From: jtgorman@cs.arizona.edu (J. Taggart Gorman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Re: Raylroad Tycoon Eveluation
Date: 11 Apr 92 02:18:20 GMT
Reply-To: jtgorman@cs.arizona.edu (J. Taggart Gorman)
Organization: None - Entire program eliminated due to budget cuts :)
Discliamer: Upon my being captured or killed, my professors will
            disavow any knowledge of me, my statements, and/or
            my mission.


In article <3f.Y02fHc5wf00@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com>,
Citizen jsp@pls.amdahl.com writes :
>I would recommend that you avoid Railroad Tycoon.  It's a port of a
>PC game, and it really shows.  The graphics and the sound effects are
>reasonably well done (although you get really tired of the little song
>that it plays), and the game IDEA is a good one, but the implementation
>is an exercise in patience.  In order to properly control the game, you
>need to constantly be changing among the various views and scrolling the
>views.  But every action of that type is *S*L*O*W*.  The worst part
>about scrolling is that not everything in the window scrolls!!  There
>are these little data things attached to each station, but they stay
>fixed on the window instead of scrolling along with what's in the window.
>Everytime I bring up that view, I spend time moving the data things around
>so that they're next to their respective stations.  But then as soon as I
>need to scroll, I have to move them all around again!!  Arrghgh.  I don't
>need to frustration.

  I'll have to disagree with this article.

  Railroad Tycoon is one of my favorite games.  I don't play it much any
more because it is _terribly_ addicting.  One I start a game, I spend way to
much time playing it and ignore other pertinant things.  When I first got the
game, I played it for about 4-6 hours a day for 2 weeks, and my school work
suffered, but oh well, I had fun.

  RRT is a game where you start out with a blank map of either the Western US,
Eastern US, Europe, or UK.  You have $500,000 to start a company with.  You
pick the location and the exact route the track will traverse.  Once you have
stations and track, you buy engines and select what stations the trains will
visit and what cargoes they will pick up.  There are many types of cargo, such
as mail, passengers, steel, etc, and cargo types vary with the map you play.
  The object is to retire with as much money, captital, and investments as you
can in a 100 year period or less.  Of course, money is made by trains, but the
real money comes from buying stock in your company or one of your 3 computer
opponents.  If you are skilled, you can manipulate the stock prices, sell off
all of your stock and cause your target to nearly go into bankruptcy.

  The interface is from the IBM, but IMHO, it is well done.  Sure, there are
6 levels you can view the map at, but each has it's uses.  I find that the
floating windows are helpful, for the computer does not place them optimally,
and I like to move them about so I can see the trains on the track.

  If you have alot of spare time, and desire to build a railroad, build an
empire, or just make alot of money, get this game.  There are also books you
can buy that will help with strategy - I swear by one.

P.S. VfV is good, too.

|--------------------------------| "I like it.  It's got that 'It's a cruel
|      J. Taggart Gorman Jr.     |  world - Let's throw ourselves in the
| jtgorman@caslon.cs.arizona.edu |  abyss.' type ambience."
|--------------------------------|     - Christian Slater, in _Heathers_
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games