Losing interest in this game

[Neldot]

I think that no one in this thread really hates this game.

It seems that all of us had a lot of expectations for this game, hence the frustration for the missing features and the shaky economic engine until now. I hope that all will be fixed in the (far?) future…

[RAAndre]

I think you are right.  I don’t hate the game either.  I think in some ways it is really beautiful to watch and look forward to many more animations to stimulate my eyeballs more.  SimCity has serious faults too, but has fantastic visual effects.

However, I do find myself not dying to return everyday to play like I did for Locomotion.  I think there is a tedium here for some reason.  The cargo system is just a bit too convoluted.  Although I do appreciate the added commodities, they can be a bit too complicated and it’s difficult to achieve financial success.

Also the long list of things a vehicle can carry is just way too overwhelming.  The track and signal system lacks the creativity of Locomotion which I still enjoy ten years later.

It always seems to work okay until the traffic chokes the cities and there is no remedy.  All your vehicles get stuck and don’t carry passengers and lose money and then the game just stops since you run out of money to do anything.

It can become more of a chore to play than enjoyable.  The tiny cargo icons and clickable icons are way too small and just a bit of a pain to use.  The little annoyances prevent me from diving back in every day like I really want to.

I would like to see easier “playability” with better bigger easier-to-click icons and a less-complicated more-responsive cargo system.

I have never played anything but the “easiest” setting and that has proven tiresome.  I can’t imagine playing the difficult setting.  I would like the easiest setting to be just FUN!  If I want to be challenged, I can select a more advanced setting and play there.  But sometimes I want to just sign on and have some fun playing a transportation game like I still do with Locomotion.

I really want this game to work and be successful.  After-all, we have all been waiting 20 years for a Transport Tycoon successor and I want this to be that.  But there is something that needs to be tweaked a bit so that the game is as much fun as challenging.  Then I would anxiously await returning to play everyday.

[Kamaling]

I can understand the opinion of tattoo.

 

Train Fever should be like Transport Tycoon so that there can comes up a real feeling of “Train Fever”. It is not enough to say for a “small price” it’s ok to have a bit of it. In that case it sould not be named als “Train Fever”.

 

Train Fever should give us the possibilities like Transport Tycoon had done. Built Railroads across the whole Map. Find ways around Mountains who your Lokos can effort at early 1900 and later in the game with better trains, restructure and optimize all your lines.

 

If this Game will be successful (and it has really the potential for it), the devs should now very quickly bring out a couple of new trains, possibilities to build and use a tons of Railroads on a map. The goal of the game should be Train Fever not Cargo Manager!

[tomtom]

Partyschreck, who are you quoting there? If someone were to make assumptions, they could easily assume that you were trying to quote me and failed. Then in doing so, gave a strong indication that you are simply trolling. Only if they were assuming things of course.

RAAndre, I don’t agree that the freight model is too complicated. If anything, I feel it is too simple and easy to make extortionate amounts of money, even on hard. I think what might have helped you is a manual, a decent tutorial and better onscreen indicators. Once you start transporting large quantities of goods over long distances, the money will start rolling in.

Kamaling, I too loved Transport Tycoon and feel it is still the benchmark for games of this style (Locomotion was also compulsive gaming for me). I think the building blocks are here in TF, but the overall experience needs improving in key areas such as manageability of networks, economy complexity and balance, GUI feedback etc.

Still, I am not losing interest and am about to go back to playing, so it must be doing something right for me.

[frogwog]

I feel very let down and disapointed that laziness and lack of enthusiasm has made a potentially great game in to a lame and clunky experience.
This is worse than just a “bad game” because it feels like the developers took a good idea and were the wrong people to properly make it. Modders would do a better job no doubt.

 

[Tossi]

What do you base it on that there were laziness and lack of enthusiasm. It could be as well inexperience and lack of time. Or anything else like your overexpectations. The game could use some improvements but it is fun non the less.

[propellershaft]

Добрый день. Задумка игры в целом хорошая.

Почему не нравится играть:

-отсутствует обновление маршрута новыми транспортными средствами в один клик, без изменения расписания движения (выбираем автобус или трамвай который я хочу заменить. когда он находится в ближайшей точке от депо, ему на замену выезжает новый, так, чтобы не нарушать расписание движения);

-отсутствует распределение по маршруту в один клик по количеству транспортных средств (автоматический выезд из депо, чтобы получить одинаковые промежутки  по времени движения трамваев и автобусов);

-отсутствует  готовые элементы строительства путей (дорожные развязки, железнодорожные развязки эстакады, мосты, стрелочные переводы, прямые автомобильные дороги, туннели,) причем они уже должны быть оборудованы светофорами, семафорами, чтобы не мешать игроку наслаждаться игрой.

