Games PC SID MEIER S-RAILROAD TYCOON II-PLATINUM User Manual
RAILROAD TYCOON II
©
User Manual and The Second Century
© 1998 Gathering of Developers. All Rights Reserved. The software and the related manual for this product are copyrighted. They may not be
reproduced, stored in retrieval systems, placed on the Internet or World Wide Web, or transcribed in any form or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of the publisher. The software and the related manual are licensed
to You pursuant to the terms and conditions of that certain Limited Software Warranty and License Agreement contained in the software and the
accompanying written materials.
Railroad Tycoon II, the Railroad Tycoon II logo, PopTop Software and the PopTop logo are trademarks of PopTop Software, Inc. Gathering of
Developers and godgames are trademarks of Gathering of Developers, Inc.
Microsoft, Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT and DirectX are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation.
All other brand names, product names, and characters mentioned in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of
their respective companies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies.
Contents:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 21 Appendix
Chapter 1: Getting Started
About this Manual
About Railroad Tycoon II
Changes from Railroad Tycoon to Railroad Tycoon II
Installing Railroad Tycoon II
Starting Railroad Tycoon II
Chapter 2: Tutorial
About this Tutorial
Setting Up a Game
Exploring the Main Interface
Starting a Company
Laying Your First Track
Building Stations
Buying a Train
Entering the World of High Finance
Controlling Your Railroad Empire
Chapter 3:
The Main Menu
Navigational Aid
Main Menu Options
Single Player
New Campaign
Load Campaign
New Scenario
Load Scenario
Multiplayer
High Scores
Credits
Quit
Chapter 4: The Main Interface
Navigational Aid
The Four Parts of the Main Interface
Navigating the Map
Viewing Buildings and Terrain
Checking Your Radar
The Primary Action Icons
Lay Track
Build a New Station
Bulldoze Objects
Map Overview
Purchase a New Train
Stock Market
Control Panel
File Options
The Center List Box
Cash Display
Date
Chapter 5:
Stations
The Economy
The Role of Stations
Cargo Pickup and Delivery
Servicing Trains
Station Detail Screen
Structural Improvements
Cargo Supply/Demand
Chapter 6: Trains
Locomotives
Cargo
Get Your Trains Rolling
Train Purchase Window
Train Detail Screen
Instrument Panel
Route/Consist List Box
Train/Station Info
Map Router/Car List
More On Train Routing
Chapter 7:
Players and Companies
Player Detail
Company Detail
Chapter 8:
The Stock Market
Stocks 101
The Stock Market Screen
Personal
Corporate
Chapter 9:
Multiplayer
Understanding Your Multiplayer Options
Connecting Your Game
TCP/IP
IPX
Modem
Serial
Setting Up a Multiplayer Game
Playing the Game
Chapter 10:
Using the Map Editor
Starting a New Map
Loading a Map
Editor Basics
Navigating the Map
Map Editing Tools
Map Options
Chapter 21:
UP & RUNNING WITH RAILROAD TYCOON II: THE SECOND CENTURY
Installing Railroad Tycoon II- TSC
What's New
Campaigns
Gameplay Changes
Appendix
Industries
Tech Support and Troubleshooting
Limited Software Warranty and License Agreement
RAILROAD TYCOON II
1. GETTING STARTED >Table of Contents<
In this chapter:
•
About this Manual
•
About Railroad Tycoon II
•
Railroad Tycoon vs. Railroad Tycoon II
•
Installing Railroad Tycoon II
•
Starting Railroad Tycoon II
About this Manual
It’s a truism at computer game companies that most gamers don’t read the manual—until a problem rears its ugly head. In that
case, the average gamer wants to spend as little time as possible with the manual (or tech support), then get back to the game.
This manual is designed to do just that—get you up and playing fairly quickly, while also providing an easy-to-use reference for
the game. The manual is divided into nine chapters, organized in the order that you’ll need them if you’re new to Railroad
Tycoon II:
• Chapter 1: Getting Started, includes information on the game, changes since the original Railroad Tycoon, and instructions for
installing Railroad Tycoon II.
• Chapter 2: Tutorial, is intended to give you a jump start for playing Railroad Tycoon II. Go to this chapter to fire up the game
and give it a test drive.
• Chapter 3: The Main Menu, provides detailed information about the game’s primary menu and all its sub-menus.
• Chapter 4: The Main Interface, covers every function available from the game’s main interface. This is where you’ll spend most
of your time, so bookmark this section for easy reference.
