General Concern for Solo play

[Horsa]

I have played enough of this game to think I have gotten my money's worth.
After unlocking my last major goal of Andrews, I was quite surprised to see how randomly distributed the loads were for each interchange. They were also far more mixed than before. Now that there are 2 interchanges, it seems there should be some reason for a load to go to or from a particular interchange. The chaotic distribution seems so unrealistic and there is no through traffic which struck me as odd.
The map is rather frustrating as it can only cover a portion of the line at the moment.
After Run 8, I am ashamed to say that I really miss the abilities of OTTO.
With so much going on, it is almost impossible to find the time to jump on a train and just enjoy the scenery.
I look forward to seeing how this game develops. I plan to take a break from Railroader as I cannot imagine it resolving my issues quickly if at all.

[Rudolf Jan]

You can turn off one of the interchanges. I also installed a mod to add a lot of yard space for sorting cars. And, yes it is a lot of work. Better be careful in accepting contracts for industries. You can be selective. Later in game passenger trains make good money. I have two with four coaches each. One for each direction, the next day they run the opposite direction.

[LionkingCMSL]

The random distribution of freight cars at the interchanges mimics what happens in real life. A car headed for Sylva may be coming from the southwest which is Andrews and opposite may occur with cars headed for points west.

For example a car headed for the Locust Pin factory loaded with lumber may have originated in Mississippi so the car would logically would show up in Andrews which is southwest of Dillsboro. A hopper headed towards Andrews Coal and Oil may have started in West Virginia, so would be interchanged at Sylva.

As for no through traffic the Murphy Branch was not, as far as I can tell, a bridge route connecting the two railroads although there may have been some through freights.

As the game mimics the operational challenges of running a railroad efficiently it does not lend itself to just jumping on a train to enjoy the scenery. I would suggest that if you wanted to do a train ride start a passenger train at one end at the beginning of the day and ride it, then start your freights running.

[kildar501]

I've been on the game for a little bit and have started from scratch several times after having learned something new from a painful experience. One thing I learned is that, when you get Andrews unlocked, pick one end or the other to use for your interchange and turn the other end off. Also don't overload yourself with contracts, especially the little ones. For example, the Bryson Coal and Lumber is a pain in the caboose to switch. It doesn't get switched often at all but you have to shunt back and forth over the turntable multiple times to get it done. So I skip it. The Sylva Coal and Lumber is a piece of cake since it is a short stub track right off the main line. Easy enough to do. The copper mine might sound great after you've been doing the coal mine at T5 with a couple dozen cars per run but the switching and bouncing back and forth up and down the mountain for just a couple of cars isn't worth the time in my opinion. But to cancel a contract requires penalties which can be a pain, too, despite being prototypical.

So pick and choose your contracts to service. And think of this as a fun job rather than a sight seeing game. Because that is really what it is......running a business in a simulator.

[Imperial Strikeforce]

I stopped playing also. Got tired of the grind of delivering cars to industries with no buildings, being forced to do passenger runs that I have no interest in, just to keep my rankings up, and refuse to use the dumb intelligence where you have to set all the junctions from point A to B, otherwise, it won't work. As I've stated in other threads, If I have to babysit the AI that much, I'm not using it.

I check back here every few days hoping for a content update that adds scenery buildings for the industries and/or hopefully AI that's actually intelligent.

I realize this game has a small dev team so I'm patiently waiting. I have plenty of other games to play in the meantime. Hopefully, it doesn't take too much longer.

[🅹🅸🆂🅺🆁🅰]

I second the OP. After I unlocked second Interchange and found out that cargo is now split between both interchanges I gave up on the game. It was already a lot of work before and by unlocking second interchage I was hoping to split the load between the 2 ends of the network but instead the amount of work more then doubled!
So instead of being rewarded for unlocking part of game I have been punished for it severely. I feel cheated and betrayed.

I liked the game but I wont be playing it anymore.

[LionkingCMSL]

As I alluded to before this game is trying to mimic how a real railroad actually works, not how you might run a model railroad or how you think a real railroad should run.

As a retired railroader I know the pain of trying to keep everything running smoothly and getting the freight where it needs to be in a timely manner.

I run my passenger trains the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night, so it gives me plenty of time to do the freight moves.

If you want to sit back and ride a train to enjoy the scenery, have an easy time with the running of trains then this game is not for you. However, if you are up to a logic challenge or love challenges in general then this is a game you might enjoy.

As for me, being I'll probably never work for a real railroad again this game scratches that itch to be involved in railroading, even if I'm not actually hanging off the side of a boxcar.

[James 296]

Originally posted by LionkingCMSL:

As I alluded to before this game is trying to mimic how a real railroad works, not how you might run a model railroad.

As a retired railroader I know the pain of trying to keep everything running smoothly and getting the freight where it needs to be in a timely manner.

