Transport Tycoon 2 is finally here!!!!! - Chris Sawyer's Locomotion.

[Judge]

Don't worry about the new method of laying track- it feels clumbersome for the first few hours, but soon beomes second nature. As for distances, it's best if you have the view zoomed out, and here the "growing track from existing routes" approach the game uses works much better than laying it all manually with the cursor as in the original. The results look a lot more realistic than the Transport Tycoon model, and it's much better for laying out high-speed routes for your express trains, as you can now have much gentler curves.

[MikeRox]

it's better in every way really, my only gripe is that the world maps are too small (so far) and the cities build up too quickly, will have to poke around in the options an see if I can slow it down a bit but I made my own scenario (treated it as a random map ala the original) an ended up playing from 10pm thru til 7am solid and the music! Far Out is jus the best piece of music ever, can't wait for December to come with that blasting out so christmassy :$ think it'll be added to the list of xmas must plays.

[JibberX]

Played a 2 player lan of this last night and its exceptionally flakey unfortunately... it updates each client every so often in a big way and closes all your windows, then it'll bomb. The updates are kinda annoying too, takes a coupla seconds...I don't think this aspect of the game is quite "done".

[MartyG]

I have my copy from Play now - I'm quite impressed by how many different unit types there are. I was trying to create a scenario of my own last night, so I could see the more modern units but I'm struggling with loading it up. There doesn't seem an obvious way to play it. I shall have to read the manual properly this evening.

[JibberX]

The Sandbox isn't that obvious, I haven't a clue. THe Music however totally rocks, I was air guitaring some of it...how embarrasing.

The whole game has the extreme train bias, the bridging and tunnneling is fantastic, its very difficult to do it wrong.

[ryodi]

I have my copy from Play now - I'm quite impressed by how many different unit types there are. I was trying to create a scenario of my own last night, so I could see the more modern units but I'm struggling with loading it up. There doesn't seem an obvious way to play it. I shall have to read the manual properly this evening.

When you start a new game it will be under the difficulty tab that you selected for your scenario. Probably under untitled if you didn't choose a name for it the first time which I forgot to do.

I've been playing it for a bit longer now and it is lot more difficult to make money that in TT. There don't seem to be any contracts on offer from the various towns, you cannot invest in advertising anymore and some of the trains are now far more expensive than I remember them, for example I purchased the latest train available in North America in 1960 and it cost over $120,000! Currently I find I have to set up small bus networks just to raise the funding for the train networks which do not generate as much income as they used to and cost a hell of a lot more to build.

[MartyG]

Ah right - I didn't set a difficulty level, that'll be why then.

I noticed the lack of contracts too, and I haven't seen any exclusive use of new vehicle thingies yet either. You can fund new industries still though.

[ryodi]

If you didn't set a difficulty, the default will be medium which is where your original scenario should be saved. I created a scenerio where I have given myself a 60 month head start on one opposition company (I'm not a fan of tough competition ) and despite the total monopoly I have so far the cost of building compared the revenue that is being created means I can't go on a huge building spree like I used to. I am also having trouble with the train that is bringing the lumber to the paper mill also taking the paper away back to the forest instead of leaving it for the train designated to take the paper to where it should go.

[MartyG]

Yeah, setting the routes doesn't seem to be working properly, you can't tell it to unload the different types as it seems to default to one, meaning you have to have separate trains. A patch will be forthcoming I'd think, though why something that fundamental wasn't sorted in testing is a bit annoying.

[MikeRox]

I dunno I've been messin witha sandbox scenario an within 18 years I now have 54million in the bank, I've noticed depending what scenario ur doing depends on costs of things, e.g. some scenarios busses cost ?400, others ?2000. same for trains, on some levels u can get em for like ?2 grand. Demmand effects the prices of things in the game tho, the more of a certain type of vehicle is bought, the more expensive it becomes, quite a nice idea imo. Tho I'm not strugglin for money like most ppl seem to be, all u can do is start small, get a solid revenue that outweights the interest of the loan with short bus routes or whatever, once u've got that and vehicle running costs balanced u can start thinkin about building bigger more expensive routes.

[MikeRox]

Yeah, setting the routes doesn't seem to be working properly, you can't tell it to unload the different types as it seems to default to one, meaning you have to have separate trains. A patch will be forthcoming I'd think, though why something that fundamental wasn't sorted in testing is a bit annoying.

jus run seperate trains then leave him alone, tis 1 man makin all this, games made with teams of 60+ have more flaws in tbh

[rjpageuk]

I have never played a transport tycoon game before, but I love this type of game, and loved roller coaster tycoon but I have to admit I have little clue what the hell is going on in this game.

I sat through the tutorials which were very boring but they go little towards explaining how to play.

I am struggling to complete even the first mission on very easy - I am not sure if it is just a case of me getting bored and not waiting for things to "set up" properly, but I tried linking everywhere with buses first, then I tried adding trains about to try to get it to deliver the right stuff to the right places (which is completely counter intuitive - I kept ending up with wagons attached to no train and seemingly no way to attach them?).

I ended up with buses going everywhere and trains deliverying things (and constantly getting deadlocked between my sets of signals and therefore never going where I wanted them to), but I still didnt get to 10% engineering rating or whatever.

Did I need to just leave it running longer, or am I doing something fundamentally wrong?

Maybe I should read the manual or something.

[MikeRox]

reading the manual might help

u build the train first,then with the box still open, you buy carridges, or wagons, these are then automatically attached to your train, you then place it on the section of track you want (on the station platform is quickest for getting the route running) then select the route and set it going.

If you're too low on money but are making a profit, simply whack the fast forward button down til you can afford what you want to build.

[ryodi]

Out of interest, how are people approaching this game? I did the first three beginner scenarios and how now been playing around with the scenario editor. Despite the game offering US, British and Alpine trains I always pick developing in an American landscape. Probably because their trains are so much more impressive that the British Inter-City's. Or is this just me?

[MikeRox]

Double Decker busses are where it's at tbh ;p I think I can jus relate to the british architechture alot better. I also love steam engines like the Mallard (Greisley A4) over "Inter Cities" and they're on the english selection.

re: Marty G's problem, have had another mess about tonight and no patch is needed re: loading the same train with different goods, when you click it you get a drop down menu, u can have unload e.g. coal and iron ore in the same order, jus by holdin mouse button over an selectin each one for same stop. So another major flaw the doesn't exist