Express World - Railroad Tycoon II Platinum

Franz Felsl at Poptop has kindly passed along a complete list of all maps to be included in the new Platinum Edition. There are 50 new maps, here is the list:

Alaska Steve Lorenz
      Atlantis PopTop
      Aurendia David Masters
      Ben Franklin's Kite Bob Thomas
      Black Sea Steve Lorenz
      Blimper David Masters
      British Columbia Chuck Barkman
      CA II Steve Lorenz
      Coal Country Bob Thomas
      Dominican Republic Emilio Guerra
      Do The Hop PopTop
      Durango Steve Lorenz
      Duty Free Warmonger PopTop
      East Frisia Florian Santorius
      Ecuador and Peru Pete Cangialosi
      El Rio PopTop
      Europe Steve Lorenz
      FAO Marshes David Masters
      Florida 1900 Steven Otte
      Free4all Bob Thomas
      From Sails to Rails Steven Otte
      German-American Trade Lars Maischak
      Glacier Express Thomas Nussbaumer
      Gran Prix Bob Thomas
      Lenin Lars Maischak
      Lion of Africa Steve Lorenz
      Local Industry Bob Thomas
      Lomardia Marco Stefanuti
      Mad King Graham Willard
      Making the Grade Bob Thomas
      Minnesota Pete Cangialosi/ Dick Knisely
      Monrovia David Masters
      New Japan Scott Kirwin
      Prince of Steel II Steve Lorenz
      Real Scandenavia Einar H Bendigtsen
      RobberBaron Mike Fischer
      Roundabout David Masters
      Royal Empress Jon Calon
      San Francisco Bay Pete Cangialosi
      Slovenja Marco Stefanutti
      Slow and Steady PopTop
      South Africa Steve Lorenz
      Styria 1840 John Schwarz
      Sunset and Lonley PopTop
      Tanagore David Masters
      The Colony PopTop
      The Dream PopTop
      The Pixely Express PopTop
      Tremorland PopTop
      Wisconsin Rails Dick Knisely

RT2 Platinum: GameAddicts Poptop Interview

http://www.gameaddicts.net has produced an interview with Franz J. Felsl (who attended last night's chat) from Poptop. Here is the article:

GameAddicts was lucky enough to get a short interview with Franz J. Felsl from PopTop Software Inc. about their upcoming Railroad Tycoon II Platinum. RTII Platinum is a massive bundle of goodies if there ever was one, including the original game, the expansion, and a whole lot of new scenarios, trains, and music. And now, without further ado...

[GA] On the off chance that someone hasn't heard of Railroad Tycoon II, please explain the nature of the game.

[PopTop] RT2 is an empire building strategy game based upon the railroad (railway) industry. The game focuses on building personal and business wealth in simulated real world environments starting from the birth of the steam engine through modern times as well as near future scenarios.

[GA] What new content will the RTII Platinum bring into the game?

[PopTop] RT2 platinum is a compilation of the Original RT2, The Second Century and Gold Edition plus 50 new scenarios and a little over 2 full hours of Blues music. There is about 45 min of new music not heard previously and the 50 scenarios are a compilation of 40 user scenarios and 10 new PopTop scenarios.

[GA] What prompted the release of this expansion pack?

[PopTop] The game was still being sold and we had some encouragement from the fan base. It seemed like a good thing to do since we're also releasing it at a bargain price, of approx. $19.95. So if you never got it but were thinking of picking it up or just want a nice collection of maps including ones not available on the internet, then this is a nice little bundle.

[GA] RTII had an almost fanatical fan-following on the web, with more than 1,500 user-created scenarios available on a number of fan sites. What do you think prompted such a great response? What will the RTII Platinum's scenarios bring into the game that cannot be simply downloaded from the web?

[PopTop] Well, the music and 10 scenarios we created are the main thing but we also stiffed through most of those maps and even made corrections and such to many of the 40 we are using. The 40 are also some of the best of ALL those scenario's you mentioned. It's some new stuff, convenience, and low price.

[GA] Some players were a little intimidated by RTII's vast array of gaming features. Will this new expansion be as appealing to new users as it is to hardcore veterans?

[PopTop] We haven't changed the play style at all though you'll have a lot of scenarios to choose from, many are simpler to play than some of the older ones. We're hoping that people that were intimidated will take another look at what RT2 has to offer.