• Chapter 5: Stations, provides an overview of planning and placing stations for maximum profitability.
• Chapter 6: Trains, covers purchasing a train, and selecting its destinations and cargo.
• Chapter 7: Players and Companies, includes detailed information about managing your company’s finances, as well as your
personal wealth.
• Chapter 8: The Stock Market, has everything you need to know to corner the market and make beggars of your competitors.
• Chapter 9: Multiplayer, has everything you need to know to set up and play a multiplayer game.
• Chapter 10: Using the Map Editor, covers the basics of creating your own maps with Railroad Tycoon II’s built-in editor.
• The Appendix contains important information that goes beyond the fundamentals of the game, which is another way of saying,
it didn’t fit anywhere else.
In addition, Railroad Tycoon II comes with a Readme file on CD, as well as a brief (read: not comprehensive) in-game tutorial
that duplicates some of the content of this manual—for the 90 percent of the public that doesn’t read manuals.
About Railroad Tycoon II
Since the invention of the wheel, man has been obsessed with finding faster and more efficient ways of transporting people and
goods to distant destinations. The ancient Romans used ruts or grooves in their roads to improve the flow and speed of traffic. In
the 1600’s, miners laid down wooden planks on which they led horse-drawn carts to lighten their workload, and increase the
speed at which they could extract coal and other raw materials from the mines. However, few things changed the world as
dramatically and as quickly as did the introduction of steam power in the 1700’s, and the invention of the steam-powered
locomotive in 1804.
Initially replacing the horse for freight work and thus earning the long-lived moniker "the Iron Horse," the steam locomotive and
the railways on which they ran revolutionized the means of transportation and inspired visionary entrepreneurs and generations of
song writers. Virtually overnight, it became feasible to haul cargo over great distances, and the railroad industry quickly became
a cash cow for landowners and the railroad barons themselves. For the first time, long-distance travel was a reality, and new
industries, folklore, and legends were created to cater to the needs and dreams of a more mobile population.
Railroad Tycoon II takes you back to this momentous period in human history. You slip into the role as chairman of your own
railroad, and it is your job to be better, faster, and just plain smarter than your competitors. Good business sense is a must, but so
is a healthy dose of guts to go for the glory of building and ruling your own iron empire.
As your fledgling empire grows, you’ll have the chance to bring rail travel to the cities of your choice, supplying them with the
goods they need. You’ll also be given various tasks whose completion depends upon your ability to think faster than your
competitors, make allies out of enemies, and above all, satisfy your shareholders. The stock market is another area where you can
pad your fortune, or grind your rivals into dust. You can even hire managers—each with unique bonuses that contribute to your
success—to assist you with everyday operations. There are as many ways to accomplish your goals as there are individuals
playing the game, and each scenario won’t play the same way twice, resulting in a fresh game play experience every time. Once
you’ve mastered the role of chairman, you’ll be ready to take on other players in multiplayer mode, or even design your own
maps and remake history as you see fit, in the extensive map editor provided with this detailed, addictive, and highly entertaining
game.
Railroad Tycoon vs. Railroad Tycoon II
Railroad Tycoon II is the sequel to the award-winning simulation Railroad Tycoon. Although it does include many of the same
features that have been updated in various ways, there are some major differences in the two games. Railroad Tycoon II features:
• Better graphics—Designed to run in 1024 x 768 resolution, Railroad Tycoon II is a much more visually impressive game than
its predecessor.
• Full-motion video—As an enhancement to game actions, full-motion video clips are included at various stages.
• More engine and cargo types—With over 60 available engines and 34 cargo types, you’ll never run out of options when
building your empire.
• A stronger financial market system—Railroad Tycoon II’s economic model is as close to the real world as possible, allowing
you to even adversely affect your competitors’ stock by short selling and other robber baron tactics.
• Deeper industry webs—More types of cargo are produced, leading to advanced economic relationships between destinations.
• Territories—Your rights in certain areas will depend upon your railroads relationships within the area. So be good to your
neighbors!
• More time periods—The game encompasses the years 1804 to 2020, allowing you to experience the early growth in steam
engine railways, the power of diesels, and the modern era of electric engines.
• Nearly twice as many chairmen—Play as any of 40 chairmen, from Otto von Bismarck to William Wheelwright.
• Managers—Select from 40 managers with their own operational bonuses.
• Campaigns—An 18-scenario campaign, starting with simple scenarios, then moving up to more sophisticated and challenging
scenarios when you’re ready.
