Welcome to the unofficial guide to "Sid Meier's Railroads!". This guide consists of two main chapters. Both of them are equally important. I'd strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with them. Some of my hints may seem to be quite obvious, especially for the experienced players. "Sid Meier's Railroads" is not a complicated product. This is a very relaxing strategy game, however you will have to remember about several important things in order to succeed. You will have to be using the demand and supply windows. Managing your funds is also very important. My guide should provide a much needed help for those players who are less experienced with these kinds of games. If you haven't played any of the "Railroad Tycoon" games before, then I'm sure that you will find most sections of my guide to be quite helpful. The first chapter of the guide contains a walkthrough of the singleplayer scenarios. There are some challenging goals for you to achieve there. You will have to fulfill these requests in order to win the entire scenario. You should also know that you won't have to stick close to presented tactics. You will be able to do many things on your own. I've tried to help you out with the most important tasks. I'd also recommend that you take a closer look at the second part of my game guide, especially if you're new to these kinds of games. You will learn much about some basic things. They will be necessary to expand your railroad empire properly. Most of these actions have been described in the tutorial section of the game, however it would be best to learn some of these tricks on your own. I've also said a lot about more challenging actions - fighting the competition or taking part in different kids of auctions. Bear in mind, though, that you won't have to remember about all of these things right from the start. Have fun! I hope that my guide will be useful to you.
Important! Following hints are based on these scenario settings:
Time limit - 1850-1950; Number of AI Players - 2. Randomize landscape and Randomize locations features have been deactivated.
The game won't force you to do anything. As a result, you will be able to customize the gameplay. For example, you have an opportunity to play each scenario without having to worry about the competition.
Here's the list of main mission objectives. You will have to fulfill them in order to succeed:
LEVEL 1 - From Sea to Shining Sea
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1899.
Level one objectives:
1) Build a shipping lane from Flagstaff to Phoenix and Las Vegas.
I'm sure that you won't have any problems understanding what has to be done here. Creating a complete shipping lane, on the other hand, is going to be much more difficult. You will have to connect three different cities in order to start shipping goods. I'd strongly recommend that you start off with the Phoenix-Flagstaff connection, mostly because it'll be much easier to fulfill this goal. If you were starting your game in Eloy (4 on the map), then it's going to be quite simple. Otherwise you would have to place a lot of expensive tracks in order to reach Phoenix. The next important thing is your money supply. Creating all of these connections is going to be very expensive, mostly because these cities aren't close to each other. You will also have to build a lot of tunnels and bridges and that makes the investment even harder. I would recommend that you start creating smaller portions of these connections. Make sure that you're making a lot of adjustments. This will allow you to choose the quickest and the cheapest connection. Once you've connected Phoenix with Flagstaff, you will have to earn a lot of money in order to be able to proceed to Las Vegas. As you've probably noticed, this city has been placed at the other end of the map, so you won't be able to get to it right away. You will have an opportunity to choose between several different strategies. Choosing the mountains would be much more difficult, mostly because you would have to spend your money on bridges and tunnels. You could also choose lower parts of the map, however the connection itself would have to be longer. If you decide to ignore the mountains, you would have to connect Phoenix with Las Vegas. Remember that you won't have to create a connection between Las Vegas and Flagstaff! Additionally, you would be able to connect all of the surrounding cities. Thanks to that, you would have a lot of money at your disposal. There are also several industrial facilities in this area. The choice is yours, however you must remember about the time limit. You will have to finish constructing these connections by the end of 1898. I'd also like to add that you could ignore the western part of the map for the time being.
2) Get in on the gold rush! Ship 5 carloads of gold to get yourself started with some spendin'g money.
This is the first mission objective that will require to do a little searching. First of all, you will have to find resources on the game map. They will have to be delivered to certain cities. Thanks to that, you will have an opportunity to manufacture different types of goods. Alternatively, resources may be sold right away, without having to create any production chains. The first thing for you to do here is to find a gold mine. It would be best to use the resources window, so you won't have to lose too much time looking for it. Additionally, make sure that a chosen gold mine (there's going to be several of them) is located near a larger city. I had a very successful start, mostly because one of the gold mines was located near Phoenix. As a result, I was able to create my first production chain without any major problems (or having to spend a lot of money). Otherwise you would have to lay down some new tracks. The next important thing is to find a factory that will be able to manufacture gold from the delivered carloads of ore. Phoenix should have such a factory. You could also try and buy a factory, however I wouldn't recommend doing that, mostly because you would have to spend a lot of your money. Make sure that you have read the second chapter of my game guide. Thanks to that, you'll find out more about these types of actions. Once the production has started, you'll probably notice that the gold is being stockpiled in Phoenix. You will have to sell it. Use the resources window once again. Find out which cities are demanding the gold to be delivered to them. Sadly, it's probably going to be quite difficult. I was able to deliver gold to two different cities. Furthermore, they weren't even in this area. As a result, you'll probably have to spend some extra money, laying down new tracks. Thankfully, you'll be able to earn a lot of money here, so these connections should become very profitable. You will have to deliver 5 carloads of gold. It's not much, but make sure that you do this before the time runs out.
Start off by creating a connection between Phoenix and Flagstaff. You will be able to earn a lot money here, especially if you decide to transport civilians and mail. Don't worry about reaching Las Vegas just yet. You'll deal with this problem later during this mission.
LEVEL 2 - The Desert Blossoms
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1930.
Level two objectives:
1) Build safe passage through the desert by connecting L.A. and Las Vegas.
I'd strongly recommend ignoring this objective in the early part of the game, however you also shouldn't try completing the task at the last minute. Before you decide to proceed with the main objective, it would be wise to create connections to all major cities of this area. Most of them will be located south of Las Vegas. The purpose of all these actions is quite obvious. Creating some of these connections will allow you to spend less money trying to get to Los Angeles, mostly because a large portion of the tracks will be ready. Try focusing on the cities that are located in the central area of the map, especially near Yuma. I'm sure that you have taken care of these problems on your own. I would only like to remind you about the importance of this problem. As for the new part of the connection, try building it without having to buy a larger number of tunnels, bridges or other expensive constructions. I assume that you're playing with a number of computer players. This will probably make this task a little bit harder. As you've probably suspected, other railway companies will be operating in this area. As a result, you will have to spend more money to build a proper connection. Thankfully, creating this connection will allow you to focus on carrying new types of goods. You should be making a large profit here. Los Angeles is one of the biggest cities of this entire area, so there's definitely going to be something that you will be able to transport. You won't have to do anything else here. Creating a connection will allow you to fulfill this mission objective.
2) Expand your company to unheard of heights by attaining a net worth of $5 million.
In order to increase the value of your company, you will have to invest in a most profitable connection and industry buildings. You shouldn't have any major problems completing this mission objective. You will be able to attain $5 million very soon. The most important thing here is to keep creating new connections. Focus on the largest cities of the area. The only exception are those connections that are required to complete other scenario objectives. Thankfully, there's not going to be too many of them. You could also try and win some of the industry buildings, especially factories. This isn't necessary, however you may consider taking part in a few auctions. I've described how all of this works in the second chapter of the game guide. You should also observe what's happening on the market, because demands will be changing quite often. Either way, there's nothing that you should be worried about. Focus most of your attention on finishing other goals.
You will have to create a connection between Los Angeles and Las Vegas at some point of the game. It would be wise to use previously constructed tracks, so you won't have to spend a lot of money on this investment.
LEVEL 3 - Overcoming Depression
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1950.
Level three objectives:
1) Casinos are thirsty for more power! Tap into the energy business by building or purchasing a power plant in Vegas.
Once again, you should have any problems understanding what has to be done here. Completing this objective isn't going to be that simple. You won't have to create any additional routes. The main problem is that a new power plant costs 500000 dollars and you want be able to win an existing one. You will have to construct this object on your own. This is a very large sum of money. As a result, you should leave this scenario objective for later. Remember that you won't have to take care of the power planet to achieve other mission objective. You may as well build it just before the time limit runs out. Of course, if you have managed to earn a lot of money earlier in the game, you may consider building the power plant right away. You should know that having it will provide an additional income. Power plant is less profitable than other industry buildings, however you won't lose any additional funds here (due to maintenance costs). Either way, make sure that once you've built a power plant, you still have a lot of funds at your disposal. You're going to need them to expand.
2) Strengthen your company's assets by attaining a net worth of $10 million.
You have solved a similar task before, so you shouldn't have any problems with this one. Instead of gathering 5 million, this time you will have to attain a net worth of 10 million dollars. There aren't any major changes here. You will have to spend your money on profitable connections. Additionally, make sure that you improve the existing ones. You should also consider taking part in several auctions. Thanks to that, you should be able to buy interesting (and profitable) factories. Make sure that you avoid risky investments. You mustn't stop expanding your railroad empire. Keep spending your money on new things and you should be just fine. There's nothing else to add here.
3) Put yourself in sole control of your destiny by eliminating all of the remaining competition.
This is by far the most difficult (and tricky) objective of this scenario. You'll probably have some serious problems completing this task. I'd strongly recommend that you start taking care of this problem much earlier (during the second level of the mission). The main objective here is to be able to buy stocks of other companies for a lower price. Taking a full control of the competition will require you to spend a lot of money on these stocks. You mustn't forget about the given time limit.
It would be wise to buy a power plant much earlier. Doing this would allow you to earn some additional profits. It's not going to be much, but I'm sure that you'll notice a difference.
This picture shows the most important cities of the region:
1 - San Diego; 2 - Los Angeles; 3 - Phoenix; 4 - Eloy; 5 - Las Vegas; 6 - Yuma; 7 - Flagstaff
Red lines show three cities that need to be connected in the first place (not necessarily in a straight line). Green line show two cities that need to be connected later during this mission. You won't have to worry about them right away.
Additional hints for the entire scenario:
Important! This is the first scenario of the game, so I've explained a lot more. Most of the details are going to be skipped in the next sections of this guide. I'm sure that you won't forget these things, especially since they are fairly obvious. Instead, I'll try and concentrate mostly on telling you how to complete given tasks.
Before you even decide to begin a new game, you will have to choose a starting point. Each time you load a scenario you will be granted with a different opportunity, however there only a few cities to choose from. I'd strongly recommend that you choose Eloy for your start city. Using this location will allow you to fulfill one of the main objectives of the first level much faster. You will be able to create a connection with Phoenix and Flagstaff. Additionally, there are a lot of industrial buildings and mines in the area. You will be able to create new tracks here in order to provide yourself with extra profits. Most of these resources can be sold in Phoenix.
You could also consider choosing San Diego for your starting point. You would be able to make a lot of money here, mostly because of the second large city of this region of the map - Los Angeles. Creating such a connection would allow you to begin transporting civilians and mail. Sadly, you would have some serious problems reaching nearby factories. The same goes with Phoenix and Flagstaff. Additionally, you would have to avoid getting too close to the area that's being occupied by the competition. As a result, it's best to stick with Eloy. Plan your first movements from there.
The small city of Eloy seems like the best place to start the game.
Your first tracks should connect Eloy with Phoenix. You can find this city to the north. Start off by transporting civilians and mail. Additionally, you should consider selling some of your stocks. This will allow you to receive extra cash. You're going to need a lot of money to plan your next investments. Notice that there are a lot of industrial buildings in the area. The game will randomize their locations, however you can be certain that you'll find refineries, farms or mines here. You've probably noticed that most of these resource points can delivered goods that are demanded either in Eloy or Phoenix. It's very important that you start shipping these goods as soon as possible. It would be wise to buy a few other locomotives. Thanks to that, you'll be able to deliver these resources faster than usual. Try building up the entire area around Eloy and Phoenix. Ignore only these factories which produce unwanted (at this moment) goods.
You should also take a closer look at the created tracks. This is done automatically, however the game often creates unprofitable connections. You can't allow this to happen. As a result, try building smaller portions. You should also move your mouse a lot in order to find cheaper possibilities. Make sure that you're building tracks while the game is paused, so you won't lose precious time here.
Bridges, tunnels and other wooden constructions look nice, but you should avoid building them. You can't afford these kinds of investments at the moment.
You could also consider taking part in several auctions. Winning one of the currently used factories seems like a good idea. These objects should be located in Phoenix. It's also very important that you do this right away, because it'll be harder to acquire these factories later during the game, especially if they're manufacturing luxury goods (wine, steel...). You should be on a look out for other ways to earn some cash. Notice that mayors of some of the cities will grant you with such an opportunity. The objective of these kinds of assignments is always the same - you will have to be the first railroad to provide a city with a certain merchandise. If you manage to do that, you will be rewarded with 100000 dollars. It's a lot of money, so it's definitely worth a try. Nevertheless, don't forget about your main mission objectives. Your first important goal will be to create a connection between Flagstaff (it's to the north) and Phoenix. Once you've done that, you should move to the western side of the map. There's at least one big city here - Yuma. Furthermore, this city will start to grow sooner than the rest of the cities of this region. There should also be a few interesting factories here.
The game will unlock new locomotives from time to time. It would be wise to take a closer look at them. Notice that each locomotive specializes in hauling certain types of objects - civilians & mail or manufactured goods. I wouldn't recommend exchanging older locomotives for the new ones. You don't have enough money to do this. You should get back to this feature later during the game. As for now, concentrate mostly on creating new connections.
The game will unlock new types of locomotives. Don't forget to take a closer look at each model.
You should concentrate most of your efforts on laying down new tracks. There are a lot of cities, factories, farms and mines in the area. I'm sure that you won't have any problems choosing most interesting objects. A lot of industrial buildings should be located to the north of Yuma. Going there will also get you closer to Las Vegas. I'm sure that you still remember that reaching this city is considered to be one of your primary objectives. You shouldn't delay this action too much, especially since Las Vegas will be demanding a lot of expensive goods. Also, you mustn't forget about delivering five carloads of gold. Sadly, I won't be able to get into details, because it's always random. If you're lucky, you won't have to create any additional tracks to sell your gold, however you will be receiving huge profits from this operation, so you don't have to worry about spending too much cash.
