Express World - Railroad Tycoon II - Game Information Database

The original version of Railroad Tycoon, with its Teletext interface and unsightly graphics, was altogether pretty hideous. In fact it was so darn ugly that farmers used to leave it running in the middle of fields to scare off the pigeons and stop gypsies stealing their tractors. Most of the game's static images looked as though they'd been culled straight from Mugsy on the Spectrum (where jagged lines and Day-Glo colours were all part of the charm); other elements, such as mail cars and coal wagons, were so indistinct that they required a long squint at the screen before you could figure out which was which.

Nevertheless, the game still managed to pull in the sales. Why? Because appearance aside, it was unique, absorbing, and had the longevity of a Californian Redwood. And with the release of Railroad Tycoon Deluxe (PCZ #7, 72%), the whole concept won its developer, programming supremo Sid Meier, several major awards, including Game of the Year and Best Simulation at the prestigious European Computer Trade Show (commonly referred to as ECTS).

LOOKING GOOD

The key for any sequel was to create an entirely fresh graphics engine, yet keep the Class A addictive nature of the game intact. Pop Top Software, the team of developers who own the rights to the Railroad Tycoon name, have clearly done their utmost. The whole world is now rendered at 1024x768 in 16-bit colour by something called S3D, a new software engine capable of flinging 300,000 polygons around your monitor without having to stop for a rest.

But S3D extends to more than just scrumptious visuals. You can rotate the map and zoom in close to get a better look at all the different choo-choos, watch boxes moving along conveyor belts in factories, and see the waves nodding up and down on the ocean. You can also zoom right out to an effective height of about 35 miles - enough to look down and see entire continents.

Expanding on the original game, Railroad Tycoon II now encompasses more than 200 years of rail travel between 1804 and 2020, features more than 60 historically accurate engines, and has more than 30 different types of cargo to shunt around. This means that not only can you spend a lot of time picking, browsing and comparing the different trains, but there is also so much more scope for a complex economic infrastructure.

For example, instead of just transporting apples and pears from orchards to the nearest city centre, supply a local fertiliser plant with chemicals from a chemical factory (you can even pay to use another player's existing rail network) and you're able to provide the orchard with bags of Grow More. Your production subsequently increases accordingly, and you can then move the produce to a cannery where it's processed into tinned fruit. If your system works, the orchard, cannery, fertiliser plant and chemical factory flourish and, should you decide to buy up the four sites, you can ladle their profits into your own bank account.

PLAYING WITH MONEY

As with most strategy management games, your objective in Railroad Tycoon II is to squash the competition and make lots of money. So the best routes to pursue are the most lucrative ones; there's no point shifting a dozen crates of coffee beans into town if instead you can move uranium to a nuclear power plant and then get paid again for pushing its waste products into a landfill site.

But there's more than one way to generate cash. Railroad Tycoon II encompasses its own financial arena, enabling you to dabble in everything from stocks, shares and bonds, to forming takeovers and mergers. Many of the 18 supplied scenarios set targets for your personal wealth, meaning you need to stay tuned to the company portfolio screens and invest your money wisely in order to progress. Screw up and your broker is straight on to you; make a killing and you're able to force rival firms out of the market.

See the world, my boy

Railroad Tycoon II encompasses much of the industrialised world, from Britain through to central Europe, the Mediterranean, China, Korea, Scandinavia, the United States and South America. To be honest, all that really happens here is that the place names change and the map borders change shape.

Disappointingly, industries are not related to real-life locations and are seemingly placed at random, which means it's possible to find a rubber farm in Boston, or a sugar plantation just to the west of Stockholm. In simpler terms, the maps aren't actually that relevant. Only mountains and hills are of any real concern, as they slow your trains considerably. This is especially true in the early years, when you find yourself wheezing around the countryside in Stephenson's Rocket, unable to go anywhere that isn't as flat as a billiard table. As time moves on, so technological advancements become available, enabling faster, more reliable trains, and a far wider spread of industry.

QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS

The one nagging doubt about all this is its striking similarity - both in name and function - to Chris Sawyer's landmark Transport Tycoon (PCZ #21, 94%). If you ignore financial management and an abundance of cute graphics, pretty much every aspect of Railroad Tycoon II is a modern-day re-enactment of the 1994 classic. Crucially, Transport Tycoon still feels the more 'complete' game, adding road, air and water-based transport systems, as well as important aspects like the ability to raise/lower the land and build tunnels. In Railroad Tycoon II, you have to knot your tracks into demented loops around every geographical obstacle you encounter, which is plain crazy and not the least bit true to life.

What's more, the old timer has other neat features like signals, disasters, collisions, level crossings and service depots. Graphically it lags behind, but it's still as engaging as it ever was, is now available on MicroProse's budget label, runs like a dream in Windows 98, and takes up less than 3Mb of your hard drive.

So if you think you might like this kind of game, try Transport Tycoon. If you already have a copy sitting on your shelf, Railroad Tycoon II won't provide any new thrills - even if it did win Best Non-Combat Strategy Game at E3. Trust us.

Kicking off in the late 1930s, The Second Century is an expansion pack that takes existing Railroad Tycoon II (PCZ #71, 78%) fans from the post-Depression years through to 2030 and beyond. There are 18 scenarios, more than a dozen non-campaign levels, new industries, new trains and some tweaks to the interface. Crucial elements missing from the original game are now present - for example, the ability to store goods at stations where they can be collected by other engines. Bankrupt companies are now penalised with a 50 per cent share issue, bridges now span much larger expanses of water and there are new, easier methods of laying track. There's also a slight shift in the revenue balance, with reductions in the rates paid to passenger hauliers and increases in the rates paid to freight companies.

The maps and challenges are spread across three clearly defined chapters covering World War II, the post-war boom and a fictional, futuristic period called Geocore. Each has its own goals and emphasis.

In the WW2 chapter, there's a heavy emphasis on moving armaments in the shortest possible time. You get to pay a visit to Blighty to rebuild the bombed rail network, and you also visit other European destinations immediately after the war has ended. More modern scenarios deal with commuter networks, light rail systems and the problems of nuclear waste disposal - you can't, for example, send trains throbbing with atomic energy through busy passenger stations. Each is a little puzzle you have to solve before moving on.

Despite the fact that The Second Century does nothing to address our earlier criticisms of poor realism - there are still no tunnels or any ability to deform the landscape - it represents good value for money and is an essential buy for existing RT2 owners.

Expansion Pack Info

Waterloo station website has recived this email:

Hi Anders,
I'm trying to slice out time to fix the site. I'm soo slow. Anyway, we haven't announced anything in particular but an expasion pack is the likely course of action. Phil is currently looking at fixes and such. RT3, it is not likely at this time but who knows.

Franz

What does 1999 have in store for Railroad Tycoon Fans ? 1/1/99

There is no offical word from Poptop on a sequal to Railroad Tycoon 2 or the expansion pack that has been talked about. Iam hoping to find out if there is going to be a sequal/expansion pack

Terminal illness

Franz has said this (from the Terminal website)

A new week. We drift into the 2nd game of the Holiday Double Header. We're working on something for all the RT2 fans out there, so stay tuned!

Game Features

The sequel to the legendary Railroad Tycoon, Railroad Tycoon II, puts gamers in control of 39 cargo types and 62 train engines from around the world.
Players can span the ages from 1804 to beyond 2000 while establishing transportation empires and outmaneuvering fellow robber barons.
The game is the first game developed exclusively for 1024 x 768 resolution, in either 16 bit or 8 bit color.
Scenarios allow for world-wide exploration and expansion.
A sophisticated economy and stock market for Wall Street plunderers lets players test their entrepreneurial prowess.
The game will have a bit of the Civilization feel as well, with scenarios that provide opportunities for world exploration and expansion.
Players can micromanage or delve into the game's layers of complexity as much or as little as they want!
The game will allow multi-player options. 32 people will be able to play over a LAN network and 16 people can play over the internet.

