Railroad Tycoon
Encyclopedia
Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon is a business simulation game. There are five versions; the original Railroad Tycoon
(1990), Railroad Tycoon Deluxe (1993), Railroad Tycoon II
(1998), Railroad Tycoon 3
(2003), and Sid Meier's Railroads!
(2006).
Railroad Tycoon was written by game designer Sid Meier
and published by MicroProse
and though it shares the "Tycoon" suffix, it is not related to other Microprose games such as RollerCoaster Tycoon
and Transport Tycoon
, which were developed by Scottish programmer Chris Sawyer
.
The player manages the business as described above and may also handle individual train movement and build additional industries. The game also has other railroad companies attempting to put the player out of business with stock dealings and "Rate Wars".
The player starts with one million dollars, half as equity, half as loan. The player can get more cash by selling $500,000 bonds at various interest rates (which depend on the current economic condition in the game).
As part of the release of the new Sid Meier's Railroads, 2k Games released the full version of the original Railroad Tycoon game for free, which is available on their website.
RDX is essentially the same game as Railroad Tycoon, with improved hi-resolution graphics, new sound effects, and several additions. The additions are: new maps (South America and Africa) with region-specific cargo types (e.g. troops for Africa), new time ranges and locomotives, bandits who can hijack trains, and sheriffs who will arrest them.
Although the game is called Sid Meier
's Railroad Tycoon Deluxe, Sid Meier
himself had nothing to do with the development of this version.
in 1998 after PopTop Software
acquired rights to the name from Microprose
, Sid Meier's original company which he himself left a year earlier to form Firaxis.
Some features of the first version are missing in this sequel, such as the ability to build tunnels and signal towers, but many new possibilities were added, such as the ability to have unlimited money, trains, and train routes, much better control of routes, dozens of new maps, and the ability to create and modify scenarios and maps.
The Dreamcast version was in full 3D.
There are dozens of new scenarios to play including ones in Africa
, North America
, Germany
, the Swiss Alps
, the jungles of South America
, and even several places around the world in a possible future where Earth's oceans have risen. Most of the ones in Railroad Tycoon 1 are in Railroad Tycoon 2. There are also many more first and second century campaigns to choose from than in Railroad Tycoon 1.
An expansion pack, Railroad Tycoon II: Second Century, was later added which contained new scenarios focusing on modern and near-future times, plus added new elements to the economy. The game and its expansion were repackaged together in the Gold Edition and then, with 50 additional user-made scenarios, into the Platinum Edition.
A short lived, budget title, named The Next Millennium went on sale in 2000. It featured many scenarios and features of The Second Century, but no map editor. It had no instruction booklet and was sold only in a jewel case.
A complimentary expansion pack, Coast to Coast, was released for downloading in 2004 with new scenarios, including a map of the entire United States and eight new locomotives.
Railroad Tycoon
Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon is a business simulation game. There are five versions; the original Railroad Tycoon , Railroad Tycoon Deluxe , Railroad Tycoon II , Railroad Tycoon 3 , and Sid Meier's Railroads! .Railroad Tycoon was written by game designer Sid Meier and published by MicroProse and...
(1990), Railroad Tycoon Deluxe (1993), Railroad Tycoon II
Railroad Tycoon II
Railroad Tycoon II is a game for the PC, Macintosh, PlayStation and Dreamcast in the Railroad Tycoon series. The Dreamcast version is a Gold Edition with improved graphics and gameplay...
(1998), Railroad Tycoon 3
Railroad Tycoon 3
Railroad Tycoon 3 is a computer game in the Railroad Tycoon series, released in 2003.-New features:The game interface is in full 3D, with free camera movement...
(2003), and Sid Meier's Railroads!
Sid Meier's Railroads!
Sid Meier's Railroads! is a business simulation game developed by Sid Meier on the Gamebryo game engine that was released in October 2006 and is the sequel to Railroad Tycoon 3. Although Sid Meier created the original Railroad Tycoon, subsequent versions were developed by PopTop Software...
(2006).
Railroad Tycoon was written by game designer Sid Meier
Sid Meier
Sidney K. "Sid" Meier is a Canadian programmer and designer of several popular computer strategy games, most notably Civilization. He has won accolades for his contributions to the computer games industry...
and published by MicroProse
MicroProse
MicroProse was a video game publisher and developer, founded by Wild Bill Stealey and Sid Meier in 1982 as Microprose Software. In 1993, the company became a subsidiary of Spectrum HoloByte and has remained a subsidiary or brand name under several other corporations since...
and though it shares the "Tycoon" suffix, it is not related to other Microprose games such as RollerCoaster Tycoon
RollerCoaster Tycoon
RollerCoaster Tycoon may refer to:*RollerCoaster Tycoon - a series of video games in which a player must manage an amusement park**RollerCoaster Tycoon - the first game, which came out in 1999...
and Transport Tycoon
Transport Tycoon
Transport Tycoon and Transport Tycoon Deluxe are computer games developed by Chris Sawyer and published by MicroProse in 1994 , and 1995...
, which were developed by Scottish programmer Chris Sawyer
Chris Sawyer
Chris Sawyer is a Scottish computer game developer who is best known for designing and programming Transport Tycoon and the RollerCoaster Tycoon series.-Career:...
