Mixing Balancing and Merging

Over a period of months I have been developing a game which I have been test out network capacity and packing. To do this I boosted some primary industries and connected them directly to the main line. This in itself causes issues, which can jam the main line. To overcome this issue I built very high capacity stations.

My network ended up with 890 trains that travelled around a ML ring. Since all the primary stations where on the ML the game ended up only having MSH and BBHs. This meant that I have to balance all of the tracks on and off the main loop. The loop was LLL_RRR most of the way around excluding the northern section which was LL_RR and L_R only in some sections.




When I originally built the factory area is was a small 8 platform station with 1 entrance and 1 exit. It evolved into a 16 platform station with 3 entrance and exit lines which are each in turn mixed over the ML in all directions



This image is of the busy LLL_RRR MSH to the factory drop where the main line turns 90 degrees. The factory is serviced by Grain, Livestock and Steel and has a monthly output of around 12,000 crates of goods. With this game I have transported every Cargo type that it is possible to transport. This has resulted in many interesting track combinations and layouts.

I started the game without a network plan (this is never a good idea). I used a B2B style game, where I used a fix TL of 5 tiles, and a fixed loco (RE 4600) from the 2cc set. This train is very good for passengers and goods as it is very fast, and has a high tractate effort, which means it won’t slow while pulling loads up long grades.


My first line linked the forests of Drefingway-on-sea to the sawmill at Fultborough. When first built this link was L_R only. Over time demand from the forests and other trains on the network meant I had to upgrade the line to LLL_RRR most of the way for this link.

I also dedicated 2 large cities on the map which I transported passengers between and I also dropped all of my goods at these 2 cities. Both cities ended up to have more than 200,000 population and where close to very busy junctions within my network.


To handle to traffic I made sure each industry had its own area on the map. This meant that I could dictate cargo direction to the drops in order to balance the network. This can be seen in many locations around the map.
If you want to see my full works please download my saved game file: Blog Game

To run the game you will need openttdcoop GRF pack 7.3, and all other GRFs can be found on bananas. You will also need r18985 or later

3 comments so far

  1. planetmaker February 13, 2010 22:14

    Nice article πŸ™‚ and impressive and nice game with many nicely compact hubs and many merges. It also shows very well that not a big map is needed for a nice game. I hope we will read more of you in the future.

    In the 4th panel I spotted a desynced tunne, though ;-), looking at the game itself, the station entry at Chatbridge seems to cause a bit of jam.

  2. V453000 February 13, 2010 22:17

    Nice game πŸ™‚ the map looks quite empty with the few strong bunches of primaries connected πŸ™‚

  3. Chris Booth February 13, 2010 22:42

    Yeah i think i forgot to refactor the ore fleet at Chatbridge when i changed for UKRS to 2CC

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