• More configuration options—Set up the game the way you want it to play, even select and play maps separate from the
Campaign mode.
• Sandbox mode—Play with no economic model active, with all the time and resources in the world. This is great for learning
basic railway design as well as industry relationships.
• Multiplayer modes—Compete against other human players over a local area network (LAN) or the Internet.
• CD quality music—Upgraded sound system, including appropriate music to set the mood for industrial domination of your
rivals.
• 3D map environment—View actual terrain features, including trees, hills, and rivers, and rotate the map in any direction to
better view your holdings.
• Full editor for maps and events—Build (or import) custom maps, and script every detail down to available computer opponents
and timeline events.
Installing Railroad Tycoon II
For Railroad Tycoon II to work, your computer must meet the following minimum requirements:
• You must have either Windows 95/98 or Windows NT 4.0 or later installed.
• Your computer should be a Pentium 133MHz or better.
• There must be at least 16MB of RAM installed.
• You must have a 4x (or better) CD-ROM drive.
• Your graphics card and monitor must be capable of 1024 x 768 resolution and 16- or 8-bit color depth.
• You must have MS DirectX 5.0 or greater installed. If you don’t, you can install it as part of the Railroad Tycoon II installation
process.
• You must have at least 130 MB of available hard disk space.
To install Railroad Tycoon II on your computer
1 Turn on your computer and start Microsoft Windows 95 or later, or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 or later.
2 Remove the Railroad Tycoon II CD from its case and place it in your CD-ROM drive.
3 If AutoPlay is enabled, a menu will appear once the drive closes. Select Install, and then follow the on-screen instructions.
or
If AutoPlay is not enabled, you’ll need to manually install the program: double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop,
double-click the icon for your CD-ROM drive, and then double-click the Setup.exe icon. Click Install when the setup screen
appears, and then follow the on-screen instructions.
If you have problems during installation, refer to the troubleshooting section of the Readme.txt file on the Railroad Tycoon II
CD.
To uninstall Railroad Tycoon II
1 Turn on your computer and start Microsoft Windows 95 or later, or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 or later.
2 Place the Railroad Tycoon II CD into your CD-ROM drive.
3 Click the Start button on the taskbar, select Settings, then Control Panel. Double-click Add/Remove Programs, select Railroad
Tycoon II, then click Add/Remove to uninstall the program.
Starting Railroad Tycoon II
Once you’ve installed Railroad Tycoon II, there are three ways to start a game.
You can:
• Click the Start button on the task bar, select Programs, and then Railroad Tycoon II to launch the program;
or
• If AutoPlay is enabled, click Play on the Railroad Tycoon II menu that appears when you place the CD in the drive;
or
• Open Windows Explorer and go to the directory where you installed Railroad Tycoon II. In the main directory of the folder
where the game resides, double-click the Rt2.exe icon to launch the program.
Sit back and enjoy the opening cinematic. Once the steam clears, you’ll see the Railroad Tycoon II main menu. If you’re one of
those impatient types, who can’t wait to relive and reshape the formative years of railroad travel, you can click around in the
game to your impatient heart’s content. If you’d like some guidance as to what to do to keep your trains running on time and turn
a profit, turn to Chapter 2, Tutorial, which gives you a basic overview of the basic elements of Railroad Tycoon II (page 7). For a
comprehensive overview of every menu, item, and function within the game, please refer to Chapter 3, The Main Menu, and
Chapter 4, The Main Interface (pages 23 and 29, respectively).
>Chapter 1<
2. TUTORIAL >Table of Contents<
In this chapter:
•
About this Tutorial
•
Setting Up a Game
•
Exploring the Main Interface
•
The Map Overview
•
Starting a Company
•
Laying Your First Track
•
Building Stations
•
Buying a Train
•
Selecting Destinations and Cars
• Entering the World of High Finance
•
Controlling Your Railroad Empire
About this Tutorial
This section provides a brief overview of the basic elements of Railroad Tycoon II. It is not a comprehensive overview of every
menu, item, and function within the game, but should get you up and playing fairly quickly—provided you belong to the 10
percent of the public that actually does read manuals.
You don’t have to complete this tutorial to play the game. In fact, if you’re one of those people who just likes to dive right in, you
can refer to the brief in-game tutorial and click around in the game to your impatient heart’s content. However, if you have a few
minutes to spare, we can save you a lot of time by showing you how to do the things you need to do to keep your trains running
on time and turn a profit. For a comprehensive overview of every menu, item, and function within the game, please refer to
Chapter 3, The Main Menu, and Chapter 4, The Main Interface (pages 23 and 29, respectively).
