Of course this could turn out to be a complete train wreck, but without enough content to even warrant that morbid fascination which a train wreck seems to conjure.
Speaking of trains there is a real danger of some finding their way into this blog as I have recently discovered the open source version of that magnificent Chris Sawyer-classic Transport Tycoon Deluxe. As the name suggests this game is about the proud business of logistics.
The player assumes the role of the owner and director of a small company, presumably with the aim to make it a large company and accumulate wealth, moolah, oof, spondoolicks!
At the feet of the freshly inaugurated entrepreneur lies the map, portraying a landscape rich in forests, coal mines, factories and cities (or cola wells, sugar mines and toffee quarries if you have chosen Toyland rather than the standard Temperate tile set) crying out for a complicated network of roads and rail tracks to cover its hills with trains and trucks scuttling about like beetles, with aircraft soaring high above and ships ploughing the glittering seas below, in order to deliver all kinds of goods and convey all sorts of people.
The sheer potential is almost poetic. Connecting all these resources with their proper destinations and balancing the system so that all needs are met and no wasteage produced should be the nirvana to strive for. The harmony that could be achieved...
Of course that's not going to happen(unless you go into the settings and change the rules, but let's not go there now), as there are competitors. Sure, you could go for AI's who can sometimes be a challenge, when they are not just appearing mentally challenged, but the new multiplayer system is where you get to play against the most ravingly greedy bastards imaginable. The sneaky underhand tricks that some people apply... well, let's just say that it is awe-inspiring.
I've been out classed by many people in my long life of gaming but I think this is is the lowest score I've ever had. I went so far into the red (in debt that is) that I couldn't find my way back on track with a map.
Anyways, it was great fun and I can't wait to get back at those entrepreneurs, moguls, magnates and millionaires once I've studied some of those "tricks of the trade" that are neccessary to get ahead in the transportation business.
Hopefully I haven't scared you away but rather inspired you to try your own hand at becoming a Transport Tycoon.
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