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[Robsoie]

Ah, didn't knew that, thanks.
But there's no in-gameplay method ?
I would imagine corruption or "gifts" as they're called usually to lesser what it's truly about, or hiring some people that can be really convincing or anything else ?

[tryrar]

OK, can someone explain to me in small words how the frick to set up rail junctions and sidings that don't result in 4 trains deadlocked on a single track? Otherwise I'm just gonna go back to my crazy expensive method of doubletracking eVERYTHING, since that at least worked...

[Djohaal]

OK, can someone explain to me in small words how the frick to set up rail junctions and sidings that don't result in 4 trains deadlocked on a single track? Otherwise I'm just gonna go back to my crazy expensive method of doubletracking eVERYTHING, since that at least worked...

Pictures plz.

[tryrar]

AAAARGH. I had quit that game out of sheer frustration(in preference of chucking my computer out the window), so pics unfortunately unavailable

[Djohaal]

Keep in mind stations have built in signals, that can mess up any layout. Here's some info on signals:

Block signal - similar to OTTD, except that trains need to path all the way to another valid signal or station.

Presignal - again similar to ottd, only allows passage if the next normal signal after it on the pathing is green. Use this on the incoming lane of railroad crossings.

Long block signal - this one bypasses the internal station signal and considers a block all the way up to the next explicit block signal, useful for managing long branches with more than one station.

One way signal - a bit useless, defines as one way. Better use normal block signals.

Station choose signal - as explained in my other post, lets trains pick a station platform

End of station choose - this one "cuts" the platform search after it, useful if you want to reserve a specific platform for a specific line. You don't need this on the exit of the station.

[martinuzz]

I accidentally installed the wrong version (release candidate 120), which happens to be buggy.
Now I can't find how to uninstall it. It does not show in the list of add/remove programs, via the config screen. Do I need to uninstall the program called Microsoft XNA Framework Redistributable 4.0, would that be the simutrans install?

[Robsoie]

I didn't installed simutrans, only downloaded the zip version (sdl one), extracted and played without need to install anything.
But i found this on google that while was about XP may apply on other OS :
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=8475.0

[martinuzz]

But i found this on google that while was about XP may apply on other OS :
http://forum.simutrans.com/index.php?topic=8475.0

Thanks, I'll just do that then and run a CCleaner afterwards.

About the sdl version.. I downloaded it, plus the pak files. I also downloaded the SDL.dll, because when I tried to run it it said I did not have that. Now where do I put that?

[Robsoie]

the SDL.dll should be inside the Simutrans folder, where the game executable is.
But it's odd you had to download it separately, when i downloaded the zip file, the SDL.dll was inside it already.

Make sure you download from there to avoid problems :
http://www.simutrans.com/en/download

or in case the page is broken for you, the file it will download is there :
http://sourceforge.net/projects/simutrans/files/simutrans/112-3/

It's simuwin-sdl-112-3.zip

[KingofstarrySkies]

Intriguing. PTW.

[tryrar]

So, with all the different trains going to this food factory, I'm getting intermittent pileups even after creating a branch station on the other side of the factory, which is slowing me down and hampering my ability to clear all the stuff in a timely manner, which is killing my margins and operating costs. Ideas?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Djohaal]

This is not OTTD where tiny 4-block trains will suffice. You should aim for at least 7-tile long trains, otherwise your engine probably can't even pay for itself. Be mindful that you can place multiple engines of some types to add up horsepower. On to the station overload I'd settle with something a bit more compact like this one way sidestation.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

red arrow -> single choose station spot.

You need signaling on the free section too, as I said on other posts, trains search for a path all the way to the next signal, not just the next few blocks, so you need to add multiple signals. When signaling a junction, you should have (pre)signals on all the "arms". Pre-signals can daisy chain so trains will figure out the proper route.

[Robsoie]

I've been trying something a bit more ambitious as an industry chain

- Oil Field to Refinery
- Refinery to Printing Works (chemical)
- Plantation to Paper Mill (lumber)
- Paper Mill to Printing Works (paper)
- Printing Works to Publishing (books)

And the less i can say is that it's unreliable, there are months i manage to get +500 of profits and there are months i get -1500 of profits, the reason being when an industry reach full stock, trucks stop to carry and sell stuff and get "Stuck" (i thought i was a bug until i noticed in depending industry they had full stock already, trucks will re-work only when there are more space made) , but i still pay the maintenance and operations.

Hard to balance things to get only profits without the nasty "we're full" months that break them.
The problem is that the bad "we're full" months can last for 2 or 3 months, meanwhile operation and maintenance cost a lot (especially as i had to make roads to build the required network).

EDIT :
Selling everything out of the original line (oil field to refinery) it looks like the real maintenance killer are the roads.
As after selling all the roads that weren't needed for the original line, profits were back.
My problem there was that i really made the minimum amount of roads as all those industry weren't close of the pre-built ones.
I can't see how to work around this , as i guess trains would be even more expensive than trucks there.

edit 2 :
And now the refinery is full, does not consume anymore its own oil and so does not require any .
Hmm, looks like for more constant profit you'll need to switch to other routes regularly and sell the previous ones, and rebuild them once they're having space (and sell the ones you had switched too).

[Djohaal]

I've been trying something a bit more ambitious as an industry chain

- Oil Field to Refinery
- Refinery to Printing Works (chemical)
- Plantation to Paper Mill (lumber)
- Paper Mill to Printing Works (paper)
- Printing Works to Publishing (books)

And the less i can say is that it's unreliable, there are months i manage to get +500 of profits and there are months i get -1500 of profits, the reason being when an industry reach full stock, trucks stop to carry and sell stuff and get "Stuck" (i thought i was a bug until i noticed in depending industry they had full stock already, trucks will re-work only when there are more space made) , but i still pay the maintenance and operations.

Hard to balance things to get only profits without the nasty "we're full" months that break them.
The problem is that the bad "we're full" months can last for 2 or 3 months, meanwhile operation and maintenance cost a lot (especially as i had to make roads to build the required network).

EDIT :
Selling everything out of the original line (oil field to refinery) it looks like the real maintenance killer are the roads.
As after selling all the roads that weren't needed for the original line, profits were back.
My problem there was that i really made the minimum amount of roads as all those industry weren't close of the pre-built ones.
I can't see how to work around this , as i guess trains would be even more expensive than trucks there.

edit 2 :
And now the refinery is full, does not consume anymore its own oil and so does not require any .
Hmm, looks like for more constant profit you'll need to switch to other routes regularly and sell the previous ones, and rebuild them once they're having space (and sell the ones you had switched too).

Not really, you are overtransporting or have a bottleneck somewhere. Wood industries are notorious because plantations have minimal production, you need several to feed one paper mill/sawmill. Check your chain all the way to the publisher to see where stuff is stuck. If the publisher is overfed then you saturated the chain and gotta scale down your operation or increase its consume ratio by covering the cities where costumers live - it shows on the query - with passenger and mail and/or providing power.

[Girlinhat]

Any advice on what to go after when you just start?  Pak128 - apparently certain bus options will bankrupt you very quickly, and trains are a tad more complicated to turn a profit with.