Setting Up a Game
Upon launching the game, you will find yourself in the main menu screen. This is your launching pad for starting new games,
loading saved games, starting multi-player games, etc. The tutorial is based on a saved single-player scenario. Let’s dive into it…
1. From the main menu, select Single Player, then Load Scenario. A
panel will open to the right, allowing you to select the game you wish
to load.
2. Highlight the Tutorial game, then click OK.
Exploring the Main Interface
As you enter the main game, you’ll be greeted by a
popup window explaining the goal of this game. Please
read it carefully. As a recap, your goal is to reach $10
million dollars in personal net worth by the year 1900.
That means you must accumulate a combined total of
cash and stocks with a value of at least $10 million
dollars by the year 1900. If you can reach $25 or $50
million by the year 1900, you will receive a greater
victory. Click the OK button to close the window.
Next, press the PAUSE key twice. You’ll see that this
toggles the game between paused mode and a game
speed of "3". For now you’ll want to leave the game
paused, so you can look around and set up your railroad
without time pressure. When everything is set up, you
can resume the game by pressing the PAUSE key again
or by pressing the Plus (+) and Minus (-) keys.
There are four sections to the main interface:
• Main Window (A)—This is where the actual game play takes place. Consider this your window on the world. The four ovalshaped icons in the lower right corner of the window enable you to change your view by rotating it, or zooming in and out.
• Radar Area (B)—In the lower left corner, there is a radar view that enables you to move around the map without scrolling.
• Center List Box (C)—The rectangular box to the right of the Radar Area is the List Box—the nerve center of your empire. Use
the four tabs to view summaries for Stations, Trains, Players, and Companies. This area also shows cash-on-hand for your
company, and, to the left of the tabs, the current date.
• Activity Box (D)—The area in the lower right-hand corner is the Message window. You’ll receive various messages throughout
the game, and can access them here.
The Map Overview
With the game paused, the first thing you need to do
is look around a bit. The Map Overview icon enables
you to view resources on the map—a crucial part of
planning your first route.
1 Click the Map Overview icon—the fourth one
down on the left side of the screen that has a picture
of a globe on it. In the List Box, you’ll see a graphical
representation of all the resources (cargo) available in
the game.
2 Pass the
mouse cursor
over any
resource to
temporarily
highlight it on
the map.
Clicking any
resource
toggles the
view of that
resource on
or off. You
can select
multiple
resources, or
overlay all
resources on the map at the same time by clicking the All button. A supply of a resource is shown in white; a demand for it is
shown in yellow.
3 Move the mouse cursor to the edges of the screen to scroll the map in the direction you want. If you want to move to another
area of the map quickly, click on that area in the Radar Area.
4 Experiment with the overview. Your goal is to locate areas where there are concentrations of resources and industry (supply
and demand) that need one another. Resource locations are randomized, and will change each time you play. To get back to the
regular list box view, click on the Cancel button at the bottom of the List Box.
Starting a Company
Before you can start laying track to connect the resources you’ve located, you need to own a company.
1. Click the Company tab in the List Box (it’s the
rightmost tab.) Double-click Start a new company.
When you start a new company, you decide how
much of your own money you put into the company,
as well as how much you will accept from investors.
In general, you should accept little from investors if
you plan to pursue complete ownership of the
company, but you may choose to accept more to give
yourself plenty of operating cash.
2. For this tutorial, slide the Player Investment and
Outside Investment sliders all the way to the right.
This will give you a whopping $1,650,000 total cash
to spend.
3. Type in a name for your company in the Company Name box, or use the default name. Once in the Company Name box, press
ESC if you want to leave the box without making changes, or ENTER if you want to keep the name you’ve typed in.
4. Select a Company Logo by using the up or down arrow, or use the one provided for you. Click OK to accept your selections
and start your company.
5. Back at the main interface, you’ll see the logo and name of your company, your available cash, and your profits (which are
$0K at this point) in the List Box.
Laying Your First Track
Now that you’ve started a company, it’s time to get
down to business. The first thing you need to do is
find a suitable route. You’ll find the city of Slough
ideally situated to be the center of your new empire.
Slough is near the far south central part of the map
and just west of the city of London.
1. With the game paused, click the Lay Track
icon—the top icon on the left side of the main
interface that looks like railroad tracks—to start
laying track. Your mouse cursor will change to a
track icon.
2. The List Box gives you two track options, Single
Track or Double Track. Select Single Track for now.