You could also take a closer look at some of the factories and farms that will be located in the vicinity of Flagstaff. Most of them will allow you to create or expand production chains. You will also receive additional profits, without having to lay down a large number of tracks. The next important thing involves patents. You should try and acquire a few interesting inventions. Sadly, not all of them will be useful. Concentrate on those inventions that will allow you to decrease maintenance costs or provide additional profits. Make sure that you have connected Las Vegas before official time limit runs out. It won't be a cheap operation, however doing this will allow you to further expand your railroad into this territory.
Remember to connect Las Vegas to Phoenix or Flagstaff. You will have to do this before the end of year 1898.
Your next main objective will be to reach Los Angeles... that is, if you have managed to solve all problems from the first level of this scenario. Before you decide to proceed any further, make sure that the most interesting (and valuable) cities and industrial facilities are already connected. Use the fact that you will be able to lay down parallel tracks. This will help you to avoid dealing with traffic jams, however make sure that you don't spend too much money of unnecessary connections. You should have a lot of money in reserve. Also, you should be observing to what the newspapers have to say. This is the only way for you to find about what's changed on the market. The competition will probably play passively, however you should monitor these movements. Additionally, start buying out stocks. You will need them to fulfill a goal from the third level of this scenario.
Once you've connected Los Angeles to the rest of your grid, you will be able to earn some extra cash. You can transport passengers and mail however you will have to create parallel tracks almost everywhere. Expand the most profitable regions of your territory. You could also consider patricipating in auctions. This will allow you to buy out inventions and more interesting factories. You should also remember about your train depots. Upgrade them to stations or terminals. Doing this will allow you to receive extra profits. This is very important, especially if we're talking about biggest cities.
Upgrading your depots is very important. Make sure that all major cities have terminals. Buying these objects will increase your profits.
Once again, I would like to remind you about the importance of reading newspapers. Invest your money into most profitable goods. This will allow you to earn a lot of money, without having to construct anything new. Remember that it's best to expand existing railroads, rather than building new ones. You should be making a lot of money from carrying all sorts of goods. There are a lot of mines in the area. Make sure that you have connected most of them. Furthermore, you should also build factories. Bear in mind that connected cities will expand. This means that new types of demands will appear. Try and fulfill most of them, even if you don't have to transport goods to complete certain types of objectives.
Once you've constructed a large grid, you should start thinking about buying new locomotives and getting rid of the old ones. It's quite important, because older models will have higher maintenance costs. This means that you will have smaller profits. Use one of the game menus to find out which locomotives need to be replaced. Also, make sure that you're not using them for more than 40-50 years.
One of the game options will allow you establish which locomotives have high maintenance costs. They need to be replaced as soon as possible.
You can consider expanding your empire or taking care of the existing connections. Make sure that you're participating in new types of actions. If you're lucky, you will be able to increase the value of your company or acquire some new inventions. Observe market fluctuations, so you don't end up having unprofitable connections.
It's very important that you observe demands of your most important cities. Monitoring enemy movements is also very important. Keep buying stocks of other companies. Remember that you will have to acquire all of them in order to finish up with the goals from the third level of this scenario. Observe profit and losses charts. This will help you to establish what should be modified and in what way. Buying new factories also seems like a good idea. Remember to keep your trains in a good shape. If you don't make too many mistakes, you should be able to finish this scenario without any problems.
Important! Following hints are based on these scenario settings:
Time limit - 1830-1970; Number of AI Players - 2. Randomize landscape and Randomize locations features have been deactivated.
The game won't force you to do anything. As a result, you will be able to customize the gameplay. For example, you have an opportunity to play each scenario without having to worry about the competition.
Here's the list of main mission objectives. You will have to fulfill them in order to succeed:
LEVEL 1 - The Birth of Rail
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1880.
Level one objectives:
1) Connect New York, Philadelphia, and Washington.
As you probably remember, you've had to deal with a very similar task while playing the first scenario of the game. You should know exactly what has to be done here. Sadly, completing this particular objective is going to be much more difficult. The main difference is that there's a large distance separating New York from Washington. Those cities have been located on the opposite ends of the map. As a result, creating a proper connection is going to be very expensive and you'll probably have to spend a lot of game years to achieve this goal. Thankfully, you won't have any problems planning the connection. There are some large cities in this area, so you'll also be able to use them to your advantage. You should start off by creating a connection between Washington and Philadelphia, especially since both of these cities are located in the lower part of the map. Once this connection has been established, proceed with the second part of this objective. It would be best to connect New York with Philadelphia, but I'm sure that you've figured this out on your own. You could also consider creating a separate line that would only help you to fulfill this objective, however this won't be necessary. It's better to create additional tracks and attach them to the main one. You mustn't forget about the possibility of buying parallel tracks. This is going to be very important, especially near big cities. Otherwise you'd paralyze your railroad system. The only exception should be the bridges, however you won't have to build too many of them. You shouldn't have any other problems with this mission objective, however you won't have much time to complete it. As a result, I would recommend leaving less important tasks for later and focusing all of your attention on creating new tracks and expanding the existing ones. Remember that there are a lot of cities and factories on the map. You will be able to use them to your advantage. Extra cash is always welcome and you'll need it to plan your next actions.
2) Upgrade your depots in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. to terminals.
This is a very obvious objective, so I guess I won't have to go into details. You will have to upgrade three different depots to terminals. It's going to cost you a lot (250000 dollars for each city), however doing this will allow you to earn extra profits from ongoing connections. I would recommend that you complete this objective as soon as possible. You should also take a closer look at your other major cities. It would also be wise to expand depots in these cities, however you shouldn't spend all of your money on this project.
3) Deliver 50 carloads of immigrant passengers from New York to Washington D.C.
The task itself is very obvious. Sadly, completing this objective is going to be very difficult. The most important thing here is that you won't have much time to fulfill this task. As a result, you will have to connect Washington to New York as soon as possible. Shipping 50 carloads will take a lot of time and that is the luxury you don't have. I would recommend buying several different locomotives in order to speed up this process. Additionally, make sure that the trains won't make any unnecessary stops. It's very important that only these two metropolitan areas have been connected. The objective here is to make sure that a single exchange isn't going to take too much time. You should also consider placing parallel tracks, so you won't encounter any unwanted delays. Setting a higher priority for the locomotives is equally important. You could also try and modify other connections in order to minimize the risk of slowing your trains down. Remember that once you've completed this objective, you will be allowed to cancel these connections, however for the time being they must have the highest priority.
Completing the third objective is going to be quite difficult. Make sure that the trains are taking only passengers. As for Washington, you will have to make a choice here, however I'd recommend having a very small number of carriages. You should be looking for huge profits elsewhere. Finishing this task is more important than everything else.
LEVEL 2 - The Robber Barons
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1930.
Level two objectives:
1) Create an economic empire by attaining a net worth of $20 million.
Once again, you will be dealing with a very familiar type of objective. This time you will have to increase the overall value of your company to 20 million dollars. Thankfully, you won't have to worry about completing this mission too much. Instead, focus on finishing the second objective of this level of the scenario. I guess you already know what should be done here. One of the most important things is to spend your money wisely. This means that you will have to be on a look out for the most profitable connections. Plan all of these actions thoroughly. You can also try and participate in a number of auctions. The objective will be to win some of the nearby factories. Most of these building will be able to turn high profits. Leave the rest of the objectives for later, especially since some of them are going to be very easy. I'm sure that you won't have any other problems. Just make sure that you fulfill both scenario objectives within the given time limit.
2) Expand your financial horizons by purchasing a 50% stake in another railroad.
This is one of the most difficult objectives of this entire scenario. You will have to plan your each action carefully in order to succeed. The objective of this task is quite obvious. You will have to buy at least 50% shares from one of your competitors. I would recommend that you focus only on one company, so you won't have to spend more money. Sadly, it's going to cost you a lot, so you'll have to start thinking about this problem as soon as possible. Make sure that you don't wait for too long. Otherwise you would have to spend more money on the shares. You will also have watch out for other computer players. AI plays quite aggressively in this scenario, so make sure that none of the other railroads decides to buy shares in which you were thinking about. You must prevent this from happening. I would also recommend that you don't sell all of your shares, because that would attract the attention of other AI players.
Spend your money on the most profitable connections. You could also consider participating in a number of auctions. This would allow you to acquire new factories.
LEVEL 3 - Captains of Industry
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1970.
Level three objectives:
1) Ensure the future of your business by building or purchasing a steel mill in New York.
These last mission objectives are going to be very simple. You shouldn't have any problems finishing them. You will also have a lot of time and money to focus your attention on other aspects of your company. This will allow you to increase a number of points which you'll receive after winning the scenario. The only real problem are your competitors. They will be playing very aggressively, so you will have to monitor their movements. The only thing that has to be done here is to buy a factory building. You shouldn't have any problems finding New York. Open the build window and choose a steel mill. Doing this will allow you to proceed with the second objective of this level of the scenario. It's rather unlikely for the steel mill to become built automatically (you would have to participate in an auction). You will have to spend 500000 on this construction, however I assure you that it'll be worth it. You will start receiving additional profits very soon.
2) Establish your dominance in the steel market by shipping 100 carloads of steel from your New York steel mill.
This is also a very simple objective. You shouldn't have any problems completing this task, however you will have to do a lot of different things in order to be able to finish the entire scenario. First of all, you will have to locate all coal mines. It would be best to use the goods window here. There should be plenty of them, so you will have something to choose from. I was able to find three different mines in the vicinity of New York, however only one mine was being used by a competitor. Make sure that you're searching for mines that aren't currently used by other companies. Thanks to that, you won't have to worry about loading your carriages with coal. You will have to start transporting coal to New York. If you have a steel mill there, this object will automatically begin the production, so you won't have to perform any additional tasks. The second important step will be to sell 100 carloads of manufactured steel. I was able to do this in Dover, however I'm sure that you're going to have to deliver it to some other city. Try using existing connections to ship steel. You probably won't have to build new tracks. Also, make sure that you're carrying all the steel that has been manufactured in New York. You could consider buying a new locomotive and ordering it to sell these goods. It's also very important that you provide New York with a large number of coal. You could consider creating connections to other coal mines in the area. The objective here is to let the steel mill operate without any unwanted delays. You should be able to ship 100 carloads of steel without any other problems.
You should be able to find a few coal mines in the vicinity of New York. Make sure that these objects aren't being used by other companies. You will have to begin shipping coal to New York.
This picture shows the most important cities of the region:
1 - Baltimore; 2 - Washington; 3 - Dover; 4 - Harrisburg; 5 - Philadelphia; 6 - New York; 7 - Trenton.
Green lines show three cities that need to be connected in the first place (not necessarily in a straight line). I should also tell you that this map shows only the biggest cities of the entire area, however some of the smaller towns may also grow to a larger size. You will have to remember about that and connect them to your existing tracks.
Additional hints for the entire scenario:
Your first task here will be finding a good place to start the scenario. Just as before, you will be able to choose between several different cities. The game will allow you to start the game in towns like Dover, Harrisburg or Trenton, however I'd strongly recommend that you choose Baltimore. Doing this will allow you to proceed with the first main mission objective much faster. You will also be able to earn a lot of money here, without having to build a lot of expensive connections. The city I'm talking about is Washington. Make sure that creating a connecting with this town is the first thing you decide to do. Start off by carrying mail and passengers. As for the mission goals, you will have to focus all of your attention on connecting Washington with Philadelphia and New York.
You should take a closer look at your surroundings. You should be able to find a lot of industrial buildings in this area - sawmills, farms, mines or refineries. Now you will have to find out which resources should be supplied in the first place. You will probably start off with lumber and coal. Make sure that you have modified your existing connections, so you'll be able to earn extra money without having to buy new locomotives. You should be thinking about your main goals at the same time, so focus only on the most profitable connections. Remember that you'll be able to return to the rest of these industrial buildings later during this mission.
Try choosing the most interesting industrial buildings. They should be located near Baltimore and Washington.
Now you should start thinking about moving towards the central (it's to the east) area of the map. There are a few larger towns there, so you don't have to worry about having troubles finding new connections. You should also be able to start several production chains. Bear in mind that some of the cities will require you to provide several different resources (wood, oil, grain...). Furthermore, you shouldn't have any problems acquiring these goods. There are a lot of factory buildings in the area and you'll be able to use them to your advantage. You should be able to reach Dover. Now concentrate on upgrading existing lines, so you won't have any problems with having a large number of trains. Concentrate mostly on laying down parallel tracks. They will come very handy, especially near big cities. Once you've filled this section of the map with your tracks, you should start thinking about moving to the north. I guess it's very likely that the competition has taken control of these sectors of the map. As a result, you will have to spend more money, building a lot of bridges and longer connections. Either way, you will have to connect Philadelphia to your grid. Make sure this is done as soon as possible. You should also take a few minutes to upgrade some of the existing connections. Concentrate mostly on the profitable tracks. You could also try and participate in several auctions. This will allow you to acquire a few factories, however you might as well skip these kinds of actions. Don't forget about the possibility of building parallel tracks. This is very important, however you shouldn't spend too much money on this. Also, take a closer look at your locomotives. You should consider upgrading some of the older models. This will allow you to speed up these connections and lower maintenance costs. You will also be able to add more carriages to the new locomotives.
You will probably need to build a few bridges in order to reach Philadelphia.
Once you've reached Philadelphia, you should forget about the main objectives for a few minutes. There are a lot of interesting objects in this area. You will find several towns to the north, as well as some industrial facilities. You could consider creating a larger connection (with parallel tracks) to Wilmington. This would allow you to earn some extra cash, without having to spend too much money on the investment. You could also create a separate line that would connect Philadelphia with Dover, however this is not necessary. Start moving your grid towards Trenton, especially since this town should have already grown to a larger size. Creating a depot station there is very important. Once again, take your time and create several other connections, especially since there are more industrial buildings here and most of them will probably supply your cities with much needed goods.
Keep heading towards New York. Make sure that finishing this main connection doesn't take too long. You should remember about one of your primary objectives. The task here will be to begin transporting passengers to Washington. I've already mentioned before that you should consider buying locomotives in order to speed up this process. Additionally, create parallel tracks, so the trains won't have to wait in line. Thankfully, you should have plenty of cash on your account, so it shouldn't be much of a problem.
Don't forget about the possibility of creating parallel tracks. This is very important, especially near bigger cities.