[GA] One of the more interesting features that RTII had was historic scenarios. Can we expect to see more of them in the upcoming Platinum release?

[PopTop] Many of the user maps are more accurate portrayals of some areas of the world, so while they are not part of a campaign they are still nice and detailed.

[GA] When will this release ship to stores?

[PopTop] We're expecting it to be in stores by September 1.

[GA] Today, when many companies feel justified in charging $40-$50 dollars for expansion packs that offer little new content, RTII Platinum promises to add weeks of playing time in addition to more music, more trains, an electronic 200-page official guide, the original Railroad Tycoon II and the expansion: Railroad Tycoon II: The Second Century - all for a suggested retail price of $19.99. Why did PopTop decide to include so much content for such a relatively low price?

[PopTop] Because it is a justifiable price for the work we had to do on it. Take 2 doesn't need to charge $40-50 so they didn't. Also, PopTop is a bunch of game geeks too, we like our fan base and don't feel like alienating them. We expect to make more games that they'll enjoy in the future and there's no need to ruin that relationship.

[GA] What's next for Railroad Tycoon? Can we expect to see Railroad Tycoon III sometime in the future?

[PopTop] My Magic Eight Ball (tm) says: the future looks bright but ask again later.

Railroad Tycoon II Platinum: Announced

- I have added a page to this site on the forthcoming Platinum Edition. Click here to enter Platinum Edition page.

Godgames has announced that is to publish a new package of Railroad Tycoon II from Poptop Software. The new edition of Railroad Tycoon II is to be called Railroad Tycoon II Platinum, and will include: Railroad Tycoon II, TSC Expanion pack, Gold Edition maps, cd soundtrack, 200 page electronic strategy guide and 50 new maps from Poptop.

Godgames has stated that the new edition will ship 'soon,' aand will cost $19.99. The Platinum Edition will be jointly published in Europe by Take 2 Interactive and Empire Interactive.

Here is a news article I found on this from www.cgonline.com

Take-Two Interactive Software and GodGames today announced Railroadd Tycoon II Platinum, a special edition of the popular railroad strategy game from Pop Top Software. The new product, budget priced at around $20, will include the original Railroad Tycoon II game, The Second Century expansion, an electronic version of the official strategy guide, 50 new scenarios, and a soundtrack with over two hours of original blues music.

"Railroad Tycoon 2 was the first of the recent string of 'Tycoon'-game hits," said Mike Wilson, CEO of GodGames. "Railroad Tycoon 2's continuing popularity is a testament to its outstanding gameplay, and the broad appeal of trains and railroads to gamers around the world."

The game has you building and running a railroad, including laying track, buying trains, and deciding on cargoes.

Railroad Tycoon II Platinum Press Release

Here is the offical press release from Godgames about RT2-Platinum:

Dallas, TX -- July 30, 2001 - High end computer and video game publisher GodGames, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO), today announced it will publish Railroad Tycoon II Platinum Developed by PopTop Software, the exclusive special edition, which includes the smash hit strategy-simulation Railroad Tycoon II, the critically acclaimed expansion pack Railroad Tycoon II: The Second Century, the official 200 page Railroad Tycoon II Strategy guide in electronic format, plus 50 new scenarios and a soundtrack with over two hours of original blues music, is scheduled for release in August 2001, for a suggested retail price of $19.99.

"Railroad Tycoon 2 was the first of the recent string of 'Tycoon'-game hits," said Mike Wilson, CEO of GodGames. "Railroad Tycoon 2's continuing popularity is a testament to its outstanding gameplay, and the broad appeal of trains and railroads to gamers around the world."

With more than 125 scenarios to choose from, gamers will test their engineering skills across continents and amid an ever-changing global marketplace. Among the new scenarios, gamers can tackle the Russian revolution and attempt to smuggle Lennon across central Europe and back into St Petersburg. Or they can replicate Andrew Carnegie's feats in building an empire of steel using monopoly control of East Coast U.S. railroads. Global campaigns throughout the world challenge gamers to re-create the greatest historical railroad feats with over 60 engines from around the world, including the French TGV, the Brenner 412, the 4-8-8-4 Big Boy and the Vulcan 240. The 50 new scenarios include a mixture of original ones created by PopTop, plus some of the best fan-created scenarios, chosen from over 2000 user maps created by RT2 fans since the game's original release.

