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Depots that consume resources

Started by OliverNo11, August 31, 2010, 10:21:09 PM

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OliverNo11

I was thinking that since company depots use things like coal (steam locos) oil/petrol (trucks/buses) electricity (trams), etc that depots could consume these things albeit in small quantities. The thought also came to mind that depots could be restricted to certain types of motive power based on what is being supplies to them. For example a rail line serving a power station that hauls coal, would have access to electricity, and coal, so it can have steam/electric locomotives because coal and electricity can both be supplied to the depot. Then they would be used at the same time engines/cars/boats are running, like when a factory is consuming power from the grid, a moving steam locomotive uses up the depots coal reserves. I know this is a nightmare to program so I wouldn't be surprised if you put it off, but I think it would add a touch of realism to the game.
Long live trains!

gauthier

it's not a bad idea, it could make the game a bit more difficult and interesting but I don't think that the depot should be supplied : if you give coal to a steam engine first, it will consume it and need coal again then. Maybe the better is to supply some stations with coal and depending on the locomotive (big coal storage capacity or not) it could move to a certain distance until it has no coal, so if a schedule is too long the loco won't move. For electric engines, a better thing would be electric stations to power the catenaries but with a distance limit (you can't place only one of them to power all the catenaries of a map).

ӔO

#2
wasn't there something similar in one of the RRT games, where if you bought a power station and supplied it, it would reduce the cost of your electrified routes?

the way I see it, the profits you make off of your coal lines pays for the maintenance and upkeep costs of all your vehicles that depend on it.

what would make steam locomotives more realistic is to have an aspect of fuel and there would be points where the trains can refuel, be it coal and water or diesel.
The water towers would cost more, if the sources of water are further or are located in a desert.
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prissi

Requested nearly a 1000 times before. Look for the old threads.

IgorEliezer

I believe making the depots have some factory-like features would make the learning curve a bit more harder than it is now.

In Simutrans, depots aren't factories, then: depots are where you manage vehicles, factories are where goods are processed, vehicles are what transport goods, passengers and mail along the map, stops are where goods et al "get into/out" of vehicles. One function per game element. Simple.

The more we make things clear and intuitive for the player, the more the player will get skilled with the game and he will have fun with it.  :)

AP

I like the idea, but i have a concern:
Given [depot requires coal to produce train] + [train required to take coal to depot]

...I don't see how one gets started. I mean, unless you use horses, and simulate the entire industrial revolution, how do you get to a position where you can run the map to begin with.

If it's less absolute (ie supply coal, maintenance goes down), it has a similar but lesser effect - if the first routes are not about coal, they could be overwhelmingly unprofitable, ditto the coal route until it "gets going".

Not forgetting that not all maps have all industries. Prescribing "fuel first" as a game strategy is realistic, but potentially not fun.

I would foresee a need for the function to not kick in until #convoys > a certain value, and then perhaps incrementally (or linearly).

OliverNo11

Quote from: prissi on September 01, 2010, 02:00:05 PM
Requested nearly a 1000 times before. Look for the old threads.
Sorry, I'le look deeper than the first page next time.

Long live trains!