I run my passenger trains the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night, so it gives me plenty of time to do the freight moves.

If you want to sit back and ride a train to enjoy the scenery, have an easy time with the running of trains then this game is not for you. However, if you are up to a logic challenge or love challenges in general then this is a game you might enjoy.

As for me, being I'll probably never work for a real railroad again this game scratches that itch to be involved in railroading, even if I'm not actually hanging off the side of a boxcar.

not going to disagree with you, just point out that a lot of this discontent stems from people trying to run an entire branch line by themselves, which is really not possible when all the contracts are going at anything above tier 3. Or to put it simply, it's like a yard master located in Montana, trying to run all the freight traffic for all of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, & the Dakotas (north&south) at once, all the while the freight train crews (the A.I.) keep magically misplacing the freight transfer sheets ....

[moyer4487]

Originally posted by Imperial Strikeforce:

I stopped playing also. Got tired of the grind of delivering cars to industries with no buildings, being forced to do passenger runs that I have no interest in, just to keep my rankings up, and refuse to use the dumb intelligence where you have to set all the junctions from point A to B, otherwise, it won't work. As I've stated in other threads, If I have to babysit the AI that much, I'm not using it.

I check back here every few days hoping for a content update that adds scenery buildings for the industries and/or hopefully AI that's actually intelligent.

I realize this game has a small dev team so I'm patiently waiting. I have plenty of other games to play in the meantime. Hopefully, it doesn't take too much longer.

i agree. i have many hours in this game but i am taking a break. making runs to places without a building or the building that is there looks cheesey. i guess maybe its just a place holder until the de gets to that part of the game. the scenery still needs work but looks better now. still needs work though. the different biomes don't blend seemlessly like it would in real life. one stops the other begins doesnt lend itself to looking realistic. and the passanger runs get on my nerves because i have no desire to do them. i'm in it for the freight. so rarely do i get above tier 3 because i often don't do the passanger runs. or i do them every two or three game days. they do start to make decent money but i don't really care about that. i'm in it for the freight hauls. but like u said a small dev team so not a big deal waiting on them to get things caught up. i enjoy the game but do need periodic breaks. hopefully next time i come back their will be more scenery work done. also needs more diesel engines. steam is well represented currently and i have moved past using steam at this point. i hope next time i am back there will be more diesels and i hope they add to the track. as big as it is its still kind of short when u have fast steam engines and even faster diesels.

[LionkingCMSL]

Originally posted by James 296:

not going to disagree with you, just point out that a lot of this discontent stems from people trying to run an entire branch line by themselves, which is really not possible when all the contracts are going at anything above tier 3. Or to put it simply, it's like a yard master located in Montana, trying to run all the freight traffic for all of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, & the Dakotas (north&south) at once, all the while the freight train crews (the A.I.) keep magically misplacing the freight transfer sheets ....

The funny thing is that is what real dispatchers do every day. The dispatcher for CSX in Jacksonville, FL has to keep track of everything between Washington D.C. to Miami. FL and has to contend with Amtrak trains. The day of the local interlocking tower has gone the way of the buggy whip because of CTC located in one central location. The thing is they are now realizing the reducing the number of tracks between locations is not the cure-all they thought it was. While with a double track mainline you could have meets anywhere, taking away that second track and replacing with passing sidings every so often causes back ups As an eastbound may have to wait for numerous westbounds to pass before they can move, when, with double track, they could have kept on rolling. This was the reason for UP's problems with train delays.

[Twelvefield]

Originally posted by LionkingCMSL:

to contend with Amtrak trains.

I don't know about Amtrak, but up here in Canada (at least for continental hikes) passenger has the lowest priority. Although there are more or less parallel CP and CN lines, there is a lot of bottleneck and a lot of traffic on a narrow ribbon of land. Riding the mighty VIA Canadian across country, it was frequent that we were stopped for freight, and then we'd sprint like mad to make up the lost time. We spenT twelve hours on sidings where I could see where I work, it would have been a fifteen minute walk from the train. But I was on vacation, the train had wonderful food, and someone was waiting to pick me up at the station. The railway advises the day the train will show up but won't guarantee the hour or minute. As it happened, I think we were about a half hour late in all.

Unlike, say, a consist of coal and lumber, pax can write scathing reviews on social media. However the heavy loads are way more profitable than squishy people, so I guess that's why humans have the lowest priority. That was educational.

[PieceOfPeace]

If you play solo, it's up to you how much workload you want to have. On my first save I rushed to get the milestone to reach Bryson and when I had the money I bought the track to Sylva. I don't need to say that I took every available contract at the highest possible Tier.

That was the moment when I started complaining about the game, but it was my own fault. In my new save I expand very carefully. After 11 ingame days I'm still busy between Whitter and Ela, just raising the tier's. Depending on the delivered cars a day I'm busy for one to two real time hours a day.

