Some suggestions for things (not) to learn in Standard before trying Extended.

[Matthew]

Simutrans-Extended is generally considered to have a steep learning curve. Some players revel in this, but for other people it can be overwhelming to encounter so many new mechanics at once, especially if you have the frustration of building a train that won't go anywhere for reasons that you don't understand.

If this is your situation, then it might be a good idea to try to master the basics of Simutrans in Standard before trying Extended. The basic user actions are very similar and if (when?!) you struggled with any mechanics in Extended, you will be able to rule out many possible causes.

For all of these items, you want to see passengers or freight moving in your convoys. But don't worry about making a profit: that is quite different in Standard and Extended. If you turn the freeplay option on (in the New Map dialogue or by using the command line parameter -freeplay), then your company can spend an unlimited amount of money.

Things to achieve in Standard

• A bus line with passengers travelling between two town halls in multiple convoys
• As (1), but with buses running to a timetable
• A simple industry chain with one factory producing and one consuming (e.g. coal mine to gasworks)
• As (3), but with convoys using wait-until-full
• A ferry or cargo ship linking two nearby (<400 tiles) towns or factories
• A line that uses a canal that you built
• A line between two airports that you built
• A single-track railway line that can only be used by one train using basic Stop Signals (which should work - semaphores move or lights change!)
  
• A double-track railway line with multiple trains, using basic signalling
• A complex industrial chain with all factories producing something every month (in the 20th century printworks or steelworks are a good choice)
• Build a tunnel in a straight line with a single left-click
• Build a diagonal tunnel (or a tunnel with underground junctions) using ctrl+click and one of the underground views
• A ship that travels a long distance (>400 tiles) between stops

Things to avoid in Standard

• All the advanced signalling: Extended paksets have many signalling systems and the Standard signalling is confusingly different to some of them
• In particular, avoid trying to run multiple trains on a single track, because pak128.Britain-Ex handles this very differently from Standard
• Trying to run at a profit. Extended has different mechanics, costs, revenues, and destinations, so things that work well in Standard may not work in Extended. (We like to think Extended is more realistic and sophisticated, but obviously opinions vary!)
• Optimizing the locations of bus stops
• Public stops/stations, used in Standard when several players share facilities. These exist in Extended single-player, but not in multi-player.

[jamespetts]

Excellent suggestions - stickied.