Transport Tycoon[]
Transport Tycoon (TT) and Transport Tycoon Deluxe (TTD) are Video games developed by Chris Sawyer and published by MicroProse in 1994 (TT), and 1995 (TTD). They are business simulation games, presented in an isometric view in 2D with graphics by Simon Foster, in which the player is in control of a transport company, and can compete against rival companies to make as much profit as possible by transporting passengers and various goods by road, rail, sea and air. The Deluxe version is an expanded and improved version of the original game.
| Transport Tycoon | |
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 DOS cover art |
Gameplay[]
To start building a transport empire, the player must construct transport routes, consisting of stations near industries or towns, and in the case of trains or road vehicles, near physical routes. One transport route can utilize several different forms of transport, e.g. truck→ship→train. The player's company and the individual stations each have ratings that depend largely on their efficiency at moving goods from one stations to the other. A station with high ratings may attract more goods.
The game begins in 1930 (1950 in TTD), and ends in 2050. The player starts out by borrowing money to finance construction of transport facilities, and is charged interest until the loan is repaid. As the user plays the game and earns revenues, they have the choice of expanding service along existing routes, or expanding their transportation network. The game features a progression of technology: in any particular year of the game generally only contemporary types of technology are available. For example, railroad signals which allow more than one train to use a section of track are initially semaphores. Later they are replaced by red and green traffic-light signals. Similarly, in the beginning there are only steam engines, but later diesel and electric engines are introduced. In the game year 1999, monorails become available. These require a separate track system from railroads. If the player remains in business until 2050, the game announces that they have won, allows them to post their name on the "hall of fame" and then continues. At this point, the year stays 2050 and never goes any higher, although the game can continue indefinitely. Playing the entire 120-year campaign takes about 40 hours. The game allows the player to save at any time, and multiple saves of a particular game at any point are possible.
Vehicles in the game must be constructed at corresponding depots, which must be connected to the road or rail networks. Towns and cities have their own road networks, but extra roads may be needed to connect them to other towns, or to various resources. {C}[1][2]Chart illustrating flow of commodities between industries and towns in Transport Tycoon, and Temperate scenarios inTransport Tycoon Deluxe.The player earns revenue by picking up resources or passengers at a certain station, and delivering them to another station where there is a demand for them. Demand is determined by the area which surrounds the station; for example stations close to towns will demand passengers. The revenues will depend on the delivery time, distance, and quantity delivered. The influence of these factors on revenue varies according to the type of goods being delivered. For example, mail will rapidly fall in value, meaning that it can only be delivered profitably over short distances, or over long distances very fast. On the other hand coal loses value very slowly, so it can be transported in bulk over long distances whilst remaining profitable.
At times, subsidies are offered to the first company to move a particular resource from one place to another. This encourages the player to create a larger more complex transport network, rather than focusing on previously profitable routes.
The game features a system of Local Authority. Each city has a rating for every transport company based on the impact of their transport network. When the rating falls too low, the player will no longer be able to demolish buildings or construct new stations. The rating depends on, among others, the level of service and the deforestation caused by the company.
In the course of a game cities develop and expand according to various economic factors, and new industries (demand) or other resource sites (supply) may appear. Some natural resources may also eventually be exhausted and industries without adequate transport service may shut down. Also, new models of vehicles are introduced and eventually come to replace older models. At introduction such a new model will likely have improved characteristics, but may suffer from reliability issues.
The game was initially published by MicroProse. It can still be found for purchase as a budget title, but may not be compatible with modern operating systems. Transport Tycoon works with Windows 95 and can be played on other operating systems (Through the use of DOSBox). A fan-made game engine recreation OpenTTD is also available.
Open Transport Tycoon[]
OpenTTD is an open source[1] remake and expansion of the 1995 Chris Sawyer video game Transport Tycoon Deluxe. It is an "urban planning and simulation game"[2] in which the player aims to earn money through transportation of passengers and freight by land, water and air.
