No new locomotives available from June 1857 onwards?

[integersmirk]

Hi there

I have been experimenting with Simutrans for a few weeks now. After a few dodgy starts learning the ropes, I decided to play from 1850 onwards.

I have now got to August 1857 and the only locomotive previously available to me - Locmoto Eagle (steam) - has been retired. I can't buy any new locomotives! This is a significant hinderance to progress as you can imagine.

I am running 111.3.1 r5843. When the game loads I think I see pak64 flash across the screen.

Is this a bug? Is it fixable? Is it intended? How long should I expect to wait before more locomotives are available?

I have invested significant amounts of time in this gameplay; although it would suck to have to start again with a different pakset I guess it's better to find out now that I should be using a different one than in 3 months time

Any help greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Mike

[Sarlock]

Integer,
You've started with a difficult start date!  Your next locomotive will come in 1865 in pak64, so you're kind of stuck until then (unless you enabled the game to purchase obsolete engines, but you probably went with the default value for this and cannot do this).
Once you hit 1865, you should have trains to last you the rest of the game, those ones don't become obsolete until the early 1900's and by then there are new engines to take their place.
You could press the fast forward button and rocket ahead a few years and then continue from there.  Hopefully your lines are profitable as they exist now so that you can build up some money in the meantime.

[integersmirk]

Thanks, that's exactly what I needed to know. Not the perfect outcome, but I can't blame the messenger.

Re: 1850 start. I liked the idea of learning the aspects of the game as the technology became available in the timeline. It's working out so far! However this 8-year window of no available locomotives is a hiccup and seems to be an oversight in game design, should it be logged somewhere for somone to fix up?

I am about +$75k/month profitable, with about $300k in the bank. I could spend some time replacing some freight lines with canals I suppose... It's hard to make my freight lines more efficient without warehouses. Unless I can use the road-based freight terminal for this purpose?

[Sarlock]

It's known, most of the paksets are unplayable, or barely playable, pre-1930.  It's just that all of the content was developed for 1930 or later and there hasn't been much development of stuff from earlier eras.  Some paksets are better than others with regard to older vehicles.
Once you hit 1865, you should be fine.  It's a long road with very few new vehicles until the early 1900's, but playable
You can use the road-based freight terminal to increase storage, yes.  Just be careful about increasing your monthly maintenance cost too high or your profits will disappear.
Have fun!

[integersmirk]

The idea would be to use one line to transport timber to a point; and then other lines to distribute timber to various destinations. I did something similar to this with a warehouse in one of the scenarios, just wondering now if the road freight depot would serve the same purpose when the rail warehouse is not yet available. Obviously I can find out if it will work for myself through trial and error

Separate question: if you were to pick a date and a pakset to do something similar to what I am trying to do (play from "the beginning" and use technology as it becomes available), which pakset and date would you have chosen?

[Fifty]

Separate question: if you were to pick a date and a pakset to do something similar to what I am trying to do (play from "the beginning" and use technology as it becomes available), which pakset and date would you have chosen?

If you want to start from "the beginning" then pak 64 is playable from 1865 onward. I prefer to start pak 64 games between 1900 and 1920 though, as there is more variety. I think pak 64.german and pak.128 Britain are also playable from an early date, though iirc pak.128 Britain is more focused on passengers if you like to play freight. You can move your existing game a few years forward by using public service, just switch to public service, click on "map editing tools" and then press the button that says "step timeline by 1 year" untill you reach 1865. This is what I'd do in your position.

You might want to look at NiniWania's gameplay experience from a long time ago with the early era. http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=904.0 He had some addons, but not many. I would suggest using the pak 64 food chain if you are not alreay for the early era. There was some discussion back then about adding some locomotives, and I think villvoh even painted some, but none have yet been added.

Finally, Welcome to the fourm! Once your map becomes more developed I think we would all love to see some screenshots and savegames!

[integersmirk]

Hey, I have spent a short time browsing on the forum and it's clear that even in the face of vague and unhelpful questions it seems there is always someone trying to give a proper reply. I feel welcome!

Re: sharing my progress... I feel very much as though I am making lots of newbie mistakes and on a steep learning curve. I might have something to share at some point soon but mostly for constructive criticism at this stage I guess.

