From: bhv@areaplg2.corp.mot.com (Bronis Vidugiris)
Subject: Re: RR Tycoon - strategy suggestions, please!
Organization: Motorola, CCR&D, CORP, Schaumburg, IL
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 20:14:27 GMT

In article <BuKGuJ.KGJ@unx.sas.com> sasdrf@daedalus.unx.sas.com (Dave Frederick) writes:
)

)My typical opening (playing either US scenario) is to find a pair of
)resources close enough to be serviced by one depot (say a couple oil
)wells). I'll select a point between this resource and the nearest city,
)and build the appropriate industry (in this example, a refinery). I'll
)lay from the city to the refinery and to the resource. I'll build a
)slow freight train and send it to the resource, with wait-until-full
)orders, and HOLD it there until the end of the first fiscal period.
)By this time, my stock drops to ~$3 a share. I'll send the train on 
)to the refinery, buying about 70,000 shares of my stock while it's
)en route, and getting a hefty profit for the oil delivery followed by
)the goods delivery. Then I'll start looking to expand to other cities.
)Does this sound like a reasonable start, or am I being too conservative?

I find that large cities, passenger, and mail generate the best revenues.
I'd look for some large cities, preferrably moderately far apart (not
real close, not real far) and run a passenger/mail train between them.
(1 passenger 1 mail, about all a grasshopper can handle).

Even in the Eastern US, which has the smallest cities, I find that passenger
and mail income (when I look at the summary reports) make up over half
my income, even with large scale coal or oil conversion going on.

It's worth doing coal/oil conversion in the East if you can set it up easily,
though, but that generally doesn't come until later in the game.

My perferred start is to pick the two largest cities around, connect
them, put a signal tower near the middle of the track, and run two 
passenger/mail trains between them.  I buy the resteraunt and post
office right away - the hotels I get soon, either first or second year.
(I often double a small section of the track near the center and put another
signal tower in to get no-stop operation with two trains.  If I put the
tower dead center, usually one side or the other will be slightly slower,
and I can determine which way the track needs to be extended to get
no-stop operation with two trains.)  I'll buy goods storage if one of the
cities is a port and manufactures goods too, though sometimes I have
trouble using it (don't want to interfere with the traffic flow patterns
with a third train, it may not be worth the loss.)  

I tend to borrow a fair amount of cash if possible and keep it around to
play 'stock' games.  If a boom occurs, and I already have a fair amount
of cash, I borrow more.  I then carefully watch the other companies.
If they start to refinance their debt (go into the red on cash available) I
will have enough cash to take them over cheaply.  After I've swallowed
them, *then* I refinance my own debt.  If at all possible, I like to buy 20%
of my stock the first year, and another 20% or so the second year.  This
is maybe a bit optimistic - I'm not sure I always make this goal, and if
push comes to shove it's better to have money than stock.  Of course, if you
*know* your stock is going to go up like a rocket, it's worth putting
the money into it and then selling it if you need the cash, but it's still
hard for me to judge stock prices.  Anyone with a formula (based on
your profit report?).

)Other questions:
)
)1) Does everyone else keep an unscheduled high-speed train available
)for priority deliveries/rate-war passengers, etc? Is this a good idea?

Yep.  Also, it can easily be worth building a engine shop and a new train
for really  high value priority cargos ($300k or more).  Even if you 
don't make much of a cash profit that time, the engine shop and train
show up as assets.

(2 & 3 - don't have much to say)

)4) Is it worth taking over a weak (almost out of business) competitor
)just because the price is right, or should you go after the big boys
)and forget about the small fry?

If you don't mind taking advantage of the game, a weak competitor can
be very worthwhile!

This is a bit of a game-rape, but what you do is take him over.
Then you take all his cash (operate railroad menu - take cash option).  Then
you sell 1 unit of stock.  He finances more bonds to try and recover his
company (but starts out at *zero* stock, so he'll never make it).  Before he
has a chance to spend that money, you buy the stock back and take the company
over again.  Then you take all the cash away.  Repeat until he can't sell any
more bonds. Be sure and dump all your stock before the end of the financial
period!  If you're not through milking him and the end of the period is
comming up, get down to 30% or so stock by selling in early to mid
december before the financial period closes - his stock is going to
plummet like a rock.

)Any answers, tips, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated (other
)than the "edit the save file and give yourself megabucks", as I would
)prefer to win within the bounds of the game itself). Since this game
)is suddenly cheap, I would imagine many others are just starting out
)now, so perhaps we could begin a new thread regarding this game (or
)you can email me, I don't care).
)
)Dave Frederick                          sasdrf@unx.sas.com


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