Ok this game officially sucks

[mdj96]

Ok I've had enough of RRT2. Or at least single player. It's just absurd. I posted a few weeks ago about how I didn't like it, so I gave it more of a chance, and it really just sucks now. I can't play this game alone anymore because it's just fundamentally broken.

I had complained before about how the load micromanaging is somewhat annoying, but I've gotten over that. I actually do like that feature a bit more now. I also like the orthagonal track laying, wide selection of locomotives, and massive amounts of scenarios, so there's the positives.

What really kills me in this game is how ridiculously it's tilted toward the AI. Even when I've set both revenue modifiers to zero, and kept the financial model limited, I go into irreversible debt in 5 years off of a single bond at 16% or less running 2-3 trains between 2-3 cities on single track. Hell, sometimes I go into a debt pit with no bonds! Meanwhile at the same time my competitors will have already expanded through 6 cities, double track with steel bridges, make thousands in profit annually *despite* having three bonds taken out (which for some reason they get at only 7% from the start?), and have bought up all the industries that *I* bring loads from! I can't win on a supposedly level playing field, so what the hell is the point?

I'd like to play multiplayer, but I have no idea how to set that up, so here I am griping. Wish they would rehash this game with smarter AI that wasn't gifted a golden goose from day 1.

[Iceira]

seem to me you forget the demand/price most be kept high and most not drop to the half of what its use to. no mass transport to delivery that ruin the economic.

ps.
and yes that is the hardest thing in this game to learn. its only show its self over time.

suggest you reply campaign 1, and stick to campaign GOLDS or you will fail if you doing other things. and then gold medal is achived then keep play and learn the demands and other production, this will force you to see the pattern what the hell is going on.

dont forget its not about how much you doing its all about profits. and many fail in this stock profits to your personal wealth matter also. so you are stong at stocks and buy shares.

im not defending the ways it works, but its has nothing to do with products cost and delivery.
its about demands and keep price as high as you can. then trains will run with + on balance

so the more you keep sending to a town the lesser they will pay for it. and this is your doom
trains cost alot more then they are paying for it. so stop thinking you can empty wares at pickups places if they wont pay for it.

and the reason you should reply campaigm 1 its small, and faster learning to get that economics impact and you learn micro manage it alot better.

and ofc. you know the diffrence with trains express and type of units you transport. also vital stations upgrades. to max profit. learn to build whats is needed. ( dont get warehouse if that cargo aient there.

dont forget to not have used tracks they most be removed. they have maintaence cost. some people forget this. and make to connections around them, its more a feedline with minor connection this will keep tracks expenses down. ( most people build this way but i have seen others doing double track and double stations and all other things not worth it if you aim for Gold Medal the Campaign achivements, all those extra things is only good then campaign is over and continue gameplay.

( stick to 1 track expand fast go for gold as we say. ) this will boost your stock and dominate the area faster and earn you even more. require skill to keep extra cash for output to shareholders. so go for bonds then BOOM times set in and try understand stock same time its not about expansion to town and tracks only you need those persky stocks same time.

but i bet you already know all this. you just need a refreshing slap on your head for not doing things the right way. ( because other trains games has this Sandbox do goodie delivery and feel you accomplished something in deliverys. and this game is almost the revesed of that.

and we all fail even i do same mistake then i return to RR2/3 trying to do goodie. ( kicking myself in the butt. ) only clue that keep warning me is wares cost price at towns, that is the only clue i got. to adjust deliverys

[grunkibis]

TLDR > check out the editor, wait until depression era to rule the stock market because all the passengers and mail dry up, and always always always start a custom map game only with a winning multi cargo delivery like Grain to Cattle to Food... dont do scenarios, be Freeeeeeee!

EDITOR TO LEARN HOW THE GAME WORKS: i use the editor perhaps more than playing! with the editor you get an inside out grasp of how the game works. when i do custom maps i give the AI penalties, in theory you could load up a scenario you played earlier and make it your own by adding AI caveats and then a new Save As name. i dont do the campaign because i am a custom map addict so i do the scenario maps... find an old map site that somebody made - cool scandanavian and EU maps and well done scenarios. (map secret - the AI cannot deal with grades so any maps with mountains means you will probably win -- i have seen an AI Thally's bullet train trying to climb a 12% grade which meant that snail train for the AI was only making money like once every 3 years!).

CHOSING START LOCATION WITH A WORKING CARGO ROUTE: a classic set up at the beginning is always needed and dont hesitate to bail on a game in round 20 because you dont like whats happening or the stupid AI has crossed your track. i bail on games all the time because the AI is a dikk. i never start a custom map at the beginning if i cannot plan a cargo route early. my first two cities are often the people/mail thing but dont stay with that. if you can have a three ingredient cargo chain going you will win, add more and more of that type and you will beat the AI. check out and try to use a Port! you need like coal and iron into steel then steel into goods... that type of chain during a depression will rake in the cash that lets you overtake the AI. build those cargo lines to a finished good (Autos, my gawd man if you can build autos you own the world!) (i like later games, after steam).

BEATING THE AI DURING DEPRESSION ERAS: during a depression [or with the advent of Airplanes later] people/mail volume plumets which in turn takes down the share prices and earnings for the AI. you cant mess with the AI's annoyingness, you just have to wait for the first depression so you can (1) short his stock and find the loser AI that is now in a depression going bancrupt - short and cover that guy before he goes under!, (2) increase your dividend because of your cargo routes like steel to goods is kicking ass and who cares how many shares he owns because in a depression he is hemmoraging cash (check the ledger and market charts - the Book Value Per Share i think it is reflects well his financial strength as does looking at how many Bonds he has taken out, if he has a scheisseload of bonds he is dead), (3) expand into cargo routes far more than pass/mail which is fickle with the Eras so for example that Uranium to Waste is glory, (4) play after 1950 because you can compete better with the dumb AI train choices (this is not Era dependant, its just a personal thing that the fun is in GG1 and later, or at least Streamliner or like 1930 or later - point being Steam is hard to beat the AI imho). (5) eras affect the interest rate, dont hesitate if the rate is under 10% to load up.

Note MP has a flaw where over time you sync out and each player will start having different stock prices than each other and other non matching map issues... it basically goes desync late game but we love it until that point! MP with a human against the AI is a blast of justice!

[grunkibis]

just bailed on a game, booted up a new one - the scenarios are fun and you can set the AI to a lowered percentage and you up higher... btw here is how you start a game: find a glory cargo route that feeds a large city, create your company and then immediately go to manager screen and check who you have and better yet who else is available - if that manager is 30% off electric engines then i am going electric track, so a lot depends on your manager. dont take a manager that penalizes track building or station laying for example. if they are something like goodwil then its whatever, just watch it and there are like 10 manager woth getting imho. another example, carnegie is huge for steel so watch managers for hire; build without a bond - you want to wait on that bond because the interest will be high most likely - any bond over 10% is painful.

do scenario, Heartland USA, put AI down like 30% revenue and you up like 20% or whatever and give it another try... and switch the date to 1964!

[grunkibis]

play scenario - not compaign