Small town ideas!

[Leigh]

Been quite some time since I played W&R:SR properly, I have missed quite a few updates (such as the wonderful minimap update <3 ) in my absence, and will be starting a new map when I do play, because why not?

As much as I would love to do my normal thing of trying (and usually failing) of making "smaller districts of a larger city", usually each focusing on some form of industry, I think I fancy doing a small town map.

One or two, as small as possible, towns focusing on one of the smaller industries. Issue with that of course is that the citizens typically require a lot of facilities to prevent them from jumping the fence, especially on the harder difficulties. I just want the feel of some backwater little town in the middle of nowhere.

So my question, or rather, request for your opinions, is two fold. One, if you were doing a "tiny town" what would you have for its main industry. And two, what amenities will you try and squeeze in.

A small, and I do mean small, Coal Mine Town would be one of my choices, as would a small "sweat shop" town. It's the other required infrastructure that kinda get in the way. I usually start with farms and a food factory, before doing my "major" industry, be it coal/power, oil, lumber etc. Those elements themselves are not too bad, but the other buildings such as schools, fire stations and the like take up a lot of room.

I usually make "facility towns" that offer this stuff, but is shared between 2-3 "industry towns", with a bus service linking them all.

I know the game should be about self sufficiency but I just love the idea of small little hamlets working together on something to sell to those Western Capitalists, or to the Glorious Homeland to aid in the Cold War standoff.

Anyways, rambled enough. So, small town builds, what do you like to do, or what would you do?

[DeltaDude]

Small town industries, and I mean very small towns, are paired best with farming and oil drilling. Farming and oil drilling are mostly done autonomously by machinery and transportation. Oil wells, pipes, tractors, trucks, etc.

Since the game doesn't require people to drive these vehicles or staff those buildings, no population is really required at all. But if you play on hard difficulty any one of these things could catch on fire and requires a small firefighter contingent.

So then your primary workforce would be the firefighters you task with protecting the automated infrastructure. But then of course you would need people employed in the service sector to fulfill the needs of those firefighters with small shops for food and maybe a pub.

Since a university would be overkill, you would probably only want a small school and continue to bring in teachers from an external source.

[Leigh]

Sounds a good way of doing the facilities. I've tinkered with "minimalist" amenities in the past with mixed success, it's a playstyle I enjoy as I can sort of spread things about a lot more, and create sectors and link with buses.

As I stated, my first stop is typically farming for food purposes, and if I am doing a farm I might do my clothes making idea for one town.

Another town may be a small oil concern, I've done a thread in the past that stating in many ways that the oil chain is so overpowered, and is a great starter assuming you have the money. Just that everyone does the same thing and I was after alternatives!

I wish that there were NPCs passing from border to border, would love to set up a small "Gas Station" town somewhere. I may do logging, not really looked into that before. Get that Spintires feel going.

[tripodalt]

i supose you dont played since may updates or just in super easy
because actually a mini town requiert only a single alcool factory
your rafinery sound like end game plan with many train and about 10 000 000rubbles or dollars
in dificult seting its not possible to build more two factory before zero money
if you build sone low value product only train can transport enought
maybe the plan is build electric generator only its the most little possible way to generate money

[Leigh]

Originally posted by tripodalt:

i supose you dont played since may updates or just in super easy
because actually a mini town requiert only a single alcool factory
your rafinery sound like end game plan with many train and about 10 000 000rubbles or dollars
in dificult seting its not possible to build more two factory before zero money
if you build sone low value product only train can transport enought

Always played in normal with a few tweaks, 1960 start and fuel use turned on.

Never hard to get a small oil concern or power station up and running, and use the profits to expand.

Never done small towns before, just districts of a larger town.

Pending on how you set up pipelines, trucks are more than enough.

Yes, as stated, I have not played in a while. But, the game isn't that different.

[aHamSandwich]

You can get a mod for "Old soviet buildings" which adds a lot of smaller pedestrian only barracks buildings. There is also a mod for a "mini-Communist HQ" that operates as a small Uni. Both of which you can use to create a smaller scale villages.

Once you have a series of villages it is better if they are self sufficient in terms of education. Importing people is costly and tedious.

[DeltaDude]

Originally posted by BIA aHamSandwich:

You can get a mod for "Old soviet buildings" which adds a lot of smaller pedestrian only barracks buildings. There is also a mod for a "mini-Communist HQ" that operates as a small Uni. Both of which you can use to create a smaller scale villages.

Once you have a series of villages it is better if they are self sufficient in terms of education. Importing people is costly and tedious.

