Western Russia

[karsten]

What I noticed is that not all eras connect smoothly to each other, see below. I changed all the start months to "1", all the end months to "12" (see above). That way, the end automatically became 1985 - I also fixed the one missing newspaper text.

[Recoup]

What I noticed is that not all eras connect smoothly to each other, see below. I changed all the start months to "1", all the end months to "12" (see above). That way, the end automatically became 1985 - I also fixed the one missing newspaper text.

Ah, fixed it. Still, weird how it ended up like that...

EDIT: Some changes are going to be made to the map. For one, I'm re-introducing Kharkiv after I removed it (its a much bigger deal than I thought previously) and also introducing the cities Voronezh and Izhevsk for new objectives. I'll remove the objective to build a Weapons Plant in Saratov and will, instead, have the player ship arms from Izhevsk to Volgograd during the Patriotic War era.

Also, new objectives will be in place like connecting Voronezh to Moscow by 1871.

Additions in List Format

• Izhevsk added, produces Arms.
• Kharkiv added, produces Steel.
• Voronezh added, produces custom good: Rocketry Equipment.
• Ship Arms from Izhevsk to Volgograd during the Patriotic War added.
• Create railway to Voronezh from Moscow by 1871 added.
• Considering adding "Star City" to the game where Rocketry Equipment is shipped from Voronezh. Space race, anyone?
• If so, eliminate food processing from Bryansk, as its main industry IRL is Steel.

[karsten]

It seems impossible to grow Volgograd quickly enough to accept arms in time. Or am I missing something?

[Recoup]

It seems impossible to grow Volgograd quickly enough to accept arms in time. Or am I missing something?

It is, but it is very difficult. You have to route a lot of supplies from Kazan, Samara, and soon you will have access to the great city of Voronezh. If it seems too difficult I will try and slacken it up a bit.

[Recoup]

Western Russia 2.1 has been released, with the addition of Izhevsk, Kharkov, and Voronezh. Some industries have been moved around, objectives have been radically changed.

This scenario is hard, I will admit. I played it on Tycoon and it took me at least two tries to nail the objectives. It is doable, however, if you are fast and plan ahead. The ZIP is on the front page.

[karsten]

It seems impossible to grow Volgograd quickly enough to accept arms in time. Or am I missing something?

It is, but it is very difficult. You have to route a lot of supplies from Kazan, Samara, and soon you will have access to the great city of Voronezh. If it seems too difficult I will try and slacken it up a bit.

No need to change, it is perfect now. Voronezh really provides the megaboost needed to grow Volgograd just in time. Even so, on Robber Baron, I just missed the arms deliveries by two or three years a number of times - until I found a way to boost deliveries even more, enough to just hit the arms target in time!

And that, of course, is so satisfying when one finally beats the scenario!

Congratulations on a very impressive and fun map, especially for a mapper premiere!

[Recoup]

You are too kind good sir. I guess I should flesh out the map edges a bit since that picture shows the distant landscape as empty and bleak.

I hope its not too bad for a first map. I spent a bucketload of time on this baby.

[Recoup]

Western Russia v2.2 has been released!

The changes are largely cosmetic, making the boundaries look more realistic and not just flat grass.

However, I slowed the speed of time by about half thanks to the advice of Lama. I think it really makes the scenario more enjoyable when you aren't "Russian" around so much.

Now quit "Stalin" and enjoy the new map release. Let me know if there are anymore proposed design changes. Perhaps in the future when I can take on an 18x18 map I will produce a much larger, more in-depth scenario with custom trains and everything!

[karsten]

Not quite cosmetic ...
As expected, the time change dramatically simplifies the challenge of Western Russia v2.2. On Robber Baron, I was easily finished with all goals in 1896 (last screenshot). The Stalingrad Arms goal is still pivotal, but easy to fulfill. So I would say the map goes from advanced to medium difficulty. More people may like it that way.

There are again some small issues. The eras don't quite connect in a few cases. And the Moscow Kirov Passenger goal description is inconsistent.

[Recoup]

Thanks for the update, my good sir. I shall work out changes right away.

EDIT: Changes made. I made sure all the Eras had the proper 1 / 12 month start and end (I thought I did before, but maybe it changed them for some reason...?). The typo now says 25 carloads instead of 20, and the turns per year has been reduced from 32 to 24. Hopefully this helps.

[karsten]

The map looks fine. Only a small era inconsistency left for 1917 (screenshot).
I played version 2.3, and with some further improvements to my routing (screenshot), finished (RB) in 1920. So this should give players at all levels ample time to complete the whole scenario.

Things especially to like:

• There is tremendous replay value, as you realize the multitude of options to improve your performance.
• A good distance feeling, just consider the looong stretch between St. Petersburg and Kiev that needs to be traversed later in the map.
• Scenery that looks good and works well

I have added an overhead screenshot of Stalingrad, showing how it can handle 14 trains entering and leaving.

[Recoup]

You are too kind Karsten.

I will fix the inconsistency and maybe add an objective where all cities must be connected by the end of the game so poor Tula and Pskov don't get overlooked.

Do you still feel the game is too sluggish? Should I maybe decrease the speed from 24 to 20 turns / month?

[karsten]

I think it is fine now. Stalingrad on RB difficulty is not quite the fingernail-biting cliffhanger it was before, but many people may welcome that.
I must say I now know a lot more about the location of Russian towns than I ever did before! You say you invested a ton of time into this baby, and I think it shows in terms of interesting gameplay you managed to create.
I hope some of the other people downloading and enjoying this map will let you know.

[Recoup]

Haha you aren't the only one. It definitely puts things in perspective when you have to actually put it to paper. Perhaps I shall make two versions - one hard and one moderate, as it is now.

EDIT: Version 2.4 is up. I fixed the date inconsistency, added an objective to connect Tula during the 5-Year Plan and reduced the turns per month to 22 from 24.

My next plan is to create an 18x18 scenario of Russia that will be awesome awesome awesome!

[Warll]

I've posted version 2.4 on the smrsimple frontpage. Look forward to seeing your next map!