Now you should try and concentrate only on completing the most difficult objectives. This isn't going to be simple, so you will have to plan each action carefully. Also, observe the traffic, so there aren't any jams. Notice that there are a lot of mines and farms near New York. You should consider connecting them to the rest of the grid. Don't forget about the possibility of winning different kinds of inventions. Some of them may come in handy. You should also take a closer look at your locomotives. Remember that you shouldn't have the older models for too long. It would be wise to upgrade them after 40-50 years. Otherwise you would have to deal with unpleasant delays and high maintenance costs. Just as before, you will also have to be on a look out for additional ways to earn some cash. Mayor of different cities will grant you with such an opportunity. Granting their demands will allow you to earn 100000 dollars (for each city). Notice how the market demands change. In some cases, you will have to modify your existing connections.
Once you've dealt with two levels of this scenario, you will be able to proceed with the less important takes. First of all, you should take a closer look at the farms. Most of them should be located in the northern part of the map. Try and create a larger number of production chains. You would be able to manufacture steel, food or even automobiles. You could also consider building a larger number of bridges, especially in the vicinity of Dover. This will allow you to create new connections there, without having to worry about the trains stopping for no obvious reason.
Building a larger number of bridges and parallel lines is always a good idea.
It's very important that you don't forget about the older locomotives. You should be upgrading them from time to time, especially the steam models. This will allow you to lower the maintenance costs. You will also be able to haul a larger number of expensive and highly demanded goods. Remember that your cities will be expanding. This means that the citizens will demand new types of goods. It would be wise to fulfill these requests.
If you've managed to gather a larger sum of money, you might also consider buying out the competition. It's not going to be easy, however you should be able to acquire at last one company. Doing this will also allow you to use new tracks and reach previously unexplored areas of the map. You could also connect these lines with your standard grid. Try building a larger number of railway tracks near New York. You will find a lot of interesting objects here. Make sure that they are all connected and that the goods are delivered exactly where they're needed.
Take a closer look at the industrial buildings which are located in the vicinity of New York. It would be wise to connect them to the main grid, especially mines, refineries and farms.
Important! Following hints are based on these scenario settings:
Time limit - 1840-1970; Number of AI Players - 2. Randomize landscape and Randomize locations features have been deactivated.
The game won't force you to do anything. As a result, you will be able to customize the gameplay. For example, you have an opportunity to play each scenario without having to worry about the competition.
Here's the list of main mission objectives. You will have to fulfill them in order to succeed:
LEVEL 1 - Steel Town to the Windy City
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1885.
Level one objectives:
1) Recreate the railroad line of the same name by connecting Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago.
I'm sure that you still remember similar assignments from the previous scenarios of the game. As a result, you shouldn't have any problems understanding what has to be done here. As always, fulfilling this objective is going to be more difficult, mostly because you will have to construct longer and very expensive connections. I'd strongly recommend that you start playing this scenario in Cleveland. Thanks to that, you won't have any problems creating a track to Pittsburgh. You will be able to proceed to the remaining two cities from here. Fort Wayne is located in the central area of the map, so you should start by connecting this city to the rest of the grid. As for Chicago, you won't have to go there right away, especially since you won't have to fulfill any other tasks in that area during the first level of the scenario. The only thing you should be worried about is the competition. If you notice that AI players are laying down tracks near Chicago, it would be wise to speed up this process in order to be able to finish this connection. Otherwise you would have to spend more money, building bridges and other expensive objects. I would also like to add that Fort Wayne is going to be a small town at the start of the game. As a result, you should try and help it expand. You should also create a stable connection between Fort Wayne and Chicago. You'll need this track in the future, however building it earlier seems like a good idea.
2) Enter the steel market by building or purchasing a steel mill in Pittsburgh.
This is a fairly obvious objective. Furthermore, finishing it shouldn't be much of a problem. You will have to go to Pittsburgh that's located near Cleveland. I'm sure that this city is already connected to your main grid. I didn't have to build a steel mill from scratch. Instead, I had to participate in an auction. Thankfully, AI players won't be interested in this object (especially in the early part of the game), so you should be able to acquire it for about 100000 dollars. It's a very reasonable price, especially since building a steel mill would require you to spend 500000 dollars... I'd strongly recommend that you finish this task as soon as possible, because this will allow you to proceed with the third objective of this level. You will also receive additional income from the steel mill.
3) Help build the world's first skyscrapers by delivering 25 carloads of steel from your factory in Pittsburgh.
You shouldn't have any major problems figuring out what has to be done here, however you won't be allowed to delay this objective for too long. As you've probably noticed, the first level of this scenario is much shorter. As a result, you will have to focus all of your attention on completing mission objectives. You will have to create a very simple production chain. Start off by building or winning a steel mill (second objective of this level). Once you've bought it, you will be able to proceed with the production process. Take a closer look at your map. There should be at least two mines near Pittsburgh. You will have to connected them to your grid. The objective here is to allow the coal to be delivered to Pittsburgh. Additionally, make sure that this process isn't interrupted. You will have to build parallel tracks. It would also be wise to construct a terminal in Pittsburgh. Remember that delivering coal is very important, so make sure that you didn't do anything wrong here. Now you will have to wait for the steel to be manufactured. The last thing you will have to do is to find a receiver. Thankfully, I didn't have to look far, because Fort Wayne demanded this good and that's where I needed to go to fulfill other mission objective. If it's some other town, you will have to construct new tracks and buy at least new locomotive. Once you've created a connection, make sure that steel is being delivered properly. You should be using one locomotive with five carriages. This should be enough, especially if you had decided to ship these goods long before the time limit runs out. You could also consider buying a second locomotive, however this shouldn't be necessary. Also, make sure that the steel is being produced without any unwanted delays. This is your absolute priority at the moment.
Use the 'locate goods' feature to look for nearby coal mines. The same window will allow you to locate a city that demands steel to be delivered to it.
LEVEL 2 - There's The Beef
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1935.
Level two objectives:
1) Cash in on the cow craze by building or purchasing a stockyard in Chicago.
You shouldn't have any problems completing this scenario objective. There's only one thing you will have to do here - acquire a stockyard. Sadly, you probably won't be able to participate in an auction. Instead, you will have to buy it the usual way (by spending 500000 dollars on the construction). Don't worry about it, though. You're going to need this building to finish one of the upcoming goals. Having a stockyard will also allow you to receive additional income. I would recommend that you purchase this factory as soon as possible.
2) Reinvest your profits back into yourself; own at least 70% of your own stock.
I would recommend that you leave this task for later. You won't have to purchase your stocks right away. Make sure that you have constructed a large grid, filled with profitable connections. If you didn't sell any of your stocks, you shouldn't have any additional problems. The only thing for you to do here is to buy a required number of stocks. You won't have to participate in any other types of actions. You will have to spend a lot of money on your shares, however there's no other way to fulfill this mission objective.
3) Leverage your position as a dominant meat supplier to ship 20 carloads of food from Chicago to Cincinnati, Toronto, and Detroit.
This is by far the most complicated objective of this level of the scenario, however you shouldn't have any problems finishing it. The only difficulty is that you'll have to construct several expensive connections. I'm sure that you have a lot of money on your account, so you should be able to afford all of this. As for the cities, you'll only have some problems with Cincinnati, mostly because there's a large distance separating it from Chicago. This will force you to create a more complicated connection. You will have to start off by constructing a Stockyard in Chicago, however I'm sure that you've already done that. Having this building will be crucial to your success. Otherwise you wouldn't even be able to supply other cities with new goods. Now you will have to locate a few cattle ranches. I'm sure that there are at least two of these objects near Chicago, so you won't have to invest a lot of money on these tracks. If you're lucky, you should even be able to connect both cattle ranches with only one track. As a result, you would be able to gather resources with one train. That would also speed up the production process. You will have manufacture at least 60 carloads of meat, however each city must be supplied only with 20 carloads. If you don't want to expand your existing grids, you may consider building tracks only for the purpose of this mission objective. Once you've completed part of the task, you may as well try and destroy them. You shouldn't have any other problems with this objective. Just make sure that each city gets 20 full carloads of meat. After that, you will automatically fulfill this task. Thankfully, you won't have to be in a lot of hurry here. There's plenty of time to complete this objective.
You should be able to find at least two cattle ranches in the Chicago area.
LEVEL 3 - Race to the Finish
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1970.
Level three objectives:
1) Change the way Americans move by building or purchasing an automobile factory in Detroit.
Once again, you will have to build a factory from scratch. This means spending half a million dollars. To be specific, you will have to purchase an automobile factory. You shouldn't have any problems with that, especially since you should already have a lot of profitable connections. I would also like to add that selling cars will allow you to earn A LOT of extra cash. You won't have any problems getting rid of them, mostly because every large city will be demanding these goods.
2) Grow Indianapolis into a Metropolis.
This is your first encounter with an objective like this. Thankfully, there's nothing that you should be worried about. First of all, you will have to connect Indianapolis to the rest of your grid. I think that's fairly obvious. There are a lot of other cities in this area, so you'll just have to pick one of them. You could also try and establish a connection between Indianapolis and Detroit. This will be very helpful in the future, however you won't have to use this connection right away. As for the main mission objective, you will have to do a few important things. First of all, make sure that Indianapolis has at least two different factories. Now you will have to start supplying certain type of goods in order to proceed with the manufacturing process. Additionally, you should also supply other resources. Check the demand window if you have hard time finding the correct ones. For example, supplying coal seems like a good idea, especially if you plan on building a power plant or a steel mill. Remember to ship out manufactured goods from Indianapolis to other cities. If you've done most of these actions, you should be able to help the city to grow. Indianapolis will have to become a Metropolis in order for this task to end with a success.
3) Help the Indianapolis 500 organizers by transporting all 33 race cars from Detroit to Indianapolis.
Important! You shouldn't try completing this mission objective unless you have completed second mission objective. It's VERY IMPORTANT that Indianapolis grows to become a metropolis. Otherwise the citizens wouldn't be demanding automobiles. I guess you're wandering what it means - you wouldn't be able to sell them. Instead, you'd lose all your cargo! As a result, wait for the change to commence. In order to proceed with this mission objective you should focus on establishing a new connection between Indianapolis and Detroit. It's going to be quite expensive, but you should already have a lot of money at your disposal. Additionally, make sure that the automobile factory in Detroit is working at a full capacity. This means that you will have to deliver steel without any unnecessary delays. Also, make sure that the route starts in Detroit and ends in Indianapolis. It's very important, because otherwise you wouldn't be able to fulfill this mission objective. You should be able to haul 5 carloads with a single locomotive, so the train will have to return to Detroit about 6-7 times. Thankfully, you won't have to buy any additional locomotives. Instead, focus on supplying Detroit with steel and you should be just fine. There's plenty of time before this mission ends, so you won't have to be in a lot of hurry.
You MUST wait for Indianapolis to become a metropolitan region. Once this has happened, you will be allowed to proceed with the last objective of this scenario.
This picture shows the most important cities of the region:
1 - Indianapolis; 2 - Chicago; 3 - Louisville; 4 - Cincinnati; 5 - Lexington; 6 - Pittsburgh; 7 - Cleveland; 8 - Columbus; 9 - Detroit; 10 - Toronto; 11 - Fort Wayne.
Red lines show three cities that need to be connected in the first place (not necessarily in a straight line). Green lines show four cities that need to be connected later during this mission. You will be allowed to demolish these tracks once the objectives have been completed. Blue line shows two cities that need to be connected during the final phase of this mission. This will allow you to proceed with the supply process.
Additional hints for the entire scenario:
Let's start off by choosing a city. This choice is going to be very important, because some of the mission objectives will require you to connect different kinds of cities within a given time limit. You will be given a few propositions - Indianapolis, Lexington or Cincinnati. I would recommend that you choose Cleveland for your start city. This city is located in a very suitable spot. There are two large towns in the area. Furthermore, one of them is Pittsburgh. You're going to need to connect this city to your main grid in order to proceed with one of the mission objectives. Make sure that this connection has been established. Once this is done, I would recommend laying down tracks to the south. Connect Columbus to your existing grid. This is also a big city, so you'll be able to transport passengers right from the start.
Now you should focus most of your attention on creating additional connections. Bear in mind that they must be profitable. You could also expand your existing lines, by transporting passengers and mail. Once you've gathered a larger amount of money, take a closer look at the factories that are located in this area. You should be able to find a lot of mines and farms in this area. You should add some of these objects and connect them to your existing grid. Additionally, don't forget about the main objectives of the scenario.
You should establish a connection between Cleveland and Pittsburgh as soon as possible.
Start moving towards the western part of the map. Start off by creating a connection that will allow you to add Detroit to the existing grid. Adding Fort Wayne is even more important. You will need to establish this connection in order to proceed with one of the primary objectives of this level of the scenario. You can ignore Toronto for the moment, however you'll get back here later during this mission (you'll need this city to fulfill a second level objective). Keep expanding your grid. You should also consider adding smaller towns, however this won't be necessary. Just make sure that all of your existing connections are highly profitable.
Your next big step is to establish a connection between Fort Wayne (or Detroit) and Chicago. I've already mentioned before that it's going to cost you a lot. There's a high probability that the competition is currently occupying these sectors of the map. As a result, you will have to establish this connection quickly or decide to build a larger number of bridges. The choice is yours, however if you decide to wait you will have to spend more money on this connection. There are also some farms and ranches in this area. Consider adding them to your grid, especially since you'll need some of these factories later during the game.
Laying down tracks that lead to Chicago will probably cost you a lot. Make sure that you have enough funds to pay for this investment.
Now you should concentrate all of your efforts on completing the remaining mission objectives. I assume that the first level tasks have already been fulfilled. You will probably need to create a lot of expensive and complicated connections. I'd personally recommend creating a separate line that would allow you to connect Detroit with Toronto. This will allow you to speed up the selling process. Don't use the Chicago-Fort Wayne route, because you would probably have to build a second bridge and that's just too expensive. As for the Cincinnati objective, try creating a single line that won't have too many bridges or tunnels. You could also consider adding this town to your grid earlier in the mission, however this won't be necessary.
