Latest revision as of 12:33, 6 November 2013

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Game Start with Airplanes

An alternative to transporting coal with trains as the moneymaker at game start is to use airplanes to transport passengers and mail. There are several advantages to using airplanes instead of trains:

• No track to construct
• Constructing airports great distances apart costs no more than constructing them nearby
• Airplanes can transport their cargo faster than trains can
• Avoids having production at coal mines swell before the final network is constructed

Choosing Towns for the Airports

Care must be taken when choosing towns to build moneymaker airports in. Under ideal conditions, the best candidates are larger towns in opposite corners of the map. The larger the town, the more passengers that will be supplied. Multiple towns close to each other (within the maximal station spread of 64) are ideal. The farther the distance, the greater the earnings per trip. Always remember to communicate with your fellow coop players about where to build moneymaker airports. Without communication we could end up with two players building two airports in the same city, an unnecessary expense at the only time in the game when money is tight. Start with two airports, often this will be expanded to four as income becomes steady.

Building the Airports

Once towns have been chosen, build the airports on a flat area nearby. Avoid demolishing town buildings and avoid teraforming as much as possible. Use drive through road stops or 1x1 rail station tiles to walk the station to the towns. This practice in generally discouraged in most final networks, but works well for moneymakers. Even small airports works well as it doesn't take large numbers of airplanes to generate the required income. Crashes are disabled, so large airplanes can be used there as well. As distance between airports is calculated based on the station signs, it can be useful to begin station building with a rail tile as far away from the other airport as possible.

Buying the Airplanes

When choosing airplanes for the moneymaker, look for high speed (9xx km/h if available) and capacity. Usually, running costs are not an issue. It is also important not to buy too many planes to begin with. If we spend all our money before the first plane reaches it's destination, we could end up going bankrupt.

Completion of the Moneymaker

Once income has stabilized and the loan has been repaid, the moneymaker stage of the game is finished, and the planning stage begins. The moneymaker will continue to earn money until the final network is planned, chosen, built, and begins making money itself. At this point the moneymaker is generally dismantled as it it no longer needed.

Communication is Vital

At game start there are generally a lot of players connected waiting to create a plan for the final network. You are welcome to help build the moneymaker, but please remember to use the in-game chat to communicate with the other players. Without communication, several players could end up trying to do the same thing, and this can lead to confusion and wasting money at the only time when we need to be worried about cash levels. Please be patient about creating your plan.

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