"Railroad Tycoon 2 Platinum provides a lot of new content for players of the original Railroad Tycoon 2 games, and a great introduction to the series for newcomers," said Phil Steinmeyer, president of PopTop Software. "Strategy fans and train fans alike can get hundreds of hours of enjoyment out of this huge compilation."

Railroad Tycoon II received critical acclaim from the gaming and consumer press, being named as Editors Choice by Computer Gaming World, Computer Games Magazine and PC Gamer. Railroad Tycoon II received accolades from CNET Gamecenter.com, receiving the CNET Gameworthy Award and being honored as the 1998 Best Strategy Game of the Year award winner. Railroad Tycoon II has also been accredited with PC Game of the Year by Alta Vista's WildWildWeb.

Railroad Tycoon II Platinum also offers multiplayer options for play alone or against dozens of devious computer opponents and supports LAN and Internet play.

Railroad Tycoon II Platinum Features:
· More than 60 engines from around the world, including the French TGV, the Brenner 412, the 4-8-8-4 Big Boy, and the Vulcan 2-4-0
· More than 125 scenarios ranging from the building of the Transcontinental Railroad to supplying allied forces during WWII
· Global campaigns include Canada, South America, Scandinavia, Australia, United States, Britain, Central Europe, and Africa.
· Sophisticated stock market with margin buying, short selling, and hostile takeovers
· 200-page Official Railroad Tycoon II Strategy Guide in electronic format included
· Over 2 hours of original blues music, over 3 times as long as any previous game in the Railroad Tycoon 2 series

Railroad Tycoon II Platinum: Gamespy Article

www.gamespy.com has produced an article including info from Phil Steinmeyer about the new RT2-Platinum edition.

The Platinum edition of Railroad Tycoon II was announced yesterday. It should be out in August and will sell for $20. This is one of those games that seems to keep selling steadily long after games released at the same time have been consigned to the bargain bins of history. The new repackaging of the game will include 50 new scenarios. Many of them, about 40 according to PopTop's Phil Steinmeyer, are fan-made scenarios that PopTop has taken, debugged, and cleaned up. Steinmeyer said there are several thousand scenarios out on the Internet, so they picked the best of the best and have polished them up. They're also adding about 10 new scenarios they've done in house.

I talked to Phil to find out more about the Platinum release. One of the cool things it will have in it is some new blues music they've recorded just for this version. The music in the original game was popular enough that they decided to add more. Technology has also helped, according to Steinmeyer. Back when the game was first out, Redbook Audio was what they had to use for the music and that takes up more space on the CD, so they only had room for 37 minutes of music. Now they're going to an MP3 format and will have about two hours of blues music. As Duke Nukem would say, "Groovy."

Phil also noted that this Platinum edition was a good way to repackage the game so that it can get extended shelf life. There's a Gold edition out right now if you can find it, and it has all the documentation in paper format. The box is also a bit fancier than the Platinum edition, with gold raised lettering. The cost of goods for the box, documentation, and CD is about $5.50 according to Steinmeyer. The Platinum edition will have all the documentation in electronic format and will have a simpler box. The cost of goods will be about $2.50. That $3 difference helps cover the cost of returns, shipping, and other expenses and will allow Take 2 to keep the game in print longer. We all love paper manuals, but if going to electronic format allows an older game to maintain a retail presence longer, I'm all for it.

I asked Phil the inevitable question -- since Tycoon II has done so well, what about a sequel. Ever the master of saying a lot without really saying a lot, this is what he told me: "We really enjoy the RRT universe and we look forward to returning to the series at some point in the future, but we're not prepared to discuss any specific timeframes or plans." He did that over the phone, too, in real-time! This didn't come out of a PR flack's mouth.

Phil also mentioned that Tropico is selling well, especially in Germany. They love their dictators there! And PopTop's artists have been having fun creating the cutscenes for Age of Wonders 2. Triumph is doing the coding and design, but PopTop is adding some artwork. Phil also is exicited about the game. He's seen a post-E3 build. "It looks phenomenal. I think it's going to be a great game and will really be enjoyed by fans of fantasy strategy." I know he wanted to compare it to Master of Magic, but he caught himself just in time. You don't invoke the names of classic games like that lightly

Tropico 2 - Pirate Cove

Tropico