[jfk523]

I Installed a mod with tons of yard space so I could store more of the cars from the interchange and run bigger trains. Cancelled all of the contracts that were a pain to switch, so now I'm basically just running coal, pulpwood, the sawmill at Whitter, and Ela cause i like switching it. Sometimes I take a break and just run the passenger train for an entire day cause the freight will all still be there.

[jrboyett]

In solo play you must manage your workload or it will overwhelm you. I think the beauty of this game is it allows you to customize the traffic to your level. Want more work, take higher tiers and more milestones to extend your reach. Want less of a workload, don't extend your road further than you want to work and keep to lower tiers. Just run passenger trains if switching is too tedious. No train or railroad simulator will please everyone and every one has its pros and cons. For me, Railroader is what I have been looking for since Railroad Tycoon and I have tried most train simulators since then. I am anxiously awaiting updates for buildings and more world content but like my model railroad, I'm not going to stop running trains because its not finished yet.

[James 296]

Originally posted by LionkingCMSL:

The funny thing is that is what real dispatchers do every day. The dispatcher for CSX in Jacksonville, FL has to keep track of everything between Washington D.C. to Miami. FL and has to contend with Amtrak trains. The day of the local interlocking tower has gone the way of the buggy whip because of CTC located in one central location. The thing is they are now realizing the reducing the number of tracks between locations is not the cure-all they thought it was. While with a double track mainline you could have meets anywhere, taking away that second track and replacing with passing sidings every so often causes back ups As an eastbound may have to wait for numerous westbounds to pass before they can move, when, with double track, they could have kept on rolling. This was the reason for UP's problems with train delays.

Oh, I know full well of this. it was something my dad (and fellow his co-workers), during his time 30 years ago, were warning the higher ups about. That it's a bad idea but somehow the highers thought they knew better then the grunts on the ground that have to deal with it everyday. aka, the higher ups line of thought, we don't need high volume tracks, we can just make trains longer... and now it's come back to bite those companies in the butt . What's the old adage, "We told you, but you didn't listen"

Not to mention the reduction of the number of mainline tracks has also helped create even more of a problem. And the locusts that are the tracks to paths have swallowed up any chance of returning those mainlines as well.

*off topic rant * Yes, i do consider them a bunch of locusts (Tracks to Paths) as their initiatives has cost my state millions of dollars, instead of helping. We're now fighting them to get those paths turned back into tracks so we can have a interstate/intercity rail service between the different cities in my state. Especially now that our state of Montana has "been discovered " by Metropolitanites *rollseyes* *-end rant *

[kildar501]

Originally posted by James 296:

Originally posted by LionkingCMSL:

The funny thing is that is what real dispatchers do every day. The dispatcher for CSX in Jacksonville, FL has to keep track of everything between Washington D.C. to Miami. FL and has to contend with Amtrak trains. The day of the local interlocking tower has gone the way of the buggy whip because of CTC located in one central location. The thing is they are now realizing the reducing the number of tracks between locations is not the cure-all they thought it was. While with a double track mainline you could have meets anywhere, taking away that second track and replacing with passing sidings every so often causes back ups As an eastbound may have to wait for numerous westbounds to pass before they can move, when, with double track, they could have kept on rolling. This was the reason for UP's problems with train delays.

Oh, I know full well of this. it was something my dad (and fellow his co-workers), during his time 30 years ago, were warning the higher ups about. That it's a bad idea but somehow the highers thought they knew better then the grunts on the ground that have to deal with it everyday. aka, the higher ups line of thought, we don't need high volume tracks, we can just make trains longer... and now it's come back to bite those companies in the butt :steamlaughcry: . What's the old adage, "We told you, but you didn't listen"

Not to mention the reduction of the number of mainline tracks has also helped create even more of a problem. And the locusts that are the tracks to paths have swallowed up any chance of returning those mainlines as well.

*off topic rant * Yes, i do consider them a bunch of locusts (Tracks to Paths) as their initiatives has cost my state millions of dollars, instead of helping. We're now fighting them to get those paths turned back into tracks so we can have a interstate/intercity rail service between the different cities in my state. Especially now that our state of Montana has "been discovered " by Metropolitanites *rollseyes* *-end rant *

It isn't just Montana that is experiencing that problem. Out in Virginia, they were looking at restoring service on a right of way from the former SCL for intercity passenger service. They started surveying the route and discovered that some people had built homes on the old right of way illegally. You can imagine the negative press that got when the agency talked to the people about having to tear down or move their homes!

My father was 3rd generation railroad. He lived and worked during the time period when the N&W was tearing out second mains across the Midwest. As it turns out, the property taxes for a railroad are partially determined by the amount of rail you've got laid. Rip out a second main and replace it with a siding and you reduce your property taxes. But, yep, we've now got trains too long to fit anywhere and yards too small to accept them when they arrive. Brilliant!