Once you've dealt with the mission objectives, you will be able to proceed to the third level of this scenario. Thankfully, most of these takes will involve only one city - Indianapolis. As a result, you will have to create a lot of connections in that area. One of them should go to Detroit. This is going to be very important. You'll need this connection to fulfill one of the more important goals (supplying Indianapolis with automobiles). Also, try connecting Indianapolis with all the cities from this area. This will allow you to earn some extra cash, transporting passengers and mail. Thankfully, you won't have to worry about the competition too much. AI players shouldn't be considered a serious threat. The only difference is that you'll have to construct more bridges to avoid their grids, however you should have enough money to do that.
It would be wise to create a new line that would connect Indianapolis with Detroit. This will allow you to fulfill one of the mission objectives.
Important! Following hints are based on these scenario settings:
Time limit - 1850-1930; Number of AI Players - 2. Randomize landscape and Randomize locations features have been deactivated.
The game won't force you to do anything. As a result, you will be able to customize the gameplay. For example, you have an opportunity to play each scenario without having to worry about the competition.
Here's the list of main mission objectives. You will have to fulfill them in order to succeed:
LEVEL 1 - In the Land of Green
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1899.
Level one objectives:
1) Stimulate the region's economy by growing two Villages into Metropolises.
I'm sure that you're going to have A LOT of problems with the objectives from the first level of the scenario, mostly because you won't have much time to finish them. As for this task, your goal is rather obvious. You will have to grow two villages into metropolitan areas. If you're planning on starting your game in Portland, you should focus on growing Salem and Olympia. Sadly, you won't be able to choose any larger towns, like Seattle or Vancouver. Otherwise you would only lose more time, trying to expand them without any visible results. It would be best to ignore these cities for the time being, as you won't need them in the early part of the game. The first thing you have to do here is to connect all of these villages together. Next, you will have to check the demand window. Sadly, you won't be able to transport passengers and mail right away. Instead, you will have to start carrying resources. For example, I had to deliver grain and oil to Salem. Thankfully, I was able to find the needed factories in this area of the map, so I was able to proceed with this action right away. Either way, make sure that you have checked this entire sector for valuable objects. Add these factories to your existing grid. I would also recommend selling some of your stocks, as you'll need a lot of money to lay down new tracks. As you've probably noticed, all of these objects aren't too close to each other, so the lines are going to be quite expensive. Take your time and plan each action carefully, so you won't have to spend too much money on them. The second main city is Olympia. I had to supply wood and fishes there. This second resource wasn't a problem, however I was forced to build a couple of tunnels and one bridge. As a result, you should consider earning some money on the previous connections before you decide to proceed with this town. Also, make sure that both of these cities have factories and that they're manufacturing new goods. Once they've grown into towns, you will be able to proceed with the passengers and mail. Remember that you already have larger Portland here, so you'll be able to use this town to fulfill this goal. Well... that's about it. You will now have to wait for both of these cities to expand. Just make sure that the goods are supplied and that there aren't any problems with the trains.
2) Gain a foothold in the local forestry industry by buying or building a paper mill in the area.
You shouldn't try completing this objective right away. Instead, concentrate on growing the villages. It may seem that buying a paper mill should be enough, however this goal is connected with a third mission objective. It would also be wise to plan your each action carefully. Use the goods window in order to locate some of the nearby sawmills. Next, you will have to locate at least one town that will demand these goods to be delivered. Furthermore, such a city should already be equipped with a paper mill. It's very important, because otherwise you would have to build this factory from scratch. I was able to find a paper mill in Boise. All I had to is to participate in an auction. Make sure that you win it. Thankfully, winning the paper mill will allow you to save up a lot of money (buying it would require you to spend 500000 dollars on the construction).
3) Take advantage of the finest lumber in the nation by shipping 50 carloads of lumber to your new paper mill.
As you've probably suspected, the objective here will be to ship 50 carloads of lumber to one of your factories (you should own such a building in Boise). It may seem that this task should be very easy, however you will have to remember about a few things. First of all, make sure that you have a complete grid and that there's at least one line coming out from your paper mill. Don't worry if you have to spend more money on this. The objective here is to speed up the shipping process. Now you will have to find a sawmill and connect it to the city with the paper mill. It shouldn't be much of a problem, especially since there are at least 3-4 sawmills in the area. You should also consider selling some of the manufactured paper. Thankfully, you won't have any problems finding towns that demand this good to be delivered to them. You could also add a second sawmill to your existing grid, however you won't have to worry about this right away. Nevertheless, you should know that shipping 50 carloads of lumber will take a lot of time and the first level of this scenario is very short. Adding new sawmills would also allow you to help them grow. This means that these factories would be able to produce more lumber. The choice is yours. Just make sure that you're not late.
Take your time and look for a city with a built paper mill. You will have to participate in an auction, however you will also have to make sure that there's at least one sawmill in this area of the map.
LEVEL 2 - Prospectors, Papers and Profits!
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1930.
Level two objectives:
1) Make headlines by building or purchasing a newspaper in Boise.
I would recommend that you take your time completing this objective. It would be wise to complete all previous assignments (from Level One of the scenario) in the first place. As for the newspaper building, you will probably have to buy this factory. Furthermore, it will possible later during the game. Boise must expand first, so the game will unlock a new production slot (the third one), allowing you to purchase this building. There's nothing else for you to do here, however it would be wise to start selling the paper. There are a few large cities in the area, so make sure that they're connected to Boise. One of them is located to the south-west (Bend) and that's where you'll probably want to sell these goods.
2) Transport 100 carloads of new workers to Seattle, and 40 carloads of paper to your newspaper in Boise.
First of all, you should know that you will have to do two separate things there. There aren't any common elements, except for the tracks that need to built. Let's start with Seattle, mostly because it'll be easier to fulfill this task. You will have to create a new connection that will allow you to connect Olympia and Portland with Seattle. Now you will have to buy at least one locomotive and proceed with the transportation process. Olympia might still be growing, so it would be wise to choose Portland or Salem for your destination. You will probably have to create a larger number of parallel tracks, but that shouldn't be much of a problem. You could also create a second line that would connect Seattle with Vancouver that's located in the northern part of the map. This is not necessary, however creating such a line would allow you to speed up this process. Additionally, you will be able to create a few other lines here. Notice that there are some factories in this area. It would be wise to add some of the refineries or farms to your existing grid. These buildings will provide you with extra cash, especially since the citizens of Seattle and Vancouver will demand a lot of different goods to be delivered to them. Completing second part of this objective is going to be much more difficult. I had to deal with another difficulty, because Boise was already manufacturing paper! As a result, I had to create to choose another town and build a paper mill there. Olympia seemed like a good idea, especially since it had already grown. You could also take a look at the northern part of the map. Lewiston should also be able to produce paper, however you would have to let this town grow. Either way, I'm sure that you'll have a lot of options. Make sure that the production chain isn't interrupted by less important connections. You will also have to watch out for the time limit.
3) Do something your banker can be proud of. Attain a net worth of $25 million.
I guess you know exactly what has to be done here, so I won't have to add anything else. Just make sure that you're creating profitable connections. You could also try and create additional production chains. This would allow you to manufacture food, steel or even automobiles. Don't forget to upgrade or modify your connections. You should also get rid of older locomotives. I'm sure that you'll be able to fulfill this mission objective without any other problems.
You should consider taking a closer look at the small village of Lewiston. It would be wise to help it grow into a town or metropolis, especially if there are some sawmills in that area. Doing this would allow you to supply Boise with more paper.
This picture shows the most important cities of the region:
1 - Portland; 2 - Olympia; 3 - Seattle; 4 - Vancouver; 5 - Salem; 6 - Bend; 7 - Boise; 8 - Lewiston; 9 - Spokane
You won't have to connect any particular cities during this mission. As a result, you will be able to complete all objectives using various approach methods.
Additional hints for the entire scenario:
This scenario is a little bit different from the previous missions of the game. It's also much shorter, however you shouldn't be happy about that, because it'll be a lot harder to finish up with some of the objectives. As you've probably noticed, there are only three large towns at the start of the game - Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. The rest are fairly small villages that will only demand certain types of goods to be delivered, instead of transporting passengers or mail. All of this will require you to act differently, especially in the early part of the game. You won't be allowed to proceed with the transportation process right away. This will have to wait. Instead, you'll focus on finding and supplying different kinds of resources.
Just as before, you will have to start off by choosing one of the available towns. I would recommend that you choose between two different approach methods. Both of them seem to be equally interesting. If you decide to choose Portland, you will be able to fulfill some of the mission goals much faster. Sadly, you're going to have a lot of problems in the early part of the game. It's mostly because there aren't any interesting factory facilities in the vicinity of Portland. As a result, you will have to plan your first connections very carefully, because they'll be quite expensive. You won't be allowed to make any major mistakes here. If you decide to choose some other town, then you'll probably have an easier start, but it'll take more time to fulfill some of the crucial mission objectives. The choice is yours. Just make sure that you don't spend too much money on unnecessary investments. You can also consider selling some of your stock, however this is optional.
The mission map is filled with a large number of small towns and villages. As a result, the start of the scenario will be much more challenging than before.
One of the most important things for you to do will be to fulfill demands of nearby villages and towns. You WON'T be able to proceed with the transportation process right away, because the villages are too small for that. Make sure that you're using 'goods' window to locate farms, refineries and other factory buildings. Start off by creating two or three connections. They will have to be very profitable, so you'll be earning additional cash very soon. This will allow you to expand further into this territory. You should also remember that the first level of this scenario is going to be very short. This means that you won't be allowed to have any unwanted delays.
Try focusing on two villages. I'm sure that you remember that you will have to help them grow into metropolitan areas. This is going to be quite difficult. I'd strongly recommend that you locate at least one sawmill. Supplying towns with lumber seems like a good idea at the moment, however you will have to watch out for computer players. For example, one of the AI players was trying so steal my lumber. If this happens, you will have to buy additional locomotives or order your trains to wait for the full load before proceeding to nearby villages. You should also focus your attention on finding untouched factories, so you won't have to share the resources with anyone else.
Reaching one of the nearby sawmills is going to be very important.
You should try and focus all of your attention on satisfying demands of the growing villages. Ignore Portland for the time being. You won't have to do anything particular with this town. Just make sure that the two chosen villages are expanding. Once they've reached a town status, you will be able to proceed with the passengers and mail transportation. This will allow you to earn some extra money. You should also consider supplying new goods that weren't needed before. For example, you should be able to supply the towns with a lot of fishes, however building these connections is going to cost you a little more. Nevertheless, you shouldn't be trying to avoid these kinds of possibilities. Starting new production chains is also a good idea. If you're lucky, you should be able to manufacture luxury goods - paper, steel or even automobiles. I'm sure that you know how all of this works. Keep expanding your grid, especially since there are a lot of different factories and villages on the map.
Make sure that all primary objectives have been completed. Once this is done, you may focus on expanding the main part of the grid. You should be able to connect Seattle and Vancouver without any additional problems. Moving to the eastern side of the map is also very important. You will have to build several expensive connections here (a lot of bridges and tunnels), however I assure you that it'll be worth it. Also, don't forget about the possibility of creating parallel tracks. This is very important, especially near big cities. You shouldn't have any other problems with the second level objectives of this scenario.
Sadly, some connections are going to be very expensive (especially near Boise). Nevertheless, you shouldn't be avoiding them. Reaching other areas of the map will allow you to earn some extra dollars.
You mustn't forget about other ways to earn some money. For example, you should try and participate in several contests. I'm sure that you remember these from the previous missions of the game. If you manage do fulfill these kinds of tasks, you will be rewarded with 100000 dollars.
The final phase of this scenario will require you to repeat most of these actions. Keep expanding into other areas of the map. Don't worry about the competition, however you shouldn't sell too much of your stocks. Try and invest some of your money into new factory buildings. You could grow other villages to become towns. Also, make sure that you have reached most of the sawmills. They will be very important. You won't have to participate in most of the invention auctions, but you could try and acquire some of these upgrades. Remember that growing towns will have new types of demands. This means that you will have to expand or modify your existing connections. Thankfully, the third level of this scenario isn't so difficult, so you won't have any problems completing it.
Important! Following hints are based on these scenario settings:
Time limit - 1829-1957; Number of AI Players - 2. Randomize landscape and Randomize locations features have been deactivated.
The game won't force you to do anything. As a result, you will be able to customize the gameplay. For example, you have an opportunity to play each scenario without having to worry about the competition.
Here's the list of main mission objectives. You will have to fulfill them in order to succeed:
LEVEL 1 - Of Rockets and Rainhill
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1850.
Level one objectives:
1) Make history by connecting Liverpool and Manchester, the world's first railroad.
Important! You will have ONLY 20 years to complete objectives from the first level of the scenario. As a result, you will have to be in a lot of hurry. Also, you won't be allowed to spend your money on some foolish constructions or buildings. Thankfully, this is a much easier goal, so you won't have any additional problems finishing it. I'd strongly recommend that you start off in Wrexham. Thanks to that, you won't have to wait for the first part of the connection to be completed. Bear in mind, though, that a lot of these connections are going to be quite expensive, mostly because there are a lot of hills here. As a result, you will have to build a lot of tunnels and other expensive structures. Sadly, there's no way for you to avoid this. As for the connection itself, you've got two choices here. You could try creating a shorter connection. This would allow you to connect these cities (Liverpool and Manchester) in a straight line. Alternatively, you could go for a longer connection that would include some of the surrounding factories. For example, I was able to add a coal mine to my existing grid. The choice is yours. Just make sure that this operation doesn't take too long. You're going to have to start receiving profits here (as soon as possible).
2) Protect your fledgling line from predatory investors by acquiring and maintaining a 70% ownership stake in the company.
You'll probably have more problems finishing this mission objective. First of all, you shouldn't sell your stocks at the beginning of the game. Concentrate on a smaller number of connections. Make sure that they're very profitable. The objective here is quite obvious. You will have to start earning a lot of money. You won't have to concentrate on the cities. There are a lot of interesting objects in the area. Some of these structures will acquire rare goods. It's best to focus your attention on them, as you will receive more money from these kinds of operations. Buying your stocks will cost you a lot of money, however you shouldn't delay this action for too long, because it'll make the buying process even more complicated. Wait for the right moment to make a move. I'd strongly recommend buying all necessary shares at the same time. Thankfully, you won't have to worry about the competition here. Your opponents will concentrate mostly on expanding into other territories.