Reading NiNiWania's review of pre-1900s gameplay, I have so many questions!

I am in 1857. He writes in 1830 lots of things I don't see...
Why do I see less ferries (only 3) and no ships and barges?
Why do I only have one industry type (timber - planks - wholesale) and no farms / grain / windmill / brewery / flour / beer / marketplace?
Where is my Adler locomotive? Is this the same as my Locmoto Eagle (steam)?
How do I build a new industry (screenshot "Factorybuilder")

Did I mention a steep learning curve?

[TommPa9]

In pak128.cs we have locomotive BD I. (available since 1855 to 1928). Can this loco help you?

Yes, it's nice that we have so old loco, but first railway vagoons in pak128.cs are from 1870's

oh no... its about pak64 locos...

[Combuijs]

Why do I see less ferries (only 3) and no ships and barges?

No idea about the ferry, ships and barges might be related to the next question
Edit: I've looked at the pak he uses (on his webpage) and it seems he uses a lot of addons, especially from Japan.

Why do I only have one industry type (timber - planks - wholesale) and no farms / grain / windmill / brewery / flour / beer / marketplace?

The other ones belong to the food add-on

Where is my Adler locomotive? Is this the same as my Locmoto Eagle (steam)?

Again, no idea
Edit: your Adler might have been phased out. The Locmoto Eagle might be an addon again.

How do I build a new industry (screenshot "Factorybuilder")

Change to public player (for example P+ icon), then a map editor symbol comes available. Press it, you get a toolbar with which you can edit the map, amongst others "building a new industry"

Did I mention a steep learning curve?

Now that you mention it, yes, you did! And don't worry, we have all been there before. We tend to forget that...

Edit: Did find a little bit more about Luduvico

[integersmirk]

OK, I now am learning about what a pakset and an add-on really is

I have found an add-on http://addons.simutrans.com/?pak=64&cat=All&todo=search for steam trains inbetween 1830 and 1870 - Niwi steam locomotives. This might be a fix to my original problem I guess. Can I use an add-on during an existing game or only from the start of a game?

And try as I might I can't find where to get hold of a food add-on. I have found a wiki entry relating to a "food chain" add-on but not where to download it?

Feeling like a very high-maintenance forum member now

[VS]

You can download it from the release thread here, or from sourceforge - it's an official addon.

[Combuijs]

Can I use an add-on during an existing game or only from the start of a game?

During an existing game (that is: stop and restart Simutrans, then load your game again).
Removal after you have used it is fatal for the savegame though.

I have found a wiki entry relating to a "food chain" add-on but not where to download it?

See http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=10292.0. As VS said: it is an official add-on, that's why you find it there

Feeling like a very high-maintenance forum member now

What? With only so few questions? No way!!! 

[greenling]

integersmink
You can borrow some railvehicles from pak.german.

[Ters]

"Locomoto Eagle" is the English translation for the Adler (though the passenger cars are still called "Adler passenger car"). Those who know the locomotive as the Adler either remember the times before many of the English names in pak64 were changed, or play with another language where the original names are preserved.

(My current game was by the way started in 1850, and pak64 is a game for the patient until about 1900.)

[IgorEliezer]

Feeling like a very high-maintenance forum member now

Haha... no way. You are welcome dude.

[Bear789]

Pak 128 Britain is playable since the early XIX century. I usually start my games in 1830; vehicles are (realistically) slow and have small capacity, so you need to extend the network at a slow pace unless you want to be overflowed with passengers and goods, but it's doable.

[greenling]

bear789
A pak 64 Britain can´t be gives,that i for me a riddle how you that have.

[Bear789]

My brain farted, I ment pak 128 Britain. There's no pak 64 Britain, as far as I know.

[jk271]

There is a small trick allowing to how to buy obsolete vehicle althow it was disabled:

1) Send convoy to depot
2) Disassemble it leaving only locomotive in convoy. (Do not sell anything !!)
3) Click on copy convoy.
As a result you will have one new (but obsolete) locomotive.
4) Reassemble disassembled convoy.
5) Use new (obsolete) locomotive in new train.