The third option is bridge type, which is chosen by
clicking one of the two icons on the
right side of the List Box. Select Wooden Bridges (the top image).
3. To lay track, place the cursor between the sheep farm and the cattle ranch just to the east of Slough, then click and hold the left
mouse button down. As long as you keep the mouse button down, you can move the mouse cursor around the screen, dragging
your track around with it. Drag the cursor towards Oxford (further west), the next destination. You’ll notice that there are white,
green, and yellow numbers all along the track. The white numbers are the costs for each piece of track. The green and yellow
numbers are the grade (steepness) of that section of track. Yellow numbers are steep (red are the steepest), which will slow your
trains down. You don’t want a steep grade, so before you release the cursor, press the ESC key to clear the proposed track. Now,
click and drag smaller sections of track, releasing the left mouse button at the end of each short section. Trace your track around
the hill.
4. When you think your track route looks good, click
on the track button again (top left) to exit out of tracklaying mode.
TIP: The tabs at the bottom of the Center List Box
will take you to the detail screens for trains, players,
and companies, by double-clicking on an item in the
List Box. Clicking the left or right arrows at the
bottom of this view moves you from station-tostation, train-to-train, player-to-player, or company-tocompany. These views are very useful for fast
management of everything.
Building Stations
Laying track is only the beginning. Next, you need to set up stations in order to make resources available to your trains.
1. Click the Build a New Station button (Top left,
second from the top).
2. There are three station sizes, Small, Medium, and
Large. You can choose to place any of them at each
destination on your track. The difference between
them is the area they pull resources from, which is
represented by a gold circle around them on the map.
To see an example, click the Medium Station, then
move your cursor, which now looks like a medium
station, to a point along your track just south of
Slough. You’ll notice the station automatically line
up with your track.
3. Once the station is placed, any resources within the
gold circle will be available at that station. Medium
and Large stations have larger circles around them.
Just be sure that its gold circle covers the resources
you want to access. In this case all of the houses, the sheep ranch and cattle ranch should be in the golden circle. When you’ve
got the station covering the right resources and lined up to the track right, it will turn green. Now click the left mouse button and
your station will be placed.
4. When you place a station, you’ll be shown a 3D representation of it. This is called the Station Detail Screen. Click the Buy
button in this view to see the improvements you can add to the station. Purchase a water tower, a sanding tower, and a
roundhouse for the station to improve train performance and maintenance. When you are done, click the Exit button in the bottom
right.
5. Repeat this procedure at Oxford. However, you probably won’t need the three building improvements, as your trains will be
able to carry enough water, sand, and oil until they return to Slough. Once you have two
stations connected by track, you’re almost ready to start shipping cargo between them.
Buying a Train
Once you’ve laid track and placed stations, you’ll need to purchase a locomotive to get things rolling.
Selecting a Locomotive
Based upon the time period and geographic location,
various locomotives will become available as the
game progresses. There are three locomotives
available as you start this tutorial.
1. Select the Purchase a new train icon (the one that
looks like a train) from the icons along the left side of
the main window.
2. Next, select the 4-4-0 Eight-Wheeler from the list
on the left. You did build a mostly level track, right?
Notice that each locomotive’s stats appear on the
right as you select one from the list. Click Purchase to
complete the transaction.
Selecting Destinations and Cars
Now that you’ve purchased a locomotive, you need to
decide which cargo to haul between your two
destinations. The routing screen is where you choose
destinations, select cars, and check the supply and
demand at each station.
1. After you purchase a locomotive, the next screen
you see is the Train Detail Screen. It will show the
new train you just purchased, already set to go to your
two destinations. The map on the right shows all
available destinations —if you had more than two,
you would select the destinations you want for this
train on the map, and they would appear in the list on
the left.
2. Double-click Slough in the List Box on the left,
and the right side of the screen will switch from the
planning map to a Car List panel. At the very top of
this panel you will see two passenger cars—the default consist. Clicking a car will move it off your consist, or list of cars.
Clicking a car from the list below will add it to your consist.
3. At the very bottom of your screen, you will see a list of what the selected station supplies on the left side and what it demands
on the right.
4. Cars available at this station will show up near the
top of the Car List. Select one wool car and one
passenger car. Check the demand at the other station
to make sure you are hauling cargo that is in demand
(we know you are but it’s a good practice). When
you’re finished setting up the consist at this station,
click OK to confirm it, then double-click the Oxford
station listed on your consist list on the left side and
select one passenger and one goods car. The wool
you’ve delivered will be converted into fine goods to
be transported back to the hard-working people of
Slough.
