Tip: Large train station coverage area

[jcaf]

Here's an easy way of enlarging a train station's catchment area...

Say you have a few industries close to each other. You would like to build 1 train station to service them all, but they are a little too far apart for 1 station.

Build a tiny station 1x1 close to one of the industries. Then build another 1x1 platform touching the first 1x1 you just built. The two platforms can touch each other side-by-side or diagonally. This 2nd platform does not create another train station, but will belong to the station of the 1st platform.

Keep adding more 1x1 platforms. As you do, they will all belong to that one station, expanding its catchment area. You can thus expand the station's catchment area to cover multiple industries. You can then build the platform you want your trains to use anywhere within that area.

And there you have it... one station with extra wide coverage. The maximum distance is 12 tiles from one end of the station to the other, with the normal 4 tile radius of coverage for each 1x1 platform, making the station's total area of coverage 20 tiles across (4 + 12 + 4).

If you build these 1x1 platforms in an "X" pattern and a "+" pattern within it, the station's catchment area will cover 20 x 20 tiles. That gives you one huge train station! You can place the platforms your trains will use anywhere within that area.

PS... I just found the setting where we can change the number of tiles for the train station catchment area. Under "Settings > Limitations > Maximum station spread". The default is 12 tiles, but we can go as high as 64! Though it does warn us that a large spread will slow down game performance.

But if your computer can handle it, a 64 tile station spread (which is actually 72 x 72 tiles catchment area) would make for one mega train station! Just put one at one end of the map, another at the other end of the map, and you'll have a very busy railroad track between them!

[Wai]

Much easier, cheaper and neater is to use the associated station function.

Enable Distant Join Stations in advanced settings then press CTRL when placing a new station. As long as the station you want to place is within the catchment area of the station you want to join to you will get a list of station in the valid area, click the one you want to be a part off. Job done. You can have huge station combinations if you so choose, but I find this most useful to bring many industries into one station and to extend city stations to include other transport types when a road is between them.

[jcaf]

Wow! I didn't know it was there. I'll try it to get familiar with how it works. Sounds neat. Thanks!

Follow-up 1:

Wiki says it is found under the "Stations" tab in Advanced Settings. I don't have a Stations tab in Advanced Settings. I even went into Expert Settings, and still don't see it.

Is there some place else I should look for it?

Follow-up 2:

Oh, I found it. In my version of OTTD its under "Limitations" tab. In my version the setting is called "Allow joining stations not directly adjacent". I'll leave this up here in case anyone else is trying to find it.