Yes, I would also recommend picking up the mini-clinic mod so that you can have a more appropriately sized hospital to keep your villagers healthy.

[t.dautov]

Any small settlement must have a shop for food, because even small irregularities in transport to other shopping districts will disrupt your citizens' food consumption and make them very unhappy quickly, causing them to refuse to work and eventually escape. Kindergartens would also have to be included in the bare minimum, as it's impossible to commute to them elsewhere, and since small-town workforce is scarce as it is, you want to make sure that every citizen is able to go to work. Also have sports facilities available locally - they don't take up much space or require many material or human resources. Other needs, such as school, uni, clothes and electronics, as well as culture, can be provided elsewhere, but on the condition that efficient and regular transport lines are available. Strangely, pubs seem to be of little interest to citizens unless alcohol consumption is actively propagandised by radio/TV.

[Guedez]

https://imgur.com/a/g9zZ0ec
Food production mini town, not tested, now I only need to wait for the money to tick in so I can finish and test
Remember to always fully flatten anywhere you want to build in

[tripodalt]

most difficult settings
their is 3 solution each using the same city
first the electricity export
this the most efficient the coal cost electric sale have the best ratio tought its limited to 10Mwh = 10rubbles hour income 240r a day
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1905600878
this design et lot of money for additional industry and provide energy autonomy and deduce electric cost from imports
tought the picture is fail design due to the distance to workers will mak shortages
second the alcool best cost ratio with 6t per day for 100workers
third clothes 0.5t per day for 50workers
and after university reseach chemicals thet allow to manufacture textiles for clothes and electronical comp
ll are the best ratios
some of industry are money loosing ratio as plastics
others export requiert many truck or some costly train and get out of the dificult seting start condition

[Leigh]

Originally posted by Guedez:

https://imgur.com/a/g9zZ0ec
Food production mini town, not tested,

I like that little design.

I got many "templates" for housing only, its when adding on work and amenities I find my towns/cities/sectors get a bit sprawling.

Noobler has a great large design I found some time ago, here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/784150/discussions/0/1642044369654257477/?

of which I will try and steal take inspiration from.

However, I am trying for smaller this time round. I just feel like it. I usually go for "sectors of a bigger city" look, I just wanna see what I can do with a couple of tiny towns.

Regarding mods, I got nothing against them but I do prefer to do "mod runs" and "stock runs", this is a stock run. Mods can allow some OP things which is fine sometimes, but not others. I wanna stay stock for now.

[Leigh]

Just running a test map while playing with layout, I kinda like this.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1906022588

Please note it is just proof of concept though it is mostly complete, just needs to be linked to the road network pretty much.

Offers a Kindergarten, your choice of sports facility, and a small shop selling food only. All other amenities and jobs must be found off-site via the bus station.

[Ethos]

Towns are built around industry because of the high number of workers required. If you need to commute workers your main Production facility (Refinery, Steel mill, mines) will never reach high production because of the way bus station are managing the buses. Trams are the best for commuting fast.
Refinery - requires a town (it can hold Oil wells, Chemical plants, Cloth factory etc)
Steel industry + mines - requires a town
Coal is easy money if you plan to have your own Power plant. 2 mines and 2-3 storage for them can keep your export rolling.

[Leigh]

Originally posted by Dex:

Towns are built around industry because of the high number of workers required. If you need to commute workers your main Production facility (Refinery, Steel mill, mines) will never reach high production because of the way bus station are managing the buses. Trams are the best for commuting fast.
Refinery - requires a town (it can hold Oil wells, Chemical plants, Cloth factory etc)
Steel industry + mines - requires a town
Coal is easy money if you plan to have your own Power plant. 2 mines and 2-3 storage for them can keep your export rolling.

Totally irrelevant to this thread. This is about designs for small groups of housing to give that small town feel. Any amenities and workplaces will be placed nearby within walking distance or a short bus ride, as stated in the OP.

[ryantheskinny]

I personally like having small towns dot the landscape. :)

I'll post some examples of mine later. But I usually don't have a set layout.

[Leigh]

Originally posted by ryantheskinny:

I personally like having small towns dot the landscape. :)

I'll post some examples of mine later. But I usually don't have a set layout.

Excellent, thanks. That photo thread is great fodder for small and large towns alike. So natural and organic looking, plus they actually work.

I'm just stuck in a very 90s game console way of building blocks of stuff. No matter what city builder I play I can't seem to break that habit.

I like the idea of mixing it up a bit, larger cities and smaller towns side by side, but for now focusing on the looks and design/functionality of smaller towns. Rather build my own than add stuff to the ones already on the map, I consider them more akin to villages or hamlets.