5. You have one more decision to make here. Take a
look at the two stations in the list on the left. The
traffic signal will have the green light showing.
Clicking this signal will change the light. This signal
is what you use to dictate the behavior of this train in
that station. Your choices are:
Green—Don’t wait for cargo, proceed with whatever is already available at the station.
Yellow—Wait until at least half the cargo cars are full before proceeding.
Red—Wait until all of the cargo cars are full before proceeding.
For now, set the stoplight in Slough to yellow and the stoplight in Oxford to green. When you’ve made all your changes, press
the EXIT button to return to the main interface.
That’s it—you’re all set! Set the game speed to "3" by pressing the PLUS key three times—you can set this faster as you get
more comfortable with the game, but "3" or "4" are the best speeds for now.
Here are a few tips for keeping an eye on things from the main interface, now that your railroad career is underway:
• Set your train classes—From the list of trains in the List Box, click the icon to the left of each train to set it to Express, Normal,
Slow, or Halted. These are the settings that dictate how this train will react when it meets another train on the same track, and
they also allow you to change a train’s status on the fly.
• Manage your consists—Right-clicking each train’s consist in the List Box will show you its current destination, speed, cargo
value, and weight. As you build more trains, you can view a bit more detail on all of them by using the List button, located in the
bottom right corner of the List Box—it looks like a bulleted list.
• Use the List Box and Detail Screens to keep track of everything—The List Box and the Detail Screens (accessed by doubleclicking an item in the List Box) are very important interfaces. In each view, use the four tabs—Stations, Trains, Players, and
Companies—and the List button to view statistics about each. Think of it as a hierarchy—the List Box shows you general
information, while the Detail Screens show you in-depth information.
• Scout the map for opportunities—Once you’ve established a money-earning route, start looking over the map for other
opportunities. A variety of approaches can be used to plan your railway’s path to glory. In this case however, look for ways to
improve your production and improve the use of your existing assets. No need to spend investors’ money unwisely. Connect to
London to haul cattle to the meatpacking plant there (unless you’re a vegetarian). The grain farm just south of Slough could
increase the production rate of your wool and cattle farms by 50 percent!
• Buy lucrative industries—You can buy up cash-producing industries along your routes, or even along your competitors’ routes.
Click a resource to view its profitability rating. The more loads that are carried to and from it, the more profitable it will be.
Entering the World of High Finance
So far, this tutorial has focused on getting your railroad up and running. Now it’s time to take a quick look at the other aspects of
Railroad Tycoon II—company management and the stock market.
Company Management
Managing your operation requires more than just adding and working with stations, trains, routes, and consists. Remember when
you set up your company, and you chose to have outside investment as part of your initial funding? Well, those investors have
expectations for your operation, and they’ll hold you accountable for how well things are going. To see what they are looking at,
we’ll be working in the Company Detail Screen.
1. To reach the Company Detail Screen, click the Company tab at the
bottom of the List Box, and then double-click your company.
2. The Company Detail Screen shows your ledger—click on the
different tabs and look around to get a feel for what information is
present here.
3. Click the Finances tab. You could issue some bonds to raise more
money, but for the moment, stay debt free and issue some more stock.
Your current Share Price is listed on the left page. Click Issue Stock
and a window will appear giving details of the transaction. Click OK in
that window if everything is fine. Note the change to your current Share
Price.
4. Feeling fickle? Buy Back Stock and take a look at its effect on your Stock Value. Investors are very particular about Share
Price—they want it to go up. Period. Don’t disappoint them, or you’ll be out on your ear. Remember that chairmen are appointed,
not born.
5. Experiment with the other options here (except Declaring Bankruptcy unless you’re ready to bail) and familiarize yourself with
their effects.
The Stock Market and Personal Finances
Your personal wealth is, of course, directly tied to your company’s performance. In addition to your excellent management
ability contributing to your company’s success, you can accumulate personal wealth by savvy investment in the Stock Market.
1. From the main interface, click the Stock Market icon along the left
side of the main window.
2. You’ll be greeted with the Stock Market Detail view. There are two
tabs here:
Personal—This tab enables you to view your current stock portfolio, as
well as buy or sell stock.
Corporate—This tab gives details about your company’s financials,
including a list of major shareholders and a five-year weighted return
among other things.