You could connect Liverpool with Manchester in a straight line, however it would be wiser to create a longer connection. This would allow you to add some of the factories to the existing grid.
LEVEL 2 - Railway Mania
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1922.
Level two objectives:
1) Participate in the "Railway Mania" by buying a 20% minority stake in every other railway.
Thankfully, you will have much more time to complete these new objectives. Let's start by telling what has to be done here. The goal is fairly obvious. You won't have to wait for the last minute to fulfill this mission objective. You could do this much earlier, even in the early part of the game. I have to warn you, though. This is going to cost you a lot, so make sure that you have some additional funds on your account. It would be wise to create a larger grid in the first place. Thanks to that, you'll have more profitable connections. I guess I should warn you about something. Computer players may try doing the same thing. You will have to be careful. Make sure that none of the AI players buys all shares of another railroad company. If you notice that it's happening, try buying the shares earlier. Otherwise you would have to buy them out and that's almost impossible at this point of the game. Buying the shares will fulfill this mission objective. You won't have to do anything else here.
2) Build the LNWR's "Premier Line", connecting Birmingham, Liverpool, London, and Manchester.
This is a very time-consuming objective, however you shouldn't have any major problems finishing it. First of all, you should already have a connection between Liverpool and Manchester. You needed it to end one of the previous tasks, so you won't have to worry about this part of the mission anymore. Sadly, you're going to have to build several other connections to reach the required cities. It'll be much easier to get to Birmingham. All you have to do is to connect Birmingham with Manchester. As a result, you will have to construct a large tunnel, but I'm sure that you'll be able to afford this. You could also consider creating a second connection - between Birmingham and Liverpool. You would be able to use it in the future. The choice is yours. The most important thing here is that Birmingham is connected to one of the remaining cities. Thankfully, you'll be able to earn a lot of cash here, mostly because Birmingham is a large city. You should also consider adding other towns and production facilities to your grid. It's going to be much tougher with London, mostly because this city is located at the opposite end of the map. As a result, you would have to spend a lot of money to construct a proper connection. I wouldn't recommend moving your railway empire to these areas of the map. Instead, try focusing on a single connection, especially if the computer players are currently occupying these sections of Great Britain. You should be able to connect Birmingham with London without any other problems. Like I've said before, it's going to cost you a lot. You will have to build a large number of bridges, however they may be used as an advantage during the final phase of this mission. Make sure that you've finished the construction within a given time limit. After that, proceed to the third level objectives, especially since some of them will be quite challenging.
You should consider creating a single connection between your existing grid and London. Thanks to that, you wouldn't have to create any additional lines here.
POZIOM 3 - Sunset of the Big Four
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1957.
Level three objectives:
1) Deliver 20 carloads of passengers from Manchester to London, and 20 carloads of mail from Birmingham to London.
If you had decided to create a single line between London and Birmingham, you should consider completing these objectives separately, mostly because your locomotives would have to use the same track. I would recommend starting out with the mail objective, mostly because you'll be able to finishing it much faster. Don't forget about the possibility of creating parallel tracks. They should appear near Birmingham, so your train won't have any delays here. It would also be wise to set a high priority for this unit. You can do this by using the same window that allows you to create new connections. One train should be carrying at least 3 carloads of mail. Remember that you will be able to start off much sooner. Also, I wouldn't recommend adding carriages to the train while it's heading towards London. Remember that the most important thing here is to speed up this entire process. There are also other cities here that will have their own needs, so you'll be still making profits. Once you've delivered 20 carloads of mail, modify this connection. This time you will be moving to Manchester. Don't forget to change the city in the settings window! You should also consider building a second tunnel between Manchester and Birmingham. Thanks to that, you won't have to worry about any unwanted delays. Well... that's it. If you have started completing this task earlier, you shouldn't have any problems finishing it.
2) Set a new world speed record with the legendary A4 Mallard.
Important! You won't be able to fulfill this objective in the early part of the game. You will have to wait for the game to unlock a new type of a locomotive - 4-6-2 A4. This model will appear on your list during the final phase of the scenario, so you just have to be patient. Once you've unlocked this locomotive, pause the game and take a closer look at your trains. I would recommend modifying a connection between Birmingham and London. There should be a lot of bridges in that area, so there's a high probability that your newly acquired locomotive will brake the speed record. If this doesn't happen, you could consider creating a separate line that would go through mountain areas. Thankfully, this shouldn't be necessary. You don't have to worry about completing this objective too much. Instead, make sure that you have finished all of the remaining tasks.
3) Build an industrial force to be reckoned with by attaining a net worth of L30 million.
You've had to deal with similar objectives during the previous scenarios of the game. As a result, you shouldn't have any major problems finishing this task. All you have to do is to increase the value of your railroad empire to 30 million pounds. It shouldn't be much of a problem, especially since this is one of the longest scenarios of the game. Just make sure that you spend your money wisely. Try and connect most of the cities, as well as some industrial facilities. You could also consider buying out a few factories, however I'm sure that you still remember all of this. You should be able to fulfill this mission objective long before the time limit runs out.
Sadly, you won't be able to break the speed record right away. Instead, you will have to wait for the game to unlock a specific model - 4-6-2 A4. This occurs during the final phase of this mission.
This picture shows the most important cities of the region:
1 - Salisbury; 2 - Bristol; 3 - Portsmouth; 4 - London; 5 - Hastings; 6 - Cardiff; 7 - Wrexham; 8 - Liverpool; 9 - Manchester; 10 - Birmingham; 11 - Nottingham; 12 - Peterborough; 13 - Chelmsford.
Red line shows two cities that need to be connected in the first place (not necessarily in a straight line). Green lines show two other cities (that's a total of four towns) that need to be connected later during this mission. You won't have to worry about them right away.
Additional hints for the entire scenario:
As always, you will have to start your game by choosing one of the available towns. Sadly, there are only going to be a few of them, including Salisburty and Hastings. Most of these cities will be very interesting. You'll find a lot of other town in these areas, as well as some industrial facilities. I'd personally recommend that you choose Wrexham for your start city. There are many reasons, however the most important one is that you'll find Liverpool and Manchester in this area of the map. I'm sure that you remember that you're going to have to connect these two cities in order to fulfill one of the primary objectives. Furthermore, you'd have only 20 years to do that, so it's best that you won't have to reach the opposite end of the map in order to complete this objective. Sadly, you will have to deal with several difficulties. Like I've said before, you shouldn't be selling your stocks, because it would make a second task more difficult to accomplish. As a result, you will have to focus your attention on a smaller number of connections. Make sure that they're highly profitable. Plan your tracks carefully, so you won't have to add any unnecessary bridges or tunnels.
I would recommend that you start off by creating a connection between Wrexham and Liverpool. Make sure that this investment will cost about 150 thousand pounds. Both of these cities are quite large, so you'll be able to proceed with the transportation process. After that, you should consider connecting Llandrindod Wells to your tiny grid. You won't be able to transport passengers here. Instead, check the demand window. I'm sure that you'll be able to find a proper factory in the area. Keep adding other industrial buildings to your existing grinds. Focus on these objects that will allow you to earn more money.
You shouldn't spend too much money on the Wrexham-Liverpool connection. Make sure that there's only one small bridge here.
Don't forget about the second main objective of this level of the scenario. Like I've said before, you shouldn't be selling your stocks. Instead, try gathering more money. Also, take a closer look at this area of the map. You should be able to find a lot of mines, farms and other factory buildings here. Keep adding them to your main grid. Additionally, you should notice that a lot of new goods have appeared in this scenario - medicines, wool or textiles. Most of them will be luxurious and very easy to sell, so make sure that you have connected these types of factories as soon as possible. You should also be able to create a few production chains. This will allow you to increase your profits. Don't forget about the connected cities. They will be expanding. This means that new types of demands will be presented to you. Try supplying the citizens with much needed goods.
Take a closer look at the northern area of the map, near Liverpool. You should be able to find a larger number of factories here, mostly farms or mines. It's always a good thing to add these buildings to your existing grid. Don't forget about the possibility of creating parallel tracks, especially if you have to deliver something to a town that's not located nearby. Make sure that you don't lose any money on these connections. The second big step will be to connect Manchester to your grid. Like I've said before, you will have to make a choice between a straight line or a longer connection, that would allow you to add some of the nearby factories. Additionally, be on a look out for new assignments. Some of them are going to be quite easy. This will not only allow you to reach previously unexplored areas of the map, but you'll also earn some extra cash.
There should be a lot of farms and mines near Liverpool. Make sure that you've connected some of these factories to your main grid.
You shouldn't have any other problems with the level one objectives. Let's proceed with the second level. The first thing you will have to do here is to create a connection with Birmingham. This will allow you to fulfill a part of an important objective. I've already said before that Birmingham is going to be one of the largest cities on the map, even in the early part of the game. Additionally, this town will be demanding a lot of different resources to be delivered. I'm sure that you know what this means. You will be able to ship your goods there in order to receive additional profits. You should also consider creating parallel tracks in this area, especially if you plan on creating connection with nearby factories and towns. Also, you should take a closer look at your locomotives. Most of them will have to replaced, especially since you have started this level with one of the slowest models. Doing this will also allow you to increase a number of carriages that can be hauled to your chosen destination. You will have to wait for better locomotives to become available, but I'm sure you won't have any problems finding the best models.
Keep purchasing new tracks and expand existing connections, so you'll earn even more money on them. This is very important, mostly because you would have to spend more of your cash on new connections. It's always better to modify the existing ones. You should be able to create several new production chains. Some of them may be quite interesting. For example, I was able to begin the production of arms in Liverpool. After that, I was selling them in Birmingham. This is one of the most luxurious goods, so you'll be able to earn A LOT of money here. Sadly, in order to proceed with such a production, you will have to take care of the smaller production chains. Also, don't forget about the resources. They will have to be delivered without any unwanted delays. Try moving towards some of the unexplored areas of the map. You should be able to find a few larger cities here - Nottingham, Peterborough or Cheltenham. Keep adding other factories to your grid. Most of them will supply you with much needed resources, so you can't ignore them.
It's best to create a few production chains in order to increase your income. You should be able to begin production of steel and (later during the game) arms.
You mustn't forget about the possibility of buying new locomotives. Some of them will come in handy, especially if the trains are hauling some of the more expensive goods. You should also consider participating in several auctions. This would allow you to acquire interesting inventions, as well as some of the currently used factories. Make sure that you're choosing only the most interesting things. It would be wise to create several additional connections. Lincoln seems like a good idea. I was selling my wool there and in return I was able to acquire textiles. Remember that most of these goods will be very easy to sell, mostly because all larger cities will be demanding them. You will have to make a choice at some point of the game. You could continue to expand into other territories or try to modify your existing connections. The second option is much cheaper, however you wouldn't be able to upgrade all of them. Bear in mind, though, that creating new lines will be very expensive, mostly because a lot of other towns and factories are located far away from your main grid. Don't forget about your current objectives. Thankfully, you shouldn't have any major problems finishing these tasks.
Sooner or later, you will have to start thinking about moving towards London. You will have to reach this city in order to fulfill one of the main objectives of this scenario. You could try and add other towns from this area, however this won't be necessary. The choice is yours. I'd recommend that you stick close to the central area of the map. Instead, you could consider creating a second connection to London (preferably from north-west), although this is optional. Sadly, connecting London to your existing grid is going to be quite expensive. You will probably have to avoid other grids. As a result, you'll build more bridges.
You could try and expand into this new territory, however London is your only main objective.
Important! Following hints are based on these scenario settings:
Time limit - 1842-1989; Number of AI Players - 2. Randomize landscape and Randomize locations features have been deactivated.
The game won't force you to do anything. As a result, you will be able to customize the gameplay. For example, you have an opportunity to play each scenario without having to worry about the competition.
Here's the list of main mission objectives. You will have to fulfill them in order to succeed:
LEVEL 1 - All Roads Lead to Paris
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1870.
Level one objectives:
1) Construct a line that stretches from Marseille to Lyon and Paris.
You will have less than 30 years to fulfill all objectives from the first level of this scenario. As a result, a lot will depend on where you have decided to start your game. You could make your life a lot easier, however you will have to choose wisely. I'd strongly recommend starting this scenario in Monaco (you can look for additional info in the 'hints' section). Choosing this city will allow you to reach two of the required towns (Marseille and Lyon) much faster. You will have to start off by creating a connection that will allow you to reach Marseille. Sadly, this will probably cost you a lot of money. You will have to build several bridges and tunnels. The same goes with the connection between Marseilles and Lyon. I had to build one large tunnel here. It was an expensive investment, however you won't be able to reach this city from any other side (without having to build a tunnel). Additionally, you will have to build new tunnels here, later during this mission. You shouldn't wait this for too long, especially a lot of different trains will be using these tracks. Thankfully, these connections will be very profitable, so you won't have to worry about losing too much money. You mustn't forget about the competition. Sooner or later, other railway companies will try to take away some of your clients. You will have to be ready for that. Make sure that you modify your existing connections. Reaching Paris is going to be very difficult. I had to avoid one of my competitors, by building a large number of bridges. You could also try and reach Paris from the other side, however that would require you to reach the northern part of the map (preferably from the east). You'd also have to connect Geneva and other towns from that region to your existing grid.
2) Establish an early empire. Buy a 10% minority share in all of your opponents' companies.
Thankfully, this is a much easier objective. You shouldn't have any problems finishing it, especially since your competitors aren't playing too aggressively (on the stock market) here. You will have to buy 10% shares of each company. I would recommend that you perform these actions during the early part of the game. You could leave this for later, however this would require you to spend more money. You should know what has to be done here. You will have to invest your money into the most profitable connections and factories. This will allow to save up a lot of cash. Just make sure that you buy the stocks before the time limit runs out.
You will probably have to construct a much larger tunnel in order to be able to reach Lyon. Also, make sure that you have built additional tunnels here later during the game.
LEVEL 2 - The War Effort
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1914.
Level two objectives:
1) Do your part to defend your country. Deliver 10 carloads each of troops to Paris and Orleans.
