Re: [Freeciv-Dev] more realistic railroads

[Artur Biesiadowski <abies@xxxxxxxxx>]

Bernhard März wrote:


> 1. Railroads are not simulated very realistic, I think (I know, that
> Microprose has used it in the same way).
> In Freeciv, Railroads are build around the cities, to earn more
> productionpoints. But railroad around cities, I think it's not realistic.
> 
> My idea is better to rename railroads into trams and then use trams in
> exact the same way as railroads were used now. Furthermore, there could
> be busroads. I belive trams were earlier used (and the building of the
> lines need much time), later in time buslines were prefered (only need to
> build bus-stations, when the roads are allready there - it's faster to build).
> 
> Then we could realize railroads more realistic. Terrain with railroads must
> not earn extra things in the cities (so no one build it around cities, like
> before).

You have forgotten about one important thing - scale. For very large map
(200x100 - most maps are smaller) representing earth, one tile would be
200x200 km. So each city radius represents about 1000x1000km of terrain.
I think that it is a bit large are to cover it with trams.

You have to look at cities in different manner - they are number of
cities and supporting villages with just one name put in front (say
larges city of them). When you build railroad, this means that villages
from withing 200km can send their goods to city by train instead of
carrying them on their backs. I think that it is perfectly ok for roads
to provide anything one wants - trade/production, even food.

So treat rails withing city radius as 'local' infrastructure between
many small cities and inter-city railways as special long-distance
trains like TGV.

Artur