Railroad Tycoon II

Railroad Tycoon II
Developer(s)	PopTop Software
Publisher(s)	Gathering of Developers, Take-Two Interactive
Series	Railroad Tycoon
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Dreamcast, PlayStation
Release	Windows NA: October 31, 1998 EU: 1998 PlayStation NA: January 31, 2000 EU: 2000 Dreamcast NA: June 30, 2000 EU: June 30, 2000
Genre(s)	Business simulation
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Railroad Tycoon II is a train and business simulation video game for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, PlayStation and Dreamcast in the Railroad Tycoon series. The Dreamcast version is a Gold Edition with improved graphics and gameplay. Railroad Tycoon II: Gold Edition was ported to Linux by Loki Software.

Gameplay is displayed in dimetric view, unlike the top-down view of Railroad Tycoon.

Gameplay

Screenshot from Railroad Tycoon II.

Railroad Tycoon II is a railroad simulation that covers the entire history of railroads from inception to the present day and beyond. The player chooses a map and assumes the role of chairman of a railroad company. The player tries to make profits for investors and completes various other objectives while being hindered by rivals, random events such as train breakdowns, train robbers, economic swings, and scripted events particular to the scenario.

Most of the gameplay consists of building tracks, stations and trains, which are used for hauling passengers and freight from one station to another. Delivery revenue can vary by time, distance, demand, cargo type, economic state, station improvements and difficulty level. Companies can connect to and use each other's track and stations, so revenue can be split. Expenses include the fuel, track and engine maintenance and management fee. The fuel cost depends on the cargo weight and the distance each engine runs. Engine maintenance depends on engine age and the engine's type (some locomotives cost more to maintain than others). The elder engines cost more to keep them on the line. The track maintenance is solely calculated from track mileage.

The player will determine what kind of cargo(es) to put on/off at each station that the player adds to its routing. Way-points may also be inserted to override default track selection where multiple paths are possible.

There are many industries in the game, and each can produce and/or convert specific cargoes. For example, coal mines produce coal, iron mines produce iron, and, in the advanced game, a steel mill can convert 1 load of iron plus 1 load of coal into 2 loads of steel. The players are encouraged to find a chain of production to make new cargo by hauling the right type of cargo to each step of the industries. By doing this right, the player can haul raw materials one way, "create" manufactured return cargo, and make even more money hauling finished products back the other way.

Locomotives and industry

One of the key elements of game play relates to the player purchasing and operating a variety of locomotives, each of which possesses different attributes relating to speed, fuel type, preferred cargo, and the ability to traverse hills and steep track grades. In general, the player should balance the cost of operating a train and the time required to transport cargo, with the balance being that the profit from cargo delivery outweighs train operating costs. The player also may purchase various industrial plants to earn extra money based on amount of cargo received and delivered. Basic industry, such as bakeries, textile mills, and tool and die factories, earns less profit than advanced factories such as canneries, steel mills and automobile plants, although the latter require multiple goods delivered to produce one final product. Furthermore, idle industries which do not produce goods will generate a negative profit, thus increasing overall operating costs and overhead.

The following locomotives are available for game play. Locomotives are only seen in specific time periods and scenarios. In addition to the attributes described above, locomotives are subject to "mechanical reliability", which is a randomly generated factor influencing how often a locomotive will break down. All locomotives begin their operational lives with a set chance of mechanical failure, with some types more prone to breakdowns than others. Breakdown percentage chance increases the older a locomotive becomes. A train may also suffer a wreck, which completely destroys the locomotive and all hauled cargo.

The game also features one futuristic train, the "Mag-Lev TBX-1" which is portrayed as released in the (then) future date of 2008. The train operates using Maglev technology which, as of 2015, has been prototyped in both Europe and Japan. The first successful Maglev train to be operated was the SCMaglev with speeds approaching 400 miles per hour.

Economics

Gameplay also includes financial manipulation of companies, issuing bonds, share repurchases, stock issues, manipulating dividends, merging with other companies and declaring bankruptcy. These features are required in some scenarios and may be used for either great financial gain or total fiscal disaster.

In normal financial mode, the player may buy or sell any companies' stocks at various prices depending upon the economy. On advanced settings, the broker may allow the player to buy on margin or short sell stocks if he has enough value of stocks or cash to rely on. The computer players may also engage in these practices and will attempt to bankrupt the player when he is heavily in debt.

The economy may fluctuate during gameplay, with five economic states possible: Booming, Prosperity, Normal, Recession and Depression. When the economy is good, the revenue of hauled goods and stock prices will be higher. Bond interest rates will also be adjusted with the economy level, including the interest received from cash and the interest paid for the bonds.

Campaigns and scenarios

The original game features eighteen missions, divided between North America, Europe and the rest of the world. The missions can be played on three difficulty levels, and each also includes three listed objectives. Completing only the first objective awards the player a bronze medal, the first two a silver medal, and all three a gold medal. The player may play any mission in each set as many times as they wish; they may also continue even though a mission has been failed. The final score for the whole 18 mission campaign is calculated by the difficulty level and the number of each type of medal achieved.

In addition to the campaign, Railroad Tycoon II features many single scenarios. As with the campaign, each scenario is based on a geographical location, which may be fictional. Most scenarios also have a medal system similar to that of the campaign, although any scenario may be played in sandbox mode as well. Many scenarios constrain the player to some specific point on the timeline and feature scripted events: for example, the Korean map presents an alternative history as the player is informed about the averted Korean civil war.

Additional single scenarios may be created using the map editor included. Maps may be imported, drawn from scratch, or edited from existing maps and saved under new names. Many fan creations have been shared on various fan sites. Most have only a dozen or so events, but there doesn't appear to be an upper limit. The educational US History Scenario (Link is broken, new download link is needed), with over 400 events spanning 200 years, is like a campaign all on its own.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of Railroad Tycoon II consist mostly of classical "railroad" blues and bluegrass genre from the era the game revolves around. These pieces were not, unlike most contemporary games, midi files, but rather high quality studio recordings; some even with vocals. This fact has contributed to the solid ratings this game has received.

Popular Culture

It was featured in G4 Icons' episode 12 Sid Meier as part of Sid's history with games and computers.

Editions

Railroad Tycoon 2: Gold

This is a collection of Railroad Tycoon 2 and Railroad Tycoon 2: The Second Century, in one package.

Railroad Tycoon 2: Platinum

This is equivalent to the Gold Edition plus over 50 community-made maps added and enhanced mouse-wheel support. Maps (scenarios) developed specifically for the platinum edition may not function in some earlier versions. The last official patch to Railroad Tycoon 2 was platinum v1.56 on February 19, 2003.^[1] After that, further development proceeded to Railroad Tycoon 3.

Reception

Railroad Tycoon II was a finalist for Computer Gaming World's 1998 "Best Strategy" award, which ultimately went to StarCraft. The editors wrote that Railroad Tycoon II "proved to be a brilliant update of a gaming classic."^[2]

Railroad Tycoon II won Computer Games Strategy Plus's 1998 "Strategy Game of the Year" award. The editors wrote that it "managed to capture almost all of the things gamers had come to love about the original."^[3]

References