-нет скидок и влияния заводов и производства на бюджет.

нефть -> нефтеперерабатывающий завод -> город (скидка на обслуживание дизельных локомотивов и автобусов),

металлургический комбинат -> город, (скидка на покупку техники, поездов, вагонов и строительство путей),

лесопилка -> город (скидка на строительство железнодорожных путей, на покупку вагонов и транспорта в ранней эпохе),

А также новые заводы например: электростанция (нефть -> нефтеперерабатывающий завод -> электростанция (скидка на эксплуатация поездов и трамваев).

– неудобство строительство железнодорожных путей с первого раза. Очень трудно получить желаемый результат сразу. Приходится сносить и строить снова. И так может продолжаться очень долго;

-обновлять локомотивы и вагоны, автоматически, в один клик. (задаем желаемую замену и когда поезд выгрузил пассажиров или товары, то автоматически отправляется в депо и происходит замена. После обновления локомотива или вагонов, поезд автоматически выходит на линию)

Российские игроки наблюдают за игрой и ждут обновлений.  Очень многие скачивают не лицензионные версии игры с torent-server. Они не готовы платить деньги за недоработанные игры. Игра интересная и нужно продолжать доработки ошибок и режимов. И главное учитывать пожелания игроков. Например указывать не только что изменено, но и показывать что дорабатывается в данный момент. Например как “дневники разработчиков” у wargaming.com.

[Anonymous]

@proppelershaft.

Sorry I don’t speak russian.

[FX2K]

@Admiral – Sorry I don’t speak russian.

Me neither, so here is a ‘not so great’ google translate..

Good day. The idea of the game is generally good. Why not enjoy playing:

-Lack routing update new vehicles in a single click, without change of schedule (choose bus or tram that I want to replace. When he is at the nearest point from the depot to replace him new leaves, so as not to disturb timetable);

-Lack distribution route in a single click on the number of vehicles (automatic exit from the depot to get equal intervals in time movement of trams and buses);

-Lack of ready elements of building pathways (road junctions, railway interchange overpasses, bridges, turnouts, straight roads, tunnels) and they should already be equipped with traffic lights, semaphores, so as not to interfere with the player to enjoy the game.

-No discounts and the impact of plants and production on a budget. Oil -> Refinery -> City (discount service diesel locomotives and buses), Iron and Steel Works -> town (discount on the purchase of machinery, trains, cars and Pathways), sawmill -> City (discount for the construction of railways, to Buying cars and trucks in the early era), and new plants such as: power (oil -> refinery -> power (discount for operation of trains and trams).

– inconvenience construction of railways from the first time. It is very difficult to get the desired result immediately. We have to demolish and build again. and so can last a very long time; -obnovlyat locomotives and wagons, automatically, in just one click. (ask the desired substitution and unloaded when the train passengers or goods, it is automatically sent to the depot and there is a replacement. After updating the locomotive or wagon train automatically comes on line)

Russian players watching the game and waiting for updates. many do not download licensed version of the game with torent-server. They are not willing to pay money for unfinished game. The game is interesting and necessary to continue refinement errors and modes. And the main thing to take into account the wishes of the players. For example to specify not only what changed, but also show that is being finalized at the moment. Such as “Developer Diary” in wargaming.com.

[RAAndre]

RE: RAAndre, I don’t agree that the freight model is too complicated. If anything, I feel it is too simple and easy to make extortionate amounts of money, even on hard.

tomtom:

I don’t know what game you are playing 🙂

In Locomotion, I build a coal train route to the steel mill.  It starts making money right away.

I then build an ore train route to the steel mill.  It also starts making money.

I then build a steel train route from the steel mill to an industry that needs steel and it starts making money.

I can then build a rail line from the industry that also makes money.

The coal mine, ore mine, the steel mill and the industry all flourish and make money and everyone is happy.

Here I build the infrastructure and NOTHING HAPPENS!!!  The mines ship “2” something and years later it’s still shipping “2” something!  The steel mill wants me to ship more coal, but the mine doesn’t produce any more coal to ship.

