What are the best world settings settings to start out for a relatively new player in Pak128? Also, I notice that city blocks are always very small, with 1-4 tiles being common. The catchment area for stops is also so small that bus stops have to be very close together, is this intended?
As for the gameplay, what is the best way to start?
Hi TFM!
It is a long time since I have played Standard pak128, but I will give my opinions and others may correct me.
I think it's intended that bus stops are close together. I am not certain, think that Standard's default scale equates to 1000 meters per tile, so if you think about that way than the bus stops are actually quite far away.
The best way to start is to set up a bus route that connects several town halls. Then add more bus routes to more town halls, connecting with the original one. Many of these routes will pass through populated areas, so you can add bus stops to the route to serve them. Then begin to add/divert routes to serve the bigger attractions (you can use the Attractions button on the Minimap to find them).
Once you have a profitable passenger service, you can think about a freight service. I think Coal mine -> Gasworks is a simple & profitable route in the 1930s if you can do it without being many (or any) new roads.
Don't even think about railways until you are making a steady profit on road vehicles.
If the Humber keel is available, then it's a good choice for passenger ferries on a watery map.