Some very good tips here efast, I agree with everything, except points 6 and 11. Let's discuss why.
On point 6: This is certainly something many of us agreed with at some point. The concept behind this is gravity of course; that a train would go faster if it's on a down slope. This would indeed be true if there were gravity in SMR.
There is no gravity in SMR.
So this means you should revert back to your comment about "shortest distances"... it's true on resource routes as well. Raising your bridge way up adds miles to your track. If you have a steep track like in your screen shot, and I have a flat track straight to resource... I'm going to beat you every time. Why? Because there is no gravity-so all you did was add unnecessary mileage to your track that slows you down in the route.
Trust me on that-I beat those trains every time, because my track is shorter. I've tested it hundreds of times and my train will make yours go negative.
Also, just a point in the middle of the discussion: The strategy FAQ is mostly written by me and it applies directly to online play-I never play anywhere else, just online with human beings. Cuz as you know, the computer sucks.
Now to point 11: I think that is suicide. You should never start buying opponent early on. Please refer to my post on stocks in the FAQ, it is quite lengthy and describes the strategy:
http://www.smrsimple.com/forums/viewtop ... =34&t=3803
You are talking about using stock as an investment. This is illogical due to the concept in economics of "opportunity costs" which says, what is the cost of doing A if you forego B? B is building more routes. You will make A LOT more money by investing in your own capital (trains, stations, tracks) than you will by buying a stock or 5 stocks. Stocks are key to winning the game, yes. But the key to winning the game is making the most money-which then allows one to buy the stocks in such a way to buy out opponents.
If I invest in your stocks early on, maybe I bought 3 for $350,000. I agree that in 5 years, they could be worth $600,000 perhaps. So if I sell at that time I would make $250,000. However, if instead I spend my $350,000 on a train route that could make $1,000,000 per year... then that route could have made $3,000,000 or more in the same 5 year period. This means that while you made yourself $250,000, I might have made $2,650,000.... a difference of 10x.
Stocks are complex and more people understand the building aspect than they do the stock process. I would argue some basics here:
1/ On Tycoon or Robber Baron, you should SELL all your stocks very quickly or you're not building fast enough or aggressive enough. On Mogul, you'd still sell all of them on most maps, but it will take a bit longer. On Financier or Investor, you might not sell all of them, but you'd certainly sell at least half of them and again, pretty quickly in early game.
2/ You should never make a stock move unless you are financially ahead of your opponent. This means, you are making a reasonably higher profit than the other player over the course of the current year. At this time, it would be okay to make a stock move - because you are ahead.
I frequently see players start putting their seed money into stocks early in the game, while I build a stronghold and then begin to invade their territory. Soon they may own 3 or 5 of my stocks, but I'm making so much money, I can buy all their stocks--and my value is rising so quickly they cannot really keep buying mine at a good rate. Pretty soon, they are making less and less money (as you said, even if they build defensively-I can still cut their cash production in half) and soon they are bought out and I never had to buy even one of my own stocks... and of course when I buy them out, I inherit all my own stocks that they previously owned. Now I have the 3-5 defensive stocks of mine they bought and can easily take out the next guy... Don't buy stocks early.
This stock issue is simple as well: How do we make money in this game? We make money with our business (train routes). How do we WIN the game? Buy buying up all the opponents' stocks. Stocks are not an investment, the investments are trains, tracks, stations, depots. The investments allow us to buy up the stocks and win. But don't look at stocks as investments-the return on stock is minimal at best and nothing compared to the return on good trains. Stocks are NEVER an investment in SMR.