You will be able to play the stock market & buy out other companies. You will be able to have company mergers or sell your company off (or close it) and launch another one during a game at any point.

Interviews With Poptop

1. When is the demo due for release?

Not scheduled yet. No official announcement is at hand.

2. How big will this demo be? (don't make it too big or it will take ages to
download)

Actually, no idea at this moment.

3. What limitaions will the demo have?

Hasn't been done yet, so I'm unable to say.

4. What are the current system requirements for the game?

Haven't changed, yet.

5.What is the estimated release date,has one yet been fixed?

No fixed date, we have not intention to give a date we can't meet. So, we will announce that when we've mastered.

6.What sort of things would be in the expansion pack you talked about?

I've said we've considered it; however since we are not even done with this version we don't really know what we will do next.

7 Will there be a 100 year limitaion on rrt2 as there was in the first game?

No, you can play as long as you want. There will be no new locomotives beyon 2000.

8. Will you be able to build industries or sell them?

Buying industries was just put in, building them is being tested.

9. Will trains become less relibale with age?

Yes, and they will have a general reliability factor too.

10. What are the chances of poptop producing railroad tycoon 3 ?

Way too hard to tell.

11. Who is doing the music for rrt2. Is it an external or internal operation
& what styles of music have you gone for?(e.g classic , blues etc)

Jazz & Blues mostly. A local contractor along with others.

Supertrain Interview

Supertrain has done another interview with poptop and given it to railroad express. So here goes:

1. How many in-zoom levels are in the game?
I believe it is 5. Funny how when you're so close to a thing you forget the little things.
2. Will Take-2 interactive also "sell" the game outside Great-Brittain in main Europe?
Yes.
3. Is labor-costs also inserted in the game?
Labor cost as far as track & engine maintenance, yes.
4. Are there any subsidies in the game from local authorities?
Yes, at times.
5. Are there any new Reviews-Interviews from magazines?
Actually, I've been having a difficult time tracking that stuff. None that I know of.
6. What is the most important good you transport in the game?They are all important. It's a value judgement and situationally based.

7. What can I see more in a station-view?
There are several in station shots on the screens page... just realized this letter was before that update.... ugh, I hate it when this happens.

Strategy Guide

TIP 17/1/99:

If I go personally bankrupt... can I still win the level ?

Technically yes,

Very hard - if you only get your shares sold to cover margin and manage to keep within a few hundred thousand from 0. Manage the company as well as is possible, buy back all the shares the company can afford - keep them out of the hands of the competition.

When your salary is going well and you start getting a positive cash balance you can start to trade again. Issue shares in company and buy what you can. Then get company to buy back the rest - keep them out... (you might consider slowing down the game to avoid disappointment)

This will at least get you back into the black in terms of net worth, but manage very carefully the margin and keep the company profitable, even if someone has alot of shares.

Whether you can win from here depends on how deep you got dunked and how far into the game you were.

Good Luck

David

from Poptop:

All maps can be made playable as a stand alone scenario!

1. Run the Map Editor.
2. Load a Map (one that you can't currently play numbered 1-18).
3. Click on the OPTIONS button... top right.
4. The left side of the dialog box will have GENERAL highlighted. On the Right side you will see The heading Map Settings
and the areas where you can input dates and map info. At the very bottom of the list is a Check Box labeled
Campaign Map. Click on the box and the X will be removed.
5. Click on the File Options and save the map with a DIFFERENT map name than the original.

Now the map will be possible to play as a stand alone, just select it as you would any map.

You are now just a step away from the Dark Side, where you modify the games parameters!!!

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Use small stations as refilling depots. Place a small station along a long route, right before a train would probably run out of water or sand, and place only a sanding tower and/or water tower inside the station. Since trains do not need to stop at the station to refill these, the depots do not need to be in your train's route. Have the train run down the track, past the depot, and the water and sand will be filled. And another way to prevent train breakdowns is to use the cabooses. A caboose will increase reliability (affects breakdowns and crashes), safety (affects robberies) and goodwill (affects access rights). This is a particularly useful car when you find you need to run a leg of a route without any cargo.

