Beta: Wolf Three Fifty Nine

[Star Ranger4]

Welcome to the second entry in my "Colonization" series.

Yes, I know... there is already a game by that name associated with this site. However, it really is the only name that fits!

Like San Martino, the assumption is that you are a settler on another planet around another sun... not that I've dinked with the skybox or anything like that. However, for purposes of this scenario, heavy air transport has become suddenly unavailable. No one really knows why, but nothing flys. So you, being the old time rail enthusiast you are see a golden opportunity to both resurect the days of Rail and make yourself a nice bit of change in the process.

So, can You tame the wild Wolf 359???


**authorial note: Pre Final beta. I've developed what I think are fair but challenging goals for this 15 x 15 map, but I'm not really subjective since I know all its tricks. I need input as to just how do-able these goals are and what, if any, changes need to be made before final release**

Wolf359.zip

Wolf 359 Beta V0.9e
No Mods Needed Style

(2.29 MiB) Downloaded 588 times

Initial orbital survey map of Wolf 359

[Star Ranger4]

Right off the bat it appears that the standard 16 turns per month is much to fast for a map of this size. Therefore the following line should be added to the User Scenario xml...

Code: Select all

	<iTurnsPerMonth>64</iTurnsPerMonth>

[Star Ranger4]

.....


***Sits and listens to the chirping of the crickets***

So, this is a mediocre map that doesn't tend to generate any thoughts good or bad? are you SURE there's nothing that needs fixing???

[tservo3k]

Sorry, Star.

I downloaded it last night; haven't had a chance to play it yet today. Looks interesting.

[Pete]

I've got it as well.
Should get at it soon. Glad to see some new work.

Thanks
Pete

[tservo3k]

Well, I managed to start playing the map last night. It's a fun scenario - in terms of resource gathering and train planning.

The real trick for me has been planning my train runs to maximize the different resource and conversion stations - since you can go some long runs in certain areas. Getting to the Capital area took me a few times to work out best.

Now, as far as things that may need some work. Please take these as my simple observations, I'm hardly an expert in assesing mod design.

*Shorelines look a little strange. They seem a bit blocky in terms of graphics; could be done purposely to reflect another planet, I suppose.

*One of the hallmarks in the first & second parts of the goals block is to expand you home city. The first part doesn't specify; the second part states it is when your home city reaches Metropolis size. I managed to do this in the first 50 years, but got no check mark in either section when I got that achievment.
Am I missing something, or is this a glitch in the setup?

*More of a nitpick, but I guess I would suggest more science-fictionesque names for the city. I found them to be more generic than I expected for a colony that located at another star. Again, that's more of a expectation than a critique of the actual design.

That's all for now. I'll have to keep playing to see if I have more observations. I'll also note screenshots when I get a chance, if that helps. Thanks for making a new mod.

[Star Ranger4]

It was a pain coming up with names... I just wasnt feeling that sci fi ish. I'm also not too sure about what to do to fix those shorelines either, they've always been a problem and I think it has something to do with one of the blending maps but im not sure which one.

[tservo3k]

Alright then...no worries there, Star. As I said, those are more nits than issues - it doesn't take away from the general fun of the map. In any case, thanks for a good map to explore.

[Pete]

Well, I gave it a good run myself.
I really liked it. Lots of goods to move over long distances.
Started to strain my machine as I got spread out with 2 and 3 tracks, but thats to be expected.
No complaints from me. Loved it.
Hope we see more from you.

Thanks for the map
Pete

[Star Ranger4]

Found a handfull of glitches. First you need to have iGrowQuantity for the grow city condition to work right. Go figure. I also noticed that I wasnt getting credit when my starting town grew to a metrop, but that might be something different...

Found a crash where Beer Cars wernt set up correctly.
Changed the own multiple hospitals and PowerPlants condition to building a newspaper and shipping paper to it.

Decided 64 iturns per month was too slow, split the difference and set it at 32.

All changes repackaged, and attached the corrected files to the first post.

[tservo3k]

Sounds cool, Star!

I'll download anew and give it a fresh start, probably tomorrow. Thanks for giving another look to "tweak" it.

[tservo3k]

Hello Star,

OK - everything looks great and the game has been running much better to the victory conditions. However, now I can't seem to be allowed to build hospitals!? Is this a bug or am I missing the obvious?

See below. Thoughts or suggestions?

[snoopy55]

StarRanger - your thing with this is that you have 13 InCity Industries and you can only show 12 in the build selection srceen.

There are two simple choices:

1) Choose one of them and put all of that one in the cities you want it to be in and add this line:

<bInCity>0</bInCity>

under the Name line. This will keep it from being shown in the Build selection screen.

2) Put the Wood -> Paper and the Wood -> Manufactured Goods plants into one. This will cut the number of In-City Industries to 12.

There are other ways to do it, but they tend to require renaming of Industries.

[Star Ranger4]

Huh... Didn't notice that till now Snoopy... my list of industries had the hospital up high enough that it always appeared.

Ah well, this is why its still only a beta. Hopefully this will be the last fix needed.

Industries updated so that Furniture plants produce Paper and Manufactured goods, Repackaged, Uploaded.

[Jancsika]

I just played your latest upload:
It is a great looking map. I like the idea of a fantazy landscape. You can use your immagination without constrans of earthly geography.
Couple suggestions:
I would make the scenario more difficult. I finished Era I by 1850, Era II by 1859, and Era III by 1891.
(With the exception of the TGV speedrecord).
This could be easily accomplished with making the idustry requirements more specific. What I mean is instead of requering to build an industry in “ANY_CITY”, make to build somewhere further away from the raw material source. There is a caution to this, you have to do a little planning, otherwise the map will look like bowl of criss-crossing spagetti.
You have steel, automobile, gold, oil on the map but they don’t appear in the scenario goals.
Do you know that you can build a station in a tunnel? The reason I am asking because some of the vinyards are placed on a hilltop, but one can run a tunnel under the hill and build a station. No need to climb the hill!
The trees are little dense, but that makes it more chellenging to locate an industry.

When Firaxis released the Terrain Editor, they emphesized “No Guaratee – Don’t ask us”
That is probably the reason for the rugged water edges.
I will look into it and see if there is a solution to it. I have made probably a dozen or more maps, but never had this problem. On the other hand I have not used all the editor’s features, and much of the editing was done with Paintshop Pro.
All and all it is a great map
Jancsika

Try this map. Has no rugged edges!