.
Objective
The objective of the game is to build and manage a railroad company by laying track, building stations, and buying and scheduling trains. The railroad must be built in a certain time to win the game.Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon
The original version allowed the player to start companies in several settings: the U.S. West and Midwest or the Northeast, England, and (on a smaller scale including southern England) Europe.The player manages the business as described above and may also handle individual train movement and build additional industries. The game also has other railroad companies attempting to put the player out of business with stock dealings and "Rate Wars".
The player starts with one million dollars, half as equity, half as loan. The player can get more cash by selling $500,000 bonds at various interest rates (which depend on the current economic condition in the game).
As part of the release of the new Sid Meier's Railroads, 2k Games released the full version of the original Railroad Tycoon game for free, which is available on their website.
Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon Deluxe
An updated version of this game named Railroad Tycoon Deluxe (RDX) was created and released in 1993. Despite a host of new features and graphics, RDX sold very poorly in stores, due to some bugs and slow gameplay (most notoriously the F4 map screen, which brings the game to a crawl).RDX is essentially the same game as Railroad Tycoon, with improved hi-resolution graphics, new sound effects, and several additions. The additions are: new maps (South America and Africa) with region-specific cargo types (e.g. troops for Africa), new time ranges and locomotives, bandits who can hijack trains, and sheriffs who will arrest them.
Although the game is called Sid Meier
Sid Meier
Sidney K. "Sid" Meier is a Canadian programmer and designer of several popular computer strategy games, most notably Civilization. He has won accolades for his contributions to the computer games industry...
's Railroad Tycoon Deluxe, Sid Meier
Sid Meier
Sidney K. "Sid" Meier is a Canadian programmer and designer of several popular computer strategy games, most notably Civilization. He has won accolades for his contributions to the computer games industry...
himself had nothing to do with the development of this version.
Railroad Tycoon II
A sequel featuring improved graphics and more complex gameplay, Railroad Tycoon II, was published by Gathering of DevelopersGathering of Developers
Gathering of Developers was a Texas-based PC and video games publishing company, founded in January 1998 with the mission to bridge the gap between publishers and independent game developers, allowing independent developers creative control over their projects, ownership of their IP, and...
in 1998 after PopTop Software
PopTop Software
PopTop Software was an American video game developer. It was known as the publisher of several strategy games including Railroad Tycoon II and the Caribbean island simulation Tropico . They are not to be confused with PopCap Games, which is a casual game developer.-History:PopTop Software was...
acquired rights to the name from Microprose
MicroProse
MicroProse was a video game publisher and developer, founded by Wild Bill Stealey and Sid Meier in 1982 as Microprose Software. In 1993, the company became a subsidiary of Spectrum HoloByte and has remained a subsidiary or brand name under several other corporations since...
, Sid Meier's original company which he himself left a year earlier to form Firaxis.
Some features of the first version are missing in this sequel, such as the ability to build tunnels and signal towers, but many new possibilities were added, such as the ability to have unlimited money, trains, and train routes, much better control of routes, dozens of new maps, and the ability to create and modify scenarios and maps.
The Dreamcast version was in full 3D.
There are dozens of new scenarios to play including ones in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Swiss Alps
Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
, the jungles of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and even several places around the world in a possible future where Earth's oceans have risen. Most of the ones in Railroad Tycoon 1 are in Railroad Tycoon 2. There are also many more first and second century campaigns to choose from than in Railroad Tycoon 1.
An expansion pack, Railroad Tycoon II: Second Century, was later added which contained new scenarios focusing on modern and near-future times, plus added new elements to the economy. The game and its expansion were repackaged together in the Gold Edition and then, with 50 additional user-made scenarios, into the Platinum Edition.
A short lived, budget title, named The Next Millennium went on sale in 2000. It featured many scenarios and features of The Second Century, but no map editor. It had no instruction booklet and was sold only in a jewel case.
Railroad Tycoon 3
The second sequel, Railroad Tycoon 3, was released in 2003. It featured a full 3D environment, overpasses and tunnels, and much improved graphics. Gameplay changed significantly, with dynamic pricing of goods across the entire map and cargo that can find alternate means of transportation if no train service is provided, but the possibility to change the landscape during the game by laying tracks in an adequate way disappeared. A map editor is included but cannot be used during the game. AI players develop their railroad slowly, which makes the game somewhat non-challenging.A complimentary expansion pack, Coast to Coast, was released for downloading in 2004 with new scenarios, including a map of the entire United States and eight new locomotives.
Sid Meier's Railroads!
Sid Meier's Railroads! was released in October 2006. It was the first game in the Railroad Tycoon series since the original to have direct input from Sid Meier himself. Railroads! features a variety of scenarios and trains from both North America and Europe and is less industry-focused than previous versions. It has a simpler user interface for track laying, full 3D graphics, and real time gameplay.External links
- Sid Meier's Railroads! Official Site
- Railroad Tycoon 3 on FilePlanet Includes links to download Coast to Coast Expansion, three scenarios, and Version 1.05 patch.
- RailRoad Tycoon at FreeGameEmpire