News:

Simutrans Chat Room
Where cool people of Simutrans can meet up.

Rules for the online game

Started by ӔO, February 17, 2012, 06:03:57 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

ӔO

I'm not sure if this deserves its own topic, but I don't think it would be bad to have some rules and challenges for the game. Not as strict as moblet's server rules, but some minor ones wouldn't be bad, IMO.

- If you run tracks inside the city and demolish roads, you must pay for the road or bridge that will keep the city connected.
- Some cities may ban ground, underground or elevated ways entirely. (this adds a challenge of connecting some cities)
- Some cities may ban the use of diesel or steam trains.
- If you own X service in Y place, you must provide, at least one, Z service as well. (example: If you own a Rail Freight line near Halifax, you must provide a local pax service as well)


I'm not sure about how airports should be handled. Should the public player designate locations? Should the players each build their own terminal?
and speaking of airports I think there is room for improvement. A fully loaded A320 taking off within 750m of runway is strange and it might be good to use the airport one way signal from pak128.
My Sketchup open project sources
various projects rolled up: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17111233/Roll_up.rar

Colour safe chart:

AP

Quote from: ӔO on February 17, 2012, 06:03:57 PM
- If you run tracks inside the city and demolish roads, you must pay for the road or bridge that will keep the city connected.

This one's tricky to define. I often demolish city roads to get a route into the heart of a city, but simutrans road networks have a substantial amount of redundancy, lots of straight parallel roads, and a very high ratio of road to built fabric compared to reality. I don't think there's a problem demolishing *unused* road (ie 0 convoys passing in the last month, which the tiles already count), since often it leads to a general improvement of the city, but if another player is using the tiles then of course a right of way becomes established (just as in real life) and it should be preserved (bridge etc).

In fact, that could be an idea - rather than locking city-roads and inter-city roads, why not only make them un-demolish-able for (n months) after a month in which a convoy traversed them?

jamespetts

I have split this topic from the original balancing topic, as I suspect that this needs separate consideration.

Oddly enough, I have been thinking about having server rules recently, too. Certainly, a requirement to re-instate removed city roads would be one of them (the rule should be that every building should be connected, and that all parts of cities should be connected to all other parts by roads entirely within the city limits, and all inter-city roads should remain connected to the city road network; that detail ought to answer AP's query).

I am not so sure about the idea of other more arbitrary restrictions: that is, restrictions imposed just for the reason of giving players some challenge. I generally take the view that all of the challenge should have some basis in the simulated economy of the game, rather than arbitrary constraints. If, however, there is some economic basis for a local constraint, that might be considered. I had thought of adding a rule to the effect that the public player may set local rules for particular towns by using the signpost feature. The public service player's aim ought be to ensure the natural growth of towns (and one day, I hope to implement proper public financing), so the public player should set local rules based on that objective.

As to airports, I do wonder about whether it might be desirable to restrict them from being built inside city limits for noise pollution reasons. However, the access feature should allow players to share airports if they choose to do so; alternatively, the public service player might choose to build its own airports, much like the BAA in the UK.

I do agree, incidentally, that different aircraft should have different minimum runway lengths, although this is more of an extension request, I think, and is not currently a priority.
Download Simutrans-Extended.

Want to help with development? See here for things to do for coding, and here for information on how to make graphics/objects.

Follow Simutrans-Extended on Facebook.

sdog

Just a suggest: Try to keep the rules simple. Often a "fair play" requirement that is enforced as the gamemaster sees fit is the most efficient way.

jamespetts

Hmm - that would have the disadvantage that it is so general as to be uncertain, which might make players believe themselves to be unfairly treated if their interpretation was different from the administrator's.
Download Simutrans-Extended.

Want to help with development? See here for things to do for coding, and here for information on how to make graphics/objects.

Follow Simutrans-Extended on Facebook.

ӔO

for the challenges, I would consider that, for example, the terrain is unsuitable or the city has voted something unsightly or too polluting. London, for instance, didn't allow surface trains, so instead someone came up with the underground system. I think it was Chicago, but it was decided that elevated was the way to go, because at the time, it was impossible to construct tunnels due to the loose and soft ground.
My Sketchup open project sources
various projects rolled up: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17111233/Roll_up.rar

Colour safe chart:

sdog

Oh, it wasn't meant that extreme, just in the sense not to go too much into detail with the rules. The gaps are filled by the elastic fair play clause. In general more than 3 rules are hardly ever read. Since you got rather devoted players a few more could work too.

Don't underestimate good sportsmanship -- especially of simutrans players. Last but not least it's your 'house', if you consider someone a bad sport they have to change their behaviour or go, all whining is not going to help.

dustNbone

I think fair play is pretty obvious most of the time.  I try not to sever road connections between cities, leave navigable waterways alone and avoid destroying too much of a city, which is why I tend to use elevated rails or more rarely underground in cities. 

The new rule preventing players from removing intercity roads makes it difficult to lay rails sometimes, I can see the rationale behind it as breaking intercity roads does affect the game, but I always reconnect them when I'm done, and I think this would be a good general rule if the restriction on removing the roads was lifted, it seems reasonable that the company owning the rails be responsible for road crossings.

Things are a little trickier in cities, as space contention becomes an issue early on.  I like the build elevated (or rarely underground) rail through the centre of the city, with city hall and maybe the church within catchment of a central station.  I find this keeps the city more intact than trying to get ground level rail anywhere near the centre of the city, but it's a little intrusive and alot expensive early in the game.  I guess that's a fairly realistic simulation though.

All in, I'd say most of it's common sense.  Basically I try to "keep it real", this is a simulator at it's heart and I find it's most interesting the nearest it is to reality.  I really like some of the new restrictions on long bridges, deep water terraforming, etc.  I think the current online game would have been pretty interesting now without fixed crossings of any kind, not that it's not interesting now it just would be neat to see how well ships could handle the job. 

greenling

Aeo
Your rules in your first repley are bad.
And you have what very important forget.
A Station on a Road have a Limit from 2100 convois per month.
Trams are between 1960 and 1995 not useable.
Maglev in Uk are a Projekt for the future.
Monorail in UK be not gives.
Only trains can be cary the mass for People,Freight and Mail.
The easy way too transport the mass it a Tunnelnetwork lower a City.
And that London be creat a citytax for car it a signal that the People too often use a Car.

Opening hours 20:00 - 23:00
(In Night from friday on saturday and saturday on sunday it possibly that i be keep longer in Forum.)
I am The Assistant from Pakfilearcheologist!
Working on a big Problem!

sdog

three lols for greenling's signature!
QuoteOpening hours 20:00 - 23:00
I am The Assistant from Pakfilearcheologist!