3. In the Personal section, you’ll usually see the option to Buy or Sell a
particular stock. Unfortunately, you’ve used up all your cash to start
your company, so you probably won’t see the Buy option yet. After a
year or two, the accumulation of your salary and dividends may give
you enough cash to buy some more stock.
4. Selling stock is done in the same manner. Just select Sell from the
Personal section. Normally, you can only sell shares that you personally
own. If you don’t have the shares to sell (usually this would apply to
another company), then you’ll have another option—Selling Short. If
the stock price drops—which is the intent here—then you cash in. If it
rises, you’ll be forced to buy the stock to meet the Margin Call. If the
company buys up stock, you may have to buy the stock at inflated
prices. Be careful with this option.
TIP: If you don’t have enough cash to make a purchase, you might still be able to buy stock on Margin—essentially borrowing
money to buy the stock. If you buy on Margin, and the stock value goes up, you’re in good shape. However, if it falls, you’ll be
forced to sell stock to cover the Margin Call, even if it bankrupts you personally.
Controlling Your Railroad Empire
That about does it for this tutorial. You’ve seen all the important game elements, and had the chance to experiment a bit. If you’re
a quick study, maybe you have a decent start. After experimenting a little, you might want to start a new game to use your
knowledge. Also, don’t be afraid to jump right into the campaign—the first few scenarios are geared toward a novice player, and
you can learn as you go.
As a summary, keep a close eye on the following:
• Routes—Find profitable ones and exploit them.
• Locomotives—Maintain them well, and upgrade whenever possible.
• Stations—Improve them to increase revenues and route performance.
• Industries—Buy them to pad company coffers and increase your holdings.
• Finances—Be a smart manager and run a solid, profitable business by maximizing revenue and return on investment.
• Personal Wealth—Increase it by good management and mastering the Stock Market.
• Competitors—Bury them by doing all of the above.
For more detailed information about any of the topics covered in this tutorial, read the rest of the manual (Oh come on, you’ve
read this far already!) A few options you’ve seen in this tutorial, such as buying industries, buying stock on margin, and short
selling, are only available if you set up a game on the expert financial and industrial models in the options panel. If you’re
playing the campaign, they aren’t available until a few scenarios into it. We’ve given you a taste of everything here, though you
won’t be able to use every option in every scenario.
>Chapter 2<
3. THE MAIN MENU >Table of Contents<
In this chapter:
•
Navigational Aid
•
Main Menu Options
•
Single Player
•
Multiplayer
•
Campaign
•
New Scenario
•
Options
Navigational Aid
Main Menu Options
The main menu screen in Railroad Tycoon II gives you five options:
• Single Player—Select this option to start a single-player campaign
or scenario.
• Multiplayer—This option enables you to play with multiple human opponents. The multiplayer option is discussed in detail in
Chapter 9, Multiplayer (page 65).
• Editor—The Railroad Tycoon II map editor enables users to customize or build their own maps for the game. Click here to
access it. This option is covered in Chapter 10, Using the Map Editor (page 71).
• High Scores—Click here to view the high scores for the game.
• Credits—Take a look at the hard-working folks that brought you this game.
• Quit—Selecting this option will immediately return you to Windows.
Single Player
To start a single-player game, click Single Player on
the main menu screen. The next menu will appear,
giving you four options to choose from: New
Campaign, Load Campaign, New Scenario, and Load
Scenario.
New Campaign
Railroad Tycoon II’s campaign mode enables you to play through 18 individual scenarios, designed to be played consecutively.
The first few scenarios start off fairly simple, then escalate in difficulty. To start a new campaign:
4. Click New Campaign on the Single Player menu.
2. Choose a difficulty. We suggest Normal Difficulty
if you’re experienced with strategy games, or Easy
Difficulty if you’re not. Stay away from Hard
Difficulty until you’ve played at least one campaign
all the way through. Note: You can’t change
campaign difficulty after you’ve started, so choose
carefully.
3. You’ll start with the first scenario, "The Iron
Seed." Choose one of the available bonuses from the
list below. The bonuses available will change from
scenario to scenario throughout the campaign, and
can be key strategic choices.
4. Click Play this scenario to launch the game and start the campaign. Skip to Chapter 5, The Main Interface (page 41), before
you begin play.
Load Campaign
If you’ve already started a campaign and saved it in progress, click Load Campaign to bring up a dialog box with a list of
currently saved campaigns in it. Select the campaign you wish to load, then click OK. The game will be launched, returning you
to the point where you previously saved your campaign.
New Scenario
When you select New Scenario from the Single
Player menu, a dialog box will pop up with the
following elements: Map, Options, Skill Levels, and
Computer Players.