You shouldn't have any problems with the first part of this objective (delivering troops to Paris). All you have to do here is to use your existing connection (probably the one between Lyon and Paris). It's best to deliver passengers (the game will count them as troops) from the south. You could also choose Dijon for your start location, however you'd probably have to build a second bridge that would be heading towards Paris. Delivering 10 carloads of troops shouldn't take you too long. Thankfully, this will allow you to focus all of your attention on the second part of this assignment or other task that haven't been finished. Delivering troops to Orleans is going to be much more difficult. First of all, you will have to make some adjustments. I'd strongly recommend that you buy a terminal in Paris. You should also create a large number of parallel tracks there. The rest depends on the competition. You might have an open space to build a connection, however this is very unlikely. You'll probably have to build new bridges and the connection itself is going to be longer. Sadly, you won't be able to avoid these restrictions, because you probably won't have an opportunity to reach Orleans from any other side. Remember to connect Orleans with Paris, so you won't have to worry about delivering troops. Also, make sure that the connection isn't too long. I wouldn't recommend connecting Orleans with any other town at this point of the game. Loading troops in Paris won't be much of a problem. As a result, you should be able to fulfill this objective within several game years.
Important! You will also have to remember about something else. Orleans may be too small during the early part of the game. As a result, this city won't demand any troops to be delivered. You will have to help it to grow in the first place before you decide to finish the main task.
2) Paris pushes its borders. Grow nearby Orleans into a city to support the mega-metropolis.
You will probably have to finish task right away. Otherwise you would have some serious problems finishing the second objective from this level of the scenario. Growing Orleans into a city isn't going to be simple, however you should be just fine. Additionally, you won't have to grow it into a metropolitan area status. Reaching the city status will be just fine. You've got nothing to worry about here, especially since you have 40 game years to finish this level of the scenario. Start off by supplying Orleans with much needed goods (check the 'demand' window). I had to deliver some coal. Thankfully, there was a mine in that area, so I didn't have any problems creating a proper connection. I wouldn't recommend connecting these tracks, especially if you have a Paris-Orleans line. It would be best to create a separate line that would only allow you to supply Orleans with certain types of resources. You could also consider building a steel mill Orleans, especially if you have an opportunity to deliver coal to that place. Once Orleans has reached a higher status, you should also purchase an arms factory. Thanks to that, you will be manufacturing very luxurious goods (arms). This is important, mostly because you'll need arms to complete one of the upcoming objectives of the scenario. You will have to wait for the game to unlock a possibility of transporting passengers (troops). Only then you will be able to fulfill the remaining objective.
Orelan citizens will probably demand that you deliver some coal. As a result, you will have to locate a mine and create a new connection.
LEVEL 3 - Into The Breach Once More!
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1945.
Level three objectives:
1) Build or purchase an arms factory to assist in the war effort.
This is a very simple objective. If you're lucky, you should be able to finish this task much earlier (during the second phase of the scenario). You will even have an opportunity to buy several arms factories, mostly because there should be a lot of coal mines on the map. Buying these building would allow you to create one of the most profitable production chains. My first arms factory has been built in Toulouse. I didn't have any problems delivering steel to that place and I could sell arms in Dijon or Lyon. The more important thing, however, is to build an arms factory in Orleans. I've already mentioned this before. Building (or winning in an auction) this structure will allow you to fulfill one of the more complicated mission objectives. You shouldn't have any problems supplying Orleans with coal (there should be a steel mill there), so you should build this factory as soon as possible.
2) Help your countrymen fight back the enemy by delivering 10 carloads of arms to Paris.
You will have to deliver only 10 carloads of arms, however this is a very difficult task. Arms are considered to be one of the most luxurious goods, so you'll have some problems acquiring them. Additionally, other railroad companies may try to "steal" your arms, by building terminals in the same cities. You will have to remember about that. It's best to order your trains to wait for a full load. It would be very easy to deliver arms from Orleans to Paris. That's why I suggested that you should build a factory there, as well as a steel mill. You will have to make sure that there aren't any delays, especially when it comes to resources (coal for Orleans). This will allow the factory to manufacture these goods without any unwanted delays. I wouldn't recommend delivering arms from other sections of the map, mostly because it would take a lot of time and effort, especially if you have only one line connecting Paris with Lyon and Dijon.
3) Help keep citizens abroad in touch with home. Ship 20 carloads of mail from both Paris and Orleans to Marseilles.
Just as before, you will be able to separate this mission objective into two different parts. You will be able to fulfill both tasks at the same time, however this won't be necessary, especially since you'll have a lot of time to do that. Your job will be to deliver 20 carloads of mail, both from Paris and Orleans. Your target city is Marseilles (that's where you've probably started your game). It'll be much easier to accomplish the first part of this objective (delivering mail from Paris). First of all, Paris should have already became a metropolitan area, so you won't have any problems loading four carriages with mail, even if there are other companies in this area. You should also consider cancelling mail transportation from your other connections. As for the task itself, you should still have a connection between Paris and Lyon. Use it to reach Marseilles. You won't have to build any additional lines, however constructing parallel tracks will be most welcome. It's going to be much more difficult with Orleans. First of all, you will have to wait for this city to expand. You could wait for the first part to be completed in order to use the same line, however this won't be necessary. I would recommend creating a new connection. The objective will be to connect Orleans with Lyon or one of the bridges near Marseilles. As you've probably suspected, this is going to cost you a lot, however you should have some extra cash at this point of the game. Additionally, you will be able to use the same connection later during the game. There are also some factories here. You may consider adding them to your newly acquired connection.
Building a connection between Orleans and Lyon is going to be very expensive, however you'll be able to use it in the future.
LEVEL 4 - A Modern Miracle
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1989.
Level four objectives:
1) Solidify your standing as France's greatest industrialist by attaining a net worth of F20 million.
I'm sure that you remember similar assignments from the previous scenarios of the game. You don't have to worry about completing this objective. It should be rather simple. Just as before, you will have to increase an overall value of your company. This is one of the longest scenarios of the game, so you'll have plenty of time to do this. Just make sure that you invest your money into profitable connections and industries. Also, focus your attention on the other goals from this group, as these tasks are far more complicated.
2) Remove the last obstacles in your path to complete domination of the French railroads. Eliminate all competition.
This task looks like one of the toughest ones. Thankfully, you should be able to finish it without any major problems. You just have to wait about a few important things. AI players aren't playing too great on this map, so you won't have to worry about their companies increasing the overall values too much. As a result, you should have plenty of money to buy their stocks. Just make sure that you don't do this too quickly. You should have a large and highly profitable grid of connections. You could also monitor their movements. Notice that computer players will sometimes buy expensive connections. As a result, they will lose a lot of their current funds. This is an excellent moment to make a move. Once you've bought a company, make sure that you have modified all of the existing connections, as some of them won't any significant income. I wouldn't recommend destroying the tracks, mostly because you'll be able to use them yourself.
3) Build a new camaraderie with your neighbors. Connect Madrid, Paris and Bern.
This is the last main objective of this scenario. There's a lot of work ahead of you, however you won't have to worry about anything in particular. You already have a large number of good connections, so you'll be making a lot of money. As a result, connecting the cities shouldn't be much of a problem. Let's start with Bern, as it's going to be very easy to add it to your grid. You've probably started the game in Monaco. You will have to expand your grid to the northern side of this territory. Establish a connection between Monaco and Geneva. Once you're there, you shouldn't have any problems reaching Bern. Just make sure that you also add other towns from this area of the map. Sadly, there aren't too many factories here. As for Madrid, it's going to be more difficult to add it to your grid. You've got a lot of choices here. Like I've said before, one of the computer players will probably decide to build a tunnel under the Alps. The tunnel will have an end near Spain. You could wait for this to happen in order to buy the entire company. As a result, you would fulfill one of the previous objectives. Additionally, you wouldn't have to build any tracks yourself. It's going to be much more interesting if you decide to take on this objective on your own. I wouldn't recommend building a large tunnel. Instead, center the view on Marseilles. There should be a factory of some kind to your south. I was able to find a ranch there. Add this object to your grid. Keep moving towards Spain. You will have to stay near the water. You should be able to reach Barcelona. If you're lucky, you will able to sell resources from the factory there. Now you may proceed to Madrid. There's at least one more town here. You may consider adding it to your existing grid, however this won't be necessary. The most important thing is that you reach Madrid. This will allow you to finish up with this task.
It would be wise to build a connection near the water. You should be able to reach Barcelona. You won't have any problems creating a second line that will lead you straight to Madrid. You should also consider adding other towns and factories to your main grid.
This picture shows the most important cities of the region:
1 - Nancy; 2 - Bern; 3 - Geneva; 4 - Monaco; 5 - Marseilles; 6 - Lyon; 7 - Dijon; 8 - Paris; 9 - Orleans; 10 - Nantes; 11 - Toulouse; 12 - Bordeaux; 13 - Barcelona; 14 - Madrid; 15 - Zaragoza.
Red line shows cities that need to be connected in the first place (not necessarily in a straight line). Green line show two cities that need to be connected during the third level of the scenario. Blue lines show three cities that need to be connected during the final (fourth) phase of this mission.
Additional hints for the entire scenario:
The first thing to do here will be to choose a place from where you'll start your game. I'm sure that you already know how this works. You will have an opportunity to choose between several interesting towns, including Toulouse or Nantes. I would recommend that you choose between Nancy and Monaco (I've taken the second option). If you decide to choose Nancy, you wouldn't have any problems reaching Paris, however you would have to spend more time to get to the remaining two towns. I'd personally recommend choosing Monaco for your start location, mostly because you'll be able to find some factories and towns in this area of the map, as well as Marseilles. You'll also have an easier start, mostly because you will have an opportunity to create a larger number of profitable connections.
I would recommend starting the game by creating three different connections. Two of them should lead to other cities. I'm sure that you know what I'm talking about. Connect Marseilles and Geneva (it's to the north) to your tiny grid. You should also be able to find at least one factory here. I was able to add a mine to my main grid. You should also take a closer look at the demand windows. Thanks to that, you'll know exactly where to deliver the newly acquired resources. Modify your existing connections or create some new ones. Bear in mind, though, that you shouldn't be spending your money on unnecessary connections. There are also a lot of hills in this area, so you shouldn't add too many carriages to your trains. Otherwise you would have paralyzed your traffic. Try upgrading your existing connections before you decide to proceed to other areas of this map.
You should start your game in Monaco. There are several other towns in this area, so it would be wise to connect them to your grid. You should also find at least one factory (probably a mine) here.
You should consider taking a closer look at the northern part of the map (near Geneva and Paris). It's not necessary, however you should be able to find a lot of interesting towns and factories here. As a result, you wouldn't have to worry about additional income. There should be at least a few mines here, as well as some other industrial facilities. Most of them will have to be connected to your grid, especially if nearby towns are demanding these resources to be delivered. Sadly, you will probably have to build a lot of parallel tracks, but that shouldn't be much of a problem. Also, you'll be able to earn a lot of money here. This will allow you to expand even more into this section of the map. You shouldn't forget about your current locomotives. Upgrading them is very important, especially in the early part of the game. It's because you have started this scenario with one of the worst available models. This mission is also very long, so you'll be able to use a lot of different locomotives.
Let's proceed with the more important goals. You will have to connect Marseilles with Lyon and Dijon (both of these towns are to the north). Like I've said before, you will have to build one large tunnel in order to perform this action. Thankfully, you won't have to worry about losing too much money here. All of these towns will start to grow, so you'll be able to upgrade your existing connections. You should also take a closer look at Toulouse. I was able to manufacture steel here. Also, later the during the game I've started to manufacture arms. Selling these goods will allow you to earn A LOT of money, so I wouldn't recommend skipping such an opportunity.
You should be able to find a lot of towns and factories to the north of Geneva. It would be wise to connect some of them to your main grid.
Sooner or later, you will have to start thinking about reaching Paris. I would recommend that you choose one of the described approach methods. You could try and reach Paris from the north/east or build a single connection from the south (Lyon/Dijon). Either way, you will have to construct a depot here. Also, make sure to upgrade it to a terminal in a nearby future. Once you've added Paris to your grid, make sure that you have built parallel tracks. You'll need them in the future, especially since a lot of other lines will have to be connected to Paris. You mustn't forget about Orleans. You're going to have to expand this city, so it would be best to add it to your grid as soon as possible. Now you should focus on expanding to this section of the map. You should be able to find a lot of towns and factories here, especially to the west and north. I was able to create several production chains here, including food, milk and wine. You shouldn't have any problems selling these objects, as most of the large towns will be demanding them to be delivered.
Don't forget about your locomotives. Make sure that they're upgraded after 40-50 years of service. This is very important, especially if the trains are hauling more expensive goods. Keep building parallel tracks. Every large town should have at least a few of them. Thankfully, most of the mission objectives are going to be quite simple, so you won't have to worry about that too much.
Take a closer look around Paris. There are a lot of interesting towns here, including La Havre.
You can't forget about the possibility of modifying your existing connections. As you probably remember, all of the connected towns will grow during the course of the game. This means that the citizens will demand new types of goods to be delivered to them. Plan your actions carefully, so you won't have to spend too much money on new or upgraded connections. Also, you shouldn't forget about the competition. Thankfully, computer players won't be too aggressive on this map. Nevertheless, you will have to respond to some of their actions. It would also be wise to participate in several auctions. Thanks to that, you should be able to purchase factories. Try creating complex production chains. For example, delivering steel will allow you to produce arms. You will be able to earn a lot of money if you decide to deliver these types of goods.
You should consider moving towards Bordeaux area during the final phase of the mission, mostly because you'll be able to find a lot of interesting farms, ranches and mines here. You could also take a closer look at some of the nearby towns. Make sure that you're not building any unnecessary tunnels. Thankfully, you will be able to avoid Alps entirely. Try moving towards Spain. You will find several interesting objects here. You will also be able to earn additional cash by creating new connections. Most of the computer players will still be in France, so you should have an opportunity to expand your railroad empire without any other problems.
You should be able to find a lot of towns and factories in Spain. Try moving there as soon as possible, especially if there are no competitors in that area.
Important! Following hints are based on these scenario settings:
Time limit - 1835-1980; Number of AI Players - 2. Randomize landscape and Randomize locations features have been deactivated.
The game won't force you to do anything. As a result, you will be able to customize the gameplay. For example, you have an opportunity to play each scenario without having to worry about the competition.
Here's the list of main mission objectives. You will have to fulfill them in order to succeed:
LEVEL 1 - Early Beginnings
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1870.