OpenTTD duplicates most of Transport Tycoon Deluxe's features but also has many additions, including a range of map sizes, support for many languages, custom (user-made) AI, downloadable customizations, ports for several widely used operating systems, and a more user friendly interface.[3][4] OpenTTD also supports LAN and Internet multiplayer, both co-operative and competitive, for up to 255 players.
OpenTTD is under ongoing development and is a popular open source game. According to a study of the 61,154 open source projects on SourceForge in the period between 1999–2005, OpenTTD ranked 8th most active open source project to receive patches and contributions (after 2005 development moved to their own server).[5] OpenTTD has been chosen as the favourite (free) game in 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010 by users of the Hungarian Unix Portal.[6][7][8][9]
Gameplay[]
See also: Transport Tycoon GameplayOpenTTD's gameplay is very similar to Transport Tycoon Deluxe on which it is based, although there are many improvements in both options within the game and ease of use.[4][22] The player's aim is to build a transportation network using trucks, busses, trains, aeroplanes and boats to link together industries and towns on the map and transport the cargo they produce. Every time a vehicle makes a delivery of some cargo the player receives an income allowing them to build more infrastructure (rails, stations, etc.), vehicles, modify the terrain and interact with towns (via their local authority). The default game runs from 1950 to 2050 during which a player aims to get as high a performance rating (based on number of vehicles, income, amount of cargo delivered, etc.) as possible.
The world map is dotted with both industries and towns. Cargo for transportation is supplied by both industries (e.g. the coal mine which produces coal) and towns (which produce passengers and mail) and accepted by other industries and/or towns according to their requirements (e.g. the power station accepts coal). Placing a station near a source and a receiver of a certain cargo allows transportation between the two. The amount of cargo supplied by a town or industry depends on the quality of transportation the player is providing to transport its goods. Payment for delivering cargo depends on the quantity of cargo delivered, how quickly it was delivered and how perishable it is. Some cargoes, e.g. passengers, have to be delivered more quickly than others, e.g. coal, in order to receive a good income.
During the course of the game the player has to build and expand their transport infrastructure. The only infrastructure present on the map at the start of the game are roads within towns, all other infrastructure; ports, stations, airports, rail and depots, have to be built by the player. The tools for building a rail network are particularly powerful and the player has access to many different signal types in order to build a complex and interconnected rail network.
During the course of the game technological improvements give the player access to newer faster and more powerful vehicles. In the case of rail transport new track technology also becomes available over time, first electrified rail then monorail and maglevtrack. In general newer vehicles cost more money to purchase and to run, the player has to have earned enough money in the earlier stages of the game in order to be able to afford to upgrade their vehicles. The full course of the default game, from 1950 to 2050, takes around 24 hours.[23] The player can optionally start at earlier dates and play on past 2050, although no new technology becomes available.
OpenTTD can be played as a single player, against a computer controlled AI, or multiplayer both over a LAN or the Internet.
[edit]Multiplayer[]
OpenTTD supports multiplayer games for up to 255 players between 15 different transport companies can be played both over a LAN or over the Internet. Each transport company is in competition with each other transport company, and each transport company can be controlled by more than one player at any time. This allows both co-operative and competitive multiplayer games. Competitive team games (e.g. two transport companies, both controlled by three players) are also possible.
[edit]Mods and online content[]
OpenTTD supports extensive modification for both single player and multiplayer games. Modifications come in the form of a "NewGRF" (New Graphics Resource File) and "NewObjects". NewGRFs package both new graphics (2D sprites) and the computer code which describes how the new graphics should be used. Many aspects of the game can be altered by NewGRFs, a NewGRF can introduce a complete new set of vehicles, new industries and the cargoes they produce, new town buildings, new rail graphics and behaviour, etc. NewObjects are eye-candy that contribute new graphics, but does not include any code that alters any game play. NewGRFs and NewObjects, along with heightmaps, scenarios and custom AIs, can be downloaded and installed using the "BaNaNaS" in-game online content system.[24]
Credits[]
OpenTTD Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenTTD
TTD Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_Tycoon
Official OpenTTD Wiki: http://wiki.openttd.org/Main_Page
All information, references, and citation are on these Wiki's.