Map
Click this button to select the map your game will be
played on and the Map dialog box will appear. Click
on a map name to see the map and its description
below. If the map is set up to allow it, you can also
change the starting Date for the map by clicking the
up or down arrow below the map. Once you’re
satisfied with your selection, click OK in the map
dialog box.
Options
Once you’ve selected your map, click the Options button. You should now see another dialog box to the left of the New Scenario
dialog. These two dialog boxes contain all the options you’ll need to set before starting your game. The Options dialog contains
the following settings:
• Sandbox mode—In this mode, you simply build and run trains. Money and competition are non-factors—all Financial and
Industrial settings are toggled off—so build to your heart’s content.
• Financial model—This setting controls the financial aspects of the game. Set this option to Basic, Advanced, or Expert. The
effects of these settings are as follows:
Basic—Stock Market importance is minimized. You may buy or sell your own company’s stock, but you can’t take
over another company, or be taken over.
Advanced—Short Selling and Buying stock on Margin are disabled, but all other aspects of the Stock Market are
enabled.
Expert—The gloves are off. All aspects of the Stock Market are enabled, which makes for some fairly vicious
financial plays; consider yourself warned.
• Industrial model—This setting configures the industrial side of the game. Set it to Basic, Advanced, or Expert. The effects of
each setting are as follows:
Basic—Stations will accept any cargo, paying only slightly less for cargo they don’t demand. All industries
produce cargo, even if they aren’t supplied with their industrial demands.
Advanced—Stations still accept any cargo, but at half price if the cargo isn’t demanded by a station. Industries
only produce cargo if supplied with their industrial demands.
Expert—Stations pay very little for any cargo they don’t demand. Price levels affect what stations will pay for a
cargo, even if the station demands them. Your company can buy up any industries it finds appealing.
• Revenue modifier—The two sliders in the revenue modifier section of the Options menu can be used to increase or decrease the
amount of revenue received for hauling cargo. You can set this for both Human and Computer players. When lowered for Human
players, this results in less revenue per load, making the game significantly harder.
Skill Levels
In the Game Setup menu—the right-hand dialog box when the Options menu is open—you can change your skill level by
clicking any of the horses to the right of the Options button with the following effects:
• Easy—Basic Financial and Industrial models are selected. Human player receives a +20% Revenue Modifier, while the
computer receives a 10% Revenue Modifier.
• Medium—Advanced Financial and Industrial models are selected. No Revenue Modifiers for either computer or human players.
• Hard—Expert Financial and Industrial models are selected. Human player receives a -10% Revenue Modifier, while the
computer receives a +10% Revenue Modifier.
• Expert—Expert Financial and Industrial models are selected. Human player receives a -20% Revenue Modifier, while the
computer receives a +20% Revenue Modifier.
As you change the skill level, or any of the other Options settings, notice that the Difficulty Rating shown below the computer
players changes to reflect the changes you make. Changes you make outside these skill settings fall under the Custom skill level.
Computer Players
The last Options setting you need to work with is the Computer Players option. In the text box below the Skill settings, you’ll see
yourself (the human player) listed, as well as any computer players already in the game. Adding more computer players by
clicking the up arrow drives the Difficulty Rating higher. You can’t decide which players to add, and in some scenarios, you
won’t be able to remove all of them either.
Once you’ve set all the Options, clicking OK in both dialog boxes will start the game.
Load Scenario
If you’ve already started a game and saved it in progress, click Load Scenario from the Single Player menu, then select the game
you wish to load from the listing that appears. Once you’ve selected it, click OK to launch the game and return to the point at
which you saved your position.
Multiplayer
Railroad Tycoon II enables you to match wits with, and test your financial prowess against human opponents in any of four
modes: TCP/IP, IPX, Modem, or Serial. For information on setting up a multiplayer game, see Chapter 9, Multiplayer .
High Scores
Click the High Scores button to see the current high scores for the game.
Credits
Click the Credits button to view a list of everyone involved in bringing Railroad Tycoon II to you.
Quit
Clicking Quit on the main menu takes you out of the game and back to Windows.
>Chapter 3<
4. THE MAIN INTERFACE >Table of Contents<
In this chapter:
•
Navigational Aid
•
The Four Parts of the Main Interface
•
Navigating the Map
•
The Primary Action Icons
•
The Center List Box
Navigational Aid
The Four Parts of the Main Interface
Once the game is launched you will interact with the world through the main interface, which consists of four parts:
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