Level one objectives:
1) Make history in Saxony by connecting Leipzig and Dresden with Berlin.
I'm sure that you'll be very surprised to hear that this is a VERY simple objective. As a result, you won't have any problems finishing this assignment. The only thing that has to be do here is to establish a connection between three different cities. Thankfully, there's a very small distance separating these towns from each other. You won't have to create any expensive connections here. The next important thing involves the starting point. You will be able to choose between Dresden and Leipzig! This means that you will only have to reach two other towns in order to fulfill this mission objective. I would recommend that you choose Dresden for you start city, mostly because you won't have to build any bridges right away. You will also have an opportunity to earn some extra cash by exchanging goods and passengers with Berlin. Once you've established the first connection, you will be able to proceed with the second one. I would recommend connecting Dresden with Leipzig by building a small bridge. Like I've said before, you won't have to do this right away, however constructing this line would allow you to earn extra cash, especially since all of these town will start growing very fast. This will make all of these connections very profitable.
2) Help Dresden's growth as a commercial hub by delivering 15 carloads of passengers and mail from Berlin.
This is also a very simple objective. You should be able to fulfill this task without having to worry about anything in particular. The only thing that has to be done here is to deliver 15 carloads of passengers and 15 carloads of mail. You should be able to proceed with this mission objective right away, especially if you have started your game in Dresden. There's nothing else for you to do here. Also, you won't have to worry about the time limit. You'll have plenty of game years to finish up with this scenario objective.
3) Impress your shareholders by attaining a net worth of DM5 million.
This is a slightly more complicated task, however you should be able to finish it without any major problems. Just as before, you won't be allowed to make any mistakes. Invest your money into the most profitable connections and factories. There are a lot of towns in the area, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. You will be able to transport passengers and mail without having to worry about anything else. It's going to be more difficult with the factories. There aren't too many of them here and you'll be able to create only a few profitable connections. Thankfully, the first level of this scenario isn't short, so you'll have plenty of time to fulfill this mission objective.
If you decide to start your game in Dresden, you won't have any problems reaching Berlin and Leipzig. This will allow you to fulfill one of the primary tasks of this mission.
LEVEL 2 - Rise of the Landerbahnen
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1920.
Level two objectives:
1) Recreate the famous "Flying Hamburger" line by connecting Hamburg to Berlin.
Another simple objective? Why not! ;-) Once again, you won't have ANY problems completing this task. Furthermore, you won't have to perform any complicated actions. You should be able to find Hamburg to the west of Berlin. I would recommend that you expand your grid to that area of the map, mostly because you'll find new towns there. You'll be able to earn a lot of money by transporting passengers and mail. There are also some factories in that area of the map, including mines and farms. Sadly, you won't be able to choose between them, however you shouldn't have any problems with the connections. Also, you shouldn't wait for too long. Otherwise computer players would have appeared there. As for the main task, you will only have to establish a connection between Hamburg and Berlin. Make sure that you don't build any bridges or tunnels here. Start off by transporting passengers, however later during the game you should start thinking about selling manufactured goods.
2) Create a more beautiful and efficient city by building Terminals in Hamburg and Berlin.
I guess I won't surprise you by telling that once again you'll be dealing with a very simple objective. You should be getting used to this by now and I'm sure that you still remember about the possibility of building terminals. These objects must be placed near every large city that is already connected to your grid. This time you will only have to purchase two of these objects, however I'm sure that you've already taken care of this problems. There is nothing else for you to do here. Building two terminals will allow you to fulfill this scenario objective.
3) Achieve a speed record transporting passengers from Hamburg to Berlin.
You'll have more to do here. Nevertheless, this isn't going to be a very difficult objective. The most important thing here is to follow the instructions. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to break the speed record. You will have to use one of the Hamburg-Berlin connections and the train itself must be transporting passengers. As you've probably suspected, you will only have to add one carriage. Doing this will increase your chances to achieve a speed record. I would also recommend waiting for game to unlock one of the better locomotives. Otherwise you would have some serious problems reaching the necessary speed. You could also build a large bridge in this area, however it won't be necessary. Instead, make sure that the train isn't interrupted by other units. You should build a lot of parallel tracks here. Also, choose the high priority for this unit in order to avoid unwanted stops.
Before you even try to break the speed record, make sure that you have one of the faster locomotives at your disposal. You should also be using a free line, so your train won't be stopped by any other units.
LEVEL 3 - Reichsbahn to Deutsche Bahn
You will have to complete all of these tasks by: 1980.
Level three objectives:
1) Rebuild a better Germany by connecting Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, and Cologne.
This is one of the most time-consuming objectives of this entire mission. Thankfully, you shouldn't have any major problems with it. You will have to expand your railroad empire towards the middle and southern area of the map. I would recommend starting off near Hamburg. You should be able to find a lot of other towns here. You'll be able to use them to your advantage. Establish a connection between Hamburg and Rotterdam. You should be able to reach some of the required towns from here. You will also find a lot of factories in this area. Make sure that you have added them to your existing grid. Alternatively, you could start off near Berlin, however you'd probably have to deal with computer players. A lot of bridges would have to be built here and that's just too expensive. You should try and reach Frankfurt Am Main. It would be best to connect this city with Rotterdam. Probably you won't have to build any bridges here, so it'll be quite cheap to reach the new area. Your next big step should be Cologne. I had to help this city to grow, because I wasn't able to transport passengers right away. Thankfully, you should find a lot of factories here, so you won't have any problems delivering much needed resources. I had to deliver grain and I was able to find a farm near Frankfurt Am Main. I hope that you'll also be lucky. I would recommend leaving Munich for the final phase of this mission. Reaching it would probably mean building a few bridges. You could also wait for one of the town mayors to start a contest. Thanks to that, you'd also be able to earn some money here. Thankfully, you won't have to build new locomotives. The game will only allow you to connect these cities. The rest is up to you, so you may as well ignore these connections.
2) Modernize German industry by building or purchasing steel mills in Frankfurt and Munich.
This is a rather simple objective. You could use these factories to fulfill the third objective of this level of the scenario, however this won't be necessary. I've decided to use other towns to manufacture steel. Nevertheless, you will have to acquire two steel mills. Sadly, you probably won't be able to participate in an auction. Instead, you will have to buy these buildings. I would recommend delaying these operations, as they will cost you a lot of money. I would also like to add that each of these steel mills should be supplied with coal. This will allow you to generate additional profits. Don't worry if there aren't any mines in these areas, because you'll only need to build the steel mills in order to fulfill this scenario objective.
3) Deliver 50 carloads of automobiles to any destination in Germany.
You will have to start thinking about completing this objective much earlier, preferably during the second phase of the scenario. This is very important, because manufacturing and delivering 50 automobiles is going to take A LOT of time. Before this happens, you will have to create several production chains. First of all, you will have to locate all coal mines. Start off by choosing those mines that haven't been taken over by the competition. Thanks to that, you'll be able to deliver coal without any major problems. Now you will have to choose towns that are located near these mines. I've chosen Rotterdam and Poznan. You will have to build steel mills there. The objective is rather obvious - you will have to start production of steel. The last step will be to choose one of the largest towns in the area. That's where you'll be delivering steel. I've chosen Berlin, but you can pick something else. The most important thing here is that the steel should be delivered to that city without any major delays. This isn't everything. You will also have to purchase an automobile factory. This shouldn't be much of a problem, since most of the cities will have three production slots at your disposal. Last but not least, you will have to find cities that will be interested in buying manufactured cars. Make sure that they're in the same area, so the transportation process won't take too long. It would also be wise to maximize the production rate. Make sure that each automobile has been sold (delivered to some other city). You could also create other automobile factories, however this probably won't be necessary. You should have plenty of time to fulfill this mission objective. Just make sure that you have started the production process much earlier and you should be fine. Also, try and stop the competition from "stealing" your manufactured automobiles.
You will have to deliver some of the manufactured steel. It will be used to produce automobiles.
This picture shows the most important cities of the region:
1 - Leipzig; 2 - Dresden; 3 - Berlin; 4 - Hamburg; 5 - Szczecin; 6 - Poznan; 7 - Prague; 8 - Frankfurt Am Main; 9 - Rotterdam; 10 - Cologne; 11 - Luxembourg; 12 - Liechtenstein; 13 - Munich; 14 - Bozen; 15 - Weis; 16 - Vienna.
Red lines show three cities that need to be connected in the first place (not necessarily in a straight line). Green line shows two cities that need to be connected during the second level of the scenario. Blue lines show four cities that need to be connected during the final phase of this mission.
Additional hints for the entire scenario:
As always, you will be able to choose between several starting areas. All of these towns seem to be quite interesting. The game will allow you to start the game in towns like Munich or Frankfurt Am Main. Like I've said before, I'd strongly recommend choosing one of the cities that are located near Berlin. You will have to make a choice between Leipzig and Dresden. I've decided to take the second option, however you won't make a mistake by choosing Leipzig. The most important thing here is that you'll be able to proceed with one of the primary objectives right away. Thanks to that, you'll have plenty of time to worry about some of the upcoming goals.
You will have to start this scenario by creating several simple connections. I'm sure that you won't have any problems with this, especially since you won't have to worry about the terrain too much. There aren't any mountains here, so you'll only have to avoid rivers. You should also add Berlin to your grid. This will allow you to begin the transportation process. You will find some industrial facilities here, including a mine. I'd strongly recommend that you add them to your grid. Also, make sure that the resources are being delivered to nearby cities. Take a closer look at the northern part of the map. You'll be able to find several interesting towns here, including Szczecin and Poznan. It's going to be very easy to help this cities to grow. You will only have to make sure that the resources are being delivered there. Once the cities have grown, you'll be able to switch into more profitable connections. I wouldn't recommend leaving this area behind, because your competitors would have decided to enter this area. One of the computer players will probably decide to build a terminal in Berlin. Sadly, you won't be able to prevent this from happening.
There should be at least one coal mine in this area. Add it to your existing grid.
I would recommend heading towards the western side of the map. You should be able to find at least two larger towns here - Rostock and Hamburg. You're going to have to connect Hamburg in order to fulfill one of the primary objectives. There are also a few factories in this area. Try choosing some the most interesting objects and add them to your grid. I wouldn't recommend expanding to the central part of the map. That's where your competitors are probably playing and you would only lose more money trying to avoid their grids. You could consider these actions later during the game, however you must have a lot of profitable connections, so you won't lose too much money here. You should try building new connections around Berlin. That's where most of your trains should be. You will also have an opportunity to create several production chains. This will allow you to manufacture food, steel or even beer.
Remember that you will be able to participate in several contests. Sadly, most of them will require you to build a connection to unaccessible cities. Once you've created a larger number of connections, try moving to the south of Hamburg. Add Rotterdam to your existing grid. This is one of the biggest town of the area, so you'll be able to earn a lot of money here. Also, take a closer look at the industrial facilities. Some of them may come in handy. You can't forget about your connected cities. They will be growing. This means that you will have to take care of some of the new types of needs.
It would be wise to connect Rotterdam with your existing grid (Hamburg area), mostly because you should be able to find a lot of industrial facilities here.
Try expanding even more into this territory. You should be receiving a huge income from the nearby factories, mostly because they'll be supplying your towns with much needed goods. Don't forget about your current mission objectives. It's very important that you proceed to the third level of the scenario as soon as possible. One of your primary tasks will require you to add Frankfurt to the existing grid. I wasn't able to reach it from Berlin, so I had to create a line from the western side of the map. Make sure that you plan each step carefully, so you won't have to spend too much money. It would also be wise to add new tracks to your grid all the time. You will also have to create a connection to Cologne. Furthermore, you will have an opportunity to help this city to grow. It's very important, because you could be making a lot of money here.
Go ahead and participate in several auctions. You should try and win some of the more interesting inventions. Winning factories is equally important, especially if they're located in your towns. Try creating a larger number of production chains. You should be able to manufacture paper, as well as food and steel. You should also consider moving towards some of the occupied factories, however you would have to order your trains to wait for a full load. Sawmills are a great example here, especially since there's only going to be a few of them on the map.
Try growing Cologne into a much larger city. Thankfully, you shouldn't have any problems delivering some of the necessary resources.
The final phase of this mission will require you to move to the central and southern part of the map. Thankfully, you will be able to create a few interesting production chains here. As a result, you won't have to worry about expensive connections so much, because you'll start receiving additional income very soon. You should consider adding Luxembourg and Liechtenstein to your main grid. As you've probably noticed, Liechtenstein has been located on the top of a mountain, however I would recommend creating at least one line towards this city. You should be able to help Liechtenstein to grow by establishing a connection with Bozen. This is not necessary, however you should consider having these lines.
You could also try and take away some of the occupied regions. Start off by targeting some of the most profitable industrial facilities. Make sure that you order your trains to wait for a full load. You shouldn't have any problems constructing more expensive lines, mostly because you'll be receiving huge profits from the existing connections. I wouldn't recommend taking over your competitors. You probably won't be able to gather enough money to do this. Also, AI players are playing quite aggressively on this map and they won't have any problems creating a highly profitable railroad empire. You'd need A LOT of money to take care of them. It's best to focus your attention on the existing connections. Upgrade them, especially if nearby towns have grown recently. This will allow you to gather more points. Don't forget about the possibility of buying new locomotives!
You could try and take over the southern part of the map. For example, you will have an opportunity to help Liechtenstein to grow into a metropolitan area.
"Sid Meier's Railroads!" isn't a linear game. You will be able to build up your railroad empire using various different approach methods. Bear in mind, however, that during all of the available scenarios you will be racing against time. I've already said before that the game speed is rather high. As a result, you won't be allowed to make any major mistakes. You also won't be able to delay some of the more important investments. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to fulfill given objectives. It could also slow down the growth of your railroad empire. Each time you decide to start a new singleplayer scenario, you should take a close look at the list of the mission objectives. You will have to find out which cities need to be connected and what exactly has to be done. This will help you to avoid making bad decisions. You shouldn't start your game far away from the mission areas, because you would have to spend more money and effort in order to be able to reach them. Additionally, you shouldn't be choosing small villages for your start locations, mostly because you would have to help them to grow in the first place. You should always be on a look out for bigger cities. Having other towns in the area is equally important, because you will be able to establish a few profitable connections right away, without having to worry about anything else.
