What does the Main Connections button do?

[General Tso]

There is a Main Connections button in the map editor. I know it can be used to create main connections between cities. But does anybody know exactly what happens when two cities are connected?

I think connecting two cities can cause the "connection broken" message to appear in game when the connection is broken. But does it do anything else? Like increase car traffic and/or passenger demand between the 2 cities.

[Kniff]

I think it enables car traffic between two cities

[General Tso]

OK, I just realized that I need to be careful when messing with the Main Connections button. When I tried using it this time it removed a bunch of my carefully planned roads. So it looks like that button actually creates and also removes roads between the cities. But I'd still be interested if it does anything more.

[Kniff]

Indirectly it increases your city grow because the citizens will find more targets then.

[Autocoach]

If you don't have main connections you will have no roads between towns and not be able to get much if anything for the road bonus for towns . In TpF1 no main connections meant that the only route to the next town was via train and there would be no road network between industries , here it will inhibit town growth and (I assume) have no road network between industries.

[General Tso]

Thank you for the responses.

I built all my connecting roads between the cities manually. So they are all connected already. What I'm trying to figure out is this: Is using the Main Connects button 100% optional? Can I just build the connections manually? Or does the Main Connections button change the way the game works and needs to be used even when building your own roads?

[Kniff]

Maybe it has a better performance then, less pathfinding for private traffic.

[General Tso]

That's what I'm wondering. Does it just build roads between the selected cities and enable the connection broken message? Or does it do more?

[Autocoach]

If you built your own roads you will be fine , it will probably not warn you if you break one of the connections but apart from that you will be ok .

[Autocoach]

Originally posted by General Tso:

That's what I'm wondering. Does it just build roads between the selected cities and enable the connection broken message? Or does it do more?

This is what it does

[ClearchusOfSparta]

Isn't there a "keep existing assets" checkbox on this page of the editor? If so, wont that let you keep your built roads.

[General Tso]

Thank you for the reply's everybody. It looks like I can ignore this button.

Thanks ClearchusOfSparta. I just noticed that item a few moments ago and thought how in the world did I miss that! I tried it and my roads where not removed.