as much loan as you can spent - when you invest 10m you will get twice as much profit as if you invested only 5.

[mercedes600sl2003]

Invest the money in a cargo train route...should be easier than was in the first edition of game. I never reached yet 1900 year and i have 10 trains on same route. I use the mod for double quantity on the extracting industry like wood stone and crude oil...

[Razz]

The secret to early inter city bus routes is multiple stops along the way. You generate profit more frequently by breaking up the journey between cities by having multiple point to point lines, instead of just one line between cities that takes a year you have 3 lines spaced equally apart that take just 4 months.

[Saint Landwalker]

Originally posted by Razztafarai:

The secret to early inter city bus routes is multiple stops along the way. You generate profit more frequently by breaking up the journey between cities by having multiple point to point lines, instead of just one line between cities that takes a year you have 3 lines spaced equally apart that take just 4 months.

That's actually an interesting idea I hadn't considered. A sort of "waystation" setup? I like it.

[Martin]

Originally posted by Jin Shepard:

Hey,

So I am trying to enjoy the game from the start but whatever I do, I end up waiting for quite some time sitting infront of my screen doing nothing, even if I make 200k a year, it takes a LONG time to say build a new train of 1,5M, and then I need to wait for it to become profitable and wait again.

Due to this i loose interest, should I just totally avoid trains at the start of the game?

It is boring, if you just sit and stare at the screen. I go looking for animals, check on my people, see where they're going. Make taxi routes in towns to help people about.

Alternatively you could setup route.. go do housework.. makes a meal, eat the meal, digest the meal, goto toilet.. erm.. remove the meal.. have a shower, sleep for awhile.. come back and wahey!! money.. and your train needs replaced..

AND.. if you pause the progression timer.. it'll still be 1850!!

[Jin Shepard]

Originally posted by Martin:

Originally posted by Jin Shepard:

Hey,

So I am trying to enjoy the game from the start but whatever I do, I end up waiting for quite some time sitting infront of my screen doing nothing, even if I make 200k a year, it takes a LONG time to say build a new train of 1,5M, and then I need to wait for it to become profitable and wait again.

Due to this i loose interest, should I just totally avoid trains at the start of the game?

It is boring, if you just sit and stare at the screen. I go looking for animals, check on my people, see where they're going. Make taxi routes in towns to help people about.

Alternatively you could setup route.. go do housework.. makes a meal, eat the meal, digest the meal, goto toilet.. erm.. remove the meal.. have a shower, sleep for awhile.. come back and wahey!! money.. and your train needs replaced..

AND.. if you pause the progression timer.. it'll still be 1850!!

Sort of what I did now..

I do make cargo routes, try to use as little bends as possible, or keep them 120 km/h turns. I think I just find it boring to wait YEARS for buying a new train. ( even when making 250k per year)

easier fix would be a speed increase of 8x