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In multiplayer games you can be a real curmudgeon by placing small sections of track in the path of your opponents and force them to give you a small amount of cash for each of their trains that use your chunk of 'hateful track' every year! This can really add up if they have no alternate way of routing their line.

Bridging a nation:

Get two or three large cities close to the starting point and set up passenger service to them (this gets the income going). Once you have made some money issue one bond. Connect to the next largest city west (try to go straight, no North South movement). Get a long trip passenger train going here. Make enough money to pay back the bond. You should be at the mountains now.
Place your track one piece at a time through the mountains so you get the best grade percentages possible (from Denver, whip around the mountains to the North and cut straight thru to Salt Lake. There is a mountain pass near Ogden that is passable. From Salt Lake whip around to Reno, fairly flat here too. Then take the deep plunge into Sacramento, there is a small valley that can be cut through if you are careful).
After you get there, change the stops of the original trains to go from point to point (i.e., use the Denver train to start at Sacramento and the KC train to start at St Louis).
Forgot to Mention, don’t start at St Louis. Start at KC where you can get to Wichita, Tulsa, Topeka, etc... for quick cash. KC has the best possible money makers close whereas St Louis is alone. Connect to St Louis near the end of your track laying to make the final connection.
I usually get all my track laid by 1868, leaving plenty of time to make the required trips across the great divide. When laying track, don’t worry about stations (except at the end of the line). Save the money to get the track down. Then you can place little stations strategically just to provide water and sand (don’t worry about cities here, just help the train along the path).
Don’t over car the trains. They go faster with fewer cars. Try just three passengers for each train and after the get going, build two more starting from different ends with three cars. You should make it in plenty of time.
Ronald L. Ambs

Hello, I am a new user to this game, never used it before. I do not have the manual. I start a new single player game in the B&O railroad in baltimore, but when I try and build a train, or track or anything it tells me that I can not build anything until I own a company. How do you get to own a company? I have tried everything from right mouse clicking to entering the stock options and trying to click on the president of the company. I am not asked at the start of the game for my name, or any other things like that. Is this an error in my version of the program? Or am I just a moron?
Please be kind when answering that question.

Thanks,
Glenn

In the middle listbox, click on the far right tab at the bottom, which looks like a building. You should then see a list with a box that says: Start a new company.

Double click on that box and follow instructions.

You may find the manual quite helpful, as well :)

MAP EDITOR

I have a couple of questions regarding the map editor. I am about halfway through constructing a campaign based in Southern Ontario starting in 1850. I have run the game unfinished a ran across some problems.

1) Is it possible to program the name of computer operated railways.

2) Is it possible to lay track down and have it appear when the game initiates for the computer run railways.

3) How do I program the computer operated railways so that they have access rights to certain areas.

In fact, any information available for these computer run railways would be appreciated. I had intended to have up to 5 computer players representing the major railways in Upper Canada. Unfortunately, all I have been able to work out is having 5 companies start up. One of them laid a short track, the others did absolutely nothing for 5 years. I have broken my map down into the individual counties but every computer player only had access to the human start area. Thank you for your help.

Brad

1) Ans = yes.
2) You have to prebuild it on your map. There are numerous campaigns were the railroads are prebuilt. Go into the game editor and look at the maps until you find one with tracks already on it.
3) Use the events to control this. Creating and laying track and prebuilding companies requires that you use the editor like a game. You have to give yourself zillions of dollars. Then click the "allow to start multiple companies" (in general or special restrictions) then build one railroad start another, build it etc. for each railroad. When you're done change the player money back to normal.. It's alot of work.
I tried to do a 'Rail Baron' map with lots of companies already built. After the first three I decided it was too much work.

MAP EDITOR:

Does anyone knows how to remove a misplaced City / Label in the editor ?
Thanks..

Just bulldoze it.

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