Remember that you will always be able to choose between several start locations. Take a closer look at the map in order to choose the most interesting city.
Usually a start location is already a large town, so you won't have to help it to grow. This means that you will be able to proceed with the transportation process (civilians and mail) right away. It's very important that you to do this, mostly because these actions will provide you with a stable income. It's best to have other towns in the vicinity, so you'll be able to proceed with the transportation process right away. Otherwise you would have to focus on finding industrial buildings and hauling different types of resources. You'll start off with simple goods - lumber, milk or grain, however you'll be able to choose more luxurious objects during the course of the game. This will make your life a lot easier. If you decide to take on expensive goods, you won't have to worry about the distance separating a factory from a destination (one of the connected cities).
It would be best to start the game with only 2-3 standard connections. You will have to make sure that they're turning profits, so you don't start losing money. You should also consider selling some of your stocks. This will help you to organize a better start. Sadly, you won't be allowed to sell your stocks during some of the available missions. Another important thing is to plan the connections. Make sure that the lines aren't too long and that you aren't using a large number of trains. Each unit should make a few stops along the way, leaving carried goods and taking something else. There are some exceptions, especially if you plan on adding rare factories or smaller towns to your grid. You should avoid having these types of connections, mostly because you would have to deal with higher maintenance costs. Having a larger number of trains would also require you to plan the whole traffic much better.
Your first connections are always very important. You will have to plan these steps very carefully, so you don't make any mistakes.
Important! I'd strongly recommend that you PAUSE the game each time you decide to construct something new. The game won't limit your actions in any way, so you'll be able to move freely around the map. It's very important that you don't forget about this feature, mostly because you won't have a lot of time to fulfill some of the mission objectives. Activating the pause option will allow you to plan your each action very carefully, without having to worry about anything else.
I'm sure that you already know that all new tracks are being constructed automatically. This means that you won't be able to create them on your own, by adding specific objects. I think it was a good idea, however you will have to be very careful. Some of the longer connections may be very expensive. Additionally, the game will often try to create unwanted bridges. It would be best to try and modify these settings by moving your mouse around. In some cases, you should be able to find a cheaper route. Bear in mind, though, that sometimes it won't be possible. Some of the more expensive connections have to be built, especially if there are mountains in the area. This means that you wouldn't be able to avoid having at least one tunnel. I would recommend building connections using smaller steps. This will allow you to make crucial adjustments. You should pay attention to your surroundings. In some cases, you should be able to find an entirely different route to reach a desired city or factory. Don't forget about your locomotives. Building longer connections would mean smaller income, mostly because reaching a target area would take more time.
If you decide to build tracks using smaller steps, you should be just fine. Like I've said before, it's very important that you try to move your mouse. The game will show construction costs, so you won't have any problems figuring out which connection seems to be the most interesting one. You should also remember about your future connections. Try leaving an open space, so you'll be able to expand a connection or add some new lines to your existing grid. Try avoiding bridges and tunnels, especially if you don't have the necessary inventions (they would allow you to lower construction costs). You mustn't forget about the possibility of creating parallel tracks. This is very important, especially near big cities. Observe your trains in order to find out which parts of your grid need to be upgraded in the first place.
You should avoid building too many bridges and tunnels. These objects may come in handy, but only when you can't build some kind of an alternate route or if the area is being occupied by other railroad companies.
This is one of the most important features of the game, so I guess I should tell you something more about it. Let's start with the cities. Each city can be described with one of the few available development levels. You'll be dealing mostly with villages and smaller towns in the early part of each game. Your objective will be to help them to grow. As a result, most of these towns should become metropolitan areas. The only way to help a city is to satisfy needs of the citizens. These needs will also grow and that's a good thing, mostly because you won't have to worry about supplying the town with specific goods. Growing villages is quite difficult. These areas will be demanding only a few types of resources. As a result, you'll probably have some problems locating an industrial building and creating a proper connection. Sadly, there is no other way. You could wait for computer players to help such a city, but it would take a lot of time. Also, remember that villages won't allow you to turn profits by transporting passengers and mail. This is the main reason to help them out in the first place. Thankfully, you should be able to find the resources in the vicinity of a town/village. Depending on the location of the city, you will be delivering coal, grain meat or something else. You will also have to make sure that these resources are being delivered without any unwanted delays. Otherwise you would have slown down the growth rate.
Sooner or later, you should be able to upgrade a village to a higher level (it occurs automatically). This means that new types of needs will appear in the demand window. You'll also be able to proceed with the standard transportation process (passengers and mail). Sadly, there are also a few other things for you to worry about. As you've probably noticed, some of the demanded goods (paper, steel, food...) aren't resources. This means that you will have to manufacture them in the first place. The easiest way to do this would be to win or buy certain factories. These objects may be located in the same city, however this isn't necessary. If you decide to choose some other town, you would have to deliver manufactured goods to the designated city. Once your town has reached a metropolitan area status, you will have to start thinking about the most luxurious goods - arms or automobiles. This also means that you will have to create complicated production chains. For example, if you plan on manufacturing cars, you will have to start gathering steel. This can only be done by producing it in the steel mill. Thankfully, creating these types of chains will allow you to earn A LOT of money. You won't have any problems selling these goods and you'll be able to deliver them to larger distances without having to worry about the maintenance costs.
You should try and upgrade your cities to the maximum level. This will allow you to proceed with the production of the most luxurious types of goods.
I'm sure that you already know that locomotives are your only means of transportation. As a result, you will have to pay a close attention to what is happening to them. There are also a few important things for you to know about. Most of the game scenarios start in the middle of the 19th century. This means that you'll only have a few steam locomotives at your disposal. They will be very slow and you'll be able to haul only a small number of carriages. This is a very important feature. You won't be able to attach too many carriages. Otherwise you would have paralyzed your trains, mostly because reaching their destinations would take too long and you wouldn't be receiving a large income from these kinds of operations. As a result, try attaching two or three carriages to the locomotive. You should be increasing this value throughout the progress of the scenario. You should also take a closer look at the preferred cargo feature. This becomes important later during the mission, because in the early part of the game you won't be allowed to choose between several different locomotives. Passenger locomotives should be used to transport civilians and mail. I would recommend buying these trains to establish connections between larger cities of the area. Freight locomotives, on the other hand, must be used to carry resources and manufactured goods. I'm sure that you're be using them more often, especially if you plan on delivering luxurious goods to nearby towns. You will also have an opportunity to use locomotives with a mixed specialty. Choose them if you don't want to feel so restricted.
The second important thing involves maintenance costs of your locomotives. You should be monitoring the current situation of your company. Take a closer look at the profit bar. It will show you exactly how much a single delivery can offer. You mustn't forget about older locomotives. Using them will result in an increasing maintenance cost. Sadly, you won't be able to repair your trains. Instead, you will have to buy new locomotives from time to time. I would recommend performing this action once you have reached a second level of the scenario. After that, try upgrading your trains every 15-20 years. Some connections may stay a little bit longer, especially if the trains aren't carrying heavier cargo. You should also wait for new models to be unlocked. Most of them will offer lower maintenance costs, as well as more power (=higher speeds). Diesel locomotives are very useful during the second and the final phase of the game. Try buying them as soon as possible.
There's only one more thing here. You will have to examine your each connection very carefully. I wouldn't recommend adding too many carriages, especially if this is a mountain area of if have a larger number of bridges. You will be able to attach up to eight carriages to a single locomotive, however you should only consider doing this in the final phase of the game, once you've unlocked all interesting models. Also, try taking a closer look at the connection window. This will help you to calculate what you can lose or gain by adding new carriages to the train.
The game will unlock new locomotives from time to time. Consider buying some of them. This will help you to upgrade some of the existing connections.
Important! Playing with the computer players isn't a mandatory thing in "Sid Meier's Railroads!". You will be able to disable this feature without any other problems. You can also establish exactly how many of these companies should appear on the game map. I'd personally recommend allowing your competition to show up, mostly because you'll have more fun playing the game. It would be best to choose two AI players. Thanks to that, you won't have to worry about not having enough space to build new connections. You will have to monitor their movements all the time. The choice is yours. Bear in mind, however, that disabling the competition will also cancel some of the given assignments.
One of the more interesting features of the game involves a possibility of buying and selling stocks of the railroad companies. I would recommend that you proceed with the tutorial mission of the game. Thanks to that, you'll learn a lot more about how all of this works. You could also take a look at your instruction manual, however all of these things aren't too difficult to understand. There are, however, a few things that you should know about. Each time you start a new game, it would be wise to sell some of your stocks. This will allow you to receive additional funds. You will be able to use this money to build new connections. This will help you to organize a better start and your company would grow faster than usual. It's very important, especially if you're playing on a map with a larger number of hills. This always results in lower speeds of your trains and more expensive connections. You wouldn't be able to afford most of these tracks right away. Once you've expanded your empire, you should consider buying the stocks again. This is important, because other companies would have tried to do the same thing. Buying stocks of other railroad companies is always a good idea. It will also be required to fulfill some of the more difficult mission objectives. Make sure that you have a large number of profitable connections before you decide to buy stocks! You should focus most of your attention on expanding to other territories of the map.
The second important thing involves grids of other companies. AI players are playing quite aggressively, especially later during the game. Your competitors will try to connect lines to "your" cities and factories. This will force you to modify your existing connections. First of all, you will have to order some of your trains to wait for a full load. You should also consider buying a larger number of locomotives, however this would require you to purchase parallel tracks. It's even more difficult with the resource stations (mines, farms, sawmills, ranches...). Try investing some of your money into better locomotives, so you won't have to wait for too long for a single cycle to be completed. Ordering the trains to wait for a full load works perfectly, so try using this feature all the time. Also, make sure that the resources are being delivered without any delays, so you won't start losing money here.
You will have to observe your opponents. They may try to steal some of your resources by building a depot near your factory. You will have to react to these actions, by purchasing new trains or ordering them to wait for a full load.
Participating in auctions is an interesting way to acquire new things. For example, doing this will allow you to win factories. I would strongly recommend that you try and win at least several of these objects during a single game. I'm sure that you know exactly how this works. I wouldn't recommend spending too much money on a single building, so you shouldn't try to win an auction without worrying about the profits. The only exception is when you plan on having a full control over a created production chain. You should also consider buying a factory much earlier. This will allow you to buy it for a lower price, before the building starts making profits. Sadly, you won't be able to behave like that all the time. Nevertheless, you should try winning most of the profitable factories, especially if you have to increase the value of your company in order to fulfill one of the mission objectives. Don't forget about your current budget. Buying a factory is only a small step. You must have some additional cash to buy trains and establish new connections. Focus most of your attention on modifying or creating new tracks. Factories should only provide you with additional income. They aren't your absolute priority.
Try taking over a few factories. This will provide you with additional income. Most of the factories will also expand during the course of the game. As a result, you will be able to manufacture more goods from a single factory object.
Participating in auctions will also allow you to win new kinds of inventions. These auctions will appear on your screen automatically and it's up to you whether you want to participate or not. If you manage to win an auction, you will receive 10 year exclusivity to use a newly acquired invention. This is more than enough to outrun your opponents, so you should consider buying at least a few of them. Here's the list of the most valuable inventions:
Halves Maintenance Cost on All Trains - This is by far one of the most useful inventions, especially if you have a larger number of locomotives and they haven't been replaced in a longer period of time.
Increased Freight Pulling Power for All Trains - This is also a very interesting inventions. Winning this bonus will allow you to haul more carriages. It's very useful, especially if you plan on creating valuable production chains.
25% Passenger Delivery Bonus - An interesting invention. You won't be using its advantages all the time, however if you prefer connecting cities rather than factories you might find it to be very useful. It would also be wise to add terminals to each large city that has been connected to your grid.
Halves Cost to Build Bridges - You won't have to build a lot of bridges during the game, so you should only consider buying this invention if there are some nasty hills in the area. There's also a tunnel invention, however it would be best to ignore it.
25% Cheaper to Build Rails - I think it's rather obvious that you should winning this invention only in the early part of the game. Decreasing costs of building tracks will help you to expand your railroad empire. You will also be able to use saved up money on new terminals or factories.
I guess I should also warn you that most of the computer players will try to win these inventions at all costs. As a result, you won't be able to win all of these auctions. Try focusing on several inventions that will be most valuable to you during the course of the mission.
You should try winning at least a few inventions, however don't spend all of your money on them!
This isn't a very important feature of the game. You will be able to observe how the market changes, however this is optional. Try focusing all of your attention on expanding your railroad empire or even winning different types of auctions. You will be informed about these changes quite often. Be on a look out for newspaper covers. They will tell you about the more important changes. You won't have to find out any of this on your own. You will be dealing with types of informations. Some of the goods may become unwanted. As a result, you will start losing money if you decide to carry them anyway. The only choice here is to ignore such an important or modify an existing connection. Sadly, if you decide to choose the second option, you will probably have to leave this area for at least a few years. It's much better if you're informed that some goods are demanded by a larger number of civilians. The first thing do to here is to try to increase the number of resources that are being delivered to your cities. The easiest way to do this would be to build parallel tracks and send more trains to your existing factories. Alternatively you could search the map for untouched factories and add them to your grid, however for the most of the time this won't be possible. I think all of this is rather obvious, so you shouldn't have any other problems figuring out what exactly has to be done.
It would also be a good moment to say something about a possibility of taking part in other competitions. Mayors of cities will present you with a lot of opportunities. If you decide to participate, you will have to be the first railroad company to deliver much needed resources or goods. I'd like to warn you, though. You shouldn't try reaching cities that have been located at the opposite end of the map, mostly because you will be rewarded with only 100000 dollars. It's not enough, especially since you would have to create at least one expensive connections. Try searching for cities that have been located in the vicinity. Remember that you will only be able to earn some extra cash that way. You will have to focus on better connections that will provide with stable profits.
Take a closer look at the newspaper covers. Thanks to that, you will find out more about changes on the market.
Silent Hill: Homecoming Game Guide & Walkthrough
Street Fighter IV Game Guide & WalkthroughSacred 3 Game Guide & Walkthrough
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 Game Guide & Walkthrough
Secret Files 3: The Archimedes Code Game Guide & Walkthrough