I know I might be missing something here, and maybe I need to work harder to make things happen, but maybe I just want to play the game for fun and see things happen like in other similar games.

Once I enjoy this game at the easiest level, I can up the difficulty and try the next level.  But I don’t because it’s too frustrating for me now.  I’m glad you find it so easy to make extraordinary money, but I don’t.

frogwog:

I don’t think the developers are lazy or not enthusiastic.  This is a labor of love and they have put a lot of work into it.   It’s beautiful to look at in many ways and the great details are appreciated.

I know it needs work and they have shown the desire to make it better.  They have listened to players in the past and probably will continue to do so as the game becomes better and better.

I had great frustration playing SimCity when it came out and that was EA.  They tried to improve it, but I never play it  anymore because it was just too frustrating.  Visually it was exciting, but there is the same problem here as my cities get chocked with traffic and just stop functioning.

You also don’t get the ability to really control your transportation system which is what I want to do.  A combination of a modern Simcity or CitiesXL/Transport Tycoon would be awesome, but doesn’t really exist.

I think this has that potential, but we need to be patient and support the developers as things develop.

To the developers:

We appreciate the hard work so far.  Please don’t let us down and stop growing the game.  Most of us want you to succeed and we will be behind your efforts as the game becomes better and better.

 

[tomtom]

Hi RAAndre

Hopefully I have some helpful advice for you then. The first strategy that worked for me while playing hard was this:

1. Start a small map and find a sawmill and forest that are approximately half the map apart. Ideally, both forest and sawmill should be close to a different village.
2. Connect two small freight stations and a line (being careful to avoid any hilly terrain as the early trains can’t hack it).
3. Have a single train with 8-12 goods wagons.
4. If you feel adventurous, connect the villages to the stations with horse wagons. These wont make much extra cash though.
5. Check around with the cargo overly on and cut any cargo going to your villages as part of the natural network, you want the villages to take only your goods.
6. Also check that the two buildings start producing something almost straight away, just in case your frequency is too low (it shouldn’t be a problem though).

That should do it, your train will start making money quicker as it starts to transport goods back along the route it carried the wood along. It then became a matter of upgrading to a single track with a passing slip and bigger trains. There are many better ways to setup networks, hopefully this will get you started.

I do concede the point though, that it is almost impossible to create a train route in TF and have it make money straight away.

Good luck.

[RAAndre]

Thanks for the help tomtom.  I tried to do as you said.  After 7 years and about an hour of boredom, the forest would only produce “1” bundle of wood and the sawmill never produced anything.

I can’t take it anymore.  I think I’ll go back to playing Locomotion until something here changes greatly.

[tomtom]

Dang! OK, describing any scenario can be difficult and my inability to post pictures isn’t helping either. If you decide to try again at any point, consider this:

1. Start a new game, easy, flat, 1850 and with a seed of testdemo
2. There is a middle town called Southwick and it has a forest to the east
3. Connect a small freight station right outside the forest, ensuring that it is a freight station that you selected, not a passenger version (sorry if this seems obvious, but I have made that mistake before)
4. To the south is a town called Medlar with Wesham, this has a sawmill. Again connect a small freight station
5. Connect the two stations by veering around the side of the hill and then mostly going straight until you have to curve back onto your first station
6. Build a small freight depot near to each station, followed by a freight depot in Medlar and Totton and Eling. Ensure you are placing these in the blue industrial sectors in each town by turning on the land use overlay
7. Place 5 horse wagons on each road route
8. Place a 10 goods wagon train on the main track, the frequency should be around 13-14 minutes

Almost immediately, both the sawmill and the forest should change their line status usage to yes. By the end of 1951 (20 months), each should be producing around 20-21 units. By the end of the second trip, it should be transporting around 14 units, which should bring in around $290k, enough to start making a small profit (which will grow).

Have fun whichever game you play – many fond memories playing locomotion!

Forgot to add if you get bored waiting to see if something works, just turn the speed up, especially when testing out a new route.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by tomtom.

[Decrayer]

I disagree that this is a bad game. It just lacks some more comfort features and a long term motivation.

I would really like to have some more content and challenges in the game. Maybe some unique szenarios that give you a task to complete to show you more aspects.

Another idea would be, to get more environments into the game. I would really love to have a wild-west szenario or an australian outback map style.

[RAAndre]

tomtom:

I will try again just as you directed.  I will let you know.

I really want this to work for everyone involved.

[Author]

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